Chapter 160: Interaction [Part 1]
After finishing their cold drinks and resting for a while, Cillin’s group then bid Escherley goodbye. Escherley had even purposely gifted two boxes of biscuits to Tang Qiuqiu and a discount card, telling her to come over in the future whenever she had a chance.
Cillin extended his hoverboard after leaving the dessert store. Previously, Udoze was unfamiliar with hoverboards. After all, there were only far too few places that were suitable for hoverboard riding on Planet Acallela. Moreover, Wind City was constantly covered in sandstorm, so to ride a hoverboard there was just plain suicide. Therefore, Udoze had literally never came into contact with a hoverboard prior to leaving Acallela’s Sector. However, since his balance was great and he was quick to learn, it did not take long before he grew familiar to it.
Rikulab on the other hand, had used hoverboards frequently before arriving on Acallela. Therefore, this wasn’t too much of a problem for him.
Extending their hoverboards, the few people flew up to the level of hovercraft channels and headed towards Vanguard’s communication department.
The four great Hunter regiments’ communication departments were scattered at four places on this planet. They were pretty much the dominant forces of these four pieces of land. There would then be subdivisions of smaller Hunter regiments that shared a better relationship with them scattered around the four communication departments.
Vanguard’s communication department had some suspended dagger-shaped emblem holograms, direction and range indicator to guide the way since a long way back. Although its surrounding Hunter regiments also had smart road signs to guide the way, they were a lot smaller than the Vanguard’s. This was the advantage of a large Hunter regiment.
They did not need to rely on map or inquiries to make their way at all. They could easily find that magnificent building just by following the smart pointers.
That building could be seen from very far away. Overall, the building was in the shape of a sharp dagger just like their badge. There were also some low level buildings around it used for other matters.
Tang Qiuqiu took out her pinned badge. Cillin also pinned his lieutenant commander badge in the open. This was the usual practice, or they couldn’t blame anyone if they were to be injured by accident.
The looks on the people around them improved slightly after the duo had taken out their badges. However, their expressions were mingled with curiosity since Tang Qiuqiu was way too young to be an official member, and Cillin just so to be a lieutenant commander. They could not help but express their doubts.
There was a main service desk at the center of the first floor hall of Vanguard’s communication department. The Hunters who frequented the hall mostly wore Vanguard’s badge on their bodies.
Not many people paid attention to Cillin’s group when they first walked into the hall. However, when someone accidentally noticed the badges on Tang Qiuqiu’s and Cillin’s bodies, they gradually began to whisper among each other. Also, although it was called a ‘whisper’, in reality the volume of the whispers wasn’t quiet at all. Even in this noisy environment, anyone from ten meters away could hear them.
These people had voiced out their doubts directly. However, they wore strange expressions when they saw that they belonged to the Sixth B Squadron. After all, the Sixth B Squadron had shown up big time not long ago, and the A Squad issued them all the rewards and so on. Although some people were unconvinced, they had no say in the reward result the A Squad had announced in the end.
But while they could not say anything on the surface, things were very different in private. As long as the important figures of the A Squad weren’t present, they would basically say whatever they want to. Worst comes to worst they would get into a brawl. If you win then sure, I’ll admit that you’re capable. If you lose, then excuse me, but I dislike you and I’m going to beat you up everytime I run into you.
The higher ups of Vanguard simply viewed this as scuffles between the members of the B Squadrons. Quarreling improves health, and competition promotes progress, right? Therefore, the higher ups would turn a blind eye as long as the commotion wasn’t too big. The commanders of the B Squadrons would especially remind their team members this: as long as you win, your commander will take all responsibility!
Therefore, many people in the hall were disgruntled by the sight of the lieutenant commander badge on Cillin’s body. The few other lieutenant commanders wearing the same badges were practically rolling up their sleeves: WTF, I spent a dozen or so years to finally climb my way up to this position. With what virtues or abilities did this rash and stupid-looking kid qualify for this badge?
While thinking, some people had already made their way towards them. They did not hide their thoughts from their faces either. Although they were wearing smiles, their smiles looked like deserve a fist no matter how you looked at them.
“Yo, why’s there a little baby here? You’re about ten years old, aren’t you little girl?” a brawny man over two meters tall walked over while saying loudly.
There was also another guy who was slightly shorter than him, but looked just as difficult to deal with beside him spinning the boomerang darts in his hands with great fervor.
When he saw that Cillin’s group had paid him no heed and continued to proceed forward while ignoring him utterly, he stuck out his lips and swept a disdainful glance across them. His eyes turned, and he took out a big lollipop (E/n: just what kinda of adult has lollipops on hand…) and said, “Hey little girl, here’s something tasty for you. Do you want…”
Bang!
The brawny man’s words were cut short.
The people who were about to laugh loudly at his words found their laughter stuck in their throats and became stupefied as well.
The stick of the big lollipop that was originally in the big man’s hands was snapped at where his fingers were holding. The man’s fingers were not injured in the slightest, whereas the part where the sweet was had flown high up into the air due to shock and applied rebound force. The lollipop spun towards Tang Qiuqiu and finally landed accurately into her hand. The bullet ultimately ended in the trash can and did not hurt anyone along the way.
Tang Qiuqiu tore the wrapping of the lollipop, leaned forwards to give it a lick and crunched it in her mouth before commenting, “It tastes okay!”
Is… is she seriously just a kid about ten years old?! There were many people who were shocked by this sight.
Number one, how dare this little girl open fire in the Vanguard’s hall? They had never actually seen someone who dared to do so in the past. Although they had heard of such incidents in the past, they absolutely counted among the few. Plus, not everyone had the guts to behave so unscrupulously. If something went wrong, then even their lieutenant commanders would be dragged into the mess.
There was no problem if Vanguard’s men wanted to fight each other, they could just settle it on the spot. There was no problem if they wanted to compete shooting skills as well, but most of the time they would go to the communication department’s shooting range to settle the score. However, this was a kid who wasn’t even at lieutenant commander rank yet opening fire in a place like the first floor’s hall without a second thought. Where did she get the courage to do such a thing?
Moreover, not a single one of them had detected any killing intent from her. No, they did not even detected that instantaneous moment where she should be locking on to her target before firing.
Number two, this kid’s shooting skill was just too good. She had snapped the lollipop stick, hurt no one and ensured that the bullet was ultimately fired into the trash can. There was no doubt to her shooting skills, not to mention that she had caused the lollipop to fly into her hands after shooting the lollipop stick. She had intimidated her opponent and obtained her material benefit at the same time. One had to say that this was a most beautiful play.
Number three was the point where many people were at a loss with. Tang Qiuqiu had fired a trick shot*! It meant that the bullet had ricocheted a couple of times before hitting its target. It was a devastating blow to many people to see a kid so young easily pulling off a trick shot.
*This means a ricocheting shot. I stole the term from Atlas Reactor, where a character named Lockwood’s normal attack skill is a ricocheting shot.
The reason Tang Qiuqiu had used a trick shot was because a straight shot could not achieve the effect she wanted. Even if she did a curve shot, there was a limit to how far she could curve the bullet, and it still wouldn’t achieve the effect she wanted. Finally, Tang Qiuqiu chose to use a trick shot. Based on what Cillin had said earlier, the building materials of Vanguard’s communication department must be different from norm, and after she walked into the hall and observed the situation around her, she had been entertaining certain thoughts in her mind.
The results weren’t bad. She had managed a trick shot and gotten a lollipop at the same time. Tang Qiuqiu was very satisfied.
In reality, Udoze and Rikulab were even more amazed than the people around them. Usually, the Tang Qiqiu they saw acted no differently from a normal little girl. She would complain, she would hold little grudges, and she would be excited by the new and odd things around her just like any other kid. She was also a little fellow who loved to eat sweets. But now they knew that no one with that badge were pushovers, even if said person was just a little girl about ten years old.
“Thank you, uncle!” Tang Qiuqiu did not forget to express her thanks after licking her lollipop. The expression was purely formal without an ounce of actual gratitude behind them at all, but no one would care about such a thing at this point.