Sun Hai checked the time on his phone. It was already 11 p.m.
He carried the bowl and chopsticks he had finished eating with into the kitchen and put them in the sink.
It was clearly late at night, but outside the window, the city was still ablaze with lights and bustling with traffic. It was like a different world from the quiet atmosphere in Sun Hai's home.
After washing the dishes, Sun Hai shook the water from his hands and walked out of the kitchen.
At some point, Hela had returned to her previous position, lying on the couch like a kitten. She was still clutching the blanket Sun Hai had planned to sleep with.
Sun Hai smiled helplessly.
"Are you asleep?" Sun Hai gently nudged Hela.
Hela did not answer him. She simply opened her closed eyes.
"You look sleepy too, so I'll just carry you back to bed," Sun Hai said to Hela, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself.
Sun Hai gently picked Hela up in a princess carry.
Hela did not resist. She simply watched him carry her into the bedroom.
He put Hela on the bed and covered her with the blanket.
"I won't take your clothes off. If you get hot, just move the blanket aside yourself."
Once he had done all that, Sun Hai opened the door and walked out.
Before closing the door, Sun Hai glanced back at Hela and saw her lying there obediently, looking at him.
Reassured, he closed the door and walked away.
Hela watched him close the door and leave, then shifted her gaze from the door to the ceiling.
He gave her food and personally brought her here to rest. This treatment was a little better than what she had received from the ant colony before.
There's just a little too little food. I wonder how long it'll be before he gives me some more.
If he gives me plenty of food, I'll stay here a while longer and find the right opportunity to leave, just like I did with the ant colony before.
Hela raised one of her fair, slender little hands and looked at it in front of her.
Then she lowered it again.
That right opportunity will probably take a long, long time...
Sun Hai lay down on the couch, exhausted, and weakly pulled the blanket over himself.
Damn it, I'm not usually this tired even after a mission.
Taking care of someone really is exhausting, especially a woman, and one with mental problems at that.
I have to find a way to leave Hela in someone else's care.
I'm a grown man. Taking care of her isn't a long-term solution.
All right, that's what I'll do.
Sun Hai turned to look at the city outside the window, still bustling and bright. It seemed like a different world from his cheerless room.
"But I did talk quite a lot today..."
Sun Hai thought no more about it. He turned over, pulled the blanket over his head, and fell fast asleep.
The next morning.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
A burst of pounding on the door shattered the peace of the early morning.
It forcibly dragged Sun Hai back to reality while he was still in a dream, discussing life with Zhuang Zhou.
"Ugh..." Sun Hai sat up on the couch, somewhat impatient, and rubbed his eyes.
Bang, bang, bang!
Before he could stretch, the pounding on the door rang out again.
Sun Hai sat on the couch, speechless, then got straight to his feet.
He headed straight for the door.
"Don't they know how to knock properly? No manners at all," Sun Hai grumbled as he opened the door.
"Surprise, Captain!"
"Bet you didn't expect us to come see you!"
As soon as he opened the door, a pair of Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix jumped straight inside, both striking strange gestures as if to welcome him.
Sun Hai's face, meanwhile, was as black as charcoal.
"So you came here especially to see me?"
Sun Hai folded his arms across his chest and questioned the other two, who were trembling in front of him.
"W-well... s-something like that."
A somewhat cute-looking young man glanced again at Liu Xiaogang and Feng Xuan, who lay unconscious on the floor. He immediately came to his senses, stood up straight, and answered in a trembling voice.
"What do you mean, something like that? Si Xiaobei, are you being dishonest too?" Sun Hai's knuckles cracked.
That gave Si Xiaobei quite a fright, but perhaps he was too scared. He stammered for a long time without managing to explain himself.
"Oh, we just wanted to see how that young lady called Hela was doing, and stop by to see the captain while we were at it."
Seeing that something was wrong, another team member, who looked a little older, hurriedly answered for Si Xiaobei.
"Actually, we mainly wanted to see whether the captain had done anything improper with the girl~"
Feng Xuan, who had been lying on the floor, had gotten up and squatted there at some unknown point. He suddenly chimed in, then lay back down again.
That was right.
Sun Hai had beaten him to the floor.
Sun Hai withdrew his still-smoking fist and cleared his throat twice.
"Come on in, all of you."
He then turned and walked inside, leaving Feng Xuan lying on the floor, smoke still rising from his head, his fate unknown, and the other three huddled tightly together and trembling.
Sun Hai sat down on the couch, took a cup, filled it with coffee from the coffee machine on the table, and took a small sip.
"Have a seat, all of you."
Liu Xiaogang and the others carried Feng Xuan over and sat down on the couch.
"I didn't expect your place to be decorated so nicely, Captain. It feels a bit like the decorating style of European nobles."
Si Xiaobei stared around the room, his mouth open in amazement.
"It's all right, I suppose," Sun Hai replied simply, though he was very pleased inside.
Liu Xiaogang seemed to notice that Sun Hai was in a much better mood, so he went straight to the point.
"Captain, where's that girl called Hela now?"
"I let her sleep in the bed in my room. She should still be asleep now. Hm? What's with those looks?"
Sun Hai suddenly noticed that they were all looking at him strangely.
"Th-then, C-Captain, where did you sleep?" Liu Xiaogang asked tentatively.
"What do you think?"
Not wanting to waste words, Sun Hai tossed him the pillow he had just been sleeping on beside the couch.
They understood at once and all breathed a sigh of relief.
"So where did your minds go, you bunch of idiots?"
Creak~ The sound of someone stepping on a floorboard suddenly came from behind them.
"Who's there?!" The sharp-eared group noticed it at once and spoke in unison. Even Feng Xuan, who had been playing dead, raised his head to look.
Whoosh~
Realizing she had been spotted, Hela hurriedly pulled back the head she had poked out.
When Sun Hai saw it was Hela, he held his forehead and sighed helplessly, then waved a hand to signal that they needn't be nervous.
"Captain, is that Hela?" Si Xiaobei asked Sun Hai a little blankly. Still holding his forehead, Sun Hai nodded.
"Huh? But I heard she had some mental problems. How come she can still eavesdrop on people?" Si Xiaobei tilted his head, utterly puzzled.
"Having mental problems doesn't mean she's become a vegetable and can't do anything. Maybe she just has problems with cognition and communication."
The slightly older team member answered him seriously.
After listening, Si Xiaobei nodded in sudden understanding.
"Oh~ I see. Thanks, Brother Nan."
During a pause in their conversation, Hela poked her head out again to observe them.
I remember their scents. They're the group that brought me here, so they probably won't do anything to me either.
"Hello." When Si Xiaobei saw Hela, he politely waved to him and greeted him.
Seeing Hela like this, Sun Hai first sighed helplessly.
Then he walked straight over, took Hela by the wrist, and gently pulled him over.
"Hey~ Captain, that's a bit rough for how you should treat a girl!" Liu Xiaogang complained to Sun Hai when he saw him pull Hela in front of them.
Sun Hai couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.
"Look, she's doing fine now. There's nothing wrong with her."