Not That Soft-Hearted

Scanning the messy wreckage around them, Ran Jiu’yi asked, “What now?”

“Obviously, we get the girls to a safe place for treatment and then clean up this mess. I set quite a few traps here, and there are still plenty left.”

As he spoke, Meng Shan pointed at the werewolf lying nearby. After having his life force drained by Ran Jiu’yi for just a short while, Ken’s body had already visibly shriveled. “What about this guy? Do you want to kill him or keep him alive?”

“Keep him alive for now,” Ran Jiu’yi replied. “I have some things I need to ask him later.”

“If you say so. In that case, you go settle the werewolf and the girls first, then come back and help me handle the loose ends over here.”

Ran Jiu’yi naturally had no objections to Meng Shan’s arrangement. “Fine, let’s do that.”

“Wait a second, there’s one more thing.” Just as she was about to leave, Meng Shan called out to her. “We’ve been talking for so long—why are you still in your Ascension Form? Ken was dealt with a while ago, wasn’t he?”

“Ah, that. Two reasons. First, the consumption of this form is low; as long as I’m not in intense combat, I can maintain it for a day or two without a problem. Second, it makes it easier for me to walk.”

To provide a more direct explanation, Ran Jiu’yi dispelled the armor on her legs. Beneath the plating, her legs had been replaced by Eclipse Needles.

“During that fight with Cheng Ya, I was hurt so badly that I haven’t been able to fully regenerate my legs yet. My Ascension Form allows me to use the needles to substitute for part of my body tissue. For convenience’s sake, I just keep it active.”

Meng Shan observed closely for a moment. “I see. I understand now. How long will it take for you to fully recover? And… doesn’t it hurt?”

“Maybe another three days. If I hadn’t spent most of my time repairing my spine, they would have grown back already. As for the pain, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing to me; I’m used to it.”

Used to it? That probably meant it was still incredibly painful. But it made sense; as far as Meng Shan knew, the abilities of powerful superhumans almost always involved something strange or tragic.

Ran Jiu’yi asked, “Anything else? If not, I’m taking the girls to safety.”

“I’ll leave it to you then. Remember to come back and help me with the traps.”

“I know, I know. I’ll be back soon to help you with those remaining bomb traps.”

The remaining bomb traps? A casual phrase from Ran Jiu’yi caused Meng Shan to freeze.

“How do you know the remaining traps are bombs?”

The sudden interrogation caused Ran Jiu’yi to stutter for a split second. “Uh… I guessed. Didn’t you say there were a lot of traps left? So I just assumed they were bombs.”

“No, that’s not right,” Meng Shan denied her explanation. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t have said it so certainly, so naturally. The way you said it sounded like you already knew exactly what was left.”

Meng Shan’s voice rose. “Or rather, it’s like you’ve been here watching us fight for a long time, so you know that bombs are all I have left.”

Faced with his words, Ran Jiu’yi silently turned her head away. This behavior was a wordless admission of his theory.

Knowing his guess was correct, Meng Shan didn’t waste words. He asked point-blank: “Tell me. When did you get here?”

“…Back when the girls were talking to the werewolf.”

Meng Shan pressed further: “Then you were here early. Why didn’t you help?”

“…Because I wanted them to experience what it feels like to face an enemy far stronger than themselves in a life-or-death struggle. Their attitude toward combat is too casual. If I didn’t give them a real scare, they’d easily end up dead later because of carelessness.”

Meng Shan took a deep breath. “Then why didn’t you step in even after they were heavily injured?”

“I did help.” Ran Jiu’yi’s voice carried a hint of awkwardness, as if she realized she had gone a bit too far. “After they were hurt, I used the Eclipse Needles to send them life force to treat them while making sure you didn’t notice.”

“And how could you be sure he’d spare them?!” The tables had turned; now it was Meng Shan who was roaring with rage. “Do we even know what kind of guy he is? What if he had just finished them off instantly?!”

Ran Jiu’yi didn’t know how to answer, only muttering softly, “My healing ability is pretty good… I should have been able to save them…”

This answer clearly didn’t satisfy Meng Shan. His voice grew even louder. “What do you mean ‘should have been able to save them’?! This shouldn’t have happened in the first place!”

“I didn’t mind you scaring them last time because you didn’t do anything besides say some mean words. But this time? If Ken had been just a bit more ruthless, they would be gone!”

“You say you could save them—if he had crushed their heads, could you still have saved them? Testing people with their lives on the line… that’s pure madness!”

Confronted by Meng Shan’s scolding, Ran Jiu’yi couldn’t find a reason to argue. She lowered her head, acting like an ostrich in the sand.

Meng Shan continued: “I see it now. You entered Ascension Form partly so you could stop him if he went for the kill. So tell me the truth: if he really had tried to execute them, were you 100% sure you could stop him?”

“…Probably.”

“Probably?! This is absurd!” Meng Shan’s face was grim. “Nothing happened this time, so I can stand here and lecture you. But if something had gone wrong, forget about me—could you have lived with yourself?”

“Ah, I get it. You were testing them again, weren’t you? Because you weren’t sure how they’d react in a real life-or-death fight. And you wanted to know if Xiao An would run away again.”

“But do you think that’s reasonable? Testing them against an enemy this powerful?!”

Ran Jiu’yi was completely speechless, her head drooping lower.

Meng Shan’s lecture continued: “Do you realize you’re too hard on them? You seize every chance to test them. I’m not against training, but why under such dangerous conditions? I don’t know if you’re just fearless or just thoughtless!”

“And my armor! And my rifle! Do you know how expensive those were? They’re practically priceless on the market! Now they’re trashed like this, and I don’t even know if they can be repaired!”

Hearing this, Ran Jiu’yi looked up. “How much? I’ll pay you back. Or if you’re not satisfied, I’ll find a way to get them fixed for you.”

Meng Shan sighed. After venting for a while, his anger had subsided. “Those two are worth at least 50 million combined. Do you even have that much?”

Ran Jiu’yi nodded. “I’ve earned quite a bit over the years. I can produce several hundred million. Tell me a trustworthy channel, and I’ll send you the money.”

Seeing that she truly intended to compensate him, Meng Shan quickly changed his tune. “Forget it. I was angry, but mostly because you were too careless with their lives. If I really cared about the money, I wouldn’t have spent it on gear in the first place.”

Ran Jiu’yi suddenly asked, “The money you used for the gear… was that your retirement savings?”

“You guessed it. Not a surprise. So?”

“So… why don’t I give you the commission for this mission? After all, you and the girls did most of the work in taking down Ken. If you don’t want to keep it all, you can put some aside for the girls’ future.”

Meng Shan had no reason to refuse such an offer. “Alright then. How much is the commission?”

“45 million.”

In reality, Ran Jiu’yi’s actual commission was only 5 million; the rest was compensation. She had considered saying 50 million, but fearing Meng Shan would catch on, she lowered it slightly. She planned to make up the remaining 5 million for him through other means later.

Meng Shan had never done this kind of work and wasn’t a superhuman, so he had no idea what the real rates were. He sighed with emotion. “That’s so much money. I guess at your level, money really doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Exactly. So just take it, or I won’t feel right.”

“Fine, I’ll take it. By the way, who gave you this mission?”

On this point, Ran Jiu’yi had nothing to hide. “The Institute.”

Meng Shan was shocked. “The Institute? The same organization Cheng Ya belongs to?”

“Yeah. How else do you think she found me?”

Meng Shan was speechless. “Fine, I should have thought of that. Are you sure the Institute will actually pay?”

Ran Jiu’yi answered with certainty: “I’m sure. They’re the largest illegal superhuman organization in the world; they set many of the rules. They have no reason to break their word over a small sum like this.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with them and make sure you get every cent.”

“I’m worried about you. You were almost beaten to death by someone from the Institute named Cheng Ya, and now you’re taking their money? You really are fearless.”

Meng Shan sighed. “Just be careful. Anyway, we’ve talked enough. Let’s get to work.”

At that moment, Ran Jiu’yi pointed behind Meng Shan. “We’ve been talking for a bit too long. I think I forgot something.”

“Huh?”

Meng Shan turned around in confusion, only to see the three girls staring at them with bewildered expressions.

“I forgot how fast my healing speed actually is.”