Giant Tower Academy, Grand Auditorium.
The air hung thick with a peculiar mixture of anticipation, tension, and youthful hormones. Thousands of graduating students, poised on the brink of their professional assessment, sat rigidly, their gazes fixed intently on the podium.
Standing on the podium was a man in the Bureau's black uniform, his posture ramrod straight. He was in his early thirties, his face chiseled with a rugged determination, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. His entire being exuded the aura of a battle-hardened veteran. This was Instructor Li Gang, the speaker for today's address.
"I know you are all eager," Li Gang's voice was not loud, yet it struck each person's heart with the clarity of a heavy hammer. "But there are things you must understand clearly before you step out of this academy." He wasted no extraneous words, simply gesturing towards the side of the stage. "Come forward, Xiao Ya."
A petite, somewhat timid girl emerged from backstage. Her head was bowed, her hands anxiously clutched at the hem of her clothes, afraid to meet the thousands of gazes fixed upon her from the audience. However, the instant she heard Li Gang's command, her meek gaze underwent a sudden transformation; all timidity dissolved into absolute obedience. Without a hint of hesitation, she quickly walked to Li Gang, opened her small mouth, and bit into his solid trapezius muscle!
*WHOOM—!*
Blinding light erupted instantly! When the light receded, the timid girl had vanished, replaced by a long, menacing spear of ancient design, its shaft gleaming with the cold luster of metal, held firmly in Li Gang's hand!
"ROAR!" The moment Li Gang gripped the spear, his entire aura surged dramatically! A visible current of energy swirled around him, an oppressive force so potent that students in the front rows found it difficult to breathe!
A collective gasp of awe and stifled exclamations rippled through the audience below. However, within seconds, Li Gang released his grip. The spear flashed with light again, reverting to the girl named Xiao Ya. Her face pale, her steps somewhat unsteady, she quickly retreated backstage.
Li Gang, unfazed, pulled a small tube of medicine from his pocket, squeezed out some green ointment, and expertly applied it to the continuously seeping wound on his shoulder. A faint *sizzling* sound emanated from the wound, accompanied by a wisp of white smoke, and the bleeding quickly ceased. Having completed this, he finally raised his eyes, his sharp gaze slowly sweeping over every face in the auditorium.
When his gaze fell upon Xiang Lie, it paused distinctly. Xiang Lie's heart clenched. He could feel that gaze was not merely observant, but carried a hint of scrutiny and… a warning.
"I know some of you, through various channels, already have some understanding of 'Weapon Girls,'" Li Gang's voice resumed, cold and formal. "Now, I will tell you the official definition. They are unique humanoid lifeforms roaming the wilderness, and they are the most important strategic resource that our Giant Tower City can utilize. In other words, they are living weapons and equipment. They not only provide us with the finest armaments but also offer extra energy and combat skills to the user in their armed state."
"And the S-rank assessment you are about to face is intimately connected with them." He changed tack, igniting the passion of everyone present. "At that time, the Bureau will open certain wilderness areas to a limited extent, for all candidates aspiring to an S-rank evaluation, for free hunting. I wish you all great success."
A stir swept through the audience below, many faces alight with excitement and yearning.
"However," Li Gang raised a hand, gesturing for quiet, "before your blood gets too hot, I must also introduce you to another type of existence in the wilderness, one that is more common and far more dangerous." He clapped his hands, and two staff members carried a large metal cage, draped in black cloth, placing it in the center of the podium.
*SHRIIIP—*
Li Gang tore off the covering. Inside the cage, a girl with fiery, crimson long hair and matching eyelashes was curled in a corner. She wore worn cloth clothing, appearing no older than fifteen or sixteen, and watched the audience below with clear, curious eyes. She made no sound, neither crying nor fussing, her face even showing a faint shyness at seeing so many people.
"Wow…"
"So… so beautiful…"
A wave of irrepressible murmurs and exclamations rippled through the male students in the audience. The girl's appearance, coupled with her fragile, pitiful demeanor, held a fatal attraction for these adolescents.
However, Li Gang's face twisted into a cold, almost cruel sneer. "Don't be deceived by her harmless appearance."
"This type of creature, we call a 'Degraded Form,'" he said, pointing at the girl in the cage as if introducing an exhibit. "They are the mutated products of Weapon Girls when they suffer extreme hunger or failed upgrades. Although their appearance is indistinguishable from Weapon Girls, their internal being has completely transformed into monsters that know only slaughter and consumption."
"Remember my words," Li Gang's tone grew incredibly severe. "In the wilderness, regardless of whether you encounter a Weapon Girl or a Degraded Form, harbor no illusions! They bear the deepest hatred for us humans! They are cunning, treacherous, and will use every means to lure and kill you!"
The atmosphere in the auditorium instantly dropped to freezing.
At that moment, a student, unable to contain his curiosity, called out, "Instructor! Then… can these Degraded Forms also turn into weapons and arm with us?"
"A very naive question, but the answer is no," Li Gang replied coldly. "Degradation means their armed core is already chaotic, corrupted. They can no longer be 'wielded' by us humans. Any forceful attempt to arm with them will only result in your energy being instantly drained, causing your body to explode."
"More importantly, some Degraded Forms, during their mutation, will awaken their own unique 'innate weapon.' This weapon is bound to their life core and possesses immense power, but no one can use it except themselves."
At this, Xiang Lie's heart clenched violently! He immediately remembered the green longblade Ye had torn from her own chest! So, that was the so-called "innate weapon"!
"Instructor!" Another brave student immediately followed up. "Then how… how can we make normal Weapon Girls fight with us? Like you just did…"
"A very childish idea," Li Gang interrupted him directly. "According to the Bureau's research, it is virtually impossible to make a Weapon Girl willingly cooperate with humans in combat."
"There are only two things you can do. First, successfully apprehend them and sell them to the Bureau for a hefty bounty. Second," his gaze swept across the hall again, his voice filled with deadly temptation, "pass the S-rank assessment and earn the title of 'Hunter.' At that time, you will be qualified to wield Weapon Girls uniformly assigned by the Bureau, after they have undergone 'formatting'!"
*Formatting?!*
The two words, like red-hot branding irons, seared fiercely into Xiang Lie's heart! He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, veins bulging on the back of his hands. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, if he hadn't seen Mo's kindness, Ling's tsundere nature, Jing's coolness, Xiao Lin's gentleness… he, too, would probably have believed this grandiloquent rhetoric like everyone else!
The image of the girl on stage named "Xiao Ya," with her hollow, utterly obedient eyes, flashed in his mind. *Formatting… is that how they turn them into that?*
Erase Mo's shyness, Ling's sharp tongue, Jing's coolness… erase all their joys and sorrows, all their memories and emotions, turning them into living "equipment" that only follows orders?!
An unprecedented surge of fury, mingled with immense coldness and fear, exploded within him! He realized for the first time that the truth and lies were separated by only a thin piece of paper called "power." And behind that paper was the ruthless trampling of countless vibrant lives!