No Salary, What Captain Am I!

After leaving the laboratory, Elysia and Lin Li ran for several minutes before they finally dared to stop.

"Phew, Xiao Li, don't run so fast, consider my feelings."

Elysia gasped for air, leaning against a wall, and touched her forehead.

There were several times just now when she almost let go of Lin Li's hand, but thankfully, she had held on tight enough.

She had a feeling that if she hadn't been holding onto Lin Li, she might have been shaken off by her long ago.

She was running too fast... it was almost as fast as her constant sprinting speed.

She looked at Lin Li, who was also leaning against the wall at the moment, not doing any better than her, and even appearing to be in worse condition.

Lin Li's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. Elysia took out the tissues she carried to wipe them for her, but the latter gave her a displeased look.

"I don't want to go there at all, why did you speak up for me?" Lin Li snorted.

"But the situation was urgent! Dr. Mobius was about to make a move! And... Xiao Li, you looked so scared of the Doctor, I was afraid it would be too late if I didn't say anything," Elysia explained, reaching out to wipe Lin Li's sweat again.

This time, the latter didn't resist and let Elysia make her move... although it couldn't really be called making a move.

"I'm not scared of her!" Lin Li retorted.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm, my Xiao Li is the bravest, not afraid of anyone," Elysia agreed. "Good girl, don't move around, let me wipe it clean, okay?"

"Hmph... Whose Xiao Li? You're the one living in my house, aren't you?" Lin Li, seeing that she couldn't win against Elysia, started to pick a fight about something else.

"Ah... Xiao Li saying that, does it mean you're actually saying I belong to Xiao Li's house?" Elysia heard this, lowered her head slightly, and said shyly, "It's not impossible, as long as Xiao Li is happy..."

"Stop talking!"

"Okay."

Teasing a cute beautiful girl is truly a delightful thing for both body and mind, Elysia thought.

After wiping her sweat, seeing that Lin Li had no intention of moving, she pulled her to a random chair by the roadside and sat down.

"What do you think we should do now?" Lin Li withdrew her hand, which Elysia had been holding, crossed her arms, and looked at the slowly advancing recruit platoon in the distance. Someone there seemed to have noticed them, but after only a few seconds, they looked away.

"It's all your fault, now I have no choice but to go."

"Mmm... Actually, there are many benefits to going to Dr. Mobius's research institute," Elysia said.

Actually, she didn't know what benefits there were, but the most important thing now was to appease Xiao Li, especially since the current situation was caused by her own words.

However, if she really thought about it, if she hadn't spoken up for Lin Li back then, they would probably still be in the research institute.

"Benefits? What benefits could there be? I... I just want to make money." Lin Li's voice grew quieter and quieter, to the point that Elysia didn't even hear the last two words her companion said.

But based on Lin Li's money-grubbing behavior this morning, one could probably guess that the words were "make money."

"This problem is actually very easy to solve," Elysia said, pulling Lin Li closer and gently stroking her soft, dark hair.

"Look, as a doctor at the Flame-Moth's First Research Institute, Dr. Mobius's research funding must be very high. It's just that the Doctor probably uses most of it to buy various materials for experiments."

"If Xiao Li and the Doctor cooperate well, and every experiment is successful, won't the funding expenses decrease? Then her salary will also go up."

"Tch..." Lin Li rolled her eyes after hearing what Elysia said and commented, "In our terms, you're just drawing a pie for me."

"Drawing a pie? What does that mean, is it delicious?" Elysia asked, not understanding.

"Delicious your head! It's simply relying on... forget it. Anyway, the pie you're drawing isn't tasty. My stomach is not good, I can't digest it."

"Stomach not good? Oh dear, this is a serious matter! I'll take you to a doctor right now."

Upon hearing this, Elysia became worried, stood up, and pulled Lin Li to leave.

But the latter pulled her back down.

"Elysia, tell me the truth, do you really not understand what I'm saying, or are you pretending not to understand?"

"Mmm... Probably really? Xiao Li, I understood every word you just said, but when they're put together, I don't know," Elysia shook her head, a hint of grievance flashing in her eyes.

This time, it was genuine grievance.

"..." Lin Li also realized her tone was a bit too harsh. She fell silent for a moment, then apologized:

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for? We're good friends. Friends don't need to apologize," Elysia immediately became cheerful, as if those emotions from just now had never existed.

"Who said we're friends!" Lin Li, seeing this, also felt relieved and said, "I've decided, from now on, every time you hold my hand, the price is one yuan. Give me the money!"

"Just one yuan?"

"Yeah, if not... then fifty cents."

"Pfft, then let's stick with one yuan," Elysia couldn't help but laugh seeing Lin Li's serious bargaining expression. "But won't it be too frequent if I pay one yuan each time? How about I give it to you when it accumulates to a certain amount?"

"Hmph, fine... but don't try any tricks. I'll remember every time you owe me money!" Lin Li said, immediately taking out her phone and writing down the time and event in her memo.

"..."

Elysia quietly watched her finish writing.

She really wanted to ask a question: why, even though Xiao Li looked like an adult, did her mind seem like that of a child?

Lin Li put down her phone, looked up, and met Elysia's bright blue eyes. For some reason, her face turned slightly red, and then she stood up.

But before she could say anything, someone walked up to them.

"Yo, Elysia, what a coincidence."

The person who approached was a man in combat attire, with several medals on his shoulder, appearing to be of high rank.

He had sky-blue hair and a chiseled face that exuded determination. He was smiling at the two of them.

Isn't that the person I saw looking this way just now? Lin Li thought.

She didn't know him, but he seemed to know Elysia very well, so she decided not to say anything.

"Hi~ Heng, it is a coincidence," Elysia replied with a sweet smile, then asked, "What brings you to find us? Shouldn't you be training new recruits right now?"

"Let Immanuel handle those brats. I just saw you two, so I came over," Heng said, looking at Lin Li. "You must be Miss Lin Li, right? You're so young."

After speaking, he looked up at the sky and sighed, "Indeed, the youth are the heroes of our time. I never expected the first person to solo-defeat a Herrscher to be younger than me."

"..." Lin Li remained silent.

"Alright, Heng, Xiao Li doesn't like to hear such praise. Why don't you tell us why you're here?" Elysia, seeing Lin Li's expression, seemed to guess her thoughts and said to Heng, "Has the notification from the higher-ups been issued? What's the result?"

"Do I even need to say? Almost half of Flame-Moth knows about you and Miss Lin Li now," Heng chuckled. "They've decided to appoint Lin Li as the captain of the Second Special Squad, a position that's been vacant for a long time."

"Huh?" Lin Li looked completely bewildered.

"No need to be so surprised. After all, you defeated the Herrscher single-handedly. The satellite footage was crystal clear," Heng explained.

"No... I mean... can I not take the position?" Lin Li lowered her head, saying shyly.

"Hm?" Heng frowned upon hearing this. "Why? The captain of a Special Squad is a great honor for a soldier of Flame-Moth. Other soldiers would fight tooth and nail to become a member of a Special Squad."

"...Is there a salary?" Lin Li asked weakly.

"..." Elysia had guessed Lin Li would say this and rubbed her forehead.

"Ah?" Heng's frown deepened. "If you're talking about salary, it's only four hundred more than regular soldiers."

Heng didn't understand why Lin Li would ask such a question; he never cared about things like salary.

He patiently explained, "Compared to regular squads, Special Squads have access to more training resources and participate in more missions, allowing for better self-improvement."

"So, it means it will be very busy?"

"Yes, it will be a bit busy."

"Then I'd rather not."

"……?"

Heng wanted to say more, but he noticed Elysia give him a look and fell silent.

"Xiao Li, you need to think carefully. Are you really not considering being the captain?" Elysia asked. "If you don't take it, you'll just be training like those other soldiers."

"Ah... I don't want to train..." Lin Li remembered the image of a line of soldiers marching past just now... She couldn't stand that.

"That won't do. Regular soldiers have to train."

"Then... then can you be the captain, and I'll be your team member... Would that mean I wouldn't have to train?" Lin Li suddenly thought of this solution.

"..."

Heng and Elysia exchanged a glance, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Heng, I'll have to ask you to convey this to the higher-ups."

"Understood. I'll relay today's events."

After speaking, Heng looked at Elysia and then glanced towards a building corner.

Elysia understood, patted Lin Li's head, and said softly, "Xiao Li, Heng and I are going to talk for a bit. You stay here and don't wander off."

"...Okay."

As they spoke, Heng had already reached the corner and waved to Elysia, who followed him to a spot where Lin Li couldn't see them.

"What's wrong? Is there something else?" Elysia asked. "Why are you being so secretive, hiding from Xiao Li?"

"Cough, it's nothing much, really," Heng said with a relaxed expression. "Actually, the higher-ups intended for Lin Li to be my team member. Everything I said just now was made up."

"Ah? Why didn't you say something so important earlier? Then why did you say Lin Li should be the captain?"

"Tsk, think about it. Flame-Moth's First Squad is merely a name, and the Second Squad was disbanded by the higher-ups. Only my Third Squad is left all alone."

"I think the higher-ups are underestimating her. Lin Li is someone who can defeat a Herrscher single-handedly. Having her as just a member of my squad doesn't seem quite fitting, especially since my squad is all male."

"So, I was thinking that if Lin Li agreed with my proposal, and I reported it to my superiors, it would be that Lin Li wants the position of captain of the Second Special Squad. This way, the higher-ups might consider reforming the squad."

"..." Elysia was silent for a moment, then turned her head and peeked around the building corner to look at Lin Li.

The latter was sitting on the bench, counting her fingers and mumbling something to herself.

She turned back.

"Hmm... How about you do as Xiao Li suggested and tell them that Xiao Li wants me to be the captain, and she'll be a team member."

"Huh? Why are you saying that too?" Heng asked, confused. "Although I know you a bit better and believe in your abilities, Lin Li was the one who defeated the Herrscher after all... The higher-ups..."

"You don't need to worry about that, they'll definitely agree," Elysia said with a very confident tone. "All you need to do is mention that Little Li is Dr. Mobius's good friend when you tell them."

"Good friend? Since when?"

"Just now," Elysia winked.

Her expression made Heng unable to tell if she was telling the truth or lying.

"Alright... I'll say it," Heng pursed her lips and said.

"Mhm, I'll go praise you to Bianca," Elysia said with a happy smile.

"...Uh, if that's possible, that would be even better, haha."

The two walked back to Lin Li.

Elysia sat down on a chair and took Lin Li's hand.

Little Li didn't say anything about payment, so this time it's free, right? Elysia thought to herself.

"Oh right, Heng, have any new missions appeared on the commission board, the kind that can earn money?" she asked on Lin Li's behalf.

"Oh, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot to tell you. Actually, Flame-Moth was attacked a few days ago," Heng said.

"Hmm... What does that have to do with commissions?"

"If you're interested, you can check the official website. It was posted yesterday."

"If the commission is successful, the reward there is a hundred thousand prize money..." Heng looked at Lin Li, who suddenly lifted her head upon hearing "a hundred thousand," her eyes seeming to sparkle.

Seeing this, Elysia smiled and said, "Mhm, we'll go take a look. Thanks for the reminder."

"You're welcome," Heng waved her hand. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I hope those little brats haven't caused any trouble for me."

"Mhm, bye-bye~" Elysia waved, watching him leave. She then pulled Lin Li up and they walked in the opposite direction.