Chapter 24: Trigger
The entire training field fell silent.
The dust slowly settled, revealing three figures ahead.
Three people, standing apart in three different directions.
Qi He had retreated two meters the moment it happened, pulling Guan Shangchun away with him. Yan Chuanbai had also reacted quickly, darting to the side. A bit of dust clung to his otherwise immaculate uniform; he patted it off, then calmly looked toward Zhou Shun, who stood among the trainees.
When his gaze brushed past Guan Shangchun, it seemed as though he’d silently forgiven something—his eyes softened, then withdrew.
The twice-traumatized Guan Shangchun: “……”
He was now covered in ash-gray dust, with only his eyes still bright, making him look especially pitiful.
The rest of the trainees were utterly dumbfounded.
All eyes turned toward Zhou Shun: Who was this brave soul who opened with a dragon-slaying move?
Completely unaware of what he’d just done, Zhou Shun was still basking in the thrill of having ambushed three S-ranks at once. His eyes shone with anticipation.
“So this is how we’re supposed to train, right?”
Qi He looked at him quietly. So after rebuilding himself, his confidence has come back too?
After a moment, Qi He nodded kindly. “That’s right. You did very well. Come forward—today’s teaching example will start with you.”
Zhou Shun walked up, confused.
The system pitied him: [Zhou Shun — an apocalyptic teaching prop. Not disposable, but soon to become a deluxe tragedy edition.]
“So, what do I—”
Before he could finish, thud! Zhou Shun tripped before even stepping out of the line.
From the front, Qi He’s gentle voice continued his lesson:
“The first rule of ambush training: before success, never pull back. Once you’re exposed, always beware of retaliation.”
Zhou Shun: “……”
He lay sprawled on the ground, mind blanking for a few seconds.
“What happened? Why am I on the floor?”
A nearby trainee couldn’t bear to watch and whispered, “Instructor Qi’s ability makes people kneel.”
Zhou Shun looked up in shock. “Isn’t his ability force!?”
“Yeah, he uses that force to make people kneel.”
“……”
Zhou Shun’s body trembled all over. At last, he sluggishly got up and stepped forward.
…
Bang! Bang! The sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed, mixed with groans and yelps.
Standing to the side, Yan Chuanbai waited until someone just managed to climb back up—then casually formed a thin sheet of ice underfoot to “ambush” them in return.
Accompanied by another startled shout of “What the—?!”, he turned his gaze toward Qi He.
“I’ll head back over there,” he said.
Qi He, still putting Zhou Shun through drills, nodded. “Alright.”
Yan Chuanbai took two steps, then suddenly stopped. He turned back to Qi He.
“Oh, right. I was just saying—” His eyes flicked toward Guan Shangchun beside them, and he added kindly, “He tends to get caught in the crossfire. You might want to move him farther from the combat zone.”
Guan Shangchun looked straight at him, his eyes unwavering.
Yan Chuanbai met his gaze and tugged at the corner of his lips.
Qi He thought for a moment, then said, “Guan Shangchun, why don’t you move to the back of the line for now?”
He’d expected the training field to be unpredictable, but he hadn’t imagined both incidents would hit Guan Shang twice in a row—that was on him.
Guan Shangchun lowered his eyes. “It’s because I’m too weak.”
Qi He flipped Zhou Shun over with one hand, then turned to reassure him. “Everyone has their strengths. People as versatile as me are just… rare exceptions.”
Guan Shangchun: “……”
Yan Chuanbai let out a quiet laugh and turned to leave.
—
The special training couldn’t proceed for the time being.
Qi He spoke with Yu Tianxing to see if they could renovate one of the S-rank training rooms.
—It wasn’t just for improving the combat strength of psychic-type S-ranks; both he and Yan Chuanbai, as combat-types, also needed a proper battleground.
Yu Tianxing agreed without hesitation.
A few days passed, but there was still no update about the training room. Instead, a message came in from Meng Yan:
[Based on the last set of data, I’ve developed a new type of nutrient serum. I can’t leave the lab for now—can you come pick it up when you’re free?]
[On my way. [food bowl emoji]]
Qi He happened to be free, so he went straight to the cultivation base.
Meng Yan had her own private laboratory.
When Qi He pushed open the door, she was sitting at the table, monitoring a row of test tubes in varying shades of color. Seeing him, she greeted him cheerfully,
“You’re here!”
Qi He’s gaze swept across the table. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad.” Meng Yan took several test tubes out of a storage box and handed them to him. The liquid inside was slightly darker than version 1.0. “This is the newest model. You can use it for testing, or let Brother Yan drink it—it’s fine either way.”
The system: […Did she just say that a little too naturally?]
Qi He accepted the tubes smoothly. “Thanks for your hard work.”
Meng Yan went on, “Oh, by the way, that person we ran into outside the base last time turned out to be an S-rank ability user! He’s working with you guys now, right? What’s he like?”
Qi He thought for a moment. “Easy to get along with.”
“That’s good. At least you’ve got a harmonious coworker now.”
Meng Yan chatted idly for a bit while Qi He leaned against the desk, listening. His gaze drifted casually around the lab—until it froze on the windowsill.
There sat a small flowerpot.
A very familiar flower.
“…Where did you get that?”
Meng Yan paused and turned her head. “Oh, that? A kid came to the cultivation base a couple of days ago asking for some nutrients—said he wanted to grow his own flower. I gave him a bit, and he gave me a seedling in return.”
Sunlight spilled across the windowsill, where that small flower bloomed bright and lively.
She pulled open a drawer. “Right—some petals fell off, and it seemed a shame to waste them. I extracted the essence and mixed it into sugar cubes. Here, I’ll give you two—you can dissolve them in water to drink.”
Two sugar cubes were handed to him, glimmering faintly with flecks of peach-pink.
Qi He took them. “Any special effects?”
Meng Yan replied, “They’ll make your breath smell like flowers.”
“……”
He solemnly tucked them into his belt pouch. “That’s… very useful.”
Just as he finished, his communicator buzzed again.
He opened it to find a message from Yu Tianxing.
The training room renovation was complete—they were to come check it out and register their identification.
Qi He said goodbye to Meng Yan and headed for the research institute.
…
The new training room was located on the sixth floor of the institute.
Qi He had come from the cultivation base, so his route was a bit longer; by the time he arrived, the other four were already there.
The door to the training room stood open.
When Yu Tianxing saw him, he took Qi He’s ID card and went over to the terminal by the door to record his data.
Yan Chuanbai glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “Where are you coming from?”
Qi He looked back at him meaningfully. “Your grain silo.”
Yan Chuanbai: “?”
Just then, Yu Tianxing returned with his ID card. Qi He clearly didn’t intend to elaborate and simply followed the others into the training room.
A space of roughly two hundred square meters came into view.
The room was done up entirely in white, its walls reinforced with bulletproof and shock-absorbing materials. One side held emergency equipment and a small rest area.
Yu Jiang and Guan Shangchun were already inside.
Qi He gave the place a once-over, then looked toward them. “How’s your combat foundation?”
Yu Tianxing beamed. “I learned a bit back when I was in the army~”
Yu Jiang blinked, seeming to work out what he meant. Then she clenched her palm, summoning a ball of water that shot out—bang!—against the specially designed wall, echoing loudly through the room. “Slight ability for self-defense.”
“……”
Guan Shangchun: “Zero.”
Everyone: “……” Honest, at least.
Qi He didn’t seem surprised—this was what most ordinary people were like before the apocalypse.
No training in firearms or combat, and even after awakening an ability, they still lacked combat instincts or readiness—especially pure psychic-type users.
For someone like Guan Shangchun to have survived this long, it was probably all thanks to an exceptionally keen sense for danger and a good deal of running away.
Guan Shangchun said, “I’ll start training today.”
Qi He nodded. “Alright, I’ll teach you.”
Two pairs of eyes immediately turned toward Yan Chuanbai.
Under the inexplicable gazes from Yu Jiang and Yu Tianxing, Yan Chuanbai’s brow twitched slightly. He was just about to ask what they were staring at when Yu Tianxing spoke up:
“I’m not training today.”
Yu Jiang: “Same.”
“……”
Qi He looked over. “You two aren’t joining, then—” His gaze shifted, landing squarely on Yan Chuanbai. “What about you?”
Yan Chuanbai pressed his lips together. “…Guess I am.”
Qi He smiled pleasantly. “Perfect. A focused lesson—two against one.”
—
The sensor door of the training room slid shut.
Only the three of them remained inside.
Yan Chuanbai stood silently to one side, while Guan Shangchun lowered his head toward Qi He and said quietly, “I’m sorry. My combat ability is too weak.”
“There’s no need to apologize for that.”
Qi He looked at him calmly, his gaze steady and analytical. “Everyone has their own strengths. What we need to figure out now is how your perception can be used to its fullest advantage in combat.”
Guan Shangchun said, “If it’s in a team setting, I’d probably be more suited as support.”
Qi He smiled slightly. “Not necessarily.”
He had analyzed plenty of MOBA-style games before—multiplayer online tactical combat. He’d studied every kind of role, and had even experimented with using melee fighters as tanks, and support types as assassins.
Qi He picked up a blindfold from the side and handed it to him. “Put this on, and take the gun.”
Guan Shangchun obeyed, taking both items.
Yan Chuanbai seemed to sense something, but said nothing—he simply watched.
Once the blindfold was secured, Qi He moved to the opposite corner of the room, about ten meters away. “Can you sense where I am?”
“I can.”
“Good. Focus all your attention on me—then, fire.”
The air ahead seemed to still.
Qi He watched closely. The muzzle lifted, pointing straight at him. A finger tightened on the trigger.
He dodged right—yet at the very instant he moved, the muzzle tracked his motion—
Bang! The bullet hit the ground, a mere 0.3 centimeters from his foot.
At the edge of the field, Yan Chuanbai’s tense fingers finally relaxed.
Qi He called out toward the front, “You can take it off now.”
Guan Shangchun pulled off the blindfold and hurried over. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Qi He pointed at the bullet mark near his foot, a note of approval in his voice. “You’re the first person to ever get a shot that close to me.”
Yan Chuanbai’s eyes lingered on the other man for a moment, gaze faint but steady.
Qi He continued his analysis. “When perception reaches a certain level, it naturally develops predictive ability.” He met Guan Shangchun’s eyes directly. “As long as you’re willing, you can be combat-type too.”
Guan Shangchun’s breath caught; his eyes widened slightly.
He stared at Qi He, the light in his gaze rippling faintly—
Just then, an ice spike sliced through the air!
Qi He’s fingers twitched instinctively, but he stopped himself—Yan Chuanbai’s attack was still within a safe range.
In front of him, Guan Shangchun was still in a heightened sensory state; his instincts kicked in and he stumbled backward, dropping to the ground with a thud.
Barely dodged—but dodged nonetheless.
Standing nearby, Yan Chuanbai commented with a perfectly straight face, “Mm. You’re the first person to ever get that close to one of my ice spikes.”
Guan Shangchun: “……”
Qi He: “……”
In his mind, Qi He muttered, “System, why is he copying my lines?”
The system hesitated, then vaguely replied: [Maybe… because you sound good saying them.]
Qi He accepted that without question. “Can’t argue with that.”
Across the training floor, the two men locked eyes.
Still sitting on the ground, Guan Shangchun looked up at Yan Chuanbai with narrowed eyes, then stood and brushed himself off. He turned to Qi He and said softly, “That fall hurt a little, but I can take it.”
Qi He was about to respond when he heard a quiet, amused snort beside him.
Yan Chuanbai looked over with a half-smile.
Pain? The floor was made of shock-absorbing material.
He didn’t say it out loud, though—just nodded. “Good. If you can handle that, then next, I’ll train you.”
Seeing Guan Shangchun about to protest, Yan Chuanbai turned to Qi He instead.
“Rather than focusing on offense, he should start with evasion. Outside the base, self-preservation comes first.”
Qi He thought for a moment. “That’s true.”
He stepped aside and said, “Then it’s your turn.”
Guan Shangchun: “…”
—
The two-hour special training finally ended.
Guan Shangchun hadn’t fallen, but he was so exhausted he looked like the life had been drained from his eyes.
The three of them left the training room and headed for the cafeteria.
There weren’t many people there at this hour.
Qi He grabbed a tray of food and found an empty table.
Guan Shangchun sat diagonally across from him, and Yan Chuanbai glanced over before sitting directly opposite Qi He.
Qi He had just picked up his chopsticks when he heard a startled “hic!” not far away.
Several meters away, Zhou Shun, upon seeing the three of them appear together, seemed to have an immediate stress reaction.
The nearby patrol team members quickly tried to console him: “Don’t worry, Brother Zhou. It’s not a big deal—you just fell a few times. At least now the whole base knows your heroic story.”
“Yeah, you launched a sneak attack on three S-ranks. Your name will go down in history.”
The system marveled: [They’re really good at comforting people!]
Zhou Shun actually looked comforted. “When you put it that way… true.”
“…”
The three silently withdrew their gazes and went back to eating.
Guan Shangchun, probably too tired, didn’t speak a word.
Qi He, lost in thought about his spiritual energy, stayed quiet too. He was poking at his potatoes when Yan Chuanbai suddenly said, “After we eat, you can head back first. I need to go to the military department.”
“?” Qi He looked up.
He’s going to the military department—so what? Why tell him?
Guan Shangchun paused mid-bite and glanced at Yan Chuanbai.
Yan Chuanbai, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, added, “If anything comes up, just message me.”
“…” Qi He tensed up all over. “System, Yan Chuanbai’s acting weird.”
The system gave up pretending: [Hasn’t he been like this since the warehouse incident? Just another bug. What’s a few more?]
Qi He: “…”
He was genuinely impressed by the system’s ability to redefine itself.
Fortunately, after that, Yan Chuanbai didn’t say anything else alarming. Once the meal was over, Qi He remembered his words about heading back first, so he stood up. “Then I’ll get going.”
Guan Shangchun hadn’t finished eating yet, but he gave him a small nod.
Qi He was just about to leave when he suddenly remembered the nutrient solution Meng Yan had given him.
“Oh, right—this is for you.”
He took two tubes out of the pouch at his waist and handed them to Yan Chuanbai. His fingers brushed against the sugar cubes inside, so he took one out as well. “And a sugar cube—dissolve it in water.”
Yan Chuanbai took them, eyebrows slightly raised when he saw the sugar cube. “Alright.”
Then he unwrapped it and dropped it into the glass of water in front of him.
Qi He, having said his piece, turned to leave.
He’d only taken two steps when suddenly—
Di! Di! Di!
A sharp alarm blared inside his head.
[Detected: Host has interfered with the ultimate storyline. Penalty triggered.]
“?”
What? What did he do?
He’d broken character, glitched the system, even derailed plotlines before—yet it had never punished him.
Before he could figure it out, a surge of high-voltage electricity coursed through his entire body—far stronger than the demonstration shocks from before. Qi He dropped to one knee, hand braced against the floor, a muffled groan slipping out: “Nngh—”
The sound of cutlery clattering onto the table followed immediately.
Yan Chuanbai’s voice rang out, tense and sharp: “Qi He!”
—————————————————————
Author’s note:
Qi He: You dare electrocute me? I’ll dismantle your plot myself. 🤗
Dang, what happened?