Chapter 50: The Novice’s Internship Equipment

Li Tianque stared at Wu Miaoran in astonishment, never expecting her to take action against the two warriors. At that moment, with the two warriors unconscious, the stone monster immediately broke free from their restraints and lunged at Wu Miaoran.

The filthy rag doll in Wu Miaoran’s arms opened its eyes just a crack, then let out a bizarre, electric screech. Hearing this, Wu Miaoran quickly patted its head, as if to soothe this rather terrifying little creature.

Li Tianque had once witnessed the doll’s power. Despite its adorable appearance, when it flew into a rage, its savage fangs could bite through iron plates, a fact almost beyond belief. Yet Li Tianque couldn’t help but wonder: since this little thing was so formidable, why not let it go head-to-head with the brute? Why bother calming it down?

As he pondered, the stone monster swung a massive hand toward Wu Miaoran. Its enormous arm swept through the air like a stone column, the gust of wind making the eardrums of everyone nearby thrum painfully. Li Tianque reacted swiftly, intending to dash forward and knock Wu Miaoran aside to save her.

But before he could move, Duan Xiaoyu intercepted him, even faster. In a flash, the stone monster’s attack crashed down mercilessly on Wu Miaoran’s head.

Wu Miaoran, however, neither dodged nor panicked. She continued to calmly stroke the rag doll in her arms. One hand reached her lips, and she spat the gum she’d been chewing into her palm. With a flick, she sent it flying.

The motion was so quick that Li Tianque barely caught it.

There was a dull bang. Although the stone monster had been attacking Wu Miaoran, it suddenly toppled stiffly to the ground. A single piece of flying gum had triggered an explosion and brought down the monster.

As it fell, the stone monster remained in its aggressive pose, its body covered in shards of chewing gum. The sticky fragments clung to its joints, stretching into visible lines as the creature tried to move. Bound by the adhesive, its limbs could only shift at an excruciatingly slow pace, one thick arm raised high in a frozen attack.

Though it looked menacing, the outcome was a complete rout.

Wu Miaoran glanced at Duan Xiaoyu and said, “Hurry up and extract the nucleotides. Once you’re done, I’ll destroy it.”

“Why not simply contain it? If this thing is a derivative of a nuclear worm, it might once have been an ordinary person. Destroying it outright doesn’t seem right. I think we should ask the boss first,” Duan Xiaoyu protested.

“Ask for what? Containment is impossible. You know full well the fate of such derivatives—no one can save them. Besides, after the Smeil family cleaned up last time, even they became subjects of supervision. We have to take care of our own messes,” Wu Miaoran replied firmly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Duan Xiaoyu agreed to Wu Miaoran’s plan. He picked up a device resembling a magnifying glass and approached the stone monster, aiming it at a particular spot on its body.

The rim of the “magnifying glass” flickered with violet light, and under its illumination, mottled brown stains appeared on the stone monster’s body. As the violet light shone on these stains, they gradually broke apart, turning into drifting fragments that rose into the air, eventually dissolving into brown smoke, all of which was absorbed by the device.

“What’s he doing?” Li Tianque asked.

“He’s extracting nucleotides. This stone monster is likely a derivative of a nuclear worm, so it carries traces of nucleotides left by something else. After we extract them and transmit the data to the company, someone will analyze the nuclear worm’s information and send it back to us for investigation,” Wu Miaoran explained.

“That’s right. I used to be the one responsible for analysis and identification. Now I’m filling in for Third, but I’m afraid the nuclear worm info might not be as reliable,” Duan Xiaoyu said with a resigned sigh.

As he finished collecting, Duan Xiaoyu was about to leave when the stone monster’s right arm suddenly moved again, grabbing his arm with a sickening crunch. The sound made Li Tianque wince in sympathy.

The magnifying device slipped from Duan Xiaoyu’s hand. He was just about to retaliate when Wu Miaoran snapped her fingers.

At the sound, every joint in the monster’s arm shattered. The chewing gum and the stones it connected exploded into fragments, scattering in all directions. Immediately after, the rest of the monster’s body crumbled into a heap of rubble.

Duan Xiaoyu shot her an angry glare. “Hey, why’d you destroy it? You just obliterated a research subject without permission!”

“Hey, why are you always accusing me? How’s that unauthorized destruction? That was an emergency maneuver! If I hadn’t detonated the gum bomb, your arm would be in pieces right now. Instead of thanking me, you slander me—like a dog biting Lü Dongbin!”

“Ugh, I really hate working with you. Always acting on your own!” Duan Xiaoyu grumbled, but he was powerless to argue further.

“I think the organization made the right choice. Pairing me with you is to make up for your hesitation and indecisiveness. Without me, you’d be dead already!” Wu Miaoran blew a bubble with her gum, looking utterly unconcerned.

“Oh, spare me. You’re the reckless one. What if the derivative had exploded and caused more danger?” Duan Xiaoyu said, his annoyance deepening.

“Worrywart,” Wu Miaoran scoffed.

At this, Li Tianque stared at the bickering pair in bewilderment. He felt like a rookie at the office, unsure how to join the conversation. Seeing their quarrel intensify, he quickly interjected, “Miaoran, what’s up with the gum bomb you used? Do you have any more? Could I have a few?”

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Wu Miaoran pulled three tiny watermelon-flavored gum pieces from her pocket, though their wrappers were all marked in yellow and black warning stripes.

She handed the gum to Li Tianque, saying, “Actually, this mission is your orientation. Since you haven’t been fitted with a pest exterminator yet, these gum bombs were prepared as your practice weapons. I used one just now, so there are three left. Best use them for self-defense—don’t play around with fire.”

“There’s another training weapon with that dopey fish over there. Let him show you later!”

Duan Xiaoyu ignored Wu Miaoran and began transmitting the collected nucleotides to the company using his portable tablet. Since he couldn’t bring the company’s large equipment on-site, he’d left his own robot at headquarters to handle the detection tasks.

Li Tianque took the three gum pieces from Wu Miaoran, who explained, “These are easy to use. As long as you can blow a bubble, you’ll have no trouble. Chew the bomb for about two minutes. Your saliva will identify you as the user, and your neural signals will trigger the explosive. The gum will become soft and malleable; if you throw it at a target, it’ll instantly expand and burst into tiny fragments, binding the enemy and restricting their movements. Then, just snap your fingers while thinking of the detonation command, and the gum bomb will explode, blasting apart the target.

“There’s another method: blow the gum into a bubble and toss it. Detonate the same way, with a snap and a mental command. This way, the blast is much stronger and the area of destruction broader, but it’s harder to control—so be careful.”

“Got it!” Li Tianque put away the gum bombs, feeling a surge of excitement.

“Hey, Duan Xiaoyu, give him your kilovolt gloves! Don’t be stingy!” Wu Miaoran called out.

“Yeah, yeah, I wasn’t using them anyway,” Duan Xiaoyu replied, tossing a battered pair of gloves from his backpack.

The gloves looked like ordinary leather, but strange fuzzy threads ran across them, white as filaments.

Li Tianque immediately picked them up and pulled them on. Wu Miaoran pointed at the gloves and said, “These can generate up to eight thousand volts. They’re also simple to use—just channel your body’s bioelectricity through your nervous system. To discharge, touch the index finger and thumb together, imagine the gloves as part of your body, and think of releasing current. You control the voltage freely, anywhere from thirty to eight thousand volts.”

“Seriously? These gloves are amazing!” Li Tianque marveled at them, tempted to try them out but feeling a bit apprehensive. He asked, “If I mess up, could I shock myself?”

Wu Miaoran laughed. “You shouldn’t. All equipment from Shi’an Pest Control has safety features—it can’t hurt our own people. But whether you can handle more than a hundred volts, well, that’s another matter.”

“All right, let me give it a try!”

End of chapter.