Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"What was the main reason then?" Gu Cheng didn't dwell too much on the previous topic.

“The secondary reason is your intrinsic value,” Jiang Xuewei continued, explaining gently.

"Before you met Su Wanxi, you had no powerful background, no complicated interpersonal relationships... Your style of doing things is similar to ours, and you are clean enough."

"The most important thing is that you need us too, don't you?"

Jiang Xuewei adjusted her glasses and gave an intellectual and elegant smile. An Zhishui leaned against her, her legs swinging back and forth under the sofa.

After a long silence, Gu Cheng heard the clock ticking and finally nodded: "I understand, thank you for your guidance, Miss Jiang."

Clarifying the relationship of interests would at least put both sides at ease. Gu Cheng still had doubts in her heart, but there was no need to rush.

"I will go to look after Qin Kexin again tonight. If you have any tasks, you can tell me now."

"The first task~" An Zhishui glanced at Jiang Xuewei and smiled mischievously.

"Please take care of my child for half a month."

Chapter 211, Section 216: Nothing special, just practice makes perfect.

Lifting the lid, steaming white mist rose up. Salt, MSG, and a few drops of sesame oil were added, and finally chopped green onions were added for seasoning. Gu Cheng stared at the seaweed soup in the pot, lost in thought.

When it was almost done cooking, she took a porcelain bowl from the cupboard and slowly poured in the broth. The floating seaweed paired with the bright egg flowers, occasionally garnished with a few green scallions, looked very tempting.

Three dishes and a soup, just enough for four people.

Gu Cheng pressed the button on the induction cooker and sighed almost imperceptibly.

It's been half a month. She's been cooking for An Zhishui for the entire half month. At first, she thought the so-called task was just a metaphor, but now it seems that she really does need to help take care of the child.

"Ling Yi, it's time to eat."

The black-haired loli called Ling Yi sat down in a chair, holding a bowl in her left hand and chopsticks in her right. Her fair cheeks were slightly flushed. At the same time, An Zhishui walked into the kitchen. She was still sleepy and hadn't even put on her colored contact lenses. She smelled the dishes and then went out. After a while, the sound of washing up came from the bathroom.

"No need to wait for her, let's eat first." Jiang Xuewei frowned and invited Ling Yi to eat.

Gu Cheng stared at the radish and chicken cubes in the bowl, her lips slightly pursed. She missed Su Wanxi, especially these past few nights.

After saying goodbye that day, they didn't chat on their phones anymore. Gu Cheng sometimes even had the illusion that they had argued again that night and parted on bad terms, which was why Su Wanxi didn't want to talk to her.

Gu Chengyan told her no, and she thought about why she chose to stay here instead of going to Beidu. Her restless heart gradually cooled down and turned into a block of ice that was impervious to swords and spears.

Putting aside personal matters for the moment and focusing more on work, Gu Cheng took a small bite of her food; it tasted pretty good.

It's a pity that nobody here likes sweet food; her sweet and sour pork ribs are clearly much better.

......

After lunch, Jiang Xuewei and Gu Cheng washed the dishes in the kitchen, while An Zhishui, having work to do, took her laptop back to her bedroom. Ling Yi sat on the sofa watching cartoons.

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days." Jiang Xuewei applied some dish soap and wiped the plate with a rag.

"Cooking is alright, much more comfortable than working as a waiter." Gu Cheng took the clean bowls and plates and rinsed them with water again.

After spending half a month together, she realized that Jiang Xuewei was the backbone of the team, while An Zhishui was capable but lazy and a complete NEET princess.

As for Ling Yi... a hint of heartache flashed across the girl's face, but it quickly disappeared into her brown eyes.

Ling Yi was the kind of quiet, well-behaved child who didn't cry or make a fuss and preferred to be alone. But as someone who grew up in an orphanage, Gu Cheng knew that only those who cried could get candy.

She must have been through something... perhaps like Gu Chengyan before... Her movements became increasingly gentle, and Gu Cheng took the opportunity to wipe away her sweat.

“Ling Yi is different from her peers; she may seem rather… slow-witted.” Jiang Xuewei carefully considered her words.

"...Yes, I know."

The girl is eleven years old this year, but her mental age is only five or six years old. She is naive and immature, and spends most of her time clinging to her plush bear. She often sits blankly on the sofa and cannot be woken up.

To put it nicely, she's naturally naive... To put it bluntly... she accidentally got a large patch of oil stain on her arm sleeve, and after rubbing it a couple of times without scraping it off, she gave up.

“An Zhishui asked you to take care of Ling Yi, partly because she herself doesn’t know how to take care of people, and partly because it concerns our next move.”

"You need to get to know Ling Yi as well as possible."

Jiang Xuewei turned off the faucet, her previously soothing tone turning serious.

"Ling Yi is an Awakened One?" Gu Cheng asked in return.

The woman nodded slightly, then lowered her head as if she had thought of something: "Yes, and her abilities are very special."

So special that even Cheng Hao himself had to strictly control it, Jiang Xuewei recalled those hands that wantonly cut shadows under the night sky, and her body gradually grew cold.

"We'll be flying out of Lanjiang next weekend. If there are no other issues, An Zhishui will handle the passports and visas. You can prepare anything you want to bring in advance."

"Passport? Where to go next?"

“The Soviet Union.” Jiang Xuewei gave an unexpected answer. The relationship between China and the Soviet Union was neither good nor bad. Due to their geographical proximity, the two countries cooperated in various aspects, including the economy and the military.

“Zhi Shui has been living in the Soviet Union for the past few years. She has a deep intelligence network in the relevant areas. For security reasons, our next operation will mainly take place within the territory of the Soviet Union.”

Parchment, crows... Jiang Xuewei knew her own limitations, as they were currently too powerful to challenge her.

Gu Cheng: "I have no objection."

Since she had chosen to join, going to a distant place was a perfectly normal thing, and she was willing to accept it as long as the compensation was right.

Jiang Xuewei was surprised that the other party agreed so readily. She was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Since Miss Gu has said so, I have no reason to say anything more."

"After you arrive in the Soviet Union, I will arrange a brand new identity for you, and training related to reconnaissance and infiltration will also be put on the agenda. Next, you will no longer be facing degenerate beings, but awakened beings like us."

......

Back at the villa, Gu Cheng hung her coat on the hanger, sat down on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes slightly, and wrapped her arms around her knees.

It was dusk when Jiang Xuewei said goodbye to Qin Kexin, and gave her three days to pack her luggage.

Three days was too short to just tidy up, and too short to talk about reminiscing. The girl stared at the ceiling for a while, and all she could hear was the clatter of the clock hands, her heart pounding.

I got up and went into the music room. A light blue patterned curtain covered the piano, and the dust that had accumulated for almost two months had gathered into a thin veil.

Gu Cheng lifted the curtain, raised the piano lid, and gently placed her fingers on the black and white keys.

After a moment, she pressed down with her index and ring fingers simultaneously, the sound neither too fast nor too slow, without a fixed rhythm, just pressing according to her feeling. The fingering technique in her memory was hard to replicate, but Gu Cheng was not discouraged. Instead, she gently touched the piano keys. The phone next to her glowed slightly, and there was a message on the screen that she had edited but not sent.

Su Wanwan, I'm leaving.

......

Clothes, toiletries... Colt revolvers that the Hermit Bureau hadn't had time to retrieve, bags of iron shot purchased in advance... In addition to Magnum bullets, a 9mm caliber bullet was scattered in the drawer.

Gu Cheng recognized that it was the ammunition for Su Wanxi's pistol, but the other party should have taken it away long ago. She held it in her palm and rubbed it carefully, feeling that the texture on the body felt a little strange.

Holding the bullet sideways under the light, Gu Cheng read aloud the two English letters engraved on its bright yellow metal casing.

“G...C...”

A moment later, the girl revealed a smile she hadn't shown in a long time.

"Wanwan...who would engrave that on a bullet..."

P.S. This is the end of this volume.

Chapter 212, Section 217: The Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord

St. Petersburg is located in northwestern Soviet Union, near the Baltic Sea. As an important hub for land and water transportation, it is also known as the "Northern Capital" of the Soviet Union.

Jiang Xuewei strolled through the streets of this industrial city, her tailored blue-gray suit looking elegant and poised, paired with dark Oxford shoes, exuding an aura of refined restraint.

The architectural style of St. Petersburg is very different from that of most cities in China. The buildings are stacked in layers, and the tall and independent tower-shaped structures are austere and solemn. Even the streetlights, which should be warm, are tinged with a sense of solemnity.

Walking to the end of the street, there are several shops on the left, with glittering glass cabinets displaying smoked sausages and freshly baked Euladijies, while on the right is the St. Petersburg History Museum, with lush shrubs hidden among the steel structures.

"Miss Jiang?"

A burly man in a wool coat followed her all the way and finally stopped her at the entrance of the museum.

Jiang Xuewei turned her head, flicking her hair as she touched her earlobe. A miniature listening device was cleverly hidden in her ear.

"I heard you went to Novorossiysk a while ago. When did you come back?" The man smiled, his beard twitching with the movement of his face.

“Mr. Nikita... He was traveling with my sister before, and now he’s back in St. Petersburg for a short stay.”

"So, how long will we be staying here?"

Jiang Xuewei seemed surprised that the other party continued to ask questions, and she hesitated before giving an answer.

"If it's suitable, we'll wait until next spring before winter."

With the military training for a specific individual temporarily suspended, Jiang Xuewei is now focusing her efforts on intelligence infiltration, and Mr. Nikita Ilyich Kapshkin in front of her is an excellent subject for investigation. As an organization member whom An Zhishui had contacted long ago, he has close ties with "The Raven."

Mr. Nikita hesitated upon hearing this, his prominent cheekbones resembling two Siberian corn cobs, slightly yellowed in the cold wind.

"Miss Jiang Chenyan came back with you too?"

"..."

"Yes, she'll be living with me for now. You can arrange to meet her when you have time."

It was rare for a man to be so coy, so Jiang Xuewei felt relieved and answered in a relatively calm tone.

"Mr. Nikita, I have some questions about the doctrine. Would you mind if we discussed this further?"

She took out a brown leather book from her bag. The cover was written in Soviet script, which could be translated as "Revelation".

......

They found a nearby coffee shop to rest, and Nikita paid the tip and took the initiative to sit at the other end of the private room.

"Once sins are cleansed, the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord will bestow upon mortals a power that is beyond human comprehension."

"Mr. Nikita, what exactly does the 'gift of the Lord' mentioned here refer to?"

Nikita looked up at the sound and saw her pale fingertips touching a line of pure black Soviet script, the paper showing slight wrinkles from the wrist movement.

He paused, then replied in a deep voice, "The greatness of this power comes from that supreme Lord..."

"He humbled himself and divided divine power to a level that mortals could use. He possessed an inextinguishable flame and a force strong enough to tear steel apart. I have heard that there are cleansers who can roam the sky without any tools."