"Ye Liang is just a signal, a signal for us to wise up," Li Jiang said, his smile returning as he turned to walk deeper into the road. "You think... I'm not angry?"

As Li Jiang left, Wen Cai's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

She looked at the street beside her, which resembled ruins. Beneath the broken bricks lay Old Meng's charred corpse.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have stopped you earlier," Wen Cai sneered. "I suddenly feel like a complete idiot for not letting you kill Su Bei just now!"

Ning Fan silently watched Li Jiang leave. From beginning to end, although his discontent was evident, this time he didn't react too emotionally.

"Kid, what are you thinking?" Wen Cai noticed Ning Fan's state and patted his shoulder worriedly. "Don't do anything stupid, like going after Ye Liang!"

"I know," Ning Fan suddenly smiled. "I can't beat him."

Wen Cai was taken aback.

Ning Fan looked at the sword in his hand. "Just now, I could feel how big the gap between us is."

Saying this, Ning Fan sat down on the rubble of broken bricks.

His young face finally showed signs of fatigue.

For a whole week, he had hardly had any real rest.

Even if he were made of iron, he would be tired.

Wen Cai licked her lips and sat down beside him.

"Sister Cai, to be honest, it's been less than three days since I first left the F32 District!" Ning Fan seemed to be chatting with Wen Cai, yet also talking to himself. "Before, in the academy in the district, I often heard people talk about 'survival of the fittest', but in eighteen years, I never truly grasped the meaning of those words."

He gradually raised his head. "Now, it took me just three days... to understand."

Wen Cai noticed that Ning Fan's eyes had changed.

Before, Ning Fan might have been impulsive, even irritable, but his eyes always revealed a clarity that only belonged to youth.

But in this instant, she found that that clarity...

Had disappeared.

"Those cigarettes you all smoke, what do they taste like? Let me try one?" Ning Fan held out his hand.

Wen Cai hesitated for a moment, then handed him one.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Ning Fan took a puff and started coughing violently. "It's so harsh! How can you guys like this stuff?"

"Kids don't have to smoke to act like adults," Wen Cai remarked.

Ning Fan smiled but didn't throw it away. Instead, he took two more puffs.

"Kid, I know you must feel very unbalanced inside. I feel the same!" Wen Cai sat down beside Ning Fan.

"No, I'm not unbalanced," Ning Fan shook his head. "I did have those thoughts earlier, but now... they're gone."

Wen Cai didn't understand.

Ning Fan smiled. "I'm weak! The weak... what right do they have to reason with others?"

"Kid..."

"Rules, regulations, laws, these things, when you're weak, you have to obey them," Ning Fan spread his hands. "The strong... they live outside the framework."

Wen Cai looked at Ning Fan deeply.

At this moment, she realized that this child seemed to have matured a lot in an instant.

"I want to jump out," Ning Fan said, holding the sword. "Jump out of this framework."

Wen Cai saw Ning Fan's determination.

She thought for a moment, then put her arm around Ning Fan's shoulders.

"Ning Fan, what are your plans for the future?"

"Plans?" Ning Fan thought for a moment before saying softly, "Originally, I became a Marauder just to earn money to buy an Elixir for my mom! Once my mom recovered, I was going to quit, stay by her side like before, find some odd job in the F32 District, and take care of her in her old age."

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Wen Cai listened quietly, not interrupting.

"But now, I find that I have more things I want to do. I want to become stronger, I want to keep the name of the Stray Dog Pack, I want to avenge Brother Chuan and our brothers, I want... to kill Su Bei."

Wen Cai gently patted Ning Fan's shoulder. "These are all burdens you've put on yourself. You could actually do what you originally planned, and no one would blame you."

"It's not about others, I'm no longer that naive kid who never left the F32 District..." Ning Fan smiled bitterly. "I... I can't go back to being a fool anymore!"

Wen Cai was moved but didn't know what to say.

"First, let's kill the remaining three members of the War Bears," Ning Fan said slowly. "We'll avenge the Stray Dog Pack as much as we can for now."

"And then?" Wen Cai asked.

"Then?" Ning Fan thought for a moment. "Pick a few unlucky bastards, rob them of a million Solas, and buy an Elixir for my mom."

"Rob?"

"Yes, rob."

Wen Cai frowned. "Who do you plan to rob?"

"Good people don't have money, no need to rob them," Ning Fan's lips curled into a smile. "Those who don't follow the rules and don't have much ability often have a lot of money."

Wen Cai's heart trembled.

Ning Fan was talking about...

People like Yang Beihai!

"Sister Cai, can I stay at your place for a few days?" Ning Fan asked.

"What do you want to do?" Wen Cai's beautiful eyes immediately showed wariness.

"Just rest," Ning Fan shrugged. "At the Monitor Captain's home, I can finally get a good night's sleep, right?"

As it turned out, Wen Cai was indeed overthinking.

After bringing Ning Fan home, he took a shower and fell asleep on the couch.

He slept soundly.

Wen Cai sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Ning Fan, and suddenly smiled.

"This kid... I wonder if he'll really do something shocking in the future?"

At the same time, Ye Liang had already met with Su Bei.

Seeing Su Bei covered in injuries, Ye Liang was slightly taken aback.

"Young Master, who did this?"

"Some little brat called Ning Fan!" Su Bei said with a grimace.

Ye Liang nodded. "I've met him. I'll go kill him now."

"No need!" Su Bei waved his hand, suddenly grinning maliciously. "After I go back and meet with the old man, I'll come back to play with him!"

Ye Liang was silent for a moment.

"Alright."

......

The next day.

The repair work on the district wall had begun in full swing.

Regarding the collapse of the district wall, the official explanation was simple.

Deterioration due to age.

This reason sounded so insulting to one's intelligence.

Yet ironically, quite a few people in the district believed it.

Some even voluntarily donated money, hoping to speed up the repair process.

After all, the district wall was protecting them from the threat of Aberrant Beasts from the outside.

Ning Fan slept until the afternoon before waking up.

The food, which had been emitting a fragrant aroma, was now completely cold on the table.

There was a note on the table.

"I've gone to attend Old Meng's funeral. Eat when you wake up. We'll talk when I get back - Your Sister Cai."

Ning Fan didn't stand on ceremony and began to sample Wen Cai's cooking.

Although it was Lower City food with a certain miasma content, the taste was indeed not bad.

"I didn't expect Sister Cai to be such a good cook," Ning Fan remarked with appreciation.

"Yeah! I'm good at more than just cooking! How about it? Want to take your sister home as your wife?" Wen Cai's voice came from outside the door.

Ning Fan was startled, then saw Wen Cai open the door and enter, carrying a bag of meat.

"Hehe, Sister Cai, you're back?" Ning Fan grinned.

After this night, at least from Wen Cai's perspective, the kid's state seemed to have recovered.

Wen Cai was dressed all in black, without the seductive air she had in the black market, instead exuding a somewhat aloof aura.

"What's wrong? Afraid to answer? Scared I'll cling to you?"

"How could that be? Sister Cai is so beautiful, and you're the captain of the Monitors. There must be plenty of men who want to marry you. It wouldn't be my turn anyway!"

"I didn't realize you were such a smooth talker," Wen Cai said, ruffling Ning Fan's hair before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

The atmosphere was indeed a bit like a young couple living together.

Wen Cai was cutting meat, her eyes flashing with hesitation.

Finally, she spoke up with difficulty.

"Su Bei has been taken away."

Ning Fan, who was picking up bowls, paused slightly upon hearing this.

"Oh."

Ning Fan responded with a sound, then went back to what he was doing.

Wen Cai turned her head to look at Ning Fan. "Have you come to terms with it?"

"I came to terms with it yesterday," Ning Fan seemed to have no desire to dwell on the issue of Su Bei, and instead asked, "By the way, Sister Cai, you must know a lot about Soul Servants, right? I have some questions I've been wanting to ask you."

....

To Be Continued..