Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"Su Wanxi." The voice was gentle and melodious, like a light drizzle in the morning.

Gu Cheng snapped out of her daze and gently took Su Wanxi's hand.

It's fair, delicate, soft, and cool. The pads of my index finger and each fingertip are covered with thin calluses, but even so, it's still hard to let go.

"Gu Cheng." Releasing her hand, she thought of a poet whose name sounded the same as her own and added a sentence.

"It's an orange, a type of fruit."

"I understand." Su Wanxi withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Song Shiyan.

“Miss Gu is the one who fixed the cracks on Huaixin Street last night…” Song Shiyan began to explain the whole story.

Out of respect for Gu Cheng's privacy, Song Shiyan did not reveal her transformation, only mentioning that she awakened her ability to defeat the descending creature, and many details were only briefly mentioned.

"...After careful consideration, Miss Gu has finally decided to join the Hermit Bureau. I will arrange for her to undergo basic training over the next few months, and I hope you will take good care of her."

"I will," Su Wanxi agreed. It was getting late, and Song Shiyan already had things to do, so he said a quick goodbye and was about to leave. He tugged at his collar as he walked to the door, then suddenly turned around as if he had forgotten something.

"I informed Zhou Li and the others that we're having dinner together tonight to welcome the new member. It'll be at 6:30 PM at Zhou Li's shop."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Shiyan pushed open the door and left, leaving only the two of them in the huge practice room.

At first, Gu Cheng thought the captain Song Shiyan mentioned was a middle-aged man of similar age to him, but after meeting him, she realized she was completely wrong.

Su Wanxi was very young, far from the old-fashioned image she had imagined. She just seemed a bit cold, and considering Su Wanxi's previous answers were never more than five words, Gu Cheng silently labeled her an iceberg.

"Do you think I'm too young?" Su Wanxi noticed Gu Cheng's gaze, her long eyelashes curling slightly.

"Yes... a little bit," Gu Cheng answered truthfully, her tone somewhat cautious.

After a long silence, Su Wanxi turned her face away, making her expression unreadable. "I'll be training here all afternoon. If you have any questions about your future work, feel free to ask me."

She picked up the pistol on the table again, pulled out the magazine, loaded the bullets one by one, and cocked it with a crisp clanging sound.

The pistol had a silver-white body and a large wrench guard. It looked very familiar; Gu Cheng thought she had seen it in some games, but she couldn't quite place its name.

"What exactly is the military training that Director Song mentioned?" Su Wanxi emptied another magazine, and Gu Cheng asked while she was reloading.

"It is mainly divided into two parts: close combat and firearms shooting. If nothing unexpected happens, the two should be trained simultaneously."

"Doesn't she need physical training?" Gu Cheng noticed Su Wanxi's shooting motion; the tremor was minimal, almost unchanged. Such steady shooting requires considerable wrist strength, and Su Wanxi's wrist is exceptionally slender, making it hard to imagine that it could contain such astonishing power.

"No need," Su Wanxi said, rejecting Gu Cheng's idea.

"As an awakened being, in addition to a slightly extended lifespan, your physical functions will also approach perfection. As long as you are not extremely weak, you can reach the physical fitness standards of an active-duty soldier in about a month."

Su Wanxi's words reminded Gu Cheng that, compared to before, she had indeed not felt a decline in physical strength.

Well, aside from appetite, even improving physical fitness doesn't require increasing energy intake. Gu Cheng didn't expect to find the answer herself, after all, even the most illogical things had happened to her, so there must be a reason for her reduced appetite.

Oh right, and there's the dean's place too. Thinking of this, Gu Cheng asked Su Wanxi for the approximate location of the restroom, then took her phone and went outside. She walked through the corridor and turned right at the second corner.

"Men on the left, women on the right, which one should I go into?" Gu Cheng stopped at the restroom door. Although her current body was female, her heart was still that of Gu Chengyan, who had lived for twenty-one years. After hesitating like a fool for a long time, Gu Cheng finally chose the stall on the right.

It's just a phone call; I won't look at things I shouldn't.

She made a mental rule for herself and slowly pushed open the door. The restroom was quiet; she was the only one there. Thankfully, Gu Cheng sighed softly and found a stall to take out her phone.

"Hello, is this Dean Xu..." On the phone, Gu Cheng mentioned that she had joined a secret organization and that many details were inconvenient to disclose. Dean Xu asked a few more questions, and considering her situation, he roughly understood.

"Remember to get a physical exam after you receive your ID card." "Okay."

The phone went silent, as if it had been disconnected. A light touch of the screen showed the call was still in progress.

"Take good care of yourself." The voice on the other end sounded even older.

"Hmm." After hanging up the phone, Gu Cheng felt a warm current well up in her heart, which soon turned into a strange melancholy.

After calming herself down, Gu Cheng returned to the training room. Su Wanxi was still practicing shooting, and there were many spent shell casings scattered on the floor, forming a yellowish-brown pile around her legs. Gu Cheng picked up a broom from the corner and swept up and collected the old shell casings.

"Thank you." "You're welcome, it was nothing." The two fell silent, and the training room was once again filled with the sounds of gunfire.

Gu Cheng sat in the seat next to her, propping her chin up with one hand as she watched Su Wanxi practice shooting. Su Wanxi had been practicing since Gu Cheng entered, for almost three hours now. Loading, pulling the bolt, firing—the cycle repeated endlessly, without seeming to tire. Combined with Su Wanxi's aloof expression, Gu Cheng couldn't help but think of a certain phrase.

I am just a heartless shooting machine.

After an unknown amount of time, the shooting machine stopped. She wiped the sweat from her brow and slowly magnified in Gu Cheng's field of vision.

"Smile."

"?!"

Although it was strange, Gu Cheng did as instructed. Click, the flash went off.

“Director Song needs your photos,” Su Wanxi explained, adding at the end, “Beautiful.”

"This is my new ID card. And yes, Su Wanxi doesn't seem like such a strange person." Gu Cheng told herself this, while deliberately ignoring the last two words Su Wanxi said.

"Let's go to the dinner party."

The dinner wasn't held at a fancy hotel, but at an ordinary restaurant called "Zhou's Home-Style Cuisine." Following Su Wanxi upstairs, they found a man and a woman already seated in a private room; Song Shiyan wasn't among them. The girl, about the same age as Gu Cheng, was intimately linked with the man's arm.

The man looked slightly younger than Song Shiyan, but was probably in his thirties or forties. "Captain Su, is this the new recruit that Director Song mentioned?" the older man spoke first.

Su Wanxi nodded and began introducing themselves. The older man's surname was Zhou, and his given name was Li; he was also the owner of the restaurant. The young and lively-looking girl was named Qin Kexin.

"Gu Cheng, we're on the same team now. Can I call you Chengzi?" After hearing Su Wanxi's words, Qin Kexin immediately hugged Gu Cheng's forearm, the warm touch making her feel flustered.

"Kexin, don't scare her." Zhou Li noticed that Gu Cheng's expression was a little stiff and called out to Qin Kexin in time.

"Waaah~" Qin Kexin let out a cute wail and sat back down next to Zhou Li.

“Sure, if you’re willing.” Gu Cheng didn’t dislike this lively and somewhat overly familiar girl; it was just that her situation was special, and the girl’s unintentional intimate gestures only brought her a heavy sense of guilt.

"Hmm!" Qin Kexin's somewhat dejected expression visibly improved.

"Is everyone here?" Su Wanxi looked around and finally sat down to Gu Cheng's left.

“Lin Li can’t come; his family is very strict with him,” Zhou Li explained with a shrug.

As dishes were served one by one, the atmosphere gradually warmed up. People say that negotiations at the dinner table have the highest success rate, and there's some truth to that. Everyone gathered together to eat, subtly bringing them closer, especially with the lively Qin Kexin among them.

Unable to refuse their hospitality, Gu Cheng inevitably ate a little more. Although her appetite was still the smallest among the four, Su Wanxi unexpectedly ate the most, speaking no more than five words throughout the entire meal and quietly eating.

"Maybe it's because I've been training for too long," Gu Cheng thought, leaning back in her chair.

As the moon hung low in the sky, the streetlights outside the window lit up one after another, casting a warm glow.

Section 7, Chapter Seven Inspection

Half-asleep, Gu Cheng saw the familiar ceiling. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating a corner of the bed sheet, with tiny dust particles floating in the transparent beams of light.

It was a dry morning; there were no blood-stained sheets, nor any unpleasant stench. Everything was so clean and tidy.

Brushing aside the long hair that fell across her cheek, Gu Cheng got out of bed in her slippers. After washing up and tidying herself, her hair was still a mess. Gu Cheng didn't know how to braid, so she just combed it smooth. She turned on the gas valve and waited for the pan to heat up before adding an egg. The egg white and yolk sizzled in the oil. There was still some hot water left over from yesterday in the thermos, just enough to make a cup of milk. She took the pan off the heat, took two slices of toast from the bag, and sandwiched the golden-brown fried egg between them.

The taste was just right. Gu Cheng took a bite and chewed slowly.

Descending creatures, awakened beings, the Hermit Bureau—everything that happened yesterday felt like a dream. "Snap." She snapped her fingers, a pale blue spark appearing on her hand.

Weak and powerless, as if a gust of wind could blow it away. Gu Cheng thought to himself as the electric arcs on his palm gradually disappeared.

After finishing the last sip of milk, take the dirty dishes to the sink.

Su Wanxi, Zhou Li, and Qin Kexin. Last night's dinner wasn't as bureaucratic as she had imagined, and no one put on airs towards her, their junior. Her future colleagues were warm and hospitable, giving Gu Cheng an excellent first impression.

The gentle flow of water kissed her skin, while simultaneously disturbing Gu Cheng's thoughts.

She remembered another important thing: blood tests required fasting.

I can't just throw up what I've already eaten. I glanced at the clock in the living room; it was 7:30. I decided to skip lunch and get the blood test later.

After washing the dishes and returning to the bedroom, the clothes that used to fit her were now uncomfortable no matter how she wore them. The fabric felt unusually rough, and the pressure on her chest made it difficult for her to breathe.

"Phew~" I can only make do with these for now, and buy new ones after I've checked them out.

"Knock knock." A rhythmic knocking sound came from the living room door. Gu Cheng put on her coat and went to the door.

It was Song Shiyan. He had changed into a brown sweatshirt and was wearing flat-lens glasses. He looked like a refined high school teacher.

"How was the dinner party last night?" The girl in front of me was neatly dressed, her face slightly flushed, indicating that she had just eaten breakfast.

"It's fine." Gu Cheng squatted down and tied the loose shoelaces.

Song Shiyan smiled and handed her an ID card. "The photo is quite good."

The girl in the ID photo has a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth; she's pretty, but upon closer inspection, she looks a bit silly.

Gu Cheng took the card with a complicated expression and followed Song Shiyan downstairs.

The car wasn't as stuffy as before. A small air freshener was placed in front of me, right next to the metal ashtray, emitting a faint fragrance.

"You can take a nap first, the place we're going to is very far away." Gu Cheng fastened her seatbelt as instructed, leaned against the window, and closed her eyes to rest.

Although the journey was long, it was not bumpy. When she opened her eyes again, she had arrived at the Central Hospital, the destination Song Shiyan had mentioned—it had the most complete and sophisticated medical equipment in Lanjiang City.

Upon entering the lobby, the pungent smell of disinfectant hit them. Song Shiyan led Gu Cheng to inspect each department one by one.

Gu Cheng rarely goes to the hospital. She has been sick only a handful of times since she was a child, and at most it's just a minor cold that she doesn't need to take medicine and gets better the next day.

“You’ll get the hang of it eventually,” Song Shiyan said, watching Gu Cheng’s slightly awkward movements.

After joining the Hermit Bureau, going to the hospital became a regular occurrence. Sometimes, when there were many incidents, I could even smell disinfectant in my dreams.

There were so many things to criticize in her words that Gu Cheng didn't even know where to begin.

A full-body checkup is time-consuming, and by the time the whole process was completed, it was already evening. After a long day, Song Shiyan could at least go out for lunch, but Gu Cheng had to endure it to have her blood drawn, and by the end, she was so hungry that her steps were unsteady.

Based on the preliminary results, her body appears normal. All her male reproductive organs have disappeared, replaced by a complete female system. She is secreting large amounts of estrogen, while testosterone levels are maintained at extremely low levels. Chromosomal testing indicates she is XX. Physiologically speaking, she is a woman.

Song Shiyan frowned slightly as he looked at the report in his hand. Gu Cheng, on the other hand, was slumped in the passenger seat, too hungry to move.

He took a lighter from the storage compartment, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back, only holding the cigarette in his mouth without lighting it.

"Let's go eat first, that's all for today." In the end, Song Shiyan chose to remain silent about the contents of the report.

"Mmm," Gu Cheng replied weakly, her eyes half-closed.

The car stopped in front of Zhouji Home-Style Restaurant, and Song Shiyan went straight to a private room on the second floor. Qin Kexin had class that evening, so only Zhou Li was in the restaurant at that moment.

Why would Director Song be here at this hour? Does he have an important mission? Zhou Li saw the newcomer and put down his work. "What happened?"

Song Shiyan shook his head and picked up the menu on the table with a blank expression. "I'm just here for a meal."