Automatic Backtalk

The moment Zhong Xuezhi spoke, both groups that had been facing off turned toward him.

Then they saw the extravagant, umbrella-shaped sheet of thin ice spread above his head. Not a drop of rain had touched him, and he looked positively radiant.

Both his hands were loaded, too, with fruit, vegetables, and protein aplenty. He looked for all the world like he had come out for a spring picnic.

"Captain!"

The four kept their expressions neutral while inwardly applauding like mad.

Now that was how you showed off!

"Captain Zhong..." Qi Tianhe greeted him as well, looking rather awkward. His thoughts were quite a spectacle, too.

Identity Bracelets blocked outside probing. Without shared data, he had no way of checking the other man's exact stats.

Still, he had figured that after all the obstacles along the way, their resources ought to have been scraping bottom.

The problem was that Zhong Xuezhi looked far better than he had expected.

Fuck...

He had planned to snatch the experimental sample while Zhong Xuezhi was away and make a quick getaway.

Instead, Zhong Xuezhi had caught him red-handed, then rubbed his obscene extravagance right in his face.

As Qi Tianhe grew increasingly uncertain, Zhong Xuezhi walked over at an unhurried pace, his words just as leisurely.

"Captain Qi, as a senior, isn't it a little inappropriate for you to take things from your juniors by force?"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Qi Tianhe's forehead. He forced a smile. "Captain Zhong, what are you saying? I was just joking with them. These men of yours..."

"They've got guts, and they're cautious! Excellent, excellent! Hahaha!"

Zhong Xuezhi smiled as well. "Oh, then you certainly have time on your hands, Captain Qi, coming all the way out of the Ruined City just to joke with your juniors."

"Oh, come on! I just... saw your coordinates stop moving outside the Ruined City gates, so I thought I'd come over and find out what was going on!"

"What could be going on?"

Zhong Xuezhi gave the things in his hands a shake and said casually, "I just had a craving and wanted to sample the local specialties along Dread Gloom's border."

"Hehe..." Qi Tianhe chuckled again. "You're the one with time on your hands, Captain Zhong."

After those insincere pleasantries, he turned to look at Mu Yi, who stood beside Zhong Xuezhi. "And this is...?"

Mu Yi glanced at him, distinctly unenthusiastic. He had thought there would be a fight, only for this guy to chicken out.

So he said listlessly, "I'm allergic to ugly things. No need to get acquainted."

"Pfft..."

Quite a few people present failed to hold it in and laughed aloud.

Qi Tianhe choked with rage, his square face twisting out of shape.

He had spent years working his way up in the Alliance Hunting Team. Countless Mutants had to politely address him as "senior" when they saw him.

A mere ordinary person, nothing but a parasite who could only cling to them to stay alive!

How dare he talk to me like that?

He pointed at Mu Yi and said through gritted teeth, "Brat, say that again!"

Mu Yi looked puzzled. "I'm not a recording on repeat. I can't indulge a request that pathetic."

With that, he shook the rainwater pooled in the folds of his raincoat and strode into the rain shelter the four had built.

"Stop right there!" Qi Tianhe's temper shot straight to its peak, and his weapon, the Flame Blade, flashed into being.

But he had only taken one step after Mu Yi with the Flame Blade in hand when Zhong Xuezhi reached out and stopped him.

"Captain Qi, why keep stooping to a junior's level?"

Zhong Xuezhi's clear determination to protect Mu Yi infuriated Qi Tianhe even further, but he ultimately didn't dare confront Zhong Xuezhi outright.

He could only grind his teeth, struggling to calm himself.

Finally, he reluctantly put away the Flame Blade and pointed at Mu Yi. "Where did he come from?"

Zhong Xuezhi opened his mouth and spun a lie without hesitation. "The neighboring Safe Base. He went out with a Freelance Hunting Team and accidentally got separated. I'm taking him back to the Main City Teleportation Array."

Hunting teams fell into two categories: Alliance Hunting Teams and Freelance Hunting Teams.

As the name suggested, Freelance Hunting Teams were made up of Mutants outside the Alliance.

These hunting teams took commissions from a wide range of clients. Anyone could hire them, provided they could afford the appropriate payment.

Among those clients were plenty of ordinary people who wanted to tag along with a hunting team for a taste of excitement.

Mu Yi happened to give off exactly the same air as those wealthy thrill seekers.

So Qi Tianhe didn't doubt it for a second. He merely snorted in contempt and said bluntly, "Why bother whether people like that live or die?"

"Instead of behaving themselves and staying in the city, they insist on wandering around out here. If they die, they deserve it!"

Zhong Xuezhi's smile faded. He replied coolly, "Whether I bother is my decision. No need for you to make it for me."

"Besides, I need to get cooking. Make yourself at home, Captain Qi."

With that, he immediately turned away, showing no intention of letting the others freeload off their meal. Carrying his supplies, he hurried away and ducked into the rain shelter in a few long strides.

Qi Tianhe and his group were left standing outside the shelter, their faces turning green.

A moment later, a teammate behind Qi Tianhe asked quietly, "Captain... what do we do now?"

"What else can we do?" Having swallowed a bellyful of anger, Qi Tianhe began bellowing helplessly. "Are you all standing here as decorations? Put up a shelter!"

While everyone from 403 busied themselves outside, those inside the shelter set up a pot and lit a fire, working together to prepare dinner.

"You know..." As Zhong Xuezhi washed the Bitter Sunfruit petals, he murmured to Mu Yi, "The Energy Rain Shield is pretty useful for showing off."

Unfortunately, it used far too much energy. In that brief span, his heart had bled more heavily than the rain falling outside.

Mu Yi asked, "If you were going to waste energy anyway, why not just fight them?"

Zhong Xuezhi shrugged and explained, "403 only ever fights when they're sure they can win. If I weren't here, they might have started something."

"The moment I made a move, they'd run for sure, then report me to the Alliance afterward."

So getting in a few subtle jabs was much more satisfying.

A little intimidation, a little smart talk-enough to drive the bastard mad.

Of course, it helped that only his own people knew how stingy he was with his energy. Otherwise, he couldn't have pulled off that show.

After hearing him out, Mu Yi gave a languid, "Oh."

He had seen plenty of people like Zhong Xuezhi, brimming with strength yet held back by concerns at every turn.

Because they cared about too many things, and feared losing too much.

Perhaps it was family, friendship, love, or even their conviction in and recognition of their own worth.

Those things were like layer upon layer of netting, binding them tight.

Whenever they made a choice, they had no option but to weigh the consequences and balance the gains against the losses.

In short, utterly boring.