Chapter 124

Chapter 124: New Weapon

From the outside, the headquarters of the Five-Star Brigade looked like a very ordinary building.

However, the security at the entrance was handled by soldiers carrying guns. To enter through the main gate, one had to show identification. Even Ji Qige and Ji Jiuzhe were no exception. Their emblems contained embedded chips, and a quick scan with a sensor would verify their authenticity.

When Gu Ning swiped her Five-Star emblem on the sensor at the door, she could clearly sense the change in the soldiers’ expressions. Everyone knew what a Five-Star emblem represented.

Gu Ning followed the two men into the building.

The spacious hall was eerily empty.

The three of them walked straight to the elevator, which was a transparent observation elevator. Ji Qige pressed the button for the 17th floor.

As Gu Ning stepped into the elevator, she instinctively glanced at the surveillance camera in the top right corner.

During the ascent to the 17th floor, no one else boarded the elevator. Looking out, Gu Ning noticed that almost every floor seemed deserted, making the building appear completely empty.

The elevator soon stopped at the 17th floor. As the doors opened, the previous silence was replaced by a cacophony of noise.

A middle-aged man in his forties stood by the window near the elevator, talking on the phone. He was berating the person on the other end, with a curse word thrown in every five sentences. Gu Ning couldn’t help but wonder what the person on the other end had done to deserve such a scolding.

Upon seeing Ji Qige and Ji Jiuzhe, the man casually waved them in, his gaze lingering on Gu Ning for a moment before he returned to his tirade.

“Let’s go,” Ji Qige said.

He led Gu Ning inside, where they entered a large office filled with the sounds of keyboard clattering, phone conversations, and more cursing. Everyone was too focused on their tasks to pay any attention to the newcomers.

They quickly passed through this area and went further inside.

Ji Qige opened a door next to the conference room and ushered Gu Ning in. “Gu Ning, you can wait in the lounge here. Our meeting should take about half an hour to an hour. Feel free to look at the books on the shelf.”

Gu Ning nodded and obediently sat down on the sofa.

“If you get bored, you can walk around, but it’s best not to leave the building. If you’re hungry, there’s a dining area on the 18th floor where you can order food. Call me if you need anything. The meeting won’t take too long.”

From the moment Ji Jiuzhe started speaking, Ji Qige had been casting an indescribable look between Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe.

Gu Ning nodded like a well-behaved child. “Okay, I understand.”

Ji Jiuzhe then turned and left with Ji Qige, who seemed deep in thought.

“The young girl with you earlier, is she the Gu Ning that Yi Shaoqing mentioned?” The middle-aged man who had been on the phone at the elevator was now sitting in the conference room, smoking a cigarette as he addressed Ji Jiuzhe. “Why did you bring her along?”

Ji Jiuzhe took a seat. “Is that a problem?”

Ji Qige chimed in, “Exactly. Jiuzhe is just bringing his apprentice to get familiar with the headquarters. What’s the big deal, Old He? You’re being too nosy.” He winked at Old He as he spoke.

Ji Jiuzhe pretended not to notice.

After a few more words, the conference room door opened again, and a group of people filed in, each wearing a grave expression.

Even Ji Qige, who had been smiling earlier, couldn’t help but sober up.

If this were before the apocalypse, Gu Ning would never have had the patience to sit quietly for half an hour. But after the apocalypse, the feeling of sitting peacefully without worrying about her life was strangely enjoyable. She leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes, and thought about the things she needed to do back in the apocalypse. After returning to Jinyong, she would need to stock up on supplies—canned food, instant noodles, rice. They were also running low on gasoline. Oh, and radios and walkie-talkies, maybe she could get a few of those. She also wanted to try transporting live poultry through her space. If that worked, she could treat Gu Dad and Gu Mama to some fresh meat.

Her two knives were completely unusable now. She wondered if Zhuang Chen had finished the task she had entrusted to her.

Gu Ning mentally went through her to-do list and then heard footsteps approaching. She opened her eyes.

The two people who entered the room were taken aback by Gu Ning’s unfamiliar face.

A man in his thirties demanded, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“Seems like she’s the one Seventh Brother and Ji Jiuzhe brought over earlier…” The other man, in his late twenties, suddenly looked at Gu Ning in surprise. “Are you the new recruit from the First Squad? What was your name again?”

Gu Ning stood up from the sofa. “Gu Ning.”

“Huh? It really is you!” The young man looked delighted. “Yi Shaoqing told us about you. He said you’re a monster.”

Gu Ning wasn’t sure how to respond to that when suddenly, the man threw a punch at her! Gu Ning instinctively dodged with lightning speed, then glared at him. “What are you doing?”

The young man laughed. “Haha! Did I scare you? Sorry, Yi Shaoqing made you sound so amazing, I couldn’t resist testing you out. Your speed and reaction time are impressive.”

Gu Ning smiled, then suddenly struck out with her right hand, aiming straight for the young man’s face like a snake!

The young man was startled and stumbled back, bumping into the man behind him. Both of them groaned.

The young man pretended to be angry, but Gu Ning had already retracted her hand and was standing calmly, smiling at him. “Sorry, I just wanted to test your skills too.” Her smile was infuriating, but it was clear that someone who had been personally trained by Ji Jiuzhe and was part of the Five-Star Brigade’s First Squad wasn’t someone to mess with. The young man knew he was outmatched and, feeling guilty, could only mutter, “It’s fine.”

The man who had been bumped into by the young man said, “He Lin, why are you so annoying?!”

He then walked around the table to the coffee machine to make some coffee.

“Huh? Who’s this?” A short-haired young woman walked in from the door, staring at Gu Ning in surprise as she asked He Lin and the others.

He Lin said, “The new recruit from the First Squad, Gu Ning. The one Yi Shaoqing called a monster.”

The short-haired woman let out an exclamation and looked at Gu Ning with curiosity. “So you’re Gu Ning?” She seemed surprised that Gu Ning looked younger than she had imagined. “How old are you?”

Gu Ning was a bit exasperated with Yi Shaoqing. Besides his research, he seemed to be a walking radio station. The thought of being treated like a spectacle by a bunch of strangers, with everyone making a fuss over her, was a bit much.

“Uh, I might have been a bit rude,” the woman said, realizing her mistake. She smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I should have introduced myself first. Hi, I’m Linda, my Chinese name is Zhao Linda. I’m in the same department as these two. At headquarters, we handle getting you the equipment you need when you need it. So we’ll probably be working together a lot in the future. I hope I didn’t leave a bad impression.”

Gu Ning shook her extended hand. “No, it’s fine. Hi, Linda, I’m Gu Ning. I’m 23.”

“You look like you’re only 20,” Linda said. “I’ve heard so much about you, including your iconic blonde hair. You should really ‘thank’ Yi Shaoqing for that. He’s been telling everyone at headquarters about how you made Yin Sang look so pathetic during the selection and how Zhuang Chen said she couldn’t teach you anymore in less than two weeks. Pretty much everyone at headquarters knows you now. By the way, what dye did you use for your hair? That blonde is really nice.”

Gu Ning didn’t mind her and just smiled.

“Alright, enough chit-chat! Did you get the set of weapons Zhuang Chen wanted? She’s been bugging me about it non-stop, it’s driving me crazy!” He Lin asked after taking a sip of coffee.

Linda said, “The manufacturing bureau delivered them this morning. Ji Jiuzhe can take them back to Zhuang Chen when he leaves later. But what’s Zhuang Chen up to lately? I haven’t heard of any new missions.”

Gu Ning coughed lightly. “Uh, those might be for me.”

The other three looked at her. “Yours?”

Gu Ning nodded. “Yeah. If it’s not too much trouble, could I take a look?”

Linda said cheerfully, “Of course. Follow me.”

Gu Ning was led to a room filled with storage cabinets.

Linda opened cabinet number 32 and gestured for Gu Ning to go ahead.

“Thanks,” Gu Ning said, reaching into the cabinet. She felt a cold, rod-like object, heavy to the touch. She pulled it out.

From the looks of it, it was a half-meter-long silver iron rod.

Gu Ning glanced at Linda, who nodded, encouraging her to continue.

Gu Ning gripped the middle of the rod and twisted it gently. With a “swish!”, two cold, gleaming blades shot out from both ends. Another twist, and the connected blades snapped apart, now held separately in Gu Ning’s hands. With another twist, the blades reconnected, and with a final twist, the blades retracted, turning the rod back into an ordinary-looking iron stick.

Linda said, “Easy to carry, highly concealable, and sharp enough to cut through iron. Perfect for, you know, killing and looting. The only downside is that it’s a bit heavy.”

Gu Ning flipped the iron rod in her hand effortlessly. The weight was no issue for her. She was extremely satisfied with her new weapon and said sincerely to Linda, “Thank you.”

Linda shrugged. “It’s my job. No need to thank me.” She paused, then couldn’t help but add, “But you’re much more polite than the others in the First Squad.”

Gu Ning was taken aback, then laughed.

“I’ll hand the blades over to you directly,” Linda said. She had already called Zhuang Chen to confirm before coming to this room.

Gu Ning was more than happy to oblige. “Sure.”

Linda then pulled out a set of leather straps from the back of the cabinet and handed them to Gu Ning. “These are the accompanying straps. They’ll make it easier for you to carry it around.”

Gu Ning tried them on. The straps ran from her waist to her thigh, with a holster on the thigh where the iron rod could be inserted without hindering her movements. Gu Ning casually pulled out the rod, quickly twisted it a few times, and in an instant, it transformed into two silver blades. The entire motion was smooth and precise, with no hesitation even on the second try.

Linda’s eyes lit up. “Cool!”