Chapter 544: Cheng Zhi's First Mission

Spring passed and autumn arrived, marking the start of a new semester.

The old man who used to work with Lin Fan had passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. It was said that when he was found, a skimpily dressed woman was crying her heart out, wailing things like, "Why did you have to die here? What am I supposed to do now?" and so on.

Lin Fan gave a condolence gift of two hundred. He thought, although they weren't close, they were colleagues, and social niceties were important. These were things he had learned himself; no one had taught him.

Night fell.

Lin Fan, having stood guard all day, was preparing for a good night's sleep. If others were in this environment, they would definitely be scared. After all, there was no one around, and aside from the streetlights, it was practically impossible to see anyone.

Suddenly, light footsteps approached.

Lin Fan, who was watching a movie on his phone, heard the sound and put it down. As a security guard, he had a responsibility to protect the school's safety.

"Please wait, who are you?"

Lin Fan pushed open the door, shining his flashlight on the other person's face. A closer look revealed a young person wearing heavy makeup, especially dark eyeshadow, which appeared strangely alluring and eerie.

Why would a man wear makeup? he wondered, but kept the thought to himself. Everyone had the right to choose their own hobbies.

The young person wore a black tracksuit. Hearing Lin Fan's voice, they turned to look at him, saying nothing, just staring coldly.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Lin Fan asked, not yet realizing the gravity of the situation.

Suddenly, a dangerous glint flashed in the young person's dark eyes.

Intimidation!

Anyone who met their gaze would have the darkness deep within their heart completely unleashed.

However…

"Huh?" The young person seemed puzzled, as if they didn't understand the situation. Their intimidation tactic was always effective, but the person before them remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Fan asked.

He could have told the other person that their eyes were very expressive and even seemed to glow. He could have complimented them, but just staring at him without explaining anything wouldn't solve any problems.

After speaking, he waved the flashlight in his hand over the other person. In this kind of situation, there were only a few possibilities: perhaps the other person was hungry, or perhaps they weren't quite right in the head.

But the other person's clothes were normal, even better than his own, so it didn't seem like they couldn't afford food.

However, the aura emanating from them wasn't pleasant. It was a deeply hidden aura, and if he had to describe it, it was the aura of a bad person.

"You're strange," the young person said, their voice a little hoarse, as if it had a built-in sound system, a mixture of tones.

Lin Fan was taken aback. "I haven't even said you're strange yet. Who are you? This is a school; you can't just wander in here. Tell me what you need, and if I can help, I will."

"I want you to disappear."

"Well, I'm sorry, I can't do that."

The current situation was truly baffling to Lin Fan. This strange person was talking nonsense. Compared to the people he knew, the difference was simply too great.

It was like an insurmountable chasm lay between them.

The young person looked at Lin Fan, slowly raising a hand and spreading their fingers, their eyes cold and indifferent. "Disappear."

Suddenly, blood-red threads emerged from the young person's fingertips. These threads seemed to have a life of their own, quickly entwining around Lin Fan.

Thinking of what would happen next, a sneer appeared on the young person's lips, a gloomy, almost world-weary smile.

However…

The next scene left them dumbfounded, in disbelief.

Lin Fan waved his hand, scattering the blood-red threads. He stepped directly in front of the young person, placing a hand on their shoulder. "You don't seem like a good person."

The young person glanced at the hand on their shoulder, feeling a strange sensation, as if they were being looked down upon.

"Damn it!"

The young person shifted, attempting to throw Lin Fan over their shoulder. But something was wrong. Lin Fan lifted his leg, his knee hitting the other person's lower back. With a crack, the young person, having put too much force into their own movement, fractured their lumbar vertebrae. Their eyes widened in shock, as if they had seen a ghost.

They stumbled forward a few steps, bent over, staring fixedly at Lin Fan.

"Who are you?"

They gradually realized things weren't going as planned. This guy in front of them was definitely not ordinary.

"I'm the security guard of this academy, responsible for its safety. You're sneaking around here in the middle of the night, so of course I have to stop you," Lin Fan said.

Based on his experience, he figured he had to drive this person away. Being nice wouldn't work; the other person gave him a very strange feeling.

"Hehe…" the young person chuckled darkly. "I didn't expect to run into one of my own kind."

"I'm not your kind," Lin Fan frowned. This person was problematic, always saying such strange, incomprehensible things.

The young person lowered their head, chuckling coldly. A crunching sound echoed as the fractured lumbar vertebrae returned to normal. This wasn't something a human could do.

"You can fool others, but you can't fool me. My eyes have seen through you. How long do you plan to keep up this act?" The young person stared directly at Lin Fan, now completely convinced that Lin Fan was one of their kind. How else could he be so powerful?

Lin Fan said, "Go back where you came from. I don't know you. If you don't leave, I won't be polite."

The night was already deep, and he wanted to rest. He had work tomorrow, and this person was disturbing his sleep, which was very inconsiderate. Moreover, their words were so strange and hard to understand. What were they even talking about?

"Not polite? How fierce. You're making me so scared," the young person mocked, feigning fear. They vanished before Lin Fan's eyes, reappearing behind him. An arm wrapped around Lin Fan's throat, transforming into sharp bone spurs. The young person whispered in Lin Fan's ear, "What do you think you can do to me?"

Thud!

Suddenly, the young person's expression changed drastically, as if they had seen a ghost. Lin Fan, who was just in front of them, had disappeared. When they reacted, they found themselves being held by the back of their collar.

"Just go. You're annoying."

Lin Fan exerted force, tossing the young person into the sky. With a whoosh, a point of light flashed in the dark sky, then vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"Boring."

He turned back to the security room, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

Jinzhou City.

"It seems we're going on a mission," Zhang Yue nudged Cheng Zhi's arm. "I heard Chief Xiao Hong is leading the team, and they'll be picking some trainees to go along. I wonder if we'll be chosen."

Cheng Zhi said, "You've been working so hard, you'll definitely be chosen."

"Hehe, well, that's true. Ever since I started training, I haven't slacked off. Logically, they should choose me. How's your learning going with that bearded old man?" Zhang Yue asked.

Speaking of the old man, Yang Xiu was a veteran instructor at the Jinzhou City branch. All the armored vehicles were modified by him. Even those with professional diplomas weren't as skilled as this diploma-less old man.

"Master Yang is incredibly skilled. I've learned a lot from him," Cheng Zhi said. After arriving, he had been studying machine repair and communications equipment under Master Yang Xiu.

"That's good. I think you might be chosen too. After all, you're the closest to Master Yang and have learned the most. Chief Xiao definitely wants to guide us newcomers, so she'll definitely pick the most promising ones." Zhang Yue gave Cheng Zhi a thorough analysis. His reasoning was sound, and it filled Cheng Zhi with anticipation for the mission, hoping he would be selected.

And indeed…

Just as they were discussing this, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, calling their names and instructing them to assemble downstairs.

At the assembly point.

Xiao Hong looked at everyone. Ten new members had been selected to join the veteran team, making a total of thirty people. After this period of training, these were the ones who had performed exceptionally well and should have no problems. The only thing lacking was actual combat experience. No matter how well they learned the theory, it was useless without practical application.

"Cheng Zhi, look, that's Meng Jinxia, the prettiest girl in our branch. She's a new member like us, but I heard she's a genius with strong combat awareness. She's been training directly under Chief Xiao." Zhang Yue whispered.

Cheng Zhi looked over. The girl had short hair. In Cheng Zhi's experience, many capable women seemed to have short hair, as if they believed long hair would hinder their fighting.

She was indeed beautiful, but she seemed somewhat aloof, with the same expression for everyone. She looked like a cold, proud goddess.

Then, Xiao Hong explained the mission.

Cheng Zhi was shocked, as if listening to a science fiction story. In Yanhu City, over two hundred kilometers away, a cryogenically frozen scientist had awakened. He had been buried in an underground base. Upon waking and learning about the outside world, he realized he couldn't escape on his own. He managed to send a message to the nearest city, seeking help.

Moreover, this wasn't just any scientist; he was a key figure.

If they could rescue him, it would be a great help to the current situation.

Under normal circumstances, they would send more people, but increasing the number of personnel would increase the risk of exposure, attracting more monsters. Therefore, there were only ten outstanding new members, along with twenty elite veterans who had experienced multiple missions.

They set off.

Inside the armored vehicle.

"Are you nervous?" Zhang Yue nudged Cheng Zhi and asked.

Cheng Zhi, who was observing the electronic map, smiled and said, "I don't know. I haven't seen any monsters yet. But inside this enclosed armored vehicle, I feel quite safe, so I'm not too nervous."

"Kid, that's a good attitude. But don't get careless. Our armored vehicle isn't invincible. If we encounter monsters, they can tear it open with their bare hands…" a veteran elite member said with a smile.

The veteran driver chuckled. "Don't scare him. You were much more nervous than him back then."

Cheng Zhi and Zhang Yue laughed, chatting casually with the veterans, asking about the monsters.

Perhaps everyone was already prepared to sacrifice themselves at any moment.

Whether they could return alive was unknown.

So they spoke freely.

Even though these veteran elite members were in their thirties and forties, when they boasted to the youngsters, they didn't hold back.