By the time Long Hua and the others had returned to GC012 it was already Saturday.
And upon arriving back at the office, the group immediately went their separate ways to do whatever it was that they would normally do outside of work.
"Right, call up that squad that gave us the task."
Pouring himself a glass of water, Ye Chen turns to Li Xue who has seated herself on the damaged sofa with her computer out on her lap.
"You planning to raise a complaint?"
"And to raise our compensation."
"And the contract?"
"Tell them to read the fine print. And if they still got issues, well… This colonel rank of mine gives me the privilege to send people off to the frontlines with a single call."
With a completed message typed out, Li Xue smiles as she presses the trackpad to send it.
"Looks like I wouldn't need to use my major rank then."
...…
As the metal door slides to the right, a person dressed in a short-sleeved black dress steps through and enters the room.
The skirt worn by this person reaches pass their kneecaps, while the rest of their legs are covered by tall black boots.
Mounted on top of this square room's ceiling are four speakers, while a small table and chair is situated in the center.
There wasn't much else contained in this room aside from a giant machine that was attached directly onto its back walls.
This machine is tubular in shape with a glass cover that is layered over by frost, making it chilly to the touch.
Within this machine, rests a human body, the body of a young girl dressed in the white gowns of a hospital patient. Much like the person who had entered the room, this sleeping individual also has straight black hair.
It wouldn't take too much effort to guess this machine's purpose, it is none other than a cryostasis unit.
"Lí, I've return."
As the metal door slides to a close, the visitor who had entered stands in front of a computer terminal that is positioned in front of the cryostasis unit. Mounted on top of this terminal is a small camera.
[Welcome back, big sis.]
A soft voice comes from the speakers.
Reflected on the surface of the camera's lens is a visitor with deep blue eyes.
[You told me you had a two-day shift. Was it difficult?]
Towards the camera, the visitor shakes their head and smiles.
"Don't worry about it. Ah shall I resume the story that I was telling you about last time?"
[Before that I want to tell you about what I saw in my dream.]
"I'm all ears."
With a gentle smile on their face, the visitor moves back and sits on the only chair in this room.
[I saw a person wearing a black mask that covered half their face in my dream. He-]
...…
[So, how was your first serious job? Are you getting along well with the rest of your teammates?]
A lazy voice comes from the speaker of Qing Yue's smartphone.
"Everything is going well, mother."
Within a dark alley, Qing Yue stands with her back leaning against a wall.
The usual brightness contained in her pink eyes is nowhere to be seen, causing her to give off a colder air.
Her trademark red newsboy cap is held in her left hand, while she pressed her phone to her right ear.
Parting her pale pink hair aside are two black oni horns that she would normally keep hidden beneath her cap.
[If I recall, one of your teammates is a member of NPI.]
"Ah that one. He's quite…"
Recalling the way in which Long Hua had moved in the face of the steel hound's attacks, along with how he had taken out the one-horned lion in a single strike, Qing Yue continues—
"I feel like he's gotta be an issue."
[Oh in what way?]
"He took down a one-horned lion with a single strike to the neck, and the way he moves around in battle is very… Reminds me of a martial artist in those live wuxia dramas. His Relic is merged with his body and takes on the form of two snakes with poisonous fangs. Oh, he also punched an Apotheosized Sinner with his bare fist, I'm surprised that he didn't shatter his knuckles… I'm willing to wager that he'd be able to fight an Immortal with his fists alone."
Lighthearted laughter comes from the other end.
[That girl really found herself an interesting ally. And your other teammates?]
"The captain is an odd man with a fondness for mobile games. The vice-captain is trying to off him over a grudge. The other guy seems to have money issues for whatever reason."
[All sound like people of character. When do you intend to get your tune-up done?]
"Preferably next week."
[I'll let the people at Rime Tech know then.]
"Ideally, I'd want Jìng Yīn to do it or at least someone of the same skill level."
[Afraid that would be difficult.]