Once the first team completed their mission, the novice solo leaderboard in the Mission Hall was taken down, replaced by the team rankings. Since the teams hadn't been named yet, the list only displayed the members' names.
Seeing his own name at the very top, Xin Ye stared at his work tablet in a daze. "Why isn't it sorted alphabetically?"
Xun Yin provided a helpful explanation: 【Because your dear teammates submitted their mission reports immediately. Leng Xianye mentioned that you saved him. The reviewers probably didn't expect that the top-ranked Awakened in your team's first round would be the only one who hadn't turned in a report.】
Xin Ye tucked his tablet away and slunk out of the Mission Hall. "I would’ve died without Leng Xianye, too. We were all saving ourselves... Besides, wasn't I busy writing that fish-worm report the last two days? I’ll write it now, stop nagging."
While he wanted to stay in sync with his teammates, the main issue was that if he didn't write it soon, he’d start forgetting the finer details of the fish-worm mission.
Over the next few days, the other teams trickled back. Compared to Xin Ye’s group, they were in much worse shape; two teams even had members withdraw due to severed limbs and permanent disabilities.
In contrast, the minor injury on Xin Ye’s face was practically negligible.
Xin Ye didn't care much about being "disfigured," but unfortunately, he had a group of teammates who had been raised in relative comfort. By the second day of their return to the branch, his bedside table was piled high with skin-repairing medications.
Xun Yin feigned a sob: 【I never gave you anything good before, so this time, I’m definitely keeping the most expensive stuff for you. Quick, try this Earthworm Aloe. Your face will be healed by tomorrow.】
Medicine made from mutated species was precious regardless of the era. Accustomed to frugality, Xin Ye felt a bit reluctant to use it. "I don't think this little scratch is a big deal..."
Xun Yin: 【A modern male lead can’t afford to lose his face. Heal up quickly, or you’ll be forced into early retirement.】
Xin Ye eventually used the medicine as told, mainly because if he stayed ugly, his Mirror Image would have to be ugly too.
Once all the teams had returned, the schedule for the next round was issued by the branch director. As a team with a strong sense of camaraderie, the five of them agreed to meet up to review the arrangements and discuss their next steps.
They met at the Moonlight Cafe on the fifth basement floor. It was called "Moonlight," but in reality, it was just a screen mounted on the ceiling and a few lamps. It was a desolate place; despite its shabby appearance, few people could actually afford to spend money there.
Lian Muyun offered to treat everyone as a gesture of thanks for the mission. Since it was a day off, all five were in casual clothes, and the atmosphere was relaxed.
"First up is the re-evaluation of our physical exams and ability levels," Lian Muyun announced, holding a colorful drink in his left hand and a tablet in his right. "The goal is for every Awakened to have a more accurate understanding of their physical condition and abilities after their first team mission."
Tang Qiuqiu secretly added another spoonful of sugar to his milk. "Does that mean they think we’re too weak?"
Xing Yue caught Tang Qiuqiu’s little movement and found it increasingly adorable. "Or maybe it's a reminder for some people not to underestimate themselves."
Xin Ye and Leng Xianye shared a silent look before simultaneously averting their eyes.
"Then there’s the specialization preference form. They want to know if we want to continue developing as a team, go solo for basic missions, or transfer to logistics." Leng Xianye took a sip of coffee and asked after a moment’s thought, "Does anyone here want to leave the team?"
All five shook their heads in unison.
Lian Muyun happily took a bite of a small cake. "Excellent. The first step toward success."
Xin Ye took a sip of his lemon-less lemonade, which tasted like a strange chemical concoction. "Then I’ll just select the team branch. Awakened who commit to a team must participate in the upcoming competition. Details are in the attachment."
In fact, Xun Yin had already discussed this with Xin Ye before the orders came down; it wasn't much different from the last time.
The primary purpose of this competition was to train and rank the newly formed teams. The content usually involved clearing out mutated species, with victory determined by mission completion rates and team resource consumption.
Xing Yue set down her teacup. "First, we compete within the branch. The champion team from each branch goes to the headquarters to compete. The top three will eventually earn the right to stay at headquarters and handle secret missions."
Xin Ye, who had handled high-level missions before, swiped the decorative biscuit from Lian Muyun’s cake and held it in his mouth like a cigarette.
"Phase one complete, moving to phase two," Xing Yue said, jotting notes on her tablet with a stylus. "Come on, let’s pick a team name."
The four men fell into a collective silence.
Xing Yue narrowed her eyes and tapped the table with the blunt end of her stylus. "Think. Everyone has to suggest one."
The four men propped their tablets on the table and began pretentiously searching for references.
Xun Yin noticed Xin Ye was looking up how to grow lemons and snorted: 【What a perfunctory man. Is picking a name that hard? Does using your brain exhaust you?】
Xin Ye searched for a long time and discovered that growing lemons was both troublesome and expensive, so he closed the page. "I told you, the old name was fine. I can't think of anything anyway. Why don't you help?"
Their team had originally been called "Night Walkers," a name Xing Yue had come up with that everyone liked.
But this time, Xun Yin adamantly demanded a change.
He said: 【The protagonist has changed, so you need a name that fits your protagonist aura.】
Xin Ye: "How about the 'Really Weak' Team?"
Xun Yin: 【Your teammates won't agree to that.】
Soon, Xing Yue demanded to see the results of their half-hour search.
Lian Muyun was the first to give up. "If we really can't think of anything, how about the 'Can't Think of a Name' Team?"
Xing Yue’s pen paused. "Next."
Leng Xianye took a sip of coffee. "Coffee Team."
Xing Yue: "Next."
Tang Qiuqiu: "One Plus One Equals Two, Right..."
Lian Muyun: "Right."
"Qiuqiu, I know you're out of ideas too, stop talking," Xing Yue massaged her temples and looked at Xin Ye in despair. "If yours is as bad as theirs, don't even bother."
Xin Ye felt that Tang Qiuqiu had given him a spark of inspiration. "How about the 'You’re Gonna Lose, Right?' Team?"
Leng Xianye: "So mocking."
Lian Muyun: "So arrogant."
Tang Qiuqiu secretly clapped under the table.
Xing Yue couldn't do anything with them. The key was that the name actually pleased Xun Yin, so the team name was settled.
The rest was preparation. According to Lian Muyun’s insider info, because of the high number of participants in the preliminaries, the competition would use simulation pods to conduct missions in a fully virtual environment.
Leng Xianye looked down and contacted someone immediately. "I can borrow some simulation pods. We should practice ahead of time."
Xin Ye grew thoughtful and asked Xun Yin, "The internal competition's preliminary round last time used a mutated species farm. Using simulation pods this time is safer, but why do I feel like you’re up to no good?"
【Asking like that ruins the mystery. It’s better to save the surprise for the end.】 Xun Yin thought for a moment and prepared to write a detailed outline in his notebook.
Xin Ye curled his lip. "Fine, keep your secrets."
"It’s exactly 3:00 PM. The final rankings are out. Everyone, look!" Tang Qiuqiu had been refreshing the page. At his call, the group crowded around.
A temporary ranking had been released two days into the first team mission. Xin Ye remembered they were in third place then; the top two teams had taken missions involving highly aggressive mutated species.
This time, they were back at number one.
"The bonus points are so high... more than half of them are because of those two sets of photos we sent back." Lian Muyun was surprised.
One was the contract; the other was the metal sphere inside the sparrow's corpse.
Xing Yue opened a new document. "It seems we need to pay attention to these kinds of details in the upcoming competition. They’re likely point-boosters."
After a brief discussion about notable opponents, they disbanded to rest.
The person Leng Xianye contacted was highly efficient. The simulation pods were ready before the scheduled physical exams. Leng Xianye immediately set a time with the other four.
Xin Ye had heard of simulations before but had never tried one. After his team hit number one in his previous life, he was always running real missions; he never had the chance for these "practice games."
Upon entering the simulated environment, the five of them were spawned together, their clothes automatically swapped for their mission uniforms.
The mission briefing appeared on their multi-function watches. It was simple: clear out a mutated spider nest.
Xin Ye weighed his gun; it didn't feel right. In the end, he asked Lian Muyun to use his ability to create an assault rifle for him.
Because their abilities relied heavily on firearms, Lian Muyun and Leng Xianye had practiced together since they were young. They were quite surprised to see that Xin Ye’s grip and stance were remarkably proficient.
Xin Ye picked a random branch to test his aim. The feel was right.
When assigning positions, Xin Ye originally wanted to take the rear, but Xun Yin’s voice popped into his head: 【Go lead the way.】
Xin Ye frowned. "But..."
【I know you haven't tried it before, but isn't this the perfect opportunity?】 Xun Yin argued reasonably. 【Relying on your teammates all the time is a mistake. You actually have the ability to stand on your own. I’ll tell you if there’s any danger.】
Hearing Xun Yin point out his reliance on his teammates, Xin Ye hesitated for a moment before volunteering to take the lead.
Once the remaining positions were filled, the five of them advanced toward the spider nest together.
Simulation technology had been refined over many years and could faithfully recreate sensory input and most Awakened abilities. Xin Ye successfully summoned his Mirror Image, though he could feel that this version’s thinking was quite stiff.
Fortunately, it was obedient enough to be useful here.
In the dark environment, Tang Qiuqiu had already activated his ability. With his superior perception, he quickly caught a faint sound. "We should be getting close."
"I can see some webs and silk here... Huh? What’s that?" Lian Muyun caught a glimpse of some strangely colored ore and wanted to use his flashlight to get a closer look.
Xin Ye hadn't been here before and was more cautious without a "script" in hand. "Curiosity killed the cat. Be careful."
"I am being careful. Come look... Holy crap!"
Just as Lian Muyun approached the edge of the rock wall, the ground beneath him suddenly collapsed.
Tang Qiuqiu and Leng Xianye were closest to him. Lian Muyun instinctively reached out to grab whoever was nearby. Tang Qiuqiu was startled into his cat form and bolted away, but Leng Xianye was caught and dragged down into the pit.
"Lian Muyun, you motherf—!" Leng Xianye’s roar echoed from the hole.
So much for "being careful."
Xin Ye caught the bristling Qiuqiu-cat as it jumped toward him, his expression deadpan.
The mission had just started. Curiosity didn't kill the cat; it took the humans down instead.
***
