I'm a Villain, and I Annihilated the Astral Express Crew at the Start

"Seele? Is that really you?" He looked at Seele with complicated emotions. "You've grown up... How have you been lately?"

Seele's whole body stiffened.

She finally recognized this man.

A blurry image flashed through her mind—a tall Silvermane Guard, sending her, a young child, through the gates of the Rivet Town orphanage.

He was... the Silvermane Guard's squad leader, Oleg?

Seele thought he had long returned to the Upper District with those Silvermane Guards...

Immediately afterward, another figure emerged in her memory.

That boy who came to the orphanage alone to beg, refusing to live there even when scavenging for scraps outside... Jiang Mo.

She saw something different in Jiang Mo's eyes compared to the other orphans, something that made her yearn.

Since then, Seele also left the orphanage and wandered like Jiang Mo.

"Oleg... it's you," Seele replied softly. "I... I'm fine."

She didn't want to say much about her vagrant life.

"Alright... child, you're still so strong."

Oleg handed Seele a flyer.

"Take this," he pointed to a marked spot on it. "If you ever encounter anything, or have any difficulties in the future, come here and look for me."

Seele took the flyer and clutched it tightly in her hand.

Just then, Jiang Mo's figure rushed over in a hurry.

He had heard someone say that Seele was surrounded, so he immediately rushed over.

"Seele!"

He shouted loudly, ran to Seele's side, and looked her up and down.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

Seele turned her head, saw Jiang Mo panting, smiled slightly, and shook her head.

"I'm fine," she replied softly, pointing to Oleg and the man next to him. "They helped me..."

Jiang Mo followed her hand and looked at Oleg.

"Uh, you helped Seele out of a tight spot? Thank you so much..."

"No need to thank us."

Oleg smiled at the two of them, "With Wildfire, this kind of thing won't happen in the Underworld anymore. I guarantee it."

When Jiang Mo heard Wildfire, his expression changed.

He glanced at Oleg, desperately suppressing the excitement in his heart.

Is that so? Wildfire is starting to emerge...

Chapter 22: Living with Seele, a New Plan

Oleg didn't stay long. He patted Seele on the shoulder and left with the man beside him.

Seele looked at the dazed Jiang Mo and poked his face:

"Jiang Mo, why did you come?"

"Oh, I heard people say something happened to you, so I rushed over..." Jiang Mo came back to his senses. "It's good that you're okay."

Then he grabbed Seele's hand.

"Let's go, I'll take you to a place."

"Eh? Where are we going?"

"It's a secret for now! Just follow me and you'll find out!"

Soon, Jiang Mo led Seele through several alleys and arrived in front of his shelter.

Jiang Mo pushed open the door made of modified iron plates.

Seele stood at the door, stunned.

The scene before her eyes completely exceeded her imagination.

This wasn't a simple, dilapidated shack.

Although it wasn't big, it was clean and tidy.

The floor was covered with thick cloth, food was piled in the corner, and there were a few books.

The most striking thing was that there was a soft blanket and a pillow on the bed.

This was simply a mansion in a shack!

"How is it?" Jiang Mo looked at Seele's shocked expression, feeling a little proud. "I made all this."

Seele slowly walked into the shelter, touched the blanket with her hand, and picked up the soft pillow to squeeze it.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Seele, move in and live with me."

Jiang Mo looked at her, his eyes earnest. "It's safer here than outside. We can survive together."

Safe... together...

After so many days of surviving alone, these two words held immense appeal for Seele.

Seele suddenly felt her heart enveloped by a warm current.

Looking at Jiang Mo, she nodded, her voice a little choked.

"Okay... Jiang Mo, thank you."

At that moment, she really wanted to stay, to spend these difficult days with Jiang Mo in this small shelter.

The two of them stayed in the shelter for a while.

Jiang Mo took out some of their reserved food: a roasted sausage.

It was the last piece of meat he'd gotten from the snack stall owner, and he hadn't been willing to eat it.

"Eat." He handed it to Seele.

Seele didn't stand on ceremony, taking the sausage and biting into it.

The long-missed taste of meat exploded in her mouth.

She looked at Jiang Mo, her eyes complex.

This boy always managed to bring her a little unexpected surprise in the most difficult times.

They sat in the shelter, talking about the old days.

They talked about the days they scavenged for food in the garbage dumps, the thugs who had bullied them, and the orphanage.

The atmosphere was unusually relaxed.

Seele felt a strange sense of security.

This place felt like a warm home, allowing her to temporarily forget the chaos and danger outside.

But after the warmth, Oleg's words and the "Wildfire" flyer began to echo in her mind again.

"The Underworld can't go on like this..."

"We have to do it ourselves..."

That night, in a small room partitioned off in the shelter, Seele lay on a bed made of cotton and cloth, feeling a little dazed.

She looked at the peaceful situation in the shelter, and then thought of the people struggling to survive outside, and felt a strange conflict in her heart.

Hiding here might allow her to live safely.

But was that the kind of life she wanted?

The "Wildfire" that Oleg described was not just about survival, but also about resistance. They might really be able to change the situation in the Underworld.

She clenched the flyer in her hand.

The next day, Seele secretly went to Oleg's side to observe the situation.

She saw Oleg gathering a group of people in a hidden warehouse.

They were all from the lowest levels of the Underworld: vagrants, miners, refugees who had lost their homes. Many of them had a numb look in their eyes.

Then, Oleg distributed some of the resources they had collected equally among the people, and also gave them temporary shelter. Although it was just a simple tent, it was enough for them.

Then, Oleg and his subordinates taught the refugees some simple fighting skills, organized them to patrol in shifts, and helped those who needed help.

Seele saw that these once-desperate people were rekindling their enthusiasm for life under Oleg's leadership.

The entire Wildfire seemed to be working towards a common goal.

This scene touched Seele.

After returning, and tossing and turning all night, Seele finally made a decision.

The next day, Seele woke up early from Jiang Mo's shelter.

Pushing aside the curtain that served as a partition, she saw Jiang Mo sitting on the ground, holding a piece of wood in his hand, clumsily carving something.

Seeing her come, Jiang Mo put down the wood.

"Seele, why are you up so early?"

Seele walked up to him and stopped.

"Jiang Mo."

She looked directly at him and suddenly said, "I've thought about it... I, I want to join Wildfire."

After she finished speaking, she waited for Jiang Mo's reaction.

She had thought of many possibilities.

Jiang Mo might jump up, point at her and mock her sarcastically, call her stupid, call her naive, and even force her to give up this idea.

In her heart, Jiang Mo was the kind of person who was extremely rational and valued his own interests.

He definitely wouldn't agree.

Wildfire? What kind of hellhole is that? A bunch of rabble, risking their lives for some trumped-up slogan, likely to be killed by Riftworld Monsters at any moment!

Jiang Mo might say something like that.

However, now Jiang Mo just looked at her, blinked, and then said:

"Wildfire? Sure, go ahead."

"If you like it, then go."

He even tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a relaxed smile, and picked up the piece of wood again, continuing to carve.

Seele was completely stunned.

She thought she had misheard.

"You... you're just agreeing like that?" she widened her eyes, "You're not going to ask me why I want to go? Not going to try to dissuade me? Not... not scold me?"

"Why would I scold you? It's your freedom."

Jiang Mo's carving didn't stop.

"What you want to do is your decision. Why would I ask so much?"

He paused, as if remembering something, and looked up at Seele.

"Oh, right."

"Go without worry, as long as you can come back for dinner every day."