Life as a mercenary turned into a girl is a bit difficult

Without waiting for Hiiragi Jing to be confused, Ren Xi continued: "Aren't you a mercenary? I want to send a commission to you."

"Commission?"

"That's right." Ren Xi took out a folded piece of paper from his coat pocket and pressed it against the door, unfolding it so that Higurashi could read the content printed on it, "Have you heard about the establishment of the reclamation camp? I I was temporarily transferred to be an agricultural consultant due to my position, but the institute’s reliable external officers are all in JD Abandoned City to assist other researchers in their local excavation work.”

Reclamation camp?Could it be that……

"Is it because of the ranger thing?"

"Huh? It seems that you have heard something about it. It saves me the trouble of explaining it to you." Unexpectedly, Hiei Jing's eyes actually knew something about what happened in the reclamation camp, and Ren Xi confirmed it simply. Hiiragi's guess was, "Yes, it is precisely because this matter is so unusual that I feel the need to strengthen the protection around me."

"But you are a B-level researcher. Shouldn't the reclamation camp arrange special defense personnel for you?"

"What you said is correct, but the reclamation camp is short of manpower, especially after the sudden change of an entire forest patrol team. I don't want to waste unnecessary security manpower on me. The sooner the reclamation camp completes the initial construction, I will The sooner I can come back from that ghost place... Besides, it’s not very reassuring to have a group of big men surrounding me all day long to transfer people.”

After Ren Xi finished speaking, he shook the contract in his hand indicatively, but Hiei Jing still had doubts about it.

"I'm not the only female mercenary, why me?"

"Because you are reliable."

"What... what?!"

Ren Xi's quick reply caught Hiiragi off guard.

"Being favored by that guy Han Nianling already shows that there is something special about you. Moreover, you can come back alive after setting foot in the crater area of ​​JD Abandoned City. Not many mercenaries can do that."

Are you really that powerful?

Unexpectedly, a B-level researcher would have such a high opinion of herself. Hiiragi Jing felt a little embarrassed when she heard this, and her dissatisfaction just now was forgotten early.

Hiroyuki was actually inclined to agree with Ren Xi's commission. What happened to Uncle Lin made people consciously want to find out. In addition, he had been idle for too long and finally met a feasible job. The commission made her look forward to it.

But so far she has not signed her name on the contract because she has one last concern.

"That, that... Han Nianling's side..."

Hiei Jing glanced at Ren Xi and then looked away, her eyes flickering as if she was looking for something, and she showed an expectant and embarrassed attitude. Although she spoke softly, she still said someone's name. The bite was clearly visible between his lips and tongue. Ren Xi still didn't understand Hiiragi Jing's hint, and immediately smiled and said: "Don't worry, I will inform Han Nianling for you."

"OK then."

After receiving such a positive reply from Ren Xi, Hiei Jing readily took the pen handed over by Ren Xi and left her name on the commission.

"Then let's set off now. The car is already waiting downstairs." With the overall situation decided, Ren Xi quickly took hold of Hiiragi Jing's hand and started to pull him outside.

"Wait a minute, are you so eager? I'm not ready yet..."

"What are you preparing for? I've already chosen your size for the combat uniform. I've also transferred your equipment from the underground shooting range and put it at the reclamation camp waiting for you to come over." Ren Xi had already put Hiiragi on All the preparations that Jing needed were completed, and it seemed that she was sure that Hiiragi would definitely make the choice to accept the commission.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't report my return from the reclamation camp this time. If I come back late, I will be demerited for dereliction of duty. I don't want my work at the reclamation camp to be extended because of this."

Since Ren Xi was so urgent, Hiei Jing had to speed up, turned off the TV, locked the door, and followed Ren Xi downstairs. It was already after ten o'clock, and there were many stars twinkling in the dark night. Parked under the dim streetlight not far away was a fierce-looking black off-road vehicle, with wide tires that were almost as high as Hiiragi's waist.

No need to guess, you already know that this is the vehicle Ren Xi has prepared.

However, the paint does not look like a military vehicle from a reclamation camp, and there is no Erlenmeyer flask logo of the institute. There are many scratches and signs of wear on the body.

"Be careful, fasten your seat belt..." Ren Xi, who was sitting in the driver's seat when Hiiragi had just climbed into the passenger seat, immediately told him. Although he was still in the city, he didn't expect that the other party would be so safety-conscious and pay so much attention to details. His character made Hiiragi's evaluation of Ren Xi rise a lot after the other party's praise.

This made Hiiragi take out Han Nianling and compare it with Ren Xi.

Sigh... If it were Ren Xi who signed the personal operator employment contract with me instead of Han Nianling...

"boom!!!!"

The roar of the engine, which was like an explosion, interrupted the horizontal comparison in Hieragi Jing's mind. She was so frightened that her shoulders trembled and she thought there was something wrong with the car.

"As expected, those guys in the R&D department are quite capable. As expected, the most important thing about driving is to experience this addictive sense of power..." He winked at Hiiragi Jing as if showing off, and said the next sentence It made Hiiragi realize that something was wrong, "Tighten your seat belt and sit tight."

"Huh? But...this is still an urban area..."

"It doesn't matter, there's a curfew now, there's no one on the street." Ren Xi's words, which were meant to reassure Hiiragi Jing, made Hiiragi even more panicked, "Aren't the roads... and the sidewalks very spacious?"

Jump!

A strong idea just came to mind, but before Hiroyuki could put it into practice, Ren Xi quickly put into gear and stepped on the accelerator to the bottom. The rapidly rotating rear wheels left deep black marks on the ground. , thick tail smoke gushes out from the jet pipe, and the next second the off-road vehicle driving towards the front pole has rushed out of the community.

Chapter 22 The familiar beam of light

The night is quite good tonight. The full moon hanging high in the night sky illuminates the earth extremely brightly. You can see the surrounding scenery clearly even without the need for lights. The river in the distance is more like covered with a layer of shining silver scales. Such a night scene is quite beautiful. It has a unique flavor.

However, Hiiragi, who had no ability to appreciate scenery, paid no attention to these things at this time, or could not devote much attention to them, because the scene that was quickly passing behind him was just a blur.

"We're here, let's get off the car. Do you want to take another ride?"

Suddenly, there was a clear knocking sound on the car window next to her. Hiiragi Jing, who was in a daze, was awakened. She turned around and looked at Ren Xi through the glass. Only then did she realize that they had arrived at their destination and that she had just been in a trance. What a terrible question I heard.

Sit again?Are you kidding me?

Hiiragi hurriedly pulled off the tight seat belt around her body and opened the car door to get out of the car, but as soon as she stepped on the ground, she almost fell to the ground because of her weak legs.

Fortunately, Ren Xi seemed to have already anticipated what was going to happen next. Before Hiei Jing's nose came into contact with the ground, she hugged Hiei Jing's waist from behind.

"Aren't you an experienced mercenary? Why do you act so recklessly?"

Who do you think caused this? !

Standing firmly on her feet, Hiong Jing glared back at Ren Xi, but the other party walked forward as if he hadn't noticed. When Hiong Jing followed Ren Xi's footsteps, the sight that caught her eye made her The question that was on his lips was instantly forgotten.

Ahead is a large barracks area surrounded by cement walls. The secret tacky barbed wire fence surrounds three layers of the outer layer. Cement piers, anti-collision pillars and trenches form the outer defense zone outside the cement walls. , and behind them, there are many reconnaissance sentries, each of which is only more than 20 meters apart.

Further away on the flat area near the river is a construction site under construction. The temporarily laid wires are like a large network formed above the construction site. Hundreds of lights illuminate the entire site as bright as day. More than a dozen Excavators and transport vehicles were operating non-stop, and there were mountains of building materials piled around the construction site.

"In front are the barracks of the reclamation camp, and over there is the location of the future production base. According to the project plan, the construction work is divided into three construction periods. It is estimated that it will be officially completed in about two months. The construction team of the reclamation camp plus the transfer from the Newborn City The total manpower of the construction team that came here is more than 800, plus transportation and logistics personnel, the total number of these oddities is no less than [-]."

More than 1000 people?This was the first time Hiiragi Jing had heard of such a large amount of work since she came to Newborn City. Even the several large-scale reinforcements and upgrades to the city walls did not use so much manpower. It seemed that the Newborn City government was not interested in the production here. The base's attention and eagerness are far greater than imagined.

The construction site over there was in full swing, but the camp area here was unusually quiet. There were only two guards at the door, and many important defensive fortifications were even empty.

"Although breeding still needs to wait for the completion of greenhouses, grain planting has to start quickly. Now is the time to plant seedlings. It is time to plan a test field to collect crop growth and soil sample data to prepare for the next late rice."

While introducing Ren Xi to Hiiragi Jing, who had just arrived, he led Hiiragi Jing into the camp that was protected by heavy defense lines. After walking through the gate, the scene behind the wall gradually revealed itself to Hiiragi Jing's sight.

The interior of the camp is filled with large swaths of container houses with blue steel tile roofs. There are still many such temporary residences in the refugee area where Hiiragi once lived, and compared to the houses where most refugees live, they are built with rags and rubble. The tent room is already considered a 'high-end residence'.

The road has not yet been paved with cement, but is simply covered with a layer of stones for walking. You can hear the sound of tiny collisions between the stones with every step you take.

There were very few people patrolling the barracks, and even the sentry posts along many routes were empty. Hiei Jing speculated that it was probably because the reclamation camp had to increase its defense of the dense forest to the west after the incident involving Lin Pingfeng's patrol team. So many men were mobilized that the camp was under-guarded.

After walking about a few hundred meters, Ren Xi stopped and motioned to Hiei Jing to look ahead: "That is your residence."

Not far ahead, there is an independent two-story white board house. Unlike other container houses that are connected together, the white board house is relatively independent and surrounded by a circle of three-meter-high wooden buildings. The walls provide a relatively private space for those who live within them.

Even though the conditions were a little rough, the reclamation camp still provided Ren Xi with the preferential treatment that a B-level researcher deserved.

Pushing open the courtyard door, which still exudes the unique smell of wood, the soft feeling under your feet suddenly became hard. Unexpectedly, the only concrete floor Hiiragi Jing had seen in this camp so far was actually Ren Xi's yard.

However, the yard is very small, and the function of the fence is probably just to ensure Ren Xi's personal privacy. It is difficult for her to stay here as a young woman.

"Come in, this will be our shared residence for the next period of time."

Following Ren Xi from the yard into the cabin, the interior of the cabin was as simple as the camp: a floor lamp, a desk, a chair, and nothing else.

The hygiene was very clean, and there was a faint smell floating in the air, which was completely different from the smell of dust and earth that I smelled while walking in the barracks.

"The room over there is your bedroom. It was always empty before you came here. I live in the room on the second floor. The conditions are a bit simpler. Is that okay?"

Hiiragi curled her lips. Ren Xi's final confirmation was obviously too redundant in her opinion. She had countless experiences of spending the night alone in the wilderness. She leaned against a relatively safe corner of the ruins with her gun in hand. It's enough to spend a night. Compared to this, the accommodation environment here can be described as 'luxury'.

"Then let me confirm the work content with you one last time..." Ren Xi moved a chair and sat down in front of the desk, and put the contract signed by Hiiragi on the table, "In the next period of my stay at the reclamation camp During this period, you will be responsible for my daily safety, and the reward will be settled on a daily basis, and will be paid to you on the last day you leave the reclamation camp, how about that?"

The steps for face-to-face confirmation were just a matter of procedure. Hiiragi nodded in approval and came to what Ren Xi said. There was no need for a B-level researcher to play any text trap on her as a mercenary. The reward was relatively different from that of ordinary protection tasks. It is relatively high but not worth mentioning based on the financial resources of researcher Ren Xi.

"In that case, you should go to the room and take a look first. As for your weapons, I have placed them on the table in the room. If you have any problems, you can ask the guard at the door to send them to the equipment warehouse for maintenance and repair. Get some rest early and return them tomorrow. I have to get up early." Ren Xi stood up from the table, turned off the light, and turned to go upstairs. Hiei Jing didn't make any further preparations to check whether her weapons had been worn during transportation.

Opening the door of his room, this temporary residence is indeed very simple in layout. A folding bed and a low table are all the contents of the room. In addition to his own weapons and equipment, there is also a jungle set on the table. Camouflage combat uniform.

Hiiragi compared it with her own body one by one. As expected, just as Ren Xi said, it was the right size for her. In addition to the regular clothes, there was also a dark green shawl. The material was very hard, and it looked like it was folded in half. The canvas has been used several times but is very light, which should prevent it from being scratched by thorns and barbs during jungle operations.

After a brief inspection of his equipment, Hiiragi gradually felt a little sleepy. Perhaps it was because he was too nervous when taking Ren Xi's car just now, and his energy consumption was very serious.

sleep...

I even turned off the lights and went to bed without even washing up. The unfamiliar bedding exuded the strong smell of cotton. The folding bed under me was almost as hard as cement. Time passed little by little, but I could still find it difficult to fall asleep even though I was feeling sleepy. .

what happened?

Is it because of the unfamiliar environment?Or is it because the bed board is too hard?Or is it the construction noise coming from the construction site?

No matter what, Hiiragi couldn't believe it. When did she become so picky? Is it because of the sequelae of living in a high-end apartment?Is this the so-called difficulty of going from luxury to frugality?

After struggling for more than ten minutes, Hiiragi finally got up. Maybe a short walk in the yard would help her fall asleep as soon as possible. The moment she opened the door, the evening breeze blowing on her face was a bit cool. She didn't pay much attention to it before: tonight's The night turned out to be so nice.

He raised his head and glanced at the full moon in the sky. Just when Hiroyuki was about to change his gaze and walk down the steps, the corner of his right eye suddenly noticed something was wrong.

She suddenly turned her head and looked towards the jungle to the west. The influence of the moonlight above her head and the lights of the construction site in front made it difficult to clearly distinguish her position, but she still vaguely saw the strangeness she had just noticed. That was... ...a light blue beam of light? !

Chapter 23 Test Flight

Although it is not the same in terms of appearance, it is undeniable that there are still many similarities between what I witnessed last night and the blue light beam I saw in JD Abandoned City.

Just the sudden appearance of an inexplicable blue light beam in the direction of the dense forest to the west was enough to make Hiiragi alert.

The last beam of light caused a large-scale commotion among all the monsters in the JD Abandoned City Nuclear Wasteland, and even attracted a witch codenamed 'Tyrant' to appear. So what about this time?Moreover, it is so close to the New City. Once something happens, the direct threat to the New City will be several times greater than the incident in the JD Abandoned City Nuclear Wasteland.

The hardness of the folding bed has become a secondary reason for Hiiragi's inability to sleep. Worry about the light beam kept Hiiragi almost sleepless all night.

When the sky had just dimmed, Hiei Jing knocked on Ren Xi's door. Ren Xi, who was still in a daze, was full of resentment for being disturbed from his sleep, but after hearing the explanation related to the JD Abandoned City incident, He immediately took action, but after more than ten minutes, the result was something Hiiragi never expected.

"No witness report?! But...how is this possible?"

Hiiragi Jing couldn't understand. Although the beam of light only existed for a few seconds, and perhaps the brightness was indeed a bit dim, no matter how bright the moonlight was under the night, it was impossible to completely cover up the traces of the blue beam of light.

"Nothing is impossible, it's just the truth." Ren Xi yawned exaggeratedly, and was interrupted by Hiiragi's urgent knock on the door while he was still sleeping. After struggling to complete the investigation, Ren Xi's spirit finally recovered. Feelings of sleepiness.

It could be seen that Hiiragi didn't quite agree with the results, and Ren Xi continued to clarify the credibility of the survey: "We surveyed all the construction workers on the construction site, and not one of the nearly a thousand people noticed what you said. Regarding the blue light beam, considering factors such as the busy work that makes it difficult to be distracted and the influence of lighting on the construction site, we also sought confirmation from all the guards who were on duty last night, including more than a hundred people at the sentry in the direction of the dense forest. The result is still the same.”

Hearing this, Hiiragi fell into silence. Ren Xi's words made her have to doubt whether the scene she saw last night was real. Did she really see it wrong due to the influence of light, or could she only see the beam of light? arrive.

"But...are you really sure you saw something?"

As if to confirm again, Ren Xi suddenly asked Hiiragi Jing one more question. This question made Hiiragi Jing hesitate for a moment. After reviewing the memory of last night, she finally nodded firmly.

"I understand. I will report this matter to the superiors and ask for attention."

"Ugh?"

She originally thought that this incident would end with such a result, but what Hiiragi Jing didn't expect was that Ren Xi suddenly made such a decision, was it just because of her nod just now?

"Don't forget, the reclamation camp just lost a forest ranger there not long ago. Although many people have been dispatched, there has been no progress so far. That jungle is still unknown to us, even if it is really just you If you are wrong, it is impossible for the reclamation camp to ignore it until there is conclusive confirmation.”

Ren Xi put the notebook he was doing research on on the desk, turned around and looked at Hiiragi Jing's eyes and said seriously, "If that beam of blue light is really similar to the beam of light that appeared in JD's ruined city before, as you said, then as a As an in-depth witness to the JD Abandoned City incident, you must know it better than anyone here, and your credibility will naturally be higher."

Hiiragi was quite pleased that her speech was taken seriously, but she also noticed another piece of information revealed in Ren Xi's words.

"Is there really no progress in the exploration of the jungle?"

"It's a bit exaggerated to say that, but there is indeed not much valuable information. The reclamation camp is also in the early stages of its establishment. There are not many armed personnel except the forest rangers. Especially after the loss of Lin Pingfeng's rangers, they can be used There is a shortage of manpower for exploration, and coupled with the harsh terrain environment of the jungle, it has been difficult to conduct a truly in-depth investigation." Ren Xi revealed the difficulties faced by the current reclamation camp one by one.

"Now the headquarters of the reclamation camp plans to recruit mercenaries in the First Born City to make up for the shortage of manpower, and on the other hand, it plans to apply for special equipment support from the First Born City..."

mercenary?

"Don't think about it. You are mine now. Just focus on protecting my personal safety. As for the exploration and investigation, it is enough to leave it to others." One glance showed that Hiiragi Jing was listening to the word 'mercenary'. Ren Xi directly rejected the little thought that came up after the words.

"what?"

Since seeing Lin Pingfeng in the medical department, Hiei Jing has been particularly concerned about the jungle to the west. One of the reasons for accepting Ren Xi's commission was also her inquiring mind about it, but Ren Xi's verdict separated her from it. This result is disappointing.

Ren Xi also felt a little embarrassed when she saw Hiiragi Jing showing a lack of interest. After learning that Hiiragi Jing and Lin Pingfeng knew each other, she could more or less guess the purpose of Hiiragi Jing coming here, but for Hiiragi Jing She can't make too many decisions personally.

Especially after notifying Han Nianling last night about hiring Hiiragi Jing and receiving a reply, it sounded like a greeting from a peaceful experience in the reclamation camp. Even the topic of Hiiragi Jing seemed to be mentioned in a rude way. However, Hidden between the lines is a threat that is almost overflowing. He can always inadvertently mention his driving violations or mistakes in his work at the institute.

Ren Xi, who has always had his own way of doing things, suddenly regretted his rashness last night. If it weren't for the many years of friendship between the two, Han Nianling would probably not even reply and start taking action immediately. Stop the revenge plan.

Now that things have come to this, Ren Xi can't let Hiiragi get involved in such a dangerous environment in the jungle to the west. If something happens to her, her good life will be over.

However, maybe I can make some compensation for Hiiragi in other ways...

"Since you are so interested in jungle exploration, I will take you to see the work progress of the temporary investigation team. A batch of special equipment has been shipped, and the first round of testing is about to take place. Go and have a look." Ren Xi suddenly clapped his hands as if he suddenly remembered something and sent an invitation to Hiiragi Jing. The factors related to jungle exploration made Hiiragi Jing's attention shift from disappointment to Ren Xi.