Xia Ke'an

Meanwhile.

After leaving Prism, Xu Shi saw that it was just past noon and decided to make a trip to the hospital to settle Xia Wuyou's matter while he was at it.

The official vehicle sped silently down the road. Reclining halfway across the back seat, he softly hummed a tune.

Although there was still no way to completely eliminate the menace that was Shen He, Xu Shi knew very well that, given Spark's current strength, such a crushing defeat would be enough to leave him badly weakened.

Shen He definitely would not be able to stir up trouble anytime soon, allowing Xu Shi to devote his attention to other matters.

Not to mention that Xia Wuyou's hidden danger had also been preliminarily dealt with... That undoubtedly put him in a pleasant mood.

In contrast, Xia Wuyou, seated beside him, appeared far more listless.

She had used her ability earlier, overtaxing her body and leaving her face pale.

On top of being forced to do something against her will, the mental burden had tormented her terribly. Leaning against the car door, she unconsciously curled herself into a ball.

The only thing she could be thankful for was that Xu Shi had truly kept his promise.

She had not actually held out much hope. If he chose to go back on his word, there was nothing she could do about it... That was why she had wanted to remind Xu Shi earlier not to forget what he had promised.

Yet he had already arranged everything. That actually made her feel a little more favorably toward Xu Shi.

At the very least, he kept his word.

Of course, that was all there was to it. Her hatred for him had not changed because of this, and the atmospheres on either side of the back seat still could not blend together.

Before long, they arrived at their destination—Hualan Public Hospital in District 12.

The districts of Night Sin City were divided by numbers. The lower the number, the worse the public security.

Although District 12 belonged to Night City, it was only slightly better than District Eleven of Sin City.

Most Night City residents did not consider the people here to be one of their own, habitually grouping them among the "Sin City rabble."

It went without saying that a hospital in such a place—especially a charity hospital built by City Hall—could not have very good conditions.

The air reeked of harsh chlorine. Patients fitted with cheap prosthetic limbs crowded together, while cries of pain and groans rose one after another. Burly orderlies hurried through the crowd, shouting impatiently at the top of their lungs.

At the sight of this, Xu Shi's bright mood immediately clouded over, and he unconsciously frowned.

But this was already the best medical care Xia Wuyou could find.

The consortium's high-risk assignments paid handsomely, but the exorbitantly priced life-sustaining medication still kept her expenses higher than her income. The money left over was nowhere near enough to afford a private room anywhere else.

She could hardly return to Sin City... The situation there would only be worse.

Only at the far end of the third-floor corridor did things become somewhat quieter. Two expressionless men in black suits stood outside the door, invisibly cordoning off an area.

These were the bodyguards Xu Shi had arranged in advance.

Inside the hospital room, a white-haired little girl in a patient gown leaned against the bed, quietly reading a yellowed book in her hands.

All kinds of tubes were inserted into her body, and beneath the artificial sunlight, her skin held an unhealthy, deathly pallor.

She was Xia Wuyou's aunt, Xia Ke'an.

"Eh? Wuyou, why are you here?"

Hearing the door open, Xia Ke'an set down her book. Her tone held surprise alongside joy. "Didn't you have work today?"

"Auntie!"

Xia Wuyou rushed to the bedside and tightly clasped her hand.

Only at this moment did the taut string in her heart finally loosen after days of strain. If Xu Shi had not been there, she likely would have burst into tears already.

"What is it, child? Why are you so flustered?"

The white-haired loli sighed and reached out to smooth her hair. "Aren't I doing just fine... Mm, and this is?"

Only then did she notice Xu Shi behind her niece.

"Hello, Miss Xia Ke'an."

Xu Shi greeted her politely. "I'm Xu Shi, Team Leader Xia's superior."

"You're Chairman Xu?"

Xia Ke'an gave a quiet sound of surprise, then smiled. "I never expected you to come in person... Wuyou hasn't caused you any trouble, has she?"

It sounded like the uneasy words of a guardian receiving a home visit, yet she did not seem all that surprised by Xu Shi's arrival.

"How could she? Team Leader Xia is the most dedicated employee I've ever seen."

Xu Shi waved a hand. "So after hearing about Miss Ke'an's situation from her, I was more than willing to provide assistance."

"Is that so?"

The white-haired loli froze briefly. When she looked at Xia Wuyou again, her face held a little more relief. "Then thank you so much."

"No need to be so polite, Miss Ke'an."

Xu Shi returned her smile. "Then shall we set off now?"

Elsewhere.

At one of Spark's bases.

"What did you say? Everyone was wiped out?!"

Upon hearing the news, Shen He, who had been full of confidence moments ago, froze on the spot.

"...That's right, Leader Shen. The only ones who survived... were the two of us."

The battered soldier answered weakly.

"So Chen Fang too... How could this have happened?"

Shen He was in disarray. "We ran simulations so many times beforehand. Why did this happen?"

"Because that intelligence was fake! Their actual forces were several times greater, and they were all heavily armed troops!"

The other man's face was filled with resentment. "I even saw Miss Xia, she..."

"What happened to her?" Shen He asked anxiously.

"...Captain Chen died by her hand."

"...Impossible!"

After standing there blankly for several seconds, Shen He's voice grew somewhat unrestrained. "I know her. How could she..."

He had never imagined that Serpent Coil's arrangements would be so terrifying.

He had already been extremely cautious. Having considered beforehand that the other side might deploy additional troops, he had kept his guard up and sought Xia Wuyou's confirmation a second time.

The two pieces of intelligence he received had indeed differed somewhat, which was why he had finally put his concerns aside.

But he had not considered this possibility—both reports were fake.

The scheme left him struggling to breathe, as though he could hear the other side's mockery somewhere in the darkness.

But what he found even harder to accept was Xia Wuyou's betrayal.

After all, during these ten years in Sin City, there had been many times when he could only endure by clinging to beautiful memories of the past.

His parents, his friends... Xia Wuyou occupied a large part of those memories as well.

So when he had contacted her earlier, he had truly been happy. More than once, he had imagined reuniting with her and fighting side by side.

Yet this was how it ended—she had not only betrayed him, but had even personally executed a capable agent at his side.

It was as though... she were pledging loyalty to someone.

Shen He did not want to believe it was true from the bottom of his heart, but he also knew that two people who had barely escaped with their lives had no reason to lie.

That only made him suffer more.

"...Let's leave it at that for now. You two should go back and recover properly."

Only after a long while did he come back to himself and take a deep breath.

His first operation had ended in total defeat. The blow was immense, and he needed some time alone to compose himself.

"Xu Shi..."

Shen He bit down hard on his fingernail, taking this name seriously for the first time.

But soon, the communicator on the desk rang at the worst possible moment.

This was probably the sound he least wanted to hear right now... After remaining silent for a long time, Shen He finally forced himself to answer it.