Chapter 35

"Rested enough?"

What kind of question was that? Wu Ying ignored it and asked him something else—like why he wore gloves. He didn't seem to wear them at home.

It had been a long time since anyone had asked him that. Asher looked down, idly tugging at the gloves between his fingers, the bones of his hand standing out more clearly as he curled them.

How had he answered the last time?

He'd told his superior at the time, "Makes me look more refined." Meanwhile, a heap of people he'd knocked out lay on the ground, and his superior, with a knowing smile, had patted his shoulder without a word.

Wu Ying stared at him, transfixed. God, every movement he made was so... alluring.

She quietly swallowed, not urging him, her big, watery doe eyes fixed on him. Suddenly Asher looked up, and their eyes met. She blinked and asked, with all the authority she could muster, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I'm thinking about how to put it."

Asher's voice was low, and he found it amusing how guilty she looked. He didn't need to do anything; she was already putting on a show for him.

He paused again. Wu Ying, now snapped out of her daze, couldn't hold back. "You don't need to think that hard! Are you just trying to brush me off? Come on, I can't wait."

"Because sweating makes it annoying." More importantly, without gloves, he'd easily come into contact with other people's sweat—or even blood.

He didn't like that.

"What kind of reason is that? But wouldn't the gloves getting soaked be just as bad?"

"The special material handles that."

Fine, Wu Ying moved on.

"Did you miss me?"

She glanced around, unable to think of anything else to ask, so she decided to go on the offensive. She didn't want to just hang up either.

Asher was much more composed than before—no more frowning or changing expression. He threw the question back at her with evident interest.

Wu Ying glared at him at once. "I'm the one asking you! You're turning it around on me. Are you deliberately avoiding the question? Hmph, I knew you weren't being straight with me."

Flawless logic, no holes to poke—she'd neatly kicked the ball back into his court. Asher choked, his counterattack failing, and now he'd gained another sin on his head.

"Whoever's being deliberate knows who they are."

He said it ambiguously, as if steeped in grievance. Wu Ying's eyes widened slightly. She realized that with every argument, Asher's skills upgraded.

"It's you! You've been going back and forth and still haven't answered me, and now you're getting sarcastic."

"Sarcastic? What does that mean?"

That was outside his knowledge. Asher asked slowly, and when he heard the explanation, he froze. Sneaky sarcasm? What an interesting phrase.

"You're so annoying. You twist everything and still won't give me a straight answer. I'm going to hang out with my friends. Can't be bothered with you."

She didn't have time to play word games with him. Originally, she'd wanted to see how Asher would react to being teased, but the old fox had leveled up and was no fun anymore.

Snap. The call ended on her end. Asher hadn't even had time to react before his Light Brain went dark, and his face darkened a shade too.

Using someone and then discarding them—he pressed down the irritation and made his judgment.

Wu Ying tossed her Light Brain aside, flopped onto the bed, and ordered Jiujiu to adjust the room temperature. She activated sleep mode and slept soundly until late morning.

When she woke up, Luo Meng, blushing, came to her, stammering an explanation about yesterday. Watching his clumsy, sincere apology, Wu Ying began to wonder if she'd overreacted the day before.

But she'd already said her piece. It should probably be fine.

She smiled, accepted his apology, and said it was all a misunderstanding, that she hadn't given it much thought. Of course, that was what she said—whether anyone believed it was another matter.

Li Ge chimed in a few words of explanation too. He'd hauled him away suddenly, which wasn't great, and he also apologized to Wu Ying.

She immediately put on a flustered look, walked over to Huo Lin, and tugged at her sleeve. "Linlin, why such a big deal? It's all a misunderstanding. Now that it's cleared up, just help me explain."

One person apologizing was fine, but if another one came, people might think she was being a diva.

She could already feel so many gazes drifting toward them from all sides. This didn't match her usual code of conduct. How was she supposed to stay low-key?!!

Huo Lin patted her hand reassuringly. "That's enough," she said, and the moment the words left her mouth, she walked over and kicked Li Ge square in the leg, shattering the tense atmosphere in an instant.

Li Ge sat on the ground, demanding an explanation from Huo Lin, while Luo Meng chimed in too. Wu Ying quickly stepped in to mediate, and just like that, the spotlight shifted from her to a normal, rowdy squabble.

Perfect.

Wu Ying shot Huo Lin a grateful smile, her eyes curved into crescents, looking utterly obedient.

Huo Lin flashed a fierce grin, draped an arm over Wu Ying's shoulders, and sauntered off with her. Wu Ying decided then and there to be the bigshot's loyal sidekick—stick close, don't mess up, don't stand out, and just eat, drink, and have a good time.

After yesterday's brief rest, today they had to start their practical work.

The group leader began assigning tasks. Since Wu Ying and her crew were just freshmen still learning, they got assigned some menial tasks—easy and safe.

Li Ge and his friends had finished their military training and were looking for a bit of fun. When they heard Huo Lin mention this practical activity, they'd tagged along, hoping to earn some credits on the side. So, Li Ge's group of six split in two: a few joined the senior students for the core work, while the rest tagged along with Wu Ying and her group.

The guard team was fully equipped and divided into two groups to accompany them.

Miranda and her squad were heading deep into the forest, and at the moment they were organizing and suiting up. The guards were also coordinating their people; the first floor and the courtyard bustled with people coming and going.

The four dorm mates were gathered in the second-floor living room. The group leader, Su Yi, was analyzing the task. As far as minor tasks went, theirs was truly minor—they just needed to circle the edge of the forest and check for any anomalous plants.

And with the help of equipment—generations of upgraded drone technology—the job became incredibly easy.

When Su Yi started her analysis, Wu Ying sat up straight. But by the middle of it, she was already slumping sideways, curling up with Cynthia in a lazy tangle, their actions screaming: not aiming high.

Finally, Su Yi declared that this task was indeed a piece of cake. Then Huo Lin added, "I've gone over it. There are only a few specific spots where we'll need to check in person."

Su Yi nodded, clearly aware of that too. The room fell silent for a moment. Cynthia raised her hand. "We could also request data support from the government. We'd just need to verify it further."

Her hand going up startled Wu Ying. She slowly sat upright, looked left and right, and felt she needed to contribute something. "Um, well, Jiujiu can help!"

Wu Ying extended her index finger and pointed directly at the robot behind her.

Cynthia laughed. "Yingying, you're so cute! We're not going to criticize you for that. What's the rush?"

She was about to say more, but Jiujiu walked up, its calm, childlike voice sounding: "Yes, master. I can perform precision scans and conduct radiation monitoring based on the Federation's registered dangerous plant database. The monitoring range can be set."

Huo Lin let out an impressed sound. "Wow, Yingying, your robot can do that? That's amazing. Then we'll be set for our specific area inspections."

"Haha, good to know it's useful."

Wu Ying gave an embarrassed laugh. She'd just wanted to show she could contribute a little, but Jiujiu really had delivered.

Jiujiu retreated gracefully to behind Wu Ying, resuming its guard duty. Its primary mission on this trip was to protect her.

The four were chatting when Li Ge and his buddy came up.

"The group leader says they're ready to head into the forest. What's your plan?"

Su Yi and Huo Lin exchanged a look. Since Huo Lin had organized this group, it was better for her to handle the talking.

Huo Lin thought for a moment. She knew Li Ge and his friends had chosen to come just as Miranda was about to leave, likely with something in mind. She countered, "Let's hear your thoughts first?"

"We want to go in with you guys. So we need to know your plan so we can figure out how to split up."

They were military school students. Taking on a task like this was mainly to hone their skills, and since they were familiar with Huo Lin, they'd decided to tag along.

Compared to Wu Ying and her group's leisurely fun, they'd naturally prefer the thrilling forest expedition with the group leader.

"Then go ahead. Our plan is to head to the government office and get some data first. No danger there. And there's the guard team to watch over us. You guys go and have fun."

At that, Li Ge wanted to roll his eyes. If he'd known they'd hire so many mercenaries as guards, he wouldn't have come.

Usually, a practice team that posts a military cadet guard mission wouldn't need to hire mercenaries—one for academics, one for combat, each training the other. But these people, they'd gone and hired a bunch of mercenaries, making them look like they were here for nothing but a free ride.

If Huo Lin knew what he was thinking, she'd probably punch him first. The team had been put together beforehand. He joined because he wanted to, and they'd posted the guard mission so he and his friends could earn some easy credits.

"Alright, we'll split up on our own then."

Li Ge looped his arm around Luo Meng, who looked like he wanted to say more, and dragged him off. It was this kid who'd insisted on coming along in the first place—Li Ge had to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't cause trouble again.

In the end, Luo Meng and another dark-skinned guy were assigned to Su Yi's group. Su Yi's six people headed to the Feng-2 Star government building, where, by tapping into the government's surveillance system, they could directly check eighty percent of the area.

Wu Ying watched them approach the government building. The security guards at the entrance almost turned them away, but after checking their IDs, they were eventually led to a reception room. They waited for a full half hour.

Bored, Wu Ying leaned against Huo Lin, while Cynthia leaned on Su Yi. The two being leaned on sat straight-faced and serious, watching time slip away while the door showed no sign of opening.

The other two were carefree, already playing games on their Light Brains. Luo Meng and Boone were also scrolling through their devices. There was basically no risk in the city, so they were just idly checking the updates in the group chat from Li Ge and his crew.

They'd run into a bunch of anomalous plants over there and had been battling nonstop. They'd agreed with the mercenaries to let them handle things as much as possible.

Su Yi and Huo Lin exchanged glances. Finally, Huo Lin opened her Light Brain and made a call.

Before long, urgent footsteps sounded from outside the door, and then it swung open.

A middle-aged woman walked toward them, starting off with apologies about being delayed by urgent matters. She was practically bowing, as if she wanted to wear "forgive me" in big letters on her face.