Li Huan's Attitude

Li Tian's expression remained unchanged, but several thoughts flashed through his mind.

He had been busy with missions for the past few days, either supervising at the outer outpost or socializing in Base City No. 143 next door. He hadn't returned to the city.

Based on the price he had set earlier, someone should have already taken the job and started acting.

Could it be that they couldn't find an opportunity to strike? Or perhaps Jiang Mian's strength far exceeded expectations, and she killed the assassin instead?

If she had stayed within the city defenses the whole time, it might have been the former. But if it was the latter...

For the sake of caution, Li Tian had set the minimum requirement for the bounty he posted at Second-tier.

He didn't believe that Jiang Mian, a rookie who had only Awakened a few days ago, could kill a "professional" who was at least Second-tier.

This Jiang Mian... is problematic.

Li Tian turned around, no longer looking at Jiang Mian. He instructed the workers to rest in a normal tone, as if his gaze had been merely accidental.

Jiang Mian narrowed her eyes slightly, watching Li Tian among the crowd below.

Thanks to the [Gale]'s enhancement to her senses, she was now quite sensitive to both auras and emotions.

In that brief moment of eye contact, she distinctly felt a fleeting malice.

Why?

Jiang Mian pondered. She didn't know the man, but he was leading personnel from the Construction Bureau, clearly a mid-to-high-level figure, and possessed Third-tier strength...

She remembered the rumors at school. Li Hao was so arrogant because his father was a high-ranking official in the Construction Bureau and was himself a powerful Awakened.

Li Hao's dad?

Only this identity could explain the malice she felt just now, and it could also explain the incident with the Mutant earlier.

This unexpected encounter actually put Jiang Mian's mind at ease.

It was easier to deal with the situation now that she knew the opponent's appearance and strength.

She was currently on city defense duty, under everyone's watchful eyes, so the other party couldn't do anything rash.

If they had truly found an opportunity to act, and they weren't Fourth-tier, she could still handle it.

Of course, to be safe, accumulating advancement progress and improving her strength was the most crucial thing.

After Li Tian settled his subordinates, he turned his gaze to the gap in the wall. Li Huan was standing with his arms crossed, looking outside with boredom, while Gu An chattered incessantly beside him.

Squad Five, huh...

He understood.

He had interacted with this squad a few times. Their strength was top-notch within the East City Wall defense zone, and Qin Wu was known for his upright conduct.

After his nephew, Li Huan, joined the team, he had improved rapidly. In his early twenties, he was already on the verge of breaking through to Third-tier.

He hadn't expected him to become teammates with Jiang Mian now.

Li Tian knew Li Huan's personality. He was fierce in a fight but had his own principles. To put it bluntly, he was stubborn.

However, perhaps he could probe the squad members' attitudes towards Jiang Mian through Li Huan.

"Ah Huan."

Hearing his name, Li Huan turned his head and saw Li Tian walking towards him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"Uncle Two? You... just finished a mission?"

"Mm. Just passing by here to rest a bit."

Li Tian nodded, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the gap in the wall and the workers carrying materials nearby.

"Just finished? It looks like there was quite a commotion."

"Yes, a group of Runners attacked the outpost, but it's been resolved."

"Good that it's resolved. How have you guys been lately? I noticed a new face, that young girl with glasses on the rooftop just now, is she with your team too?"

He gestured in Jiang Mian's direction.

Upon hearing this, Li Huan frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

Although the Public Security Bureau had quietly dismissed Li Hao's incident as an accident, given Uncle Two's concern for Li Hao, he wouldn't have investigated privately.

Furthermore, Jiang Mian's appearance was very distinctive. Li Tian couldn't possibly not recognize her.

Why is he pretending not to know her?

Several thoughts flashed through Li Huan's mind instantly.

Uncle Two appeared completely normal at the moment, a stark contrast to the gloominess he displayed when he first learned of Li Hao's death.

Could it be...

A sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

Jiang Mian had great talent and an extremely powerful sequence ability. Her future was bright, and she absolutely couldn't die in a meaningless internal conflict. Moreover, the one who wanted to make a move was his own Uncle Two. He should stop him.

"Mm... She's a new intern, named Jiang Mian."

Li Huan turned slightly, his gaze calmly fixed on Li Tian.

"Uncle, you should have heard of her name."

A flicker of composure broke on Li Tian's face, but it quickly returned.

"Heh, her. A high-level sequence... I wonder how she's performing on your team?"

Li Huan detected the probing intent in his words and, after a moment of thought, replied:

"Her control over her abilities is extremely outstanding. I can say her talent is stronger than most people I've ever met."

"Uncle, you should know better than I do about the growth rate of a high-level sequence. People like her will be cultivated and protected with all the official resources."

The implication was crystal clear: Jiang Mian's potential had already begun to show, and she couldn't be touched.

"Is that so?"

Li Tian responded indifferently, his emotions unreadable. He didn't pursue the topic further and patted Li Huan's shoulder.

"Let's go. Be careful yourself."

Li Huan believed he had made his hint clear enough. His uncle wasn't a fool and should be able to weigh the pros and cons.

However... watching Li Tian's retreating back, a faint sense of unease still lingered in Li Huan's heart.

Li Tian leaned against his car, lit a cigarette, and white smoke rose from his fingertips, blurring his vision.

He glanced up in Jiang Mian's direction; she was no longer there.

Li Tian truly hated it. Although his son was disappointing, he had at least awakened.

He had always planned to help Li Hao get things moving once he was done with his busy schedule, to keep him close, discipline him, and slowly correct him.

Yet, he had vanished so easily, like dust. And an insignificant orphan girl had managed to awaken a high-level sequence through this, soaring to unprecedented heights.

Li Tian had initially thought that even if Jiang Mian awakened a high-level sequence, there would be plenty of ways to make her "accidentally" disappear before she grew powerful, given she was an orphan without any background.

But she had joined the City Defense, even if only as an intern.

Especially now, with the official emphasis on cultivation plans, if he wanted to make a move against her, he would have to carefully consider his own standing.

Team Five didn't linger. After the matter was concluded, new teams arrived to take over their post. By the time they headed back, it was completely dark.

In the car, Jiang Mian looked at Li Huan with a peculiar expression.

Clearly, she had heard their entire conversation without missing a word.

This world was truly small. She had only killed Li Hao, and related people were appearing one after another.

However, judging by Li Huan's response, he was on her side... Hmm, a good person.

She didn't expose him, maintaining the current situation was sufficient. If they still intended to make a move against her, she would take the opportunity to eliminate them if possible.

But the prerequisite for everything was to hide her identity and strength. If that proved impossible, she would have to resort to some special tactics...

The atmosphere in the car was slightly heavy. Su Wanning was still driving, while Gu An, responsible for "clearing the way," was in the passenger seat.

Jiang Mian glanced at Qin Wu and Li Huan, who were resting with their eyes closed beside her, and asked a question that had been buried in her heart for a long time.

"Um... Captain Qin."

"Hmm? Go ahead."

Qin Wu opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Jiang Mian.

"Isn't your ability... [Knight]? Why is Sister Su still driving on the way back?"

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