Chapter 239 – Wow, the Pioneer Team really knows how to have fun
She had only heard of the Three Great Families, but when did a Top 100 conglomerate families pop up?
“Because the Qi family ranks ninety-ninth!” Zhou Ming, seated in his chair, added coolly.
Young Master Qi shot him a sharp look, and Zhou Ming promptly shut his mouth.
“I’m Wang Qiang, a demolition expert of the Field Operations Group Nine.” The man who had been tinkering with a bomb at his workstation raised his head and introduced himself to Tu Ran. His voice was rough, matching his wild hair that looked like it had been through an explosion.
“Qiu Jian, assault trooper.”
He finished the four words in two seconds and quickly returned to his workstation.
Ye Qingcai, the last one left, explained for him, “He handles the same tasks as you. He’s one of our seven-member team’s main firepower output units. Both of you are the core strength of Field Operations Group Nine. In real combat, you’ll need to develop a certain level of coordination, so you’ll have to get to know each other quickly over the next few days.”
Tu Ran nodded seriously.
Squad operations in the Executive Department were indeed different from the solo missions of the Pioneer Team. Squad operations required more emphasis on team coordination, with every member moving as one. The entire squad had to operate like a single blade—no one could lag behind.
After introducing everyone else, Ye Qingcai introduced himself, “I’m Ye Qingcai, the leader of Group 9. I handle all the daily matters of our team and serve as both the commander and firepower unit in combat.”
Ye Qingcai also introduced Zhou Ming.
“Zhou Ming is our long-range sniper and occasionally acts as a temporary medic for the team.”
“Temporary medic? Him?”
Unbelievable. It was hard to fathom.
People really couldn’t be judged by their appearances.
“Tu Ran, what kind of tone is that?” Zhou Ming suddenly turned around and glared at her.
“Praise, of course! Can’t you even hear that?” Tu Ran said with a bright smile. “You’re juggling two roles. Truly versatile and talented! Brother Zhou, I truly admire your excellence.”
“Don’t think I can’t tell that you’re being sarcastic,” Zhou Ming replied with a cold expression.
Tu Ran shrugged, wearing a smug look as if to say: So what if you figured it out? What can you do about it?
To play it safe, she kept her complaints to herself and didn’t say them out loud.
But her expression alone was enough to irritate Zhou Ming.
“Tu! Ran! You’re completely nuts! Just like that dog Qi! Both of you are seriously messed up!”
Tu Ran pointed at Zhou Ming and shouted, “Young Master Qi, he just called you a dog!”
Young Master Qi glared at Tu Ran first. “I heard him! There’s no need for you to repeat it!”
He then turned to Zhou Ming, rolling up his sleeves. “If you can’t control your mouth, glue it shut.” He grabbed a bottle of glue from Xiao Miao’s desk across from Zhou Ming, grabbed his collar, and threatened to glue his mouth shut.
Zhou Ming fought back, and the two of them tumbled to the floor, wrestling.
Ye Qingcai looked at the two brawling on the ground, then at Tu Ran, who was watching with amusement, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.
Having one Qi Tongda and one Zhou Ming was already chaotic enough. Now, with this troublemaker added to the mix, his peaceful days were officially over.
Qiu Jian, unable to tolerate the noise, picked up the headphones from the corner of his desk and put them on, retreating into his own world. His well-practiced motion of putting on the headphones made one feel sorry for him.
Ye Qingcai seemed to be used to this scene. He pointed out to Tu Ran, “Your desk is over there,” before sitting back at his own station, covering his face with his hands, utterly defeated. He needed a moment to process this new reality—it was too much to accept all at once.
At first, Xiao Miao had rushed over in a panic, trying to break up the fight. But after several failed attempts, he gave up and returned to his corner to finish repairing the projector he had been working on.
Tu Ran was left with nothing to do, so she casually dragged over her chair from her workstation and sat next to the two brawling men, enjoying the show.
From time to time, she would throw in some commentary, “Young Master! Go for his nostrils! Yes! Now’s your chance!”
“Agh! Too slow!”
“Look, look! Hit him below the belt! Hurry, go for it!”
“Watch your back, Young Master!”
“Yes, give him a left hook!”
Zhou Ming was seeing stars from all the punches.
“First Blood!”
Tu Ran provided live commentary, her voice clear and full of suspense.
“Don’t just stand there—finish him off!”
“OK—”
She whistled, sharp and triumphant.
“Double Kill!!”
Qiu Jian took off his headphones and glanced at Tu Ran.
“Triple Kill!!”
Even Wang Qiang, who had been focused on his bombs, looked up, watching as Tu Ran single-handedly elevated the pathetic scuffle between two weaklings to the level of a championship title bout.
“Quadra Kill!”
At some point, Tu Ran had climbed onto her chair, holding a helmet she had picked up from the ground, spinning it on her finger.
Qi Tongda landed another punch squarely on Zhou Ming’s jaw.
“Penta Kill!!!!”
“Young Master Qi—you win!!” Tu Ran screamed like an overexcited fangirl.
Ye Qingcai: “…”
A dumbfounded Xiao Miao: “…”
Qiu Jian, frozen in place: “…”
Wiping his eyes in disbelief, Wang Qiang muttered under his breath, “…Wow, the Pioneer Team really knows how to have fun, huh?”
Qi Tongda stood up, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and looked incredibly satisfied. He had thoroughly trounced Zhou Ming today, and the feeling of triumph put him in an excellent mood. He turned to Tu Ran and generously said, “You played a part in this victory today. Next time, Young Master will treat you to a meal!”
Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. Was this real?
“As expected from a top-tier conglomerate—so generous!” she gave him a thumbs up.
“…Of course.”
Although Young Master Qi realized that impulsively offering Tu Ran a meal might not have been the smartest move, he was too proud to take back his words.
Zhou Ming, aching all over and still sitting on the ground, was just about to spit out some harsh words to salvage his dignity when he noticed what Tu Ran was playing with in her hands. His eyes went wide, and he felt a wave of dizziness. “Tu Ran! That’s my helmet!! My sniper data is stored in there!!!”
…
…
The six of them stood in a row, with Ye Qingcai facing them.
“This is the last time I’ll warn you. If something like this happens again, I’ll use my authority as captain to disband Group 9. You can all go find other assignments.”
Even while scolding them, Ye Qingcai didn’t project the kind of authority expected from a team leader. His voice was soft, and his threats lacked any real force.
All six nodded in unison.
The other five, aside from Tu Ran, had been working together for years. Despite the frequent bickering and roughhousing, there was a sense of camaraderie. If they were truly separated, they would feel some regret.
As Qi Tongda liked to say, in another group, there wouldn’t be anyone to vent his frustrations on. He certainly didn’t want to switch.
A certain punching bag muttered, “Boohoo, my sniper data… Tu Ran, I won’t let you off for this…”
“Alright, get back to work. Tu Ran, come with me for a moment.”
Following Ye Qingcai out of the office, they stopped in the hallway.
“About the past… we owe you an apology,” Ye Qingcai began.
“Zhou Ming’s behavior is our fault. We’ve spoiled him. He’s arrogant and likes to stir up trouble, but since we’re all in the same team, we couldn’t just sit by and watch him get humiliated by you.”
