Chapter 105: Official Joining
The moment the door was kicked open, White Wolf and Gu Ning, who were standing close to it, were directly hit by the door! White Wolf reacted quickly, grabbing Gu Ning and spinning around against the wall to avoid the impact. However, due to the spin, Gu Ning ended up facing White Wolf, and when Ji Jiuzhe looked over, it appeared as if Gu Ning was completely embraced by White Wolf.
Six eyes met, and for some reason, White Wolf felt a flash of killing intent in Ji Jiuzhe’s eyes.
Taking advantage of White Wolf’s distraction, Gu Ning lifted her foot and forcefully kicked White Wolf’s knee. As White Wolf howled in pain, clutching his leg, Gu Ning quickly ran to Ji Jiuzhe’s side.
Gu Ning’s kick was delivered with full force. White Wolf, while continuously rubbing his knee and hissing in pain, said to Ji Jiuzhe, “Ji Jiuzhe, don’t tell me she’s the new recruit you guys brought in this time!”
Ten minutes later.
Gu Ning, with a look of having her worldview completely refreshed, asked, “So he’s with the Five-Star Brigade?”
Ji Jiuzhe emphasized, “It’s just a cooperative relationship.”
White Wolf suddenly lifted his right leg, which had been kicked by Gu Ning, and heavily placed it on the glass table in front of him. The heel of his shoe made a crisp sound against the glass. His pant leg was pulled up above his knee, revealing a large, obvious bruise.
His eyes were fixed on Gu Ning, his face icy.
Gu Ning glanced at it and felt a bit guilty. In her haste to escape, she had used too much force, and now she felt somewhat awkward.
Ji Jiuzhe glanced at it and then said leisurely, “Provide a medical report, and someone will handle the compensation.”
White Wolf sneered, “Ji Jiuzhe. Although we have a cooperative relationship, it’s not great for you guys to treat my place like a training ground for your Five-Star Brigade’s new recruits, is it? I was wondering why you suddenly came over for tea without any reason.”
Ji Jiuzhe calmly replied, “It was Zhuang Chen’s suggestion. If you have any issues, you can discuss them with her.”
White Wolf’s expression immediately turned as if he had swallowed a fly.
Gu Ning then remembered that White Wolf and Zhuang Chen had a complicated relationship. During the apocalypse, Zhuang Chen had followed White Wolf without hesitation. However, White Wolf’s place, with its geographical advantage and the thugs he kept, was indeed perfect for training new recruits.
After saying that, Ji Jiuzhe stood up, “We’ve disturbed you today. I’ll have Zhuang Chen send you the repair costs for the door. We’ll come back for tea another time.” He glanced at Gu Ning, who quickly stood up as well.
White Wolf called out to Gu Ning, “Little Golden Hair, what’s your name?”
Gu Ning was stunned for a moment before realizing he was referring to her. Golden Hair??? Gu Ning was speechless.
Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning and said, “You don’t need to know her name. You won’t be seeing each other much in the future.”
White Wolf placed his other leg on the glass table, smirking as he stared at Ji Jiuzhe, “That’s not necessarily true. We might meet again tomorrow.” He paused, then looked at Gu Ning with a meaningful expression, “Besides, I haven’t had the chance to thank you for last time.”
He was referring to the time when she had been used as a shield by him, and somehow he had recognized her.
Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning and said, “Let’s go.”
“Little Golden Hair, wait.” White Wolf suddenly called out to Gu Ning.
Gu Ning turned around to see White Wolf pointing to the top of a bookshelf, smiling at her, “Leave the book.”
“I didn’t take it.” Gu Ning spread her arms, “You can have someone search me.”
Gu Ning’s calm demeanor didn’t seem fake.
However, White Wolf actually called for a maid to search Gu Ning, but of course, nothing was found on her.
Gu Ning said, “Can I go now?”
Although White Wolf still had some doubts, he couldn’t force her to stay. He just waved impatiently at the people by the door, “Escort them out.”
“Oh, by the way,” Gu Ning suddenly said, “There’s someone hidden under the bed in the room down the hallway, second to the right.”
White Wolf: …
The two walked back to their car under the watchful eyes of White Wolf’s men.
Throughout the journey, Ji Jiuzhe didn’t speak to Gu Ning, and Gu Ning, having developed a habit of not talking much, remained silent until they returned to the Five-Star Brigade.
“You’re back!” Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing were waiting for them in the living room.
Zhuang Chen’s eyes sparkled, “The book? Did you bring it back?!”
Gu Ning was momentarily stunned. The book! It was still in her space!
Just as she was about to make an excuse to go back to the car to retrieve it, Ji Jiuzhe suddenly pulled out a book from somewhere and placed it on the table. He glanced at Gu Ning and said, “You left it in the car.” After saying that, he loosened his tie and walked upstairs. Yi Shaoqing glanced at Ji Jiuzhe, then at the book on the table, and finally at Gu Ning, his expression somewhat微妙.
Zhuang Chen excitedly said, “Gu Ning, you’re amazing! Congratulations! From today, you’re officially a member of the Five-Star Brigade’s First Squad!”
Gu Ning was still processing Ji Jiuzhe’s actions and was further confused by Zhuang Chen’s words. She suddenly looked around, not seeing the other three, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart, “Where are Zhang Xiaobai and the others?”
Yi Shaoqing said matter-of-factly, “They were eliminated.”
Gu Ning was stunned, “What?”
Zhuang Chen explained, “Not directly sent back to the troops. They were demoted from the First Squad to the Second Squad, or maybe even the Third or Fourth Squads, but their skills should keep them in the Second Squad. Don’t look so shocked. If you hadn’t successfully retrieved the book tonight, you might have been demoted to the Second Squad by Ji Jiuzhe as well. Fortunately, you didn’t let Ji Jiuzhe send his own disciple to the Second Squad.”
Gu Ning forced a smile, thinking about Ji Jiuzhe’s earlier actions. He was indeed worried about being implicated by her, which made her feel somewhat embarrassed. She didn’t have time to feel sorry for Zhang Xiaobai and the others. However, due to the apocalypse, she felt closer to Zhang Xiaobai and Zhong Xu than to Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing. Now that the three of them had been separated, Gu Ning felt a bit empty.
Zhuang Chen continued, “Now that you’re officially a member of the Five-Star Brigade, it’s time to tell you what we actually do.”
Then Gu Ning was taken to the study on the second floor.
Ji Jiuzhe had already changed into casual clothes and was sitting there.
“Our Five-Star Brigade has several hundred members. The organization is divided into more than ten squads. The First Squad, which you’re now part of, is the pinnacle of these squads. We are under the Five-Star Brigade, affiliated with the Capital City’s Five-Star Brigade Headquarters. There’s competition among the squads, with task difficulty and completion rates as the evaluation criteria. There’s a reshuffle every year. However, no matter how the reshuffle goes, our squad has been at the top for over a decade, never falling. Even though the Second Squad has twice our numbers, they can’t even reach our shoe soles.” Zhuang Chen said with pride.
Gu Ning caught the key point in Zhuang Chen’s words, “Tasks?”
“Yes. Like the task you performed tonight, retrieving the book from White Wolf.” Zhuang Chen took a bite of an apple and casually said, “It also includes investigating criminal cases that the local police can’t solve, like the serial killer case last year that the Second Squad solved, or going to the border to catch drug smugglers, blowing up their hideouts, or even stealing classified information from foreign countries.”
??? Are these tasks comparable to what happened tonight???
Yi Shaoqing, standing to the side, gleefully said, “Gu Ning, are you okay? You look a bit pale.”
Gu Ning couldn’t even force a smile and silently sat on the sofa, picking up a glass of water to drink.
“Gu Ning, don’t be scared. I was just giving an example.” Zhuang Chen said, “Do you know what being at the pinnacle means? It means we enjoy the best待遇, earn the most money, live in the best houses, drive the best cars, and have the most freedom. That is, we have the right to choose all our tasks. Completing an S-level task gives ten times the points of an A-level task. Our current points are more than ten times that of the Second Squad, so you can rest assured. Even if we don’t take any tasks for three years, we’ll still stand firm at the pinnacle.”
“Hmm…” Gu Ning calmed down a bit and then asked, “What’s an S-level task like?”
Zhuang Chen hesitated, “Uh…”
“You know that XZ terrorist leader who died of illness last year?” Yi Shaoqing grinned, “I was his主治医师 last year.”
Gu Ning picked up her glass and started drinking water again. She finally understood what Yi Shaoqing was researching in the lab every day.
“Gu Ning, do you know why we’re called the Five-Star Brigade?” Zhuang Chen suddenly became serious.
Gu Ning tentatively answered, “Is it related to the national flag?”
“Yes. The emblem of the Five-Star Brigade is based on the Five-Star Brigade.” Zhuang Chen showed a solemn expression for the first time in front of Gu Ning, “Gu Ning, are you willing to become a member of the Five-Star Brigade’s First Squad, inherit the spirit of the Five-Star Brigade, and swear to protect the land beneath our feet and the nation standing on this land?”
Gu Ning stared at Zhuang Chen’s solemn and eager expression, feeling both shocked and复杂.
She remembered the nation that had suffered greatly during the apocalypse and the land beneath her feet that had begun to mutate…
Both Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing had hesitated on the day they officially joined, and even White Wolf had chosen to give up at this stage back then. So they weren’t in a hurry, just quietly watching Gu Ning, waiting for her answer.
Gu Ning seemed to make an extremely重大 decision, which indeed was an extremely重大 decision. She raised her eyes, glancing over Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing’s faces, and finally met Ji Jiuzhe’s eyes. His gaze was still calm, without pressure or催促, just quietly waiting for Gu Ning’s answer.
Gu Ning finally solidified her信念, took a deep breath, and said, “I am willing.” As she spoke these words, she instantly felt a weight lifted from her heart, but a new weight settled on her shoulders.
Zhuang Chen exaggeratedly made a relieved expression, walked over, and gave Gu Ning a strong hug. Yi Shaoqing also grinned broadly.
The tense atmosphere immediately relaxed.
Ji Jiuzhe stood up from his chair and walked over to Gu Ning. He stood in front of her, lowered his head, and carefully took off the Five-Star emblem from his chest, then pinned it on Gu Ning’s chest, two inches below her shoulder. He then stepped back, raised his right hand, and gave Gu Ning a standard military salute.
Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing also stood straight, smiling as they saluted Gu Ning.
Gu Ning glanced at the emblem on her chest, silently straightened her back, and then solemnly returned a not-so-standard salute to the three of them.
