Chapter 27: Clues

Zhu Ning had lost once. Logically, she could have opted for basic training before continuing with the assessment, but she went straight to the test without attending a single foundation class. She felt that being beaten up more often would help her improve.

Strictly speaking, Zhu Ning’s fighting style was unorthodox, but she possessed exceptional motor skills and learned quickly. Besides, this assessment had no strict requirements; it was just a free-for-all. She had assumed her wild style was quite formidable, but only after encountering a Demon Hunter did she realize how far behind she actually was.

The mechanical girl was surprised to see Zhu Ning return for a second round. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Zhu Ning nodded. She mainly wanted to test the effects of her genetic serum. Moreover, ever since she had injected it, a fire had been burning inside her, as if she had excess energy with nowhere to vent. She was desperate to get into a fight.

The mechanical girl, feeling a bit embarrassed after having broken someone’s scapula earlier, asked, "Should I go easy on you?"

This was an offer to throw the match. Zhu Ning replied, "No need to hold back."

The mechanical girl understood. To a warrior, going easy was a sign of disrespect.

"Wow," the onlookers whispered, "is she that confident?"

"Is she provoking her? Fight! Fight!"

Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng watched with anxiety. They felt even more pressure this time, mostly worried for Zhu Ning. If she lost again, she would likely be torn apart by public opinion. People were obsessed with creating idols and then destroying them; she was sure to trigger a storm of controversy.

A crowd had gathered. Some brought snacks and stools to watch, while others placed bets.

"I heard she just took the genetic serum. Who do you think will win?"

"Zhu Ning has a decent chance. I’ve noticed she’s always full of surprises."

"It’s hard to say," another replied. "Chu Ling is from the Gray Hawk squad. Her record has always been perfect."

"Gray Hawk?" someone interjected. "The unlucky squad that thought they’d finished a job, only to find out the contamination zone rating was wrong, leading to the whole team having to write reports and taking a 50% pay cut?"

"That’s the one. Do you think this is a case of enemies meeting?"

Zhu Ning: "..."

She had caught bits of the conversation and felt something was wrong. Good news: she now knew the name of the iron-willed girl was Chu Ling. Bad news: it seemed Zhu Ning had inadvertently offended her.

When they met in the sewer last time, the whole team was in armor, and Zhu Ning hadn’t even realized there was a woman among them. At the time, a man had walked past Li Nianchuan and called him a weakling. No wonder Chu Ling had stepped up to challenge her. Was she taking this opportunity to take revenge and beat Zhu Ning into a pulp? Zhu Ning’s luck was definitely problematic; she should just put all her purification points into luck next time.

"Get ready." The combat instructor, clearly finding the situation interesting, signaled for them to start.

The rules of the combat training ground were lenient. After all, they were colleagues, not enemies, and no one wanted to kill the other—a tap on the shoulder would suffice. The rule was that only the feet could touch the ground; any other part of the body touching the floor meant defeat.

Zhu Ning and Chu Ling shook hands. No sooner had they steadied themselves than Chu Ling lunged.

It was different this time. Zhu Ning could clearly feel the change in herself. After her mechanical augmentation, Chu Ling’s speed was far beyond that of an ordinary person. The first time they fought, Zhu Ning couldn't even keep up with her moves and was knocked down before she could react. Now, however, she could see everything, as if a slow-motion effect had been applied to her opponent.

Zhu Ning reacted on instinct, leaning slightly to the side as Chu Ling’s fist grazed her nose. Simultaneously, she kicked toward Chu Ling’s abdomen. Chu Ling reacted with lightning speed, pressing her hand down to block.

Both of Chu Ling’s hands were mechanical. Zhu Ning expected to kick a wall of iron and feared she might shatter her own leg. But the expected pain never came. Zhu Ning retracted her leg quickly after the strike. Her toes felt only a slight sensation, not pain.

Was this the power of the genetic serum? Her skin’s durability had increased, effectively acting as a soft layer of armor. Zhu Ning tilted her head. Before this test, she had doubted whether she could defeat a partially mechanized human.

Now, it seemed it wasn't impossible. A spark of competitiveness ignited within her.

Chu Ling was surprised; in just three hours, Zhu Ning’s progress had been leaps and bounds. Chu Ling had initially considered going easy, but now she realized that was unnecessary. She clenched her fists, treating Zhu Ning as a true opponent, and attacked again.

Zhu Ning raised her arms to block. This time, she could trade blows. Fist met body with dull, rhythmic thuds. Chu Ling noticed that Zhu Ning’s style was particularly ruthless; once she latched onto a target, she struck with the tenacity of a wolf cub that wouldn't let go of its prey. Unfortunately, she was still a bit raw; whenever Chu Ling exerted real force, Zhu Ning was forced to retreat.

Zhu Ning took three punches, retreating until she reached the edge of the ring. Her overall physical attributes were good, but she clearly lacked systematic training and didn't know how to handle the onslaught of a true Demon Hunter.

Chu Ling forced her into a corner and, showing no mercy, locked onto her for a back-throw. If Zhu Ning hit the ground, she would lose.

Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan held their breath. A mechanized human could lift ten tons; to her, Zhu Ning was like a cat or a dog. She lifted Zhu Ning clean off the ground.

*She’s going to lose,* Li Nianchuan thought, not daring to look.

As Chu Ling flipped her over and she was about to crash to the floor, Zhu Ning adjusted her posture and gathered her strength, kicking at the back of Chu Ling’s non-mechanized right knee. Whether reinforced by genetic serum or not, human reflexes remained.

With a soft *thud*, Chu Ling’s right knee hit the ground a split second before Zhu Ning landed.

Chu Ling: "?"

Zhu Ning hit the ground ungracefully but adjusted and stood up immediately. She had won.

"Zhu Ning wins!" the instructor announced.

Chu Ling: "..." Was that cheating?

"Wow," someone said. "Does that count? Zhu Ning hit the ground too."

"A second faster is still faster. Chu Ling was just too kind; Zhu Ning is clearly much more cunning."

The cunning Zhu Ning: "..." *If you lived in the zombie world for a few days, you’d be even more cunning than me.*

Chu Ling accepted the loss and stood up. "You won."

Zhu Ning still cared about her reputation. "I just used a bit of cleverness. You’re the one who’s truly strong." If not for the fact that Chu Ling still had non-mechanized parts, Zhu Ning wouldn't have won today. She had just pulled a trick.

The instructor didn't seem satisfied with Zhu Ning’s performance. "Zhu Ning, stay behind for extra training."

Zhu Ning didn't mind; she figured she’d be coming here to get beaten up often anyway.

"Want to be friends?" Chu Ling asked.

Zhu Ning: "?!"

"There are very few women among the Demon Hunters," Chu Ling explained. "I only wanted to spar with you after seeing your video. You really are strong."

So she wasn't here for revenge, but for admiration! A female warrior admired her!

After the fight, half of the irritability in Zhu Ning’s heart had vanished, and she felt refreshed. She happily added Chu Ling as a friend; their animosity had been resolved through a single bout, and their relationship was headed straight toward friendship.

"Chu Ling!" someone called from a distance.

Zhu Ning looked up to see three men—likely members of the Gray Hawk squad. The leader leading them looked nearly two meters tall. The trio looked at Zhu Ning with visible displeasure. In contrast, Chu Ling was the most friendly of them all.

"I’m heading off," Chu Ling said. "Maybe we can work together sometime."

Zhu Ning nodded. There were plenty of opportunities for Demon Hunters and Cleaners to collaborate. Watching Chu Ling’s retreating back, Zhu Ning noted that the five-member team, even without their armor, stood together like a well-trained army. Demon Hunters were indeed different.

Zhu Ning turned away and asked, "By the way, what’s our team called?"

Xu Meng replied, "Cleaning Squad A70265."

Zhu Ning: "..." *Why do theirs sound so cool, while ours sounds like a license plate number?*

Xu Meng looked down at her interface and typed something. "Zhu Ning cheated. Failed combat class. Training tomorrow."

Zhu Ning: "...Oh."

For the next few days, Zhu Ning stayed in the combat room—well, she stayed there to get beaten up. She was beaten in every conceivable way by all sorts of Demon Hunters. She had attracted too much attention, and many Demon Hunters wanted to challenge her—or, more accurately, to beat her up.

One eventually pays the price for being too flashy. Many onlookers were confused: how did she manage to beat Chu Ling on the first day, only to spend the following days looking half-dead? She had been beaten until all the fight had left her.

However, Zhu Ning improved rapidly at being beaten. If she suffered a loss in a certain way, she would counter it the next time. Her progress was so fast that anyone else would have passed long ago. Zhu Ning eventually figured out the instructor’s criteria: if he felt you still had room to improve, he would keep failing you; if he felt you had reached your limit, he would pair you with someone of equal skill to end the course.

Unfortunately, the instructor kept thinking Zhu Ning hadn't reached her limit. This girl could definitely still fight—no, she could definitely still keep taking beatings. So, Zhu Ning was "held back" in combat class, getting beaten daily like a glitch in the system.

After three days of this, Zhu Ning felt the inner restlessness growing. She went to see Dr. Fu again, who told her it was still a normal phenomenon. Dr. Fu spent his days stalking videos of Zhu Ning on the forums, living like the president of her fan club. He shook his head as he watched: "You still don't understand combat."

Zhu Ning: "?" *If you understand it so well, you go try it!*

...

The Cleaning Center’s new policy stated that all three members had to pass before they could take on missions. Zhu Ning was held back in combat, and Li Nianchuan in marksmanship.

Xu Meng was depressed. "We have Zhu Ning, who has the highest mental stability in the entire center, so why are we ranked last in points?"

"Li Nianchuan has extra training today," Xu Meng continued. "Zhu Ning, keep a low profile for the next few days."

Li Nianchuan groaned. "What kind of rule is this? Isn't it just getting in the way?"

"The volume of missions at the Cleaning Center has plummeted this past week," Xu Meng explained. "Except for emergency tasks, most missions aren't being distributed. Most teams pass within five days, and Demon Hunters usually within three. We suspect the Cleaning Center will slowly return to normal operations in ten days."

Zhu Ning and Li Nianchuan had been training for six days. If they didn't pass soon, they would be the laughingstock of the entire center.

The two of them were subjected to grueling extra training. Zhu Ning spent another hour being pummeled by a Demon Hunter skilled in close-quarters combat.