Chapter 19

Today, two young women arrived at Xiao Zhan's Building. One was Dong Xue'er; the other was a petite girl.

"Let me introduce you." Glasses turned to Xiao Zhan and Lin Jie. "This is Dong Xiaoye, an A-Class Hero from B City. She's the famous Ice Fairy."

"Oh? So this is the backup Miss Dong brought in?" Lin Jie asked, looking at the petite girl.

"You're the Lin Jie Xue'er was talking about? You look like a useless piece of trash to me," the girl said, glaring at him.

"What?" Lin Jie snapped. "You can call me trash, but you can't say I'm useless!"

"Whatever!" The girl didn't even look at him. Instead, she turned to Dong Xue'er. "If these three losers are the help you were talking about, I suggest you give up on this mission. It's definitely going to fail."

"Xiao Ye, don't judge a book by its cover," Dong Xue'er said to Dong Xiaoye. "Mr. Lin Jie may look like that, but he has a record of taking down a B-Class Hero with one strike. According to the testing equipment, apart from Hunter, he's the only person in H City who can break through Ouyang Rui's defenses."

"Hmph!" The girl snorted. "Fine, I'll reluctantly accept you, you piece of trash."

"Hey, hey, don't you think the way you're talking is a little harsh? What do you mean, 'look like that'?" The veins on Lin Jie's forehead began to bulge.

"You should be grateful I'm willing to accept you." The girl pointed at Xiao Zhan and Glasses. "As for you two E-Class losers, I won't acknowledge you. Especially that four-eyed pervert! I will absolutely never accept you!"

"That had nothing to do with me! Could you stop calling me that?" Glasses couldn't help protesting to Dong Xiaoye.

"Four-eyed pervert! Four-eyed pervert! Four-eyed pervert! Four-eyed pervert! Four-eyed pervert! Four-eyed pervert!"

"Looks like there's a story there," Xiao Zhan said, nudging Lin Jie.

"Based on my many years of experience immersed in the world of anime, there's definitely a story," Lin Jie added.

"Um, could you let me finish explaining tomorrow night's plan?" Dong Xue'er asked, narrowing her eyes at everyone in the room.

At the same time, the temperature in the room began to plummet.

"..."

The sudden chill silenced everyone in the room.

"Big Sister, please stop using your powers! Glasses is frozen!" Lin Jie shivered as he spoke to Dong Xue'er. "Please, go ahead and tell us your grand plan. I'm practically dying of anticipation."

"That's more like it," Dong Xue'er said with a smile. The temperature in the room, which had fallen to minus sixty degrees, began to rise.

She then opened the tablet beside her, and a three-dimensional map appeared before them.

"Isn't this the Peach Grove on the outskirts of the city?" Xiao Zhan said. "Speaking of which, it's peach blossom season again. I remember meeting my ex-girlfriend in this very grove, when the peach blossoms were in bloom..."

Ah! I used to go to the Peach Grove to kill people all the time, Lin Jie thought.

Unfortunately, before Xiao Zhan could finish reminiscing, he was frozen solid.

"I told you not to interrupt me." Dong Xue'er smiled at the ice sculpture in front of her.

Good thing I didn't say what I was thinking out loud.

"We've confirmed that Ouyang Rui and Evolution Company are meeting at Peach Garden," Dong Xue'er said, clearing her throat. "The meeting is tomorrow night. They're trading something called a T-3 Rage Potion. If this drug gets into District C, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Our job is to stop the deal, and take down both the people from Evolution Company and Ouyang Rui.

"You don't need to worry about Ouyang Rui's bodyguards and subordinates. I've contacted other Heroes who oppose him, and they'll help us deal with them. As for Evolution Company, I'll have to leave them to you, Xiao Ye. But you won't be facing them alone. I'll arrange for someone to work with you.

"Lin Jie, our mission is to take down Ouyang Rui. Another B-Class Hero and I will try to keep him occupied, while you look for an opening to break through his defenses. We won't get many chances, since Ouyang Rui himself is an A-Class powerhouse. We must take down both Ouyang Rui and the people from Evolution Company, and obtain conclusive evidence."

"Um, what are Xiao Zhan and I supposed to do?" Glasses asked.

"You? Let me think." Dong Xue'er tilted her head. "All right, you can join Xiao Ye's team. As for Xiao... Hmm... He can help take care of Ouyang Rui's bodyguards."

"I refuse to work with this four-eyed pervert," Dong Xiaoye said. "And I don't need anyone you assign to work with me, either. More people would only hold me back."

"So you're disagreeing with me?" Dong Xue'er asked, narrowing her eyes at Dong Xiaoye.

"...Hmph." Dong Xiaoye merely snorted, then sat down on the sofa.

"Oh, and I have good news for you," Dong Xue'er said. "The little girl you rescued is safe."

"Really?" Lin Jie asked.

"It turns out Paradise Island was the research division headquarters of Evolution Company. The Battle of Paradise Island exposed them completely. The Purification Company sacrificed a great many people trying to recover the research materials, but they still lost a huge amount of research and many of their researchers." Dong Xue'er smiled. "I heard Godly Ghost went to Paradise Island, too. Didn't he tell you?"

"No. I tried calling Godly Ghost last time, but I couldn't get through," Lin Jie said.

"All right, I'm heading to Peach Garden first," Xiao Zhan said, now thawed out.

"Be careful," Lin Jie said.

"Don't worry. I'll be wearing my latest combat suit." As he spoke, Xiao Zhan turned into a pixelated figure.

"What the hell is the point of that?" Lin Jie asked.

"You don't know anything! With this suit, I can run around naked and it won't be a problem," Xiao Zhan said.

"You've gone further and further down that road," Glasses remarked.

That night, at Xiao Zhan's Building.

"I can't believe she's making me spend the night in a place like this. My cousin is such a jerk," Dong Xiaoye grumbled.

"You're still awake?" Glasses said, noticing Dong Xiaoye as she came out. He was lying on the sofa.

"None of your business!" Dong Xiaoye snapped.

"You two aren't asleep either?" Xiao Zhan came out of his room.

"Can't sleep either?" Glasses asked Xiao Zhan.

"Nope. We've got a big battle tomorrow night, and I'm too excited to sleep just thinking about it. I only passed the Hero exam a month ago, you know. Now I'm suddenly part of a mission like this. I wonder how much my ranking will improve afterward," Xiao Zhan said.

"Hah, you're still wet behind the ears. I've been a superhero for two years," Glasses said. "If you're nervous, I can teach you a few ways to deal with pre-battle anxiety."

"You, four-eyed pervert?" Dong Xiaoye said disdainfully. "You've been a D-Class loser for two years. What makes you think you can teach anyone?"

"As if you've been a Hero for that long," Glasses retorted.

"Clueless. I've been a Hero for four years." Dong Xiaoye puffed out her small chest. "I'm not even remotely comparable to weaklings like you, who have no experience and no strength."

"How old are you, anyway?" Xiao Zhan asked.

"Don't let my appearance fool you. I'm nineteen," Dong Xiaoye said.

"Seriously? Are you and Dong Xue'er really cousins?" Xiao Zhan asked in shock.

Dong Xue'er was in her early twenties, tall and curvaceous. Dong Xiaoye was only a year younger, yet she was petite enough to look like a middle schooler.

"Ugh! I'm just a late bloomer!" Dong Xiaoye snapped, striking a pose as if she were about to pounce and bite him.

"Forget it, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'll just have some milk and go to bed." Xiao Zhan pulled out a pixelated, stick-shaped object.

"Wait! What is that?" Dong Xiaoye stared in shock at the weapon in Xiao Zhan's hand.

"This? It's my very own Plasma Decontamination Stick 3001." As he spoke, Xiao Zhan activated the weapon. A mechanical buzzing filled the room.

"Wait! What are you doing with that thing?" Dong Xiaoye's face flushed bright red at the sight of the object Xiao Zhan had pulled out. "Don't wave something like that around in front of me!"

"I'm just having some milk."

After saying that, Xiao Zhan took out a few cups.

"Glasses, want a cup?" Xiao Zhan asked.

"Sure, pour me one," Glasses replied.

"Wait, four-eyed pervert! Aren't you bothered by that thing?" Dong Xiaoye asked, staring at Glasses, who remained perfectly calm.

"Oh, I've gotten used to it over time," Glasses said placidly.

Xiao Zhan deftly poured three cups of milk, then handed one to Glasses.

As Dong Xiaoye watched in shock, Xiao Zhan and Glasses clinked their cups and drank the milky-white liquid in one gulp.

"Why don't you have a cup, too? It's good for your development." Holding his stick in one hand and a cup of white liquid in the other, Xiao Zhan approached Dong Xiaoye. She instinctively stepped back, accidentally touching a switch in the room.

The wall behind Xiao Zhan suddenly flipped around. Behind him was a wall full of pixelated props. With those props in the background, and Xiao Zhan approaching with a cup of white liquid, Dong Xiaoye finally snapped.

"Pervert!"

A sharp slap rang through the floor.

"If you don't like milk, then don't drink it! Why hit me?" Xiao Zhan said, rubbing the handprint on his face.

"Exactly," Glasses added. "You could've hit him, but why did you hit me too?"

"Hmph!" Dong Xiaoye said furiously. "If I ever see that thing again, I'll beat you every time!"

"..."

"..."

After a long while, Glasses finally said, "I saw Lin Jie go up to the roof half an hour ago. Why hasn't he come back down?"

"Let's go take a look," Xiao Zhan said. "I'm curious about what he's doing up there in the middle of the night instead of sleeping."

"Let's go," Glasses said.

"Wait! I'm coming too," Dong Xiaoye said. "You've made it so I can't sleep, either."

The three of them headed up to the roof.

Outside, a heavy rain was falling. When the three of them saw Lin Jie, they were stunned.

The rain had soaked Lin Jie's clothes, outlining the muscles beneath. He rested the Wolf Fang Club in his hand against the ground and gazed quietly into the distance.

A weathered aura spread across the rooftop.

Along with it came the air of a battle-hardened warrior. It was as though a man who had fought countless battles and never yielded were staring down his opponent.

"I never knew he had such a manly side," Xiao Zhan whispered. Dong Xiaoye and Glasses beside him both nodded.

At that moment, Lin Jie had the presence of a great Hero, drawing everyone's gaze.

Then Lin Jie slowly lifted his head...

...and sneezed. He immediately hugged himself and ran indoors.

"Turns out pretending to be cool on a rooftop in the rain isn't something normal people do," Lin Jie said as he ran over to where the three of them stood. "Huh? What are you three doing here?"

"..."

"..."

"..."