Chapter 2: Doubts About Body and Time
Walking through the alleys of the slum she had passed countless times, traversing the narrow paths between these dilapidated tents and shacks, the muddy road surface made the ill-fitting leather boots she wore make him…… oh no, it should be her, her steps seem somewhat sluggish.
Sewage flowed wantonly, garbage piled up like mountains, and an indescribable foul stench permeated the air.
Numbed people toiled day and night for basic sustenance.
For the people here, living itself was a luxury.
People craved to live, nothing more.
Even though she had long been accustomed to these scenes, Zhong Jing still couldn't help but frown.
Even though she was a mercenary, she was still no different from them; they all lived humbly at the bottom of this era.
However, now was not the time to stand from some perspective and make philosophical reflections on life.
At this moment, Zhong Jing was timidly advancing towards her target.
She was well aware: appearing in the slums with her current image would cause a lot of trouble.
To go out, she had put considerable effort into her attire.
Fortunately, this body of hers was still very tender, and although her figure had shrunk and become petite, her height hadn't changed much, only about an inch shorter.
Most of her old clothes still fit, though barely.
Donning a tactical vest with added protective plates concealed her protruding chest.
A loose urban camouflage military coat was enough to envelop her entire body.
The hood alone was sufficient to hide her tied-up long hair and the upper half of her face.
Coupled with goggles and a half-face gas mask hanging around her neck, this wasn't a particularly clever disguise, but it was enough to hide her own changes.
This kind of attire was also not that conspicuous.
The profession of a mercenary was not glorious.
Their work scope covered many gray areas.
There were plenty of mercenaries who dressed like this to hide their identities and true appearances.
The benefits brought by this attire were also obvious.
So far, the poor people here had been afraid of her, avoiding her like the plague.
How could any so-called trouble dare to fall upon her?
As for the shortcomings…… Well, it was a bit stuffy.
Because she herself lived on the edge of the Outer City District Number Three Resettlement Area, she left this chaotic place after not too long.
When her footsteps landed on the main street outside the resettlement area, she clearly felt several vigilant gazes directed towards her.
They were combat army soldiers patrolling this street.
Zhong Jing was long accustomed to being greeted by such gazes.
Armed forces like them, operating in the gray areas, had always been unstable factors in the eyes of the Chu Sheng City Base government.
And this was not baseless suspicion, but a lesson learned from past mistakes.
Many mercenaries, while carrying out missions, would also disguise themselves to rob others.
The most serious incident was when mercenaries disguised as robbers hijacked a transport vehicle of the Standing Combat Army.
Including the driver, all six members of the combat army side were killed.
Although the robbers were eventually captured and executed by soldiers who arrived in time, the base government's control over mercenaries became stricter after that.
Accompanied by such gazes, Zhong Jing quickly walked through two deserted streets.
Then she stopped at a street corner.
About a hundred meters away from her, a four-story building was her target for this outing—the Security Business Processing Center.
She had heard others say: this place used to be a cinema.
It was fortunate enough to retain most of its main structure in the aftermath of the war.
After Chu Sheng City was established here, this building was converted into the current Security Business Processing Center.
Perhaps such a name sounded confusing to people, but the various mercenaries coming in and out of here were enough to explain.
Yes, this was the service point for mercenary business.
The so-called security business referred to mercenary business.
Mercenaries accepted missions and signed employment contracts here.
The processing center acted as a medium, responsible for conveying clients' needs and transferring remuneration.
The emergence of the mercenary profession in Chu Sheng City was not accidental, but rather a supply and demand relationship in the market created by internal needs within Chu Sheng City.
And the largest client in the mercenary market was the base government.
Therefore, under such a background, it was impossible for the base government to ban mercenaries, these capable enforcers.
Thus, after receiving authorization, the Security Business Processing Center was established.
It not only facilitated the management of mercenaries but also gave many financially struggling mercenaries a way to survive through legitimate channels.
Zhong Jing's purpose in coming here was certainly not for any so-called business.
Her current financial situation was enough for her to rest for many days.
The reason she came here was to confirm some things.
Perhaps among these, she could find clues about the changes that had occurred to her body.
Staring intently at the LED display screen mounted on the outer wall of the processing center, used for publishing announcements and notices, Zhong Jing's focus was not on the announcement messages themselves, but on the time displayed in the lower left corner.
“Today is…… New Era, Year One Hundred Thirty-Four, April…… Twenty-eighth……”
Twenty-eighth……
Staring fixedly at these two Arabic numerals on the LED display screen.
This was the same date written on the morning paper she saw on the announcement board in the resettlement area.
Which meant that today was undoubtedly April twenty-eighth……
In that dream, today should have been the day she died as a pawn while performing a mission in the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area.
If judged solely by time: that dream was indeed just a simple dream.
But then how to explain the changes in her body?
And why did her necklace undergo the same changes as in the dream?
There were still too many mysteries puzzling her.
Zhong Jing had many things she needed to confirm.
Stepping into the building, there were quite a few mercenaries in the spacious hall.
Most of the crowd was at the counters, separated by thick bulletproof glass, handling various procedures with service personnel in work uniforms.
A few were sitting at tables and chairs, conversing.
However, the scene behind this harmonious facade was not as it appeared.
From the dozen or so spiderweb-like cracks scattered on the bulletproof glass, it could be seen that there were plenty of unruly fellows among the mercenaries.
Even after several bloody lessons, shooting incidents had almost disappeared, but fights and brawls often occurred……
Sure enough, the orderly atmosphere was instantly shattered.
Zhong Jing had just taken less than two steps into the place when she heard the sound of an argument coming from the counter.
After a few curses, both sides adopted a fist-fighting stance, preparing to start a brawl right there.
And most of the mercenaries also stopped their work to become part of the crowd of onlookers, with shouts egging on the conflict sounding from time to time.
The service staff behind the counter still maintained a professional smile on their faces; they were long accustomed to such things.
Although the security guards in various parts of the hall cast attentive gazes this way, no one came forward to stop it.
They were only responsible for maintaining the most basic order here.
Moreover, every brawl between mercenaries was an entertainment program for them to pass the time during their boring security duties.
Too lazy to bother with the brawl over there, after a casual glance, Zhong Jing walked towards the spiral staircase on the right leading to the second floor.
“Little kid, don't run around, this place upstairs isn't some children's playground.”
Just as she was about to step onto the stairs leading to the second floor, a security guard standing at the entrance of the staircase reached out and stopped her.
And this sentence, spoken by him with a tone full of mockery, immediately caused several people around to burst out laughing.
“Tsk!”
Zhong Jing clicked her tongue.
It was not uncommon for security guards to make fun of mercenaries.
Usually, passing through in a law-abiding manner might avoid trouble, but……
Some things cannot be forgiven!
Zhong Jing ducked low and took a step towards the security guard, her fist formed into a cone, aiming for his weak point.
Before the security guard could react, he felt a fierce blow to his unprotected side, where he had no armor.
The soreness spreading from his waist almost made him lose his balance and fall to the ground.
“Damn it……”
He had not expected that in the Security Business Processing Center, with more than ten fully armed security personnel, someone would dare to directly attack them, the security guards.
Even less had he expected that this attack came from the small, seemingly frail mercenary in front of him, whose speed was actually so fast.
Since he was a security guard, his physical fitness was naturally excellent.
The sharp pain in his waist made it difficult to stand firm, but he still tried his best to overcome the pain from his body.
After being attacked, he decisively abandoned the idea of close combat with the opponent and stepped back.
His right hand quickly reached for the pistol at his waist, while his left hand swung a fist towards the approaching Zhong Jing, intending to force her back to achieve the goal of quickly drawing his gun.
Whoosh—
However, Zhong Jing had already seen through his intentions.
Her speed suddenly changed.
She grabbed the opponent's left wrist, controlling his entire arm under her armpit.
Before the security guard, whose movements were restricted, could react, Zhong Jing extended her foot and forcefully tripped him at his heel, simultaneously using her body weight to press forward naturally.
‘Thump!’
The security guard fell heavily to the ground, and the pistol at his waist slid across the floor.
The duel, lasting only a little over ten seconds, thus ended.
And the crowd that witnessed all this seemed somewhat silent.
No one had expected that the small mercenary would actually take down a robust security guard.
And it was done through hand-to-hand combat in an extremely short period.
The fighting skills displayed by Zhong Jing were truly astonishing.
More and more gazes focused here.
Even the mercenary brawl over there, which had been in full swing, had stopped at some unknown point.
Zhong Jing did not continue to press her advantage.
Just now, she only wanted to teach this guy a lesson.
Moreover, her peripheral vision had long since glimpsed that other security guards had already subtly pointed their gun muzzles at her.
Once she made any further moves, these security guards would immediately take action.
She still had important things to do and didn't want to waste time here.
Ignoring the security guard lying on the ground, whose gaze was almost murderous, Zhong Jing slowly took out an oval-shaped metal piece from her pocket.
It was suspended from her fingertip by a thin thread.
The large words ‘Second-Level Mercenary’ qualification certificate written on the metal piece had already solved all problems.
“Can…… I go in now?”
A deliberately lowered voice came out low and muffled from under the gas mask.
Forcing her voice made Zhong Jing feel very uncomfortable.
Turning into this state was really troublesome.
Even speaking had to be done carefully.
“You…… please……”
It was unknown what kind of expression was under the mask, but the hostile gaze immediately retracted after clearly seeing the words on the permit.
After an initial moment of hesitation, respectful language was immediately adopted.
However, just how much respect was behind it was unknown.
After all, being defeated by a petite mercenary in public was itself a great humiliation.
“Thank you.”
Zhong Jing didn't care how much respect there was in it.
That was something mercenaries wouldn't dare to hope for.
She also disdained to obtain it.
In her opinion, in this era, true respect was earned through one's own strength, not an appendage attached to a certain status.
Putting away the permit, she stepped onto the stairs to the second floor.
Her pace upstairs was a few degrees more hurried than when she had leisurely entered the hall just now.
Yes, Zhong Jing was a bit anxious.
The victory just now did not make her feel happy at all.
On the contrary, some problems during the fight with the security guard made her feel a great sense of crisis in her heart.
She had become weaker…… or more precisely, her physical fitness had weakened.
This soft body with little muscle could not provide more strength.
She could perceive the seriousness of this problem from the moment she made her move.
Originally, in her prediction: the “Gathering strength and waiting to strike kick” just now would surely make the security guard lose his balance and fall, achieving the goal with a single, decisive blow.
Whether it was the force in her steps or the point of attack, it had all been calculated beforehand.
But the opponent, after being hit, was actually able to immediately adopt a counter-attacking posture in a short period.
This was something Zhong Jing had completely not anticipated.
To be honest, the unexpected situation just now surprised her greatly.
Fortunately, her skilled experience helped her decisively pursue and take him down, preventing any accident from happening.
While going upstairs, she recalled and reflected on the battle just now: there was no problem with her attack point; that it was the opponent's weak spot was correct.
The reason why the expected result was not achieved was very simple: her leg strength was insufficient.
The fundamental problem still lay with this body of hers.
Becoming weaker…… in this era, this was definitely a fatal change.
This meant that her survival rate in this era would be greatly reduced, especially for her as a mercenary.
In the next dispatched mission, she might very well face death because of this problem.
No! This absolutely cannot continue!
Thinking of this, the sense of urgency in Zhong Jing's heart intensified.
Finding the truth was even more pressing.