Return and Distribution

The first-floor lobby of Hongfu Restaurant.

Zhou Jianjun, Chen Yu, Zhang Haotian, and more than a dozen others armed with makeshift weapons stood tensely by the rope ladder, staring fixedly at the entrance.

When they saw the silver-gray figure walk steadily through the ruins toward them, their taut nerves finally relaxed. They all let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Jianjun was the first to greet him. His eyes quickly swept over Lin Yi, checking that he was unhurt. His lips moved as if he had a thousand things to say, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.

Should he scold him for taking such a risk?

Praise his bravery?

Or warn him not to do it again?

In the end, he swallowed every word. All that came out was a sigh, laden with complicated feelings.

He simply patted Lin Yi's shoulder again and again. No words were needed.

"Holy crap! Brother Yi, you were insanely awesome!!"

Chen Yu had no such reservations. He bounded right over.

"You should've seen Uncle Jianjun's face just now. He went white with fear! Hahaha! 'I'll be right back'! Man, were you trying to imitate Guan Yu? That was so cool!"

He waved his arms about, his face flushed with excitement. "Ye Qingyu had only just boiled the water. The dumplings weren't even cooked through yet! That was a perfect performance!"

According to the food storage schedule, the first things they used up were the foods originally kept in the freezer.

Lin Yi let him shout and carry on as his gaze passed over the others.

He saw excitement and awe mingled on Zhang Haotian and the others' faces. He also saw the fear that hadn't yet faded from the eyes of a few younger people.

At last, his gaze settled on Zhou Yuxuan.

Zhou Yuxuan looked a little ridiculous at the moment.

He had put on the Heaven-Equaling Battle Armor, but only halfway. He had managed to get the breastplate and shoulder guards on, but the straps were crooked. He wore only one arm guard, with the other still in his hand, and he had somehow lost the greaves.

His face was expressionless. He was only breathing a little heavily, his forehead slick with sweat. It was hard to tell whether he was tired or still nervous from earlier.

When he noticed Lin Yi looking his way, Zhou Yuxuan pushed up his glasses. His expression was complicated, as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he only pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and went back to wrestling with the arm guard.

Lin Yi glanced around again and noticed someone was missing from the crowd.

Li Jie.

He remembered Li Jie had followed behind him when he charged downstairs earlier, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

Thinking of Li Jie's pale, cowering face on the rooftop, Lin Yi understood. He didn't call him out, though, and simply gave Zhou Yuxuan another thoughtful look.

This guy had managed to make some headway with Source Energy in his previous life, and had even dared to step forward at a crucial moment. Sure enough, there was something different about him deep down.

With that in mind, Lin Yi already knew what he would do with the crystal from the "Sentry" miniature Mechanical Dog.

"Yuxuan."

Lin Yi walked up to Zhou Yuxuan. This time, he didn't call him "Class Monitor."

Zhou Yuxuan was struggling with the armor straps. When Lin Yi approached, he looked up in surprise.

"Here. This is for you."

Lin Yi took out the high-grade gray crystal and held it out.

Zhou Yuxuan froze, then accepted it without thinking. The moment his fingertips touched the crystal, information about the "Sentry" miniature Mechanical Dog entered his mind.

"Th-this is too valuable!"

Zhou Yuxuan reacted as if he'd been burned. He almost immediately tried to shove the crystal back into Lin Yi's hands.

"Brother Yi, I can't. You risked your life to get this. And I still haven't mastered the Guidance Technique from the last crystal. I can't take it!"

He didn't know exactly what grade this gray crystal, flecked with white, cloudy Spirit Radiance, was, but he knew it clearly wasn't some common crystal dropped by an Abyss Wolf. It had almost certainly come from the Giant Bear Lin Yi had killed.

Lin Yi had risked his life to get it!

But Lin Yi didn't take his hand back. He only looked at Zhou Yuxuan calmly, his tone firm.

"Take it. Your uncle needs help, and the outpost needs a more reliable early-warning system. You're the right person to use this."

He paused, his gaze passing over the armor Zhou Yuxuan had only halfway put on. It looked rather ridiculous. Then he added, meaningfully:

"And it isn't just a benefit."

He raised a hand and patted Zhou Yuxuan on the shoulder.

"When there's trouble, you'll have to step up."

With that, Lin Yi didn't give Zhou Yuxuan a chance to refuse. He turned toward the rope ladder and called to the others, "All right, it's over. Let's head up first."

He acted as if he'd done nothing more than a trivial favor.

Zhou Yuxuan stood frozen. He looked down at his crooked armor, then at the crystal in his hand.

After a moment's silence, he closed his fist tightly around the crystal and said nothing. Then he hurried after the others.

Soon, the group climbed back up to the second floor.

Just then, Ren Yinuo came down from the rooftop too.

Her expression was calm, but a note of concealed admiration had entered her eyes as she looked at Lin Yi.

"Major Lin."

Ren Yinuo stepped forward, her tone formal.

"There's something I need to report to you and ask for your opinion on."

Lin Yi stopped. "Go ahead, Captain Ren."

"Besides establishing and maintaining communications, another important instruction for this mission was to record footage of your cultivation, combat, and teaching whenever possible, without interfering with you or putting you in danger."

Ren Yinuo met his gaze frankly. "This footage would be extremely valuable to the General Staff for studying the practical application of Source Energy, analyzing the behavioral patterns of Abyss Beasts, and developing training materials for wider use."

"I recorded the entire battle just now."

She paused. "If you're uncomfortable with that or think there's a problem, I can delete all the relevant footage right now. Rest assured, before I came, the General Staff made it clear that your wishes come first."

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

"So that's what it was. It's fine. You've already recorded it, so let's leave it at that."

"If my fighting methods can really help more people and keep our soldiers from shedding as much blood, I don't mind. You can keep recording in the future if you need to."

Ren Yinuo wasn't surprised. She straightened up and saluted Lin Yi. "Thank you for your understanding and support. On behalf of all the soldiers on the front lines who may benefit from this, I thank you!"

Lin Yi waved a hand. "No need to thank me. It's the least I can do."

After that brief exchange, the group finally climbed back up to the second floor.

As soon as they entered Fujin Hall, the people who had been waiting anxiously crowded around them.

"Xiaoyi!"

"Major Lin!"

"Our hero's back!"

Their greetings flooded over him all at once.

At the same time, Ye Qingyu noticed Lin Yi's return and came over carrying a plate.

On it was a large bowl filled with dumplings, along with a pair of chopsticks and a spoon.

Laughter and teasing broke out at once:

"Oh, look at that! Our classmate Ye is so thoughtful. She's even got breakfast ready!"

"Hahaha, it's still hot, too. Just in time!"

"Major Lin, your timing couldn't be better! You went out and killed a huge bear, and you got back just in time for breakfast!"

"Exactly. Go eat something and get your strength back. You must be exhausted!"

Their teasing turned Ye Qingyu's ears bright red. She stood there with the plate, at a loss for what to do, yet couldn't help sneaking a glance at Lin Yi.

The sudden teasing made Lin Yi smile in surprise. He took the plate from Ye Qingyu and said softly, "Thanks. I'm actually starving."

Then he smiled at everyone. "All right, don't just stand around watching. I'm sure you're hungry too. Those who should eat, eat; those who should study, get back to it. Anyone who's lagging behind on their Guidance Technique needs to hurry up."

With that, Lin Yi carried the plate to a nearby table and sat down. He picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth.

The food was simple, but it tasted especially delicious now, warming his tired body and his thoroughly drained mind.

He knew there was plenty more to do after this brief rest.

But for now, he let himself enjoy a moment of peace, scented with the aroma of breakfast.