Chapter 92: The Power of Money

Outside the cafeteria, a sharp whistle sounded again!

Whoosh!

Before Lin QiYe could react, the seven members of the Masked Squad in front of him had already jumped to their feet and started running outside.

After running a couple of steps, XuanWu suddenly stopped and realized something.

"Wait, we're not new recruits anymore… Why are we running?"

"…Conditioned reflex," Wang Mian scratched his head and glanced at the hall, noticing all the new recruits staring at them. Feeling a little embarrassed, he coughed twice.

"Uh… let's just keep eating, keep eating…"

The members of the Masked Squad sat back down and continued eating, pretending nothing had happened.

The new recruits shifted their attention back and instinctively looked at the clock on the wall. Only ten minutes had passed since they started eating, still far from the 20-minute time limit.

Why was the whistle blown again?

Even so, they put down their steamed buns and turned to head for the training field. After all, no one wanted to be late and run extra laps as punishment.

BaiLi Pangpang, who was choking on a steamed bun, frantically pounded his chest and waved to Lin QiYe before dashing outside.

"I'll go first. You guys keep eating," Lin QiYe said as he turned to leave.

"Mm, go ahead," Wang Mian smiled faintly. "The next time we meet, it'll be outside the training camp."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, there's another mysterious creature from the Sea Region up north. We'll head out right after eating."

"Alright, good luck out there."

Lin QiYe waved to them and quickly ran out of the cafeteria.

Once everyone had left, the cafeteria fell completely silent.

"Ah, without the jealous stares from the new recruits, the food just doesn't taste as good," XuanWu sighed as he put down his chopsticks.

"…What a weird sense of humor," TianPing rolled his eyes.

"Now that we're full, we should get going," Wang Mian said as he stood up, picking up a black case next to him.

"Yeah, let's not keep them waiting," YueGui said, wiping his mouth.

The others also stood up, donned their cloaks, picked up their black cases, and strode toward the cafeteria exit.

Soft sunlight streamed through the clean windows, illuminating the empty cafeteria. The seven of them walked side by side as a light breeze entered through the doors, lifting the edges of their gray cloaks.

On the spotless tiled floor, their reflections were clear and sharp. They slung their black cases over their shoulders, lowered their heads, and donned their respective masks…

…and walked out.

The cafeteria fell into complete silence.

In the cramped kitchen, an elderly man with a hunched back stood by a small window, silently watching their departing figures.

His eyes were slightly red, but his gaze was filled with determination.

After a moment, he brought his feet together, straightened his back,

and saluted in their direction with a standard military gesture.

At the training field.

"Mysterious creatures from myths, legends, and folk tales are the main enemies of us Night Watchers!"

"Their powers are strange and varied, and their characteristics are different, but one thing is for sure—they are far stronger than ordinary humans!"

"So, how do we fight such beings?"

On the drill stage, a new instructor stood at the center, sweeping his gaze over the recruits.

Shen QingZhu lazily raised his hand. "Reporting! By using powerful Superpowers!"

The instructor sneered. "Superpowers… They are indeed humanity's greatest weapon against the mysterious, but they're not everything. Unless your Superpower is so strong that you can kill a mysterious creature with a snap of your fingers…

Can you do that?"

Shen QingZhu raised an eyebrow. "I can."

"What's your Superpower?"

"Serial number 068, [Qi Min]."

Instructor: …

The instructor pretended he hadn't heard that and straightened up. "Does anyone else have another answer?"

From the crowd, a chubby recruit suddenly raised his hand.

"Reporting! By using money!"

Instructor: ???

"Money? Are you telling me you're going to fight mysterious creatures by throwing coins at them?" The instructor chuckled in disbelief, then turned to the recruits and spoke solemnly:

"To fight mysterious creatures, apart from Superpowers, we also need strong physiques and combat skills!

Combat skills are divided into cold weapons and hot weapons. Hot weapons might be effective against low-level creatures, but when facing high-level ones, cold weapon combat is the real key!

Today, I'll teach you how to fight with cold weapons in close combat!"

Across the field, Instructor Hong stood with two other instructors, observing the scene from a distance.

"Instructor Hong, what's the background of this new Instructor Han?" one of the instructors asked curiously.

"He's a close-combat expert transferred from the main base. He just flew in this morning. It's his first time training recruits, but I have high hopes for him," Instructor Hong replied with admiration.

"First day here and first time with recruits?" The other instructor frowned. "Are you sure he won't mess up?"

"Impossible. Instructor Han's close-combat skills are among the best in the country. We can go back and play cards without worry."

"Alright… sounds good!"

The three quietly left without drawing any attention.

On the drill stage, Instructor Han was still enthusiastically explaining cold weapon techniques.

"In the Night Watchers, most people use standard-issue weapons, specifically the Star Blade!" He unsheathed a straight blade in his hand.

"Straight blades have many advantages, but I won't go into detail. Today, I'll mainly teach you how to use one effectively.

The first key to mastering a straight blade is reaction speed! Your reaction speed determines how…"

Instructor Han demonstrated several drawing and sheathing techniques. The recruits below watched with fascination.

Lin QiYe, however, felt a bit bored. It wasn't because Instructor Han was unskilled, but because Chen MuYe had already taught him all this—along with plenty of painful lessons to help him remember it.

This was where his private training came in handy.

"Now, let's have a few people come up and demonstrate," Instructor Han said, putting down his blade and grabbing two wooden practice swords from the rack.

"Where's that chubby guy who said he could beat mysterious creatures with money? Come up and show us!" Instructor Han pointed to BaiLi Pangpang.

BaiLi Pangpang scratched his head awkwardly and clumsily climbed onto the stage, taking a wooden sword.

"Did you remember what I just explained?"

BaiLi Pangpang hesitated. "Not really…"

"…If you don't remember, just use your money power!" Instructor Han chuckled. "Show us how you can beat a mysterious creature with cash!

This time, I'll attack, and you'll defend using what I taught—or whatever works for you!"

"Alright…"

Instructor Han gripped his wooden sword and moved into position, narrowing his eyes. BaiLi Pangpang stood stiffly, holding his sword awkwardly, leaving countless openings in his stance.

Instructor Han smirked, then lunged forward, his wooden sword slicing through the air with lightning speed!

Just as the blade was about to hit BaiLi Pangpang, a dazzling golden barrier suddenly appeared, enveloping him completely.

Crack!

A crisp sound echoed.

Instructor Han's wooden sword…

…broke into three pieces.

Instructor Han: (?????)

BaiLi Pangpang: ()