Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Listening to the rain, Xu Qiao looked at her bracelet; it was two o'clock in the morning.

If Qinchi were also standing by the window, he would have already noticed the light she had cast outside.

Xu Qiao sent him a message: "Thanks, I'll take over from here. Go get some rest."

Qinchi: "Your water-type ability is only D-grade. How long can you maintain the water curtain to shield both courtyards?"

The four-person team had long reached an understanding not to explicitly mention their true ability levels in communications.

Xu Qiao was speechless.

Qinchi: "Go to sleep. It's my first time experiencing a typhoon. I'll let my spirit entity take over after a while."

Xu Qiao: "Will it agree?"

Qinchi: "Yeah, it also likes these two courtyards. The cultivation over these few months has had some effect."

Before moving into the Lu family, the fire dragon only wanted to fight for control of his body. After moving in, although the fire dragon still wanted to compete, its attention was partially diverted by Xu Qiao and the lotus flower, making it easier for Qinchi to suppress it.

Xu Qiao: "Then I'll go to sleep. Thanks, and thank your spirit entity too."

Qinchi: "It's still in my mind, so it can see."

Xu Qiao sent a "hard work" emoji.

After watching the rain for a while longer, Xu Qiao turned off the light. However, when she lay down on the bed, her mind was wide awake, and she ended up lying on her side facing the window.

Unconsciously, she had known Qinchi for half a year now. From the first day they met, Xu Qiao found him to be a very polite person.

Back then, Qinchi chose to form a small team with her partly because he was unfamiliar with Southeast Base and partly because he preferred to team up with someone he felt comfortable around.

Xu Qiao considered herself to be gentle and courteous, so it was natural that Qinchi felt comfortable with her, just as she did with him.

But if there were another female neighbor who made him feel equally comfortable, would Qinchi have proactively teamed up with her? Would he have confided in her about his spirit entity, patiently trained with her beyond their missions, comforted her by deliberately breaking air security regulations, taken her for an hour-long bike ride under the moonlight, accompanied her through countless tedious and monotonous experiments late at night, and voluntarily protected the two courtyards during the stormy night?

The lotus flower jumped out, turned on the night light, and formed water words: "He's done so much for you. Does he like you?"

Xu Qiao's face heated up. She touched the cool lotus leaf and whispered, "He's just very gentlemanly, and being older, he might treat any teammate around my age the same way. Think about it, he's also very nice to Xiaoyang, right?"

While male leads in TV shows who act this way are usually falling in love, life is different. Perhaps Qinchi was just the type of person who cared deeply for those around him. Xu Qiao didn't want to misinterpret things and complicate their valuable team friendship.

The lotus flower nodded its flower head. Qinchi was indeed good to it, even helping to move its bowl during hotpot meals.

Xu Qiao hugged the spirit entity and rubbed it, saying, "Let's not think about it anymore. Time to sleep."

When dawn came, the wind had stopped, leaving only a drizzle.

The wind barrier was still up. Xu Qiao sent a message to Qinchi: "You can take it down now. This amount of rain won't affect the courtyards."

Last night, they were worried about strong winds knocking down fruits and young saplings.

Qinchi: "Alright."

Xu Qiao looked out the window again, and sure enough, the wind barrier was gone.

After washing up, Lu Yang sent a message: "It's going to rain for the next two days. Not taking any missions?"

Xu Qiao: "No, are you coming back?"

Lu Yang: "No, the school has training grounds, which are convenient for practicing abilities."

Most students at The Second School were very dedicated, especially the freshmen eager to master their abilities. Training grounds were always in high demand. None of Lu Yang's three roommates were returning home, and Lu Yang neither wanted to be teased for being homesick nor waste time slacking off.

Xu Qiao: "That's the right attitude. Make the most of the resources available during these three years of military school. After graduation, you'll only be able to venture into dangerous zones."

Lu Yang: "Yeah, they're calling me for breakfast. Gotta go."

Xu Qiao also prepared breakfast. The temperature was a bit low today, so she cooked a steaming bowl of noodles.

She placed her tablet on the dining table and ate while browsing the forum.

A popular post was floating on the homepage, another comic story by "The Monkey Who Loves to Draw," but with new protagonists.

Out of curiosity, Xu Qiao clicked into "The Monkey Who Loves to Draw's" personal column to see his previous posts.

The post about Qinchi and Zhao Feng's battle had disappeared.

Xu Qiao, who had been somewhat worried about their identities being exposed, breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside Southeast Base, in a B-grade danger zone.

Zhao Feng sat in a specially modified mercenary RV, staring expressionlessly out the window. Raindrops continuously pounded against the glass, forming streams that trickled down, blurring the view of the jungle outside.

His uncle, Zhao Qidong, had prepared breakfast and called him to eat.

Zhao Feng had no appetite: "We've been out for a month. When can we go back? If you need me to complete a mission, that's fine, but I'd rather be with my teammates."

Zhao Qidong, in his fifties, possessed an A-grade Snow Wolf spirit entity, with sharp eyebrows and deep-set eyes, exuding a stern demeanor.

He had his own family, with a steady wife and children, but this nephew left behind by his deceased brother and sister-in-law always gave him headaches.

Hearing his nephew's words, he deliberately asked, "What will you do back there? Get laughed at by those acquaintances who might guess you're the 'wolfman' from the viral post?"

Zhao Feng scoffed, "I said it was an accident that night. Now I'm very calm. I can handle whatever they say without transforming again."

Zhao Qidong stared into his nephew's eyes. Before leaving the base, he had instructed his nephew's teammates to bribe "The Monkey Who Loves to Draw" to delete the post. Over the past month, his nephew had indeed not transformed while training with him, indicating he was truly stable. He said, "Eat first. We'll head back after breakfast and catch a flighter back by evening."

"But I still have to warn you, your transformation is almost like a mutation. Your teammates and I will keep it a secret, but if others find out and report it, the authorities might handle you in ways you don't want. At best, they'll lock you up; at worst, they'll treat you as a mutant and eliminate you. For your own life, you'd better control your temper and stop going after Xu Qiao."

His nephew wanted to pursue a girl, and he didn't have the time or energy to deal with it, but losing his life over a girl would be too foolish.

Zhao Feng pursed his lips and said nothing.

Zhao Qidong: "Not convinced? Let me tell you, I've investigated Xu Qiao's current teammates. Qinchi appears to be an ordinary person, but no real ordinary person can easily enter The Second School, nor would they have such extraordinary combat strength. As for Sun Fushan, even my high-ranking friends in the Mercenary Association can't investigate him. He's likely from the Sun family. With this kind of connection, if you push Xu Qiao too far, not only will you suffer, but I might have to change bases and seek refuge elsewhere."

Zhao Feng thought about the four A-class battle armors on Xu Qiao's team.

So they had connections with the Sun family.

"Understood."

Zhao Feng walked over and started eating.

He currently lacked the strength to challenge Xu Qiao, but he would wait for the right opportunity.

Unless Sun Fushan and Qinchi were always with her, every time Xu Qiao left the base with other teammates, he would follow them.

The typhoon passed quickly, delaying their weekend training. When they arrived at the danger zone this weekend, Xu Qiao and her two teammates worked hard.

During a midday break, Xu Qiao asked Meng Li, "How is Auntie doing recently?"

Meng Li looked relaxed, "She found a job at the East District Mercenary Association, processing toxic mutant animal materials. She also mentioned joining a suitable team to go on missions outside the base."

Due to the beastification, her mother had been confined at home for years, unable to work outside.

After receiving treatment from Xu Qiao, her mother became much more cheerful and no longer felt inferior because of the black scorpion spirit body.

Xu Qiao smiled, "I'll check on Auntie once a month. If the white mist concentration continues to increase, we can extend the follow-up visits later."

At that moment, Sun Fushan returned from solving his physiological needs, sitting down next to Xu Qiao and joining the conversation, "Next Tuesday is the Mid-Autumn Festival, do you have any plans?"

Although a new era had begun, after life in the four major bases stabilized, people still tacitly continued some of the old era's festivals.

Meng Li: "I'll spend the festival with my family."

Sun Fushan: "Me too, but I only need to have dinner at home. How about Xu Qiao?"

Xu Qiao: "I'll rest normally, maybe make a hearty lunch. Xiaoyang will come back."

With her brother around for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she wouldn't feel lonely.

She then invited Qinchi, "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Qinchi smiled and agreed.

Sun Fushan glanced at him and typed a message for Xu Qiao to see, "Does brother Qin not have a family? He doesn't go home even for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Xu Qiao glanced at Qinchi's legs, unsure.

Even though they were very familiar with each other, Qinchi still kept many secrets from her.

It was already September, and Daylight Saving Time had been implemented. On Sunday evening at five o'clock, the aircraft landed at the base.

While waiting in line to submit their mission reports, Qinchi, who was standing behind Xu Qiao, suddenly received a message.

Grandfather: "Where do you live? I hitched a ride on a flight to the northern part of the second ring. Can you pick me up?"

Qinchi: "...Why did you come?"

Grandfather: "To spend the festival with you. Since you're not going back, your father, mother, brother, and sister are all busy. Only I came to keep you company and bring some warmth to the little guy in your head."

As soon as Qinchi read this, he felt the fire dragon's agitation. The last time the old man brought "warmth" to the fire dragon, he knocked it out cold.

Qinchi: "Alright, find a place to sit and wait. I'll be there in about half an hour."

The old man sent a selfie of himself sitting on a bench. Despite being over a hundred years old, he looked like a spirited seventy-year-old with gray hair and only noticeable wrinkles around his eyes.

Qinchi looked at the young teammate in front of him and added some basic information for the old man, "Xu Qiao will go with me to pick you up. Be careful not to slip up."

Grandfather: "You've met a girl, huh? Must be on leave."

Qinchi: "She's my landlord and teammate."

Grandfather: "Alright, alright. I'll rummage through my space and see if I have any suitable gifts."

Qinchi lowered his arm.

After Sun Fushan drove off with Meng Li, the two got into the car. Qinchi then told Xu Qiao about picking up his grandfather, "Shall I drop you off first, then go pick him up?"

Xu Qiao was surprised that his family member would come, "That would take too much time. I'll take the subway, you go pick him up."

She reached for the door.

Qinchi: "It's rush hour now. If you don't mind, why don't you come with me? We live so close, you'll have to meet eventually."

Xu Qiao, of course, didn't mind the extra time, but she was nervous, "I, I'm afraid it will be awkward sitting with the old man."

Qinchi: "I'll be there, don't worry."

Xu Qiao looked at him and reluctantly agreed, her feelings mixed.