Chapter Fifty-Six: Trial Mission Two – Armament

After three or four hours of flight training, Zhuang Xiaoyuan finally mastered the art of soaring freely through the sky.

It was only after she had gained full control over her flying abilities—moving at will in the air and successfully circling the entire field—that the golden parchment reappeared before her. On its shimmering surface, the first task was marked as completed, and beneath it, the second mission had appeared.

[Task Two]

[Proceed alone to the weapons warehouse, equip yourself with suitable armaments, and pass the subsequent simulated aerial combat training.]

“Weapons loading?” Reading the second stage of her trial on the golden parchment, Zhuang Xiaoyuan recalled the empty status bar she’d seen earlier in the equipment interface.

Just as she received the second trial task, the information link device above her head twitched like cat ears, her left wristband sounded an urgent alarm, and the touchscreen area began to flash with a flickering red square.

Startled by the sudden alarm, Zhuang Xiaoyuan tapped the glowing spot. A dazzling red display burst forth, projecting over her left hand.

“Warning, warning! District Thirty is under attack by unknown creatures! District Thirty is under attack by unknown creatures! Alert: District Thirty’s defenses breached, District Thirty’s defenses breached! Activate self-defense systems for Districts Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen. Unknown creatures are approaching the outer rings. All standby War Maidens, please proceed to support immediately. All standby War Maidens, please proceed to support immediately.”

Before Zhuang Xiaoyuan could examine the text on the red display, a mechanical voice, tinged with urgency, emanated from her wristband.

As the warning ended, the scarlet screen abruptly shifted back to blue, and the text vanished, replaced by an overhead map of a circular district.

The circular region was divided into four rings: the central First District; the second ring contained Districts Two through Five; the third ring held Districts Six through Thirteen; the outermost ring comprised Districts Fourteen through Twenty-Nine. Beyond the circle, four square areas—labeled Districts Thirty through Thirty-Three—were positioned at the cardinal points, resembling the city’s four gates in the overhead view.

At this moment, District Thirty had turned gray, indicating it had fallen. The adjacent Districts Fourteen through Seventeen flashed red, signaling fierce combat.

Apart from these, the central First District displayed a green dot pulsing in place. Drawing from countless game maps she’d seen in her previous life, Zhuang Xiaoyuan surmised this green mark represented her own location. It was only natural that the core factory for constructing War Maidens stood at the very center of the city.

“Number 99... hmm, Zhuang Xiaoyuan. The situation is urgent. I’ve received an emergency support request. Your flight training is basically complete. Next is weapon selection and simulated aerial combat. Please proceed on your own. Open the connection path in auxiliary functions—I’ll send you the coordinates.”

As Zhuang Xiaoyuan received the alert, it was clear Zhuang Xiaosi also got the notice, along with orders to join the battle.

Given the emergency, there was no time to arrange further training. Zhuang Xiaosi immediately ordered Zhuang Xiaoyuan to act independently. No wonder the Guardian’s trial required her to go alone. At this moment, she felt more convinced that this world wasn’t simply the creation of a Guardian deity—perhaps it truly existed. This suspicion lodged deeply in her heart.

She opened her status bar and tapped [Auxiliary Functions]. A field of gray [???] virtual buttons appeared. Only [Terminal Connection] at the top and [District Map] below were active. With no time to ponder the question marks, Zhuang Xiaoyuan tapped Terminal Connection. A small screen popped up: [Accept connection request from 10-4? Yes/No.]

She pressed Yes, and a data transfer animation played. After a second, it vanished, and the [District Map] button began to pulse blue, clearly linked to the newly received data.

She tapped the blinking [District Map] button. The circular map appeared again, but now, in District Four, a yellow marker flashed. Above it, text read: [Newcomer Armament Preparation and Simulation Training Area.]

“Zhuang Xiaoyuan, please proceed to the yellow-marked area, complete your initial armament preparation and adaptation, and begin your first simulation training. I’ll be leaving now. Is that alright?” After sending the data, Zhuang Xiaosi looked at Zhuang Xiaoyuan with a stern expression—though her usual blank face made it hard to tell the difference.

“No problem, Instructor.” Knowing the situation was dire, Zhuang Xiaoyuan didn’t waste Zhuang Xiaosi’s time. After confirming she’d received and understood the map, she replied firmly.

“10-4, proceed immediately to District Fifteen for support. Self-defense system damage at 36.42%.” An alarm sounded from Zhuang Xiaosi’s wristband. In the brief exchange between them, the invading unknown creatures had already destroyed over a third of the defense systems. Was it because the enemy was too powerful, or the defenses too weak?

“10-4, understood.” With a sharp look, Zhuang Xiaosi replied. She glanced once more at Zhuang Xiaoyuan, then the propulsion system on her back burst into flame, launching her away at a speed beyond human—disappearing into the sky. Zhuang Xiaosi vanished faster than Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s first unregulated flight by several times. Truly worthy of her title... as a training unit.

With her gaze following Zhuang Xiaosi’s departure, Zhuang Xiaoyuan fell silent for a moment. She looked down at her map and began her second trial task. She hoped Zhuang Xiaosi would be safe. With such rapid breakthroughs, what kind of creature was this unknown enemy? What exactly were these unknown creatures?

Worry for her new acquaintance mingled with her irritation at the term “unknown creature” from the alert. Following the map, Zhuang Xiaoyuan flew toward the yellow marker.

Right now, she could do nothing. She had no divine transformation, had only just learned to fly as a War Maiden, and carried not a single weapon. It was best to complete the weapon training honestly. Once she finished, she hoped Zhuang Xiaosi would have returned—otherwise... she would go see for herself. Even if she couldn’t do much, perhaps she could help a little. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.