Chapter 238: Transferred from the Pioneer Team – Zhou Ming, I’m Coming
Tu Ran covered her backside. “Such strength! Looks like you’ve fully recovered. Wild boar, I’ll go get your discharge papers.”
With that, she dashed out of the hospital room.
Xi Chunzhi, once again teased, glared at Tu Ran’s retreating figure. Seeing her run out while holding her backside, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Originally, Tu Ran had planned to take Xi Chunzhi to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, but Xi Chunzhi insisted on eating food that Tu Ran cooked herself. Reluctantly, Tu Ran changed plans and headed to the supermarket to buy ingredients.
The two of them wandered around for quite some time, carefully selecting items. In the end, they each carried two large bags home.
Tu Ran got to work in the kitchen, while Xi Chunzhi helped out. Soon, the table was full of dishes.
“To celebrate your full recovery—and to give my wallet one last bit of dignity.” Tu Ran raised her glass.
Xi Chunzhi clinked her glass against Tu Ran’s. “Cheapskate. I’ll repay you the money I owe later.”
“You better. When you become a bounty hunter, the first paycheck has to come to me.”
“Pfft.” Xi Chunzhi rolled her eyes.
Since Xi Chunzhi had just been discharged from the hospital, Tu Ran didn’t let her drink too much. After dinner, she sent her off to rest in her own apartment.
Once the dishes were cleaned up, Tu Ran stretched out on the sofa and dialed Xie Xu’s number.
“What’s up?”
Tu Ran fiddled with the personal communicator Xie Xu had given her earlier. “You once said you could get Xi Chunzhi out of the Pioneer Team.”
“Yes.”
“Does that still stand?”
“Yes.”
“Then help me send her away.”
Xie Xu, having anticipated this, barely hesitated. “Alright.”
“When can it be done?” Tu Ran asked, hoping it would be soon.
“Tomorrow,” came Xie Xu’s reply.
Quick enough. Tu Ran was satisfied.
After hanging up, Tu Ran got up to shower, then returned to bed.
Staring at the ceiling, Tu Ran crossed Diao Hongzhi’s name off the death list.
He was dead.
Nick Wells wouldn’t live much longer either.
Now, all that was left… was Xu Bingli.
As for him, Tu Ran decided to put that on hold.
She felt that Xie Xu would make a move before she had the chance.
The underground lab in the Medical Department wasn’t something Xie Xu would turn a blind eye to.
Turning over, Tu Ran closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
…
At 7 PM, Tu Ran, who was supposed to head to the Pandalin District, received a temporary reassignment notice. She was temporarily transferred from the Pioneer Team to the Field Operations Group of the Executive Department, which meant she was now going from a pioneer to a guard.
This was unprecedented in the Pioneer Team.
While guards didn’t have the same high rank, fame, or benefits as pioneers, the work environment was a dream for a pioneer—no more life-and-death situations every day, no more working around the clock without rest.
After changing into the Executive Department’s combat uniform, Tu Ran received a message from Ding Naiqing. It was a voice message, and when she played it, he spoke in an exaggerated tone, “Sister Ran? Why did you leave the Pioneer Team? What am I supposed to do now???”
Tu Ran: “…”
Grabbing her assault rifle, she pushed open the door to the equipment room and replied, “Do you want to come with me? I can have them transfer you too.”
Ding Naiqing immediately responded, “No, no, no, Sister Ran, please don’t mention me to them.”
He had chosen the Pioneer Team for the thrill and adventure, so going to the Executive Department wasn’t something he wanted at all.
“Are you coming back, Sister Ran? The notice said it was a temporary transfer, so you’ll probably return, right?” Ding Naiqing asked cautiously.
“Of course I’ll be back.”
She just didn’t know when. Things were complicated and unpredictable right now, and nothing was certain.
“It’s good to know you’ll be back. We’re all lamenting the loss of such a wise and brave pioneer like you in the Pioneer Team,” Ding Naiqing said.
“Quit joking around,” Tu Ran replied with a smile.
“Stay safe over there, Sister Ran. I won’t bother you anymore. I have to go catch those genetic monsters. Hey, I’m suddenly a bit envious of you,” he added with a sigh before logging off.
Tu Ran put away her communicator and walked toward the office of the Field Operations Group Nine, where she was about to join.
“What are you doing in our Field Operations Group Nine?!”
Zhou Ming, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, crossed his arms and sat at his simple desk. Upon seeing Tu Ran walk in, his jaw nearly dropped.
When he saw Tu Ran dressed as a guard from the Executive Department, he suddenly realized, “Wait! The pioneer who joined us is you?!”
“Yep, surprised?” Tu Ran raised an eyebrow.
Actually, she felt the same surprise as Zhou Ming; she hadn’t expected to see him here.
Zhou Ming’s expression froze, gradually shifting from shock to complete resentment.
There were five other people in the office, all of whom had fought with Tu Ran before.
At that time, there had been seven of them, and now with Zhou Ming, there were only six.
Tu Ran scanned the room and asked, “Where’s that Guard Wang?” referring to the one she had broken his nose.
Zhou Ming ignored her and turned his back, clearly wanting to pretend she didn’t exist.
The one who had suffered a concussion from her earlier punch pressed his lips together and, considering they would have to get along for a while, spoke up, “He died on a mission the day before yesterday.”
“Otherwise, why do you think you could join our Field Operations Group Nine?” Zhou Ming added sharply.
Tu Ran’s smile faded, “I’m sorry; I didn’t know.”
Zhou Ming turned his back to her and snorted coldly, “What a hypocrite.”
Tu Ran suppressed the urge to punch him in the back of the head.
For the sake of the deceased, she decided to let it slide today.
“It’s okay; this kind of thing happens often in our Field Operations Group.”
In contrast, the person who had suffered a concussion because of her was very friendly.
Tu Ran glanced at his name tag: Ye Qingcai.
“You all come over and get to know our new member,” he called the others.
Then Tu Ran saw the second person she had knocked out, walking out from under the projector at the front of the office. He held a repair tool she had never seen before and had black smudges on his cheeks.
“Hello! I’m Xiao Miao, a technician from Field Operations Group Nine. You can hand over anything that needs fixing to me, whether it’s weapons or communicators—I can fix them all.” He smiled, revealing two dimples, and with the black smudges on his cheeks, he looked like a little cat that had just dug through coal.
His name even contained the character “淼” (miao), which sounded like “meow.”
Xiao Miao, Little Meow.
“Don’t believe him; he’s just a half-baked technician. He’s been fiddling with it for ages and still hasn’t fixed the projector,” another person chimed in, unceremoniously tearing down Xiao Miao’s claims.
Xiao Miao immediately pouted and looked at him with a wronged expression, “You’re being too much, Young Master.”
Young Master?
Tu Ran turned to look at him. He was tall and slender, with fair skin, hands in his pockets, looking casual. “I’m Qi Tongda, the only son of the Qi family, one of the top hundred conglomerate families in the Federation. You can call me Young Master Qi, just like them.”
“Top hundred conglomerate families in the Federation?” Tu Ran struggled to say those words.
Happy happy with Chunzhi, but author sending her away from plot again