Chapter 27-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 27 Clues
Strictly speaking, Zhu Ning’s fighting style was considered an unorthodox style. She had never received systematic combat training since childhood, but her motor nerves were highly developed, allowing her to learn anything quickly. Besides, this assessment didn’t have specific requirements; it was just a free-for-all fight.
She had survived in the zombie world relying on this wild style and thought she was pretty tough, but after encountering a Demon Hunter, she realized she was far behind.
The Cyborg Warrior hadn’t expected Zhu Ning to come back for a second round and asked, "Are you sure?"
Zhu Ning nodded. She mainly wanted to test the effects of the GeneBoost. Furthermore, after the injection, she felt a fire burning inside her, a surplus of energy with nowhere to release, giving her an urgent desire to fight someone.
The Cyborg Warrior, who had casually shattered her shoulder blade earlier, felt a bit apologetic and asked, "Shall I spar with you?"
This implied going easy on her. Zhu Ning replied, "No need to hold back."
The Cyborg Warrior understood. For a warrior, holding back was a sign of disrespect.
"Wow," the onlookers said. "Is she that confident?"
"Is she provoking him? Fight! Fight!"
Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng looked anxious as spectators. Their psychological pressure was even greater this time, mainly worrying about Zhu Ning. If she lost this time, she might be cursed to death by the crowd.
People were passionate about creating gods and destroying them; she was bound to stir up a storm of blood.
A circle of onlookers gathered to watch the excitement. Some brought snacks and small stools, while others were placing bets.
"I heard she just took the GeneBoost. Who do you think will win?"
"Zhu Ning has a good chance. I see she always catches people off guard."
"Hard to say," another person replied. "Chu Ling is from the Grey Eagle Squad. Her combat record has always been straight As."
"Grey Eagle?" someone said. "That unlucky squad? The one that thought they finished the job but encountered a pollution zone rating error, had to write reflection reports, and got their pay docked by 50%?"
"Yeah, that’s them. Do you think this counts as enemies crossing paths?"
Zhu Ning: "..."
She caught wind of the conversation and felt something was amiss. No wonder Chu Ling stepped up to fight the moment Zhu Ning entered the ring. Was she planning to take revenge and beat Zhu Ning to a pulp? Sure enough, there was something wrong with Zhu Ning's luck. Next time, she should just dump all her Purity Points into Luck.
So, her name was Chu Ling.
"Get ready." The combat instructor obviously found this interesting too, reminding both of them to get into the zone.
The rules of the combat training ground were gentle. After all, they were colleagues, not enemies, and no one wanted to kill the other; stopping at the right point was enough. The rule was that only feet could touch the ground. If any other body part touched the floor, it counted as a loss.
Zhu Ning shook hands with Chu Ling. Just as she found her footing, Chu Ling suddenly charged.
It was different.
Zhu Ning could clearly feel that she was different. After mechanization, Chu Ling’s speed was faster than an ordinary human. In their first fight, Zhu Ning couldn't even see Chu Ling’s moves clearly; by the time she reacted, she had already been thrown to the ground.
This time, Zhu Ning could see clearly. It was as if a slow-motion effect had been superimposed on her opponent. She could discern Chu Ling’s every move, even seeing the white hair floating in the air as she moved.
Almost instinctively, Zhu Ning turned sideways slightly. Chu Ling’s fist grazed past the tip of her nose. At the same time, Zhu Ning bent her knee to kick Chu Ling’s lower abdomen. Chu Ling reacted extremely fast, pressing one hand down to block.
Both of Chu Ling’s hands were mechanized. Zhu Ning thought she was going to kick a steel plate. Based on the experience of her shattered shoulder blade last time, this leg would be crippled at the very least. Unexpectedly, the anticipated pain didn't come. Zhu Ning retreated rapidly after landing the kick.
Her toes felt nothing more than a strange sensation; it wasn't painful at all.
Was this the power of the GeneBoost? Her skin’s resistance to impact had increased, equivalent to being covered in a layer of soft armor.
Zhu Ning tilted her neck. Before trying, she had doubted whether she could defeat a mechanized human. Now, it seemed it wasn't impossible. A spark of competitiveness suddenly ignited within her.
Chu Ling was somewhat surprised. In just three hours, Zhu Ning’s progress could be considered improving by leaps and bounds.
Chu Ling had initially thought about going easy on Zhu Ning, but now it seemed unnecessary. She clenched her fist, treating Zhu Ning as a true opponent.
This time, she was able to go back and forth with Chu Ling. It was a visceral fight, with the dull thuds of impact echoing as fists landed.
Chu Ling could tell that Zhu Ning’s style was particularly ruthless. Once she identified a spot, she would smash it fiercely, like a wolf cub biting onto a sheep and refusing to let go.
It was a pity she was still a bit green. Once Chu Ling exerted her full strength, Zhu Ning could only retreat.
Zhu Ning took three punches this time, fighting while retreating, until she reached the edge of the ring. Zhu Ning’s overall stats were good, but she likely lacked professional guidance and didn't know how to respond when faced with a Demon Hunter's fierce assault.
Chu Ling forced her into a corner without showing any mercy. She locked onto Zhu Ning, preparing for a back throw. If Zhu Ning was thrown to the ground this time, it would be a loss.
Watching from the sidelines, Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan had their hearts in their throats. Mechanized arms could lift ten tons of weight; in Chu Ling’s hands, Zhu Ning was no different from a cat or dog. Her entire body was lifted into the air.
She was going to lose. Li Nianchuan was almost afraid to watch what came next.
Just as Zhu Ning was flipped over by Chu Ling and looked like she was about to smash into the ground, she adjusted her posture and gathered her strength to kick Chu Ling’s right knee pit—the part that hadn't been mechanized.
Regardless of whether one was enhanced by GeneBoost, human instinctive conditioned reflexes still existed.
There was a soft thud.
Before Zhu Ning hit the ground, Chu Ling’s right knee smashed into the floor a second earlier.
Chu Ling: ?
Zhu Ning landed awkwardly, adjusted her posture, and quickly stood up. She won.
"Zhu Ning wins!" the combat instructor announced.
Chu Ling: "..."
Did that count as cheating?
"Wow," someone said. "That doesn't count as a win, right? Zhu Ning fell too."
"A second faster is still faster. Chu Ling is just too kind, while Zhu Ning is obviously much more sinister and cunning."
The 'sinister and cunning' Zhu Ning: "...?"
You guys go live in the zombie world for a few days and try it out; I guarantee you’ll come back even more sinister and cunning than me.
Chu Ling was a graceful loser. She stood up. "You won."
Zhu Ning still had some shame. "I used a petty trick. You are still the more powerful one."
If not for the fact that Chu Ling still had un-mechanized body parts, Zhu Ning wouldn't have won today. she was just playing smart.
The combat instructor didn't approve of Zhu Ning’s strength either. "Zhu Ning, stay behind for extra training."
Zhu Ning expressed indifference. She estimated she would be coming here often to get beaten up in the future.
Chu Ling: "Want to be friends?"
Zhu Ning: "?!"
Chu Ling: "I’m the only girl in the Grey Eagle Squad. I only wanted to spar with you after watching your video. You really are strong."
So she wasn't here to take revenge; she was here to appreciate her! She was appreciated by a female warrior!
After fighting Chu Ling, half of the irritability in Zhu Ning’s heart disappeared. Now she felt refreshed. She happily added Chu Ling as a contact on her communicator. They had fought their way to friendship.
"Chu Ling!" someone called from afar.
Zhu Ning looked up and saw four men. They must be the members of the Grey Eagle Squad. The captain leading them looked to be 1.9 meters tall.
The four-man squad looked at Zhu Ning with extreme displeasure. In contrast, Chu Ling turned out to be the friendliest one toward her.
Chu Ling: "I'm heading out. Let’s collaborate if there’s a chance."
Zhu Ning nodded. There were plenty of opportunities for Demon Hunters and Cleaners to work together.
Zhu Ning watched Chu Ling’s retreating figure. The Demon Hunter team had five people in total. Even without their armor, standing together, they looked like a well-trained army. Their spines were always straight, and even when relaxed, they carried a sharp aura. Demon Hunters really were different; no wonder so many people wanted to become one.
Zhu Ning withdrew her gaze and asked, "By the way, what is our team called?"
Chu Ling’s team was called Grey Eagle. What were they called?
Xu Meng: "Clean Squad A70265."
Zhu Ning: "..."
Why did theirs sound so cool, while our team name sounded like a license plate number?
Xu Meng lowered her head and operated her Interface for a moment. "Zhu Ning played dirty. Combat class failed. Train again tomorrow."
Zhu Ning: "...Oh."
For the next few days, Zhu Ning was constantly training in the combat room—oh, no, getting beaten up. And she was getting beaten up in a variety of ways by different types of Demon Hunters.
She had attracted too much attention before, so many Demon Hunters wanted to try challenging her—or more accurately, came specifically to beat her up due to her fame.
People eventually have to pay the price for showing off.
This left many onlookers puzzled. How could Zhu Ning win against Chu Ling on the first day, but act half-dead ever since, beaten until she had no temper left?
Zhu Ning made rapid progress in the art of getting beaten. A method of taking a hit that caused her to suffer once would be countered the next time.
Clearly, her progress was godspeed. Anyone else would have passed long ago, but Zhu Ning still failed.
After being beaten for a few days, Zhu Ning figured out the combat instructor’s judgment criteria. If he felt you still had room for improvement, he would keep failing you. If he felt you had no room for improvement, he would find an opponent of similar skill to end the course.
Unfortunately, this combat instructor consistently felt Zhu Ning hadn't reached her limit. This girl could definitely still fight—no, she could definitely still take a beating.
So, Zhu Ning was "held back" in combat class, getting beaten every day like she was stuck in a glitch.
After three days of beatings, Zhu Ning felt the irritability in her heart growing stronger. She went to ask Dr. Fu again, and Dr. Fu said it was still a normal phenomenon.
Dr. Fu camped out on the forums every day waiting for Zhu Ning’s videos. A perfectly good doctor was living like the president of Zhu Ning’s fan club, shaking his head as he watched: "You still don't understand combat."
Zhu Ning: "?"
If you understand, you go try it!
...
The Sanitation Center's new rule was that all three members had to pass before they could go on missions. Zhu Ning was held back in combat class, Li Nianchuan was held back in shooting class, and Xu Meng couldn't go on missions alone.
Xu Meng was very depressed. Clean Squad A70265 possessed Zhu Ning, who had the highest Sanity in the entire center, so why were they ranked last in points?
Xu Meng: "Li Nianchuan has extra training today. Zhu Ning, keep a low profile for the next two days."
Li Nianchuan wailed.
Li Nianchuan: "What kind of rule is this? Doesn't it delay work?"
Xu Meng: "The Sanitation Center's mission volume has plummeted in the last week. Except for emergency missions, many tasks aren't being distributed. However, most teams can pass within five days, and Demon Hunters especially can qualify within three. We guess the Sanitation Center will slowly resume operations in ten days."
Zhu Ning and Li Nianchuan had been training for six days. If they didn't pass soon, they might be mocked by the entire Sanitation Center.
Zhu Ning and Li Nianchuan suffered through extra training. Zhu Ning was beaten for another hour today by a Demon Hunter skilled in combat.
Zhu Ning thought about fighting while eating and sleeping, figuring out how to fight to win. She opened her eyes only to get beaten. But at least the training counted as billable hours, which slightly soothed Zhu Ning’s soul. Near the end of the shift, Zhu Ning was changing clothes in the locker room. It hurt even to take off her clothes; her muscles ached all over. Just as she was thinking about going to the Medical Department to mooch some treatment, with a ding-dong, her Sub-Brain rang.
Liu Niannian sent a message. She sent a kitten face emoji attached with a sentence: "Boss, the information you wanted."
Information on Eternal Pharma? There were clues about Eternal Pharma so soon?
Comments
Post a Comment