Ashe: Qilin, don't worry, I'm fine.

"Not really..."

"Forget it, this time it's not your fault."

Ashe was staring at Qilin's furious face.

She had wanted to explain herself, but Qilin's sudden words cut her off.

Looking at Qilin with confusion, Ashe never expected Qilin to let her off so easily this time.

After all, in the ten years since Ashe had taken the initiative to get close to Qilin, Ashe had fully witnessed the side of Qilin that the Super God Plot hadn't shown.

That was her disgust for those who broke rules and order and harmed others.

It could be said to be a manifestation of Qilin's sense of justice.

But Ashe, from childhood to adulthood, could practically be described as a magnet for trouble.

Qilin had no shortage of times cleaning up after Ashe, wiping her ass and tidying up the mess.

And every time Ashe caused trouble, whether it was her fault or not, Qilin would lecture her, telling her not to do it again.

Though Ashe had never once listened.

That was why Ashe was surprised that Qilin let her off so easily this time.

After all, when something's out of the ordinary, there's bound to be a catch.

While letting go of Ashe's ear, which she had been lightly pinching, Qilin habitually rubbed it twice for her.

Then, standing in front of Ashe, she looked her up and down while explaining.

"I've looked into what happened this time. The fault isn't yours at all."

"You were acting in self-defense and performing a righteous deed. Besides, those thugs were just a bunch of unemployed youths."

"They wander around all day, hanging out on the streets. They could use their own hands to do something productive."

"But instead, they spend every day causing trouble and disrupting social order."

"You gave them a good lesson—well done. I support you this time."

Before Ashe could speak, Qilin seemed to feel that the distance was still a bit far to examine Ashe thoroughly.

She pressed in closer to Ashe.

Then she reached out both hands, as if wanting to use them to assist in checking Ashe's physical condition.

At that, Ashe had no choice but to quickly grab Qilin's hands.

Meeting Qilin's confused gaze, Ashe spoke earnestly, trying to explain, "Stop messing around. Let's go home."

"Who's messing around? I'm checking if you're hurt."

Qilin shot Ashe a glare.

As she spoke, she tried to pull her hands free from Ashe's grip.

Seeing this, Ashe, not daring to actually use force to stop Qilin, hurriedly said, "Come on, how could I possibly get hurt? Didn't you see the video of me beating up those thugs?"

"Besides, a bunch of small-time punks like that—could they really hurt me?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're the best."

Remembering the video, Qilin, who had been a little too anxious just now, withdrew her hands.

Her tone was playfully reproachful.

Then, Qilin recalled the image from the video of Ashe bathed in lightning, scorching everything around her black.

Keeping her voice calm, as if asking about something trivial, Qilin posed a question to Ashe.

"By the way, Ashe, I saw that video of you fighting. What's up with you? You come to Tianhe City for a visit and end up mutating?"

"Oh, you mean that."

Having long anticipated that Qilin would ask him this question, Ashe extended one hand, palm up.

Preparing to explain while activating his ability.

Then, under Qilin's astonished gaze, a faint crackling sound of electricity began to emanate from Ashe's palm.

And tiny traces of pale blue lightning gathered in Ashe's hand.

"Look!"

Signaling Qilin to watch his next move, the lightning in Ashe's palm began to shift into various shapes at his will.

Like a docile pet, the normally wild and fierce thunder now flowed as gently as soft water.

Her eyes unconsciously widened, Qilin's gaze filled with curiosity.

Glancing at the calm-faced Ashe, Qilin reached out one hand, gently touching the electric current controlled in Ashe's grasp.

Feeling the tingling sensation from the current transmitted through her fingertips, She asked.

"So? How did it happen? Did someone really grab you for experiments? Or did you mutate?"

"Neither." Knowing Qilin was joking, Ashe casually explained the lines she had long prepared.

"Just a couple of days ago, I was sleeping."

"Suddenly, I felt my whole body get zapped by electricity, but strangely, there was no pain at all."

"Then, I heard someone talking to me in my dream."

"Saying something like, it was my Dark Plane Gene System, and my Super Gene had been activated."

"Blah blah blah, a whole bunch of stuff. When I woke up, I had this ability."

"Someone talked to you in a dream?"

Looking at Ashe before her with surprise and doubt, Qilin directly reached out a hand, intending to check the temperature of Ashe's forehead, To see if Ashe had a fever.

In response, Ashe didn't say much, gently pressing Qilin's forehead, then leaning her whole body forward, Pressing their foreheads firmly together, her phoenix eyes meeting Qilin's gaze.

Only then did she explain: "See? No fever, right?"

"Come on, would I lie to you?"

"Fine, fine. I know you're telling the truth."

Seeming a bit flustered by the heat, Qilin pushed Ashe away, her face turning slightly flushed.

Her voice still steady, Qilin began seriously analyzing for Ashe.

"So what's going on with you? Did some immortal take a liking to you and pass you a technique in your dream?"

"How would I know? And even if she liked me, I wouldn't like her back."

Spreading her hands, Ashe looked helpless.

Although she could give Qilin an accurate explanation, describing her ability in terms of Super Genes, And also tell Qilin that she had the same Super Gene in her body, This approach had major drawbacks. First, where did Ashe's knowledge come from? Understanding her own Super Gene was one thing, But how did she know Qilin also had a Super Gene, when even the authorities had no information on her?

Second, there was the issue of security. This wasn't their home.

In this environment, anything Ashe said might leak out somewhere, causing trouble later.

Moreover, Qilin was about to experience the Airport Road Incident. As long as Ashe protected Qilin at the right time and reported Qilin's differences to the higher-ups, Qilin would naturally come to the attention of Super Seminary and join Xiong Bing Lian, learning everything then.

Ashe didn't need to add unnecessary steps now and accelerate that process.

At the same time, this vague answer from Ashe, if overheard by someone with ill intent, Would make them subconsciously think Ashe didn't understand any of this, lowering their vigilance toward her.

Just like Liu Chuang in the original story, describing the immortal in his dream.

That seemingly rough answer actually made those around him unconsciously lower their guard.

Of course, it's also possible Liu Chuang really didn't know anything and was just confusedly explaining it as an immortal.

"What are you going to do then? I can't clean up your mess this time."

After thinking it over, Qilin asked with some concern.

"It's fine. Honestly, this time I just beat up a few thugs. Even if I acted abnormally, I didn't harm society."

"Probably someone will come deal with my case soon. Maybe I'll even leave the police station today."

"That should be the case. Hope you can get out today." Though she had never handled a similar case, Qilin still had a wealth of legal knowledge and case-handling experience.

Plus, due to her family background, she knew some inside procedures, so she wasn't too worried.

Meanwhile, in a secret room two floors away from Ashe's room, A red-haired woman in a leather jacket listened to Ashe and Qilin's conversation, A slight smile curling at the corner of her mouth as she casually commented: "She's confident and unafraid, not scared at all."