The next morning, prompted by 110, Jiang Fanxing was up by six. As soon as he finished freshening up, a knock came at his door. He pulled on his heat-control suit, adjusted his hat, veil, and gloves, and then opened the door.
“Little Jiang, here is your meal.”
Jia Liang handed him the lunch box. Seeing Jiang Fanxing’s heavily veiled and bundled-up appearance, he hesitated for a moment before deciding not to ask. He figured that people who practiced performance art always had their own quirks; he might not understand them, but he respected them.
Jiang Fanxing declined the meal, claiming he was not hungry. In truth, he did not need to eat, but curiosity had gotten the better of him the day before, and he had opened a base ration box. It contained a nondescript rice ball and a spoonful of egg-drop soup. The soup tasted like nothing more than salted water, and the rice ball was a bizarre, gluey mixture of mashed potatoes and vegetable juices. While healthy, it had no other redeeming qualities. Since the base was not known for gourmet cooking, he preferred to skip the meal whenever possible to avoid waste.
“Then I will eat it for you, shall I?”
“Go ahead.”
Jia Liang happily took the box and led him toward the garage outside the base. Jiang Fanxing was not surprised to see Xie Yunqing and his team waiting there. Xie Yunqing gave him a meaningful glance, but Jiang Fanxing, finding it difficult to read and wishing to avoid contact, merely offered a curt nod before following Jia Liang into the truck.
After another day and a half on the road, they reached the village closest to the small town. It was high noon. The sun was fierce, and the temperature was climbing; it was far too hot for ordinary people to operate in, which made it the perfect time for a surprise raid.
This was the first time Jiang Fanxing truly appreciated the benefits of the heat-control suit. While he had a high tolerance for heat, the extreme temperatures could still be grating. With the suit, he felt cool and refreshed, and the transparent helmet visor blocked the blinding glare.
“110, can I take this suit back with me when I leave?”
110 replied, “The host can only take items from this world if they are genuinely gifted by a local resident.”
Jiang Fanxing raised an eyebrow. “So, as long as someone gives it to me, I can take anything?”
110 corrected him quickly, “You may only take inanimate objects that do not pose a significant threat to the real world, such as thermal weaponry.”
Figures. The suit was excellent, and with it, he would not need to rely on chloroplast replacement to regulate his body temperature. He was in high spirits. Although he still needed to mask his face to avoid recognition, the prospect of no longer having to turn himself green was a huge relief. Ignoring 110, he followed Jia Liang and the team off the truck, pointing them in the right direction. Within half an hour, they reached the outskirts of the town.
Jiang Fanxing briefed Xie Yunqing and the team. “There are three factions inside. The three leaders despise each other and are fond of internal conflict to reduce their numbers.” They did this to ensure fewer people were left to claim their loot.
Xie Yunqing nodded. “Thank you.”
He then began assigning tasks. Because Jiang Fanxing had no firearm, he was left on the sidelines. He lamented his choice to leave the electric saw behind, but as he watched the team inspect their weapons, he realized guns were much better. Once I get back to the base, I will have Jia Liang help me apply for one.
As Jiang Fanxing waited patiently outside, a sudden gunshot made him jump. A rapid succession of shots followed, and his nervous heart slowly began to settle. He did not know the exact situation inside, but he was certain that with the team’s firepower, the mission would be a success. The desire for a gun of his own only burned brighter in his chest. A man should carry a gun.
After half an hour, Xie Yunqing and his team marched out, dragging a group of people with them. Jiang Fanxing spotted the three familiar leaders. When he saw the refined man—his glasses shattered, his mouth bruised and bloody, and his face covered in grime—he felt a surge of satisfaction. This was the man who had ordered his men to surround Jiang Fanxing, leaving him with a painful shoulder injury.
He wanted to beat the man senseless, but knowing Xie Yunqing would not allow it, he resolved to take his chance later. The refined man and his subordinates soon noticed the strangely dressed Jiang Fanxing. A look of cold realization crossed the refined man’s face; he locked eyes with Jiang Fanxing, his look conveying a silent, murderous promise: wait, I will kill you eventually.
Jiang Fanxing felt a chill of annoyance and stared back coldly, thinking the feeling is mutual.
Xie Yunqing noticed their silent exchange and recalled Jiang Fanxing’s words before joining the team; he realized it was this man who had pushed Jiang Fanxing into joining them. Feeling a protective instinct toward his temporary teammate, Xie Yunqing warned the refined man, “Behave yourself. Do not try anything.”
Jiang Fanxing was surprised. Is he standing up for me? Why? Unable to understand the motive and unwilling to ask, he simply said, “Thank you.” Xie Yunqing merely gave a faint nod. They returned to the base, arriving by nightfall after another day and a half of travel.
That evening, Jiang Fanxing brought up his request for a firearm. Jia Liang agreed immediately but asked, “Little Jiang, do you know how to shoot?”
Jiang Fanxing blinked, choosing honesty. “I do not.”
He expected Jia Liang to refuse, but instead, he said, “That is fine. There are no missions for the next three days. I will take you out to practice.”
Jiang Fanxing offered a sincere smile. “Thank you, Brother Jia.”
Jia Liang did not tease him for the change in address; he simply squinted with satisfaction. Over the next two days, Jiang Fanxing received his sidearm, and under Jia Liang’s guidance, his shooting improved significantly. He went from missing the target entirely to hitting it, though his accuracy remained inconsistent. It was not something one could master in a day, but for his current level, he was satisfied.
With one day of rest remaining, he asked Jia Liang where Li Zhenyang was. He then fished out a badge featuring Hanamichi Sakuragi from his backpack, which he had carried as a lucky charm. He knew that as long as he stayed with the rescue team, they would eventually save every survivor left outside, and when that happened, he would be leaving. He liked Li Zhenyang, who had been such a sensible child and had defended him, and he wanted to leave a souvenir.
Since he did not know the way through the base, Jia Liang personally led him to the school. The area was a makeshift school with a playground and basic recreational facilities. Li Zhenyang and the other children were playing on the slide.
Suddenly, the boy heard a familiar voice call his name and spun around. The man in front of him was heavily bundled up, his hat draped in gauze, hiding his face, but Li Zhenyang recognized Jiang Fanxing immediately.
“Brother! Are you here to see me?”
He was overjoyed, but tears welled up in his eyes, his feelings a mix of happiness and lingering grievances. He counted on his fingers and discovered they had been separated for thirteen days.
Jiang Fanxing walked up and ruffled his hair. Li Zhenyang looked at him with adoration and whispered, “Brother, I missed you so much.”
Jiang Fanxing, having little experience with children, realized he should provide positive reinforcement. “Little one, I missed you too. I came today to bring you a gift.” He pulled the badge from his pocket and handed it to Li Zhenyang.
The other children watched with envy as Li Zhenyang took the round badge, which had a pin on the back to attach to a bag or clothing. He looked at the anime character hugging a basketball with a bright grin and asked curiously, “Brother, who is this?”
Jiang Fanxing was surprised. “You do not know? That is Hanamichi Sakuragi.”
Slam Dunk was a classic; even decades later, it had been a staple of his own childhood. Jia Liang, watching from the side, looked at the badge with curiosity. “What anime is that character from?”
Jiang Fanxing froze. If a child did not know it, that was understandable, but Jia Liang was a grown man; he should have heard of Slam Dunk. He realized this was an independent world—while it shared language and history with his own, the pop culture was different. “It is a manga drawn by a friend of mine. He said he published it, and I thought it looked nice, so I assumed it was popular.”
Jia Liang and Li Zhenyang accepted this explanation without doubt.
Xie Yunqing arrived at the school shortly after, intending to check on the rescued children, and witnessed Jiang Fanxing giving the boy the gift. When he heard the name Hanamichi Sakuragi, he was stunned. He instantly realized Jiang Fanxing was not from this world—he was, like them, from the real world.
No wonder he has special abilities.
He looked deeply at Jiang Fanxing, deciding not to alert him and slipping away unnoticed. He would find a time to test him, but not today. Tomorrow they had a rescue mission, and they had a briefing to attend.
Jiang Fanxing and Jia Liang played with the children for a while before leaving. Shortly after, they arrived at the conference room. To his surprise, the base leader was already there. Even more unexpectedly, they were about to receive news that would change everything.