Chapter 15

Chapter 15

His wounds healed, Qinchi walked alone for a distance and hid behind a tree to take off his tattered combat uniform top, replacing it with a spare one.

Not seeing the beautiful and fragrant lotus petals, the fire dragon in his mind was not too pleased. However, the gentle touch that Qinchi enjoyed was also felt by the fire dragon, making it feel comfortable. Thus, it remained relatively calm, not causing any more trouble.

Born into a military family in Northeast Base, Qinchi had learned everything an esper should know before he turned sixteen. After awakening his fire dragon spirit at sixteen and obtaining S-level Fire Element, S-level Wind Element, and S-level Spatial abilities, Qinchi was sent directly to the military by his father. There, he either led teams to clear unexplored ultra-dangerous zones or guarded coastal bases against high-level sea beasts, earning remarkable military achievements.

From a powerful but inexperienced young esper to a highly experienced general, Qinchi had suffered countless injuries of varying severity over the years.

His father arranged for him a dedicated healer, a straightforward lieutenant general with dual A-level Wood and Earth abilities.

The lieutenant general's spirit form was a lingzhi mushroom. Whenever Qinchi was injured, the general would habitually release his spirit form, which would slap onto Qinchi like a thick mushroom, making both Qinchi and the fire dragon very resistant to being treated by the general.

Only today did the fire dragon realize that healing could be so comfortable, as if soft feathers were gently caressing its hard scales.

The fire dragon conveyed its liking to Qinchi again. This time, it liked the gentle healer.

Qinchi didn't pay much attention. The fire dragon's likes were simple and pure, just like how it liked pretty flowers but would recklessly destroy them upon realizing their superficial beauty, enjoyed drinking the strongest alcohol, loved shiny decorations, and relished wreaking havoc among monsters.

Just a gentle touch, Qinchi believed, would make the fire dragon like whoever provided such service, regardless of gender or age.

After fastening the last button, Qinchi retraced his steps.

Xu Qiao was leaning against a tree, pretending to be tired. Her face was hidden behind her helmet, revealing only her glossy eyes that looked up at the sound of footsteps.

Qinchi sat beside her, using wind control to bring two nearby stone dragon lizards closer, then meticulously began extracting their cores, peeling their skins, and taking their bones.

These parts could be exchanged for points. If not for the foul smell and taste of monster meat, humans wouldn't have spared even that.

Watching his almost artistic dissection process, Xu Qiao suddenly laughed, "If you weren't a teacher, you'd make a great doctor."

Qinchi replied, "I don't have healing abilities, so being a regular surgeon might be quite challenging."

Xu Qiao nodded, "True. Hospitals are already overloaded, and there aren't enough healers."

Among espers with plant spirits, most are of the cultivation type, with healers accounting for only one-tenth, and even fewer in the Combat Department.

Though they were neighbors, opportunities for casual chats like this were rare. Mentioning careers, Qinchi casually asked, "Healers must be in high demand at hospitals. Why didn't you go there?"

Xu Qiao answered naturally, "Like you, I don't want a job that's too exhausting."

At this moment, Sun Fushan and Meng Li returned after handling the other stone dragon lizards. Having expended a lot of energy and spent a long time dissecting, the four of them sat together on the ground, none eager to leave.

Sun Fushan piled the twenty-five cores together, smiling contentedly.

Qinchi took out the corpse of the A-level female lizard from his spatial storage and handed it to Sun Fushan: "The A-level core is yours to replenish your energy gun. Have someone deliver the female lizard to the Mercenary Association in the central area for exchange; the points will be shared by the team?"

It was evident that Sun Fushan came from a well-off background, but he neither concealed nor elaborated: "Sure."

Each of them took five cores to fulfill their mission requirements, leaving the remaining five under the captain's care. In case they didn't kill enough monsters in the second half of the year, these cores could serve as substitutes.

After resting sufficiently, the four got into the off-road vehicle and returned to the spacecraft with ample time.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the spacecraft landed precisely behind the Mercenary Association in the West District.

Since all four had work the next day, they needed to queue to submit their mission. Fortunately, their team was the first to board the spacecraft, securing a good position near the hatch. Thus, they were also the first to disembark and smoothly joined the front of the line.

Wearing helmets for a long time was suffocating, so Xu Qiao removed hers, holding one hand while tapping her communication bracelet to send a voice message to Lu Yang: "We're back, but we need to submit our mission. We might be late getting home, so eat without me."

Lu Yang replied, "I'm not in a hurry; I'll wait for you."

Teenagers rarely listen to advice, so Xu Qiao lowered her wrist, noticing that Sun Fushan and Meng Li were also sending messages to someone. She instinctively glanced back.

As she turned her head, Qinchi's gaze dropped.

Feeling a bit awkward, Xu Qiao smiled.

After a few minutes, it was their turn.

Apart from the exceptionally precious spatial cores, ordinary C-level cores could each be exchanged for two thousand points.

Xu Qiao, Meng Li, and Qinchi's five cores were automatically converted into ten thousand points when submitting their mission.

Xu Qiao didn't know her teammates' salaries, but these ten thousand points amounted to half of her monthly income.

Earning half a month's salary in a day showed that killing monsters was a high-risk yet lucrative industry. Bold espers chose to become professional mercenaries, while those who preferred stability opted for busy but secure jobs, only risking it for large points when necessary.

The materials from the monsters were submitted by Captain Sun Fushan, exchanging for over thirty thousand points.

With the base's signal restored, Sun Fushan could type again, messaging the group: "Let's settle the mother lizard's materials tomorrow?"

All three agreed.

It was almost six o'clock, and Sun Fushan needed to return to the central area, while Meng Li had to catch the subway.

Qinchi said, "As promised, dinner tonight is on me."

Time stood still in the spatial storage, so the freshly prepared hot dishes remained warm when taken out.

Sun Fushan took his portion and declared, "Next time, it's on me."

Meng Li hesitated, worried about carrying the boxed meal on the subway, where it could easily spill.

Seeing this, Sun Fushan grabbed her portion and put it in his spatial storage: "I'll, I'll escort you. When, when we get home, we can eat."

Having worked together today, Qinchi and Sun Fushan had become slightly familiar teammates to Meng Li. The aroma wafting from the boxed meal suggested it would suit her mother's taste, so Meng Li accepted without further hesitation.

Sun Fushan waved to the two teammates with cars and left with Meng Li first.

Inside the black sedan, Xu Qiao sank into the comfortable passenger seat, clutching her backpack and letting out an uncontrollable sigh of relief.

Every time she prepared for a mission, she mentally braced herself, but encountering high-level beasts was always another matter entirely.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly this time, and she would once again enjoy six months of peaceful living.

The car drove smoothly out of the Mercenary Association. A refreshing breeze poured in through the windows. Xu Qiao casually tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her gaze falling on the side mirror, where the golden sunset shone brilliantly.

Soft music played gently in her ears, and Xu Qiao tilted her head.

Qinchi held the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes fixed ahead.

He wasn't smiling, yet his handsome profile gave off a sense of warmth and approachability. It felt as if he would politely chat with her if she initiated conversation, or maintain the tranquility if she preferred silence.

Xu Qiao wasn't particularly skilled at socializing; she had lost touch with most of her military school classmates. Apart from her colleagues at the clinic and her brother Lu Yang, Qinchi, whom she had known for only a few days, had already become someone familiar to her.

She turned back to look at the sunset in the side mirror. Whether it was the gentle sunset or the soothing music chosen by Qinchi that relaxed her tense nerves, Xu Qiao eventually fell asleep.

The wind blew a strand of hair across her face, brushing against the healer's fair cheeks.

The sleeping Xu Qiao barely noticed, but her awake lotus flower spirit body found it ticklish and proactively sent out a petal to tuck the hair back in place amidst the flowing wind.

Unfortunately, petals weren't suitable for such delicate tasks.

The petal had its own method. It waited until the wind blew the hair close to Xu Qiao's ear before sticking tightly to it, preventing it from being blown away again.

This worked temporarily, but soon the hair began to rub against the tender petal. The petal, formed from condensed spiritual energy, was even more sensitive than a girl's delicate skin. As it loosened its grip, it looked like it might be blown out the window, but a long, broad hand reached over just in time to catch it.

The man's palm was long and wide, holding the petal gently without crushing it.

By the time Qinchi placed the bewildered petal on top of the backpack Xu Qiao was hugging, all the car windows had been closed, shutting out the noise and wind from the road. Only the soft music continued, perhaps accompanied by a faint, refreshing scent unique to the lotus flower spirit body.

"Sorry, I should have closed the windows earlier," Qinchi said softly, glancing at the motionless petal.

The lotus flower spirit body, integrated with Xu Qiao's mind, could feel everything she perceived. Just like Xu Qiao, it found her new neighbor both gentlemanly and mysterious. However, the warmth of the hand that caught it inexplicably made the spirit body feel threatened.

Unable to understand why, the lotus flower spirit body silently flew back into Xu Qiao's body.

The petals preferred staying attached to the flower, but since Xu Qiao hadn't allowed the entire lotus flower to appear outside for the past two years, they had no choice but to detach and act independently.

Seeing the petal disappear from the corner of his eye, Qinchi looked at his right hand on the steering wheel.

In the moment he caught the petal, the fire dragon had tried to take control of his body. If not for Qinchi's quick reaction, the petal would have touched a hand covered in golden-red dragon scales.

The car entered Ping'an Community, and the sounds of children playing outside woke Xu Qiao.

Realizing she had slept the whole way, Xu Qiao awkwardly looked at her teammate.

Qinchi smiled. "Looks like you were really tired today."

Xu Qiao: "I'm fine. Actually, you and Meng Li were the ones who were the most exhausted."

Qinchi: "Can you drive?"

Xu Qiao: "...I passed my driving test, but I haven't touched a car since then."

Qinchi: "If you're willing to give it a try, how about next time?"

Xu Qiao quickly shook her head, fearing she might damage his luxury car.

The car turned a corner and stopped steadily in front of Building 5. Before Xu Qiao could unfasten her seatbelt, Lu Yang's slender figure appeared at the entrance of the unit.

Xu Qiao could imagine how worried Lu Yang had been all day. Just as she was about to open the car door, Qinchi handed her a boxed meal. "Team meal."

Xu Qiao smiled. "Thanks, this will be great for me and Xiaoyang."

She was truly hungry. An ability user at level C could eat as much as a growing middle school student.