Chapter 25: Scavenging for Gear

The spiritual energy conduction and remote treatment instrument is yet another manifestation of the formidable scientific prowess of the North 1 Base. Qi An often participates in experiments at Tang Xinying’s laboratory and is acquainted with many members of her team, including Xu Bingjie, a young engineer whose technical skills are widely acclaimed.

During casual conversation, Xu Bingjie once mentioned to Qi An that the spiritual energy conduction instrument uses neural sensors to bridge the nerve electrical signals between a purifier and the person being purified, enabling remote spiritual resonance. While the amount of spiritual energy the instrument can transmit is quite limited and the resonance is not fully comprehensive—making it of little use in standard purification therapy—it holds immense potential for application on the battlefield.

Because the connection is wireless, it can transmit over a distance of up to 500 meters, and a single purifier can connect to one to five subjects depending on their ability. During the period of remote resonance, the purifier can continuously monitor the mental state of the contaminated individual. Qi An felt that if the spiritual energy transmitted by this instrument were strong enough and not prone to overloading, she would no longer need to scramble across the battlefield, grabbing one person after another; she could simply suppress everyone's contamination levels remotely. Wouldn’t that allow her to handle output while purifying, effectively boosting her own combat capabilities? Although she would need to train hard in the art of multitasking, this was already a required part of developing one’s spiritual power, so it would just be an added benefit. She was not afraid of the challenge at all.

Qi An looked at Tang Xinying with immense anticipation. She had been quite calm when her spiritual power previously leveled up, but this time, her emotions were clearly visible. Tang Xinying, however, looked out at the pitch-black night sky, her expression somewhat wistful. Among the research and development team for the conduction instrument were her former colleagues. This instrument, along with the fantastical and grandiose vision of salvation behind it, had all originated from their young, passionate, and audacious little team. Times had changed, and people had scattered, but perhaps some were still holding on.

Amidst Qi An’s puzzled gaze, Tang Xinying regained her focus. "According to the publicly released technical documents from the North 1 Base, Little Xu finished the prototype last month and submitted it to the base and the military logistics department. The first batch should be out by now. If you want to use it, you can apply. However, this is only a first-generation model; the performance probably isn't as good as you imagine. Furthermore, due to resource constraints, it would be good if our base could produce three or five units for actual combat, so getting approval won't be easy."

Qi An’s enthusiasm was slightly dampened, but she still felt that something was better than nothing; she would only be satisfied once she had tried it. Besides, beyond its practical use, this conduction instrument might just serve an additional, significant purpose.

After all the paperwork was submitted and the approval process began, curfew was approaching. The mentor and student left the Alliance headquarters and headed home separately. On her way back to her small apartment, Qi An passed through a short but bustling commercial street and unexpectedly spotted Su Qingran at a bar-style bistro. Her hair was loose, and she wore soft-colored casual clothes. She held a glass in her slender hand with a faint smile, looking exceptionally cold and beautiful. Opposite her sat two men—one in military uniform and one in civilian clothes—striving to keep the conversation lively and engaging in her presence.

Qi An paused for a moment. Su Qingran saw her and froze slightly, about to stand up, but Qi An quickly gestured to indicate she was just passing by and there was no need to get up. The two exchanged a nod and a smile, and Qi An headed home.

However, there were two men in tattered clothing squatting in the shadows near the entrance of the shop. One of them, around forty years old, had a scar across half his face and a stubbly beard. When he saw Qi An, he couldn't help but freeze. Qi An walked straight away. The man stood up and followed her for a few steps, watching that petite figure, unable to recover his senses for a long time.

The next day, everyone in Team 2 rose early and met in the lounge, all looking expectant and excited. However, the two captains’ gazes toward Qi An seemed a bit unnatural. The assembly time was 10 o'clock, so the squad went together to the military hospital to visit Professor Guan. The professor was fully conscious and thanked the team repeatedly, especially Qi An and Su Qingran. Yang Yuning had dark circles under his eyes, which almost made Yu Shuang ask if there had been someone tailing them last night, or if any suspicious characters had appeared. But she didn't ask—it was best for them to ask less and get less involved.

Qi An, however, felt that Yang and Guan should be fine, as the medical team sent by the base to receive them was truly top-tier, the room was a first-class intensive care unit, and Professor Guan was recovering well. It was likely that in the North 1 Base, the New Energy faction’s influence was not weak; once they bypassed Yang Yuning’s superiors and learned of their situation, they would do their best to protect them.

When the team finished their visit and was about to leave, Yang Yuning hesitated and called out to Qi An. "...Thank you for purifying me that day, Dr. Qi... Does Dr. Qi have a cell phone?"

Qi An replied, "No."

Disappointment was visible on Yang Yuning's face. Su Qingran raised an eyebrow, and Qi An added, "You don't need to thank me for that day; we are all comrades, it was the right thing to do."

As the group walked out of the ward, Yang Yuning saw them off, his tall figure standing at the door, looking somewhat forlorn. He couldn't explain why that day's purification had made him feel a sense of indulgence and happiness at a desperate, dead-end moment. The impression was too deep. Later, Qi An’s dedicated care for Professor Guan, and the way she looked curious and earnest when she went with that big guy to dig for wild vegetables, catch rabbits, and pluck peach blossoms, had also left a deep impression on him. He sat back down in the attendant's chair in the ward, his handsome face shifting between smiles, seriousness, and melancholy, which eventually made Professor Guan laugh.

"If you want to win a girl's heart, you have to do something practical," Professor Guan advised. Yang Yuning was taken aback; realizing Professor Guan was experienced, he listened intently.

Leaving the hospital, the time was right, and everyone headed toward the Storm General Team’s office in high spirits. But in the hallway outside the door, they ran into several people just walking out of the office. It was Zhou Yang, captain of Storm Team 1, Deputy Captain Liu Wei, and several core members.

This encounter instantly brought the atmosphere in the hallway to the freezing point. The chatty, cheerful state of the Team 2 members suddenly stagnated, turning into a heavy, cold silence. The opposing party also showed the same disgust as if they had seen something dirty. As they brushed past each other, Yu Shuang and Zhao Bohan said nothing, and the rest of Team 2 remained calm, but one member from Team 1 let out a cold laugh.

Yu Shuang stopped and looked back at the person who had sneered. It was the tall, oily-faced man with acne scars who had ridiculed Qi An at the enlistment ceremony. Zhou Yang also stopped, squinting at Yu Shuang. "What? Does Captain Yu have something to say?" His gaze and tone were equally gloomy, filled with a tense, hostile energy, which actually made Yu Shuang smile.

"Nothing, just congratulating Captain Zhou on his 'release from prison'."

Zhou Yang’s confinement had indeed ended, and he was there to receive a mission. He clenched his fists, clearly stung by the jab. But he did not lash out immediately, only sneering, "Added a purifier and got lucky with a mission, so you think you're hot stuff now?"

His gloomy gaze swept over the members of Team 2, finally landing on Qi An, who was so tiny and almost hard to find in the crowd. His dark expression turned into astonishment, and then he laughed. "No wonder you said last time..." He spoke to the tall, oily teammate, but was pulled away by Liu Wei.

Qi An also pulled Yu Shuang and Zhuang Xiao away. Liu Wei half-dragged and half-persuaded Zhou Yang to turn back. "We're right at the entrance of the General Team office... Let's talk about it back there."

The two captains left, and the remaining members had no choice but to follow. The tall man was shot a fierce glare by Liu Wei. However, even after the members of Team 2 had walked far away, they could still hear Zhou Yang’s mocking laughter: "Every pot has its lid; no wonder she took a liking to Team 2. She has problems with her body, and she has problems with her eyes..."