A Guardian’s Dilemma

Under Vanderlin’s command, rows of colossal rats lined up before the ruins like soldiers on a parade ground.

Their disciplined movements, obeying every command, resembled those of battle-hardened veterans.

‘Even these rats understood human words better than a certain mischievous girl.’

Casting a sharp glare at the indifferent girl, Yao Jing grumbled inwardly.

“Oh dear, you’ve gotten so dirty. Let me help you dust off.”

Noticing the gaze from the other side, Xiu Lan feigned ignorance, her small hands incessantly patting Robin’s clothes.

This action kicked up clouds of dust, stinging eyes and noses, prompting the dust-covered girl to chase after her for a beating.

Ignoring the playful squabble for the moment, Yao Jing turned his attention to the shifty-eyed, diminutive man.

The man, Vanderlin, no longer exuded his earlier swagger; his face was now etched with the raw terror of a narrow escape.

Yao Jing deliberated over the proper address before asking: “Mr. Fan… would that be an appropriate way to address you, sir?”

“Oh no, no, that’s far too formal! Just call me Little Fan, or even Fan the Rat, if you like.”

Vanderlin nervously scanned his surroundings, occasionally stealing glances at the strange figure in black.

He had truly been terrified by the beating.

His peerless martial arts, cultivated over two years of secluded training, had been effortlessly neutralized by a mere passerby.

He had initially believed that with the Giant Rat Gang, even if they couldn’t stand against the Supervision Bureau, they could at least retreat with dignity.

To find himself in this predicament, however, brought a wave of sorrow from the depths of his heart, and two streams of clear tears traced paths down his cheeks.

“…”

‘Wait, why is he crying?’

‘Am I encountering more and more strange people lately?’

“Ahem, ahem.”

Yao Jing cleared his throat twice, interrupting Vanderlin’s self-pity.

He stated, “Mr. Fan, regarding your actions that disrupted public order, the Supervision Bureau will impose certain penalties.

Do you have any objections?”

“None at all, none at all! If possible, just throw me straight into prison.”

‘This conversation was going nowhere.’

“As for the disposition of the rats…”

At the mention of this sensitive topic, the previously dejected Vanderlin snapped to attention, standing ramrod straight.

He watched Yao Jing with palpable tension, awaiting the impending verdict.

“The Bureau currently plans to relocate them to the [Wastelands], a special environment created using spatial technology, where many near-extinct creatures are bred…”

“Thank you so much, truly, thank you!”

Having sorted things out on this side, amidst Vanderlin’s tearful gratitude, it was now time to address the other situation.

Having concluded her chase with Robin, Xiu Lan sprawled languidly on the sofa.

This kind of high-end, branded furniture was something she rarely got to enjoy normally, but now, she could simply rummage through any ruin and unearth a pile of it.

‘Even if they were missing a few limbs.’

After draining another cup of red tea handed to her, Xiu Lan finally noticed the tattered youth staring at her.

She handed the empty cup to Robin, subtly prompting her to pour another.

“Oh, unlucky fellow, why are you staring at me so intently?

Is it to thank me for my heroic rescue of a beauty?

Later, I’ll give you an account number, and you can just transfer the money directly.”

“My surname is Wang.”

The youth responded coolly: “I currently serve as a squad leader in the Order Maintenance Team.”

As an organization under the Supervision Bureau, a powerful armed body, the Order Maintenance Team in this era integrated the functions of both police and military.

Besides being able to deploy most conventional firearms, they could also hire Hunters for assistance.

Even in previous years, when faced with the endless bizarre tactics of the Evolved, they had still managed to contain disasters and prevent their escalation, truly embodying abundant martial virtue.

‘So, this person before me is the “Ah Sir” (TL Note: A Hong Kong slang term for police officers) of this era.’

Xiu Lan’s hand trembled incessantly, causing a bit of red tea to spill onto her, where it sank into the shadows and vanished.

As a less-than-reputable citizen who had dealt in contraband, her relationship with the Order Maintenance Team was akin to that of a mouse and a cat.

Just being in the same space induced immense psychological pressure.

“Idiot, you’re spilling it all.”

Seeing the painstakingly brewed tea carelessly spilled by Xiu Lan, Robin snatched the cup back with a look of disdain and refilled it.

“I haven’t done anything illegal or disorderly lately.”

“…”

“…”

The girl’s sudden self-incrimination rendered the other two present momentarily silent.

‘She hasn’t done anything *lately*, implying she has in the past, right?’

“…Actually, we’ve met before.

Two days ago, when you went to the suburbs, I was the one driving the car.”

“Huh?”

Xiu Lan exclaimed in surprise, struggling to pull the scene from that night from her memory: “So you’re that… Little Wang!

Why didn’t you say so earlier? That makes us comrades, then!”

‘Who’s a comrade with a destructive maniac like you?’

Captain Wang grumbled inwardly, yet a stiff smile appeared on his face as he posed a question he was genuinely curious about: “Could you tell me, what is your relationship with Brother Yao?”

To outsiders, Yao Jing’s resume was nothing short of spectacular.

While still a student, he had led police into an Evolved base.

In the same year, he secured third place in the Seven Schools Alliance; had he not encountered too many formidable opponents, even winning the championship wouldn’t have been impossible.

After graduation, he was immediately scouted as a Hunter candidate, and through a series of extraordinary events, he was granted early promotion to full status.

Just recently, he even resolved the long-standing vampire incident that had plagued the Supervision Bureau, making him seem like the protagonist of a ‘Shuangwen’ (TL Note: A Chinese term for a ‘wish-fulfillment’ novel, characterized by fast-paced plots and a powerful, flawless protagonist) novel.

So, what exactly was the relationship between this black-clad figure, who seemed so close to him, and Yao Jing?

‘Brothers? Friends? Surely not father and son?’

A strong sense of gossip ignited, and Robin, standing nearby, also leaned in curiously, eager to hear the answer.

‘Relationship, you ask?’

Xiu Lan pondered the events of the past few days.

Undoubtedly, she had saved him countless times; had it not been for her peerless martial prowess, Yao Jing would have been instantly annihilated by those bizarre blood kin a hundred times over.

‘So our relationship is definitely… father and son, right?’

‘I’m the strict father, and he’s the rebellious son, but in front of others, I should still save him some face, so… comrades-in-arms it is.’

Having settled on their relationship, Xiu Lan nonchalantly began to answer: “Our relationship is frien…”

“It’s a guardianship.

I’ve been entrusted to look after this child.”

Yao Jing, who had just walked over, replied.

“What?!”

‘No, if I’m not going to be your dad, you’re going to be mine?’

Xiu Lan was about to unleash a torrent of curses, but Yao Jing’s subsequent words sealed her lips.

“If you’re not satisfied, I can always contact your mother.”

Last night, he hadn’t merely been playing games with Wu Liyun; he had also spent the entire evening researching Xiu Lan’s true identity.

After much discussion, the likely conclusion they reached was that she was Vanguard’s… daughter.

‘As for who her father was?’

‘Haven’t you heard of the Great Demon King Ock?’

‘Perhaps a clone, or self-replication, and so on.’

Similar appearances, contrasting personalities, a childish psychological age, coupled with the long-circulated rumor of Vanguard’s daughter within the association—the more he thought about it, the more it all fit.

‘So why had she run off to this place?’

That was simple; the two of them could easily conjure a novel of several hundred thousand words just imagining the possibilities.

But these were minor matters; the most crucial issue now was…

Observing Xiu Lan, who had suddenly curled into a ball, he sighed once more.

This child was simply too powerful, a ticking time bomb capable of blowing the entire city to smithereens at any moment.

With many Hunters having departed—no, even if they were all still here—this child remained, without question, the strongest.

Unstable emotions, immense power, coupled with the form he had witnessed in previous cycles—he wouldn’t be surprised if this city were suddenly razed to the ground by her on a whim one day.

‘I’ll have to observe her for a while longer…’

If things genuinely went south, he would have no choice but to contact the association.

Although he didn’t know why she had come here, he ultimately couldn’t gamble with the lives of countless citizens.

Thus, he slightly deepened his tone, threatening in a low voice: “You wouldn’t want your mother to find out you’re here, would you?”

‘Mother, huh…’

‘How long had it been since she last heard that address?’

Though somewhat difficult to admit, Xiu Lan’s relationship with her family was, in fact, far from harmonious.

The reason, naturally, was a common problem faced by many families: her academic performance was not good, consistently hovering in the middle to lower ranks among her peers.

Every time they visited relatives or friends, the topic would be met with awkward silence, followed by a harsh scolding upon returning home.

The pervasive atmosphere of disappointment that enveloped her home, the feeling of ‘wishing she were better,’ was almost identical to the feeling Yao Jing was now instilling in her.

The last scene etched in her memory was of her standing furiously at the doorstep, shouting that she was running away from home.

‘Heh, well, I’ve really left now. Are you happy?’

“Alright, alright, fine.”

Xiu Lan tried her best to appear nonchalant: “You’re the boss, so I’ll listen to you.”