Chapter Twenty-One: Gaia Foundation

Is this the rule between teams?

Gao Ning was only on his first mission, so naturally he wasn't familiar with the rules.

He was silent for a moment, carefully watching Old Gun's expression, noting how the man's initial dejection gradually gave way to composure.

Apparently, Gao Ning's behavior had tipped him off, and now he was gambling—betting that Gao Ning was a rookie who hadn’t yet faced the enemy.

Trying to steer the conversation—bold indeed!

Yet Gao Ning did need information and didn't mind allowing Old Gun a small advantage.

The situation was still uncertain, and neither Madam Liu nor Liang Bing was worth his complete trust. He needed more intel.

After a moment's contemplation, Gao Ning decided to probe further.

"Your companion ran away!"

Old Gun showed no surprise.

"She's a madwoman, but she's been prowling this villa for ages. It's not strange that she was prepared to escape in advance."

"You don't seem worried," Gao Ning remarked.

Old Gun looked up, a hint of puzzlement in his gaze.

"Why should I worry?"

"Isn't she your teammate?"

Old Gun suddenly laughed, sizing up Gao Ning before saying, "Young man, this must be your first mission."

Gao Ning nodded; he had no intention of hiding it.

"Then let me tell you a secret," Old Gun lowered his voice, rough and raspy, "Never trust your teammates!"

Gao Ning was taken aback. Old Gun chuckled quietly and shook his head, "Husband and wife are like birds in the same forest—when disaster strikes, each flies their own way. If even spouses are like this, what can you expect from a teammate whose background you don't know?"

"Oh, right, I forgot you're from the Angel Squad. That's not the same as us in the Devil Squad!"

Gao Ning frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

"In the mysterious train, the number of carriages and stations is always unknown. But what's certain is that in the simpler mission worlds, at least two carriages are always deployed. Usually, they're opposing teams. When the missions are calmer and the people more amicable, we call those teams the Angel Squad. Naturally, the opposite are the Devil Squad.

Members of the Devil Squad usually have twisted morals, or their hands are stained with blood. Their hearts have been corrupted by darkness, their minds are unstable, and their methods are often extreme."

"Like your team?" Gao Ning interjected.

Old Gun nodded without hesitation, "Exactly like us! Violence may not solve everything, but you can't deny it's the most direct way to break a stalemate. It's like throwing a stone into a calm lake—see what happens."

Gao Ning went silent.

The answer surprised him; he hadn’t expected team assignments to be based on the so-called purity of one's soul.

Good people were placed in normal carriages, while the bad were grouped together.

The mysterious train pitted them against each other.

It felt like a gladiatorial arena, though the option to abandon the mission brought a touch of gentleness.

Just then, a soldier opened the alloy door and carried out the unconscious Cheng Long.

Gao Ning checked briefly and confirmed it was indeed Cheng Long.

"When did you swap him out?"

"On my first day of work!" Old Gun grinned.

"So the one who passed the test was actually Cheng Long himself?"

Old Gun nodded.

"How did you pull it off? Disguise technique?"

As soon as he spoke, Gao Ning shook his head, "Impossible. Whether it's disguise or high-tech nano masks, all they can change is appearance. Height, build, habits, and manner of speaking require long-term preparation."

"Interesting!" Old Gun laughed, "You've got some brains!"

Gao Ning looked at him, and Old Gun said, "Disguise isn't reliable. The mission was rushed, and performing in front of a high-level spy? Those crude tricks are child's play to them—showing off only brings humiliation. What I used was transformation technique—do you know ninjutsu?"

"You've already been through three worlds?" Gao Ning was shocked.

Old Gun replied, "Well, you've gathered quite a bit of intel! Fresh in, and you already know that after three worlds, you can pick skills! Not bad, better than me! I only learned about it by chance after barely surviving my second world."

As he spoke, Old Gun's gaze dimmed for a moment.

Clearly, those memories were not ones he wished to recall.

Gao Ning watched Old Gun. Though the man seemed open and his words made sense, something felt off.

Yet he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

The feeling was unsettling.

"Tell me about that woman," Gao Ning said.

"Nothing much to tell—a run-of-the-mill serial killer," Old Gun answered coolly. "She's a newcomer, just like you.

Come to think of it, aren't the rookies this round a bit too strong? That madwoman's combat prowess is off the charts—always playing the delicate damsel, but once she grabs her machetes, she can hack down three or five men in under two minutes. If I didn’t know a bit of martial arts myself, I would've been dead by her hand! And you—"

Old Gun glanced around at the burly, variedly dressed American soldiers in the room.

"Whether it's luck or other means, you managed to command respect and find obedient helpers—impressive, impressive!"

Gao Ning glanced at the Red Alert panel.

He saw the red dot representing Haruko had already left New York, vanishing at the edge of the minimap.

Gao Ning raised an eyebrow—she was fast.

He instinctively checked Old Gun's red dot.

Suddenly, he noticed their dots were equally bright.

Gao Ning paused, a thought occurring to him.

He remembered that when he downloaded the game, the instructions emphasized that due to the special mode, after completing a certain number of missions, you could select star-rated reactions.

If paratroopers could be star-rated, then so could the enemy.

Old Gun had said he and the madwoman were evenly matched—they must be at the same level.

But if he could use transformation technique, and had chakra within him, Old Gun shouldn't be evenly matched with a regular woman.

Even if she was a serial killer, muscle-bound and fierce, she’d be no match for supernatural power.

So could it be that Old Gun was lying?

A thought flashed through Gao Ning's mind, and he said directly, "You're lying!"

Old Gun's expression didn't change, "Oh? Which part?"

"Your transformation ability!"

Gao Ning didn't elaborate, simply stared at him without emotion.

Old Gun remained indifferent, his gaze unwavering.

"As expected, not only do you have a shallow grasp of ninjutsu, but you haven't seen that classic American drama about micro-expression interpretation."