After Hela had listened to Feng Xuan's theoretical lessons, she was sent to Si Xiaobei for ideological and political education, so she would have an awareness of law and morality and know what she should and shouldn't do.
For the past few days, though, Si Xiaobei had seemed very afraid of Hela. Perhaps she had frightened him when she demonstrated her abilities.
But this only lasted a few days before Si Xiaobei's attitude toward Hela returned to normal, and he became that sweet, caring young man again.
After a month of training, Sun Hai finally came back.
Once he returned, Hela's practical combat training was left entirely to Sun Hai. Xing Lan was no longer as tired as before; she didn't need to teach Hela anymore and only had to focus on her own training.
Hela, who had originally had plenty of time on her hands, had lived an extremely busy life these past two months.
Luckily, Hela couldn't feel tired. Otherwise, with Sun Hai's devilish training methods, an ordinary person would probably have dropped dead within two days.
The greatest improvement over the past two days had been in Hela's language skills. She spoke almost like an ordinary person now, though her words were still a little unclear.
Then there was Hela's strength. She could now fight Xing Lan to a draw when Xing Lan didn't use her special ability, and she had even defeated her once.
Hela only remembered that after she defeated Xing Lan, Xing Lan had lain on the ground looking utterly heartbroken, muttering strange things like, "Just as I thought, I... I'm still too weak." But as soon as it was time to eat, she had immediately returned to normal.
Liu Xiaogang had once said that Hela wasn't particularly skilled with weapons. None of them seemed to suit her, but her hand-to-hand combat skills were absurdly strong.
Xing Lan hadn't believed him and insisted on sparring with Hela, only to be knocked down in fewer than three moves.
Now it was the last day before the recruit training camp began.
"A suitcase for luggage, a backpack.
"Medical supplies in case she gets hurt..." Feng Xuan paused, then crossed out the medical supplies.
"What else do we need...?" Feng Xuan rubbed his chin.
"Some rations for the trip. Guangshen is a long way away, after all..." Liu Xiaogang reminded him from beside him.
Feng Xuan gave Liu Xiaogang a look as though he were an idiot.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Did you forget we can fly there?"
Liu Xiaogang slapped his forehead and smiled awkwardly. "I almost forgot."
Feng Xuan rolled his eyes, couldn't be bothered wasting his breath on him, and continued tallying things up.
"Some toiletries and skin-care products. Hela's a girl, so get a few extra.
"Also, buy five sets of underwear, twenty pairs of socks, two sets of thermal underwear for warmth, two sets of casual clothes, three pairs of shoes, and a domestically made phone.
"All right, that's everything." Feng Xuan tore off the list and handed it to Si Xiaobei.
"Take Xing Lan and Hela shopping. Don't go overboard; the captain's paying for it."
Si Xiaobei nodded obediently.
At noon, Si Xiaobei took the two of them to the mall to shop.
As soon as Xing Lan arrived, it was as if her true nature had been set free. She pulled Hela around, looking at this and that.
"Wow, Hela, this yellow mouse suitcase is so pretty! Let's buy one!"
"Okay."
"This green pig backpack is so pretty too. Buy it!"
"Okay."
Si Xiaobei, who was following the two of them, was panting with exhaustion. As he watched Xing Lan and Hela, who showed no signs of fatigue, despair appeared on his young face.
They didn't finish buying everything until the afternoon, and that was with Si Xiaobei urging them along again and again. Without him, the two of them probably wouldn't have finished even by nightfall.
Si Xiaobei lay exhausted on the sofa, gasping for breath and still sweating, while Nanming sat calmly beside him, fanning him.
Xing Lan was also terribly hot and was gulping down a bottle of chilled cola.
Only Hela, without a flushed face or a racing heart, was packing the luggage with Liu Xiaogang.
"Are you done packing?" Feng Xuan asked Liu Xiaogang as he came down from the second floor.
Liu Xiaogang had just finished packing with Hela. "We're done. Hela, is there anything else you need to prepare?"
There was a distinctly odd note in Liu Xiaogang's voice as he asked Hela.
"No... this is enough." Hela's words were a little unclear.
"Oh..." Liu Xiaogang nodded slightly, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Hela~ The recruit training camp lasts a whole year. I won't get to see you for a year..." Xing Lan came over and hugged Hela, reluctant to part with her.
Xing Lan's expression suddenly changed. She slipped Hela a pendant and whispered mysteriously in her ear:
"This pendant is specially made for self-defense. There's a little blade hidden inside. If you run into a bad person, use it to...
"Ow!"
Before she could finish, Sun Hai slapped Xing Lan on the head, making her clutch it in pain.
"C-captain, you're here." Xing Lan looked at Sun Hai anxiously.
Sun Hai silently took the pendant from Hela's hand and stared coldly at Xing Lan.
"If they find this, it could affect Hela. Are you trying to hurt her?"
Looking awkward, Xing Lan hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry, captain. I was just afraid Hela would get bullied in there."
"All right, enough. It's time for Hela to leave." Then Sun Hai looked at Feng Xuan, who nodded.
"Okay, captain. Well then, Hela, bye-bye! Make sure you take good care of yourself!"
Hela nodded, then walked over to Feng Xuan and went up to the roof with him.
Once they reached the roof, Feng Xuan operated his phone, and the invisible aircraft appeared before them once more.
Feng Xuan tapped his phone again, and the aircraft's enormous hatch lowered, forming a staircase.
Feng Xuan walked to the entrance and glanced back at Hela, who was still standing there in a daze. "Let's go," he said flatly. "Xing Lan should have told you this aircraft can turn invisible. Why are you still standing there staring?"
Hela didn't answer him. She simply boarded the aircraft in a daze.
Feng Xuan sat in the pilot's seat, took a piece of chewing gum from his pocket, and handed it to Hela in the back.
"It's your first time flying. Have some gum so your ears don't hurt."
Hela nodded and mechanically put the gum in her mouth.
Feng Xuan noticed Hela's strange behavior. "What's wrong? Is something on your mind? Are you sad about leaving?"
Hela shook her head again.
"All right. If you don't want to say, I won't ask." Feng Xuan spoke evenly as he worked the complicated controls.
Under Feng Xuan's control, the aircraft slowly took off, the powerful airflow roaring as it struck the ground.
Then a plume of exhaust burst out, and the enormous aircraft vanished from where it had been in an instant.
Hela chewed her gum and stared blankly at the clouds rushing past the window, muttering to herself.
It really is the same as the one that blew me up...
"What was that?" Feng Xuan removed one earphone and looked at Hela.
"Nothing." Hela shook her head.
Feng Xuan shrugged and put the earphone back on. "Oh, right, one more thing. Don't go falling in love in there. With your looks, there'll definitely be a whole bunch of people pursuing you at the recruit training camp. Don't just say yes to anyone, got it?"
Hela nodded at Feng Xuan, then thought of something and asked with a deadpan expression, "What do falling in love and pursuing someone mean?"
"Falling in love... is when two people who like each other agree to become boyfriend and girlfriend, then do the things couples do.
"Pursuing someone means treating them well, expressing your love for them, and asking them to become your boyfriend or girlfriend."
Hela nodded, seeming to understand but not quite. Then she spoke again. "What things do couples do?"
"Hmm..." Feng Xuan thought for a moment. "Kissing, going on dates, sleeping together, being happy together and sad together. Those are the things couples do."
"Then are Si Xiaobei and Nanming a couple?"
"..."