Jian Weiwei sat atop a large boulder, humming an out-of-tune ditty.
She decided she would wait another half hour before heading back to headquarters. That way, she might still have time to ask a female member from another team out for dinner. As for what she would say when people asked about the squad she was mentoring—she’d just put on a tragic expression.
In any case, the death toll this time was bound to be high. No matter what happened, the blame wouldn't fall on her.
Her multi-function watch chimed with a notification. Jian Weiwei opened the messaging app and saw it was a text from her own captain.
[Private Chat]
Fan Shuwan: I’m back. Everyone survived. How about you?
Jian Weiwei: Still out.
Jian Weiwei: They’re probably all dead by now. The higher-ups will definitely call me in for questioning.
Jian Weiwei: But it can’t be helped. I was in a bad mood today. Captain, you must have stepped in to help your lot, right?
Fan Shuwan: Oh, you...
Jian Weiwei was chatting happily with her captain, completely oblivious to her surroundings. After all, she usually didn't need to be particularly cautious; her ability would naturally help her keep watch.
And so, with a casual shove, Xing Yue pushed her right off the rock.
***
Fifteen minutes earlier, on the first floor of the commercial building.
Tang Qiuqiu and Mirror had caught the last few hiding toad hatchlings, completing the final sweep of the building. When they returned, they saw that Lian Muyun had woken up and scurried behind Xin Ye.
He looped his uninjured arm around Xin Ye’s neck from behind. "Captain."
"Yeah, I'm right here," Xin Ye replied helplessly, unsure what he was up to.
"I can't walk anymore. Find a way to get headquarters to send someone to pick us up."
Xin Ye, coming from a commoner background, fell into deep thought. "Is it really appropriate to ask me that? Who would I even call?"
Speaking a few extra words made his ribs ache fiercely, but he hid it well; his expression remained unchanged.
Xing Yue reached out and grabbed Lian Muyun by the collar, pulling him away from Xin Ye. "Stop bothering him. I’m messaging Yi Ting to have her drive over."
Leaning against the wall, Leng Xianye was out of the loop. He asked blankly, "Are we just going to ignore Instructor Jian?"
Tang Qiuqiu shifted into his cat form and leaped onto the service counter where Xin Ye was sitting, meowing for a hug. Xin Ye pulled him into his lap, scratching his chin and smoothing his fur. "We can't afford to care about her."
The five of them pieced their information together, reconstructing the full picture of the mission.
Leng Xianye was speechless at Jian Weiwei’s actions, managing only a single comment: "She’s sick."
"I’m more confused about how to write this report," Lian Muyun said, his expression turning lazy now that the issue of their return was settled.
"Write it truthfully. Don't give her face just because she's a senior," Yi Ting had already synchronized her contact with Xin Ye, and he set the pickup point at the entrance. "Let's go. Time to head back."
Someone spoke with a breezy tone, yet he didn't even have the strength to get down from the service counter himself.
Tang Qiuqiu obediently hopped down, and Mirror stepped forward to support Xin Ye, half-carrying him down.
The six of them evacuated the commercial building. Before they reached the meeting spot with Yi Ting, they spotted Jian Weiwei sitting on a rock, her head buried in her messages.
Tang Qiuqiu: "Who’s that?"
Leng Xianye: "The instructor."
Lian Muyun: "A target for sniping."
Mirror: "..."
Xing Yue: "Everyone, wait a moment. I’ll be right back."
She walked expressionlessly to the rock and pushed the woman off with equal lack of emotion. Once finished, she clapped her hands and turned to her four teammates standing nearby. "Let's go."
Lian Muyun let out a whistle.
"Hi, Xing Yue," Xing Yue was about to walk away when Jian Weiwei, sprawled on the ground, grabbed her ankle. The dust on her glamorous features couldn't hide the malice radiating from her heart. "Still alive, I see. Did you have fun this time?"
Xing Yue loathed Jian Weiwei’s face. Just as she was about to snap back with a few insults, someone beat her to the punch... or rather, the kick.
Yi Ting stomped on Jian Weiwei’s shoulder to shove her away, then held Xing Yue by the shoulders, looking her up and down. "Are you okay?"
Xing Yue choked for a second. "I'm fine... I'm fine."
"Where do you get the nerve to tell me you're fine!" Yi Ting practically jumped up to smack Xing Yue on the head. "You've got three pieces of medical gauze stuck to your face and you're opening your mouth to say 'I'm fine'? Are you dreaming?"
"And you five hiding in the back—are you just standing there waiting for your wounds to fester? Get your asses over here and get in the car!"
Yi Ting dragged Xing Yue away, leaving the others behind, suddenly afraid to move.
"So scary," Lian Muyun shivered, poking Leng Xianye beside him. "She just kicked her away like that... Don't you think it's terrifying?"
Leng Xianye: "Her aura is scarier than this mission."
Yi Ting’s voice drifted from a distance: "What are you dazing off for? Get over here!"
A truly far-sighted person always stays ahead of the curve. Xin Ye had Mirror steady him as he secretly took the first step. Tang Qiuqiu turned into a cat and ran after him. Leng Xianye and Lian Muyun were jolted awake by the shouting and hurried to follow.
Left alone, Jian Weiwei flipped over like a salted fish. After lying there for a long time, she finally climbed up and activated her ability.
A man who looked exactly like No. 237 appeared beside her.
"Carry me back, No. 238," she said.
***
After the mission came another short break. Xin Ye had four broken ribs. Yi Ting had helped him with analgesic injections and wrapped his chest in a binder for stabilization. An ability user’s self-healing speed was more than twice that of an ordinary person; he estimated his injuries would be fully healed in about a week.
Sitting on his bed in his pajamas, Xin Ye had Mirror hold the tablet so he could type.
Mirror glanced at the screen. "If you're not writing the report, why aren't you sleeping? Who are you chatting with?"
"How could it be me looking for someone? It's Teacher Leng looking for me." Xin Ye considered asking Mirror to make him some instant coffee, but he figured he’d get scolded, so he didn't dare. "Teacher Xing is chatting with him, but he’s exceptionally bad at conversation, so he came to me to be his strategist."
Mirror looked disgusted. "If Leng Xianye is bad at chatting, why come to you? Lian Muyun and Tang Qiuqiu have lighter injuries and can stay up late. Go find them."
Xin Ye: "He did. Those two don't know how to talk to girls either, so the heavy burden fell on me."
"...I see." Mirror still wanted Xin Ye to sleep. "But you're their captain, not their father."
"It's just friendly team communication," Xin Ye typed, telling Leng Xianye to send over whatever Xing Yue had asked. "Caring about everyone’s social lives and maintaining physical and mental health is conducive to the success of the next mission."
Mirror curled his lip.
*Keep talking your nonsense.*
Although the misunderstanding about Leng Xianye dying at the hands of the toads had been cleared up, his long disappearance had left Xing Yue with lingering fears. She had always been direct and generous, so after returning to the dormitory following her treatment, she sent Leng Xianye a message to ask for details.
The relationship between Leng Xianye and Xing Yue was close in some ways—they had entered the Seventh Branch together and contacted each other immediately when forming teams—but distant in others, as their chat history was perpetually blank.
So, when Leng Xianye suddenly saw a red dot appear next to Xing Yue’s name, his mind went blank.
Xin Ye’s mind also went a bit blank.
He muttered to himself, "I thought there was some big news. Can't he just reply to something like this directly?"
Xun Yin: [Heh.]
Xin Ye: "Oh, my most anticipated chat partner of the night has appeared."
Xun Yin: [...]
He hadn't decided how to interact with Xin Ye yet. His sudden outburst was simply because he couldn't stand the low-EQ remarks of the twenty-year-old "forever single" Xin Ye. But the moment he spoke and was caught, he regretted it.
He didn't know how to express himself, didn't know how to confess his heart.
Xin Ye’s low EQ mostly manifested in unimportant situations; usually, he had no trouble getting along with people. Like now.
"Tell me what you think, then, since you're so dissatisfied with my views." He deleted the words he had just typed, waiting for Xun Yin to teach him how to reply.
Xun Yin could tell Xin Ye was paving the way for their conversation: […You can show a bit of weakness. Talk about your injuries, but mention how you persevered with strong willpower. At the same time, show some concern for the girl. That way, the conversation won't die.]
Xin Ye replied according to his words: "You're quite good at this."
Xun Yin: [...]
*Wake up. Things are going well on Leng Xianye’s end, but you’re about to kill our conversation.*
Xin Ye didn't mention anything else, as if he really just wanted to call Xun Yin out to give Leng Xianye advice. "Very good. Things are going smoothly. I might actually see Leng Xianye get into a relationship in this timeline and have him treat me to a meal... Hm?"
"A large section of Xing Yue’s hair was cut off. She wants to cut it short and is asking Leng Xianye for advice?"
Xin Ye remembered that in the previous timeline, Xing Yue had cut her hair short without asking anyone's opinion. He felt this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed; this advice couldn't be given lightly.
Just as he was hesitating, Xun Yin suddenly spoke: [Tell Leng Xianye to tell Xing Yue not to cut her hair. Tell her to wait at the dormitory floor entrance in five minutes. Then, go look in your bedside drawer. There’s a small plastic bag inside.]
Xin Ye froze for a moment. He sent the message, then asked Mirror to hold the tablet while he rummaged through the drawer.
Sure enough, Mirror pulled out a small bag. After handing the tablet back, Xin Ye opened the bag and found five hair ties and several small clips inside.
The decorations on the hair ties were a star, a leaf, a moon, a cloud, and a cat.
Xin Ye thanked Xun Yin. He knew what to do.
Mirror knew he was planning to leave the room in the middle of the night. Restraining his urge to lecture, he pulled a wheelchair out of his spatial storage, insisting on pushing Xin Ye out.
Xin Ye threw on a coat, took the hair ties and clips, and went to knock on the doors of his other three teammates.
The headquarters' dormitories weren't strictly divided by gender; they were simply distributed across neighboring floors. Since everyone was used to operating in squads, the dorms for a single team were usually arranged close together.
The four boys' dorms were only one floor away from Xing Yue’s. The sight of the five of them moving collectively in the middle of the night was so bizarre that Fan Shuwan, who was returning to his dorm after a meeting, looked back several times.
*Is this the squad Jian Weiwei tried to sabotage? They didn't get physically injured, but did they suffer brain damage?*
Xing Yue waited at the dormitory entrance for a long time, only to see the group approaching stealthily like they were up to no good.
She found it hilarious. "What are you doing? I just wanted to chat with Leng Xianye. Why did all five of you come out?"
Xin Ye stuffed the small plastic bag into Leng Xianye’s hand and gave him a push.
Everything he needed to say had been taught on the way over.
Leng Xianye looked at the girl before him and summoned his courage. "Xing Yue, don't cut your hair, okay?"
"Everyone thinks your hair is beautiful. It would be a pity to cut it. If it's because of missions, we can help you tie it up." He pulled out the hair tie with the leaf decoration that represented himself. "Look, we even prepared the hair ties for you."
Xing Yue hadn't expected these boys to make such a fuss in the middle of the night just for this. She touched the hair draped over her shoulders. "Even if I tie it up, it might come loose."
"Then we won't let it come loose." Compared to the two lines he had been coached on, Leng Xianye clearly said this one with more sincerity. "Our initial ability levels aren't as high as yours, but we'll work harder from now on. When there's danger, we'll stand in front of you."
Lian Muyun: "Whoa."
Xin Ye glanced at him and said softly, "Tang Qiuqiu, cover his mouth."
Before Tang Qiuqiu could move, Lian Muyun covered his own mouth.
A wave of bitterness and warmth rose in Xing Yue’s heart. It was hard to describe the feeling, but she knew these were the words she had been waiting for.
It was something the personal history symbolized by her "Unbroken Thread" could never give her.
"Can you help me tie my hair up now?" she asked softly.
Leng Xianye’s hand holding the hair tie stiffened slightly.
*Crap. He doesn't know how to tie hair.*
How awkward.
Xun Yin, the miraculous medium of information: [Leng Xianye doesn't know how to tie hair. Speak up. Save him.]
The savior Xin Ye nudged Lian Muyun’s waist with his elbow. Lian Muyun was dazed for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and ran forward. "Let me try too! I know how to tie hair."
Xin Ye had Mirror push his wheelchair forward. "What's the occasion? Let me join in."
Tang Qiuqiu stood beside them, holding his cat hair tie with sparkling eyes. Xing Yue patted his head. "Alright. A one-night-only special. I'll allow you guys to tie my hair once tonight."
The night was still long.
The days belonging to them would be even longer.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
简薇薇 | Jian Weiwei | The instructor who sabotaged the team.
范殊晚 | Fan Shuwan | A captain from another squad at headquarters.
易婷 | Yi Ting | The team's support member and driver.
寻银 | Xun Yin | A mysterious entity/voice communicating with Xin Ye (lit. "Seeking Silver").
不断丝 | Unbroken Thread | Xing Yue's ability/technique involving silver-purple threads.
黑盒 | Black Box | Leng Xianye's ability involving devouring energy.
二百三十八号 | No. 238 | A clone/puppet summoned by Jian Weiwei's ability.
