Chapter 16
“…”
“…”
Deciding to meet the Tai Xuan Emperor again, Long Hua went back to sleep, and is brought back to the dreamscape.
“So? Why have you returned, young man?”
Despite saying these words with an unfriendly tone—beneath the light veil, the Tai Xuan Emperor couldn’t be anything less than pleased.
“…You said, my shizun sent you to assist me. …What kind of assistance can you provide me with?”
Without a shred of remorse towards his earlier behavior, Long Hua asks this with a reluctant tone—while turning his head slightly to the side, as if he couldn’t even bear to look at the Tai Xuan Emperor.
Towards this attitude, the Tai Xuan Emperor thought—
(The hell is up with that reluctant look in his eyes?! This difference in treatment between my vessel, and my actual self is as different as night and day…)
If there is an affection gauge over Long Hua’s head at this time, then the number in it—is probably something in the negatives.
Clearing her throat subtly, the Tai Xuan Emperor replies—
“Cultivation resources, mainly magic treasures.”
Hearing this, Long Hua straightens his face towards the Tai Xuan Emperor.
Cultivation methods, and divine arts aren’t as much of a necessity to him, but magic treasures are a different matter.
“Can I see them?”
“Of course.”
Waving her hand, the Tai Xuan Emperor causes a projection to appear in front of Long Hua.
Displayed in the projection is—
“This is…?”
An interface is displayed, and within it are three options. The first is a pull history section; the second is a single roll option, and the third is a ten-roll option.
No matter how anyone looked at this thing, what’s being displayed is clearly—
“A gacha?”
Turning his head away from the projection, Long Hua stares at the Tai Xuan Emperor, as if trying to ask if this is a joke, to which, the latter bluntly replies—
“Young man, this isn’t a joke. My contract with Dao He Tian Xue says—that I can only provide you with assistance at a price. This is merely the easiest way for me to do so.”
(Shizun never did make things easy for me, I guess this is just another one of his trials for me?)
With this thought in mind, Long Hua asks—
“What’s the currency used to do rolls?”
“1,000 spirit stones.”
“For ten rolls?”
“Single roll.”
“…”
If Long Hua had anything in his hands right now, he would have definitely dropped them. This price for a single roll is—
“This is a complete rip-off.”
“Now don’t say that. I have difficulties of my own to deal with.”
“Difficulties?”
(For the sake of my future ambitions, I need as much resources as possible.)
Thinking of this, the Tai Xuan Emperor ignores Long Hua’s question, and goes on to say—
“Since it’s your first time using this gacha, there’s a free ten-roll to try it out. You’ll also be granted a free roll every day—which can be stacked over time.”
“…”
With a light of suspicion in his eyes, Long Hua returns his attention to the interface, and presses the ten-roll option.
Immediately, the interface changes to display ten capsules—which burst open in the next instance.
“Oh? Six whites, three greens, and a purple.”
Floating over to Long Hua’s side, the Tai Xuan Emperor looks to the interface as well, whereas the former asks—
“…What rarity are these?”
“Normal, rare, and super rare.”
Twitching an eye, Long Hua asks—
“…Not even a guaranteed SSR for the beginner rolls?”
“Unfortunately, not.”
“Can I reroll?”
Putting up a thuggish look behind her veil, the Tai Xuan Emperor replies—
“Ah? Reroll? This is real life, not a game, young man. You can’t just go deleting your account, and restarting.”
“…”
Towards these words of logic, Long Hua had nothing to refute them with.
As the light around the items dissipates, the actual items are revealed.
Ignoring the normal and rare rarity items, the super rare item is—
“A talisman?”
“That’s a physical strength boosting talisman. You can only use it once, and its effect lasts for 15 minutes.”
Blinking his eyes, Long Hua looks towards the item, while contemplating—
(I see, so there’s items like this in this stupid thing. Depending on how it’s used, I can catch higher level opponents off guard.)
Although he sees value in this gacha system, Long Hua can’t help but ask—
“What is up with the normal items?”
“Aren’t they exactly what they are? Normal.”
“…”
The items in this category are essentially what amounts to daily necessities from an ordinary looking hand fan to—
“Sweet and spicy flavored ramen with genuine jade-skinned bull meat?”
(Well, most of the items contained in this gacha system are my personal possessions from when I was the Tai Xuan Emperor. There being a few oddball items in the normal rarity pool isn’t too unusual.)
Thinking of this, while suppressing her own embarrassment, the Tai Xuan Emperor asks—
“Well, how about it? A decent system if used properly, don’t you think?”
“Decent only if you have good luck, is more like it.”
The four remaining normal rarity items are a metal lighter, a can of hair spray, a pair of round-framed sunglasses, and a novel titled “Arrow to Her Heart Guaranteed, 100 Pieces of Love Advice.”
(The hell is this book’s title?)
As for the three rare rarity items, they are a fishing rod—that can be collapsed into a ten-inch stick, a bottle of perfume, and a bottle of something called “youth preservation cream.”
(How the hell is a fishing rod, a bottle of perfume, and a bottle of whatever that cream is, considered rare…?)
As Long Hua thought of this, the Tai Xuan Emperor says—
“Come now, no need to make that face. Other than spirit stones, I also take rare metals, and minerals as pull currency.”
“…How about NWDs?”
“Now what could I possibly use mortal currency for? Also, there’s one free single roll, I think-”
Cutting the Tai Xuan Emperor off, Long Hua says—
“Don’t care for it right now. Since it’s stackable, let it stack.”
“Then how about viewing some of the SSR rarity items?”
“Heh. Showing me your wares to get me addicted to pulling for more?”
“I guess I got caught then? What sharp eyes you have.”
Knowing that Long Hua will be a difficult nut to crack, the Tai Xuan Emperor isn’t in too great of a rush, as she puts some distance between the former and herself, and says—
“Well, regardless of what happens in the future, I do look forward to working with you, *-laoban.”
“Hm? What did you call me just now?”
“Your true name is also something that I cannot reveal to you, so whenever I speak of it, my contract with Dao He Tian Xue censors it out.”
(…Is your current face a mask?)
Recalling this question that Bai Wen had asked of him when they first met, Long Hua frowns, while thinking—
(If my current name isn’t real, then what about my current face? Lao Bai, actually guessed correctly…)
As Long Hua is thinking of this, the Tai Xuan Emperor raises her right hand out to him for a handshake, to which, the former asks—
“What should I call you?”
“Feel free to call me, Qiě. (且)”
Taking “Qie’s” hand, Long Hua shakes it, and immediately, he feels an odd sense of connection forming between them.
“You said, you’re an acquaintance of my shizun’s. What sort of relationship did you even have with him?”
Asking this, Long Hua releases the Tai Xuan Emperor’s hand.
“Dao He Tian Xue, is the man I fear the most in this entire universe—so much so that I must refer to him by his title whenever I say his name. If he is able to overcome his greatest calamity, he would become one of the apex existences in this vast universe.”
………
Having sent Long Hua out, the Tai Xuan Emperor stands alone in the endless void.
“And so, it begins at last. No matter what, I mustn’t fail this time.”
Recalling the events that occurred to her in the Earthborn Elementals’ Realm, a light of hatred, and confusion manifests in the Tai Xuan Emperor’s eyes.
When she had lightheartedly mentioned to Long Hua—that she would take rare metals, and minerals as a pull currency, she wasn’t joking; for that is her actual aim when she created this system—that is a massive resource sink.
“Attaining surnamed *’s body, and couple that with the upgraded Divine Weapon of Tai Xuan, so long as I have these two things… Even if I’m up against the four emperors, and the Aurora unit, they still won’t be a threat to me then.”
Due to Long Hua being the main owner of the Divine Weapon of Tai Xuan, he has the right to retrieve items from it.
However, as partial owner of the weapon, and serving as its weapon spirit, the Tai Xuan Emperor possesses the authority to veto the main owner’s rights.
That being the case, this system was created to conduct randomized trading between them, while providing the Tai Xuan Emperor with the resources—that she needed to upgrade her divine weapon with.
Intermission – Grudge
“Your old man… I was the one who killed him, so feel free to get back at me for it.”
I wonder what my expression was at the time.
Anger alone wasn’t all there was to it.
There was probably relief as well.
…Relief, in the fact—that I had someone to vent this anger out on.
And so, I quit the Disciplinary Bureau that I was assigned to, and went off to the frontlines.
Handprint shaped craters, and explosions aplenty in this environment—that is filled with Immortals.
This was the work environment of my father—that I should have been foreign to, but is forced to adjust to, if I wished to survive long enough to kill that bastard.
Asking around, I was slowly getting acquainted with this environment, and the people in it.
Some of the individuals here, mainly the Sinners—are what I would consider to be people of character.
A few only knew the combat life—these were the individuals that the on-site military officers favored, as they were easy to give orders to.
Different from the first group, the second group was composed of those—who would put a minimum amount of effort into the act of Immortal slaying, and if a situation looked dangerous, they would be the first to flee.
It goes without saying that these individuals weren’t as favored by the military officers. However, they were all individuals of good talent—making it difficult to put them to the gun.
Actually, killing any of these individuals was far from simple, as I came to find out later on.
The first two groups had something in common—all of them were what I had considered to be monsters.
Even if their heads were blown off, and their limbs chopped, they would still be able to revive themselves, and regrow their lost limbs.
The person I wanted to kill belonged in these two groups, while I was in the third group—the group that was composed of the weak.
Cannon fodders would be an appropriate term to describe the individuals of the third group—for we were incapable of the feat that the first two groups were able to do.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Since our enemies were Immortals—the ability to revive ourselves was priceless, and those that didn’t possess this ability, their lives were infinitely more fragile.
And since the person I wanted to kill belonged in the first two groups, killing them wasn’t as easy as I had expected.
Poison.
Bombs.
Luring them into an Immortal’s attack.
Slitting their throat while they were asleep.
Ramming my Relic through their heart.
I’ve tried just about everything, but he would revive each time, and tell me to try harder—as if mocking me for my futile efforts.
What made it even worse, and more mentally draining on me was the fact—that he would laugh and smile about it all, as if it was all a game to him.
Eventually, I took a break from attempting to kill him, and started to ask around.
I wanted to know the full story of how my father had died. However, the people who knew my father well, they didn’t have much to say.
Seemingly, the sole person to know the full story was that bastard alone, but his lips were sealed, and regardless of how much I asked him about it, his answer was always the same, being—
“I was the one who killed him.”
By the time I knew it, my service terms were up. With it, I could leave the frontlines whenever I wanted.
Due to that bastard being on the frontlines, however, I elected to stay at first.
But rather quickly, I found out that he had decided to leave, and take charge of a Disciplinary Bureau’s office.
With that, I decided to leave the frontlines as well.
Chapter 17
Pass the hours of one, in the afternoon—
“…”
As Ye Chen focused on driving them to their planned destination, Li Xue, who is seated in the rundown trucks’ front passenger seat, suggests—
“Well then, let’s go over the details, shall we?”
As the three seated in the back raised their ears, Li Xue looks to the computer on her lap, and begins with—
“Our activity today takes place in the same ward as our office building.”
“Hm?”
Their office building is in the sixth ward, the ward that focuses on the education of Sinners; and since that is the case, Yu Ji can’t help but ask—
“Then, why are we moving out of the ward?”
“There might be a need to give chase later, so we’re getting our sole means of transport into position first. Also, we figured that making it look as if we had left the office, would make our targets less vigilant—should they have eyes on us. Currently, we’re on our way over to the fifth ward’s dividing line.”
“Hm? Going through so much effort is…?”
Before Qing Yue can finish asking, Li Xue answers—
“Whoever is distributing the Carps, let’s just say, they’re far more capable than what the military had originally thought them out to be.”
“I see. Still, business for them must be booming in the sixth ward.”
“It’s easier to entice the young than it is to entice the old, after all.”
“With how shit the learning environment is, it hardly takes any effort to get them in line to using that drug.”
Towards Qing Yue, Long Hua, and Yu Ji’s respective inputs, Li Xue raises a sigh. She has to agree with these remarks herself, as she says—
“I’m sure you three got plenty you’d want to say about Sinner education, but… No time for that right now. In any case, here.”
Uncaringly, Li Xue tosses two packages to the back, and lands them onto Yu Ji and Qing Yue’s lap, to which, Qing Yue asks—
“What’s this for?”
“Wait, this cheap and flimsy uniform jacket, is it…?”
“We need people to look like students. Otherwise, how would we be able to bait the distributors to us?”
“Why us?”
Asking this, Yu Ji looks over to Long Hua, who wasn’t given a uniform. Towards this gesture, Li Xue answers—
“You two will be acting out the roles of a model student. Long Hua will act out the role of a delinquent.”
Hearing his assigned role, Long Hua thought—
(Come to think of it, the few that were well-off in S09 didn’t bother to wear these uniforms until the last day of class.)
Clearing her throat, Li Xue continues to say—
“By the time we get this truck into position, it will be close to the time when school gets out. You three need to just walk around the sixth ward at random. Hopefully, things will go smoothly, and we manage to hook a dealer in.”
The only concern Li Xue has of this not working—is if the distributors of the Carps already knew Yu Ji, Qing Yue, and Long Hua’s faces.
But considering how newly established their office is, the odds of that happening shouldn’t be very high. At the same time, face masks have been slipped into Yu Ji and Qing Yue’s uniform pockets.
Exhaling a long breath, Li Xue concludes her briefings with—
“Keep your phones on with an active call connected to me at all times during the operation. The keyword to ask for backup is “unmute.” Any other questions?”
“Captain and vice-captain aren’t joining us out in the fields?”
“…2nd Lieut. Qing Yue, me aside, you really shouldn’t be asking a 23-year-old woman a question like that.”
Keeping his eyes on the road, Ye Chen—who hasn’t said a word since they got into the truck, finally decides to speak up now.
“Must be nice being young and looking the part as well, don’t you think, Qing Yue?”
“Uh…”
Unconsciously, Qing Yue straightens her back.
…
Just as planned, by the time they arrived at their destination, school was nearly over.
Seeing as how it would be far too conspicuous of them—to park the truck right outside of the two wards’ dividing lines, Ye Chen had decided in advance to park it inside of an alleyway nearby.
As the two playing the role of model students only needed to swap out their coats for the uniform jacket to look the part, Yu Ji and Qing Yue didn’t take long to change.
“I’m off then.”
“Good luck.”
Yu Ji is the first to leave.
“I’m heading out as well.”
15 minutes after Yu Ji had left, Qing Yue was the second to go after donning her face mask.
The final person to leave—
“…You’re really getting into this 2nd Lieut. Long Hua.”
Taking out a pair of round-framed sunglasses, Long Hua puts them on—while his right hand holds onto a fan. Both items were something that he obtained from the free ten-rolls.
Tapping the fan onto the palm of his left hand, Long Hua asks—
“What do you think, captain?”
Appearance wise, he does look the part of a rich young master from an influential household.
Looking at Long Hua through the rear seat mirror, Ye Chen remarks—
“Like a prick—who will ogle at any girl that passes him by.”
“Good, well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Uh…”
Upon Long Hua opening the fan, Ye Chen is somewhat speechless—in response to the words, which are written onto the fan in black ink.
“Number one hottie in the mortal realm…”
Reading the five characters (凡尘第一帅) aloud—a difficult to describe expression, appears on Ye Chen’s face.
Not minding Ye Chen’s reaction, Long Hua opens the door of the truck, and leaves.
If nothing happens, this would just be a casual stroll.
“Talk about la-… No, just gaudy…”
Having seen the words on Long Hua’s fan, Li Xue reacts in the same way as Ye Chen, to which, the former replies—
[I heard that, vice-captain. I’m only putting on this appearance in case the distributors know our faces.]
“…Sorry.”
Having said her apology, Li Xue mutes her microphone.
Chapter 18
(…Less than ideal, as usual. Were we…- Was I like them when that happened to Li?)
Occasionally glancing at the students—who are walking him by, Yu Ji sighs on the inside.
Most of these young Sinners have a dull look on their faces.
“…”
Stopping in front of a vending machine, Yu Ji looks at his own reflection through the glass.
His reflection, which is shown by the glass, can only be described as charming.
(Everything checks out then. Err… Yu Ji, you’re… Male?)
Recalling how Li Xue had asked this question of him day one, Yu Ji had answered “correct” by instinct, but the truth is—
(I was born a girl, but…)
Yu Ji’s parents had wanted a male heir; hence, the moment they found out that their second child—Li, was also a girl, they decided to teach Yu Ji male etiquette.
As she gradually became aware of her own situation while growing up, Yu Ji did find it odd with how she wasn’t allowed to wear dresses, or have her hair be over a certain length.
However, she never complained about the situation to her parents.
Having matured at a quicker rate than her peers, Yu Ji was keenly aware—that money was able to make her life a lot more convenient; hence, she played the role of a male heir for her parents, and when they were out, she would play the role of an elder sister for Li.
Born into a wealthy household with her little sister, they should have been able to live out a leisure-filled life.
However, all that changed when Yu Ji and Li hit the age of ten—where they both received their Sinner’s brandings.
Usually, these brandings would only appear around the ages of six and seven; hence, the situation of Yu Ji and Li receiving theirs at the age of ten could only be described as unusual.
The look in their parents’ eyes, then, was as if they were looking at filth. Filth—that should have been tossed out like any other filth many years ago.
And so, similarly, to the other children—who had been marked with this branding, their parents had sold them off to the government.
Despite feeling a bit lost in the beginning, Yu Ji still considered herself lucky compared to the other children—who had fallen into this situation, because Li was by her side.
And no longer did she have to play the role of a male heir; she was free to grow her hair out, and dress in whatever she liked.
However, such feelings were quick to become the exact opposite—when Li was made to enter into the cryostasis unit.
For reasons that the doctors weren’t able to figure out, Li suddenly became unable to move her body. The paralysis that Li had was so bad that she wasn’t able to eat, and had she been left as is, she would have no doubt died from starvation.
And so, the only option left was to have Li enter a cryostasis unit.
Relief towards the solution was only temporary, maintenance and keeping the cryostasis unit running cost money, a lot of money; and because of that, Yu Ji had to take on work from Dainsfield—under the occupation of an assassin.
Fortunately, her Relic is a long-ranged weapon, a rarity among Sinners—making her very effective at killing her targets from a distance.
And it was also because of this being her area of expertise—that she was paid highly for her services, allowing her to make ends meet between keeping her little sister alive, and sustaining her own living necessities to a certain degree.
“Ai, what am I doing—thinking of all this now…?”
Raising a sigh, Yu Ji decides to continue moving.
Although Yu Ji is now able to wear whatever she likes, combat equipment tends to have a more masculine design.
As for growing her hair out, it wasn’t very practical, for she is taught that since Immortals have human level intelligence, having shorter hair that cannot be grabbed during battle is better.
“You seem troubled. If you want, I can listen over some drinks.”
“Hm?”
Halting her footsteps, Yu Ji turns towards the source of this voice, and a young man with brown hair—who should be about the same age as her, is standing next to the vending machine with a wallet in hand. Judging by his uniform, he should be a student.
Towards the young man’s offer, Yu Ji replies—
“I want a melon-flavored soda.”
“No holding back at all, huh? Going for the most expensive beverage, oh well.”
Keeping to his words, the young man purchases a can of coffee, and a melon-flavored soda.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
Catching the soda that is tossed over, Yu Ji cracks it open, while thinking—
(Is he a distributor?)
………
About 20 or so minutes after Yu Ji had met the young man—
“The one over there—in the sunglasses, wait up.”
“Hm?”
Turning around, Long Hua sees a blonde-haired woman dressed in a black leather jacket over a white V-neck shirt. Completing her attire is a pair of black mini-pants and dark stockings, along with tall dark boots. Covering her right ear is a wireless headpiece.
Overall, one would say that her blacked-out attire gives her a sense of presence—that makes her stand out greatly.
Putting on a subtle smile, Long Hua asks—
“Did you need something?”
Chapter 19
“Well, well, well…”
Having caught two potential fish with their bait, Ye Chen has a pleased look on his face, as he sits inside of the truck with Li Xue, who replies—
“A bit too early to be excited there, captain.”
“One of them is bound to be the fish we’re looking for; I refuse to think they’re both a miss.”
“The question is which one, then.”
………
As it has been some time since class had ended, it’s relatively easy to find a roadside bench—to rest one’s feet at.
“I see. So, your little sister is in a bad situation.”
Deciding to mix some truths into her lies, Yu Ji had talked to the young man using Li, as their topic of discussion.
Sharing the bench together, there is an arm’s length of distance keeping them apart.
Clearing his throat, the young man says—
“Probably won’t make you feel any better, but my condolences for that.”
“Thanks. So, what about you? Doesn’t the food in these schools suck?”
“Hahaha. Yeah, you’re right about that.”
Taking a sip of the canned coffee, the young man agrees with Yu Ji’s remark, prior to replying—
“But at least, the food here is easier to acquire than the stuff from my hometown.”
“Hometown?”
“I’m from the slums of that place, so… You know.”
“I see?”
Deciding to ignore the vagueness in this individual’s claim, Yu Ji asks—
“By the way, what’s your name? I’m Yu Ji.”
“You can just call me Chén Lán. (陈岚)”
“Nice to meet you then, Chen Lan.”
“You as well. Ah, this might just be me being nosy, but have you ever checked the amount—that your Guild is charging you, and your sister for; compared to the average price—that an ordinary person would be charged with, for these medical services?”
It was a fairly simple question, but the notion had never occurred to Yu Ji up until now—due to how hectic her life had been.
“I’m assuming, you haven’t then?”
Seeing the look on Yu Ji’s face, Chen Lan assumes as such, to which, the former raises a sigh, and replies—
“I guess I’ll check afterwards. You’re a lot sharper than me, despite us being… Maybe around the same age?”
“Despite being only 18, I’m often told that. Even though Guilds are meant for Sinners, they can still be quite underhanded with their treatment of us.”
………
Back in the truck—
“…This surnamed Chen has good communication skills.”
Hearing the conversation between Yu Ji and Chen Lan, Ye Chen remarks as such, while Li Xue remarks—
“I’ve searched through the list of students, and four results came up. If only I knew which chen, and lan is used in his name—that could narrow it down further.”
“Having 2nd Lieut. Yu Ji ask that—would just be awkward at this point. How about the age of the four results?”
“Two can be cut out with that factored in.”
“Hmm. Well, this is quite…-”
[The one over there in the sunglasses, wait up.]
“Hm?”
Just as Ye Chen is thinking about whether or not to head out, and put cuffs on Chen Lan, a woman’s voice comes from the laptop’s speakers.
“It’s coming from Long Hua’s side.”
“…Tell 2nd Lieut. Qing Yue to head over to 2nd Lieut. Yu Ji’s side, just in case.”
………
“Did you need something?”
Tapping the fan against the palm of his left hand, Long Hua subtly rotates the Tranquil Heart Incantation, as he faces the young woman dressed mostly in black.
“Nothing really. I just figured that I might have found someone—who was just as rebellious, as me.”
Raising an eye beneath his sunglasses, Long Hua replies—
“Hmm. As far as I’m aware of, I’ve always been an honor student in these parts.”
“An honor student? Class has been out for a while. The fact that you’re just on your way out of this ward now—means, you were probably given a pep talk, or something, right?”
Turning his head slightly to the right, Long Hua raises a sigh, and answers—
“Those military instructors really love the sound of their own voice.”
Approaching Long Hua, the young woman raises her arm with what seems to be a business card in her hand.
“What’s this?”
Receiving the business card, Long Hua narrows his eyes beneath the sunglasses. What is being advertised on the card is a nightclub called the “Refuge,” which opens from nine PM to 7 AM.
Returning his focus onto the woman, Long Hua asks—
“What sort of place is this?”
“A place for, I guess, people who want to get away from society? You’re welcome to come by at any time. Of course, you’re also free to bring some friends along.”
Saying this, the young woman looks to the right pocket of Long Hua’s jacket, where his phone is, while the latter asks—
“What’s your name?”
“Lǐ Zǐ Xiāng. (李紫香)”
“I see, my name is Ye Chen.”
Introducing himself using Ye Chen’s name, Long Hua opens his hand fan—causing Li Zi Xiang’s lips to twitch, in response to what is written on there.
“…Number one hottie in the mortal realm, surnamed Ye, you’ve got quite a bit of confidence in yourself.”
“But of course. After all, I—Ye Chen, am the number one hottie in the mortal realm.”
………
Back in the truck—
“Hahaha!”
“That bastard is slandering me…”
Hearing what Long Hua had said, Ye Chen grips the steering wheel of the truck tightly.
[Yu Ji, I’ll gift this to you.]
Chapter 20
“Yu Ji, I’ll gift this to you.”
Saying this, Chen Lan hands her a tube-shaped object, causing Yu Ji to tilt her head, while thinking—
(A needleless syringe?)
Inside the display window of the needleless syringe is clear blue liquid.
“…”
Watching the situation from behind the cover of a building—
“Unmute.”
Qing Yue mutters the keyword to ask for reinforcements.
In response to this—
“I guess we got our distributor.”
Ye Chen is quick to fire up the truck’s engine, and head over.
In the same instance, Li Xue sends Long Hua a text message.
………
“…”
Sensing his phone giving off a vibration, Long Hua wordlessly takes it out of his pocket, and sees Li Xue’s message, to which, Li Zi Xiang asks—
“Is something the matter?”
Actively using his divine senses, Long Hua is somewhat surprised to see that there are actually numerous individuals nearby.
(Bingo, I guess? I’ve found the people we’re looking for, but their numbers are a bit too much to handle through ordinary means… Ai, why does our office always seem to get the short end of the stick?)
Thinking of this with the Tranquil Heart Incantation active, there is not a hint of panic on Long Hua’s face, as he answers—
“Nothing. If I find the time, I’ll drop by.”
Saying this, Long Hua shoves both the business card, and his phone back into his pocket.
“How about… Right now?”
The moment Li Zi Xiang asks this, numerous individuals emerge from the corners, and alleyways of the nearby buildings.
All these individuals, irrespective of their gender and age—wore a full-faced mask of some kind, with the hood of their jacket pulled up, to cover their heads.
Thoroughly surrounded, Long Hua narrows his eyes, and remarks—
“Hmm, I guess the cat’s out of the bag then?”
Taking out his phone again, Long Hua speaks directly into it—
“Hey, captain, I think… We ended up biting off more than we could chew.”
………
“…What a coincidence, second lieutenant, I’m thinking the same.”
On the other side of the phone, Ye Chen and Li Xue are experiencing a roadblock—made up of individuals dressed in the same manner.
“Ai…”
Raising a sigh, Ye Chen takes his hands off the steering wheel, and gets out of the truck with Li Xue.
………
At the same time—
“You…-”
Just as Yu Ji is about to ask Chen Lan something—
“Found a rat nearby.”
A rough voice speaks, and detecting the sound of numerous footsteps, Yu Ji turns her head to the side—to see Qing Yue with an irritated look on her face.
Standing behind Qing Yue was a large group of individuals dressed in masks and jackets.
“Chen Lan.”
Raising the needleless syringe, Yu Ji asks—
“I’m assuming this is Carp?”
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Chen Lan nods, and replies—
“Yu Ji, mixing truths into one’s lie can make the lie itself better. This, you did well on.”
“Thanks, I guess?”
“Hopefully, your little sister will be able to move again like a normal person.”
“…”
Observing the two’s exchange, and taking a glance behind her, Qing Yue can’t help but feel a bit uneasy, as she thought—
(The fact that they managed to get this many people into their group… Just what the hell is the military doing?)
As a bead of cold sweat rolls down her face, Yu Ji asks—
“You mind me asking—what it is that you and your group are after?”
Contemplating for a bit, Chen Lan answers—
“You see Yu Ji, from where I come from, Sinners are treated very differently. We’re actually respected for our strength, not suppressed because of it.”
“And where is this place that you came from?”
“That isn’t something that I can answer. Goal wise, let’s just say, we want to overthrow the current system, and make it so that the ordinary is put in their place?”
“…”
Unsurprised by this, Yu Ji merely blinks her eyes, and asks—
“And what about the Immortals?”
“Do you think with the way the world is divided up—humanity stands a chance against them? Hey, Yu Ji, have you ever seen an Immortal up close? They’re monsters that the ordinary person cannot possibly hope to contend against. They’re natural disasters incarnated.”
“…”
Hearing Chen Lan’s words, Qing Yue had to agree with him—for she had seen Long Hua’s abilities up close.
“…”
Seeing the light in Chen Lan’s eyes, Yu Ji knows that there is no talking the former out of whatever ambition he possesses—for this person is thoroughly set on it.
Heaving a sigh, Yu Ji asks—
“…So, what happens to me and my squad-mate now?”
Towards this question, Chen Lan snaps his fingers.
Momentarily, Yu Ji’s vision darkens.
………
“Hmm.”
Closing the call, Long Hua looks around his Sinner-filled surroundings.
If he wanted to, he could easily kill most of them off with ease, but he still has an identity to maintain during the daytime.
Raising a frown, Long Hua asks—
“So, you’re inviting me over with this many people? I thought it was going to be more of a one-on-one experience. Can’t say I’m into orgies.”
“That’s some thick skin you’ve got…”
Towards how casual Long Hua is acting in the face of this many enemies, Li Zi Xiang frowns.
“Vice-commander.”
One of the masked individuals walks over to Li Zi Xiang, and whispers something into her ears.
“I got it.”
Returning her attention to Long Hua, Li Zi Xiang says—
“I just received word—that two of your squad-mates have been captured.”
Towards this news, Long Hua folds his arms in front of his chest, and asks—
“I see, how unfortunate for them. And? What does that have to do with me?”