Wow, the Pioneer Team Really Knows How to Have Fun?

She'd only ever heard of the Federation's top three conglomerates—when did a top hundred come into existence?

"Because their Qi family ranks ninety-ninth!" Zhou Ming added coolly from his seat.

Young Master Qi shot a glare his way, and Zhou Ming shut his mouth.

"I'm Wang Qiang, the demolitions expert for External Affairs Group Nine." The man who'd been tinkering with explosives at his workstation looked up and introduced himself to Tu Ran, his voice gruff, matching the hair that looked like it had been blasted by cannon fire.

"Qiu Jian, assault."

Five words, said in two seconds, and then he vanished back to his own desk.

Ye Qingcai explained for him, "He handles the same role as you—he's our seven-man team's primary firepower. Both of you are core assets of External Affairs Group Nine, and in real combat, you need to have a certain level of synergy, so over the next few days, you'll need to get to know each other as quickly as possible."

Tu Ran nodded seriously.

Small-team combat in the Executive Department really was different from the lone-wolf style of the Pioneer Team. Squad operations demanded greater coordination and mutual trust—the whole team had to move like a single blade, advancing and retreating together, with no one left behind.

After introducing the others, Ye Qingcai finally introduced himself. "I'm Ye Qingcai, the leader of External Affairs Group Nine. I handle the day-to-day affairs of our team members, and in combat, I serve as both commander and fire support."

Ye Qingcai also introduced Zhou Ming along the way.

"Zhou Ming is our long-range sniper, and occasionally he fills in as the team's temporary medic."

"Temporary medic? Him?"

Incredible. Unbelievable.

Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Tu Ran, what's with that tone?" Zhou Ming whipped around and glared at her.

"That's a tone of praise—can't you even tell?" Tu Ran said with a smile. "Holding two positions at once, truly versatile and learned. I admire your excellence, Brother Zhou."

"Don't think I can't tell you're being sarcastic," Zhou Ming said with a cold face.

Tu Ran spread her hands with an expression that practically begged for a beating: So what if you can tell? What are you gonna do about it?

To be safe, she kept that thought to herself.

But her expression still provoked Zhou Ming.

"Tu! Ran! You're sick! Just like that Qi bastard! Both of you are seriously unwell!"

Tu Ran pointed at Zhou Ming and shouted, "Young Master Qi, he called you a bastard!"

Young Master Qi glared at Tu Ran first. "I heard him. You didn't need to repeat it!"

Then he rolled up his sleeves at Zhou Ming. "If you can't control your mouth, I'll glue it shut." With that, he grabbed a tube of glue from Xiao Miao's desk across from Zhou Ming and grabbed him by the collar, aiming to smear it over his mouth.

Zhou Ming fought back, and the two tumbled to the ground, scrapping.

Ye Qingcai looked at the two on the floor, then at Tu Ran, who was enjoying the show, his temples throbbing.

He already had Qi Tongda and Zhou Ming to deal with—which was already chaotic enough—and now they'd added another troublemaker. His good days were over.

Qiu Jian, annoyed by the noise, grabbed the earphones from the corner of his desk and put them on, retreating into his own world. The practiced motion was almost painful to watch.

Ye Qingcai, seemingly used to this scene, said to Tu Ran, "Your workstation is over there," and then sat back down at his own desk, numb, covering his face with both hands, on the verge of tears. He needed a moment to process; he wasn't ready to accept this reality yet.

Xiao Miao had initially been anxious, trying to break up the fight. After a few attempts, he couldn't get in between, so he gave up and went back to his corner to keep fixing the projector.

That left Tu Ran with nothing to do. She just dragged her chair over and sat beside the brawling pair to watch the show.

Occasionally, she'd offer commentary. "Young Master! Poke his nose! Yeah, right now!"

"Oh! Too slow!"

"Opportunity, opportunity—hit him low! Quick! Go!"

"Young Master, watch your back!"

"Yeah, give him a left hook!"

Zhou Ming was getting pummeled, seeing stars.

"First Blood."

Tu Ran provided live commentary on the spot, her tone crisp and gripping.

"Don't freeze up—keep moving!"

"OK—"

Tu Ran let out a tuneful, rousing whistle with her fingers.

"Double Kill!!"

Qiu Jian took off his earphones and looked at Tu Ran.

"Triple Kill!!"

Even Wang Qiang, who'd been lost in his bombs, raised his head to look at the one person who'd single-handedly elevated a scrap between two weaklings to the level of a championship match.

"Quadra Kill!"

Tu Ran had somehow climbed onto her chair, holding a helmet she'd picked up from the ground, spinning it on her fingertip high above her head.

Qi Tongda landed another punch on Zhou Ming's jaw.

"PENTA KILL!!!!"

"Young Master Qi—you win!!" Tu Ran shouted like a fangirl.

Ye Qingcai: "..."

Xiao Miao, dumbfounded: "..."

Qiu Jian, frozen: "..."

Wang Qiang rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he'd seen, and let out a weak sigh. "...Wow, the Pioneer Team really knows how to have fun?"

Qi Tongda stood up and smoothed his rumpled clothes. He'd dominated Zhou Ming today, so he was in an excellent mood. He looked at Tu Ran and said generously, "You played a part in this. One of these days, I'll treat you to a meal!"

Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. And such a lucky break?

"Impressive as befits a top-hundred conglomerate!" Tu Ran gave him a thumbs-up.

"...Naturally."

Young Master Qi might have realized he'd been impulsive in inviting Tu Ran to dinner, but he was too proud to take it back.

Zhou Ming ached all over. Sitting on the ground, he was about to say something harsh to salvage his pride when he caught sight of what Tu Ran was playing with in her hands. His eyes went dark. "Tu Ran! That's my helmet! My sniper data is in there!!!"

...

...

The six of them stood in a row, with Ye Qingcai facing them.

"This is the last time I'm warning you. If this happens again, I'll exercise my authority as leader and disband External Affairs Group Nine. You can all go find somewhere else."

Even during a lecture, Ye Qingcai lacked the presence of a team leader. His voice was soft and hesitant, and his threats carried no weight at all.

The six nodded in unison.

All except Tu Ran—the other five had been working together for years. There was at least some bond between them. Sure, they roughhoused without restraint, but if they were actually separated, they'd feel a pang of reluctance.

As Qi Tongda put it, if he moved to another group, he'd lose his punching bag. He wasn't going anywhere.

One particular punching bag: "Wahhh... My sniper data... Tu Ran, I'm not letting you off the hook..."

"Alright, everyone, get back to work. Tu Ran, come with me for a moment."

Following Ye Qingcai out of the workshop, the two stood in the corridor.

"We owe you an apology for what happened before," Ye Qingcai began. "Zhou Ming's been spoiled by us. He's arrogant and likes to pick fights. And since we're in the same group, we're an inseparable unit—we can't just stand by while you humiliate him."