Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 857 Don't worry, I'm the best.

Xiao Ran's steps were slow, and each step was steady.

Wu Man, with a cigarette dangling from her lips that seemed to burn forever, lazily followed half a step behind Xiao Ran.

Jin Chanzi remained seated cross-legged on the back of the mighty, striped tiger demon, looking relaxed as if he were visiting a friend in spring. Only his whisk rested on his arm, with wisps of light flowing between the silver threads.

The three's unique style and appearance naturally attracted the attention of many people.

Especially when they saw the three heading towards the restricted area of ​​the barracks, many people's eyes flashed with a strange light.

Outside the guard post, a sentry stood like a javelin, his eyes fixed on Xiao Ran and his group as they approached.

He was dressed in a modern, specially made combat uniform, but he was not carrying any firearms. He only had a device resembling a walkie-talkie and a standard military dagger hanging from his waist.

What is most striking about him are his eyes—the whites of his eyes occupy nearly 70% of the area, and his black pupils are shrunken like pinpoints, exuding an inhuman coldness and indifference, as if there is no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, only pure vigilance and scrutiny.

The sentry remained indifferent to the approaching three men, his face devoid of any emotion.

Only when the three approached did he step forward and salute Xiao Ran and the other two with a very standard posture.

"Hello comrade, please show your identification."

Xiao Ran took out the ID card with Yang Jun's signature and handed it to the sentry.

The sentry glanced at the area, and after confirming there were no problems, said to Xiao Ran, "Please wait a moment."

He turned and walked to the side, then pressed the intercom: "Squad leader, squad leader! Sentinel 1 is calling the squad leader."

"Buzz... Sentinel 1, please speak."

"The three people mentioned above have arrived."

"keep alert!"

Sentinel No. 1 turned around, saluted Xiao Ran and the other two, gestured for them to wait a moment, and then turned back to the guard post.

"This sentry is no ordinary soldier," Wu Man whispered to Xiao Ran, his gaze sweeping over the sentry as he quietly offered another assessment: "A killing machine."

This four-word evaluation is by no means a denigration, but rather an extremely rare instance of praise from Wu Man.

Before following Xiao Ran, Wu Man enjoyed searching for interesting ingredients.

Everyone has a different temperament, and he can always tell in his heart what kind of dish he is best suited to cook.

Therefore, with his keen eye for people, he could clearly sense how pure the dormant killing intent emanating from this sentry was.

This killing intent was different from the killing intent emanating from Xiao Ran, whose killing intent was clearly unrestrained, domineering, and without reservation.

If gods stand in the way, they will kill gods; if they stand in the way of Buddha, they will kill Buddha.

But the killing intent emanating from the sentry in front of him was different; it was a restrained power that was hidden until it was unleashed.

Even though the sentry had returned to his post, his eyes never left the three of them.

His face showed no emotion whatsoever; he was as resolute as a rock.

Xiao Ran nodded. After all, this place could provide a large number of professional corpses. If it were just an ordinary military camp, it would definitely not have such strength.

This only made Xiao Ran more curious about what kind of place this military camp was.

Soon, a man dressed in camouflage came out of the gate.

The man strode up to Xiao Ran, saluted the three of them, and said, "My name is Lao Xiao. Please come with me."

The man spoke without any hesitation, leading Xiao Ran, the other two, and the tiger straight into the camp.

As soon as they entered the camp, the tiger demon under Jin Chanzi's buttocks couldn't help but let out a low growl, and the fur on its body stood on end.

Jin Chanzi patted the tiger's head, which calmed the tiger demon down.

Xiao glanced back at the tiger, curled his lip, and didn't take the tiger demon seriously.

Such an arrogant attitude inevitably made Wu Man, who was standing to the side, somewhat unhappy.

The military camp is actually not very big.

It was unusually quiet inside.

But there was always a chilling aura emanating from inside, like a tiger's den. Even if the tiger wasn't there, the sheer presence of this aura was enough to deter most birds and beasts from approaching.

Xiao led Xiao Ran and the others to a barracks and stopped. He turned to look at the three of them and asked, "The company intends to hire a mortician. May I ask who it is?"

“It’s me.” Xiao Ran stepped forward.

Xiao looked Xiao Ran up and down, forcing a smile: "Welcome."

As he spoke, he extended his palm toward Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran looked at the calluses on his hand and calmly reached out to shake it.

"Click!!"

When their hands clasped together, a loud bang was heard in the air, and a shockwave exploded between them.

Surprisingly, neither Xiao Ran nor Lao Xiao remained completely still.

After a moment, Old Owl released his grip and said to Wu Man and Jin Chanzi behind Xiao Ran, "You two shouldn't be morticians, right? Please move to the reception room to rest." "Vice Squad Leader!!"

Old Xiao shouted, and soon a soldier ran out from the stairwell, saluted everyone, and stood there straight.

"Take them to the lounge."

"Yes, comrade, this way please."

Seeing this, Wu Man and Jin Chanzi nodded to Xiao Ran and followed the vice squad leader to the rest room.

"This way, please." Old Xiao led Xiao Ran further into the barracks.

Passing through the barracks, you can see several sentries standing guard outside the gate with their guns at the ready.

Upon seeing the old owl, he immediately stood up straight and saluted.

Before me stood a heavy metal gate; judging by its thickness, it was clearly a super-project designed to defend against nuclear weapons.

"Kakaka..."

The door in front of us slowly opened.

The alloy doors slid open slowly to both sides, stirring up the cold dust that had accumulated inside the doorway.

Behind the door was not the heavily guarded corridor that Wang Bo and his companions had imagined, but a vast, open underground space.

The towering dome was illuminated by bright, cold lights, stretching as far as the eye could see. In the distance, massive steel behemoths—tanks, armored personnel carriers, and even the slender silhouettes of helicopters—were parked.

Old Xiao sat in the driver's seat. It was a military jeep with no markings on the body, only the thick bulletproof glass reflecting the cold light from the basement ceiling light.

He subtly gestured with his chin towards the passenger side, as if to indicate something. Xiao Ran didn't say anything, opened the heavy car door, and got in.

The vehicle was filled with a unique military odor—a mixture of engine oil, sweat, and some kind of special disinfectant.

The engine roared low as the Jeep began to drive down a wide but steep, winding concrete ramp.

The ramp stretched deep into the earth's crust like a bottomless pit, with cold industrial explosion-proof lights hanging from the ceiling, casting a pale white light that dragged long, twisted shadows on the rapidly passing concrete walls.

Old Xiao gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white. His face was expressionless, as if he were wearing a mask, and his eyes were like solidified amber, reflecting only the ever-sinking road ahead.

Apart from the engine and tires rubbing against the pavement, the car was deathly silent, as if even breathing was superfluous. Xiao Ran paid no heed to the silence, her sharp gaze sweeping across the fleeting scenery outside the window.

Along the slope, astonishing facilities began to appear. They were huge, arched warehouses embedded side by side into the mountainside, each one appearing cold and heavy.

The massive, arched metal door was tightly closed, with no gaps between it. The surface of the door panel was a cold, iron-gray or lead-gray color, clearly cast from a special alloy. Its thickness was astonishing, enough to withstand heavy artillery bombardment.

There were no distinctive words on the door, only some large, cold, white numbers engraved on it.

"C-07", "B-12", "A-03", "E-19..."

Xiao Ran was also very curious about what was behind these doors, but after thinking about it, he ultimately didn't have the heart to use his mental power to explore.

"squeak……"

The screeching sound of brake pads rubbing together was exceptionally clear in the enclosed underground space.

The four-wheeled jeep slowly came to a stop in front of a heavy, unassuming alloy door.

Old Xiao gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. His silence lasted longer than all the silences in the car combined. The air seemed to freeze, with only the cool airflow unique to the underground cavern brushing against his cheeks.

Xiao Ran could feel that the soldier next to her was in a state of tension, like an old wolf that had smelled a strong scent of blood.

Finally, he slowly turned his head, his gaze fixed on Xiao Ran's face, scrutinizing her with an almost coercive seriousness:
"Excuse me, are you really a grooming professional?"

The voice was deep, no longer a mere inquiry, but more like a final confirmation.

Xiao Ran's gaze swept over the inconspicuous but ominous metal door, then returned to Lao Xiao's tense profile.

He didn't answer immediately, but calmly reached into his personal space and grabbed a slightly worn professional qualification certificate with the words "Los Angeles Funeral Industry Practitioner Qualification Certification" printed on the cover.

He opened it, and the inner pages clearly displayed his name, photo, and certification level as a "senior mortician".

"Of course, and it's the best."

Xiao Ran's voice was calm and even, as if stating a perfectly natural fact.

Old Xiao didn't reach out to take the photo and examine it closely; his gaze lingered for a moment on the clear steel stamp.

His throat bobbed slightly, and silence fell again for a few seconds.

"Xu..."

Old Xiao let out a long sigh. He no longer looked into Xiao Ran's eyes, but turned to look at the small metal door.

"Then you'd better be."

His voice was extremely low, "Once you go through that door, don't regret it. If something goes wrong inside..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I might... not have a chance to open the door and save you."

Xiao Ran understood what Lao Xiao meant. She opened the car door, got out, gave Lao Xiao a thumbs up, pointed to herself, and repeated what she had just said: "Don't worry, I'm the best."

(End of this chapter)