"Oh no!"
Zhou Zhengde's voice trembled a bit as he pushed Wang Jixuan to go inside.
Wei Na, standing nearby, didn't understand what "battle princess" meant, but she knew Zhou Zhengde well enough to realize the enemy was strong.
"Quick, call for help!"
Wei Na shouted while holding onto her trench coat.
But Wang Jixuan replied, "It's fine... she isn't wearing battle gear."
Zhou Zhengde and Wei Na paused for a moment and turned to look at Ling Tong, who was now about ten meters away.
At that moment, Ling Tong was indeed dressed casually, wearing tight black jeans and a white off-shoulder top that showcased her impressive and graceful figure. Her ponytail swayed with her steps, and her sneakers, though a bit worn, were spotless.
She tilted her head and looked at the three of them pushing and shoving, softly asking, "Am I disturbing you three?"
"No," Wang Jixuan shrugged.
Wei Na immediately took two steps back, frowning as she said, "I'm just open-minded, not depraved. I won't participate in activities involving more than two people."
Ling Tong glanced aside, pretending not to hear.
Zhou Zhengde raised his hand to his forehead, saying, "Who asked you that?"
Wang Jixuan noticed some figures peeking through a narrow passage and called out, "Everyone come in."
Ling Tong calmly stepped forward.
A little while later, in the spacious dormitory,
Wang Jixuan sat upright on the only chair.
Ling Tong stood in front of him, her left hand transformed into a scanner, continuously analyzing Wang Jixuan's bio-energy data.
Zhou Zhengde and Wei Na sat on the edge of the bed, both looking a bit tense.
"Is it just a report? Don't you need to test my actual strength?" Wang Jixuan asked.
"I have optional combat tasks," Ling Tong said, busy with her work without looking up. "The order comes directly from the commander, requiring me to assess any potential threats from you. I hacked Captain Zhou's communication device to ensure he wouldn't interfere with my assessment of you. Just a moment ago, I was still debating whether to take action."
Wang Jixuan smiled, "I don't sense any fighting spirit from you."
"That's because it's an optional combat task, and it's meant for testing," Ling Tong simply explained. "Your energy response is only at E-level, which makes it easy to accidentally kill you."
Wang Jixuan: ...
Compared to half a day ago, he had gotten much stronger! He could fully activate his energy core, and his energy levels had definitely increased!
However, he wouldn't go looking for trouble. He still needed to think of a way to avoid being detected by these devices.
Being seen as an E-level energy user wasn't too bad in some ways.
Ling Tong marked a few checks on a report, then signed her name and sent it back to the command center.
Task completed.
Then she turned off the holographic projection, her mechanical arms resting behind her, her ponytail swaying slightly.
"I'm hungry."
"Huh?" Wang Jixuan was a bit taken aback.
Ling Tong blinked and softly said, "Can you help me find some food? Even though my mechanical arms and some bones consume energy directly, most of my body just needs normal nutrients."
Zhou Zhengde immediately said, "Let's go to the cafeteria! I'll have them make some food right away! But it will only be standard meals; no special treatment."
Wei Na whispered, "Are you sure you want to eat together?"
"What's wrong?" Zhou Zhengde asked, confused. "We have a lot to discuss; we might be in big trouble soon."
"It's fine," Wei Na shrugged. "As long as there’s no fight... Those mechanical arms are so cool! Can I touch them? You have a great figure, don't worry, I'm not bi-curious, just appreciating art and beauty."
She moved closer, acting friendly.
...
The meal for four, worth thirty-two food quotas, didn't look like "standard meals" at all.
Wang Jixuan noticed a detail.
Ling Tong always took small bites and chewed slowly, and the act of swallowing made her frown slightly, as if it was uncomfortable.
"Mu Liang, take a look at this."
Zhou Zhengde handed Wang Jixuan the now-functioning communicator.
On the communicator's screen, a pixelated photo appeared, showing an overturned truck, completely empty, with two bodies inside.
"That truck?" Wang Dao asked.
"Yes, it was the one Ye Zi and Kong Nu's family were in; they were hiding in the truck."
Zhou Zhengde said softly, "There are no signs of Blade Beasts attacking at the scene; it should have been a small group of wanderers."
"Wanderers?" Wang Jixuan encountered a new term.
"A band of thieves made up of deserters, criminals, and exiles from the fortress, often harassing supply transports. We bomb them when we find them."
Zhou Zhengde took a bite of synthetic meat.
"The tire tracks of the vehicle the energy users were in are still quite clear. They abandoned this truck and ran away; Ye Zi and Kong Nu's two daughters, along with Kong Nu's wife, were likely taken by the wanderers."
Ling Tong asked, "The girl you were discussing, is she the one who killed a dozen or so orphans in the cabin?"
"Yes," Wang Jixuan nodded. "The most ironic part is... the suitcase Ye Zi was carrying."
"Suitcase?" Zhou Zhengde's eyes lit up.
"It contained various accounts and lists related to Kong Lianmei."
Wang Jixuan explained, "Ye Zi took it all away that night. She contacted Kong Nu using the communicator left by Kong Lianmei. Ye Zi even said it was Kong Lianmei who asked her to bring it. Kong Lianmei killed a dozen children because she sensed her own death and wanted her children to accompany her. Kong Nu treated Ye Zi almost like a sister."
Zhou Zhengde frowned, "So, Ye Zi knew about Kong Lianmei long ago; otherwise, she couldn’t have obtained those accounts in such a short time."
Wei Na rolled her eyes, "I said before, that old landlady is a black hole of human nature; anyone who gets close to her gets twisted."
"They've directly caused the deaths of at least tens of thousands of people in the past few decades."
Wang Jixuan sighed lightly, shaking his head in disbelief.
Ling Tong said, "I personally suggest you worry about your own situation first."
Zhou Zhengde said quietly, "Mu Liang, your information has been changed. Your identity is now marked as [Cremated]. After we finish eating, I'll get you a new residence and identity card. You'll need to hide on the eleventh floor for a while, and your new name will be Wang Zheng."
"I quite like that name."
Wang Jixuan smiled in satisfaction, "Is there any reaction from the Energy City?"
Zhou Zhengde looked at Ling Tong.
She continued eating slowly, not wanting to speak.
"In places we can't see, the conflict between the war zone and Energy City is intense."
Captain Zhou said succinctly, "However, because your energy response is only E-level, they haven't paid much attention to you; they just see you as a pawn, a pretext. The end result is that Energy City has issued a global wanted notice for 'Black Storm Mu Liang,' but their reach hasn’t extended this far yet. They might send powerful energy users over later. Our solution is to change your identity, completely modify your records from the fortress to the war zone, make it look like Mu Liang died and was cremated; from now on, you’ll be Wang Zheng."
"Thank you."
Wang Dao felt a bit embarrassed.
Zhou Zhengde had always been kind to him, and he hadn’t given much in return.
"I remember you have an old injury in your leg, right?" Wang Jixuan suddenly asked.
"Yes, it’s an old problem," Zhou Zhengde laughed. "Last time I used that thing you gave me... cough, I felt great for half a month."
"After we finish eating and sort out your identity, come to my newest dormitory, and I'll help you with that problem."
Wang Jixuan looked at Wei Na, "Doctor Wei, you should come too; I'll help you adjust as well. Don't worry, there won't be any direct physical contact; I just need to touch your back through your clothes, as well as your forehead and soles of your feet."
Zhou Zhengde and Wei Na exchanged glances, both a bit puzzled.
Wei Na asked suspiciously, "How are you going to solve it? This is an endocrine imbalance."
"A special massage technique I came up with; you'll know once you try it."
Wang Dao emphasized, "This must be kept secret. I don’t want to be labeled as unscientific and face another round of military investigation."
Ling Tong, without looking up, asked, "Are you making a sarcastic remark?"
"How could I," Wang Jixuan squinted and smiled, "I admire your strength very much, but I can sense some minor issues with your body."
"What issues?"
"Blocked energy and poor circulation, weak spleen and dry qi."
Wang Jixuan asked, "Do you feel dry mouth and throat every time you wake up? Sometimes you feel extremely tired but still can't sleep? Besides that, do you occasionally sweat for no reason, have irregular periods, and sometimes get a few pimples on your face? Your throat might hurt for no reason, and the area where your mechanical arm connects to your body might feel sore and weak sometimes."
Ling Tong stopped eating, looking up at Wang Jixuan.
Wang Jixuan smiled, "I can help you adjust, but after that, you need to answer two questions for me, related to Blade Beasts. I really hope to fight them one day."
"Oh."
Ling Tong responded softly, then continued to eat slowly.
Wang Jixuan felt a bit anxious, unsure of what she meant.
After a while,
"Are you open-minded?" Ling Tong suddenly asked.
"No," Wang Jixuan answered without hesitation, "I would say I'm quite conservative, but I haven't considered these issues."
"Me too."
Ling Tong quietly said, still focused on her food.
Across from them, Zhou Zhengde and Wei Na exchanged glances.
Wei Na mumbled, "I suddenly feel like my forehead is shining."
"Me too," Zhou Zhengde said in his bubbly voice.
Wang Jixuan sighed inwardly.
His cute mortal friends really were quite dull when it came to matters below the waist.
Wang Jixuan changed the subject, "How's the landlady's accounts?"
"No updates," Zhou Zhengde sighed. "The Middle Basin War Zone and D5 Combined War Zone both chose to ignore this matter."
Wei Na clicked her tongue, "This kind of thing is normal; you just get used to it."
The three chatted casually.
Ling Tong listened carefully, not saying much, the slight noise from her mechanical arms reminding her to get maintenance done soon.
...
Meanwhile,
Outside the military camp at Fortress 76, on a sand dune in the Sarir Desert.
Grains of sand rolled, creating a flowing effect of yellow sand. Behind this yellow sand, a dark figure resembling an oversized caterpillar revealed its terrifying head.
Unlike the lowest-level Blade Beasts, it had no blade-like structures on its body and seemed to lack any offensive capability, just a bit larger than normal, with a body length exceeding three meters.
Its mouthparts slowly slid back, revealing a vertical pupil that gradually appeared in the center of its mouth, gazing down at Fortress 76.
The vertical pupil faintly reflected Ling Tong's figure.
Gulp—
Found it.
(End of this chapter)