Wu Youren and Rossi exchanged comm-watch numbers, keeping in frequent contact throughout their preparations.
Having someone to coordinate with truly made a world of difference; in just three days, their preparations were nearly complete.
The evening before departure, Wu Youren made a special trip to see the administrator to inform him.
It could be considered common courtesy, but primarily, he couldn't be certain whether the man fell under the influence of the Life-and-Death Knot.
The administrator, however, was quite enthusiastic, telling him, "Go ahead. I'll keep an eye on the vegetable garden for you while you're away."
*You won't end up killing all my vegetables, will you?* Wu Youren harbored serious doubts, but he smiled and replied, "I might not be gone for long anyway."
That night, he waited half the evening, but no one from the Life-and-Death Knot came knocking.
When he woke up the next morning, he actually felt a faint trace of disappointment: *Am I really that insignificant?*
Being ignored was certainly a good thing, but if it was merely on the surface, that would be rather troubling...
Carrying an oversized backpack, Wu Youren walked out to the entrance of the martial arts training grounds.
After waiting less than five minutes, Rossi arrived on a motorized cargo tricycle.
Behind the motorcycle was a modest cargo bed containing several packs and a rifle.
Rossi looked Wu Youren up and down, slightly puzzled. "You didn't bring a weapon?"
For foreigners, legally possessing firearms in Great Liang involved cumbersome procedures, but they were heading out to stake out the Guizu—their adversaries wouldn't have the standing to complain, would they?
Setting firearms aside, most martial artists relied more heavily on their own combat prowess anyway.
Yet he wasn't even carrying a long weapon—what was going on here?
Wu Youren placed his backpack onto the vehicle and patted the belt at his waist, where a row of small daggers was secured. "Aren't these weapons?"
He would have liked to buy a gun, but while other people caught illegally possessing a firearm would merely face confiscation and a fine, he was a different story.
Especially with how closely he was watched, being discovered immediately was a high-probability event, which would be practically handing them leverage on a silver platter.
A long weapon could indeed be bought, but the problem was... they were far too expensive!
A long weapon capable of withstanding a martial artist's internal breath was even more costly than a gun. Even if Wu Youren scraped together every last coin he had, he would only be able to afford an entry-level piece.
How was he supposed to get by in the future then?
He would rather carry no long weapon at all than brandish some cheap, mediocre piece of junk that would only invite contempt.
So he had simply purchased a few cheap, ordinary daggers to treat as single-use consumables.
"Just these...?" Rossi was genuinely speechless. A tiny dagger like that wasn't even worth as much as a single ghost-vanquishing bullet!
Wu Youren blinked. "My main goal is just to gather intelligence."
Gathering intel didn't strictly require packing heavier weapons, did it?
As for whether he had weapons and left them behind, or whatever the case might be, he had no intention of explaining.
At worst, they would part ways right here; he had already prepared himself mentally for that possibility.
"Fair enough," Rossi said after a moment's hesitation, nodding. "Carry a sharp blade, and the urge to kill stirs on its own."
Then he touched the handgun at his waist and glanced back at the rifle in the cargo bed behind him.
After a brief pause, he added, "Still, if we run into a suitable target, it's fine if I take action on my own... right?"
"Look at what you're saying," Wu Youren replied with a chuckle. "We're partners. When push comes to shove, I'm counting on your help."
"We'll work together," Rossi replied with a smile, setting aside any lingering misgivings.
The kid's situation was somewhat peculiar, but Rossi figured that at worst, he could treat it as a few days spent wandering the wilderness.
If they gained even a modest harvest, it would all be worth it.
Carrying the Jin youth, he drove over to the Martial Academy gates and swiped his identity token, intending to head out.
When Wu Youren swiped his identity token, the gate stalled. He then produced Instructor Hong Yan's written order.
The guard verified it; the pass was genuine, and the Martial Academy had a record on file.
However, the permission level on this Jin youth's identity token was exceedingly bizarre—*Strictly forbidden from leaving the Martial Academy!*
Permissions like this were rarely seen by the guard. Hesitating, he said, "Wait here a moment."
"It was issued by the Chief Instructor!" Rossi couldn't hold back. "Do you want me to bring her here in person?"
The Martial Academy had more than one grand knight instructor, but Instructor Hong's strength ranked among the very best even among grand knights.
"I never said I wouldn't let you through," the guard answered impassively. "I asked you to wait because I still need to verify other people."
In reality, he had already quietly transmitted a message to consult others about what this was all about.
Even if it had read "strictly forbidden to enter or leave without permission," he could have let him pass—Instructor Hong's order was more than enough.
The problem was that the words "without permission" weren't there at all; it was an outright ban, which put him in a real bind.
Security at the academy gates was not particularly strict, functioning somewhat like a doorman's post. If an acquaintance occasionally forgot their identity token, the guards would simply look the other way.
Yet the current situation was too unusual; he certainly didn't dare let someone through arbitrarily.
Under these circumstances, contacting Instructor Hong directly would have been most appropriate, but... he lacked the status to do so!
He made roundabout inquiries through intermediaries and learned that Instructor Hong was shut away researching something and could not be disturbed at the moment.
Rossi and Wu Youren didn't mind at first, assuming the guard merely needed to verify further details.
After all, the pass was genuine, and with so many people moving through the gates, the guard was indeed quite busy.
But after waiting for over an hour, Rossi's patience wore thin.
Catching a lull in the traffic, he spoke up, "How much longer do we have to wait? Do you need me to bring Instructor Hong here?"
The guard was helpless as well. He had asked several friends, but none could explain what was going on.
Out of options, he had no choice but to report it up the chain. His superior responded: *Then ask them what they intend to do.*
The guard had indeed asked—they wanted to go out and scout the nearby Guizu situation.
The reason itself was quite solid; the reason no Guizu operated long-term in the vicinity of Tianjing was precisely that many people were quietly doing this kind of work.
"Then just assign them a specific area, and you're done, aren't you?" His superior offered a compromise.
The guard had kept them waiting precisely because he was gathering and analyzing relevant intel, yet hadn't found the most suitable location.
Hearing Rossi speak up, he hesitated, then asked, "In your plans, do you have a specific destination?"
Hearing this, Rossi grew even more displeased. "Your job is to screen entry and exit at the academy. Aren't you sticking your nose in a bit too deep?"
"No specific location," Wu Youren answered seriously. "We're just scouting for Guizu activity, without any particular target."
Instructor Rossi could afford to show no courtesy, but Wu Youren couldn't, especially since he worried the Life-and-Death Knot would make a mountain out of a molehill over this.
"Then here is how it is," the guard said solemnly. "In Sector Three of Suotu Town, there is suspected Guizu activity."
"If you head there, I can let you pass."
"You want to assign us a mission?" Rossi scoffed in dissatisfaction, tapping his comm-watch a few times.
Then he looked up at the guard. "There's no such mission. It's not listed under the instructors' internal tasks either."
Although he was still striving for an assistant instructor post, he was an alumnus of Red Pine with a solid pedigree and decent connections.
Thus, it was only natural that he could view internal instructor missions.
"I know nothing about internal instructor tasks," the guard said expressionlessly. Within the academy, those belonged to two entirely different chains of command.
"If you are willing to go there, I will clear you right now. Otherwise, I must trouble the two of you to keep waiting."
His words sounded polite, but his tone was resolute; he clearly wasn't going to let them slide.
"Fine, I'll look into it right now," Rossi said, refusing to buy it. He even wondered if he had somehow offended this guy in the past.
His investigation was efficient; in about ten minutes, he confirmed that Suotu Town indeed had suspected Guizu activity.
The reason he hadn't found it in the mission system earlier was that someone had already accepted it internally off the books, bypassing the standard procedure entirely.
Through friends, he verified this fact and even learned that the academy had already dispatched two martial artist squads to investigate.
Still, he was somewhat unhappy. "Once we're there, who answers to whom? Wu, what do you think?"
"I don't have a say in this," Wu Youren sighed. "The main question is, if we don't go to Suotu, can we even get out?"
"Then you will have to wait longer," the guard answered. "Those are the terms for current Guizu reconnaissance missions."
"I'm really curious," Rossi spoke up, perplexed. "I never knew a gatekeeper had the authority to assign missions."
"Are you pulling this stunt because of him, or because of me?"
Did that even need to be asked? The guard gave a peculiar look. "If Knight Rossi wished to leave on his own, would I have the right to stop you?"
Rossi nodded. "So you have an issue with the Chief Instructor. Got it!"
"You don't understand a thing!" The guard flared up, refusing to let such a label be pinned on him. "He is strictly forbidden from leaving the academy!"
"Exactly," Rossi said, seeing no issue at all. "Why else would Chief Hong write him an authorization pass?"
"I can't make you understand," the guard said, knowing full well this fellow wasn't an official academy instructor yet, "and I have no obligation to explain myself!"
"Why don't we just head back?" Rossi was truly angry now. "Kid, I'll remember you."
"We're already here," Wu Youren ventured timidly.
"Then... fine," Rossi hesitated before ultimately sighing.
"If I hadn't been the one to deliver this order, I would never swallow such indignity. Kid, you're in big trouble."
"I'll be waiting," the guard said, his temper also flaring. "This had nothing to do with you in the first place. What are you making a fuss for?"
"Forget it," Wu Youren could only step in to mediate. "At worst, we just go to Suotu."
For him, staking out the Rust Belt wasn't much different from going to Suotu.
"Fine, then," Rossi, who had been furious just moments ago, actually agreed.
His logic was simple: spending a few days out in the field, even if they returned empty-handed, would deepen his bond with the Jin youth.
As for his grudge with the guard, they would settle that later. Once he became an instructor at the academy, he would have plenty of time and opportunity.
*Oh? Still planning on settling scores later?* The guard was no fool, but he found it somewhat laughable.
They belonged to entirely different administrative chains; if you want to make life difficult for me, do you even have the reach?
"We'll go to Suotu," Rossi said, refusing to argue any further. "Come on, dare to say going to Suotu won't work either!"
"Those were your words," the guard said, choosing not to stoop to his level. "You may leave now. You'd best not take the wrong path!"
Except in matters of romance, taking the wrong path usually carried dire consequences!
Chapter 20