Inside a certain room of Apartment No. 2.
The black veins entwined around Xia Ji’s body squirmed rapidly, finally shrinking back into her left arm, leaving behind only an eerie yet exquisite black pattern floating on the surface of her skin, like a tattoo.
Xia Ji’s small face was flushed red.
She held her hands in front of her, gently biting her rosy lips.
“Elder Sister, I’m changing clothes…”
Hearing this, Chu You finally, albeit reluctantly, withdrew her gaze.
Her face was still adorned with a radiant smile, and she nodded compliantly.
“Alright, I’ll wait for you outside. Take your time, no need to rush.”
She turned around and neatly closed the door.
In that last instant before the door shut, the girl’s snowy-white allure and bashful shyness were etched clearly into her mind.
Leaning against the wall beside the door, Chu You couldn’t help but let her lips curl upwards, her mood soaring as if even the fatigue from her recent overexertion had been swept away.
Truly… pleasing to the eye.
My heart is utterly delighted!
But immediately after, for reasons unknown, she visibly deflated, her shoulders drooping as she let out a silent sigh.
What use is beauty?
She lost the sniper rifle just by changing clothes!
No matter how pleasing to the eye, she was powerless to do anything now.
At this thought, Chu You’s good mood vanished completely.
Downstairs.
Gu Qiancheng had somehow produced another can of cola, leaning lazily against the wall as he drank in small sips, while opening a newly received voice message on his communicator.
A slightly lazy, roguish voice played through the speakers: “Xiao Gu, the matter’s settled. Jinghu and Gilambisca both got away… To be fair, this so-called Twilight Knight is really something. He took a sword strike from me and still kept breathing?”
“Tsk, if he wasn’t blocking the way, that blow would’ve landed right on Jinghu…Hmph, no matter how many lives he has, it wouldn’t be enough.”
When the voice message ended, Lin Mo and Gu Qiancheng, standing to the side, didn’t react much, as if they had expected it all along.
It was no surprise that Wu Yang—personally recognized by the Commander-in-Chief as the strongest apprentice Swordsman in history—could defeat Gilambisca.
After all, Gilambisca was only a Fourth Calamity; above him were three even fiercer figures.
“Beep.”
A notification chimed again.
Lin Mo was still gazing absentmindedly at the sky, as if calculating something.
Gu Qiancheng took another sip of cola and casually tapped to play the next voice message—Wu Yang’s voice came out again, but this time, there was a clear hint of… guilt?
“Oh, right, about that… when I was slashing just now, I accidentally used a bit too much force, couldn’t hold back. Cough cough, the Binhai Branch is being managed by Xiao Lin now, right?”
“Look, we’re all family, so… let Xiao Lin handle it, and, uh, let’s not report this, okay? A-anyway, it’s not th-th-that serious. Let’s just leave it at that, talk later!”
When the message ended, the air fell silent for a moment.
Gu Qiancheng’s hand paused on the cola can as he slowly turned his head.
He realized that at some point, Lin Mo, who had been staring at the sky, had turned to look at him.
There was no expression on Lin Mo’s face, but deep within his eyes, a trace of coldness flickered, like a silent brewing storm.
The next moment, Lin Mo decisively pulled out his phone, swiftly opened the messaging app, pressed the voice input key, and spoke in a tone that was almost forcedly calm, each word enunciated as he tried to restrain his emotions: “Director Zhao, please send someone to the municipal compound immediately to assess the specific situation, especially…”
At this, Lin Mo could no longer hold back, his tone turning through gritted teeth, each syllable emphasized: “Especially—the—dam-age—con-di-tion! Record everything in detail, and report back to me at once!”
Just as Lin Mo finished sending the voice message, Chu You and Xia Ji emerged from the apartment entrance.
Gu Qiancheng happened to look up, his gaze landing on Xia Ji.
For a moment, his expression flickered with surprise, but it quickly faded.
She wore an ill-fitting white short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and pink slippers—creating a striking contrast against the cracked and battered ground around her.
Those bizarre, squirming black veins had actually completely withdrawn?
Gu Qiancheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his scrutinizing gaze not hiding in the least.
With that in mind, he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a portable pollutant aura detector, scanning the somewhat nervous Xia Ji from head to toe.
“Strange, strange…”
Gu Qiancheng stared at the detector’s screen, where the reading remained steadfastly at “0,” and fell into thought.
“Hah, isn’t it stranger to be a creepy uncle who keeps staring at others?”
Seeing his behavior, Chu You raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back a jibe.
“You put on an act of righteousness, but in reality you’re just a scoundrel who bullies newcomers into writing your mission reports.”
Hearing this, Gu Qiancheng forgot all about his train of thought.
He instantly put the detector back into his pocket and glared at Chu You.
“You say that like you haven’t drunk my cola!”
“Tsk, how generous~ Trying to buy people’s loyalty with a can of cola?”
“Chu You, I’m your senior!”
“Oh.”
“What do you mean, ‘oh’?!”
Gu Qiancheng felt a little triggered, but quickly shifted his gaze to Xia Ji behind Chu You, as if trying to regain his footing.
“Today, I’m going to be particular about this!”
He squinted slightly, as if considering how to nitpick, and finally his eyes landed on the tattoo-like pattern left on Xia Ji’s left arm after the black lines had receded—delicate yet strange, like a flower sleeve tattoo.
“A tattoo, huh?”
Gu Qiancheng raised his brow, his tone deliberately provocative.
“Gangster?”
As soon as the words fell, he suddenly vanished from where he stood—not of his own will, but because he was kicked away with great force!
Beside him, Lin Mo maintained a kicking posture, his eyes cold as he watched Gu Qiancheng fly several meters away, rolling twice on the ground.
Caught off guard by the sneak attack, Gu Qiancheng scrambled up, rubbing his sore backside and glaring at Lin Mo with irritation.
“So it’s fine for you to protect your girlfriend, but I can’t tease her bestie a little?”
Hearing this, Chu You’s expression stiffened.
Xia Ji’s eyes lit up uncontrollably, glancing curiously between Chu You and Lin Mo—the soul of a CP shipper burning ever brighter.
Lin Mo slowly lowered his leg, still expressionless, and tossed his phone to the grinning-though-in-pain Gu Qiancheng, his voice cool: “Take a look at Wu Yang’s masterpiece. Kicking you was letting you off easy!”
Gu Qiancheng took the phone.
On the screen were on-site photos and a preliminary report just sent by Zhao Dongyuan.
With only a glance, his breath caught.
How did the municipal building split in half down the middle?!
And that smoldering wreckage on top… wasn’t that a third-generation comms module, each one costing over a hundred million?
And the residential area outside the compound… c-can people even live there anymore?!
Just the string of zeros at the end of the preliminary loss estimate was enough to make his vision go dark.
Gu Qiancheng put down the phone, took several deep breaths, then instantly switched to a grinning face as he sidled up to Lin Mo, his tone obviously fawning: “Hehe, Junior… see, about this, we only said we were short-handed and needed backup. Who could’ve guessed Wu Yang would volunteer for the job? So, uh, you can’t really blame me for this, right?”
Lin Mo merely shot him a cold warning glance and sneered.
“Now Wu Yang chops someone and just waltzes off, leaving behind this giant mess. Tell me—who should I hold responsible?”
At these words, Gu Qiancheng’s expression froze, cold sweat dripping down his temple.
He wiped it off absentmindedly, his voice dry.
“This, uh, this…”
As if he’d suddenly found a lifeline, Gu Qiancheng’s eyes lit up, his tone suddenly rising: “You have to blame Qin Old Man for this! That old geezer—of all people, why’d he send Wu Yang? Damn it, I bet the old codger just can’t stand us two brothers, so he sent him to make things difficult on purpose!”
The more he spoke, the more reasonable it sounded—even beginning to paint a grand picture.
“Junior, say no more.”
“When I get back to Beifu Headquarters, I’ll find a chance and… I’ll deal with that old geezer! Then I’ll be the Deputy Commander.”
“At that point, all the losses here in Binhai—I’ll reimburse you for every cent! How about that?”