Chapter 38

Chapter 38

With Xu Qiao's current abilities as a Class B healer, she healed the scratch on Qinchi's arm in an instant.

Sun Fushan hurried to put away the damaged detector. This kind of instrument, strictly controlled by the authorities, he did not believe Qinchi had the means to repair. It would be better to hand it over to his father.

Xu Qiao then took out the crystal cores and hawk claws from her small space.

Sun Fushan typed: "I'll have my brother handle the exchange. The military clears beasts in batches; our share is minimal compared to what they do."

Compared to them, wealthy individuals, Xu Qiao was just a naive civilian with abilities. Yesterday, when she extracted the crystal cores, she estimated that the total points from these tiger-hawks could reach one million, excluding two Class A cores.

At that moment, Xu Qiao couldn't help but dream. With her and Meng Li's dual Class B strength, if they specialized in hunting Class C mutated creatures in the Class C danger zone, could they accumulate over three hundred each day? Wouldn't that mean earning a million points daily, thirty million a month, and three hundred million a year?

Of course, ability users couldn't work every day; there were times for rest. But this harvest truly made Xu Qiao realize how easy it was for high-level ability users to earn points. No wonder even Class B ability users rarely stayed in the second ring. With their strength, even if they couldn't buy houses in the more expensive central area, renting at high prices wouldn't be a problem.

Glancing at Qinchi's white shirt, Xu Qiao fully understood why he had an unending balance. Not only had he hinted at a wealthy background during their conversation, but even relying solely on himself, if his "ten years of relentless work" involved killing beasts, the rewards would support his current lifestyle.

They talked about Sun Fushan's discovery of the mental body mutation. Checking the time, Meng Li said, "If there's nothing else, I should go to work now."

Sun Fushan had specially gone to the East District to pick her up and immediately offered to take her to her workplace, promising to visit again later for some "countryside experience."

Xu Qiao took out two tomatoes she had picked that morning from her space. The tomatoes, grown with her abilities, were larger than an adult's fist and naturally ripe, emitting a fresh fruity aroma.

"Take these; eat them as fruit on your way." She gave one to each teammate.

Vegetables were readily available at Sun Fushan's home, and Meng Li was heading straight to the smelting plant, so it wasn't convenient to bring them along. Thus, she didn't offer any.

Sun Fushan was deeply moved; this was the first gift he had ever received from a non-family girl.

He carefully stored the tomato in his space, deciding to show it off to his brother later.

Meng Li took the tomato and simply said, "See you on the weekend."

She saw them off, then returned to fetch the two baskets of vegetables she had left at 102. Glancing towards the kitchen, she asked Qinchi, "Is there anything you want to eat? Should I get some?"

Qinchi smiled, "Your tomatoes look good."

Xu Qiao: "..."

She handed him two tomatoes, "We're so close now; if you want to eat them, feel free to pick them from the courtyard or our living room anytime."

Qinchi: "Sure, I'd love to experience picking vegetables myself."

Sun Fushan was efficient; around nine in the morning, Xu Qiao received a private message from him: "Should we split the points with brother Qin?"

Xu Qiao: "No need to be so polite. Like other teams, teammates who didn't participate don't get a share. Don't worry, he won't mind."

Sun Fushan: "Understood."

The team leader then detailed the exchange of various levels of crystal cores and hawk claws in the group chat, totaling 1,080,000 points, with the remainder automatically deposited into the team account.

Xu Qiao received her share of 360,000 points.

Xu Qiao: "We should thank the S-class powerhouse from the Southwest Base for the gift."

Sun Fushan: "S-class powerhouses are at a level where points are like sand to them. They don't even exchange killed beasts for points; the authorities directly allocate large sums of points and contribution points based on their military service."

Except for a few S-class ability users who refuse to cooperate with the authorities, most join the military to protect human bases. Some prefer to live independently and contribute only during crises, while others fulfill their military duties seriously.

Xu Qiao: "It's hard to imagine how big those numbers must be."

Sun Fushan: "Speaking of income, have you considered quitting and becoming professional mercenaries? That way, you can train whenever you want and rest for a couple of months when tired. The rewards from killing beasts would far exceed salaries."

Meng Li: "I need to take care of my family."

Xu Qiao: "I want to improve my strength to protect myself during beast attacks or swarms, but I prefer the stability of being a healer."

With a house, a courtyard, and a decent salary, Xu Qiao's material desires were low; she didn't need to risk her life for points.

Qinchi: "I came to the Southeast Base to cultivate my mind and body."

Sun Fushan: "Great! I think the same. Shall we maintain a once-a-week outing schedule?"

Meng Li: "Yes."

Qinchi: "Sounds good."

Xu Qiao spoke up first, then privately messaged Qinchi: "We three need to practice our abilities. You've already mastered yours. Why don't you rest at home on weekends and accompany us on missions only once every six months?"

She felt this was the original rhythm Qinchi had set for himself.

Qinchi: "Are you worried that outings will affect my cultivation?"

Xu Qiao: "Yes."

She had just witnessed the aggressiveness of his mental body.

Detectors guide ability users to release their mental bodies, but only one had ever destroyed the detector upon release.

Qinchi: "Let me show you the photos from accompanying The Second School students on a field trip."

He sent Xu Qiao several photos: steep mountains, lush trees, blooming mutant wildflowers, and panoramic views of vast forests and blue skies taken from a mountain vantage point.

Perhaps the scenery was naturally beautiful, or perhaps Qinchi's photography skills were excellent; Xu Qiao was captivated.

So this is what it's like outside the base?

But Xu Qiao's memories of her previous outings were filled with constant vigilance and sudden appearances of ferocious beasts.

Qinchi: "For the past twenty years, I hardly experienced any joy. Since coming to your side, the peaceful life in the community, the regular teaching at the military school, and even the natural scenery outside have all had a calming effect on me."

Xu Qiao: "Don't forget, last time we encountered an A-class female lizard, and this time you guys faced an S-class black snake. We won't always be lucky enough to get strong reinforcements."

Qinchi: "If unexpected events were that frequent, how could the three of you still dare to go out for training?"

Xu Qiao couldn't refute that.

Qinchi: "I know you won't go to extremely dangerous places. To help you practice your abilities, I won't easily intervene; I'll just enjoy the scenery."

Xu Qiao: "Got it. I'll tell the captain to pick areas with good scenery but high danger, so we both benefit."

Qinchi: "My greatest luck this year was renting Xiaoyang's house and meeting you."

Xu Qiao was amused by the familiar phrasing.

Life inside the base is indeed more comfortable, like being able to enjoy air conditioning in the clinic instead of wearing hot combat armor for long periods.

However, once she left the clinic, the scorching heat of early July immediately enveloped her, even though it was already past five in the afternoon.

As Xu Qiao slowly rode her bike, the thought of "buying a car" flashed through her mind.

She could afford a car now.

But Xu Qiao quickly dismissed the idea. The clinic was so close to home; buying a car just for a few minutes of comfort wasn't worth it. It would be better to save points for a B-class combat armor, which could save her life.

Riding up to Building Five, Jiang Rui and his off-road vehicle were already parked by the roadside. Jiang Rui stood facing the sunset, his tanned face showing a faint blush from the sun.

He had sweat on his forehead, and Xu Qiao could feel the sweat near her ears as well. She had no choice, but Jiang Rui was simply being foolish.

After getting off her bike, Xu Qiao asked him, "Why do you stand here? Wouldn't it be the same if you waited in the car?"

Since she could see him as soon as she turned the corner, she knew Jiang Rui hadn't just gotten out of the car when he saw her.

Jiang Rui looked at her flushed face and said, "Standing outside gives me a clearer view."

Without the glass barrier, he could clearly see her face, the breeze blowing her hair, and her gradually approaching.

Xu Qiao: "… You have wind abilities. Why don't you cool yourself down?"

If she had this ability, life would be much more comfortable.

Jiang Rui hadn't considered this question. Prompted by Xu Qiao, he suddenly released a continuous gust of wind toward her. Clearly, he was also skilled at controlling wind, adjusting the strength perfectly. It made Xu Qiao feel cool without making her squint.

This unexpected comfort made Xu Qiao laugh involuntarily.

Infected by her laughter, Jiang Rui smiled too. "If you like it, I can try to come every day."

His schedule wasn't always free. If there were missions, he might not be around for days.

Xu Qiao hurriedly said, "No need. It's so hot, you should go back."

With that, she pushed her bicycle inside.

For the first time, Jiang Rui didn't immediately leave but maintained the breeze around her.

Xu Qiao had already turned away, but she still wore a smile.

Behind the pale golden curtains, Qinchi watched quietly. Suddenly, a fire dragon in his mind stretched out a claw and sent a fierce gust of wind toward Xu Qiao.

Just as she reached the courtyard, feeling happy, the sudden wind made her lower her head and grip the handlebars tightly to steady herself.

The gust vanished instantly, and Xu Qiao instinctively turned to look behind her.

The wind hadn't disappeared; it had blown Jiang Rui into the door of his off-road vehicle.

Before Jiang Rui could react, a massive, sturdy wild bull spirit suddenly appeared, charging straight for the closed curtains of Room 102.

Xu Qiao only managed to see the wild bull's dark brown fur and sharp horns before it vanished just as its hooves were about to step on the Lu family's garden fence.

Steadying himself, Jiang Rui glanced at the curtains of Room 102, then walked over and apologized to Xu Qiao, removing his hat: "Sorry, I didn't control my spirit properly. It nearly damaged your fence. I hope I didn't scare you."

Xu Qiao guessed something had happened with Qinchi and smiled, "It's okay. It was trying to protect you."

At that moment, Qinchi came out. After exchanging glances with Xu Qiao, he sincerely apologized to Jiang Rui, "Sorry, my spirit had some issues and mistakenly perceived your wind as a provocation."

Jiang Rui didn't get angry but felt obligated to verify Qinchi's condition: "Does this happen often?"

If his physical condition were worse, he could have been injured during the collision. If he hadn't retracted his spirit in time, Xu Qiao's property could have been damaged.

Qinchi: "Often. I've consulted a senior healer and am following his advice. I only let it out for ten minutes each day to regulate its state. I didn't expect this to happen today."

Xu Qiao vouched, "He's been here for over three months, and this has never happened before."

Jiang Rui nodded, "Good. I'll be going now. Goodbye."