Chapter 1416
Responds to Softness but Not Hardness
The members of the Victory Team were relieved to see that Choi Myung had returned and seemed to be in a good mood.
When the instructors are in a good mood, everyone feels much more relaxed.
After all, nobody wants to face a Storm One with a dark expression; the oppressive feeling is even more terrifying than facing a monster. Last time, when Cui Ming was in a bad mood, the air pressure in the entire command room dropped by 30%, and even Spike tucked his tail between his legs and dared not breathe loudly.
"The instructor's back!" Xincheng was the first to peek out, grinning from ear to ear. "Was it fun underground? Did you find any treasure?"
Cui Ming slammed the Giga melee device on the table with a dull thud: "Got a Golza."
"……what?"
"It's been enhanced, and now it's mine."
There was a two-second silence in the command room, followed by a burst of "Holy crap!"
Daigo nodded silently beside him, proving that his instructor wasn't exaggerating.
Choi Myung ignored the noisy team members, plopped down next to Kijima Megumi, and tossed the fighting device in his hand like a walnut.
"What's the situation?"
Kijima looked at Choi Myung helplessly.
"Apart from the Pitt aliens, there's nothing special."
"Tsk...I really want to kill them..."
Choi Myung is extremely unhappy right now!
He tapped his fingers on the table, the rhythm quickening, each tap feeling like a blow to the nerves of everyone present. The team members, who had just been cheering, fell silent instantly, exchanging knowing glances that seemed to say, "The instructor is about to turn evil again."
Helpless, Kei patted Choi Myung on the shoulder.
"Alright, calm down... No, you can't let them get a handle on you before they make a move."
“I understand…tsk…”
Cui Ming stuffed the combat device into his pocket, leaned back, rested his head on the back of the chair, and let out a long sigh.
His expression was like that of a wild beast locked in a cage, with its prey right in front of it, yet unable to open its mouth to bite.
"If only they would lay a hand on me..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes gleaming menacingly, "Even a push would be enough for me to defend myself..."
"You wish." Megumi rolled her eyes at him and pushed a cup of coffee in front of him. "They're very shrewd. They're just going to keep you waiting until you make a mistake first."
Cui Ming picked up his coffee, took a big gulp, and grimaced from the bitterness: "...What is this stuff?"
"This is to cool you down."
"What I need is something to extinguish the fire! What I need is something to subdue them!"
"Bear with it."
"..."
Cui Ming slammed the cup down on the table with a thud.
In the command room, the members of the Victory Team dared not breathe, and even the sound of Ye Rui typing on the keyboard was three times quieter.
After a long pause, Cui Ming suddenly spoke up: "I'll sleep in the command room tonight."
"What?" Megumi raised an eyebrow.
"Keep watch and see if they dare to launch a night raid."
"..."
Kijima rubbed her temples, thinking to herself that she really couldn't live like this anymore.
Megumi also found those damn Pitt aliens quite annoying.
"Isn't this disturbing our married life?" She gritted her teeth inwardly, looking at Cui Ming's dark face. They had planned to spend the evening together, enjoying a rare meal, a movie, and a peaceful night without monsters, aliens, or unexpected missions.
What's the result now?
The Pitt aliens were loitering around the base every day, so Cui Ming simply announced that he would sleep in the command room, guarding against those "beauties" like he was guarding against thieves.
What kind of situation is this?
Just as Kijima was thinking, the door to the command room was suddenly kicked open with a bang.
Angie was the first to rush in, her blonde hair disheveled and her lips pouting. She was followed by a string of Norma—Elsa, Hilda, and several girls that Cui Ming had brought back from EDF. They all surged in.
"Cui!"
Angie pounced and landed on Cui Ming's neck, swaying like a koala.
"I heard you tamed Golza?! Why didn't you take me with you! I want to see it too!"
"Exactly!" Hilda squeezed through the crowd, carrying a frying pan that she'd apparently gotten from somewhere. "They didn't even take us on this underground operation! That's so unfair!"
Lindis cheered from the sidelines, "Hunting! Hunting!"
"Me too!"
"I also need to go!"
"If Cui orders us to go underground, then we'll go underground!"
A whole bunch of Norma pounced on Cui Ming.
Although Cui Ming felt helpless, he still hugged them.
He had one arm around Angie's waist and the other rubbing Lindis's head, with Hilda draped over his arm. He was surrounded by a pile of blonde and silver hair, looking like a human Christmas tree covered in ornaments. In a way, he was quite happy.
"Alright, alright, stop fooling around..." he said, but his tone softened, completely different from his previous stern face. "It's dangerous underground. It's more important for you guys up here to keep an eye on the Pitt aliens."
"What's so interesting about the Pitt aliens!" Angie buried her face in his neck and rubbed against him. "A bunch of useless cowards who only know how to play the victim, how can they compare to the excitement of underground combat!"
"That's right, we winged stealth soldiers followed you through monster lairs back in the day!" Lindis puffed out her chest, looking proud.
“Me too! I’ve slapped three Pitt aliens with my frying pan!” Hilda retorted.
Cui Ming was annoyed by their noise, but the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
He patted each of their heads, as if soothing a group of large dogs vying for his attention: "Alright, alright, I'll bring you next time, okay?"
"yeah!"
Shinjo and Horii watched from the sidelines, both thinking that the instructor was quite formidable in some ways.
The people on the Victory team all know something.
For example, the Norma are humans from other worlds, and their past treatment...
That was a past that Cui Ming rarely mentioned. In the world of EDF, Norma were treated as tools, weapons, and consumables. They had no names, only numbers. When they died, a new batch was replaced, as casually as reloading bullets.
It was Cui Ming who pulled them out of that hell.
One, two, ten, a hundred... He didn't know how many he saved, but he took all the ones he could carry with him, and for those he couldn't take, he tried his best to leave them a way to live.
So it's normal that they like Choi Myung so much, after all, he's the one who saved them.
Moreover, although Cui Ming seemed helpless, he actually took great care of these Norma.
At least when I have free time, I actually cook for them and go shopping with them, which means I've really given them my emotional support.
Last time, Anqi said she wanted to eat a cake from her hometown, so Cui Ming stayed up all night researching for three days and finally baked one himself—although it might not be the original flavor, Anqi hugged it and cried for half an hour.
Hilda went even further, saying she wanted a weapon that could "stun aliens," so Cui Ming crafted that frying pan for her, which is now a legendary piece of equipment for the TPC logistics department.
And then there's Elsa, who loves children, so Cui Ming accompanied her to spend time with the Norma children. (End of Chapter)