Lin Yu approached the room, noting the interior was a very standard suite.
The detached bungalows outside were likely more luxurious, but the siblings felt it wasn’t necessary to spend the extra money.
Not long after he set down his things, there was a knock on the door, and his sister’s voice drifted in.
“Yu, are you finished packing? I’m going to take you for a spin.”
‘A spin…’
He suspected only his sister would think that way. Most people wouldn’t want to go for a “spin” in a place where Rift Beasts could pounce from nowhere at any moment.
“Coming! I’ll be right out!” he shouted toward the door.
Come to think of it, his sister’s birthday was in a couple of days.
It looked like they would be spending it here this year; he just didn’t know if there was a place that sold cake.
The two of them had always been like this, celebrating each other’s birthdays.
Since that accident years ago, they had formed a new family of two.
While saying they lived purely to support each other might be a bit dramatic, there were certainly many inconveniences.
It wasn’t until his sister awakened her “Resonance Power” that they moved to their current home with Qin Wuyue’s help. They had been very well taken care of by her in many aspects.
Opening the door, he found his sister had already changed her clothes.
She wore a white dress with a slit at the knee on one side, while the other side was tailored diagonally down to her ankle.
A small vest was draped over her shoulders, and she wore a sun hat. She really did look like she was going for a leisure trip.
“Uh… Sister, is it really okay for people to see you like this?”
Lin Yu’s concern was valid. This was the front line, after all. If the wrong person saw her in this outfit, who knew what kind of rumors they would spread.
“Oh?” Lin Mowei smiled nonchalantly. “What’s the problem? Your sister has killed so many Rift Beasts; what’s wrong with enjoying myself a little?”
Lin Yu rubbed his chin, feeling there was a certain twisted logic to her words.
“Alright then. Let’s just try to avoid people as much as possible.”
“Hmph~”
Lin Mowei wasn’t actually worried about being seen, but seeing her brother worry about her like this made her very happy.
They rented a mountain motorcycle at the resort. Lin Yu didn’t understand why they had such things here, but he supposed they existed because someone needed them.
“Sister, where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to see what you’ll be doing when you go out to explore in the future.”
“Huh?”
Leaving the resort, the two continued further away from the Hive City.
The speed wasn’t fast, so there was no uncomfortable sensation of wind buffeting his face.
Lin Yu sat on the back seat, one arm lightly around Lin Mowei’s waist and the other hand firmly gripping the rear handle.
The surrounding environment remained the same—ruins and wildly overgrown vegetation everywhere.
He had once seen a theory online: when the end of the world comes, the most severe damage to human civilization is actually caused by humans themselves.
Thinking about it now, there seemed to be some truth to it.
Rift Beasts didn’t eat reinforced concrete; they gained nothing from destroying those skyscrapers.
Of course, people immediately began arguing underneath that post, and it turned into a chaotic mess of everyone shouting their own opinions.
In that regard, nothing had changed since ancient times.
“Yu, what are your thoughts?” his sister suddenly asked from the front.
“Thoughts?” Lin Yu’s gaze swept over the broken walls and debris. He pondered for a moment. “Civilization is truly fragile.”
“Yes, that’s why what we must do is protect our fragile yet incredibly important civilization.”
Perhaps because the topic was a bit heavy, both fell into silence.
A moment later, Lin Mowei said jokingly, “Yu, where do you want to be in the future? If you want to stay in the Hive City, I can pull a few strings for you.”
“Haha,” Lin Yu shook his head and laughed. “Sister, isn’t that using your position for personal gain?”
“So what! You’re my brother. If I don’t help you, am I supposed to help some outsider?”
Lin Yu didn’t notice that Lin Mowei’s tone grew slightly heavier when she said the word “outsider.”
“Yeah, you’re right, Sister. We’ll see when the time comes. Who knows, maybe I’ll awaken ‘Star Resonance Power’ too, right?”
He knew he couldn’t awaken it, but he said it on purpose.
Lin Mowei also knew he couldn’t awaken, but she immediately replied in a serious tone:
“It doesn’t matter even if you don’t awaken. I don’t need you to go out and work. I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”
Lin Yu thought she was joking and replied casually, “Then thanks, Sister. Does that mean I can just live the easy life? Haha.”
“Mhm, sounds like a plan to me.”
Both of them laughed after that. Lin Yu believed his sister was joking, unaware that she truly meant it.
‘Turning Yu into a useless person, making him unable to leave me, forced to stay by my side… that sounds… quite nice…’
From an angle Lin Yu couldn’t see, a slightly twisted smile formed on Lin Mowei’s lips.
***
Mu Qingqing was a bit depressed. She had been eating snacks and playing games when her vacation suddenly ended.
What was even more unexpected was that she was handed such a massive task as soon as she took office.
She had thought that with both the Section Chief and Deputy Section Chief gone, that plan might be postponed or slightly altered.
To her surprise, it was to proceed as originally planned, and she was to lead it.
Although the Director-General said the task wasn’t that difficult, she still felt an immense mountain of pressure.
They said that with great power came great responsibility.
She was confident in her work abilities, but her own strength was lacking. Would those members of the Hunter Squad actually listen to her?
The Hunter Squad had been personally established by Lan Lan, consisting entirely of “Ability Users” who had awakened their powers.
Mu Qingqing was still in the stage of awakening “Star Resonance Power”; it was still unknown when she would awaken her own ability.
In the afternoon, the hunters from Hive City 1 arrived at Hive City 3.
There were five of them in total, currently standing in a line inside the Section Chief’s office.
Sitting in the seat that once belonged to Lin Mowei, Mu Qingqing felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
It wasn’t until she sat down this morning that she realized she probably should have checked in with the Section Chief.
She had been far too lax over the past few days, causing her to forget about it.
When she tried to call, the phone said it was out of the service area, making it impossible to get in touch. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed with the work step-by-step.
At that moment, the profiles of the five people were on her desk.
Two men and three women. It wasn’t that men couldn’t awaken “Star Resonance Power”; it was just relatively rare. But they were simply rare, with nothing else particularly special about them.
“Ahem,” she cleared her throat and said with a serious expression, “Are you all clear on your mission?”
It was a simple test. If their attitude was poor, she didn’t plan on having much contact with them beyond what was necessary for work.
One of the tall, short-haired women took a step forward. “We are. We will follow Acting Section Chief Mu Qingqing’s orders throughout the entire operation.”
Nothing could be gleaned from her tone, but her words were very precise, addressing her by name and full title.
Mu Qingqing glanced at her. ‘Okay, she looks like someone who handles things professionally. I can work with her.’
The files showed she was the captain of this squad.
Xin Yao, 32 years old, possessed extensive combat experience. Her ability was airflow manipulation, and she could even stay in the air for long periods. When facing Rift Beasts, this ability made her practically invincible—a literal Bombing Maiden.
“Good.” Mu Qingqing’s gaze swept across their faces, lingering briefly after seeing a young girl.
“Then get ready. We depart for Star-Ring Town in 2 hours.”
“Yes!”
After they left, Mu Qingqing picked up the young girl’s file. She frowned the moment she looked at it, shock surfacing in her eyes.
“Mu Liuli, 18 years old, joined the squad 5 years ago… Her ability is Puppet Control… She was that young when she…”