“Gods are images imagined by humans when facing natural disasters and suffering that they are powerless to resist. They are also the first firewall that prevents us from having a mental breakdown when we can bear hardship and setbacks. But now, these gods, who once carried our hopes and goodness, have revealed their true nature and faces, corroding the spirit and order of the world like a virus. What should we do?”

At this point, he smiled, but his expression was very serious: “When gods become demons, then who will protect this world?”

“Of course, we have to do it ourselves!”

“……”

Instructor fell silent, wanting to say something, but felt powerless to argue.

After a long time, it let out a low sigh, its gaze falling on William Carter's face through the rearview mirror: “Tell me, William.”

“Why do you insist on coming back to this small place?”

“……”

William Carter was being stared at, looking a bit uneasy, and said, “This is my home.”

“Home?”

Instructor sneered, “You have no home here, and no family either.”

William Carter pressed his lips together and didn’t answer.

But Instructor's tone suddenly softened, like a teacher who couldn’t bear to scold their student:

“William, it really wasn’t easy for you to make it this far. Out of more than three hundred trainees, only a few of you graduated.”

“Your class is the most outstanding group of graduates in history.”

“Look at your classmates—some joined the Xingtian Squad, some interned at the Foundation, and even the least successful chose the most suitable consortium as their employer. These choices will give them the best future and status, whether it’s for a better life or to further improve themselves. Only you were actually willing to come back to such a small place…”

“……”

“I’m not like them.”

William Carter interrupted, smiling: “Instructor, they’re all top students. I’m the underachiever.”

Instructor was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but say, “Well, your psychological health assessment wasn’t exactly high…”

“？”

Instructor's usual absent-mindedness made William Carter's emotions feel disconnected.

After a pause, he continued, “Besides, Instructor, you know this too. Even though we all came from the same training camp, they all chose this place voluntarily. I was forced. Their paths were set from the beginning—they knew what they were supposed to do after graduation. I didn’t. I never knew why I was being trained from the start…”

“Now that I’ve graduated, of course I don’t know what to do, with no direction or goal.”

“So, isn’t going home the best choice?”

“……”

Faced with William Carter's sudden seriousness, Instructor was momentarily stunned and couldn’t respond.

After a while, it finally shook its head helplessly:

“All right, all right, anyway, we’re not in the First Defense Circle anymore, so I can be a bit more lenient…”

It tried to give itself an out, changing its tone: “Also, after I drop you off, I’ll be heading back. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll do my best to help you, but I still hope…”

“Bullets.”

Before it could finish, William Carter smiled and cut in: “I’ve used up all the bullets I saved.”

“You…”

Instructor said helplessly, “Once you take office, you can apply for special bullets directly from the squad…”

“How many bullets can a small place like this have?”

William Carter immediately questioned, “Forget about the Green-Headed Ghosts and Red Angels—even the lowest-level Green Bean Flies probably don’t get many, right?”

“……”

Instructor raised its voice in exasperation: “Do you really think these are ordinary bullets?”

“This is power granted to you by the Foundation. Sometimes a single bullet means a license to kill. All the bullets I saved privately have been taken by you, and it’s still not enough. Maybe I should just get you an electromagnetic pulse bomb and wipe this dump off the map, how about that?”

“……”

“Well…”

William Carter seemed a bit tempted, and probed: “I heard you can only apply for that once you reach the seventh status?”

Instructor immediately deflated.

After a while, it said weakly, “Forget it, I’ll use my personal connections to get you a bit more.”

“But remember, if you kill someone who’s been corrupted by a demon, so be it. But if they’re not…”

“……”

“If I kill anyone who hasn’t been corrupted—”

William Carter's expression suddenly turned serious. He pressed his lips together and said, “You come and kill me. I won’t resist.”

Instructor looked at his serious face and fell silent.

After a long time, he finally let out a low sigh and said, “William, do you know why your final graduation evaluation wasn’t high?”

William Carter was taken aback: “Because I didn’t have money to give you a gift back then, Instructor?”

“What nonsense?”

Instructor was a bit annoyed, and after a while said, “That’s not the only reason…”

Chapter Five: Scrap Iron City

The original plan was to have William Carter report to Scrap Iron City, but in the end, Instructor couldn’t hold out for those last few hours.

It left early.