Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Xu Qiao was born in the second ring of the base, but she hadn't been to many places beyond her school, clinic, Mercenary Association, and the surrounding area of Ping'an Community. When she did go somewhere, it was usually by subway, traveling through enclosed underground tunnels.

Tonight seemed to be the first time she had slowly walked along the streets of the second ring for an extended distance.

Towering residential buildings with dozens of floors were everywhere, their dense layouts stretching from the ground to the rooftops. Small windows were either pitch black or illuminated with bright or dim lights.

The nearly full moon would occasionally appear between the gaps of the high-rise buildings, only to be obscured again before Xu Qiao could gaze at it for long.

Compared to these skyscrapers, the environment of Ping'an Community, with its aged slab buildings, felt much more comfortable. At least when Xu Qiao stood by the window, she could look up and see the sky.

"Are you getting tired sitting like this?" After riding for about twenty minutes, Qinchi looked back and asked.

Xu Qiao: "Not at all, the breeze feels quite nice."

Just a bit sleepy.

Her mind had been preoccupied with heavy emotions, followed by a delicious hot pot feast, and after the second trip to the police station, her body and mind finally relaxed, making her feel drowsy.

Xu Qiao hid her feelings from her teammates, but not from her spirit form. The lotus flower considerately extended a leaf towards Qinchi and sent him a water message: "Can we lean against your back?"

Qinchi nodded with a smile.

The large fan-like leaf pressed against the back of Qinchi's white shirt, curving into a shape that invited Xu Qiao to lean on it. "Take a nap; I'll make sure you don't fall over. He agreed to let us lean on him."

Xu Qiao was touched by her spirit form, rubbing her face against the leaf and looking at Qinchi's shadow on the ground. "Thanks."

The weight of her head, transmitted through the thin leaf of her spirit form, rested on Qinchi's back.

The fire dragon circled in his mind as Qinchi steadily rode the bike, suppressing the urge of his spirit form to take over his back.

The tranquil atmosphere lasted for about ten minutes before Xu Qiao's communication bracelet rang.

Xu Qiao, who was in a light sleep, lifted her wrist. The caller ID showed "Jiang Rui."

After staring at it for a few seconds, she sat up straight and answered.

Jiang Rui: "I'm sorry for causing you trouble today. My mother was rude to you. I've explained everything to her, and if you're willing, I can arrange for her to apologize to you personally."

Xu Qiao couldn't help but want to laugh. Jiang's mother had looked at her with blatant disdain and dislike. Xu Qiao could tell that even without tonight's incident, Jiang's mother didn't have much fondness for her.

Fortunately, she didn't need it.

She replied to Jiang Rui, "Unless your mother comes to me herself, I won't have any further interactions with her. So I don't need her apology, nor will I forgive someone who immediately harbors ill intentions towards me, no matter what reasons they might have or whether they change their opinion later."

Jiang Rui's breath caught, as he understood Xu Qiao's meaning.

To ensure he understood, she continued calmly, "Jiang Rui, I know you were trying to protect me, and I appreciate your support at the time. But I must tell you that if you hadn't come to me, I would have endured Zhao Feng for just a few more minutes and then gone home to rest, rather than being dragged to the police station with you."

"The fault lies with Zhao Feng. You are a good person, but your pursuit of me only brings me stress and trouble. I don't want to experience anything like this again, including potential accusations from your family. So I implore you not to seek me out anymore, regardless of whether I am aware of it or not. Please do not interfere with my life in any way."

Jiang Rui didn't remain silent for long, responding softly, "I'm sorry. Please be assured, I will give up pursuing you."

It was the reaction she expected, and Xu Qiao sighed in relief. After some thought, she said, "Let's end things between us tonight. Focus on your mission tomorrow. Since we've known each other for so long, I hope you stay safe. You must stay safe, otherwise your family will continue to blame me if something happens to you."

In TV dramas, emotional distress often leads to accidents. Xu Qiao wanted to prevent any future issues, ensuring Jiang Rui returned safely from this mission.

Jiang Rui seemed to chuckle, his voice lighter than before. "Alright, I'll send you a message when we return to the base, and you can delete me then."

Xu Qiao: "No need. As long as your family doesn't come to me, it means your mission went well."

Ending the call, Xu Qiao immediately deleted Jiang Rui's contact information.

Reclining against the lotus leaf once more, Xu Qiao found herself no longer sleepy.

Qinchi: "You're decisive."

Xu Qiao: "It's too late. If I had been ruthless the first time he came, he wouldn't have kept coming back."

Qinchi: "You weren't ruthless because there were aspects of Jiang Rui that moved you. You also couldn't predict all the events that would follow."

Apart from Jiang's mother's harsh tone, Qinchi hadn't noticed any significant flaws in Jiang Rui.

Xu Qiao remained silent.

Qinchi handed her a cup of strawberry yogurt, reaching back. "Do you want to drink it now?"

Xu Qiao laughed. "I can't drink it now; I ate so much tonight."

But she still took it, putting it away in her small space for tomorrow.

At nine-thirty, the two arrived at the section where Jiang Rui and Zhao Feng had fought.

Jiang Rui's car was completely wrecked, and Zhao Feng's motorcycle had been kicked into two pieces. After asking both of them, Captain Gao had placed "Abandoned Junk, Please Dispose" stickers on them. Now they were gone, possibly taken by nearby residents to sell for scrap metal or collected by sanitation workers.

Only Xu Qiao's bicycle remained parked by the roadside, with Captain Gao's sticker saying "Private Property, Do Not Steal."

Xu Qiao got off to retrieve her bike, while Qinchi stopped beside her, explaining, "When I arrived, I saw it. There were people watching, so I didn't put it in the space to avoid more discussion."

Xu Qiao joked, "Good thing you didn't, or I'd have to ride for an hour."

Riding side by side, as they approached Building Five, Qinchi stopped at the corner of the intersection. "Go home first. Xiaoyang should still be awake."

Xu Qiao listened, then sniffed her shoulder. "Will he smell the hot pot?"

A gentle breeze blew around her, circling her a few times before dissipating on the roadside.

Xu Qiao smiled at her attentive teammate and left.

Qinchi watched her enter the apartment building before he put his bike away and strolled forward.

That night, Zhao Feng did not attempt to contact Xu Qiao in any way, and she didn't take the initiative to find him to mention the challenge. What if he had suddenly come to his senses after returning to the station and decided to give up pursuing her? If Xu Qiao sent a challenge request out of nowhere, wouldn't it be both awkward and self-inflicted trouble?

Though the probability was low, Xu Qiao still held a small hope.

The next day, she went to work at the clinic as usual. At five in the afternoon, Qinchi sent a message: "If he comes, let me know."

Xu Qiao: "Okay."

Zhao Feng didn't show up, nor did he over the following days.

On the weekend, the four-person team went to the B-level danger zone for training. Xu Qiao didn't mention her troubles at all, focusing entirely on honing her abilities.

For two consecutive days, Xu Qiao exhausted herself to the point where she had no spirit energy left. With her pushing so hard, Meng Li and Sun Fushan also gave their all, knowing they had Qin, who was traveling leisurely with ample spirit energy, watching their backs.

They spent a solid half-month like this. Qinchi even got his driver's license back. On August 7th, Wednesday, just when Xu Qiao thought Zhao Feng had truly given up on her, she saw a silver motorcycle parked by the roadside after work. Zhao Feng sat astride it without a helmet, looking at her with a rebellious air: "Surprised?"

Xu Qiao simply got on her own bike.

Zhao Feng followed, sighing as he explained: "My uncle found out about what happened last time. He scolded me for being too idle and dragged me out on missions for several days. I only came back yesterday and immediately came to see you today. So, is that bull coming? If he does, I'll practice with him again. This time, I promise not to use my abilities or damage any cars."

Xu Qiao listened and opened her communication bracelet: "He's here. It's a bother."

Zhao Feng couldn't see whom she was contacting, but he instinctively felt it wasn't the easily beaten bull. He remembered another figure: "That man in the shirt who picked you up? What's your relationship with him?"

Xu Qiao: "He's my teammate."

She would feel burdened if Jiang Rui stood up for her, but Qinchi was different. They had trained together multiple times, saved each other from the tail of an A-level mother lizard, and helped Meng Li late into the night, sharing secrets along the way. Their camaraderie rivaled the sister-brother bond she shared with Lu Yang. Thus, Xu Qiao was willing to accept Qinchi's help, only worrying if he might get hurt.

Zhao Feng scoffed: "Judging by his attire and car, he must be quite wealthy, right?"

His demeanor suggested he was from the central district. Zhao Feng hadn't forgotten the four sets of A-level battle armor he saw in Yellow City last time. However, choosing to do missions in the B-level danger zone and being Xu Qiao's teammate meant the shirt-wearing man could be at most B-level in strength.

Xu Qiao ignored him and stopped at the same spot as before, waiting for Qinchi.

Zhao Feng deliberately parked beside her.

Soon, the familiar black sedan drove up, with Qinchi in the driver's seat wearing a black shirt.

After getting out, Qinchi first put away Xu Qiao's bicycle, then opened the passenger door.

Just as Xu Qiao was about to walk over, Zhao Feng stepped in front of her, staring at Qinchi: "The last person who tried to get her into a car ended up with a wrecked vehicle. Do you want to buy a new one too?"

Qinchi smiled: "A fight? If you win, I won't interfere with how you pursue Xu Qiao. If you lose, please don't disturb my teammate anymore."

Zhao Feng: "Alright, how do we fight?"

Qinchi: "Fighting Arena."

The base doesn't allow private battles among ability users, but conflicts inevitably arise. Therefore, official large-scale Fighting Arenas were built in the central district and the second ring. Ability users can choose suitable arenas for their strength by paying certain points, either to resolve conflicts or for friendly sparring.

Zhao Feng: "Fine, for victory or life?"

For victory, high-level ability users hired by the Fighting Arena supervise to ensure no fatalities.

For life, the two can fight however they wish, signing a voluntary contract.

Zhao Feng looked at Qinchi provocatively.

Qinchi remained calm: "I have no interest in killing unless it's justified."

Zhao Feng interpreted this as fear and sneered: "Alright, let's fight for victory. How about this, we three go have dinner together, and then head to the Fighting Arena afterward?"

Qinchi looked at Xu Qiao: "At most half an hour, then dinner after the match?"

Xu Qiao: "...Okay."

Zhao Feng: "..."