Chapter 132
Chapter 132: Trial
Polar Ice Wastes.
The Joker and Nightmare looked at each other.
In the distance, a series of Sub-Dragon wails rang out.
It was clear that someone was exterminating Sub-Dragons on a massive scale.
The Joker quietly put away that stack of talisman papers.
"About that…"
He let out a dry laugh.
"I just remembered—I've got something to take care of. I'll be off."
Nightmare grabbed him by the collar.
"Don't you move!"
"You're not going anywhere until you explain yourself today!"
"Explain what?"
"Explain why you sold those talisman papers to those stupid dragons!"
"How was I supposed to know they'd be dumb enough to carry them on their persons!"
"You—!"
The 2 of them grappled with each other.
On the ground, Dusk was still crying.
Crying and crying…
He let out a hiccup.
Then continued crying.
Wan Changzheng gave a light cough, pulling his attention back from the talisman paper intelligence he'd just processed.
"Ahem. Back to business."
He walked over to the tactical map on the wall and tapped the date with his finger.
"It is currently 3 PM on March 11th, Year 1314 of the Savage Calendar."
"There are 2 important matters happening tonight at 8 PM and tomorrow at noon."
He turned his head toward Shen Lian.
"Chief Engineer Shen, you remember, I presume?"
Shen Lian pushed up her glasses and nodded.
"Of course, Commander."
"I've already instructed the logistics department to prepare for both events."
She brought up the holographic projection, displaying 2 time nodes.
"Tonight at 8 PM is the day the 3 Tiger-Grade squads participate in the Monthly Trial."
"Tomorrow at noon is the day we select the winning squad to head to Eerie Island and establish a base."
"The day to locate and assist No Words Needed in returning to the Canglan Continent."
"That's right."
Wan Changzheng nodded, but then sighed.
"However, word just came down from above."
"A major discovery has been made at the Dragon God ruins in the Polar Ice Wastes."
"So the Storm Squad from the 9th Base has withdrawn from this Trial and selection."
"They need to assist Commander Lin with the current situation."
Shen Lian understood.
"That's entirely expected."
"The situation in the Polar Ice Wastes is no less significant than Eerie Island."
She looked up at Wan Changzheng.
"In that case, Commander—I wonder how our 2nd Base's Iron Wall Squad is faring in their preparations?"
A confident smile spread across Wan Changzheng's face.
"Don't worry."
"Little Zhao is putting them through extra training right now."
"I'm confident they'll overcome this challenge."
Shen Lian was silent for 2 seconds.
"Chief of Staff Zhao?"
She pushed up her glasses, her tone carrying a faint undercurrent.
"Commander, I'll say something unpleasant—please don't take offense."
"Can Chief of Staff Zhao… actually train a Tiger-Grade squad?"
"He's the type who throws out his back just from stretching."
In Shen Lian's mind, Zhao Yan was someone who had somehow clambered into the Chief of Staff position without any clear reason.
Apart from having a loud voice and a hot temper, there didn't seem to be anything particularly remarkable about him.
Wan Changzheng looked at her and said nothing for 3 seconds.
Then.
He smiled.
"Ah, Chief Engineer Shen."
He walked over and patted her on the shoulder.
"We can't only judge a person by what's on the surface, can we?"
"It's true that Little Zhao is in pretty rough shape these days—walks a few steps and he's already wheezing, throws out his back from a stretch."
"But."
He held up one finger.
"Back in the day, he participated in the campaign of the Destruction Five Days—the one that took down the Tailor."
Shen Lian paused.
"The Tailor?"
"Don't believe me? Take a look."
Wan Changzheng walked to the computer and pulled up an old, yellowed photograph.
The holographic projection expanded.
It was a group photo.
The era it was taken in was long past, and the resolution wasn't high, but every face in the image was clearly visible.
Standing at the very front were 4 people.
The one in the very center had a resolute face and eyes sharp as a blade.
Huaxia Nation's publicly acknowledged ace—War God Lin Bayi.
To his left stood a man clad in Dragon Armor.
Heavenly Blade Dragon King.
To Lin Bayi's right was an elderly man.
He wore a gentle smile, holding a test tube in his hand.
Eagle Nation's elder doctor, Sullivan.
And standing beside Sullivan was a golden-haired young girl with her hair tied in a single ponytail.
She looked no older than 15 or 16, her smile bright and carefree.
This girl was Sullivan's granddaughter, Rebecca.
She had also been the core combat force of that campaign, second only to Lin Bayi.
The 4 of them stood smiling in the most prominent position.
Behind them stretched a dense mass of allied soldiers.
That was the allied force that had marched to defeat the Tailor.
Wan Changzheng extended his hand and pointed into the crowd.
"Look there."
Shen Lian followed the direction of his finger.
In the back of the crowd, 2 soldiers were laughing and hoisting a stretcher high into the air—above their heads—as if making sure everyone could see it.
And on the stretcher…
lay an unconscious person.
That face…
Shen Lian's eyes grew wider and wider.
"Chief of Staff Zhao?!"
She blurted out.
"He actually participated in the campaign against the Tailor?!"
"In that battle?!"
She understood perfectly well how much weight that campaign carried.
That was no ordinary battlefield—it was a meat grinder where gods clashed!
Every soldier selected to survive and enter the allied force had to possess a base physical constitution that reached a staggering S-Grade—at the bare minimum!
And that was before accounting for those monstrous abilities!
And yet that man who spent his days chatting and grumbling, who threw out his back from a simple stretch—
Had once been a peak powerhouse with an S-Grade physical body?!
Wan Changzheng watched Shen Lian's stunned expression with visible satisfaction.
"See?"
"I told you Little Zhao wasn't as worthless as you thought."
He pointed at the 2 soldiers in the photo who had raised the stretcher so conspicuously, and couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"It's just that his 2 life-and-death brothers back then were real pieces of work."
"While he was unconscious, they insisted on hoisting him up that high and making him that visible—parading him around like a war trophy."
"Afterward, when Little Zhao came to and saw the photo, he was so furious he almost shot those 2 bastards on the spot."
"Then he stepped back to a rear-line role."
He sighed.
"Of course, that's just the lighter side of it. The main reason is the lingering injuries he carries."
"He can't stand fully upright for long periods, can't engage in intense physical activity—otherwise the pain becomes unbearable."
Shen Lian was silent for a long time.
Then.
She bowed deeply.
"I apologize, Commander."
"I shouldn't have made remarks about Chief of Staff Zhao's back."
Wan Changzheng waved it off.
"It's fine. He's not the type to take that sort of thing to heart."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Bang!
The door was shoved open.
"That's right! I'm not that petty!"
Zhao Yan walked in laughing, striding forward with absolute self-assurance.
Wan Changzheng startled.
"Little Zhao? Weren't you running extra training for the Iron Wall Squad?"
Zhao Yan walked over to the water dispenser and poured himself a cup, gulping it down.
"Ugh! Don't even get me started!"
He set the cup down and waved his hand dismissively.
"There's a troublemaker in there. Thinks he's got an A-Grade ability so he can act like he owns the place. Completely out of line."
"Just now he mouthed off at me, and I lost my temper."
He scratched his head.
"So I just, you know, casually kicked that little punk's 2 legs into compound fractures."
"……"
The command center fell silent.
Wan Changzheng opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words.
Shen Lian's documents dropped to the floor.
"So…"
Wan Changzheng managed with great difficulty.
"The Iron Wall Squad right now…"
"Is short-handed?"
Zhao Yan spread his hands with a completely innocent expression.
"Yep."
"He's been sent to the medical unit. Treatment takes 3 days."
"So I came to find you and figure something out~"
Wan Changzheng drew a long breath.
Then.
He looked at Shen Lian.
Shen Lian looked at the ceiling.
Wan Changzheng looked back at Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan scratched his head, grinning brilliantly.
That face of his was plastered with the expression: I did nothing wrong—they started it.
Wan Changzheng closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his temples.
‘Didn't he just say.’
‘He wasn't petty?’
……
Seattle Mercy Hospital. 2nd floor of the mobile shelter.
Jiang Nan had barely stepped through the door of the Presidential Suite when he saw Piano standing in front of Chen Tong and Yekaterina.
The posture was… how to describe it.
Bowing at a full 90 degrees, hands pressed flat against her trouser seams, her head practically touching her knees.
"Greetings to 1st Sister-in-Law! Greetings to 2nd Sister-in-Law!"
Piano hollered at the top of her lungs.
"I'm Piano! Master's newly acquired dog!"
"Please take good care of me from here on, dear sisters-in-law!"
Chen Tong: "……"
Yekaterina: "……"
The 2 exchanged a glance, each reading the same bewilderment in the other's eyes.
‘Is this girl… a little off in the head?’
But Piano's social skills were clearly maxed out.
The moment she finished shouting, she immediately produced 2 items from inside her jacket and offered them up with both hands.
"This is for 1st Sister-in-Law! A top-tier Frankish Nation perfume! It's expired, but the fragrance is still there!"
"This is for 2nd Sister-in-Law! A premium vodka I lifted from the hospital! Strong enough to knock you flat!"
Chen Tong accepted the bottle of perfume and looked at Piano's fawning face, unable to stop herself from smiling.
"Alright, alright, stand up."
"Since Jiang Nan brought you back, you're one of us."
Yekaterina sniffed the bottle in her hand.
Alcohol cut with water?
‘That's the one.’
"This drink is good."
"Thank you, Piano."
Piano's eyes lit up instantly, and she grabbed the opening without hesitation.
"1st Sister-in-Law is so right! 2nd Sister-in-Law is so right!"
"Just say the word if you need anything in the future!"
"Piano will climb mountains of knives and descend into seas of fire without a second thought!"
She thumped her chest in pledge, carrying all the energy of a gang underling paying respects to a boss.
Jiang Nan stood in the doorway watching this scene, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
‘This girl…’
‘If no one mentioned she was a foreigner, you'd think she was just some unhinged girl scooped straight off the street.’
He shook his head, too tired to keep watching the 3 women exchange pleasantries, and turned to head downstairs.
1st floor living area.
Jiang Nan had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when he spotted Liu Yuqing and Han Fei standing beside the sofa, talking about something.
On the sofa, Ye Yilin lay flat on her back, her complexion pale.
Several patches of flesh and skin were missing from her body.
Those were the wounds left behind when the Thousand-Face Demon Lord had used Fusion on her.
At that moment, Hoshino Hikari was crouched beside the sofa, slowly and carefully repairing each wound.
Seeing Jiang Nan come downstairs, Liu Yuqing immediately stepped forward to meet him.
"Boss!"
She pushed up her glasses and reported.
"I just finished compiling the abilities of the 3 of them!"
"Aside from Ye Yilin, who hasn't awakened an ability yet, the other 2 have very impressive ones!"
"I recommend you take them in, Boss!"
Jiang Nan nodded, signaling her to continue.
"First, Guan Ming!"
Liu Yuqing pointed in the direction of the driver's cab.
"He's currently in the cab with Guo Shuai and the others."
"His ability is A-Grade Premonition Dream!"
"He can foresee events up to 10 seconds into the future!"
"The cooldown is on the longer side, but in critical moments it absolutely saves lives!"
Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow slightly.
‘Foresee 10 seconds ahead?’
‘No wonder he could see through the Joker's ability back then.’
Paired with his Time Stop, there'd be quite a few tricks they could pull off together.
"Next, Han Fei!"
Liu Yuqing's voice rose a few notes.
"Her ability is something else entirely!"
"It's Sequence 091—Plunder!"
"She can seize ownership of anyone's belongings out of thin air!"
"The drain is significant though—she can only use it 3 times a day."
Bunny-Bunny.