Chapter 16 Joining the Western Squad

Li Jiajie and the others walked ahead, while Zi Jin followed behind, quietly observing them. However, the three members of the You Zhi squad remained calm, and the surrounding staff showed no signs of surprise, leaving Zi Jin unable to discern anything unusual for the moment.

Soon, the You Zhi squad turned left into a corridor. Zi Jin recalled that this was the same entrance to the institute where Zhu Daqing had brought him last time.

As they entered the office, an emotionless female mechanical voice sounded: "Please verify your identity." Li Jiajie, with practiced ease, grasped the entire door handle. A soft blue light glowed from the handle, and after a brief moment, the female voice spoke again: "Welcome back, Captain of the Phoenix Cry Squad. Our mission shall be reborn in the flames." For some reason, upon hearing this code phrase, all three present became solemn, bowing slightly in salute toward the entrance. Only then did Li Jiajie turn to Zi Jin and say,

"The entrance is open now. Does this suffice to verify our identities?" Zi Jin made no comment, merely gesturing for the You Zhi squad to enter.

Soon, the group arrived at an office on the twelfth floor of Block A in the Rebirth Building. This office was unlike the futuristic, high-tech, and pristine rooms that had impressed Zi Jin on his first visit to Rebirth. At the entrance, a pile of miscellaneous items reached the height of a person. Empty wine bottles and takeout boxes littered the floor, leaving nowhere to step. Although all patrol staff in the Rebirth Building were assigned rooms of equal size, compared with Jiang Huan’s office, this one felt unbearably crowded.

On the desk, instead of files and writing instruments, there was a spread of empty liquor bottles. The sofa and coffee table were piled high with dirty clothes, among which Zi Jin even noticed many undergarments stained with blood.

Yet amidst this chaos, one corner caught Zi Jin’s attention: a rack for equipment, where three complete sets of black battle armor stood in silent order. There was hardly a speck of dust or stain upon them, and within a meter around the rack, everything was meticulously arranged.

"Don’t stare!" Si Guilong, noticing Zi Jin’s gaze lingering there, bounced over and said, "You absolutely can’t dirty that spot, or Big Brother Fury Rhino will kill me when he gets back. Best not to touch it, unless you want a world of trouble."

Zi Jin asked curiously, "Do you have other team members?"

Li Jiajie pushed aside the dirty clothes on the sofa, cleared a space on the coffee table, and explained, "Our squad doesn't always operate together. Each of us has our own assignments, which we take from me, team up as needed, and after completing the task, I report to the organization for our share."

"It’s rare for the entire team to be deployed. Such missions are usually extremely complex and difficult. We receive only a handful of them per year. I’ll explain the details as we talk—come, have a seat."

Zi Jin moved to sit opposite Li Jiajie. The young woman leaned quietly against the door, watching them, while Si Guilong rummaged for something in a cabinet in the corner.

Li Jiajie continued, "Our You Zhi squad has six members. Besides the three present, the others are: Fury Rhino, our tank, with abilities true to his name—he’s a second-generation Sequence Adapter of the Rhinoceros Branch, serving as the shield of our team. Iron Rhino, our demolitions expert, is Fury Rhino’s twin brother, also a second-generation Rhinoceros Adapter, but with a rare talent—he developed a second adaptation: Bullet Ant. Though the potential for further development is limited, it’s already impressive. He handles our explosives."

"As for the third..." Li Jiajie paused, then went on, "He’s a highly experienced scout parachuted in by the organization. Why he wasn’t made captain instead of me, I can’t say. I only know that he’s terrifying."

"His name is Chen Yuanzhi, codename: Sequence Killer. He has no sequence abilities—he’s from a family of assassins. Yet, a revolution over forty years ago cost him all his relatives and friends. Although assassin clans require each member to sever their emotions, for someone who was only seven at the time, the upheaval was a personal catastrophe."

"Captain, beer!" Si Guilong cheerfully pulled out a whole case of beer, tossing a can to Li Jiajie, who caught it without looking, popped it open, and took a deep swig with a shout of satisfaction. He then added, "This member is strange—never works with any of us, yet he takes on and completes more missions than any of us can dream of. He seems to dislike Sequence Adapters. If you join up, you’d best be wary."

It seemed each member of this squad possessed unique abilities and personalities. Zi Jin was still sifting through the useful information Li Jiajie had provided. After a moment, he said, "All right, since I’ve already verified your identities and am still sitting here, I suppose my intentions are clear—I wish to join the squad. As for my reasons, I’d rather not elaborate; just assume I stumbled into becoming a Sequence Adapter and am curious about these new things."

Li Jiajie became uncharacteristically serious. "Are you certain? This is no trivial matter."

"No need to say more. My mind is made up—I hereby apply to join, Captain Phoenix Cry," Zi Jin replied firmly. He sensed that the days of peace were over. Sooner or later, a great calamity would come. He needed to uncover his origins and grow stronger, so he could better protect Wang Jinjun.

"In that case, welcome to the team, Zi Jin. From now on, we’re family." Li Jiajie, hearing his reply, wasted no further words. He stood up, extended his hand, and smiled at Zi Jin.