Chapter 74: Beware! Do Not Listen to Indecency!

Dawn mist drifted gently through the air, elusive and ethereal.

Li Tianque arrived at the company early in the morning, a trace of excitement lingering in his heart. Today, Wu Miaoran had informed him to come in for a test—supposedly to find the exterminator weapon best suited for him, so he could carry out his next mission more effectively.

Though he hadn’t quite recovered, Li Tianque was a man of responsibility. Upon receiving the notice, he immediately hailed a cab and set out.

As the elevator ascended slowly, Li Tianque’s heart began to race. He had witnessed Wu Miaoran’s exterminator with his own eyes—that miraculous little medicine chest. By rearranging its contents in various ways, it could concoct all sorts of wondrous potions: some could easily knock out elite soldiers, others could heal terrifying corpse poison—it was practically more miraculous than the legendary healers of old.

He didn’t know what kind of exterminator Duan Xiaoyu wielded, but anyone who could hold their own against formidable foes must possess extraordinary power.

Most importantly, Li Tianque had already used a set of trainee equipment once. The bubblegum bomb and the kilovolt gauntlets were mere beginner tools, yet their power in battle had already become evident.

According to the logic of RPG games, beginner gear’s attributes and power were always far inferior to real combat weapons. If this time he was finally issued an official exterminator, surely he’d become something like Iron Man—a true superhero, perhaps?

So what would his exterminator be? A laser gun? An antimatter cannon? Or some high-tech armor?

Just as Li Tianque reached the company entrance, his daydream was interrupted by a reproachful voice:

“So, did you learn to ride a snail? Not a shred of punctuality in you.”

Seeing it was Wu Miaoran, Li Tianque quickly forced a smile. “Sorry, boss, I was too excited and forgot to bring—”

“All right, all right, your excuse doesn’t matter. Hurry up, everyone’s waiting for you.”

Li Tianque grinned awkwardly and sheepishly followed Wu Miaoran inside.

Under her lead, he arrived at the bookshelf in the break room, then wove through a thicket of flowers into a secret chamber.

At the door to the chamber, Ling Chi was balancing on one hand, performing push-ups. Spotting them, he flipped upright in a flash, the impact sending a dull thud through the floor.

Li Tianque felt a numb tingle through the soles of his shoes, and looked on in awe at the man’s strength.

At the same time, he realized this trip to the chamber felt different from the last time, when he’d come to sign the contract. The air was much more humid, and from not far off came intermittent rumbling.

It sounded a bit like a train, but more like some monstrous beast growling in the dark.

As Li Tianque stood dazed, Ling Chi approached and patted him on the shoulder.

“Here, change into this gear first.”

With that, Ling Chi handed him a round backpack.

Wu Miaoran had already taken one herself and was strapping it on.

Li Tianque opened the backpack to find a thick protective vest, a pair of noise-canceling earmuffs, a half-face mask, and sturdy shoe covers.

Once he had donned all the gear, only half his face was exposed. He could still see ahead, but the sensation of having half his face covered was deeply uncomfortable.

What surprised him most was the earmuffs—he’d never encountered such effective noise-canceling gear before. Once on, it was as if the world had fallen silent, and only the sound of his own blood pulsing remained.

Back when he shared a rented apartment with others, the walls were thin and the sound-proofing poor. He’d bought similar earmuffs online before, even the most expensive pairs, but they never blocked out much noise—he could still binge shows with them on.

These, though unremarkable in appearance, were astonishingly effective, shutting out the rumbling nearby, even his own voice, and somehow even stopping bone conduction.

While marveling at the earmuffs, Li Tianque saw Wu Miaoran gesturing at him.

After a moment, he realized she wanted him to take off the earmuffs.

Removing them, he asked in surprise, “Did I wear them wrong?”

“No, it’s just that before we go in, I have a few things to remind you of.

“We’re now in the company’s core area. Besides the armory, there are a few temporary containment zones here. They hold some nuclear bugs that can’t be transported just yet.

“Because of their unique traits, we have to wear this protective gear when passing through. Remember—on the way to the armory, do not remove any of your gear, keep pace with us, not too fast or too slow, and don’t do anything unnecessary.

“If you slip up, your family might just get three million in advance.”

Wu Miaoran, for once, looked deadly serious. Li Tianque swallowed hard and nodded quickly.

So, he followed close behind as they entered a dim corridor. The only lighting came from square indicator lights set in the floor along both sides, casting a faint, dizzying glow.

The corridor wasn’t long. Following Wu Miaoran’s instructions, Li Tianque kept close and soon arrived at the armory.

Ling Chi unlocked the armory door with the most old-fashioned padlock Li Tianque had ever seen—so massive it stood about as tall as an adult and must’ve weighed at least two hundred pounds.

The key Ling Chi used was the size of a palm. Though the unlocking process was quick, it seemed to require tremendous strength—Ling Chi’s brow furrowed, his muscles trembled, veins bulging.

Inside, a shrill electronic alarm went off, and colorful fluorescent lights flickered beneath their feet.

Lifting his head, Li Tianque was stunned by the dazzling array of weapons and items before him.

His mouth fell open beyond his control, his eyes glazed over.

Compared to the exotic weapons and gear displayed here, his kilovolt gauntlets and explosive gum seemed utterly insignificant.

The equipment was neatly arrayed in futuristic, oval storage pods. Through their transparent glass, one could clearly see the contents within.

There were bizarre unknown objects, all sorts of weapons and armor, and ammunition for firearms. Some were encased in glass, others simply fixed by flexible metal tubing.

Li Tianque felt as if he’d stepped into the protagonist’s warehouse after beating an RPG game—he was instantly elated.

“My god, this is amazing! Do I get to pick my weapon from all this?” he asked, delighted.

Ling Chi grinned, “With imagination like that, why not become a writer? Most of this is just the boss’s collection. The real exterminators you can use are deeper inside.”

“And you’d better not touch anything,” Wu Miaoran warned. “These things are in a foul mood.”

“In a foul mood?”

Li Tianque’s hand, which had been reaching for a dinosaur-head canteen, halted in midair.

Looking closely, he realized each metal tube and glass case bore a strange eye. The one beside the dinosaur-head canteen was fixed on him, radiating a simmering anger.

He wasn’t sure what would happen if he really provoked these things, but the glare alone was enough to keep him in check.

Though a bit disappointed, Li Tianque couldn’t suppress his excitement and quickly asked, “Um, you mentioned there’d be a test to choose my weapon. How does it work?”

Wu Miaoran smiled mysteriously, wagging a finger.

“Don’t rush—the test is about to begin.”