Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

"Take a look at this."

Yi Fan rummaged through the beer bottles and found an electronic device, lighting up its screen.

On it was a ranking list of mission points for the Deep Blue City Guardian squads.

Flipping to the bottom, the name of Squad 0527 was prominently listed, proving that Yi Fan hadn't lied.

"There's a little over two months until the year-end. The Guardian Organization will conduct a clearance of the bottom-ranked squads, essentially layoffs."

"Dismissed Guardians will be uniformly sent to the Lower District."

'The Lower District again?'

'Zhao Hu really is dead set on sending me to the Lower District, huh?'

Han Zhen looked more closely at the mission points ranking. Squad 0527 was at the bottom with 0 points, and the next squad above them had 1250 points—a difference of over 1000 points

'So, in over nine months, these two hadn't completed a single mission?'

'This is truly a massive mess.'

As Yi Fan had said, escaping from this was undoubtedly the most sensible choice for Han Zhen.

"Get lost." Yi Fan waved impatiently.

Han Zhen glanced at the inner room where Iris had just entered and suddenly spoke, "What if I insist on staying?"

"Suit yourself."

Yi Fan tossed the electronic device onto the table and walked out without even turning his head.

The booze was gone; he needed to buy more.

Watching Yi Fan completely ignore his nominal captain, Xia Youwei angrily said, "How can he be like this?"

"When he mentioned layoffs and being sent to the Lower District, his tone was casual, and his eyes were calm," Han Zhen noted during their brief exchange.

"This shows he really doesn't care—he harbors a death wish."

"If he wants to die, he shouldn't drag the whole squad down with him. How can someone be so selfish?"

Xia Youwei's words made Han Zhen nod in agreement.

"You're absolutely right."

"Huh?" Xia Youwei was taken aback.

"He can't drag the whole squad down to the Lower District, so to resolve this, we should start with the other member of our squad," Han Zhen said, referring to the other member—Iris, the dancer.

"Are you really planning to stay with this squad?" Xia Youwei didn't understand Han Zhen's thinking.

"Youwei, running from problems only makes you accustomed to being timid. Only by overcoming them can you grow."

"Even if we leave here, tail between our legs, and get reassigned, do you think Zhao Hu will let us off?"

Han Zhen's words made Xia Youwei ponder.

She had been the campus queen of Qingteng Academy, with excellent grades, so she was quick to catch on.

Once she figured it out, she nodded firmly.

"Then we'll stay and turn this into the top squad in Deep Blue City. Ruin Zhao Hu's plans."

Seeing the confident Xia Youwei, Han Zhen reached out and tousled her soft hair.

'Hmm, it feels great.'

Then his smile faded.

Han Zhen knew this wouldn't be an easy challenge.

The problems with Squad 0527 were like an old wooden box buried under years of dust and encased in cement—forcing it open would only hasten its destruction.

Han Zhen needed to find a crack to pry it open.

And that crack was Iris.

With that in mind, he and Xia Youwei stepped over the broken glass on the ground and pushed open the door to the inner room.

Compared to the chaos outside, the inner room could be described as spotlessly clean.

Despite saying she wanted to rest, Iris was standing there, lost in thought.

She hadn't expected Han Zhen and Xia Youwei to come in, and her brows furrowed with a cold expression.

"Get out," she ordered.

"This is all Guardian Organization property, including the office space. Are you sure you want to talk to me like that?"

Han Zhen's words made her frown even more. Without saying a word, she grabbed her belongings and headed for the door.

As she brushed past Han Zhen, he suddenly spoke:

"Must you keep deceiving yourself like this?"

"Iris? Or... Bai Shuang."

The "Iris" about to leave froze in her tracks, stiffening at his words.

Han Zhen's Spirit Contractor talent, [Divine Insight], had already laid bare Bai Shuang's information.

[Bai Shuang, Class A Spirit.]

[Transformative Form: Passion Ring.]

[Trait: Deception—can truly alter her appearance, shape, and height.]

Indeed, her name wasn't Iris.

She had used [Deception] on Han Zhen, and likely not just on him.

Exposed, Bai Shuang's gaze turned dangerous.

"What do you want?"

"If you're trying to blackmail me with this, I advise you to give up."

Bai Shuang didn't care about being unmasked because the person she most wished to deceive had never been fooled.

She was always just a substitute.

What concerned her was what this young man named Han Zhen intended to do with the already shattered Squad 0527.

"Join me on a mission."

"Starting today."

Han Zhen raised the electronic screen in his hand.

"Yi Fan wants to go to the Lower District, harboring a death wish, but you don't want that, do you?"

"Otherwise, you wouldn't work so hard as a dancer to earn money. Just buying booze doesn't cost that much."

Bai Shuang wanted to live. She also wanted Yi Fan to live.

Han Zhen had found her crack.

"Oh, by the way, maintain your 'Iris' appearance," Han Zhen added.

Wearing her "Iris" disguise, Bai Shuang pursed her lips, seemingly hesitating.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not interested in your potentially melodramatic backstory. I just want to be a good captain."

"I don't have a fixation on meddling in others' affairs, but I do have a fixation on things or people that affect my life."

In the context of the post-apocalyptic bug crisis, being cold-hearted seemed more normal than being overly compassionate.

After hearing Han Zhen's blunt words, Bai Shuang's expression became much calmer.

"Fine. I agree to join your missions, but I have one condition—the mission rewards must be split 50-50 with me."

Guardians earned compensation for missions, and the payout depended on difficulty.

"Deal."

Han Zhen handed the electronic screen to Bai Shuang.

"As a subordinate, you'll be responsible for selecting missions."

Bai Shuang didn't hesitate and quickly found three suitable tasks for the squad.

Task 1: Search for missing Guardian personnel. Mission points: 50

Task 2: Mediate disputes between Spirit Contractors and Spirits. Mission points: 10

Task 3: Escort a child to school for the employer. Mission points: 10/day

Looking at the three tasks Bai Shuang had picked, Han Zhen smirked.

"Low difficulty, low points. With these, how long will it take to catch up in points?"

"Search for the task with the highest points," he instructed.

Though Bai Shuang didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm, she complied.

Soon, a new mission appeared:

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Task Description: Exterminate Insects. Life monitoring has detected bug activity in the Deep Blue City sewer system. Guardians are required to clear them out.

Mission Points: 300 (additional rewards for bug materials possible).

Danger Level: High.

Recommended Team Size: 6-8 members.

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"Perfect, we'll take this one!" Han Zhen declared.

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