Chapter 2: The Goofy Recruits

A pungent scent of disinfectant hung thick in the air. Glancing around, one could see this women’s restroom contained seven stalls. It was undoubtedly either a shopping mall or an office building.

*Tap, tap, tap, tap.*

Suddenly, the synchronized sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. Upon hearing these faint noises, Li Hetang immediately tightened his grip on his pistol and raised a fist—a signal for the others to remain silent.

Gu Mo, Xiao Yulou, and Agent O immediately took charge of the children beside them, ushering them into the stalls and instructing them to stay as quiet as possible. Then, with grave expressions, Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou faced the restroom entrance, clutching the Quantian Ruler and the bizarre bone sword, respectively. As for Yu Kongcheng, the "Bloodthirsty Lone Wolf," he slipped silently to either side of the entrance to lie in wait.

Anyone who dared to engage in a firefight here would be met with either ruthless bullets or lethal wolf-like claws. Not to mention Xiao Yulou’s fireballs and Gu Mo’s stunning blows. The children, behaving remarkably well, slowed their movements and filed orderly into the corners of the stalls. It seemed that "Cat Brother" had trained them well for such emergency situations.

A suffocating tension filled the small restroom.

Suddenly, a probe the thickness of a pen tip snaked through the gap in the restroom door. Seeing this familiar gadget, Li Hetang and Yu Kongcheng furrowed their brows.

"Why is this unit outside so well-equipped? Could it be..."

The two killers exchanged a look, their thoughts perfectly aligned: whoever was outside, friend or foe, they would not be allowed to gain the slightest advantage.

In the blink of an eye, before the probe could capture a single image, Yu Kongcheng stealthily extended his foot to block it. Just then—*whoosh*—the restroom’s motion-activated light flickered off.

A stroke of luck!

The team outside seemed caught off guard by this dramatic turn of events. A wave of fear surged through the darkness.

"Light!"

A rough, muffled voice sounded from outside. The motion-activated lights, both inside and out, flashed back on. Immediately after, the sound of a sharp slap against a helmet echoed.

*Slap!*

"Are you an idiot? Why are you shouting?"

A voice barely audible, like the buzzing of a mosquito, followed. Li Hetang and Yu Kongcheng, waiting in ambush, broke into a cold sweat, feeling a mix of frustration and disbelief. Nearby, Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou were equally bewildered.

*Are the enemies outside fools? Or are they just clowns sent by a rival?*

The tension set everyone’s blood boiling. They had just escaped the "Well of Gods and Demons," and new trouble had already sniffed them out. It was truly one disaster after another.

Amid this peak tension, a faint voice drifted from outside again. "Boss, what do we do now?"

Suddenly, the motion-activated lights went out once more.

"What can we do? Storm it!"

With a subtle noise, the restroom door was kicked wide open. The temperamental sensor light flickered back to life, revealing nothing but several cold, black gun barrels.

Before Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou could unleash their supernatural arts, Li Hetang and Yu Kongcheng, who were positioned for an ambush, blocked the doorway. This sudden intervention cut off Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou’s chance to strike.

*Whoosh.* Li Hetang was the first to move, delivering a powerful kick. A scream of agony followed by a sickening crunch signaled that a heavily armed man in black had been sent flying. Judging by the sound, Li Hetang had used eighty percent of his strength; that poor soul would surely have a few broken ribs, if not worse. The men behind him were also caught in the fray, tumbling into the wall.

At the same time, a piercing wolf-like howl rang out. Yu Kongcheng transformed his hands into claws, grabbed two of the men, and hurled them upward. The movement was so fluid and swift that the victims had no time to react. With a dull thud, the two unfortunate men crashed headfirst into the white plastic ceiling panels, hanging there suspended.

*Click-clack!*

Several gunshots rang out. Blinded and obstructed by the ceiling, the two dangling men fired wildly. Cold bullets sprayed toward Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou.

*Piu! Piu! Piu!*

The other gunmen began to fire recklessly. *Clang! Clang!* Several anesthetic darts embedded themselves deep into the wooden stall partitions.

Li Hetang and Yu Kongcheng ducked their heads and slammed the swaying restroom door shut. Gu Mo, feeling a sudden chill, looked down in the bright light to see three anesthetic needles—each the size of a syringe—stuck in his chest. The cumulative dosage was enough to take down a cougar!

An awkward voice broke the silence: "Hey, Hetang, you bastard! How could you—"

Before he could finish, Gu Mo felt lightheaded, and the world spun before his eyes. He collapsed forward, but Xiao Yulou caught him in his arms.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Sovereign!"

Xiao Yulou glanced at the two men dangling from the ceiling and offered a bitter smile. "Brother Gu, oh Brother Gu! Why didn't you activate your Ghost Qi shield?"

Looking closely, it was clear the men hanging from the ceiling were armed to the teeth. The familiar equipment and deployment had already tipped off Li Hetang and Yu Kongcheng; otherwise, they wouldn't have decided to teach these rookies a lesson.

The two men on the ceiling continued to fire blindly until their magazines were empty, then hung there, paralyzed with fear. Over thirty anesthetic needles littered the floor. One needle near Li Hetang’s foot had even had its tip bent. It seemed the defensive capabilities of their polar combat suits were truly formidable.

*Pop!* Yu Kongcheng, dressed in a patient’s gown, pulled the needles from his own body. Li Hetang looked at him with concern, but Yu Kongcheng merely smiled. The depth of that smile suggested something as simple as, "That was quite a rush."

Outside, faint voices returned. "Boss, what’s the situation? Are the guys inside monsters? I heard a wolf howl—how can there be a husky in a mall?"

Just as the grunt finished speaking, the leader of the black-clad men suddenly realized something. He froze, his expression turning rigid.

"Husky my ass! That’s a master we can’t afford to offend!"

Before he could finish, the sound of a toilet flushing echoed from within the restroom. *Whoosh.* The loud sound seemed to flush away the remaining tension.

*Clack!* The sound of military boots clicking together followed.

"749 Provisions Company, Transport Team 'Honeybee,' reporting to Agent K!"

As the respectful voice rang out, Yu Kongcheng smirked, a wicked glint in his eyes, and pulled open the restroom door. Li Hetang, his face dark with fury, stood with his hands raised, pulling the two armed men down from the ceiling.

As the door swung open, the nine-man armed squad stood in two rows, saluting Yu Kongcheng and Li Hetang.

"Brother Tang, why are you here?"

Li Hetang’s eyes widened like saucers. He glared ferociously at the squad and barked, "Whoever shouted 'Light' just now, step forward!"

A visibly terrified soldier stepped forward, his panic evident even through his black mask. Li Hetang paced back and forth in the small restroom, his face twisted in a scowl; he was clearly livid. Seeing his rage, Yu Kongcheng, still in his psychiatric patient gown, tried to play the peacemaker with a smile.

"Brother Tang, this is a women's restroom. Let's go outside to talk!"

Taking the suggestion, Li Hetang sighed deeply and waved his hand. The two rows of soldiers quickly cleared a path. As the four of them stepped out, Xiao Yulou dutifully supported the unconscious Gu Mo, moving away from the "battlefield."

*Tap, tap.* Li Hetang continued to pace the long corridor, his hands behind his back. The poor soldier stood at attention, waiting for the impending reprimand.

*Whoosh.* The motion-activated light in the corridor went out again.

Yu Kongcheng shouted, "Hey! Hey! Hey!"

The lights flashed back on. Li Hetang stopped and poked the soldier’s helmet with his finger. Every word of his rebuke was like a sharp knife: "What do you have in your head, Mentos? In the middle of a mission, why are you spouting such nonsense?"

The eight other soldiers couldn't help but chuckle. Yu Kongcheng glared at them, shouting, "What are you laughing at? Every mission involves life-threatening danger; every move must be calculated!"

The nine soldiers went stiff, not daring to breathe. Li Hetang continued his lecture: "Who suggested using the endoscope?"

The team leader, "Honeybee," took a step forward. *Click-clack!* He saluted sharply. "Reporting, it was me!"

Li Hetang nodded, satisfied. "There are two points I want to make, and you all better listen up!" He looked around, sighed, and said, "First, this mission was riddled with holes and a complete disaster! Failing to investigate the site or seal off all exits was a major blunder."

He gestured toward the restroom. "There is a palm-sized ventilation duct in there. We are constantly facing various 'others.' A hole that big is enough for someone trained in yoga or bone-shrinking techniques to escape!"

Li Hetang glared again. "Second, when executing a mission, move slowly and silently! How can you make so much noise? You’re supposed to be elites selected from the military!"

The nine men were overcome with shame. Yu Kongcheng smiled at them and added, "Next time, remember to use hand signals!"

The atmosphere eased slightly. It was clear that Li Hetang and Yu Kongcheng played a perfect "good cop, bad cop" routine. Li Hetang sighed, looked at the soldier from before, and said, "When you get back to base, shout 'Light' at the restroom sensor fifty times!"

"Understood!" the soldier replied instantly.

"Sigh..." Li Hetang sighed again. "I just got back from the Well of Gods and Demons. How did you lot catch the scent so quickly?"

"Honeybee" stepped forward. "Brother Tang, it was information from Old Yan. He said there were strange fluctuations of supernatural arts in the third-floor restroom."

At the mention of Old Yan, Li Hetang envisioned the hunchbacked Geomancer. He waved his hand and sighed. "Agent O has been rescued. Hua Qianyu of the White Lotus Sect is in there. You know what to do, right?"

The nine men clenched their fists, eager to avenge their fallen comrades. But Yu Kongcheng coughed and said, "Be gentle, like gentlemen!"

Everyone was stunned. Why would Yu Kongcheng show such favor to a war criminal from the White Lotus Sect?

*Swish!* Everyone’s eyes turned to Yu Kongcheng. It seemed the man in the patient gown was truly losing his mind.

Seeing their gazes, Yu Kongcheng smirked. "Don't overthink it. I just like the scent on her."

At this, everyone cast suggestive glances at this legendary killer of the 749 Provisions Company.