I was expelled from school at the beginning, but luckily I am the king of endurance.

Brushing past a few office workers on their way home from work, Ya walked through the busiest streets of the DU area, which were full of expensive restaurants and gun repair shops.

When the flashing neon light of the "Caesar Firearms Repair and Maintenance" sign on a store reflected on the two short dark horns at the front of the bud, the girl could only drool at the lowest price of "two thousand United Coins per time".

Two thousand Union Coins—two-thirds of a convenience store clerk's monthly salary. Shaking her head and forcing herself to stop looking at the expensive gun maintenance kits displayed in the street window, Ya turned into a dark alley, somewhat dazed. Recalling the route drawn by the thugs who had recruited her, Ya twisted and turned in the alley, searching for her way. When she reached the end of the alley, she pushed open a wooden board that served as a door.

The pungent, rancid smell of garbage washed over the girl. In the shadow of a nearby building, several delinquent girls were fighting over a bag of relatively intact gun parts. Sensing Ya's gaze, they simultaneously and cautiously moved to the side of the wall. Looking up, she saw dazzling signs and specially constructed overpasses and plank roads between the corridors. It was said that as long as you had money, you could buy anything you wanted there.

Ya covered her nose and stepped over a simple door frame made of several wooden boards, officially stepping onto the land of the black market.

PS: I was so angry about the sensitive words of Hedgehog Cat that I decided to send it forcefully. Please be informed.

Prologue: Chapter 3: The Dog General and the Veteran Arrange the Gears, and the King of Naihuo Falls into the Contract Trap

"Pa pa pa"

This was the sound of Bud's boots stepping over puddles of sewage seeping from the fetid garbage.

The black market is the most chaotic place in all of Kivotos. The black market is very large, comparable to the self-governing areas of some large colleges. The huge area and lack of order have fostered countless violent incidents.

If you want to know where the lowest crime rate is in Kivotos, the statisticians at the Federal Student Union will point to a map and tell you it's in the black market, because there are no laws here, only your fists and the gun in your hand.

After turning a corner, Ya came to a food stall. A signboard with the words "Inu Daisho Food Stall" was casually leaning against the door of the store, with years of oil stains on it. However, it was much cleaner than other places, probably because the boss cleaned it every day.

"General, a thick-cut fried pork cutlet rice." Ya shouted into the store and then sat casually on a makeshift folding chair.

Soon, the adorable dog-headed boss placed Ya's meal in front of her: "A thick-cut fried pork chop rice."

Inu Daisho was once a mercenary who lived on the edge of a knife. He had a good reputation in the black market. As long as he was hired, the mission could basically be completed. Later, for some reason, he voluntarily gave up the mission during a mission, paid the penalty, and used his previous savings to open this food stall on the edge of the bottom of the black market.

There are many different opinions about the boss's retirement. Some say that he was tired of killing and chose to live in seclusion and live a peaceful life. Some say that he was framed by his enemies and is accumulating strength to come back and take revenge. Some even say that he was so disheartened because he accidentally killed his lover that he could no longer hold a gun.

Ya just took these statements as a joke, but when she first came to this stall, she did catch a glimpse of the boss taking out a bullet shell made into a necklace and wiping it in his spare time. The style of the bullet shell was very strange, unlike any other bullet style on the market.

In short, these have nothing to do with her. The boss's identity does not affect Ya's life. Ya actually envies the boss for being able to suppress the bad guys and gangsters in this area and live a stable life.

"General, the money is on the table." Ya took out a ten-yuan UnionPay note from her boot and put it under the plate - this was a habit she developed after her bag was stolen the day before yesterday.

After finishing her dinner, Ya stood up and left the stall. After looking back at the figure of the dog-headed boss cleaning up the plates, she walked towards the center of the black market.

The consumption at the bottom of the black market is at an average level compared to the self-managed areas of other colleges. With Ya's savings of 1,000 Union Dollars and a few small-denomination banknotes, she can only barely support two weeks of accommodation and food. But she also has to set aside money to maintain her beloved gun and buy ammunition, so her savings seem to be stretched.

Ya walked through the dark streets with an expressionless face. She heard a loud gunshot in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that in a hidden alley, a lone delinquent was being robbed by several other delinquents.

This kind of thing is just a daily routine at the bottom of the black market. In the past two days, Ya has lost count of how many times she has encountered this situation. Anyway, she now only dares to walk on the main road in the black market and is determined not to go into the alleys. However, this does not mean that there is no danger on the main road. Occasionally, there are brave gangs of gangsters who directly stop people on the main road.

After knocking out the third wave of thugs who wanted to rob him by relying on their numerical advantage, Ya had a clearer understanding of his own fighting ability.

She found that the bullets fired by ordinary thugs had no other effect on her except causing her some pain, without even leaving bruises. On the contrary, her bullets only needed to hit three or four of them to make the thugs scream in pain on the ground, and a few more bullets would make them sleep soundly.

Thinking of this, the girl who rarely fought with others before touched the bruise on her head that had faded and sighed: "Wow, I didn't know I could fight so well!"

Ya probably didn't expect that when she broke into the quarterfinals of the Gehena Freshman Shooting Competition, the discipline committee member extended an olive branch to her. However, the girl thought that the discipline committee member came to her because her secret of skipping classes to attend the weapons exhibition held by Caesar Military Industry was exposed, so she ran all the way back to her dormitory without waiting for the discipline committee member to finish speaking.

After turning the last corner and passing two gun repair workshops with no quality assurance, what came into view was a magnificent building with a facade made of calm and heavy marble. In the black market where gunfights are everywhere, there was not even a bullet hole here.

This is the branch of the Black Market Bank in this area. After confirming the Black Market Bank's recruitment advertisement on his mobile phone again, Ya tidied his clothes and raised his hand to push open the door.

As she walked into the bank, the air purifier made a slight buzzing sound, and a fresh scent of air hit her in the face. The girl, who had been bothered by the stench of rotten garbage, couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. A machine staff member came up to her at the right time.

"Welcome to Octopus Bank, miss, what business could you provide?" The electronic display screen on the robot's head showed a standard smiling expression. Even the foul smell on Ya's body that entered its olfactory simulator did not cause any change in its movements and words.

"Uh, no, I heard your bank is hiring security personnel, so I came to take a look."

The smile on the robot's electronic display remained unchanged, but Ya could clearly sense the warmth in its voice vanishing completely. "Well, miss, we don't hire directly. Please contact our partner company, Barnacle Human Resources."

After that, the robot handed Ya a business card and ignored her. Still skeptical, Ya pulled out her phone and dialed the number on the card.

"Hello, this is Barnacle Human Resources. Do you need labor dispatch services?"

A sweet voice came from the phone. Ya cleared her throat and said, "Hello, my name is Suzuki Ya, and I'm here to apply for the bank security position."

The voice on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Okay, Ms. Suzuki Mei, please come to this location for the interview. I've sent the address to your phone."

Ya had to reluctantly bid farewell to the bank with fresh air and returned to the black market filled with foul smell. This time she didn't have to walk for long. In just half an hour, the girl arrived at a shooting range.

The person standing at the door to greet her was also a robot, but it seemed to be a specialized model for military use. There was no display screen on its face, so Ya couldn't see any expression on it.

"Suzuki Mei, right? Sign this agreement and pay a 500 yuan deposit, and you'll be hired." The camouflaged robot handed over two A4 sheets of paper. "Make two copies, one for each party."

Ya glanced at the agreement and was quickly attracted by the words "monthly salary of 6000 United Coins", but the deposit of 500 made the girl hesitate.

As if sensing the girl's concerns, the robot added, "We are a long-term partner of Octopus Bank, and our credibility is guaranteed by Octopus Bank."

These words became the last weight on the scale in the girl's heart. Ya still couldn't resist the temptation of the high monthly salary. After a little hesitation, she signed her name on the two agreements.

"Very good, keep this agreement. You have to work for a full month to pay the deposit, and it will not be refunded if you are not satisfied. My name is Bowler, and I will be your leader from now on. Now come with me to conduct the test inside." After taking back one of the agreements and receiving a remittance of 500 yuan from the girl, Bowler signaled Ya to follow it.

At the shooting range, Bowler glanced at the MP7 slung across the girl's shoulder, then walked to the 50-meter range. "Shoot these targets. Don't hold back. This is related to your future treatment."

Standing in the shooting area, Ya took out her submachine gun and took a shooting stance. After aiming for a moment, she pulled the trigger and released it. After quickly adjusting the aiming position, she pulled the trigger again. This was the short burst shooting that she was best at. The girl once relied on this skill to make it into the top eight of the Gehena Freshman Shooting Competition.

五轮射击后，鲍勒手中的平板显示出了命中成绩，4枪10环、3枪9环、3枪8环，鲍勒操作几下将芽的名字划到A级分区。

Next was the moving targets, and Ya hit them all easily again, including the static and moving mixed targets, and sweeping targets... Bowler, feeling like he had found a treasure, got excited and asked her to try the 100-meter target.

After emptying three magazines, Bowler's visual receptor flashed red, and it clapped its hands in satisfaction to end the test. In the five years since it started working in this business, this was the first time it had cheated or recruited such an outstanding student.

Except for the SRT Academy which is said to be about to be disbanded by the Federal Student Union, Ya's grades are enough to become the backbone of the academy's armed forces no matter where she is, especially since she is only a freshman and still has a lot of room for growth.

"Very good, we will reimburse you for the gun maintenance and ammunition costs. Remember to gather here at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning." Bowler turned off the tablet with some excitement and started to drive people away. Today was already considered overtime, and if he hadn't found a good seedling, he wouldn't even want to say a word.

Ya didn't care about Bowler's attitude. 6000 United Coins were higher than the subsidies given by the college. At this moment, she was immersed in the fantasy of her future life.

To celebrate, she spent a huge sum of 100 Union Coins to buy a second-hand shoulder bag. When she carefully put the agreement into the innermost layer of the shoulder bag, the girl's fate became entangled with a behemoth.

Prologue: Chapter 4: Bank security is attacked, and King Naihuo is burdened with a debt of gratitude

At seven o'clock in the morning, Ya appeared at the entrance of the shooting range earlier than the agreed time.

She was so excited last night that she immediately found a regular repair shop to polish the shell of her beloved gun after returning home. It was not until Bowler really transferred the maintenance fee to her that she was sure that everything that happened yesterday was not an illusion.

[I need to ask Mr. Bowler for an advance on my salary.]

After the excitement faded, she was faced with the difficult problem of Yin VIII. With only 500 Union Coins left, the girl had to fill the hole in her living expenses quickly.

"New guy? Put this on."

Three girls in security uniforms arrived at the range. The dark-haired girl in their lead handed them a set of equipment identical to the ones they were wearing. Ya solemnly accepted it and quickly donned it. The clothes still had a lingering smell of rancidity, clearly from the previous user's lack of proper cleaning.

Thinking about the salary of 6000, Ya resisted the urge to take off her clothes. She could tolerate the stench of garbage, so this smell was nothing.

"Okay, now come with us."

The three of them turned and left. Ya was stunned for a moment before following them and asked, "Um, seniors, don't we have to wait for Mr. Bowler?"

"Why are we waiting for that piece of scrap metal? It just sits at home and counts money, while us working people have so much more to worry about."

The red-haired girl walking second sneered, as if she had heard a joke.

"Hurry up and leave. If you're late, someone else will take your place and it will be troublesome."

The third one was a shorter girl with blue hair. Ya estimated that she was just over 1.5 meters tall, taller than himself.

"Oh, don't worry about it, new guy. You're from Gehenna, right? She used to be from Trinity. I guess she's a little annoyed with you. Want one?"

The red-haired girl put her hand on Ya's shoulder with a smile and handed her a cigarette. A faint smell of cigarette from her body reached Ya's nose. Ya sniffed and refused the thing with an awkward smile.

The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes at Ya, but said nothing more. She just walked silently, occasionally fiddling with her Lee Enfield rifle with an Aldis scope. The black-haired girl ignored Ya's intentions, while the red-haired girl kept chatting with her.

The red-haired girl didn't shut her mouth until the bank's robot came out and handed them a form.

After signing her name at the brunette's suggestion, Ya watched as she handed the form back to the staff member, who then took her to a gate behind the bank.

"Guard this gate and don't let any vehicles other than bank vehicles in."

After Ya nodded, the black-haired girl carried her assault rifle and tried to turn around and leave.

"Wait, Senior, my name is Suzuki Mei, I don't know your name yet."

Ya wanted to call out to the black-haired girl, but the latter did not stop. She just turned around and gave Ya a look that was not sure whether it was sarcasm or pity.

[Maybe this senior just feels that he is not qualified for this job?]

Ya thought so, but soon she put it behind her. The job now seemed to be even simpler than she had imagined. After a week of wandering, Ya felt that she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Standing on a platform next to the gate, Ya looked at the various pedestrians coming and going on the road. The bad girls, the helmeted gangs and the citizen gangs, the three parties that were originally incompatible, temporarily formed a peaceful atmosphere around the bank. No one wanted to offend the black market bank - unless they didn't want to be in the black market anymore.

When Ya's legs felt weak from standing, the red-haired girl brought the lunch box distributed by the bank. Ya took this opportunity to ask her about the things she needed to pay attention to while on duty.

"Nothing to worry about. Normally, no one uses this gate. You just open it to let the escort truck in when you're leaving get off work."

The red-haired girl squatted opposite Ya and ate her lunch box with a smile on her face. However, every time Ya asked her name, she would talk about something else and change the subject, so Ya had to give up.

After dinner, Ya picked up her submachine gun and returned to her post. Although this job was indeed leisurely, it was still torturous to stand for a whole day.

As evening approached, a security truck with a bank logo turned out from a nearby street corner. Ya, whose legs were almost numb, hurriedly opened the gate.

The gate rose and the escort vehicle drove in front of Ya. When the girl put on a smile and went to greet it, she found that there was no one in the driver's seat, only a pile of high explosives wrapped in clothes.

[not good! ]

Ya's face suddenly changed. The indicator light on the explosives turned green. The dazzling flames swallowed her as she instinctively wanted to lie down. The subsequent explosion blew her several meters away. At this moment, Ya seemed to see a flash of reflection from a scope in a window of the opposite building in her peripheral vision.

However, until her head hit the wall and she fainted, Ya didn't realize what had happened.

The next day, Ya, who had just woken up from a coma, was half lying in a ward at Kaiser Permanente, listening to Bowler's billing report. The speaker, which was not of high quality, made a "magnetic" noise from time to time.

"Medical expenses, hospitalization fees, liquidated damages, and compensation for damage to the bank building... all together, it's about a million. Considering you're not very able to repay right now and the bank is pressing for repayment, I'll advance the money for you..."

If possible, she really wanted to be alone and quiet for a while.

"I will pay it back."

Fed up with Bowler's incessant chatter, Ya opened his mouth to interrupt him, but the latter seemed not to hear him and continued his long speech.

"...Luckily, the escort vehicle hasn't been loaded with Union Coins yet, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford the compensation even if I sold you..."

"Mr. Bowler, I said I would pay it back!"

The Buds cranked up the volume, finally silencing the Bowler, but soon its speakers started blaring again.

"Repay, yes, repay. So, child, how do you plan to repay?"

Ya shut up. Even if she was dismantled into parts and sold, it would not cover the price. Now that she had lost her job and no student status, it seemed a bit unrealistic for her to rely on illegal work to repay the debt.

Seeing that the girl had stopped talking, Bowler knew that his preparations were in place. The visual sensor on his head flashed twice, giving Ya the impression that he was thinking. Then he said, "Well, I have a new agreement here. Please sign it."

Bowler pulled a document from his briefcase and placed it beside Ya's bed.

"Caesar Mercenary Employment Agreement? Leek II"

The girl picked up the document with some trembling. The two big words "Caesar" on the first page made her feel dizzy.

"I contacted Kaiser PMC. As long as you are willing to join Kaiser, they will pay off all the fees you owe, including the treatment costs here, which they will also waive for you."

[It's so dramatic]

All kinds of thoughts were swirling in Ya's mind. At this moment, she really wanted to throw the documents away, but if Bowler hadn't paid for her, it would be a question whether she could wake up.

No matter what, Bowler was a good man, and Ya felt that she could not let him down. Holding the pen for a while, she trembled as she signed her name on the last page of the document.

"Alright, your gun is badly damaged. I had someone repair it for you and it's hanging over there. And here's your phone. Luckily, it only has a broken screen. I also had someone fix it for you. We'll have a long way to go in the future, and we'll see each other again."

Bowler took the document from Bud, waved to the girl, then turned and left the ward.

After the automatic door closed, the ward became quiet. Ya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a while, she suppressed the tears that were coming up.

"Buzz"

The phone with a new screen rang. Someone was calling her. She picked up the phone and took a look. It was Xiaokong calling.

After calming down and trying not to sound strange, Ya pressed the answer button.

"Ah, Sister Ya, you finally answered the phone! What have you been doing these past two days? Why didn't you even reply to my messages? Sister Ya, are you okay?"

Listening to Xiaokong's voice coming from the phone, Ya's uncomfortable feeling subsided a lot. At least there was someone who cared about her and was remembered by someone.

"I'm sorry, Xiaokong, I made you worry these days. I'm fine now, just a little busy with work."

Ya lied to Xiaokong in reply. She didn't want others to worry too much about her. Besides, telling Xiaokong about her situation would only add to his troubles and would not solve any problems.

After hanging up the phone, Ya put down the phone and looked at the shiny new MP7 hanging on the opposite wall, clearing her mind for a long time.

[Life must go on.]