At the same time, Byrne and Selena followed Luca through the underground passage.
As they walked, Luca spoke, "I'll take you to the armory first. An investigator's life usually depends on the gear kept in there."
Before long, Luca swiped his hand over a scanner on the wall. A heavy alloy door in front of them slid open, revealing a warehouse filled with various types of equipment.
Metal racks lined the walls in neat rows, displaying numerous firearms engraved with runes, melee weapons forged from different alloys, and other gadgets with various functions. There were also sealed canisters whose contents were unidentifiable.
Luca pointed to the racks and explained:
"These on the left are conventional combat gear, while the ones on the right are special psychic-related equipment. Every piece requires the corresponding authorization to be checked out."
"Since you've just become regulars, your authorization level is Grade D. You can claim basic psychic firearms and suppression bracelets. Once you complete missions and raise your authorization level, you'll be able to access more advanced gear."
Byrne's gaze fell upon the first row of psychic firearms on the left. The runes engraved on the gun bodies bore some resemblance to the ones on the peaked cap he had received earlier, though these were significantly more complex.
Byrne looked around and asked casually, "Luca, how powerful are these psychic guns?"
Luca picked up a relatively simple-looking psychic pistol and handed it to Byrne.
"This is the 'Blackfire.' Besides firing ordinary bullets, you can inject a small amount of psychic energy into it to fire searing psychic rays. It's quite effective against Chaos-infected creatures."
"However, be careful. Injecting too much energy can cause the weapon to overheat or even explode. For your current authorization, this pistol is a very suitable choice."
Byrne took it and examined it. The design was very similar to the pistol he had brought back from the Desert Test Site, but it was noticeably larger and heavier.
"How's the recoil?" Byrne asked.
Luca grinned and pointed a thick finger at the side of the gun.
"There's an adjustment knob here. You can set the output power based on your own psychic intensity. Rookies should use the low-power mode; the recoil is about the same as a regular pistol. Once your psychic intensity reaches the early Delta stage, you can switch to high-power. One shot can blast through the skull of a low-level Chaos mutant."
Early Delta stage...
Byrne thought to himself. What a coincidence.
The pistol he had before was far too weak for his current needs, and he had been lacking a reliable weapon. This Blackfire pistol was exactly what he was looking for.
Having made up his mind, Byrne weighed the Blackfire in his hand before placing the display model back in its spot.
"I like this gun. Can I claim one now?"
Luca grinned and slapped Byrne on the shoulder.
"Good eye, brother! This gun is the king of cost-performance among Grade D gear. I used one myself during my first year on the job."
He then led Byrne to a registration terminal in the corner of the armory.
"Come here. Just input your identity info, and you can claim a Blackfire along with the corresponding ammunition. If it gets damaged later, you can take it to the maintenance room for repairs."
Byrne followed Luca's instructions. The terminal completed the registration quickly. Moments later, a delivery port nearby slid open, presenting a metal tray containing a brand-new Blackfire pistol and two boxes of sealed ammunition.
Byrne skillfully inspected the gun's body first. After confirming there were no issues, he stuffed the ammo into his pocket and tucked the pistol into the small of his back. His movements were fluid and natural, not at all like a rookie handling a firearm for the first time.
Seeing Byrne's seamless actions, Luca spoke with approval:
"Not bad, Brother Byrne. You're quite skilled. Most rookies don't even know how to take off the safety the first time they hold a psychic gun."
Byrne smiled and offered a casual excuse.
"It's nothing. I used to scratch out a living in the Lower District and came across a few firearms. I didn't expect it to come in handy here."
While the two were talking, Selena was walking around, seemingly aimlessly. She didn't choose a weapon suited for killing like Byrne did. Instead, she walked to the special psychic equipment section on the right and took an interest in a silver bracelet.
The bracelet was smooth, its surface engraved with fine circular runes. It was the psychic suppression bracelet Luca had mentioned earlier.
After helping Byrne, Luca turned back and saw Selena picking up the bracelet. He was somewhat surprised.
"Miss Selena, you should think this through. That's a psychic suppression bracelet. It has no offensive power; its only function is to suppress your own psychic energy or someone else's. Generally, it's only used for infiltration missions. As a rookie, I suggest you choose a weapon that can protect you instead."
Selena shook her head. "I've made up my mind. I'll take this bracelet. My psychic abilities lean toward perception and concealment; I don't really need to engage in frontal combat."
Seeing her persistence, Luca said no more. Once they had finished picking their gear, the three of them left the armory.
Next, Luca led them to the intelligence room. It was not very large, with a massive holographic projection table in the center, surrounded by rows of filing cabinets and terminal equipment. A staff member in a gray uniform was busy working at a terminal.
"This is the intelligence hub for our Third Squad. All mission-related intel, records of heretical activity, and personnel files within our jurisdiction are stored here."
"Once you start taking missions, you can query relevant data here. But be aware, you cannot access data with an encryption level that exceeds your authorization."
Upon hearing the words "personnel files," Selena's eyes lit up. She immediately asked:
"Excuse me, is it possible to query the files of members from other squads? For example, Captain Maurice of the Fifth Squad."
The staff member looked up in confusion at Selena, then at Luca. Seeing Luca nod, the staff member replied, "You can only query Captain Maurice's public information. We have no authority to access his other files."
Selena said immediately, "Public information is fine. For example, public mission records or the jurisdictions he's been responsible for recently."
However, before the staff member could respond, Luca asked from the side:
"Wait a second. While it's not against the rules for you to view the files, Miss Selena, I'm a bit curious—why do you want to see Captain Maurice's data?"
Selena had to repeat the same reason she had given Marco.
"So that's why. My apologies, I was overthinking things."
After hearing Selena's explanation, Luca felt it was perfectly reasonable for her to want to know more about the current situation of the person who saved her life.
With Luca's permission, the staff member began the search. Half a minute later, the holographic projection lit up, and lines of data appeared.
Unfortunately, after Selena finished reading all the public information, she didn't find the content she was looking for.