Bang—
Jiang Nuan gripped the black pistol with both hands, aimed at the target ahead, and pulled the trigger.
The powerful recoil numbed her thumb, and the bullet struck the outer ring of the target.
This was already the third magazine she had emptied. On her first day of full recovery, Lu Shiyan had thrown her into the training ground.
After all, she had requested to learn combat herself.
A hand reached from behind, forcibly slipping between her fingers, interlacing them in a ten-finger lock.
Qinian pressed close from behind, his body heat seeping through the thin training uniform.
He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her ear, his voice carrying a lazy, mocking tone. "Can't even hold a gun steady. If you ran into real danger, you'd just cry and surrender, wouldn't you?"
Jiang Nuan shrank her neck. The weight of the barrel stabilized under his support, but her whole body stiffened.
She wanted to move forward and escape this overly intimate instructor.
She had assumed the captain would arrange for Ye Que to teach her shooting, since Ye Que was the sniper with the best aim. She never expected it would be this most unserious guy.
Annoying guy.
Qinian’s free hand clamped directly onto her soft waist, pressing her back into his chest, making her cling tighter to him.
"What are you fidgeting for?" His breath brushed against her neck. "Eyes on the front."
Jiang Nuan had no choice but to stare rigidly at the target ahead.
He guided her hand to lift the gun again, his long fingers wrapping around her index finger, pulling the trigger without hesitation.
The bullet struck the bullseye.
Jiang Nuan’s arm ached from the massive recoil, but Qinian seemed to find it amusing, like some new toy. He took the chance to lower his head and gave her earlobe a not-too-soft bite.
Jiang Nuan shuddered all over, nearly dropping the gun.
"Wipe that lecherous look off your face."
A cool voice came from the doorway. Shen Wu pushed open the training ground door and walked in.
"The captain wants you in the meeting room."
Qinian released Jiang Nuan’s waist and straightened up.
Being interrupted annoyed him. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Are you just jealous that I get hands-on instruction time, Intelligence Officer?"
Shen Wu didn’t even give him a glance.
"I’m just worried you’ll break her, and then we’ll have trouble explaining it to the captain."
Taking advantage of their standoff, Jiang Nuan finally slipped free from Qinian’s grip and moved a few steps away, putting distance between them.
Why couldn’t Qinian learn something from his brother?
But then again, thinking about Qi Sui’s gentle smile, he probably wasn’t much better.
Qinian lazily glanced at her, like a small creature that had briefly escaped his palm, then unhurriedly turned and walked out of the training ground.
Shen Wu’s gaze shifted to her and paused for a moment.
"Do I need to go too?" Jiang Nuan pointed at herself.
"What I just said," Shen Wu enunciated clearly, "was that 'you' are both to go to the meeting room."
The meeting room door slid open silently.
The room was large, with a black long table in the center. Everyone else had already arrived.
Lu Shiyan sat at the head, a virtual light screen glowing before him.
There was an empty seat at the far end of the table.
Jiang Nuan walked over and sat down quietly.
Lu Shiyan looked up, swept his gaze across everyone, and then spoke.
"The Investigation Department issued a notice. Since we just cleared an SS-level restricted zone, Zero Squad is on mandatory paid leave for two weeks."
Jiang Ce’s face broke into a grin. He let out a cheer, leaning back in his seat with his broad shoulders.
Lu Shiyan glanced at him but said nothing. He swiped a hand across the table, pushing a three-dimensional map to the center.
"We’re going back to Sector C tomorrow."
Qinian’s brow immediately furrowed. "Why go back to that dump? We just got out of there."
"There’s a batch of biological samples and data materials sealed in our base in Sector C, extracted from early restricted zones. They need to be transported back," Lu Shiyan explained.
"Can’t we just send the base’s security team?" Qinian said impatiently, spinning half a turn in his chair. "It’s our rare vacation."
"We also need to confirm the energy field stability after the SS-level restricted zone was destroyed, and make sure there are no leftover contamination sources," Lu Shiyan’s voice left no room for argument. "Do you think those security personnel could handle it?"
Qinian’s face fell completely. He leaned back, muttering under his breath, "I was hoping to spend these days bonding properly with our Nuannuan."
That "our Nuannuan" gave Jiang Nuan goosebumps.
She felt the vibe was getting weirder by the minute. Was she in a post-apocalyptic survival scenario, or had she stumbled into some cult sect’s crash course for disciples?
But Lu Shiyan’s words stirred excitement in her heart.
If they were all going on a mission, did that mean... she could stay alone in the base?
Nice!
Her joy barely lasted two seconds.
Lu Shiyan’s gaze crossed the table and finally landed on her. "You’re coming too."
The little flame of hope in Jiang Nuan’s heart was instantly extinguished.
"Me?" she protested immediately. "I have no combat ability. Going there will only be a burden."
She wanted to stay alone in the base, even if only for one day.
Lu Shiyan looked at her. "I’m not comfortable leaving you alone in the base."
"That old fox Wen Xu’an won’t give up so easily. The moment we leave, he’ll find a hundred reasons to invite you into the Investigation Department’s interrogation room."
So that was the reason.
The image of Wen Xu’an’s warm, smiling face floated into her mind. She had no doubt that Lu Shiyan’s words were true.
That man had already become one of the most dangerous figures to watch out for in her eyes.
"Don’t be afraid, Nuannuan."
Qi Sui, sitting beside her, leaned in and gave her a reassuring smile. "The restricted zone has already been cleared. There’s no danger along the way. Being with us is the safest option."
Yes, the safest.
And also the least free.
Jiang Nuan lowered her eyes and said, "Alright."
At least she could truly see this world, see what kind of world it really was.
An hour later, a black heavy armored vehicle sped out of the base gates, racing across the wilderness and kicking up clouds of yellow sand.
The interior was spacious, with two rows of soft leather seats facing each other. Advanced shock absorbers smoothed out most of the bumps in the road.
Jiang Ce sat in the driver’s seat, expertly maneuvering the wheel. This steel beast was as docile as a big cat under his control, gliding over the uneven terrain as if on flat ground.
But despite the roominess, with six tall men sitting inside, it still felt somewhat cramped. The air was thick with a faint smell of gunpowder, leather, and the different scents of each person, all mingling together into an imposing atmosphere.
Jiang Nuan curled up by the window, her forehead pressed against the cold glass, watching the desolate landscape speed by.
In the distance was a blackened forest of charred remains, all the trees leaning in the same direction, as if flattened by some enormous force.
From the original owner’s memories, she knew this world hadn’t always been like this.
The Restricted Zones first appeared fifty years ago, springing up without warning all across the globe, tearing the original world apart.
No one could say for sure what they really were—whether an invasion from another dimension, or some kind of mutation of the Earth itself.
Along with the appearance of the Restricted Zones, humans gradually began to manifest those with special abilities, collectively known as Awakened.
The types of abilities varied widely, from the most common strength enhancement and speed types, to rare space and psychic types, and even some unclassifiable, bizarre but powerful abilities.
The members of Zero Squad undoubtedly stood at the very pinnacle of all Awakened.
And her—
An SSS-rank with such an unorthodox method of purification was probably one of a kind.
The armored vehicle rumbled over a massive rubble chunk, jolting the cabin violently.
Jiang Nuan lost her balance, unable to stop herself from falling sideways, directly colliding with a firm chest.
Qi Sui caught her steadily, his strong arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her into his embrace, his palm pressed against her side through the combat suit.
"Careful."
His voice sounded right above her head.
Jiang Nuan quickly propped herself up on his chest and sat up straight, her cheeks burning as she mumbled an apology.
Qi Sui didn't let go; instead, he pulled her closer, his thumb gently stroking her waist.
"It's alright."
Qinian, sitting across from them, leaned back against the seat and let out a derisive snicker. He stretched out his long leg and used the toe of his boot to hook Jiang Nuan's calf, sliding it upward slowly.
"Brother, you're too sneaky. You picked the seat next to her the moment you got in the car."
Jiang Nuan felt her skin crawl from his touch and tried to pull her leg back, but he only hooked it tighter.
A boot unceremoniously kicked Qinian's foot away.
"Behave yourself." Ye Que lowered his leg back down and turned a page of the documents in his hand.
Qinian curled his lip, withdrew his foot reluctantly, but kept his eyes glued to her.
Jiang Nuan turned her head to look out the window, not wanting to meet his gaze.
Sector C, their destination, was the place where she had been hunted down and captured in the Restricted Zone after she first crossed over.
Returning to the starting point of a nightmare—she had no idea what awaited her.
A piece of Sector C in her memories had always been missing. At first, she thought it was just memory confusion caused by the crossover.
But after learning the unsettling nature of psychic abilities, a terrible suspicion gradually took shape in her mind.
What if that blank spot wasn't missing...
But erased?
What had been erased?
And by whom?
