The Last Supper

Tu Ran was silent for a long moment before she said, "The Pioneer Team and the Executive Department use different hand signals?"

Qiu Jian shook his head. "No idea."

"Let's compare notes when we get back," Tu Ran said, putting on her simulation goggles. "Get ready, we're going in again."

She refused to believe she couldn't pass this level.

With the previous two attempts as groundwork, the two of them reached the floor where the hostages were being kept with ease this time. Standing outside the wall, they exchanged a glance, and Tu Ran charged in.

After two shots took down the hostage-takers near the door, Tu Ran rolled behind the pile of construction debris as before.

The two hostage-takers by the window cautiously approached the debris pile, firing continuously, sending scraps of various materials flying everywhere.

Seizing the moment, Qiu Jian, hidden behind the wall, quietly extended his gun barrel, aimed, and fired two shots in quick succession. Both hostage-takers dropped to the ground.

[Mission accomplished, hostages rescued. (confetti) (confetti)]

[Proceed to the next level, or exit the simulation?]

Tu Ran chose to exit.

Two hours had already passed.

And this was only a C-rank difficulty.

She'd died twice before clearing it.

"Let's head back to the office and compare our hand signals."

"Sure."

The two returned to the office. When they pushed open the door, only Ye Qingcai was inside, hunched over his computer. He looked up at the two entering. "Back so soon? You can keep practicing a while longer. No missions at the moment; I'll notify you when something comes up."

"No need. We ran into a problem and came back to sort it out," Tu Ran said, taking her seat at her workstation.

Qiu Jian scanned the office. "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, them?" Ye Qingcai's face was barely containing his glee. "They all went off to train."

Qiu Jian's expression turned odd.

"Hard to believe, right?" Ye Qingcai rubbed his sore neck. "You two lit a fire under them."

Qiu Jian glanced at Tu Ran, then silently took his own seat.

After going through the Pioneer Team's materials on hand signals, Tu Ran realized she had been the one at fault.

When she'd first arrived in this world, before inheriting the original body's memories, she'd skimmed the books on the original's shelf, but time had been tight and she hadn't gotten through many.

Later, once she'd acquired the original's memories, she followed them for everything, ignoring the books on the shelf entirely.

Subconsciously, she'd believed the original had been competent enough never to make mistakes.

But it seemed that wasn't the case.

The original had been highly goal-oriented. Everything she'd learned, mastered, and worked toward was what she'd need in the future; she ignored any skill she deemed useless.

For instance, since pioneers operated solo and had no need for hand signals, she hadn't paid attention when the instructors had taught them.

Reality was a stark reminder to Tu Ran: she couldn't keep relying on the original's memories. She needed to actively master skills herself.

For a full two hours, Tu Ran studied various hand signals. Once she'd memorized what each gesture meant, she sought out Qiu Jian to practice.

Qiu Jian was very patient. After an hour of drilling, Tu Ran had them down cold.

At some point, the others who'd gone out for training had drifted back.

"It's eight. Clock out," Ye Qingcai announced.

Tu Ran stood. She'd only brought herself to work today; nothing to pack up. "See you tomorrow. I'm heading out."

After saying goodbye, Tu Ran left.

Watching the door close, Qi Tongda leaned toward Qiu Jian. "You two spent the whole afternoon training together?"

Qiu Jian nodded silently.

"What did you train?" Qi Tongda pressed.

Zhou Ming, who was packing up nearby, pricked up his ears as well.

Qiu Jian frowned, reluctant to answer.

Qi Tongda nudged him with his elbow. "You're already taking her side? Don't forget, we're the ones who've fought side by side for years."

Qiu Jian sidestepped him and pushed through the door, leaving.

The furious Young Master Qi huffed, "Tch, like I even care."

After changing out of her combat suit in the equipment room, Tu Ran took the maglev home.

Leaning back against the car seat, she messaged Zero: "How's the plan to get Xi Chunzhi out coming along?"

[Xi Chunzhi's death report has been filed by the Medical Department with the Federation Personnel Office]

[Xi Chunzhi's name has been added to the Pioneer Team's list of fallen members]

[She died on her hospital bed in the Medical Department]

[Personnel will come by tomorrow to reclaim her housing]

[All that's left is arranging her departure from the Federation Center]

"Can she go anywhere besides the Federation Center?" Tu Ran asked.

[Regaken State is also off-limits. Aside from the Federation Center and Regaken State, she can go to any of the other forty states]

[The Federation Center and Regaken State are home to nearly all of the Federation's conglomerate families]

[Most of the super AIs other than myself are concentrated in those two states]

[Her chances of being discovered are much higher there]

"Understood."

She shut off her communicator as the maglev pulled into Liming Station.

Taking the elevator up, Tu Ran went straight to Xi Chunzhi's door and knocked.

Footsteps sounded from inside before the doorknob turned and Xi Chunzhi opened it.

She was in a nightgown, its loose fabric doing nothing to dim her allure. Big waves, naturally red lips, vibrant—a world apart from the figure she'd cut lying in that hospital bed.

She spread her arms wide, a radiant smile on her face. "Welcome home, little Ranran! I made my specialty dish, just waiting for you."

Tu Ran hugged her, their necks pressing together, and her gaze caught the open bottle of liquor sitting on the shoe cabinet by the entrance.

Her mood soured instantly.

"You've been drinking again?" Tu Ran slipped past Xi Chunzhi, snatched up the bottle, and shook it. Only a little less than half remained.

Xi Chunzhi bit her tongue, braced herself, and shut the door. Feeling that icy glare on her back, she took a deep breath, turned around, and wrapped her arm around Tu Ran's neck, steering her toward the living room while her other hand plucked the bottle away and set it back in place.

"Relax, babe. Just a tiny sip, definitely under the limit you set for me."

Tu Ran didn't believe her for a second.

But she'd called her "babe."

Being called babe by a beautiful woman sent Tu Ran's heart blooming; she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from creeping up.

Xi Chunzhi noticed it immediately and seized the opening. "Babe, sit down. Look at the dinner I made just for you—my signature dish."

"Fine, I'll forgive you this time," Tu Ran said, pressing down her smile, though it carried little authority. "You haven't fully recovered. You can't drink too much."

"I know, I know. Babe, let's eat first. You must be starving after a busy afternoon." Xi Chunzhi sat down across from her, gazing at her expectantly, waiting to see her reaction to the meal.

This feeling—having a friend at home, cooking a meal, waiting for you to get off work—was wonderful.

She thought back to how she'd always rushed home to throw together a sloppy meal for herself. The difference was night and day.

She had to cherish this.

"Okay." Tu Ran smiled and lowered her head to eat.

But when she saw the medley on the table, her hand holding the chopsticks froze.

Assorted vegetables were tossed together in a mess, their original colors lost after stir-frying, with some unidentifiable black bits scattered on top. Beneath them, the rice was visibly pale and undercooked.

Tu Ran: ... She'd forgotten Xi Chunzhi was a disaster in the kitchen.

She snuck a glance at Xi Chunzhi, who was watching her with a smile.

"How about... we go out to eat?" Tu Ran made as if to set down her chopsticks.

Xi Chunzhi's smile froze instantly, and she shot Tu Ran a warning glare.

Tu Ran ultimately didn't dare put the chopsticks down.

Fine, she'd eat. She had the Gu Diao's inner core; everything tasted delicious to her anyway.

She picked up a slice of half-raw carrot and ate it with gusto.

On her palate, the carrot tasted as good as chicken, duck, fish, or pork.

Xi Chunzhi watched her, a satisfied smile curving her lips, then picked up a spoon and dug in.

The spoon was because Xi Chunzhi's house had only one pair of chopsticks and one spoon.

She usually used chopsticks herself, but when Tu Ran came over to eat, she'd give her the only pair and use the spoon herself.

She'd also put the food and rice on one plate, the two of them sharing, so she'd have one less bowl to wash later.

Since the chopsticks couldn't pick up the rice, Xi Chunzhi naturally handed the spoon to Tu Ran and took the chopsticks.

"Can't you just buy another pair? They're not expensive," Tu Ran grumbled. "The money for that liquor could've bought several pairs."

Xi Chunzhi sniffed. "Good thing I didn't. Otherwise I'd have lost even more of the family fortune tomorrow."

Tu Ran's hand, scooping rice, paused. "You know?"

Xi Chunzhi lifted her eyes. "You must've forgotten about the Pioneer Team's official website. Confirmed martyrs get posted there and announced Federation-wide." She jabbed at a carrot slice. "There haven't been many pioneer deaths these past few days, so my name might stay up there for several days, seen by everyone, until the next one comes along. To think, all my reputation as the sharpshooter, gone down the drain!"

Tu Ran sighed. "Still, it's better than staying on the Pioneer Team."

"It just feels like I'm leaving nothing behind," Xi Chunzhi said, forlorn.

Tu Ran thought she was being pretentious.

"Think about your long-range sniper records. How can you say you're leaving nothing behind? Aren't you always calling yourself the nightmare of the sniping world, the king who looks down on every other sniper? A few days in a hospital bed, and you're not a nightmare anymore? Not a king? Relax. Until someone breaks your records, no one's forgetting you."

"That's true." Xi Chunzhi had an epiphany, puffing up with pride. She set down her chopsticks and said animatedly, "The Sniper King's skills speak for themselves. I conquered the straight world, and now I'm off to make a legend in the underworld. Who knows, maybe I'll even break my own record and land one shot that shakes the entire Federation."

As she spoke, she raised her arm. Tu Ran understood, set down her spoon, and slapped her palm in a perfect high-five.

"That's the spirit. Once you're the boss of the underworld, I'll come join you," Tu Ran said, scooping up a few more bites. She was genuinely starving.

"Hahaha..." Xi Chunzhi, imagining her bright future, eyes gleaming, laughed couldn't stop.

"I'm done."

Tu Ran set down her spoon and was about to leave the table when Xi Chunzhi stopped her.

"Wait, I've got soup too. Let me get it for you."

Soup?

A memory from the original surfaced in Tu Ran's mind: a bowl of pitch-black soup, simultaneously bitter, fishy, salty, and spicy.

She grabbed Xi Chunzhi's hand as she turned away. "No need, I'm full. Next time, I'll have it next time."

"No way. Who knows when we'll see each other next," Xi Chunzhi said, shaking off her hand and insisting on going to the kitchen to bring out two bowls of soup, setting them on the table. "Come on, try it."

Tu Ran sat back down, resigned to her fate.

The fishy smell hit her nose.

"Why make soup? You know you—" Your soup could kill someone.

Xi Chunzhi shot her a cold glare.

Tu Ran changed course smoothly, "—just recovered from a serious illness and shouldn't overexert yourself."

Xi Chunzhi thoughtfully handed her the spoon. "You drink first. Whatever's left, I'll finish."

Tu Ran could only silently ladle up the soup.

The moment it hit her mouth—

Damn! Spiciness wasn't a taste!

She swallowed trembling, then refused to take another sip. "How did you make soup this spicy?"

"Spicy?" Xi Chunzhi took a dubious sip and swallowed calmly. "It is a bit spicy. Maybe I put too much chili. You can't handle very spicy food. Don't drink it."

Liberated, Tu Ran breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Sitting on Xi Chunzhi's sofa, Tu Ran turned to watch her clearing the dishes. "Which state are you planning to go to? Anywhere but the Federation Center and Regaken State."

Xi Chunzhi's voice drifted from the kitchen. "Tuya State. Farthest from the Federation Center, the conglomerates have little influence there. It's full of fugitives, and the bounty hunter headquarters is there too."

Tu Ran felt a twinge of worry, leaning over the sofa back to watch her bustle about. "Won't it be too chaotic and dangerous there?"

Xi Chunzhi had already rinsed the few dishes, dried her hands, and padded back out in her slippers. "None of the Federation's forty-two states are truly safe. Survival of the fittest—it's the same everywhere."

"At least in Tuya State, there aren't AIs lurking everywhere like in the Federation Center. Honestly, they're what I hate most. You can't do anything without cowering and hiding from them. Even my heart rate going up a bit gets a reminder to control my emotions. It's not like I've got a mechanical heart. Up and down is normal. Talk about nosy." Xi Chunzhi flopped back onto the sofa.

Tu Ran silently covered her communicator on her left wrist with her right hand.

Though she knew it was futile.

"Don't worry. I thought it through carefully before choosing Tuya State. I'm confident in my abilities. I won't do badly there. Besides, I've got the inner core. Thanks to Nick Wells, I have all these abilities now."

"Too bad none of them are offensive," Tu Ran lamented.

She had some herself, but she couldn't share them.

"At the end of the day, people with abilities are still in the minority. Most of what I'll face are ordinary people. These support abilities are more than enough." Xi Chunzhi draped an arm around her shoulder. "Think about it—I can stay alert without eating or sleeping, and do twice the work of a regular person. No way I won't make waves in Tuya State."

"Haha, good point. Work them all into the ground."

...

Xi Chunzhi left under the cover of night.

After saying goodbye to Tu Ran, she changed into a gray outfit, packed up her guns, explosives, and all the money Tu Ran had given her, and slipped out of the Federation Center.

From that moment on, there was no Xi Chunzhi in the Federation's forty-two states.

There was only a bounty hunter with the codename "Assassin" in Tuya State.