Ming Yu’s New Reality

What was happening?

Ming Yu froze, her gaze narrowing.

The delicate sensation from her fingertips gave rise to an utterly strange feeling, prompting her to swallow hard.

She moved her hand before her eyes, slowly spreading her slender fingers, then gently flexing her delicate fingertips.

Her hands were so fair and slender it felt unreal.

No joke, it was truly… breathtaking.

Ming Yu’s expression gradually stiffened.

An invisible sense of oppression spread through the frozen air.

After nearly half a minute of stunned silence, she finally managed to compose herself, turning her attention back to the girl before her.

Her own physical predicament was not an immediate concern; communicating with Nightingale was the pressing issue.

Observing the girl’s silent, withdrawn demeanor and unusual expression, Ming Yu suspected she might have been traumatized, leading to both physiological and psychological abnormalities.

Recalling the potential torment and abuse Nightingale might have endured, a wave of guilt washed over Ming Yu.

She knelt, softening her expression, and spoke gently:

“Hello, little Nightingale. I am Ming Yu, a friend of your father, Viktor Lawrence.”

“Viktor has gone to a very distant place, and before he left, he entrusted me with your care…”

Her ethereal voice, like the song of a skylark, held no trace of its former masculine vigor, only a shy, gentle softness that made her blush.

Ming Yu’s voice grew progressively softer, and her expression became increasingly peculiar.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the strange emotions churning within her, and her complexion grudgingly returned to normal.

However, when her gaze met Nightingale’s dull, lifeless eyes, Ming Yu paused, a sudden jolt in her heart.

‘This appearance… it seemed familiar.’

Without warning, she raised her hand, her fingertips instantly nearing the girl’s delicate, long eyelashes, stopping half an inch from her pupils.

Normally, a person would instinctively blink in response, their pupils dilating and eyelids closing without conscious thought.

Yet, Nightingale remained utterly unresponsive.

Ming Yu narrowed her eyes slightly.

Viktor had experienced a similar condition once, identical to Nightingale’s current state.

‘Could this condition be hereditary?’

Ming Yu didn’t know the exact cause and could only make a preliminary judgment based on her experience.

If her suspicions were correct, Nightingale might be temporarily blind, or perhaps… remain blind indefinitely.

Ming Yu closed her eyes, her thoughts in turmoil.

‘The truth might not be what I suspect; perhaps it’s just some other minor issue…’

‘I need to find time to take her for a full physical examination.’

Ming Yu scrutinized Nightingale’s small face, then slowly extended a hand, tentatively stroking the girl’s bright golden hair.

The moment her fingertips brushed the strands, she noticed Nightingale’s pupils tremble. The girl flinched further into the corner, and realizing she had nowhere left to retreat, lowered her gaze even more.

Ming Yu waved a hand before her eyes.

The girl remained silent, not uttering a single word.

Just then.

“Grumble…”

A peculiar rumble emanated from Nightingale’s stomach.

Ming Yu quirked an eyebrow in amusement, withdrew her hand, and let her gaze fall to Nightingale’s small stomach, which she was clutching with both hands.

‘It seems she’s hungry.’

Although she didn’t know the details of Nightingale’s past, Misha’s family’s indifferent attitude gave her a rough idea, deepening the pity in her heart.

‘It made sense.’

It was a widely accepted truth among the citizens of Pharos that nine out of ten hunters who ventured out to sea never returned.

Everyone knew that Sea Beast Hunters received good compensation, but they also had to obey the association’s arrangements, completing designated hunting or patrol missions and often coming face-to-face with monsters from the deep sea.

It was the duty of Sea Beast Hunters to deal with mutated sea beasts that posed a threat to the Pharos Fortress and to protect the lives and property of its citizens.

Viktor had sacrificed his life for this cause.

Misha’s family had gambled correctly on Viktor’s demise but hadn’t accounted for Ming Yu’s return. As an orphaned girl, Nightingale was almost certainly destined to struggle at the bottom rung of society.

If minors lost their guardians, they would be sent to an orphanage, raised and educated by the Eternal Church until they reached fifteen, after which the government would compulsorily assign them jobs.

Orphans without familial care were, in essence, expendable resources—the very fuel that propelled the fortress onward.

But to return to the matter at hand.

Viktor, not wishing for his daughter to follow in his footsteps, had pleaded with Ming Yu to adopt her and become her guardian.

Having granted her old comrade’s request, Ming Yu was determined to safeguard little Nightingale’s upbringing.

And now, little Nightingale was hungry.

Ming Yu offered a faint smile, raising her hand to gently pat the girl’s head. However, remembering Nightingale’s anxiety and her wariness towards Ming Yu, she ultimately withdrew her hand.

She merely asked softly:

“Little Nightingale, are you hungry?”

“…”

“What would you like for dinner?”

“…”

“Wait here. I’ll get you something to eat.”

With that, Ming Yu pushed herself up from her knees and turned towards the kitchen.

Midway through the living room, however, she suddenly halted.

Since missions often lasted several months, or even a year or two, her refrigerator had been emptied before her departure, and she hadn’t had time to buy new groceries since returning.

All that remained at home were a few boxes of instant noodles and self-heating rice.

Little Nightingale was at a crucial stage of growth; she certainly couldn’t be fed such things.

‘It seems I’ll need to go out.’

As Ming Yu pondered dinner, she turned into the washroom and stopped before the sink, wanting to examine the changes her body had undergone.

In the mirror, her short raven hair had been replaced by waist-length silver-white strands, and her ink-black eyes were now stained a striking crimson. Her robust physique was gone, replaced by a slender, graceful figure, like a willow swaying in the breeze.

“…”

‘Where did this woman come from?’

Ming Yu and her reflection stared wide-eyed at each other, utterly dumbfounded.

She was completely bewildered.

Her blood-red pupils trembled slightly, and her pale knuckles gripped the edge of the sink tightly.

In a daze, Ming Yu silently held her breath, slowly reaching down to explore the region below her waist.

****

Beneath the dim yellow streetlights.

Ming Yu emerged from the supply station, carrying two large bags of vacuum-sealed ingredients, and hurried home along the path she had taken, her body heavy with fatigue.

Wherever she went, she turned heads, and snippets of whispered conversations drifted into her ears.

“Oh, where did this pretty young lady come from? Do you live nearby? I’ve never seen her before.”

“If she lives around here, she must have just moved in… Someone this stunning, I’d definitely remember if I’d seen her.”

“Should we ask for her number?”

“Yeah, let’s all go.”

“…”

Receiving such treatment for the first time, Ming Yu’s expression was exceptionally grim, and she coldly rebuffed every attempt at conversation.

For a professional hunter, the weight of two bags was negligible. It was the psychological burden, rather than physical exhaustion, that truly wearied her.

‘A lesson learned.’

‘Next time I go out, I must be fully prepared, cover my face, and avoid running into such vexing situations.’

Perhaps due to the genetic illness, her body had undergone earth-shattering changes, losing something she had cherished for many years.

Returning home and thinking of the girl inside, Ming Yu suppressed the gloom in her chest, rubbed her cheeks, and put on a smile once more.

‘There are always more solutions than problems.’

‘Tomorrow, I’ll take little Nightingale to the gene clinic to get things checked out.’

As for now…

“Tomato scrambled eggs… should I make it sweet or savory?”