Delta: I have a 1-Haf Coin instant kill system!

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Zhang Zhao sat up, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain.

The streets were deserted, and the pickup truck remained parked in the same spot.

Without hesitation, Zhang Zhao pushed open the door, and the shop was completely silent.

The boss was asleep behind the bar, and several drunkards were slumped over the table, including Silverwing.

He was still slumped over the table in the corner, in the exact same position as last night.

Zhang Zhao walked normally through the hall, pushed open the door, and stepped into the cool morning air.

The pickup truck door made a soft click as it unlocked, the sound carrying far across the quiet street.

With the engine roaring and the headlights shining in two beams, the pickup truck made a U-turn and drove off along the road it had come from.

The town gradually shrank in the car's rearview mirror, finally disappearing into the morning mist.

Only when the engine roar completely faded away did Silverwing slowly straighten up on the corner table.

He stretched and muttered something under his breath.

"They're gone..."

A moment later, he reverted to his drunken state.

......

On the other side, Zhang Zhao held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other hand on the edge of the car window, letting the wind blow into the driver's seat.

After driving for more than ten kilometers, he noticed a small light flashing on the dashboard.

Out of gas!

Just then, a new message popped up on the Relink brain-computer interface.

"Location!"

Two words, concise and to the point.

Zhang Zhao parked his car on the side of the road, casually opened the geolocation sending function, and sent his location.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, and then a new command popped up.

"Wait by the roadside, a helicopter has been dispatched to pick you up! Estimated arrival time: 40 minutes!"

Zhang Zhao leaned back in his chair, turned off the engine, and adjusted the seat back a bit.

The morning breeze blew in through the window. He closed his eyes, and the Relink brain-computer interface silently opened.

The helicopter arrived more punctually than he had expected.

A little over thirty minutes later, a small black dot appeared in the southeastern sky and quickly grew larger.

It was a dark gray attack helicopter, more compact and more advanced-looking than the GTI model.

It hovered above the pickup truck for a moment before slowly landing on a relatively flat open space.

The hatch opened from the inside, and a person in a dark gray uniform leaned out and waved to Zhang Zhao.

The man didn't get off the plane, nor did he say much; he simply gestured for him to board.

Zhang Zhao picked up his tactical waist pack, tossed the car keys onto the driver's seat, and strode toward the helicopter.

The cabin interior is slightly smaller than the GTI model, but the furnishings are more sophisticated.

The seat was made of dark gray leather, and a display screen was embedded in the side wall, which was currently showing the flight route map.

There were only two people in the cabin besides the pilot.

A technician sitting in the front row is looking down and fiddling with a tablet.

Another person was leaning against the bulkhead, resting with their eyes closed, wearing the same uniform as the pilots.

Zhang Zhao sat down by the window and fastened his seatbelt.

The cabin door closed, the helicopter took off smoothly, and flew southwest.

About an hour later, the outline of the space base emerged from the gaps in the clouds.

It was larger than Zhang Zhao had expected, with several huge domed structures gleaming with a silvery-white metallic luster in the sunlight.

The outer tower cranes and scaffolding have not been completely dismantled, but the overall framework has already taken shape.

The helicopter circled around to a platform and landed.

The hatch opened, and a voice came from outside.

"soul?"

Zhang Zhao turned his head and saw a young girl in her early twenties standing at the edge of the platform.

Long red hair, wearing a suit, hands in pockets.

She tilted her head and scrutinized Zhang Zhao with a critical look in her eyes.

"Um!"

"Then come with me, Sister Lan has been waiting for you for a long time."

She turned and left quickly after she finished speaking.

Zhang Zhao followed behind her, walked through a curved corridor, and finally stopped in front of a metal door.

The long-haired girl pushed the door open, revealing an office with a very open view.

The huge floor-to-ceiling window almost occupies the entire wall, and it faces the launch bridge that is still under construction.

A person sat behind the desk, his long, silvery-white hair gleaming coolly in the sunlight.

She was waiting with her hands clasped together and her eyes closed when she heard footsteps, at which point she looked up.

Anaïs de Moulin!

Her features were indeed exquisite, but her brows were slightly furrowed, as if out of habitual caution.

She looked Zhang Zhao up and down, her gaze finally settling on his left arm.

"Where's the arm patch?"

Zhang Zhao looked down at his left arm.

"It hasn't been set yet, in case it gets lost on the way."

Demulan didn't ask any further questions, but instead took a black folder from the drawer and pushed it to the center of the table.

"Since you're here, let's make arrangements!"

"Your 15-day vacation will consist of seven days of basic intensive training and eight days of special adaptive training!"

"It starts at 6 AM and ends at 10 PM every day!"

She spoke in a flat tone, glancing at the long-haired girl with red hair next to Zhang Zhao.

"Of course... you're not the only one~"

"Claire will be with you!"

The moment Zhang Zhao heard the name, his pupils contracted sharply.

Claire Ann Byers!

Codename: Gale!

One of the operators in the previous Hafk lineup, known for her high mobility!

Her special gear allowed her to calm down and savor every bite!

But what concerned him was not these things, but Claire's other identity!

Luna's best friend!

Zhang Zhao suddenly remembered what Luna had said at the training base.

She has a friend she can't contact recently.

Could that friend be Claire standing right in front of me?

Demoulins clearly noticed the subtle change in his expression.

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze suddenly sharpening.

"What? You two know each other?"

Her tone was tinged with surprise, and her gaze swept back and forth between Zhang Zhao and Claire.

Claire also turned her head to look at Zhang Zhao.

She looked at him with the same confusion in her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before?"

Zhang Zhao met Claire's gaze, and the information about her in his mind was rapidly being processed.

In the game's backstory, both Claire and Kim Luna were competitive athletes.

The two had been rivals in archery for many years, which led them to become close friends!

However, Gale was paralyzed due to a paragliding accident.

Her father was just an ordinary worker on the assembly line under Hafk, and the family could hardly afford the high cost of rehabilitation.

However, Hafk contacted her and offered a set of explosive spinal-assisted techniques to help her stand up again.

In exchange, she joined Hafk.

This background information quickly went through Zhang Zhao's mind.

He answered Demoulins calmly and in a flat tone.

"A top athlete in the field, I've seen her photos and news online!"

As Zhang Zhao spoke, his gaze seemed to casually sweep over Claire's back.

Claire clearly noticed where his gaze was falling.

She didn't flinch; instead, she shrugged nonchalantly, a self-deprecating smile playing on her lips.

"You're seeing the news about my plane crash, right?"

She moved her shoulders and twisted her neck, her movements natural and fluid, showing no sign of anything unusual.

"But I'm fully recovered now!"

As she spoke, she glanced at Demulan, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.

Demulan didn't respond, but simply tapped the table lightly to steer the conversation back on track.

"Alright! Claire, today you'll go through the procedures with him! Physical fitness, tactics, reaction time, shooting—nothing can be omitted!"

Claire readily nodded.

"Okay, leave it to me."

She turned and walked towards the door, but after taking two steps, she turned back.

"Let's go, I'll show you the training grounds first!"