Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 422 - 415: The Final Night

Chapter 422: Chapter 415: The Final Night

A month of training quickly came to an end. Even though the Advance Team was technically on vacation for that month, they were, in fact, training relentlessly, much to Hu Daoke’s discomfort.

However, the results of this high-intensity training were very evident. Especially for Tangmo, who used to misfire her gun, she mastered the basic shooting skills. She could now even become a qualified riflewoman if she chose not to be a mage.

Of course, becoming a qualified soldier after only a month of training is not something anyone can achieve. Tangmo was able to do this because she was already a quasi-soldier. In their high school, everyone was required to undergo military skills training. Even though Tangmo’s performance was mediocre, at the very least, she had handled guns before and knew how to use them, and therefore, had an easy time adapting to the training.

Apart from Tangmo, Cheng Ziang underwent extensive firearms training as well to compensate for his weaknesses. The Advance Team was composed of only five members who had to accomplish a dangerous mission, so it was necessary to ensure well-rounded skills for each member.

The reason why the academy hastily selected the Advance Team was to be prepared for the impending third Otherworld War. Had the timing of the war been delayed, the headquarters would have preferred to select these hybrid humans after they’d completed their college education.

Besides them, Hu Daoke also learned advanced precision shooting techniques from Baiyue. Although his improvement was not that significant, at least he could now understand the shooting chart and accurately hit a half-body target 300 meters away, which was satisfactory.

A month of instruction and cohabitation deepened the bond and understanding between Hu Daoke and Baiyue significantly. Baiyue began displaying more expressions when around Hu Daoke.

However, this didn’t mean that romantic feelings had blossomed between them. Baiyue always held Luo’er in her heart. Hu Daoke respected the traditional hierarchy of relationships, considering Luo’er somewhere between a parent and an older brother. He never considered pursuing Luo’er’s confidante.

Luo’er had the easiest yet unluckiest month. As the Captain of the Advance Team, Cheng Ziang didn’t feel Luo’er needed any additional training. Luo’er just needed to reflect on improving his strategic command skills.

Being a rifleman, Luo’er did not require any specific reinforcement training. He was also responsible for commanding the team, often being at the center, so long-range precision shooting was useless for him.

For these reasons, Cheng Ziang decisively ordered Luo’er to rest and not take part in the training. The decision aimed to allow Luo’er to recover his strength as well as reflect on not mixing personal feelings when commanding.

Although Luo’er didn’t have to train, it didn’t mean he was idle. He could not stand doing nothing. So, he took on the team’s logistics responsibilities voluntarily.

Even though Luo’er was a maid in name, his work abilities were equivalent to a steward. Under Luo’er’s care, the other team members did not have to worry about logistic matters. Right after their training, they could enjoy delicious food and ready hot baths. Luo’er also provided basic massage services to help relieve their fatigue.

Initially, the team members resisted and felt embarrassed to always let Luo’er take care of them. But as time went on, they all succumbed to the meticulous and comprehensive care provided by Luo’er, unable to extricate themselves.

Cheng Ziang even felt that Luo’er was trying to win over everyone’s heart through his attentive care. But for Cheng Ziang, such a method was incredibly appealing; he saw no reason to refuse it.

"Boss..." The moment Hu Daoke walked into the dining room, he embraced Luo’er tightly, leaning his head on Luo’er’s chest, and kept whimpering.

"You must be tired. Eat first. I’ve already prepared your hot water," Luo’er gently said while patting Hu Daoke’s head with a smile on his face

Tangmo walked over, pulled Hu Daoke away, and hugged Luo’er’s waist. She looked up at Luo’er and asked, "Luo’er, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"Uh, tonight we’re having Szechuan cuisine," Luo’er replied, awkwardly pushing her away. Tangmo was clinging onto him, and the intimacy made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Luo’er, you’re avoiding me!" Tangmo said, pouting with dissatisfaction while still clinging to him.

"Not at all, I smell of smoke from cooking, I don’t want it to get on your clothes..." Luo’er said, finally managing to push her away.

As soon as he pushed Tangmo away, Baiyue seized the chance to hug him. In the presence of familiar people, she always acted boldly. Although she was not good at expressing her feelings verbally, her actions were often more forward than those of Tangmo.

Tangmo did not express any resentment towards this, instead, accepting it naturally. Among all the girls around Luo’er, Baiyue was the only one she could tolerate. She would immediately get angry whenever other girls approached Luo’er.

"You two..." Luo’er felt speechless as he looked down at her. Baiyue buried her face in his chest, her large eyes pleadingly watching him. Her hood slipped off her head revealing a pair of fluffy rabbit ears resting on her hair.

"Whatever...," Seeing her look like a little creature, Luo’er’s heart softened immediately.

He lifted his head, no longer lost in her innocent wide eyes, instead he called out, "Let’s start the meal, everyone. If you find it too spicy, I can make some bland dishes."

Yalunte picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. After a few chews, he immediately felt that something was wrong and, with a sour face, he asked, "Little elf, what did you put in this chicken? My mouth is numb."

"That’s what you get for eating the Sichuan peppercorn in it..." Cheng Ziang, looking at the spicy chicken he put in his bowl, helplessly shook his head.

Even though they were in the Otherworld, many of their living habits hadn’t changed. They lived in Otherworld-style villas and used lamps powered by magic crystals but ate Chinese food and drank Coca Cola and fruit juice from Earth. They found Earth’s industrial products more interesting than those of the Otherworld.

"Here, have some Coca-Cola!" Cheng Ziang said as he poured him a glass.

Yalunte picked up the glass and downed it in one go, then belched. Instantly, carbon dioxide filled his nostrils, stimulating his tears to burst out. He quickly covered his nose and said in pain, "Something is wrong, this wine is poisoned!"

Cheng Ziang, holding the bottle of Coca-Cola, looked at him somewhat speechless, finally chuckling.

It took Luo’er quite a bit of effort to pull Baiyue off him and set her in a chair. Although this girl didn’t express her feelings verbally, she stuck to people a lot. If Tangmo was an octopus, then she would be considered chewy candy, impossible to shake off.

"Speaking of which, today is our final training day, isn’t it?" At the dinner, Cheng Ziang suddenly thought of something and spoke up.

"Ah, I haven’t enjoyed enough of your services yet!" As soon as this matter was brought up, Hu Daoke immediately put on a sorrowful face.

"Is that all you care about? Luo’er is always there to serve you!" Cheng Ziang said, unable to hold back from kicking him.

"Headquarters has just sent us a message, to return to our base tomorrow. Apparently, they have a task for us." Tangmo said, taking out a letter from his pocket and placing it on the dinner table.

Luo’er instinctively reached out to take it, only to realize Cheng Ziang was staring at him intently. It dawned on him that he was not yet the captain, so with a sigh, he handed the letter to Cheng Ziang.

"Oh, it must be nice to be the captain. Once we’re back, I’ll see if I can apply to be the captain." Cheng Ziang opened the letter, chuckling triumphantly.

"In your dreams! Once I become the captain, I will make you dress in women’s clothing too!" Luo’er glared at him, speaking with a face of resentment.

"Didn’t you quite enjoy it? We’ve all grown accustomed to you in that attire. What if I request a special battle suit for you based on a maid’s outfit when we return?" Cheng Ziang asked, his head bowed over the letter.

"Absolutely not!" Luo’er gave a firm reply.

"What does it say?" Hu Daoke asked, wiping oil from his mouth, and looking at him.

"Ah, it seems to involve the Church Court again. Recently, the headquarters are going out of their way to get on their good side." Cheng Ziang shook his head.

"If it wasn’t for the Gate to the Otherworld, they probably wouldn’t be so eager to curry favor." Luo’er pondered aloud.

The headquarters’ main goal right now is to somehow obtain the Otherworld Gate from the Church Court, or even better if they could secure all of Lipei. Although Lipei is under the jurisdiction of the Church Court, they don’t pay much attention to it. So, if the headquarters could win their favor, they could probably get Lipei City from the Church Court.

The new Mingming Plan has made significant adjustments because of Lipei’s Otherworld Gate. As soon as they acquire Lipei, they can launch the Mingming Plan and accumulate strength for the headquarters for the next few decades.

In their engagement with the Otherworld, the headquarters has always been visionary. Many of their current advantages in the Otherworld were laid out twenty or even thirty years ago.

Interacting with the High-peak people allowed them to control Ronisca in the northeast, which led to the initiation of the Origin Project. This gave them a group of hybrid species capable of utilizing both environments twenty years later. Many things that seem ordinary now were actually prepared a long time ago.