Chapter 146: Not What I Expected?

“Haha, you’re famous now.”

Qiansui said with a gloating tone. After completely giving up on Miss Ye Xin, he found that he saw Ye Xingyao more and more favorably, feeling like they were getting along like good brothers.

“Have you ever thought—”

Ye Xingyao looked at him with her starlight-blue eyes, as if hesitating to speak.

“Oh, isn’t this the other protagonist from the video? I think you looked cooler in the video.”

Soon, Qiansui was recognized too. Perhaps out of protection for the girl, the soldiers didn’t tease Ye Xingyao at all, and that burden immediately fell on Qiansui.

Seeing this, Ye Xingyao covered her mouth and turned away, stifling a laugh.

“Hey, no laughing!”

Qiansui glared at the girl’s slightly trembling shoulders, his face dark.

“I’m not laughing.”

Ye Xingyao turned back, trying hard to press her lips together, but finally let out a snort.

Who told you to pop the champagne early? Didn’t you know that in that video, it’s actually your figure that appears more during the fight?

“Alright, both of your identities check out. As for the vehicle…”

The soldier didn’t say much more. Instead, after consulting his superior, he turned his gaze to the off-road vehicle they came in.

“Oh, this car is mine. Once they take their things off, I’ll leave directly.”

“Okay.”

The soldier nodded.

After getting permission, Ye Xingyao ran back to the car, called to the two girls in the back who had just woken up from drowsiness and were curiously surveying the military base, telling them to unload their luggage and get some fresh air.

The girls took their luggage and came to the soldier who was chatting with Qiansui.

“Well, my mission is done. The rest is up to you, brother.”

Qiansui patted the soldier on the shoulder, making one marvel at his incredible social skills—he could call someone “brother” in no time.

The soldier nodded, watched the off-road vehicle restart and drive off, then turned his gaze to the three girls—one in black, one in white, one in gold—and frowned slightly. Ye Xingyao, leading them, was a bona fide Midnight-level Hunter, but no matter what, this wasn’t a place for playing house. What were these two girls and a little girl doing here? He didn’t know what his superiors were thinking.

“Please wait here a moment. My superior will be here soon.”

The soldier sighed inwardly but didn’t show it on his face. At least he had respect for the Midnight-level Hunter named Ye Xin. Even if on the surface she didn’t have any strong superpowers or combat skills, her ability to stay calm in crisis and pull out unexpected moves was quite commendable. Politeness was still in order.

But that white hair… the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed?

“Um, excuse me, this young lady with white hair, are you a Moon Elf?”

Another soldier blurted out what he wanted to ask.

That question startled the three girls quite a bit, but they had already discussed countermeasures. The two elves secretly assumed fighting stances, while Ye Xingyao stepped forward, one hand subtly resting near the hem of her sailor uniform.

“Hey, you scared them!”

The first soldier slapped his companion’s shoulder in disapproval and quickly explained to them:

“Look, we don’t have that much hostility toward elves here, especially Moon Elves. There’s an elderly Moon Elf in a nearby village who always helps us repel monsters, and even uses healing magic and elf-specific medicines for our urgent wounded.”

Hearing the soldier’s words, the three girls exchanged confused glances. This was completely different from what they had planned to face.

“Um, may I ask the name of that elderly Moon Elf?”

Yi Shiyue hesitated but still voiced the question in her heart.

“Well, we’re not too sure. I just remember she seemed to… her surname was Yi, yes, Yi.”

With a nudge from his companion, the soldier quickly recalled the elderly Moon Elf’s surname.

Ye Xingyao and Yi Shiyue exchanged a look, both seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes.

Seeing their reaction, the soldier could naturally tell that they had some story with that surname—perhaps they knew the old woman, or maybe the white-haired girl was also a Moon Elf?

“Sorry, we can’t tell you directly about this.”

In the end, Ye Xingyao shook her head and responded ambiguously.

In a situation where both sides were clever, this kind of rhetoric was essentially an admission of identity.

“We don’t have any deep grudges with the so-called elves here. On the contrary, since we often deal with monsters together, we’re pretty familiar. It’s a relationship of live and let live, and we help each other out when real trouble comes.”

Another soldier explained in more detail. This opened Ye Xingyao’s eyes—for them, it was the first time they didn’t need to hide their elven identity so much in front of outsiders.

But they would still hide it when necessary; they wouldn’t make it explicit. The soldiers might think this way, but did their commanding officer really think the same? Protecting herself and those around her at all times was Ye Xingyao’s principle this time. She had also promised Sister Hongye to return safely…

“You’re already here? What cooperation do you need from us?”

At that moment, a man with an upright posture and insignia indicating a high rank walked over, dismissed the guards still on duty with a look, and took charge of the three girls.

“Hmm… let me think. A map of the surrounding area, as detailed as possible. Then give us a fully fueled car, some emergency food. It would be best if you could also introduce the local situation based on the map, like villages, locations where elf clans appear, and so on.”

Ye Xingyao rubbed her chin and stated her requests.

The man thought for a moment and quickly agreed. Ye Xingyao’s requests were very reasonable; he even felt they were a bit modest.

“Don’t you need us to send some accompanying personnel?”

The man asked curiously.

After all, the Wasteland was extremely dangerous. Although the probability of encountering monsters wasn’t high, there were plenty of wild beasts around. Nourished by the magic power from nearby elf settlements and threatened by monsters, the beasts in the Wasteland all had some skills and shouldn’t be underestimated.

“Not for now. After I understand the specific situation, I’ll make a decision.”

Ye Xingyao nodded. She wasn’t stupid—if the threats here were beyond their ability to handle, she had no intention of taking risks.

“Alright then. Please wait here. I’ll go get the map and car keys.”