Chapter 60

Name: Li Yi.

Gender: Male.

Age: Twenty.

Cultivation Status: Spirit Medium Realm opened.

Home Address: 302, Building 4, Xiamen Residential Complex, Dashun Lane, East City District, Tianchang City.

Li Yi, having arrived at the Investigation Bureau, was currently filling out some personal information and application forms. Once these procedures were completed, he would officially become a field combatant for the Investigation Bureau. Under normal circumstances, he would be managed by Wang Jian.

After finishing this, He Xiong, the man who had lost an arm, found him.

"Li Yi, are you done writing? If you're done, come with me to the training grounds. You're a newcomer who just joined; according to standard procedure, you still need to undergo a certain amount of training, so I'll be in charge of what comes next," He Xiong said.

"Training? About how long will it take?" Li Yi put down his pen, handed the documents to the staff, and asked.

He Xiong said, "It depends on how well you learn. If you're fast, it'll take a week; if you're slow, it'll take a month. Don't worry, this training will be very helpful to you and won't waste your time."

"Alright," Li Yi nodded.

"The training grounds aren't here; they're near the Abandoned City District. We need to take a car there," He Xiong said. "Can you drive?"

"I have a driver's license, but I'm not very experienced," Li Yi said.

He Xiong tossed the keys over: "That's fine, you drive."

Li Yi nodded after catching the keys.

Soon.

A car drove out of the Old City District.

Li Yi was a bit clumsy at first, but he quickly became proficient. This was because he was already a practitioner, his body had evolved, and he was quick to pick up technical operations.

As the vehicle headed toward the Abandoned City District, the pedestrians and vehicles on the road gradually became sparse, and at the same time, the number of dilapidated buildings nearby increased.

"Li Yi, do you know why the training grounds are placed in such a remote area?" In the car, He Xiong suddenly asked.

"How would I know that? I'm still just a newcomer," Li Yi replied while driving.

He Xiong smiled: "Past the training grounds is the Abandoned City District, and through that is the Danger Zone. Placing the training grounds here is actually to respond to sudden dangers at any time. You should know that the reason most residents are safe staying in the Old City District is thanks to the defensive lines built by people like us."

"Just last month, I went on a mission into the Abandoned City District and ended up encountering a monster that had wandered out from the Danger Zone. That's when I lost this arm."

He touched his amputated arm and shook his head: "I was still too careless, thinking there was no danger in the Abandoned City District. You must not be like me. No matter the situation, you must maintain a certain level of vigilance. Never be careless. You should know that even in the Old City District or even the Stable Zone, there are unknown dangers lurking."

"Wang Jian knows a lot of inside information. If you have time, you can ask him."

Hearing this, Li Yi suddenly remembered Liu Yan, who had come back from the dead, and immediately asked: "He Xiong, do you think there are any undiscovered, terrifying ghosts or monsters in the Old City District?"

"Yes," He Xiong became serious instantly: "And there are quite a few. Those things mingle among the crowd; ordinary practitioners can't detect them at all, and they can't be dealt with by ordinary means. If you discover anything suspicious anywhere, it's best to stay away immediately."

"Let me tell you one thing: just three months ago, an incident like that happened in Tianchuan City. Someone found a bronze coffin in the Abandoned City District. That bronze coffin wasn't a product of our world; it had incomprehensible talismans carved on it, and large amounts of cinnabar, sulfur, and mercury were scattered nearby. At first, some practitioners thought there might be a Mystic Object in the coffin, so they opened it, but ended up releasing a terrifying zombie."

"That zombie wasn't the cute, hopping kind from the movies; it was a truly bloodthirsty monster. Any practitioner who hadn't opened their Spirit Perception was torn to shreds in a single encounter. Moreover, it was extremely fast, almost impossible to track, highly skilled at hiding, and possessed a certain level of intelligence. Ordinary firearms were useless against that thing, and heavy weapons were too restricted to be effective."

"At the time, the investigators in Tianchuan City suffered heavy losses, and even many people from the Practitioners Association died at the hands of that monster."

Li Yi's eyelids twitched as he listened: "How was it finally resolved?"

"The Investigation Bureau's method there was to use bait to lure out the zombie and then set an ambush to take it down," He Xiong said, tapping his own head with his finger: "The monster fell for the trap in the end. 146 Super-Ordinary M200 sniper rifles fired at once, and the monster took a bullet here; its head exploded instantly."

"Under that kind of firepower coverage, the operation couldn't have failed. That zombie was truly unlucky," Li Yi could imagine how shocking the scene must have been just by listening.

He Xiong immediately said: "No, you're wrong. If it weren't for that one shot, the operation would have failed, because from start to finish, that zombie only took that one hit; it dodged all the other bullets."

"What?" Li Yi was shocked immediately: "Really? It only took one hit?"

"That's right," He Xiong said: "We only found out after analyzing the footage afterward. The person who fired that shot was also a field combatant like you, and his shot was about 0.8 seconds ahead of the others. It was a predictive shot; it seems he could foresee the zombie's movements."

"But even with its head blown off by that shot, the zombie didn't fall. The danger level remained very high, but since it had taken a hit, it was affected, and it took several more shots afterward before it was finally completely eliminated."

"This situation is considered one of the better ones—the monster could be seen and eliminated. Some ghosts and monsters are even more terrifying; only practitioners who have opened their Spirit Medium can see them, but practitioners have no way to deal with them. All the attack methods we currently possess are ineffective. The only weapon that plays a role is a Mystic Object," He Xiong sighed when he reached this point.

Li Yi immediately asked: "Can Mystic Objects attack invisible ghosts?"

"Of course. Mystic Objects carry their own energy fields and possess incredible, magical abilities. Some Mystic Objects are even weapons themselves. It's just that Mystic Objects are precious and rare. Only in particularly major incidents does the Investigation Bureau have the authority to mobilize Mystic Objects. This is also why many investigators don't want to participate when encountering strange events. It's not that the investigators don't want to do the work, but that they have no way to deal with that stuff," He Xiong said.

"So that's how it is..."

Li Yi now understood why Wang Jian, an investigator, hadn't wanted to handle the murder case when he was at the Wang Sect Residential Complex.

It wasn't that Wang Jian was irresponsible; it was that he had no way to deal with it.

"I never thought that Mystic Objects could be used as weapons." Afterward, he thought of the half-broken knife coin he had.

This half-broken knife coin was also a Mystic Object; could it also be used as a weapon?

But how exactly should it be used?

Li Yi didn't know, and he didn't ask too much. It was better to be careful at this juncture.

Soon.

The vehicle stopped in front of the gate of a base.

He Xiong was only allowed to enter after registering with the guard.

Li Yi drove into the training base, parked the car, and followed He Xiong to the training grounds.

Just as he approached the training grounds, he heard many gunshots ringing out continuously.

He Xiong explained as they walked: "There are four major training areas in the training grounds. The first area is the shooting area. You can practice with firearms in the shooting area. Although you can't use firearms in your daily life, when you go on missions, you can have Wang Jian apply for firearm usage for you, but you must return them when the mission ends."

"Can I practice with sniper rifles too?" Li Yi asked.

"You're still thinking about that Super-Ordinary M200 model sniper rifle?" He Xiong smiled: "You can practice with it here, but you'll only be equipped with ordinary training rounds. Those special bullets designed for super-ordinary creatures won't be given to you for training. Moreover, all consumption during training must be paid for out of your own pocket; the Investigation Bureau won't reimburse you."

"But before you participate in training, I have to remind you: you must think about your training direction in advance. Don't practice shooting just because sniper rifles look powerful and safe to use from a distance. First, you spend a lot of time practicing shooting, but you can only apply to use them during missions; you can't use them at all in daily life. Therefore, it's easy to waste time and the gains won't make up for the losses."

"Moreover, you possess a fist technique, and your own strengths are obvious. Giving up on training your own strengths is also a very irrational behavior."

Li Yi nodded: "You're right. I'm indeed not suited for practicing shooting. Not only is it expensive, time-consuming, and laborious, but the opportunities to use it are also very few. It's better to focus on practicing close combat."

"It's best if you can understand that. The second area is the close-quarters combat area. Don't look down on the instructors here just because their cultivation realms aren't very high; they are all masters of combat. You can learn many excellent combat techniques from them. Of course, compared to your fist technique, the instructors' combat techniques aren't enough to look at, but that doesn't prevent you from learning from others' strengths," He Xiong said with a smile.

"The third area is the cold weapon training ground. There, you can practice with cold weapons like knives, guns, and swords. There are also instructors there, all of whom were former national martial arts champions."

"The fourth area is the meditation area. The instructors will guide you on how to enter meditation and cultivate faster, help you test your cultivation values, and if you are willing to pay for it yourself, the instructors can also act as guides to assist your cultivation. In addition, the instructors in the meditation area will also guide you on aspects of cultivation realms you don't understand."

"Alright, that's the general situation. You need to go to the training grounds yourself to consult the instructors on how to train specifically. If your training is qualified, the instructors will register you. Once you get the qualification certificates from the instructors of all four areas, it means your training is over, and you can leave here to officially participate in missions."

"Didn't you advise me not to practice with firearms earlier? Why do I still need to get the qualification certificate from the Area 1 instructor?" Li Yi asked curiously.

He Xiong smiled: "I just didn't advise you to specialize in firearms, but you should at least know the most basic techniques for using firearms, right? When necessary, you can at least use the firearms you get, rather than knowing nothing at all."

"Understood," Li Yi nodded.

You don't have to be proficient with firearms, but you must at least have a preliminary grasp.

The same goes for combat techniques and cold weapon usage.

Only by learning these foundations can you better deal with the dangers that occur under various circumstances.

Sister Lin was right; joining the Investigation Bureau and becoming a field combatant can indeed help one learn a lot of things.

Thinking of this, Li Yi couldn't help but feel a bit excited.