After Pei Yan regained consciousness, Elder Lin loosened the knife in his hand. Pei Yan leaned feebly against the energy wall in the corner of the arena, facing the encroaching mist, as if he truly reached the end of his rope.
Over a dozen iron needles protruded from his helmet, piercing the skin of his face. Now, only the pain could fend off the relentless drowsiness overwhelming his brain. If at the start he fought for the qualification to execute the mission, now after a fierce battle with the opponent, he genuinely wanted to win from the bottom of his heart!
"Who will win?" Xiaoyu bit her thumb, nervously asking outside the arena.
Hu Wenjun stared intently at the arena, shook his head, and turned to Engineer Li: "Hard to say. Engineer Li, does his helmet have a gas mask setting?"
"No, but I’m not sure if he can generate one himself now!" Li Yaohang, who had been working on scientific research at the institute, answered casually, his mind tense and excited after witnessing the series of fierce battles.
"The situation is unfavorable for Pei Yan. Even if he has a gas mask now, it’s too late to wear it." Instructor Miao looked regretfully at Pei Yan, who seemed to have resigned himself in the arena, and said, "He’s already inhaled too much mist, and now Zhao Xian has hidden himself back in the mist again. Whether he waits for the mist to cover the entire arena, or for the drug to completely knock him out, Zhao Xian stands invincible; all he has to do is patiently wait."
Many keen observers had already predicted this outcome, and Xiaoyu was especially unwilling, angrily pounding the corner of the arena with her fist, so close yet so far!
"Look! Pei Yan moved!" Engineer Li suddenly shouted.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Pei Yan, who had reshaped a revolver, raised his left arm and fired randomly into the mist.
"Expecting to hit Zhao Xian is too naive." A soldier quietly muttered among the silent crowd.
Gu Shenghui said nothing, pushed aside the crowd around him, and quickly ran to the other end of the arena. When he saw Pei Yan’s right hand hanging on the ground, he grinned, pulled out a betel nut, and chewed on it heartily.
The thick mist finally enveloped the entire arena; the scene was silent as everyone watched both ends of the arena anxiously waiting for the match result.
"Ah!" A series of arcs suddenly flashed in the mist, and Zhao Xian’s shrill cries echoed from within!
Moments later, a flash of light by the side of the arena transported the feeble Zhao Xian out, and Liu Xuan rushed forward to catch him: "Xiaozhao, are you okay? What happened in there!"
"Captain, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I couldn’t hold out!" Zhao Xian bit his lip, his eyelids fluttering, as strong feelings of guilt finally overwhelmed his tears; all the team’s protection and efforts were entrusted to him, yet in the end, he still couldn’t hold out.
Liu Xuan’s nose stung as he hugged the tearfully sobbing Zhao Xian, loudly encouraging him: "Why cry! A man must be able to take losing! It’s just one loss, win back next time! It’s okay; it’s okay! You’ve worked very hard." After speaking, he squinted his eyes toward the arena, wanting to see how Pei Yan had managed to defeat his soldier.
The mist, now without its internal source of support, quickly dissipated. The audience outside the arena gasped upon seeing the scene.
Pei Yan still lay weakly in a corner of the arena; Elder Lin floated in mid-air above the arena, and beneath him, countless mechanical wires extended from Pei Yan’s right hand. Each wire connected to the drones and remote-controlled cars scattered on the ground, forming a large network covering most of the arena.
The battle ended, Gu Shenghui, Liu Xuan, Xiaoyu, and others jumped onto the arena. Elder Lin extended his legs and landed in front of them, pointing to a crushed remote-controlled car: "Earlier, Zhao Xian stepped on this, allowing Pei Yan to sense his position, and all power sources concentrated and struck, sending him out."
"Earlier, when he randomly fired into the mist, he was actually probing, forcing Zhao Xian to enter his set-up electric net?" Liu Xuan bent down to pick up the crushed remote-controlled car, then turned his head to look at the unobscured corner of the field, resentfully saying.
Zhao Xian was overly cautious. If he had just enclosed himself in that open area, patiently waited for Pei Yan to pass out, the outcome would be different. Instead, cleverness backfired as Pei Yan used the thick mist to obscure both sides’ vision, secretly laying lines and turning the tables.
Gu Shenghui stepped briskly in front of Pei Yan, whose eyes were dazed, leaning against the wall. He squatted down, waved his hand in front of Pei Yan’s eyes, and seeing no reaction, laughed and said: "You won; from today on, you are officially a member of the Bureau of Investigation. Get your equipment and start missions."
Whether it was the residual brain shock or the numbing effect of the mist smoke that completely released Pei Yan’s inner self, upon hearing Gu Shenghui’s words, he slowly extended his mechanical middle finger at him and responded with one word.
"Damn!" Then he tilted his head and passed out.
Xiaoyu gaped, watching Gu Shenghui’s face change thrice, then watched Pei Yan slowly disappear into light, sympathetically shook her head: "Kid, you’re really gutsy."
That night, in the barracks dormitory.
Looking out at the dark sky, Pei Yan felt he couldn’t continue ; he hadn’t done anything lately! Passed out all day, looking at the military uniform replaced on him, then at the standard setup of the dormitory, it appears he’s still on a military base.
Having gained experience in fainting, Pei Yan rubbed his head, moving his body as he stood up from the bed. After taking two steps, a young soldier at the door heard the commotion inside and entered.
"You’re awake! Great!"
"Ah, I’m awake! Who are you?"
"It’s me, Xiao Hai, the one who eats with you! Call me kid; everyone does!" Xiao Hai helped Pei Yan sit in the chair, happily saying.
Pei Yan slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing: "Oh, it’s you! Sorry, sorry, my brain was muddled! What’s the time and where are my colleagues?"
"It’s just five; you’ve only fainted for a few hours. Your colleagues are all waiting for a meal in the cafeteria hall! I stayed to look after you. Can you move now? If so, let’s go together; your leader said if you wake up and can move, bring you over!"
Ten minutes later, when Pei Yan appeared in military uniform at the cafeteria entrance, he didn’t attract much attention, but Xiao Hai, who was guiding, showed some wit, stretched his leg to kick a soldier sitting outside. The soldier glanced in confusion at Xiao Hai before noticing Pei Yan beside him.
Immediately, he stood up and applauded Pei Yan. Starting with him, his table noticed Pei Yan too, getting up to applaud until eventually attracting the entire cafeteria’s attention, causing Pei Yan, who wanted to bury his head in the sand, to receive applauds from everyone.
With a small run, Pei Yan halted in front of the main table of Gu Shenghui, Liu Xuan, and others, saluted, and stood crisply. Liu Xuan looked at Pei Yan’s blushing face admiringly, patting his arm, lamenting: "Look at that; what a soldier’s look!" Saying this, he didn’t speak further and shook his head, returning to his seat.
Gu Shenghui, legs crossed, flicked the cigarette in his hand, calmly asking Pei Yan: "Awake, any major hindrance?"
"Good, go to Xiaoyu’s table and get ready to eat! Have a good chat with the comrades from the troop, communicate and bond!" Gu Shenghui nodded and pointed to another table.
"Yes!" Pei Yan saluted again, turning to Xiaoyu’s table. Observing the diners who looked at him with a knowing smile, Pei Yan awkwardly smiled, then turned back with a look pleading for help towards Hu Wenjun at the main table.
"Sit down! Brother from my clan!" Pei Yong cheerfully stood, pressing Pei Yan into the seat.