Chapter 31

Having returned to the yacht after his conversation with Bai Wen, Long Hua raises a sigh, as he drops himself onto the bed, and tosses his phone to the side.

(Right, the repairs…)

Taking out his storage pouch, Long Hua retrieves Tian Cheng’s body from within, and rests her onto the floor.

(An ordinary lead-based bullet shouldn’t be capable of dealing this sort of damage to her… Did that bullet have special properties that made it effective against Immortal related objects?)

Examining the damages briefly, Long Hua presses his index finger against the doll’s forehead, and mutters—

“Tai Xuan.”

The moment these two words are muttered, Tian Cheng’s body is shrouded within a cocoon of pale white light.

“…”

Waiting for the repairs to be finished, Long Hua draws his hand back to massage his temple, as he begins to sort through the dense volume of newly acquired information that he had just obtained.

(That weirdo said that as my cultivation base grows, I’d recover more of my past life’s memories, but…)

As far as Long Hua is aware of, there doesn’t seem to be a check box that must be filled for his shizun’s lecturing voice to appear in his head.

“…”

Shaking his head, Long Hua closes his eyes—while assuming a lotus seating posture, and begins to draw spirit Qi from the air around him.

The battle that occurred tonight had depleted his reserves greatly; it would be impossible for him to replenish himself to full in the next 24 hours.

(Should I use those spirit stones?)

Thinking of the spirit stones that he had received from Bai Wen, Long Hua is tempted to use them to resolve this issue, but—

(Ai, money should only be spent when they fall under the categories of disposable income—for luxury is a commodity that only the wealthy may be able to afford; the poor must prioritize putting food on the table.)

Shaking his head, Long Hua gives up on the idea, as he needs them to purchase a few materials from “Lao Zhen” later.

(If I can find some reliable way to acquire spirit stones—that would help to hasten my cultivation base’s growth. But…)

Given the state of this world, the odds of this happening are extremely low, and being overtly reliant on Bai Wen to grant him funds—

(I don’t like the idea of being in that weirdo’s debt, and it’s hard to say if he can be trusted. Although…)

Admittedly, not much can be accomplished through his own strength—when he is forced to play within the bounds of another’s rulebook.

That being the case, it will be necessary to acquire the aid of another, even if that other may turn out to be an enemy in the future.

(Regardless of his true intentions, the resources that he can provide me with—are necessary for my growth. I should try to maintain this as a business relationship, where we use one another for our own benefits—till I see otherwise.)

………

“…Why?”

With a sour look on her face, Nian Yao Yao glances to her side.

“What do you mean why?”

Towards her daughter’s glare, Nian Tao Tao folds her arms beneath her chest, and throws a taunting look back.

(Tch. The both of us have stopped aging around our twenties, so I can’t even tell her that I’m looking forward to the day where those melons will begin to sag… This is completely unfair. I share her genetic information, so shouldn’t we be the same size when we reach the same age? How come she’s bigger?)

Whining about their differences within her head, Nian Yao Yao’s glare turns colder by the second.

Ignoring the question from her mother, Nian Yao Yao asks—

“Couldn’t you have picked some other place to stay for the night?”

Having contacted five different hotels—only to find out that all of them had their rooms booked, everyone aside from Qing Yue, had decided to move over to Jing Yao’s office to stay for the night.

“I could say the same to you. Don’t you find this place to be a bit… Cramped? Then again…”

Thinking of the five remaining Moon Guards, who are all stationed outside of the office’s shut door, Nian Tao Tao figured that the lack of space could be a whole lot worse.

“The examination chair takes up a great deal of space, but it’s also rather comfortable to sleep on.”

Towards this remark that came from Jing Yao, Jing Yin looks at her with a hint of concern, and asks—

“Is this where you sleep these days?”

“What about it? A certain Sword Saint said in the past, that you can basically live anywhere—so long as you can eat and sleep. I’d have to agree with that. Besides, don’t you do the same?”

Blinking her eyes in response to Jing Yao’s comeback, Jing Yin turns silent, as she reflects upon her own living habits that may require a bit of change.

“So now it becomes a question of who gets to sleep in that chair then?”

“Shouldn’t that be obvious, old hag?”

Ignoring the tension between mother and daughter, Jing Yao says—

“I suggest you all—to take a few blankets, and stack them up for a makeshift bed.”

“Huh?”

Looking to Jing Yao with uncertainty, Nian Yao Yao is just about to voice her objection to this idea, but the former is quicker to say—

“I’ve told you before, you should learn how difficult it is for the common person.”

“…Even so, isn’t this a bit too sudden, asking a spoiled girl like me to sleep on such a cold hard surface? Can’t I take a spare hospital bed or something?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Jing Yao replies—

“Just so happens that most of the beds are being disinfected at this hour, while the rest are all currently occupied. In any case, it would be best that you try to take as many sheets as possible—if you don’t want it to be too harsh on your back. I suggest you hurry it up before your mother beats you to it.”

“Zhui Yun!”

“Got it!”

Seeing the two rush out of the room in haste, Jing Yao heaves a sigh.

Chapter 32

“…Hmm, now then… How do I go about this? My contract with that bas-…”

Within a white space that contains absolutely nothing, a young woman with magenta-colored eyes frowns—at the recall of a certain individual, who had instilled into her a sense of fear that will most probably never be forgotten about for a million years to come.

The magenta-colored iris of the young woman’s eyes is surrounded by a golden ring; her long hair is left loose, with a small portion of it tied into a flat tail. Another defining trait of hers, is the red lotus sigil that is present on her forehead.

Attire wise, she is wearing a bare-back white dress—with a red sash around her waist. Detachable sleeves are cuffed around her arms, while her feet are left bare.

If one also had to describe the air that emanates from the young woman, they would probably say that she feels like a goddess.

However, to Long Hua, this person couldn’t be anyone other than Tian Cheng—for she shares almost the same exact face as the doll, but with a bit more maturity.

The only other differences are the color of her hair being black instead of white, along with the sigil on her forehead.

“…”

Staring at the image that is projected in front of her—showing Long Hua seated in lotus posture, Tian Cheng contemplates her next move.

“An act is in order. Luckily, my vessel doesn’t display emotions well. Dragging him into this dreamscape, I should be able to act out whatever personality I so please.”

Narrowing her eyes, Tian Cheng compares the Long Hua that she is familiar with—to the one currently displayed through the projection.

“Though I say that, a bit more observation wouldn’t hurt.”

………

“………”

As silence looms in the air, Long Hua continues to draw spirit Qi from his surroundings. Eventually—

“Rebooting…”

A mechanical voice speaks—causing Long Hua to reopen his eyes.

Resting on the floor is a fully restored Tian Cheng with her eyes wide open.

“Loading…”

As Tian Cheng’s eyes flash rapidly, Long Hua unfolds his legs to take a more relaxed seating posture.

“Checking system…”

Getting off the floor, Tian Cheng rises to a stand, and after a minute of examining her body’s condition, she shuts her eyes—with her face angled towards Long Hua.

“…”

Seeing Tian Cheng’s nonchalant behavior after coming back to life, Long Hua blinks his eyes, and asks—

“Got anything to share after coming back to life?”

“A machine doesn’t really die.”

Deciding this to be the best response, Tian Cheng observes for any changes on Long Hua’s face.

“You mind opening your eyes?”

Doing as requested, Tian Cheng inwardly thought—

(Eyes are indeed a window into a person’s state of mind, however—)

(When the eyes you are staring into—are but objects designed to replicate the actual organs, how far would you be able to see? …Not very far, if at all…)

Thinking of the same thing, it is eventually Long Hua who raises a sigh, while Tian Cheng inwardly puts on a smug look in reaction to the former’s response.

“You able to remember what happened?”

Nodding her head in response to this question, Tian Cheng goes on to say—

“An Anti-Immortal round had hit me.”

“Is that the name of the bullet that was used?”

“The interior of the bullet is inscribed with a magic array that is set to detonate upon making contact with spirit Qi of great density. Its outer structure is made from specialized material that is commonly used by the military to pierce through a practitioner’s outward defenses.”

(So, getting pierced by that bullet means I truly would have been as good as dead? ………That’s…-)

Death, the end of life, a concept that all those who have tasted the joys of living would come to fear by instinct.

Despite how terrifying that near death experience had been, however, Long Hua still didn’t feel any sense of fear towards dying—causing him to frown.

(Instead of saying that I fear death, it’s more like—I’m curious of what’s beyond it. Well, reincarnation does indeed exist, and having experienced it—my perspective has become distorted. …Not a good habit to keep.)

Clearing his throat, Long Hua moves the conversation along.

“In other words, it’s the perfect type of weapon to use against a practitioner. You mentioned a magic array being inscribed into it, any idea which arms manufacturer made it?”

“I’m unable to find a blueprint for this bullet in any of the arms manufacturers’ catalogs. Perhaps, it’s an original design of the Long Yue family?”

“This family has dealings with practitioner-related objects, and also has ties to the military, just…-”

Shaking his head, Long Hua dismisses the thought, while narrowing his eyes.

“Doesn’t matter which side they’re on in this war of two worlds. The moment I manage to get out of this Leng Bing Realm, none of it is of concern to me.”

(This dispassionate view… How very much like his shizun. However, it doesn’t seem like his memories are fully restored just yet.)

The best proof of Long Hua’s memories not being perfect—in accordance with Tian Cheng’s knowledge, is the nonconfidence-inspiring expression that is on his face right now.

“Master’s expression right now doesn’t seem as confident as before.”

“You noticed? Hmm, long story short, getting out of this realm isn’t the end goal anymore.”

(I see. So, he’s at least realized we’re no longer in the same world as before.)

To confirm this, Tian Cheng asks—

“Does the end goal involve getting further away from this world than what master had originally anticipated, or perhaps…?”

“Ai, a lot further away…”

Towards Long Hua’s dispirited sigh that is riddled with fatigue, Tian Cheng smiles with glee on the inside.

(Compared to the past, the current him is rather cute. If possible, I truly hope he won’t ever recover his memories. Having him stay this way, would make him so much more easier to manipulate. But…)

From prior observations, Tian Cheng can tell that Long Hua has trust issues.

(The more of his memories that are recovered, the worse this issue will become. Come to think of it… Didn’t his shizun read his fate for him in the past? I seem to recall his shizun warning him specifically about his relationships with women. …My priority right now—should be to gain his trust before he can hope to build a sturdier wall around his heart. My “attempted smile” after taking a bullet for him through my vessel should have scored me some affection points—if I’m to think of my current situation as a dating sim game, hence I’m not starting completely at square one.)

If Long Hua is able to see the dark smile that Tian Cheng is currently making on the inside, he would definitely become a complete stickler to the words that his shizun had said.

(His shizun is no longer by his side now, nor does he have any friends in this world. Ah, you poor, poor child—stuck in a foreign world, where I am the sole person, you’re somewhat familiar with. The more reliant he is on me, the easier it will be to make him my puppet.)

Contemplating about how she could do just that, Tian Cheng thinks up of numerous words that she could say to soothe Long Hua’s current mood, and what his reaction towards them would be.

(For the time being, playing it safe should be best.)

Opening her mouth, Tian Cheng says—

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“A lot further away, is it? And what would master’s most respected person say towards that?”

“…”

(Instead of me providing him with an answer directly, it would be much more effective to have him recall his shizun’s teachings.)

Towards Tian Cheng’s question, Long Hua presses his brows together in deep thought.

“He’ll probably say something like… It’s only the first step that is the most difficult. Everything in the middle won’t be as bad, and by the time I notice it—I’d have already been so close to my destination that I need only take one more step forward.”

“In that case, it will all work out in the end, correct?”

Towards Tian Cheng’s response, Long Hua directs a quizzical look at her.

If she is able to display human emotions right now, Long Hua feels like she would most likely be smiling at him in a mischievous way.

“I find it odd to see you more confident than me about this matter.”

Pressing her right hand to her chest, Tian Cheng answers—

“In the end, what would a machine designed to fulfill a specific task, and to fulfill that specific task well—know about the difficulties that an individual of flesh and blood must deal with? I do understand to some extent, that the feat master is attempting to challenge is as difficult as scaling the very heavens, but… Is it not the task of a dependable tool to make the challenge as approachable as possible? Perhaps, given a bit of time, this challenge will prove to be not as difficult as master might have originally imagined?”

“…?”

Seeing the oddly pleased smile on Tian Cheng’s face, as if she is attempting to sell him a reliable product, Long Hua can’t help but ask—

“…Did undergoing a supposed “game over” for you end up…-?”

“Error. Do you wish to restart?”

Extremely pleased by her own performance on the inside, Tian Cheng’s inward smile couldn’t possibly be any smugger.

(It’d be best to just call it a night…)

Rubbing his temple, Long Hua sighs, and decides to turn in for the night, as he reaches for the blanket.

“Does master plan to rest?”

“Yeah. There’s…”

The thought of having to face Nian Yao Yao tomorrow after leaving her hanging for tonight—causes Long Hua to press a hand to his stomach.

“Should I prepare some stomach pain medications for tomorrow?”

“No need. Some things… Just need to be dealt with through gritted teeth. …Should I fill you in on what happened while you were out of commission first?”

“That could wait until tomorrow.”

“I suppose that’s fine too.”

Having said this, Long Hua adjusts his posture on the bed, and turns away from Tian Cheng with the intent to sleep.

“…”

Looking at Long Hua’s phone, which is off to the side, Tian Cheng reaches for it, and from within her detachable sleeve—a connector snakes out.

Sitting down on the bed, she connects herself to the phone.

Chapter 33

Sitting in front of a small table, Bai Wen holds a phone to his ear, as he waits for the call to connect.

This is a condo unit located on the 50th floor of a complex.

In the center of the living room is a spiraling staircase that leads up to the second floor, and to the far right is a kitchen—that is styled like the counter of a bar. Behind the white walls of the kitchen is a large terrace.

The back walls to the right side of Bai Wen are made from reinforced glass—allowing him to get a view of the city streets below.

As soon as the call connects, Bai Wen says—

“Took you long enough to pick up.”

[I tend to take my time to savor my bath, so this better be good.]

Hearing this, an awkward smile appears on Bai Wen’s face—causing him to clear his throat.

“Ah… Apologies for disturbing you then. …Remember how I told you about there being a foreign guest in the Leng Bing Realm?”

Recalling this matter, the person on the other side of the phone sinks into thought, and quickly connects it to be the reason for this late-night call.

[Lao Bai, you really do work fast when it’s something of interest to you.]

“My life is what’s at stake here, so why wouldn’t I? In any case, it’s late, so let’s just get right to the point, Lao Zhen—are you willing to risk some resources with me?”

[I don’t do business without knowing what it is that I am buying, and how I can use my purchases to turn a profit. Explain the situation to me first.]

“We’ve known each other for so long, and you’re still being so formal about things like this. Why not simply do something for the sake of it being fun, or to help an old friend out?”

[I know how to have fun in my spare time, Lao Bai. But this is this, and that is that.]

“If you consider yourself a merchant—be a bit more flexible. Ah, whatever, where do I start? Let me think for a bit.”

………

“Hmm. I guess this is an option, but…”

Browsing the internet through her vessel’s connection to Long Hua’s smartphone, the Tian Cheng that resides within the dreamscape—places a hand to her chin in contemplation.

“Making myself out to be a native of this world is somewhat out of the question. As for making myself out to be someone from his previous world… The moment he recovers even a tiny bit of his memories that has me in it—will cause all the trust that I’ve worked to build to go up into smoke. If I say, I’m someone his shizun sent…- No, if he’s as sharp as he was in the past, he’d probably ask why his shizun had sent a woman instead of a man. If I ask him how much of his memories he’s recovered through my vessel…- Too risky to ask at random. I need a topic that can lead into it naturally. Regardless, everything I’ve looked through so far can be used as reference material. Hmm, the most convenient setting that I can think of—centers around me being a long-forgotten Divinity. But without knowing too much about the world beyond the Leng Bing Realm, I won’t be able to construct a more convincing backstory for myself.”

………

The next day—

“…”

Opening his eyes, Long Hua continues to remain unmoving on the bed, as he waits for his vision to adjust to the light.

In the same instance, the sound of tableware being moved about can be heard coming from the kitchen.

“…”

Blinking his eyes, Long Hua raises a yawn, as he momentarily peels himself away from the bed.

Grabbing his phone from the side, he checks the time to see that it was only seven. Normally, he would think to sleep for another hour, as the office doesn’t open until nine, but—

“Master may want to do some grocery shopping later. There isn’t much left in the fridge.”

“Thanks.”

Receiving a plate that holds a plain egg sandwich coupled with canned slices of meat, Long Hua goes over the incident that happened last night while eating his breakfast.

Amidst Long Hua’s review of the situation, Tian Cheng doesn’t say a word, as she listened while standing in front of him.

Upon the conclusion of the review, Long Hua asks—

“What do you think of this weirdo from what I’ve told you so far?”

“A weirdo indeed. But not a weirdo without benefits, he should be worth associating with.”

Answering as such on the outside, Tian Cheng inwardly thought—

(If I can somehow get this weirdo to talk a bit more about the Everlasting Spirit Realm’s history, I should be able to construct a better backstory for myself.)

Wiping his hands with a wet towel, Long Hua thought for a moment before asking—

“Worth associating with… In that case, any thoughts on how I should interact with him?”

“Master believes that it would be best to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship—where you use one another for your own gains, is that correct?”

“Correct.”

“I would agree with this approach, as we currently know very little about him and the Ling Yuan family.”

“We know very little about the Long Yue family as well… You’d think they’re dragons—if you only took their horns into account, but I think they’re Nian beasts instead.”

Hearing this, Tian Cheng thought—

(Nian beasts, even back in that world, such beasts are a rarity. But… From what I recall, those two that we saw, their blood…- No, not just blood; a whole bunch of things about them seem out of place, at least compared to the ones I’m accustomed to seeing.)

Nodding her head, Tian Cheng asks—

“Has master never tried to probe Lady Nian for more information?”

“It’s not that I haven’t; it’s more like she knows very little about her own family’s secrets.”

“In that case, we would need to ask her mother.”

“The young are tender, while the old are vicious. I doubt we would get much out of that Nian Tao Tao—even if we asked her with a blade pressed to her neck. She’d sooner bite off her own tongue before spilling any secrets she may have.”

Saying this, and recalling the gleam in Nian Tao Tao’s eyes then, Long Hua thought—

(Those are the sorts of eyes—that a person would direct at someone, who had killed off their entire family. She must have quite a bad history with practitioners.)

Guiding the conversation along, Tian Cheng says—

“Long Yue, Ling Yuan, those two aside, it might be best to learn more about the entirety of the Everlasting Spirit Realm as a whole. Once master is able to escape from the Leng Bing Realm, you would need to know what to look out for in the greater world.”

“True. Still, a business relationship with Bai Wen… To even do business, those involved in the dealing need to be able to provide the other with benefits.”

“That person asked for a cultivation method that’s suited for the realm after the Nascent Soul realm. It shouldn’t be too difficult to procure it, so long as master is able to advance into the Foundation Establishment realm—assuming what he said about memory recovery to be true.”

Believing this to be the perfect opportunity to raise a question of concern, Tian Cheng asks—

“While we are on this topic, may I ask how much of your memories you’ve recovered, master?”

“…Not a lot. Aside from trivial knowledge of the practitioners’ circle, along with some of the things that I was taught, I don’t recall anything from my past life in terms of the places that I’ve been, and the people that I’ve encountered outside of shizun.”

Receiving this answer, Tian Cheng thought—

(Hmm, from what I’m hearing here, it seems like personal memories are fragmented? Still, with time some of the blanks will be filled. I highly doubt he’ll instantly recover all of his memories the moment he hits a specific realm of cultivation. With how difficult it is to raise his cultivation base in the Leng Bing Realm, he might even die a natural death from the shortage of lifespan. That would actually work out in my favor. Hmm…)

Staring into Long Hua’s eyes, Tian Cheng attempts to see if there are any hints of deception to be detected, but—

“I see.”

In the end, even if Long Hua had indeed lied to her about the current state of his memories, it would be difficult to tell—knowing how quick-witted the former had been in his previous life.

“Other than Bai Wen, there’s this one called “Lao Zhen,” who is supposed to give me a test.”

“A merchant, was it?”

“I wasn’t too interested in this New Moon Village before, but now I’m intrigued.”

Chapter 34

Leaving Tian Cheng back on the yacht—to avoid being questioned, and looked at with odd eyes, Long Hua arrives in front of the disciplinary bureau office that he had been assigned to.

“Oh?”

Opening the door of the rundown office building with great care, Long Hua widens his eyes to see that it didn’t fall forward, and is instead fitted perfectly into place.

Taking a glance at the door a second time, he suddenly realizes that it’s brand new.

“So, what do you think, lieutenant? I’d say, I did a fine job at fitting the door myself.”

Sitting in front of a new desk is Ye Chen, the captain of this office—who had a rather cheeky expression on his face, as he greets Long Hua with a wave.

“What do I think? Hmm.”

Looking around the office space, Long Hua goes on to say—

“The same rundown walls that could use a repaint and some fillings, the same old sofas that looked as if a cat had just gone wild on it, and the same old table that could collapse when fallen onto—aside from this door and your desk, everything else is basically the same as always. Ask me again—when the place has been completely renovated.”

Hearing this, Ye Chen blinks his eyes before clearing his throat, and replies—

“Hard to please, aren’t you? It’s called taking one step forward at a time. The next few items to be replaced will be the sofas and table. Should the winter season arrive earlier than expected, the walls and roofs will be set as the priority—even if all of us need to take a pay cut.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Moving into the office, Long Hua falls onto one of the old sofas, and glances at Li Xue—who is staring intently at her laptop, and seems to not have noticed his arrival.

“Li Xue is looking for our next job.”

“With care, I’d assume?”

“Of course.”

With a serious expression on his face, Ye Chen answers as such, as he truly didn’t want a repeat of last time.

“In the end, how much did you manage to rip out of that squad that sent us on a suicide run?”

“With these purchases we’ve made, we’re left with enough NWD to pay everyone a full month’s worth of salary. Ah, but keep in mind that this is only after taking the government’s monthly pay into account.”

Recalling how fierce the negotiation process had been, Ye Chen couldn’t help but make a shrewd smile, while Long Hua replies with—

“Not a lot.”

“Still better than where we started off, lieutenant.”

“True.”

“Morning. Oh?”

Opening the door with the same expression as Long Hua, Yu Ji steps into the office with Qing Yue following behind him.

Compared to Yu Ji, there is a subtle sense of wariness in the way in which Qing Yue is approaching the central table, and she chose a section of the opposite sofa—that would position her as far away from Long Hua as possible.

(…He really didn’t realize it was me last night, right?)

Seating herself, Qing Yue can’t help but throw a brief glance at Long Hua, but seeing the latter not acting any more indifferent than usual, she felt like she should be safe.

Setting her laptop onto the table, Li Xue covers her mouth to yawn, to which, Ye Chen remarks—

“Didn’t sleep well last night?”

“I was attempting to catch up on a few dramas since my workplace was made to close early yesterday. Apparently, something major went down in the third ward afterwards.”

“The morning news did mention there being some MAUs sliced cleanly into pieces.”

Shrugging his shoulders in response to Yu Ji’s remark, Ye Chen says—

“Situations like that, you’d expect a bureau’s squad to get called in to deal with it, but the people behind the incident seem to have used money to keep everything hush, so not much else is really known about the event—other than a few rumors and speculations.”

Towards Ye Chen, Li Xue, and Yu Ji’s conversation that focused on the events that occurred last night, both Long Hua and Qing Yue kept themselves silent throughout the discussion.

“Hm? You two seem awfully quiet.”

“Was a long night yesterday because of a dinner party. After that I got called in for overtime.”

Answering Ye Chen’s question in this manner, Long Hua raises a light sigh, while the former asks—

“Overtime in a café, and in the middle of the night?”

“Past the hours of midnight, my workplace turns into a bar. Plenty of old folks drop by during that time.”

(This guy…)

Noticing how fluidly Long Hua is able to lie through his teeth, Qing Yue can’t help but raise a brow, and upon Ye Chen turning his attention towards her, she says—

“I was also a bit busy with work, so I didn’t pay much attention to the commotion.”

“I see.”

Nodding his head, Ye Chen turns to Li Xue, and asks—

“Well, the incidents aside, Li Xue, how goes the search for our next job?”

“It’s going well. I’m just waiting for a few matters to be confirmed.”

“How long will that take?”

“Give it a day or two.”

Raising a hand, Yu Ji asks—

“Any details that you can give about this new job, captain?”

“It’s related to the “Carps” that’s being passed around.”

“Carps?”

Although the term sounded familiar to Yu Ji, he couldn’t recall where he had heard about it from.

“Some sort of enhancement drug that is being passed around in the Sinners’ circle by an unknown group. Supposedly, it increases the Sinner’s combat strength when used.”

While saying these words, Ye Chen leaves his desk, and comes to sit before the central table.

“So, the military wants to obtain some of this stuff for the frontlines—under the excuse of seizing dangerous substances?”

Shaking his head towards Yu Ji’s question, Ye Chen answers—

“Usage of this substance has recently been discovered to cause a Sinner’s Hazard Level to rise rapidly, so it makes them more prone to experiencing signs of Apotheosis. Now imagine this, 2nd Lieut. Yu Ji, what happens when this stuff is distributed to clueless Sinners within the city grounds?”

“…”

Recalling the Apotheosized Sinner that they had fought against, Yu Ji can’t help but frown.

“With how society tends to treat Sinners as disposable tools of war…- Ai, sooner or later this tension bubble will burst, and this Carp might just end up being the needle that does the final prick. I shouldn’t be saying this aloud, but society really only has itself to blame.”

Saying these words with a helpless smile on her face, Li Xue shrugs her shoulders, whereas Long Hua remarks—

“So, there’s a high likelihood that the entire city might go to hell when this stuff is placed into the hands of extremists? Sounds like a good time to go on a vacation.”

“Vacation? Yeah, maybe, but that vacation takes place on the frontlines. You still willing to go?”

Towards Ye Chen’s response to his remark, Long Hua smiles with clear amusement, as if the idea sounded wonderful to him.

(…? I really can’t get a good read on this guy. Is he just not afraid of death, or is he just a battle-crazed manic?)

Clearing his throat, and wiping away his smile, Long Hua asks—

“The job is probably something like—finding the distributors of this drug and taking them in, right?”

“Pretty much, but leads are difficult to find.”

“This time we’re dealing with actual people, so there’s uncertain factors to take into consideration when moving.”

Towards Li Xue’s reminder, the room turns quiet.

Eventually, Qing Yue asks—

“Will killing be allowed?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Li Xue replies—

“Try to keep it to a minimum, if possible.”

“In the meanwhile, we’re just going to wait around?”

Stretching his arms, Ye Chen answers Yu Ji’s question with—

“We’re not being very productive, are we? Well, don’t worry. Sooner or later, we’ll probably be swarmed with work. Like Li Xue said, the bubble could burst real soon with the appearance of this new drug. Enjoy the tranquility, while you can.”

Chapter 35

“Well then, I’m heading out for the day.”

“Take care.”

Upon reaching the office’s closing hours without receiving any reports of unwelcomed incidents, Yu Ji is the first to stand up from the old sofa and take his leave.

“I’ll be off as well.”

Not a moment too soon, Qing Yue does the same, and just as Long Hua is about to follow—

“2nd Lieut. Long Hua, you able to make some time for a drink next week?”

“Hm?”

Pausing his footsteps, Long Hua turns his head to the side, and asks—

“Who’s paying for the drinks?”

“It’s only appropriate for the inviter to do so. Don’t you think?”

“I see. In that case, you can pick the time, and place as well, captain.”

“Alright.”

Waving goodbye, Long Hua leaves the office.

Walking over from the self-serving bar area of the office with two cups of hot tea in hand, Li Xue asks—

“Are you going to leave me out cold after inviting someone to a drink right in front of me?”

“Maybe next time.”

“What do you have planned exactly?”

Towards Li Xue’s question, which was asked with a sharp change in tone, Ye Chen ponders for a brief moment before answering—

“Let’s just say, I’m in the mood to be nosy. Don’t you find it odd to see those two being so quiet, while we were talking about that incident in the morning?”

Setting one of the cups down, Li Xue asks—

“…You mean they might be involved?”

“Only a guess.”

“And if they were?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Ye Chen replies—

“If they were, so be it. Nothing we can do about it. What each of us does in our private day-to-day life isn’t something that we should interfere with—unless requested of.”

“What a laissez-faire approach you’re taking, colonel. You do realize how much damage that incident had caused right? Can you imagine the amount of unrest that may come as a result of similar degree incidents occurring on a daily basis? People on social media are all asking for a tighter leash to be placed around the necks of Sinners.”

Raising an eye, Ye Chen answers—

“Unrest in the public? You do realize those sitting at the top couldn’t give two shits about what those at the bottom may think, right? So long as money is forked out by those who had caused that incident, the influencers will all pretend like it never happened—even if the news is written on the front pages. If anything, they could use that as an opportunity to further antagonize those that they wish to paint in a bad light.”

“…”

Hearing such a detailed answer from Ye Chen, Li Xue can’t help but make a discomforting frown, as it is all too realistic.

Heaving a sigh, Ye Chen adds—

“In the first place, matters of this nature aren’t in our job description; so why bother to care for them when it’s unnecessary? I’d rather use my energy more productively.”

“Such as establishing a good relationship with your subordinates and others of influence?”

“Establishing a relationship takes time and effort. Establishing a good relationship takes even more time and effort.”

Hearing these words from Ye Chen, Li Xue’s expression freezes. These were words that she had grown up hearing from her father.

Taking a sip of tea, Li Xue says—

“I can understand why you’d want to do that when it comes to those three, but some of your relationships are just… Strange, bizarre, odd, there’s a lot of words that I can use to describe them, but generally, the people you entangle yourself with all seem very eccentric—with those that are normal being a rare exception.”

“Hmm, kind of difficult to answer that question when you’re describing most of them so rudely…”

Scratching his cheek, Ye Chen decides to openly dodge the question; and seeing him insistent on not answering, Li Xue shrugs her shoulders, and asks—

“Any place in mind for where you intend to head out for that drink?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you, since you’d just end up following along then.”

“In that case, what makes you want to go out drinking with surnamed Long of all people?”

Contemplating for a bit, Ye Chen answers—

“When we were out in the wastelands, he said, “the price of the liquor matters not; what matters is who you’re drinking with—for to drink, is to drink the mood.” I said, it sounded like a fancy excuse to get wasted, but looking back, I truly do have to agree with him. Even the cheapest food can taste good—when eaten with others, after a day out in the fields. So, to answer your question, I suppose, I just felt like—going out with him for a drink might be an interesting experience?”

“Sounds like a boys will be boys sort of deal.”

“Ahaha, maybe.”

Glancing at the untouched cup of tea that is on the desk, Li Xue asks—

“Aren’t you going to drink the tea I wholeheartedly brew for you?”

“I fell for that trick thrice in the past, won’t ever happen again.”

Blinking her eyes, Li Xue says—

“I only put a laxative in this time around.”

Looking at Li Xue with an expression of amazement, Ye Chen replies—

“…Hardly makes it any better.”

“You’d rather I spike it with something more lethal?”

“…”

………

“A drink…”

Despite how odd that suggestion had been, Long Hua wasn’t against it, however—

(The captain’s a far sharper man than he lets on. He should have some other purpose for calling me out. Did he perhaps…? Maybe keeping quiet during their conversation this morning wasn’t such a good call. Now that I think about it, Qing Yue kept quiet as well…)

Sitting on top of his bike, Long Hua thought back to the morning discussion, but just as his focus turns to Qing Yue, his phone vibrates.

“Hm?”

Displayed on the phone screen is a new message that came from Nian Yao Yao.

(So, the meeting place is the hospital, then?)

Between now and the meeting hour, there should be just barely enough time for him to go back to the yacht—to pick up Tian Cheng, and do some grocery shopping, while on the way over to the hospital.

(There might be a need to reaffirm a few things now that the cat’s out of the bag. Ideal case scenario would be an adjustment to our contract, and in the worst-case scenario—a complete termination. Hmm.)

Storing his phone away, Long Hua starts the bike up, and after putting on his gloves and helmet, he departs from the office.