Chapter 2602: Third Mission
Chapter 2602: Third Mission
"How does one get to the other cities?" Yuan asked after taking a moment to digest the new information.
"There is a portal that can teleport between all of the cities. However, there is only one such portal, and it is heavily regulated by the military. Unless you’re from an influential or wealthy family, it’s nearly impossible to use it due to how much energy it consumes," Sergeant Quang explained.
"In other words, if you want to travel to another city, you’ll need to go there on foot... or drive there, which requires you to go through the Black Zone," Sergeant Bing continued. "But honestly, I don’t see a point in traveling to another city, especially given how dangerous it can be. We already have everything one can ask for in this city, too."
"Are you trying to travel to another city?" Sergeant Quang asked out of curiosity.
Yuan quickly shook his head.
"No, I was just unaware of their existence until just now. I have no reason or intention of going to another city for now."
"For now, huh?"
"Well, it’s not like I can predict the future."
Yuan continued, asking, "What is in the other cities, anyway? How do they differ from this one?"
"I’ve never been to another city, so I cannot tell you."
"Have you never encountered someone from a different city?"
"Nope. As mentioned earlier, only those incredibly influential and wealthy would travel between cities."
"What about missions? I saw one earlier that involved escorting someone to Spirit City."
Sergeant Bing shook her head. "Just because a mission is available doesn’t mean you qualify for it. Those missions offer the most merit, but they also have the strictest rules and highest requirements. Everyone must undergo a rigorous screening process before they’re even allowed to partake in it, and tens of thousands of soldiers apply each time."
"The most merits, huh? So I should apply for these missions if I want to improve my rank the quickest," Yuan mumbled.
"In theory, yes. However, whether you’ll be accepted or not is an entirely different story. Moreover, they don’t just look at your capabilities. Even if you’re more than qualified to take the mission, the subject of the mission has the final say, so if they don’t like you, they can still disqualify you."
"What a pain in the ass."
"That’s why I don’t even bother applying for those missions," Sergeant Bing sighed. "Still, if you want to advance beyond Sergeant, taking part in them is almost a necessity. They give you the chance to build connections with influential and powerful people who may be able to help with your promotion."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Once they reached the residential area, Yuan asked them before heading into his living quarters, "You’re not coming with me tomorrow, right?"
Sergeant Quang replied, "After seeing what you’re capable of during the last mission, I no longer have a reason to be concerned."
"It was quite entertaining, and I wouldn’t mind accompanying you again, but I am a bit behind my training schedule," Sergeant Bing said.
"Alright. Then I won’t wait for you guys tomorrow. See you later."
"Stay safe."
The next day, Yuan showed up to the rendezvous at the Southern Gate in the morning at 0600. Of course, he brought along his minigun.
The other soldiers stared at Yuan with bewildered expressions, almost as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
"A Corporal...?"
"With a minigun...?"
"Are you pranking us?"
Yuan replied with a calm smile, "I can assure you that I am not messing around. In fact, I will even do all of the cleaning alone, so you just need to follow me and try to keep up."
"What are you even talking about...?"
"Squad leader, he’s clearly fucking with us. Let’s just leave him behind and go."
"Unfortunately, his name is on the list, and we cannot leave without him. It’s also too late to remove him," sighed the squad leader.
"Whether I am messing with you or not will be clear once we leave the city walls," Yuan said.
"Whatever... Just don’t get in our way."
They teleported to the top of the city walls shortly afterward.
The moment they jumped down the city walls and landed on the ground, Yuan started flying forward.
"Try to keep up!" he said to them.
"T-This guy! He’s running off on his own!"
"Just forget about him. We’re already outside the city, anyway."
"Even if you say that... I don’t want to make a report because we let him go and die off on his own."
"...Fuck."
With no other choice, the soldiers quickly chased after Yuan.
"Fuck! How fast is this guy moving?!"
Even after chasing for hours, they still couldn’t catch up to Yuan, almost as if he’d vanished entirely.
"What if he’s already dead?"
"Wait! I see him!"
They caught up to Yuan because he’d come to a stop, arriving just in time to watch him gun down the Void Specters before him with his minigun. However, since there were just a few of them, none of the soldiers were impressed.
If anything, they were annoyed at him for running ahead.
"H-Hey! He’s running off again!"
Before any of them could even approach Yuan, he sped off immediately after defeating the Void Specters.
"Don’t tell me he actually plans on dealing with all of the Void Specters by himself?!"
"Did you not see that big ass minigun he was carrying? There’s no way he’ll last longer than a day if he fights alone!"
"Not just that, but he’s only at the Fifth Ascension. I doubt he’ll last for even half a day."
"Damn it... Where did such a reckless idiot come from? I knew something was weird when someone willingly joined us for our cleanup mission!"
However, an entire day passed, and Yuan continued eliminating the Void Specters on his own without any trouble or slowing down.
"What is going on?! How is he still going?! He should’ve exhausted himself long ago!"
The soldiers following behind were left baffled by Yuan’s abnormal performance.