Never Give Up (Second Update)

Xia Chujian lay on the ground, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth and her nose. Her head was still buzzing—the two slaps had given her concussion symptoms.

She blinked and was about to turn her head, trying to see her surroundings clearly.

Suddenly, pain shot through her scalp as someone grabbed her hair and hauled her straight up.

So someone had been standing behind her head earlier.

Now they were standing behind her.

Xia Chujian's hands were twisted behind her back as well.

Her hair was being yanked, forcing her to tilt her head back and look ahead.

Across from her was a large desk, and behind it stood an entire wall of display shelves.

Through the glass doors of the shelves, she could see all sorts of decorations inside.

She could not identify them, but they looked expensive at a glance.

Xia Chujian withdrew her gaze and struggled twice, only to suddenly realize something was wrong with her body.

It was not the kind of bulkiness that hindered movement. Rather, her limbs felt light and unrestrained, as though they were no longer bound by clothing.

Looking down, Xia Chujian found that both her coats were gone, as was her work jacket. Only the Nano Bodysuit Armor she wore close to her skin remained.

A man in a silver-black uniform walked around from behind her, seized Xia Chujian by the throat, and said with a vicious grin, "...Still trying to run? You entered our Disciplinary Department and you still want to run?!"

Xia Chujian bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, using the sharp pain to force herself clear-minded.

Suppressing the fear and fury in her heart, she said as calmly as possible, "Anyone who gets framed out of nowhere and does not want to run is an idiot."

Slap! The man backhanded her across the face again.

Xia Chujian's face had already been swollen. Now it was even worse, one side puffed up higher than the other.

The red birthmark on her left temple stood out even more. Because her face was so badly swollen, the mark no longer resembled an Other Shore Flower at all. Instead, it looked like tiny crimson blood vessels twisting around one another.

Hideous and ugly.

One look was enough to make anyone not want to look a second time.

The man frowned in disgust, turned his back to her, and looked toward the window as he said coldly, "Where did you get this Nano Bodysuit Armor?"

"I'm a member of the Dark Night Hunter Association. The Association issued it to us. I'm warning you, don't mess with the Dark Night Hunter Association. Our Association always protects its own!" Xia Chujian bluffed, trying to intimidate him.

She could tell that he was wary of the Nano Bulletproof Vest she wore, so she immediately used it to make an issue of it.

She had no background to speak of. The only thing she could use was the Dark Night Hunter Association, for which she had risked her life for three years.

In truth, she knew the Association would not stand up for her.

But she was betting that this man did not know the details.

Yet he seemed relieved. He turned back, narrowed his eyes, and smiled. "So the Association issued it? Then everyone gets one?"

Xia Chujian: "..."

What did that mean? She did not know whether everyone in the Dark Night Hunter Association had this kind of Nano Bulletproof Vest, but because of This Time's Mission, every member of her squad did have one.

Still, her instinct told her she should deny it.

So she immediately said, "Of course not. This is the newest Nano Bodysuit Armor, available only to special members. You can't buy it outside."

She was not stupid. She could hear the wariness in his tone, so she exaggerated how special it was, hoping to make him even more wary and thus afraid to touch her.

The man Let Out a Snort and tilted his head, listening for a while.

At that moment, one of his subordinates was reporting through the Quantum Optical Brain connected to his brain-computer interface: "Deputy Director Fan, the other members of that squad all have this kind of Nano Bulletproof Vest. They said it was issued for the Mission."

This man was Fan Chengcai.

Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

As long as it was not custom-made for that bitch, it was fine.

Still, this kind of Nano Bulletproof Vest had only just been developed, yet the Dark Night Hunter Association could equip its subordinate members with such cutting-edge gear.

Even if not every member had one, it was already impressive that any member carrying out a Mission could receive one.

While secretly alarmed by the immense power of the Dark Night Hunter Association, Fan Chengcai also decided to end this quickly.

That Flying Vehicle powered by Small-Scale Controlled Nuclear Fusion was his for the taking!

But given the strength of the Dark Night Hunter Association, he could not simply seize it by force. He had to pin the charge of colluding with the rioting Humanoid Slaves at the plantation on this Ordinary People woman with no Mental Strength.

Then, under the pretext of "confiscating the tools of the crime," he could legally claim that Combat Aircraft powered by Small-Scale Controlled Nuclear Fusion! Fan Chengcai's face darkened. Turning to stare at Xia Chujian, he said, "You still dare lie to me? Your teammates have already confessed! Tell me, how did you use that Flying Vehicle to aid the rioting Humanoid Slaves at Mulan City Plantation?"

Xia Chujian froze for a moment.

Her first thought was unexpectedly of San Zong, the Pig-head Humanoids.

San Zong was indeed a Humanoid Slave at Mulan City Plantation, but he had not participated in the riot.

But San Zong's current status was no different from that of an escaped slave. If anyone found out, he would be dead too.

Could her squad have said something? Xia Chujian reconsidered, then decided her squad would not say that.

First, San Zong had not participated in the riot at all.

Second, if anyone found out, their entire squad would be implicated. It could not possibly be just her suffering alone.

Her squad members were not that stupid, so they would never say anything.

Then this man had to be trying to bluff her.

Xia Chujian pressed her lips tightly together.

"Not talking? Or are you thinking up another excuse to keep lying?" Fan Chengcai drawled sinisterly. "Confess honestly! Otherwise, it won't be as simple as a few slaps!"

Xia Chujian steadied herself and remembered Song Mingqian saying while browsing Star Net news that the riot of Humanoid Slaves at Mulan City Plantation had happened Seven Days ago.

And Seven Days ago, their group had still been in the Land of the Far North in the Exotic Beast Forest, a hundred thousand kilometers from Mulan City...

Thoughts racing, Xia Chujian changed her attitude and asked in a small voice, as though terrified, "May I ask when the riot of Humanoid Slaves at Mulan City Plantation happened?"

One of Fan Chengcai's subordinates glanced aside and snapped, "Seven Days ago. What, do you have an alibi?"

This subordinate actually sympathized with this seventeen-year-old girl.

He had read her file as well. At only seventeen, she was an Ordinary People person with no Mental Strength, yet she was already risking her life as a Bounty Hunter for the Dark Night Hunter Association. Her family circumstances must have been especially poor for her to choose such work to support herself.

And now she had been dragged into such a disaster for no reason.

He did not want her to lose her life over it.

Xia Chujian's pupils contracted slightly.

She could sense his goodwill.

Lowered Head, Xia Chujian said in a Low Voice, "Seven Days ago, my squad and I were carrying out a Mission in the Land of the Far North in the Exotic Beast Forest. I do have an alibi."

Fan Chengcai's face sank instantly.

He glared at that subordinate, pointed at the door, and said, "...Get out! Stand guard outside!"

The subordinate had no choice but to Lowered Head and say, "Yes," before turning and leaving.

The door shut, and no sounds could be heard from outside at once.

Inside the office, Fan Chengcai folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Xia Chujian. "What a coincidence. Seven Days ago, you just happened to be in the Land of the Far North? Who can prove it?"

"Everyone in my squad can prove it."

"You are all suspects. You cannot testify for yourselves."

Xia Chujian Lowered Head, unwilling to look at his disgusting face. "You can check the flight data on the Flying Vehicle. That is a factory setting and cannot be altered."

Fan Chengcai had not expected Xia Chujian to offer such a reason, and he immediately became Furious with Embarrassment.

He did not want to drag this out. He only wanted to end it quickly.

Fan Chengcai had originally wanted to undo his belt, but one look at her horribly swollen face disgusted him, and he immediately abandoned the idea of doing it himself.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, then said impatiently, "You still dare talk back! Ugly freak! Looking at someone like you for one second longer makes me sick!—You lot, give her a good 'going-over'! Just make her confess."

He made the words "going-over" sound particularly suggestive.

The several subordinates laughed especially wildly as well.

After Fan Chengcai left, the door shut again.

The subordinate he had driven out earlier was still standing ramrod straight outside the door.

Fan Chengcai glanced at him and said darkly, "You'd better not ruin this for me!"

The subordinate did not dare say more and merely Lowered Head.

He knew the other several subordinates who had remained inside.

They were not Gene Evolvers at all, but Untouchables among the Humanoids.

Humanoid Lowly People looked exactly like normal humans on the outside.

But they could Switched to Beast Form, or a half-human, half-beast form, at any time.

These Humanoid Lowly People were raised by the Fan Family. They were extraordinarily brutal—so brutal that even many Humanoid Lowly People could not stand them.

By then, the Lights in the office had dimmed. The man gripping Xia Chujian's hair was at least two meters tall.

With a twist of his wrist, he spun Xia Chujian around like a top until she faced him directly.

Without hesitation, Xia Chujian spat in his face.

The man flew into a rage. His other hand immediately reached for Xia Chujian's chest, intending to tear open her Nano Bulletproof Vest.

Xia Chujian was horrified, her fear nearly reaching its limit.

Falling into these people's hands, immediate death was probably already the best possible outcome.

But if she had to suffer such extreme humiliation before dying, she might as well drag them all down to Hell with her!

Xia Chujian's hard training as a Hunter over the past three years finally paid off.

At that critical moment, her body suddenly arched backward like a bow, barely avoiding the filthy hand reaching for her chest. At the same time, she lifted her right leg and viciously kicked him in the groin! She was wearing knee-high Military Boots issued by the Association.

To make these boots wear-resistant and durable, their soles were made of special materials. They had both weight and force! Her kick made the man's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets.

He let out an uncontrollable roar, and the arm clutching Xia Chujian's hair instinctively swung forward, violently flinging her away.

Second Update delivered. See you tomorrow!