Scalegorge Waterscape, Release Gang
" Zhongshan, are these two the promising young men who intend to join our [ Release Gang ]?"
"That's right~ Her name is Xing, you may have heard of her... She's the distinguished guest invited by General Jing Yuan of the Seat of Divine Foresight, and next to her is her companion Ye Yan."
"When did I say I wanted to join?" Xing asked, confused.
"Ever since you came with me to meet these four? What, I thought you were willing to come with me because you had good intentions and planned to learn about the Way of Abundance and the Release Gang?" Zhongshan put on a kind and gentle demeanor.
At this moment, Beina finally noticed something was amiss. "Wait... aren't these the two experts I asked to investigate the disappearance of Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep? Have they found out the truth behind the disappearance?"
Zhongshan answered for Xing, "It's all cleared up, all cleared up. It was a bunch of Abominations of Abundance that ate your little lambs... But don't worry, this Star Lady has already taken care of them all!"
"Doing good deeds doesn't require reimbursement for medical expenses..."
Then came Donia's scream, "You... you killed them? You actually killed all those wolf cubs I released? What a cruel act!"
Donia was deeply hurt and turned to criticize Zhongshan for her inappropriate choice of words.
"And you, Zhongshan! What do you mean by ' Abominations of Abundance '? I've said it so many times, is what the Yaoshi bestowed upon us called 'wretch'?"
" Donia, so this is what you did! I thought there weren't many ferocious beasts in the Scalegorge Waterscape, which is why I released the Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep there. Why did you release those wolves there too?"
"Of course, it's to let the wolf cubs enjoy the sea view of Scalegorge Waterscape. You wouldn't understand."
Seeing that Beina and Donia were about to start arguing, Hisman stopped them in time, saying, "Both of you, Shut Up."
"The golden clover I released was eaten up by the sheep." The light in his eyes suddenly dimmed, and his brows furrowed slightly, as if an invisible haze had suddenly enveloped his entire face.
"Your damn alfalfa grew so wildly, it destroyed the planet's ecosystem. Otherwise, would the red sheep have become such a plague? If the red sheep hadn't overpopulated, they wouldn't have been hunted by the local hunters!"
As she spoke, Zhongshan's lips tightened into a slightly heavy line, and her shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly.
"Sigh~ I don't need to go through all that trouble to buy them at high prices to release them!"
"How terrifying! They actually released an entire food chain," Xing complained.
"Alright, stop arguing! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket in front of outsiders?" Nannan was releasing the mineral water, spoke up, and unsurprisingly, she was met with opposition from everyone except Screwllum.
"Stop talking nonsense! You clown who releases bottled water, and you idiot who releases milk tea."
Nannan was displeased. "What's wrong with me releasing Scalegorge Ice Spring? I released Scalegorge Ice Spring... uh, so I wouldn't get involved in this inexplicable food chain war! What exactly are you doing? Are you releasing animals or fighting beasts?"
"Please, those on probation, don't stir up trouble here!" Beina directly deprived Nannan of her right to speak.
"The natural drinking water from Scalegorge Waterscape doesn't say it's zero calories, and it looks like it really is, but it's extremely high in calories," Ye Yan explained. He's a milk tea maker, so he knows a thing or two about this.
"Colorless and tasteless like spring water, yet high in sugar and fat like milk tea, minimizing your guilt when consuming calories."
Ye Yan triggered a combo attack, casually pulled out his milk tea, and took the opportunity to promote it.
"Huh? Oh~ I know! This guy didn't buy the milk tea from you, did he?" Donia took the milk tea from Ye Yan and questioned Screwllum:
"Answer me, why are you putting raw milk tea in there? Don't you think it's a waste of ingredients?"
Screwllum calmly replied, "Madam, you seem to have misunderstood my actions. But it's nothing serious. I simply wanted to replenish the surging seawater with nutrients. As for the waste of materials..."
Question: Has anyone heard of the Church of Eternity?
Seeing that Screwllum was about to take the initiative to sell his product, Zhongshan and Xing stopped him in time.
"Ms. Xing, it's been a long time." Screwllum bowed politely to her, his waist curving in an elegant arc, his gentlemanly demeanor evident in that single gesture.
"Why don't you guys have a fight? Whoever wins is right! I'll be the referee," Ye Yan suggested.
"No, violence is terrible. Practicing the Way of Abundance means cherishing life; you can't hurt yourself."
Zhongshan stepped in as a peacemaker. "Alright, everyone, stop arguing. Although Xing killed the wolf that Donia released, ruining a good deed, she now intends to atone for her sins by joining the [ Release Gang ]. In the future, she will naturally be a model of merit."
" With the Astral Express connecting hearts, I'm sure Mr. Ye Yan, as a fellow traveler, wouldn't refuse, would he?"
"No, I refuse."
Ye Yan's lips curled up high, revealing a set of clean white teeth. His smile seemed to shatter the sunlight, instantly brightening his entire face. His smile was bright and open, without a trace of gloom.
Across from her, Zhongshan was caught off guard by that overly bright smile. As if she had been scorched by a bright light, her expression froze instantly, her slightly parted lips stuck in a questioning curve, and her bright eyes were filled with astonishment.
He... he refused? Dude, you're really not playing by the rules!
"In the end... am I still the one carrying the burden?" Xing slowly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them, while the corners of her mouth seemed to be held together by invisible threads, carefully maintaining a perfectly sized, slightly downward-pursed curve.
The sigh that escaped his lips was long and soft, as if wrapped in a thin veil, yet the last syllable held a lingering, almost clear resonance, revealing a slightly deliberate sense of helplessness.
Seeing Xing Chao's extraordinary acting skills, Ye Yan felt that she should be awarded an Oscar for Best Actor; it was a pity she wasn't cast as " The Masked Fools."
"Uh haha... I wonder what you all think?" Zhongshan threw the question to the five members of the Release Gang.
"Waaah, my little wolf... No! I disagree!"
"I have no objection. After all... they really helped me find out about Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep."
"I disagree too! This person looks like he only knows how to fight and kill, how could he understand the essence of [releasing animals]?" Nannan expressed her opposition.
Upon hearing his objection, Donia withdrew her previous objection. "Shut up, mineral water person! Humph, I agree to her joining, but I'll be extremely strict with this girl."
"I... agree." Hisman thought for a long time before giving his reply.
"Excellent! All three votes passed! I remember there's an initiation trial to join the [ Release Gang ], right? How about we discuss what kind of trial we should arrange for Xing this time?"