Wei Wei suddenly sat up, his face still bearing a radiant smile, but his fists were clenched tightly. As soon as Father An left, he felt himself plummeting to the ground again, as if he had fallen apart and then landed softly on water, almost suffocating. However, he sat up with unextinguished emotions, only to find everything around him blurry and hazy. The illusions melted away like snow, revealing the true state of the world.
He was in a white room with medical equipment and a medication table nearby. A black figure stood at the door, quickly turning around upon seeing Wei Wei sit up. The figure let out a long sigh of relief."You're awake..."Black Cat, holding a gun, rushed to the bedside and whispered, "Brother Wei, how are you feeling?""What happened?"Wei Wei pulled off the white blanket, finding himself in a hospital gown."It's over," Black Cat replied softly. "During the recovery process, the God's Death Knell suddenly attacked everyone. You were pushed off a high-rise building. Although I caught you in time, I could feel that almost all your bones were broken when I did.""I'm fine," Wei Wei said, waving his hand. "Before that, I just took down a fourth-tier War Demon."Black Cat's expression changed from sympathy to astonishment. "Wei Wei, you're still as fierce as ever...""We had our whole squad involved," Wei Wei said, shaking his head. "What's the outcome now?"Hearing Wei Wei's question, Black Cat sighed quietly. "Miss Qing Niao is currently doing a serious review."He continued, "Originally, Miss Qing Niao's mission was to retrieve the God's Death Knell. After releasing it, the object suddenly attacked everyone around it. Miss Qing Niao was affected and couldn't stop it in time. She got angry and punched the God's Death Knell, sending it flying... Meanwhile, the upper totem of the Knowledge Demon system, the True Eye, which hadn't been destroyed by the Crucifix, emerged from the Life Cage and seized the opportunity to fight for the God's Death Knell. Miss Qing Niao's punch not only nearly crushed the God's Death Knell but also sent it into the True Eye's grasp. The True Eye immediately fled with the God's Death Knell..."Wei Wei was stunned. "So, it was taken by the Wandering Sect?""Yes," Black Cat nodded gravely. "It was taken after Miss Qing Niao punched it into their hands. She'll definitely face disciplinary action."In another temporary base, Qing Niao, wearing thick-soled slippers and a short skirt, was humbly accepting criticism from her superiors. She was eating an ice cream while flipping her eyes, responding to the scolding on the computer screen: "Yes, I did punch it. It attacked my people first. I wouldn't have punched it if it hadn't, and that wouldn't align with my principles!"The middle-aged man on the screen was furious. "Don't you realize your mistake yet?""I do," Qing Niao replied, licking her ice cream. "Today, I didn't even fight back. What more do you want?""Fine, just take away my position. You have plenty of replacements."The man on the screen was enraged.Outside the tent, Qing Niao's team members were commenting, "Miss Qing Niao is already being very accommodating... Usually, she pushes responsibility onto others...""It seems Miss Qing Niao is taking the blame this time..."Back in the hospital room, Wei Wei was thinking, "When the God's Death Knell first appeared, it wasn't attacking everyone; it was attacking me. That's its nature—no matter the situation, it will always try to escape and attack. At the same time, it temporarily suppressed others' consciousness and thoughts, covering up many details. I doubt many people know what really happened." He also recalled seeing a knight figure rushing towards the God's Death Knell and having a seemingly real conversation with Father An. These were things others likely didn't know.His head was a bit muddled, so he didn't want to think about it for now. After calming down, he asked Black Cat, "Where are my teammates?""Team members?"Black Cat hesitated, smiling. "They're outside."He walked to the door and said, "You can come in now."Soon, Captain Ouyang, Lucky Sister, Uncle Gun, Little Lin, Brother Zhu Zai, and Ye Feifei all entered cautiously. Ye Feifei still looked tense around Black Cat, remembering how he had tried to pull her away from Wei Wei during the fall.Black Cat, holding his gun, stood by the wall, ignoring everyone's gaze. Ye Feifei recalled how Black Cat had been ready to throw her aside during the fall, and it was only because Wei Wei pulled her back that she survived."Little Wei, are you okay?"Captain Ouyang and the others gathered around the bed, sighing. "This incident was quite big.""I'm fine," Wei Wei said, smiling as he stood up. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but he could feel his life energy recovering. His "cellular vitality" ability had been triggered, healing many of his internal injuries."Let me introduce you," Wei Wei said, smiling. "These are my current teammates. This is Captain Ouyang, very reliable and my most trusted captain. This is a young and beautiful Lucky Sister, Uncle Gun, Little Lin, Brother Zhu Zai... And this is Ye Feifei; be careful not to offend her."Black Cat, who usually kept people at a distance, especially with his black mask on, now smiled warmly and shook hands with each of them. He was particularly enthusiastic when shaking hands with Captain Ouyang, though there was a hint of pity in his eyes.Captain Ouyang's good mood couldn't be hidden, despite feeling a bit uneasy about the pitying gaze."This incident may not be small, but the outcome is quite good," Captain Ouyang said excitedly. "The God's Death Knell was taken by the Wandering Sect, but that's none of our concern.""What do you mean?" Wei Wei asked.Captain Ouyang continued, "It was taken by Qing Niao of the Xingtian Squad. It's not related to our Scrap Iron City security team. We're just the smallest unit under the Foundation. We could have left before the attack started, but we chose to return and protect the city, moving civilians to safety before the real crisis hit. We almost wiped out the Seventh Sect's forces. That's a huge achievement.""The most important thing is..."Captain Ouyang's silver hair gleamed as he smiled. "The God's Death Knell was taken away. From now on, Scrap Iron City will truly become a place no one cares about... We can finally live in peace."Wei Wei genuinely felt Captain Ouyang's joy and was happy for him."Is this Wei Wei's current squad?"Black Cat observed quietly, taking in everyone's appearance.It was a bit awkward to see such a joyful atmosphere after a failed mission, but Wei Wei seemed to fit in well. The only issue was that these "team members" seemed somewhat unprofessional, despite being clearly above the average security team level. Black Cat wondered if their captain was lucky or not.Just then, Black Cat's earpiece crackled with quick instructions."I have to go," he said, smiling at Wei Wei. "Glad you're awake.""Already?"Wei Wei was surprised. "Why don't you stay for dinner with us?"The Scrap Iron City security team chimed in, eager to have Black Cat stay. They were very enthusiastic about Wei Wei's training camp brother."No need," Black Cat replied with a smile. "Miss Qing Niao is very angry about this mission being her biggest stain. She wants revenge. We know there's a Tree of Life from the Wandering Sect about 300 miles away, which was involved in this attack. Miss Qing Niao plans to skin it as a small revenge.""Skin the hide of an upper totem just like that?"The team exchanged skeptical glances.Wei Wei knew this was typical of the Foundation. If the Wandering Sect attacked the Spiritual Barrier, they would face retaliation regardless of the reason. As a member of the reserve corps, Black Cat was supposed to follow the Xingtian Squad's actions. By staying with Wei Wei instead of joining Qing Niao, he was technically violating military regulations. However, Wei Wei didn't stop him, simply nodding and saying, "Be careful."Black Cat nodded and, before leaving, asked, "What about you, Brother Wei? The God's Death Knell is gone, so there's no point in staying in Scrap Iron City.""I can help you join the reserve corps or return to the First City Defense Line," he explained with a smile. "Not because I have any influence, but because you're quite famous. Many squads and organizations are asking about our batch of trainees. I'm sure many would be willing to give you a green light."Everyone was surprised by this offer, especially Ye Feifei, who looked at Wei Wei with tension. She had many questions but hadn't asked them yet..."I don't need that," Wei Wei replied with a smile. "I already have my own squad. They're all good people, and I'm comfortable here."The people around him looked surprised, exchanging glances. Inside, they felt a bit moved. Although they had just met Black Cat, they understood what he represented—a member of the elite reserve corps, just one step away from the Xingtian Squad, and a high-level professional talent nurtured by the Foundation. Yet, Wei Wei preferred to stay with them, even showing appreciation for his current team in front of such an elite.Only Captain Ouyang, who had been excited earlier, now felt a mix of emotions, thinking to himself, "I understand your feelings for the team, and it's touching, but actually... going would be okay too..."
黑山老鬼
Chapter 117 - My Squad