Volume Three: Academy's Full-Scale Rampage - Ling Ye

"--Up, White Night, Black Star!"

There are still ten birds that can destroy space. Each bird has an explosion radius of about one meter. The one in front is less than three meters away from her. The space is too small to avoid it. Considering the length of her arm when she raises her gun to shoot, she only has less than 0.1 seconds left to fire!

But--

A pale finger peeking out from beneath the bodysuit pulled the trigger, while simultaneously swinging his arms wildly, leaving afterimages that mingled with the muzzle flashes. The explosions of bullets roared, followed in an instant by the sound of birds being blown apart!

Rumble rumble rumble rumble!

The explosions echoed through the confined space, leaving ten circular holes in the void, the closest just centimeters from the Scavengers. The Scavengers, seemingly unfazed by the danger, circled the holes, walking towards the White Dove, her gun aimed at him—

Don't even think about it!!!

Several birds, even larger than the ones before, whistled through the air, but in the next instant, they vanished from their spot, disappearing from the White Dove's sight!

"--Where did it go?"

The terrified White Dove turned to flee, but suddenly a gust of wind swept past its side—

Pfft!

"Ahh... ahhhh... ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaoooooooooooooooooooooooooo more"

A cold, sharp pain shot through his side, a sharp blade churning inside his cavity. Looking down, he saw the bayonet mounted on the white pistol deeply embedded in his abdomen, crimson blood gushing out.

"Please... don't..."

Pay the price for your actions.

Without a shred of mercy, with the bayonet still embedded in the enemy's side, the Scavengers pulled the trigger.

Looking at the man lying unconscious with a large hole in his side, Xiao Wu wore a complicated expression.

"Then that leaves --"

Xiao Wu turned around, her sharp gaze shooting through her helmet at Javick.

"Eek! Please, please spare me! I... I have so much money! You want more—"

A flash of silver light streaked across his neck, and a Blood Mist spurted from it. He clutched his neck in agony and collapsed to his knees.

Xiao Wu was stunned.

Because she didn't do it.

At some point, a young man's figure appeared in the shadows behind Javick.

"It's you..."

"Oh, thank you for your hard work, Xiao Wu."

The young man emerged from the shadows into the light. His handsome face possessed both striking good looks and sharp features, his slightly disheveled black hair and eyes that gleamed with a captivating, almost sinister light. He was casually dressed in a white shirt and dark blue trousers. He was none other than Ling Ye, one of the vice-captains of the Enforcement Team.

"... You... killed him?" Xiao Wu pursed her lips tightly, staring at Ling Ye with a gaze sharp enough to kill.

Ling Ye smiled, gently defusing the terrifying gaze, and said, "Killing him would make things difficult for you, wouldn't it? I just thought he was too noisy, so I damaged his vocal cords. My knife skills are very meticulous... Let's not talk about that..."

Ling Ye toyed with a small knife between his fingertips. The knife had a black handle and a silver-white blade. It looked simple and unadorned, but it exuded a chilling murderous aura.

"I'm sorry so you won't do anything foolish--"

The blade flashed four times, stabbing Javick four times in his limbs, leaving only four small wounds. He, who had been struggling moments before, immediately stopped, his eyes filled with terror.

"I'll cripple your limbs for now, and you'll have to stay quiet for a bit."

Ling Ye took out a piece of white cloth and carefully wiped the blood off the knife.

Xiao Wu was still glaring at him.

"If you damage his vocal cords, how will you interrogate him after you take him back?"

"There are countless ways to gather information without using words, so don't worry, my love."

"... I've said this many times already, don't keep talking about 'my love' --"

"--So you're going to make me unable to be a man, huh? But you have to be able to do it first."

"..."

"Alright, just kidding. If you don't like it, I won't call you that anymore, Xiao Wu." Ling Ye said with a calm smile, as if she didn't care about her earlier embarrassment at all.

"Instead of arguing here, why don't you take them back right away? They'll really die if you leave them there too long."

"Xiao Wu, you're still so kind. They're clearly a bunch of despicable scum, yet you spared their lives."

"... It's just to facilitate interrogation and information gathering; I don't want to cause any more trouble."

"Is that really the case? Fine, since you insist on it, then let's assume it is..."

Ling Ye carried the collapsed Javick and the heavily injured White Dove on his back, bowed, and turned to leave.

"Oh, right, Xiao Wu."

"What's wrong now?"

"The Enforcement Team just gave us some money. Want to grab a bite tonight? It's on me!"

"Roll!"

"I got rejected instantly again. How many times has this happened... Can't you at least give me a chance?"

"Don't even think about it!"

The basic operating model for Scavengers is: accepting tasks (which may be initiated by themselves or forcibly assigned by superiors) → executing tasks → sending someone from above to inspect the completed tasks.

"People sent from above" could be school officials, confidants of the General Council, or outsiders—so it's not surprising that the visitors were the Enforcement Team, which has always been at odds with the Scavengers.

Almost every time Xiao Wu completes a mission, it's Ling Ye who comes to inspect it.

Unexpected, yet also perfectly reasonable.

Because Ling Ye had said many times that he had fallen in love with Xiao Wu at first sight and would express his love to her almost every time he saw her.

Of course, Xiao Wu, who had absolutely no interest in matters of love, always refused. Furthermore, Ling Ye was extremely tactful; whenever Xiao Wu made a clear rejection, he would immediately stop, never pestering her. If Ling Ye were a lecherous and rude person, Xiao Wu would feel justified in giving him a lesson he would never forget. But he was a very measured person; his attitude towards her was always polite yet humorous, with a touch of mischief within that humor. Although it annoyed her, she couldn't bring herself to dislike him.

Guys like that must be very popular with girls, Xiao Wu sometimes thought. Unfortunately, Xiao Wu had never been interested in any man since she was a child, including Ling Ye.

"Call..."

Xiao Wu rubbed her still-damp hair as she walked down the bustling street. After completing her mission and saying goodbye to Ling Ye, she randomly found a cheap public bathhouse on the street and took a shower, not because she was particular about cleanliness, but because she was afraid that the bloodstains on her body would frighten people.

Xiao Wu doesn't like wasting time dressing up, and she doesn't understand what's fun about going shopping with her best friend (besides, she doesn't really have anyone she considers a best friend; the only girl she's close to, Shino, is a total homebody). She has never taken care of her hair properly, which is why it's always a bit messy—even though it suits her perfectly.

Xiao and the kids often say her style is avant-garde and daring. Liu Ye, whom she met a couple of days ago, also described her outfit as "heavy punk," but she herself doesn't think her style is anything special. Back then, she found her suede jacket during a men's clothing store clearance sale, picked up her belt, and bought her hot pants, over-the-knee socks, and leather boots cheaply from a secondhand market. Her white tight-fitting tank top was sewn from a few old, stiff pieces of white cloth; it was cropped because she ran out of fabric. Surprisingly, wearing all this cobbled-together clothing actually suited her well. Too lazy to change her style, Xiao Wu bought clothes in this style for the next few years, and eventually, that's how it became.

"This mission was simple, but the reward was quite good... How about treating yourself to something nice once in a while?"

Thinking this, Xiao Wu took out a few discount coupons and went into a supermarket.

"Beef 20% off, celery 20% off, ham... 40% off? Is it about to expire? Mushrooms 40% off... Too bad Jilia's allergic to mushrooms, and Anna hates fried food... Ugh, such difficult little girls..."

Despite her complaints, Xiao Wu effortlessly swept away one discounted item after another, a feat that even seasoned housewives in their forties and fifties envied.

Interestingly, Xiao Wu is undoubtedly a stunning beauty, and with her flamboyant attire, she would definitely turn heads wherever she goes. Out of ten people, about six would be stunned by her cold beauty, three would be captivated by her aura, and the remaining one would either be blind or impotent. Even so, no one has ever given Xiao Wu a second glance, as if she were invisible.

The reason lies in the sense of presence.

Xiao Wu is not only an ultimate Physical Enhancement System of ability user, but also a top martial arts master. At her level, suppressing her aura and reducing her presence is an easy thing to do.

"Let's have some more beer, maybe a designer brand once in a while..."

With a bountiful harvest, carrying bags full of food and daily necessities, Xiao Wu felt a sense of satisfaction and was in a good mood.

Finally arriving at the familiar old building, I took out my key and opened the door.

"I'm back! Come help me carry these things!"

Whoosh! A cup flew straight at her. Xiao Wu tilted her head, and the cup smashed against the wall. Luckily, it was plastic and didn't break.

What's going on?

"You were the one who started this unreasonable behavior! You jerk, you idiot, you moron!!"

"Huh? Stop being so unreasonable, you little dwarf!"

"Little Butterfly isn't short! In fact, you're much shorter, okay?!"

"Eee~~~~~~~~~~"

"Hmph~~~~~~~~~~"

In the center of the living room, two stunningly beautiful little girls were facing off. One had long, light pink hair, and the other had bright silver curly hair. Both of them were angry, with scratches on their faces and their clothes in disarray.

"Mother! Look how unreasonable she is!"

"She was the one who stole my cookies first, you can't be biased!"

"Uh... I mean, just for such a small thing..." The stunningly beautiful woman with long pink hair stood to the side with a wry smile, looking utterly helpless, like a useless father who couldn't handle his daughter.

"Calm down, everyone. You're not little anymore, even in your teens. Don't take these trivial matters so seriously." Si Nan Xiao, as always, played the peacemaker, having spent a long time with the children.

As for the other person--

When my daughter is being difficult, I should... communicate with her more?

A beautiful woman in a white cheongsam squatted in the corner, holding a thick book and reading it intently. The cover of the book had the words "Parenting Guide" written on it.

"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because your breasts are a little bigger than mine! All I see is a sagging future!" Evelynths crossed her arms and looked at Xiaodie's cute Little Butterfly, which were slightly larger than those of other girls her age, with disdain.

"Mommy is bad..." Little Butterfly looked at Si Nan Xiao with teary eyes, her pitiful appearance almost melting Xiaoxiao's heart.

Haoyue, who was in the corner, suddenly trembled. She slowly put down her book and looked at Little Butterfly with a somewhat vacant gaze.

"Little Butterfly... what did you just call Si Nan Xiao?"

"Uh... isn't it Mommy?" Little Butterfly asked innocently, while Xiao, sensing something was wrong, tiptoed away.

"Then, who am I?"

"I remember it was... my stepmother, right...?"

"..."

Haoyue slammed the book shut with a snap.

"Si~~~~Nan~~~~~~~Xiao~~~~~~~~~~~! Stop right there!!!"

Two seconds later--

"Take♀it♀girl!"

"Ah♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀"

"Stand still, sweetie!"

"Oh thank you sir!"

"Yi Jianlian? Yi Jianlian? Yi Jianlian!"

"Ah♀♀ah♀♀♀♀"

A mysterious wrestling match, shrouded in philosophical intrigue, has begun.

"You Little Butterfly, spit out your dessert!!!"

"No way! First come, first served, you idiot Evelynths!!!"

"Don't fight! Don't fight..."

"The ultimate technique is so satisfying!!!"

"Ahhhhhh!!!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

The scene was utterly chaotic.

Two mischievous children are playing around.

The other kids were still cheering them on.

The pink-haired guy can't even do a damn thing.

Meanwhile, the wrestling match on the other side was in full swing.

Someone finally couldn't take it anymore.

Clang!!!

"All of you!!! Quiet down, you bastards!!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saki xiao four times