Scary-Looking

Some departments required night shifts.

Tu Ran took the elevator to the training grounds.

She changed into her training gear and started her routine for the day.

Following Xie Xu's instructions, she began with physical conditioning—lifting weights, carrying weighted runs, endurance drills, and combination exercises.

By the time she finished the full set, it was already seven in the morning.

Others gradually trickled in to train.

Tu Ran spotted Ding Naiqing, whom she hadn't seen in two days.

His hair was still damp, as if he'd just showered.

"Hey, Ran-jie, what a coincidence."

Tu Ran nodded. "Yeah, what a coincidence."

Ding Naiqing walked up to her cheerfully, drying his hair as he spoke. "I heard yesterday that someone from our Pioneer Team challenged those A6 guys from the Executive Department here at the training grounds, and I asked around who it was."

"They said it was a woman, the one who killed the most aliens during that mission in Regaken State a few days ago, and who also looked pretty scary. I guessed it had to be you, Ran-jie. So I thought I'd come here today and try my luck, see if I could run into you. And here you are."

Tu Ran: What does he mean by 'scary-looking'?

Did she look scary?

Tu Ran tilted her head and glanced at the full-length mirror on the pillar beside her.

She wore a snug training suit that showed off her well-proportioned figure. Her shoulder-length hair was casually tied into a bun, with a few damp strands sticking to her cheeks from the workout. Her face was fair and clean, and though she wore a blank expression, it hardly qualified as fierce.

Ding Naiqing noticed her confusion and chuckled. "Ran-jie, don't listen to them. You're not scary at all. They just don't know you well. They call you scary because you're stronger than most men. In their eyes, Yao-jie is scary too—any girl who's better than them gets labeled that way."

Tu Ran couldn't help but laugh. "If they find out you told me this, will they beat you up?"

"Beat me?" Ding Naiqing spread his hands. "They can't beat me anyway."

"Ha, fair enough."

Ding Naiqing was indeed formidable—last time, when he fought the possessed Tubin with a knife, he managed to hold his own for quite a while.

A thought crossed Tu Ran's mind.

Between her current strength and Ding Naiqing's, who would come out on top?

"Ran-jie, do you train here every day?" Ding Naiqing tossed his towel aside and picked up the dumbbells next to Tu Ran to pump out some reps.

"Mm," Tu Ran said, turning to him. "Ding Naiqing, how about we spar in close-quarters combat?"

"Huh?" Ding Naiqing was taken aback, then shook his head vigorously. "Ran-jie, spare me. I'm definitely no match for you."

"That's not necessarily true. I've been practicing close-quarters combat these past few days, and I've been looking for a sparring partner. Let's just have a friendly match—no hard feelings." Tu Ran tried to persuade him.

Ding Naiqing still wanted to shake his head, but Tu Ran grabbed his head with both hands.

"Since you're not shaking your head, I'll take that as agreement. Agreed, so let's get on the ring, okay?"

Ding Naiqing: "..."

He was both amused and exasperated, never expecting Ran-jie to have such a childish side.

"Fine." He nodded obediently.

It was only seven or eight in the morning, and everyone was doing basic training; few had taken to the ring to spar.

So when Tu Ran and Ding Naiqing stepped onto the platform, they immediately drew everyone's attention.

Neither of them paid it any mind.

They stood at the center of the ring.

Ding Naiqing felt he'd been impulsive—who would have thought that a hint of childishness from Ran-jie would cloud his judgment?

He earnestly reminded Tu Ran, "Ran-jie, we must keep it friendly. Don't send me to the hospital with a fracture. We're back to work tomorrow, and I don't want to take leave."

"Of course," Tu Ran nodded. "Shall we start?"