Outside the castle, a car sped down the road. The Punisher sat in the front seat, his face expressionless, while Qin Ming was in the back, wincing as he tended to his injuries.
He'd thought his improved attributes and two powerful skills would make him invincible. But after only a few moments of overconfidence, the second-level boss had quickly set him straight. If not for the Punisher's help, Qin Ming had serious doubts he'd have survived the encounter with the Battle Robot on his own.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Ming wrapped up the last of his bandages, his face pale. From the front, the Punisher eyed him through the rearview mirror, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.
"What's the matter? You're ruthless when killing others, but you can't stand a little pain yourself?"
"Enough with the tough-guy act. I got injured; of course, it hurts!"
"The enemy was flesh and blood, too."
"But they weren't my flesh and blood!" Qin Ming snapped back, clutching his wounds as a fresh wave of pain jolted through him.
While his constitution had given him rapid recovery, fast healing didn't stop him from feeling the pain.
As he leaned back in his seat, Qin Ming suddenly frowned at the Punisher.
"Tell me, how did you get through all that without a single scratch?"
"That's right. If you spent a year fighting in the jungles of Vietnam and made it out alive, you'd learn to keep your eyes on all directions too. Anyone who didn't is already buried back there."
"Vietnam? You mean the talking trees?"
"Heh, not just trees—every patch of ground, every rock, every blade of grass. Even corpses sometimes get up to shoot you."
Suddenly, the Punisher braked hard, pulling the car into a secluded location. Once stopped, he stepped out and opened the door for Qin Ming, bowing slightly as he gestured toward the building.
"Injured warriors first."
"Cut the sarcasm." Qin Ming muttered, getting out with a wince. As he entered the room, the Punisher followed, heading to the fridge to grab two beers, tossing one Qin Ming's way.
"Drink up; it'll help you heal faster."
"You jerk!" Qin Ming gritted his teeth, but he noticed that the Punisher's goodwill toward him had risen significantly after their fight with the Battle Robot, reaching 345 points.
The usually stony Punisher had actually begun treating him like a friend, though he wasn't quite the hardened, quiet loner Qin Ming had assumed. As they got more familiar, it became clear that the Punisher had a sarcastic, teasing side.
Qin Ming took a swig of the cold beer, sighing in relief as a soothing chill spread through his body. It was almost like the pain dulled, even if it didn't actually heal his injuries.
The Punisher watched him for a moment before speaking up. "Kid, you lack professional training, which puts you at a disadvantage against skilled opponents. Today was just a taste of that."
Qin Ming looked up. "So what are you getting at?"
"I can train you if you're interested."
The Punisher's gaze turned serious. "It'll be tough—and painful."
As he spoke, Qin Ming's mind echoed with a system notification.
Ding! You have met the requirements to unlock a special option: The Punisher is offering specialized training. This will consume 300 Goodwill points. Do you accept?
Special training?! Qin Ming was taken aback. Wasn't this the same training option he'd seen in the shop for 500 points? The Punisher was offering it at a discount!
He quickly nodded. "Definitely."
The moment he accepted, his goodwill points dropped by 300, and the Punisher stood up, clapping his hands.
"Alright, we'll start right now. Being injured doesn't matter; training while hurt builds character."
The Punisher wasted no time, true to his no-nonsense approach. And with only two days remaining before he would be forcibly returned to the Nightmare Space, Qin Ming had no reason to delay. Every hour counted if he wanted to get the most out of the Punisher's training.
Stuffing a quick salad into his mouth to restore some health, he readied himself, following the Punisher's every move as they went through a grueling crash course in combat techniques.
The training covered everything the Punisher had learned in the military: close-quarters combat, marksmanship, and weapon handling.
Over the next two days, Qin Ming barely got four hours of sleep, pushing himself to absorb as much of the Punisher's knowledge as possible.
Finally, with only four hours left before his forced return, the Nightmare Space chimed in with a cold notification:
Ding! Congratulations! You have completed all lessons of the Special Training. You have acquired the passive skills: Basic Combat Mastery (E), Basic Firearm Mastery (E), and Basic Weapon Mastery (E).
As the notification ended, a flood of new techniques and knowledge surged into Qin Ming's mind—gun techniques, hand-to-hand combat, and weapon handling. They weren't complex or high-level skills but were precise and well-drilled, covering the gaps in Qin Ming's combat weaknesses.
As he processed the newfound skills, the Punisher, observing his stance, gave a nod of approval.
"Not bad, kid. You're a quick learner. Now, at least you can hold your own as a basic soldier."
"Just a grunt?" Qin Ming grumbled.
"Well," the Punisher replied, shrugging, "if we're not counting your special physical abilities, then yeah."
The Punisher changed back into his own combat gear, glancing at Qin Ming one last time.
"I'm heading out to track down Kingpin's operations. It's time I moved on. But kid, if we ever cross paths again, let's work together."
With that, he held out a hand. Qin Ming shook it with a grin.
"We'll definitely cross paths again, Punisher."