“Ah, I see. Well, you don’t have to be so formal. As you can see, this isn’t exactly an officially organized team, so higher-ups don’t really bother with us.”
“Oh, oh……”
“Captain! Stop messing around!”
“Alright, alright. First, let me introduce you to your seniors.”
I pointed at Ou Mi You, who had just gotten up.
“This is Ou Mi You. She’s probably the loudest person in this squad. So if you don’t want to deal with her, just don’t talk to her, or she’ll annoy you to death.”
“How can you talk bad about me like that, Captain! I play a vital role in livening up the atmosphere!”
I ignored Ou Mi You’s complaints and continued the introduction.
“This is Hai Shi. She’s the youngest in the team. She might seem quiet usually, but if she really wants to explain something to you, she’ll pester you until you get it. Also, don’t get on her bad side, or she might just set off a firework under your pillow.”
Leng Qiongling seemed to be listening seriously, so I had to continue.
“This is Le Paxi. She’s probably the most black-hearted in the team. Don’t provoke her either, or she’ll make your life miserable for a whole month.”
Le Paxi squinted her eyes at me.
It looked like I wouldn’t have it easy later.
“And this is Xi Site. In short, she’s like the mother here.”
“Captain!”
“Hahaha, Xi Site really is that type!”
Ou Mi You shouted loudly.
‘You might as well go back to sleep, you’re really noisy.’
“Alright, alright. Anyway, she’s very approachable. If you have a problem, just go to her, because you can tell at a glance that the others aren’t reliable.”
“Okay……”
Next……
I glanced at Xi Site, and she immediately understood what I meant.
“Let’s go, Miss Leng Qiongling. We’ll pick out a weapon for you.”
Xi Site pulled Leng Qiongling out of the operations room.
I could finally go back to playing, but that hand was already lost.
***
The two walked down the long corridor.
Looking at the senior wearing a nun’s habit in front of her, Leng Qiongling wanted to speak up many times, but seemed too unfamiliar to ask.
Xi Site noticed this and asked for her.
“Is there something on your mind?”
“No…… it’s just that I still don’t know the captain’s name. Also, seniors, your names… are they code names?”
“Hmm… The captain’s name is Wu Yin. As for the names you mentioned, they’re actually our current names now.”
“Does that mean you abandoned your previous names?”
“How should I put it… We all just thought that since we’ve become like this, we should have a new beginning.”
“I see…… Then should I also…… change my name……”
“I think you don’t need to rush, Miss Leng Qiongling. After all, you haven’t adapted to your identity change yet, so take it slow.”
“………Okay.”
As they spoke, they arrived in front of a door that seemed to be a storage room.
The door was like a bank vault door used for storing cash, but it was even heavier.
A normal person couldn’t even push it open.
Who this room was prepared for was obvious.
Xi Site pushed open the steel door effortlessly, as easily as pushing through a sponge.
The lights were off inside.
The room was filled with stale air and dust.
It showed signs of never being cleaned.
But Xi Site walked as if in the light, moving without obstacles to the switch and turned on the light.
After turning on the light, the entire room’s contents finally became visible.
What was stored inside were countless incredibly large weapons, almost all of them oddly shaped.
What these weapons were used for could be understood by looking at the Madman Squad’s weapons.
These were all specially made weapons for slaughtering Mad Beasts, seen by ordinary people as symbols of madness and distortion.
“Miss Leng Qiongling, just pick one you like.”
“Even so……”
Leng Qiongling said hesitantly, her eyes helplessly scanning the giant weapons one by one.
There was a circular saw with a blade diameter of 1.3 meters, a weapon that was a pair of swords but each blade seemed like a giant sword, and an anchor-shaped weapon covered in countless small barbs.
In short, there were hardly any that a normal person could use, because this wasn’t a place normal people would come.
“Is there any that looks like a weapon you’re used to?”
Xi Site handed a few weapons to Leng Qiongling to try.
A seemingly ordinary woman picking up weapons that together weighed over ten times her own weight—this surreal sight was too much of a shock for Leng Qiongling.
Even though she herself was the same kind of being, as Xi Site had said, she hadn’t yet adjusted her self-perception.
She still thought of herself as just an ordinary person.
“I… I…”
At that moment, Leng Qiongling glanced at a corner of the room and spotted a simple longsword that had been carelessly placed.
“I’ll take this one.”
Leng Qiongling hurried over and picked up the longsword, examining it in her hands.
It wasn’t anything special, but surprisingly, it showed no signs of wear.
There was just a layer of dust on it.
A quick polish and it would be usable.
“Choosing this one?”
Xi Site put the weapons in her hands back and walked over to Leng Qiongling.
“Yes, I’ll take this one. I practiced a little when I was young, so a sword should be more comfortable.”
“Hmm……”
Xi Site crossed her arms and thought, while Leng Qiongling kept watching her expression.
“But actually, I wouldn’t really recommend such a small weapon.”
“Is, is that so……”
“Yes. Given the size of Mad Beasts, this weapon would probably have difficulty effectively hitting their vital points, and it doesn’t have enough destructive power to deal with individuals with specialized hides. In short, I don’t really recommend it, but if you want to challenge yourself, Miss Leng Qiongling, I won’t stop you.”
“Then, then I’ll use this one.”
“Okay. Let’s head back.”
Xi Site left the room first.
Leng Qiongling sheathed the longsword, turned off the light, and quickly followed.
Since those abnormal weapons were the symbol of a madman, what kind of mindset did the madman who chose not to use them have?
Simply because of denial of one’s own identity, panic, fear, and a subconscious desire to distance oneself, as far as possible.
Maybe it was all just a dream, an absurd dream.
Reality and fantasy—the difference was so great it made one despair.
Wanting to escape might not be something shameful.
But it would definitely be painful.
Because unable to escape and unable to accept, one is ruthlessly swept by two torrents—either join one of them, or wait to be eroded away.