"This medal of honor is only given to heroes of Bottom City. I hope you can become a role model for countless citizens of Termite City in the future and defend the people of Bottom City."
Liu Jichuan smiled at Xu Shen and said, "After a while, the White Termite King's Palace will send someone to judge you and build an honorary sculpture for you. From now on, you will truly enter the upper class of Dicheng."
Xu Shen felt the weight of the medal and nodded slightly.
I am so deeply in love that I cannot express my gratitude in words.
"Most of the Ruins Slayers in our Ruins Secret Bureau are people with miserable lives." Liu Jichuan sighed and said, "They are accidentally involved in the Ruins Incident and have no choice but to become Ruins Slayers. If they are unlucky, they may collapse early and find it difficult to survive until retirement."
"Compared to them, you are lucky. Of course, this is inseparable from your own efforts."
"But now that you have reached the shore, retirement is not the only way to escape, and Zhanxu is no longer the whole of your life. You can make friends, live in the city, and get to know some beautiful places in Dicheng."
"This place is not only dark and desolate, and there is begging, there are also flowers, women, and fine wine!"
Xu Shen understood that by reaching the second form, he had a ticket to the upper level.
From now on, you will no longer be a mere tool for killing and slaying, but will be able to be a "person" with the right to choose.
"I see."
"Yes." Liu Jichuan nodded slightly and said, "Team 1 is now handed over to you. After discussion in the bureau, we have decided to increase the size of Team 1 by one, from a 5-person team to a 6-person team. You are the captain of Team 1 and you are above Team 1. If it is a small task on weekdays, you can choose not to show up."
"Okay." Xu Shen nodded.
"I have already assigned a few team members over there. You can go and familiarize yourself with the place first. If you need anything, just tell me. Oh, your weapon is broken, and a new sword is being forged. Because it's the second form of the weapon, the craftsmanship is a bit complicated. You can tell me if you have any requirements. If you don't like the style of the sword, you can change it to a knife." Liu Jichuan said.
Xu Shen shook his head and said, "Let's just use the sword. I'm used to it."
"OK."
"Members of Team 1, can I choose my own players?" Xu Shen asked.
Liu Jichuan smiled and said, "Want to bring the two from Team 2 over? Okay, go and take a look first."
"good."
Seeing that there was nothing else, Xu Shen took his leave immediately.
When Xu Shen went downstairs from the director's office and walked along the wooden floor corridor, he heard shouting coming from the room next door.
The voice sounded familiar; it was that of Section Chief Chen who had reconciled with his past grudges.
Xu Shen saw that the office door was not closed tightly, so he took a look inside through the crack. The person inside was on the phone and seemed to be cursing at the person on the other end, saying something like "don't even think about raising the price for purchases".
Xu Shen thought that the other party was in charge of the logistics department, and all the weapons and purifiers passed through his hands, so he was considered a powerful person in the bureau.
When someone passed by, Xu Shen immediately retracted his gaze and walked forward.
"There seems to be a quarrel in there?" Xu Shen pretended to be confused and asked a woman from the civil service department who was walking towards him.
The woman recognized Xu Shen. He had been appearing frequently in the bureau recently. He returned a few days ago and was commended in public. He also stood with the director at the memorial service yesterday. Basically , everyone in the civilian department recognized the new captain who was about to be promoted.
"Hello, Captain Xu."
The woman nodded quickly, and Xu Shen became the captain of Team 1. His rank was second only to the director, and he was on par with Section Chief Chen.
However, in terms of connections and prestige , the latter obviously has more connections.
After all, the Ruins Slayer is more like a consumable, and not many people are willing to spend their energy and effort on it.
"There seems to be some problems with the recent purchases from the inner city. Section Chief Chen is in charge of this matter and is under a lot of pressure. We hear him swearing every day and we've gotten used to it." The woman listened for a while with her ear tilted, then said with a low laugh.
At this time, the quarreling inside stopped and it seemed that the communication had ended.
The woman shrank her neck slightly, nodded to Xu Shen and walked away, not daring to stay.
Xu Shen raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at it thoughtfully, and left without stopping.
…
…
After leaving the Secret Bureau, Xu Shen came to the manor of Team 1 of the Operations Department.
This place looks similar to the manor of Team 2, except that the flowers planted in the manor are a little different. Mu Xue likes purple flowers, so the manor of Team 2 is all purple, while the manor of Team 1 is planted with more common flowers and plants. Obviously, no one has decorated it specially.
Considering that the former captain of Team 1, Chu Bai, is a man, and so is the deputy captain, they obviously have no interest in these flowers and plants.
Xu Shen pushed open the door and entered the manor.
A fair-faced young man was sitting in the hall on the first floor, flipping through a book. He looked over when he heard the noise. When he saw Xu Shen's face, he stood up quickly and said, "Hello, Captain Xu. I'm the logistics manager of Team 1. My name is Xiaozhuang."
"Hello."
Xu Shen nodded slightly and said, "Where are the new members transferred from the bureau?"
"They are resting upstairs. I'll go and inform them right away." The young man said hurriedly.
Xu Shen nodded slightly and sat down on the sofa beside him.
The structure of the manor is similar to that of Team 2, but the furnishings are slightly different. Xu Shen couldn't help but think of Mu Xue. He saw her at the memorial service yesterday. She should leave the bureau today.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps was heard.
"Old Xu!"
"Brother Xu!"
Before Xu Shen turned around, he heard two familiar voices. When he turned around, he saw that it was Gu Qiufeng and Luo Hua.
He was stunned for a moment, and thinking of what Director Liu had said before, he couldn't help but shook his head and smiled. It turned out that he had already dispatched them here.
In addition to Gu Qiufeng and Luo Hua, behind them, Xu Shen also saw a face that he considered an old acquaintance, it was Xia Jingxiang.
Their eyes met, Xia Jingxiang smiled at Xu Shen and nodded.
Xu Shen was a little surprised. Xia Jingxiang graduated at about the same time as him, just two months earlier, and now he was promoted to Team 1?
He remembered that the promotion speed of ordinary Zhanxu team members was not so fast...
"Captain Xu, you're here."
Behind them was the former deputy captain of Team 1, Zhao Qingmian, and a young man whom Xu Shen also remembered. He was Ye Shou, who had sent him to report to the Xumi Bureau.
Apart from Chu Bai, there are only two of them left in Team 1.
Zhao Qingmian, wearing glasses and smiling, came to Xu Shen and said, "I am Zhao Qingmian, the deputy captain of Team 1. Congratulations to Captain Xu on taking the position."
"Hello." Xu Shen shook hands.
"We seem to have seen it before." Ye Shou said with a smile.
Xu Shen nodded slightly.
"They are the new members of Team 1 transferred by Director Liu. I won't introduce them in detail. This is Xia Jingxiang. She doesn't have much combat experience. She just graduated from the training camp not long ago, about half a year ago. But during a previous C-level mission, perhaps she encountered a life-and-death crisis and accidentally triggered a critical state."
Zhao Qingmian introduced: "The bureau is quite optimistic about him. He is currently the focus of training. He was transferred to our team in the hope that Captain Xu could take care of him."
Xia Jingxiang looked at Xu Shen, and there seemed to be a light flickering in her eyes. She said, "Hello, Captain Xu."
Critical state? Xu Shen was surprised, and then he thought of the last time he attacked, Xia Jingxiang was almost killed by Xu, could it be that time?
However, he remembered that Xia Jingxiang had not yet reached the initial state limit at that time.
Could it be that because of this, she only activated the critical state at that time and did not break through?
Xu Shen thought about the principle of the critical state and understood in his heart that as long as there is force, the critical state can be stimulated. The core is that the heart is energized and not dead .
If it reaches the limit, not only can it enter the critical state, but it also has the hope of breaking through the final shackles in one fell swoop, breaking through to the second form, allowing the heart to be fully charged at all times and completely distorted.
"This is Ye Shou, a former member of Team 1."
Zhao Qingmian continued to introduce: "His situation is similar to Xia Jingxiang. He was also transferred to Team 1 within half a year. Now he can be considered independent. He has a critical state and has already reached the limit of the initial state. He only lacks some experience in dealing with and fighting. But he has the ability and record to kill C-level monsters on his own."
Xu Shen looked at Ye Shou. He remembered that when they rescued him, he seemed to be the most immature one. So this was the case.
He was a little confused later. How could the battle-hardened ace team 1 have such a rookie? Now he knows the answer.
"Hello, Captain Xu. I will follow Captain Xu from now on." Ye Shou said with a smile.
Xu Shen also smiled, "You're welcome."
"As for me."
Zhao Qingmian put himself last, his expression calm, and said: "I have submitted my retirement application to the bureau, and it should be approved soon. The position of deputy captain will be left to Captain Xu to find a candidate."
Xu Shen was a little surprised and asked, "You want to retire?"
"Um."
Xu Shen could somewhat understand why Director Liu was reluctant to see others retire. Zhao Qingmian must be a meticulous person since he was able to return from Xudong. If he could continue to stay in the team, he would have less worries in the future. He could even let him become the acting captain, and he wouldn't have to show up in general C-level events.
"You are still young, what do you plan to do after retirement?" Xu Shen asked.
Zhao Qingmian smiled. He felt a little strange to be told that he was young by a boy who was a dozen years younger than him. However, he also knew Xu Shen's current status. He smiled and said, "I have been fighting in the ruins for many years. I am tired of it. I will grow some flowers and grass. I can do anything. At least I can live a good life."
"Brother Zhao, then you must remember to come back to see me." Ye Shou seemed to have known about his retirement before, but he showed some reluctance.
"You have to listen to Captain Xu. He is in his second form, and it is safer for us than when Captain Chu led us before." Zhao Qingmian patted his shoulder and said, "You also have to learn to be strong and stop crying so easily."
Ye Shou thought of his experience in the cave and gritted his teeth slightly. In the past, his eyes might have been red, but not now.
"Then I wish you happiness." Xu Shen had nothing to say to keep her, after all, this had been his ideal.
Zhao Qingmian smiled and said, "The bureau will send someone to fill the vacant position later."
Xu Shen nodded. He didn't need to wait for the bureau to send someone. He could apply on his own and transfer Mo Xiaoxiao over. However, he had to wait until Su Shuang retired.
Without Mo Xiaoxiao's care, Xu Shen was worried that Su Shuang might encounter an accident while performing the mission. After all, she had worked hard until retirement, and it would be too sad if another accident happened.
Zhao Qingmian explained some matters and then said goodbye to Xu Shen and left.
After leaving Manor No. 1, Zhao Qingmian came to a small building somewhere.
"As long as he is here, you can continue to stay in Team 1. There will be basically no danger unless you encounter a Class B incident." A figure stood in front of the window and said to Zhao Qingmian who was coming behind him.
The light from the glass reflected his face, it was Chu Bai.
"I know." Zhao Qingmian pushed his glasses and said calmly, "But there is no point in staying in the bureau. The way to turn things around is to be the master of your own house."
Chu Bai turned around and looked at the old assistant with a smile on his face. He said, "Now I am already in the second form. If we work together, sooner or later we will develop into a big force comparable to the Light Chasing Society. Even if we can't be on par with them, it's at least better than working for others."
"That's right, the connections we accumulated before can come in handy now." Zhao Qingmian smiled.
Chu Bai smiled slightly, looking out the window, his deep eyes twinkling with light: "There must be a place for us in the future sky of this city!"
…
…
The next day.
Xu Shen received Zhao Qingmian's retirement notice. Liu Jichuan called Xu Shen and explained the whole story. He said that Zhao Qingmian had made great contributions in Xudong and his retirement application could not be rejected, and he also had to give Chu Bai some face.
Xu Shen expressed his understanding.
Liu Jichuan suggested to arrange another candidate, but Xu Shen declined.
"I plan to select people myself for the vacancies in the team. During this period of time when there are no people, I will personally take on any tasks." Xu Shen said to Liu Jichuan.
"Okay, just pick whoever you like." Liu Jichuan gave Xu Shen enough authority.
Xu Shen asked: "So what about Team 2 now..."
"Team 2 will be rebuilt." Liu Jichuan said: "Do you have any recommendations?"
Xu Shen shook his head. It looked like Team 2 would be completely renovated.
After all, Captain Mu Xue left and the rest of the people left, so Team 2 is now defunct in name only.
After becoming the captain of Team 1, Xu Shen immediately felt the change in his status. He could choose to take over the block previously managed by Chu Bai, or he could choose a block of his own to guard.
Before Xu Shen made his choice, many cards and packages were sent to Manor No. 1, specifically addressed to him.