After the battle concluded, Ren could only let the werewolf's body be buried beneath the ruins of the building. He observed that some people would soon arrive at the battle site, and he had to make a quick escape. Until now, Ren was still uncertain why Trash Haunter could transform into a werewolf after his death.
Meanwhile, after arriving at Kiyoshi's house, he first called a company that provided cremation services and handed over Kiyoshi's parents' bodies to them. He then left a message to keep the ashes of the cremation, as someone would pick them up.
Ren took Kiyoshi to the hospital, covering his medical expenses, and left a note for him. He felt that the incident befalling Kiyoshi's family was his fault. If Kiyoshi didn't know Ren, he might not have been attacked by Trash Haunter. Thinking about this possibility led Ren to the decision to distance himself from Kiyoshi.
The note Ren left contained an apology, farewell wishes, and a reminder about the cremation ashes of Kiyoshi's parents.
After completing all this, Ren returned to the apartment building where Squad Four was stationed. Ren cleaned himself, bandaged his wounds, and rested well. However, shortly after he fell asleep, his door was knocked on quite loudly, waking him up.
Still groggy, Ren went to open his apartment door.
"Captain?" He was surprised to see Akihisa standing with a blank expression in front of his apartment door.
Akihisa's eyes stared sharply at Ren, making the young man feel uneasy. "Go to my apartment now. There's something we need to discuss."
Ren nodded silently; this must be about the commotion in the Oharu district. The fight between him and the werewolf-human hybrid would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention. Rarely did disturbances of that magnitude happen within the city.
Without much conversation, Ren followed Akihisa to his apartment.
"Sit down," Akihisa instructed after both of them entered his apartment.
Ren sat on the living room sofa. Meanwhile, Akihisa brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of Ren. He then sat across from Ren.
Akihisa looked at the bandaged wounds on Ren's body. He then asked, "The commotion in the Oharu district, were you involved in it?"
Ren couldn't deny it; Akihisa clearly had his own sources of information. Ren just nodded quietly.
"You know, when you joined here, you're not only working in this place but also representing us, representing the Zoya group. Whatever you do, whether it's good or bad, the government and others will consider it part of Zoya group's actions.
And you...
Sigh, normally, we would immediately fire you, not only that, but we would also sue you for breaching the contract.
Causing chaos within the city is a taboo, especially for us connected to the government. People hide within the city for safety, even though there are still many criminals out there, as long as it's not us or other parts of the government causing trouble, it's okay!
You're very lucky; you have something that made us think twice and decide not to punish you."
Ren could only remain silent, listening to Akihisa. He never expected that Trash Haunter could turn into a werewolf after his death. If he didn't have such an ability, then this incident could have been passed without causing a commotion.
"Captain, about the—"
"Don't say anything, we know more than you. We know where you possibly got it. So keep your secret well. At least until you can obtain another monster gene fluid," Akihisa interrupted Ren's words.
"Alright, you can go back, and remember to practice well."
"Yes, Captain!"
"Okay, you can leave."
Ren saluted Akihisa before leaving the apartment.
Akihisa's words provided Ren with another understanding of the situation. Initially, he was very afraid of being exposed to the secret that he had become a genomancer.
However, it seemed that this mercenary group viewed it as a good thing. Because Ren was part of this mercenary group, Ren's advantages were also their advantages.
Regardless of all that, Ren now focused on training himself. There was no change in his training; it seemed Akihisa, the captain, and Chief Sasaki chose to keep this matter secret.
With this, Ren focused on training to become a quality mercenary.
He quickly learned various shooting postures and how to shoot accurately. In addition, his shooting skills were already considerable, not inferior to the shooting skills of other squad four members.
With nutritious food intake and regular exercise, his basic physical abilities increased, reducing his dependence on genomancer powers. For basic things, he wanted to avoid using the power of the genomancer.
Ren's progress continued well.
After mastering the basics of shooting and fundamental knowledge of firearms, Ren began to focus on sniping. When he used the power of felis ignis, his vision would enhance, making sniping very useful even when he used the power of the genomancer.
Akihisa, as the captain of squad four, also supported Ren's decision.
In the fourth month after joining the Z army, a mercenary group under the Zoya group, Ren began his training as a sniper.
The sniper rifle he used was the SS-570 or Sakura Serenity, the 5th generation with a large caliber. The effective range of the SS-570 was 2000 meters. Of course, other factors such as terrain, visibility, wind, target, also influenced the actual effective range.
In practicing with this weapon, Ren couldn't do it in the city, so he returned to the Suzaku station with Sasaki to practice sniping while overseeing the almost completed railway project.
But because the terrain there was flat, he needed to climb a somewhat tall tree to get a broader view. He installed some wooden boards and painted them as targets.
In the midst of the silent forest, the twilight's light radiated through the dense green leaves. Ren adjusted his position still atop a tree, gazing at a large painted wooden target. With full concentration, he adjusted the scope on his sniper, Sakura Serenity.
The gentle breeze brushed against his body, but Ren's eyes remained sharp, focusing on the target illuminated by the twilight. In the serene atmosphere, the rustling sound of the wind mixed with his breath. The only sound heard was his calm heartbeat.
With a gentle movement, he pulled the trigger of the sniper rifle, and a faint sound propelled the projectile towards the wooden target tens of meters away. The rapid gunshot shattered the silence of the forest, while the projectile soared towards its target.
A thudding sound echoed through the forest as the precisely aimed bullet touched the target, indicating Ren's success. The rifle returned to a neutral position, and Ren breathed calmly.