Some gatherings are lively and extraordinary, while others happen quietly and secretly.
Several dozen kilometers outside Center City, in a place called Twin Star Town, there was a distillery that only operated at night.
During the day, its back door was half-open, with a sign hanging outside that read “Not Open for Business.”
Inside, a few people sat around. The dim lighting cast shadows over their faces, making them look grim.
They just sat there, heads slightly lowered, neither playing with their phones nor doing anything in particular.
The atmosphere felt heavy and somber.
“Still no sign of them?” someone couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Are we being played?”
A nearby person tried to calm him down, “Be patient, Mad Sheep. Even if no one shows up today, we’re safe here.”
This was not a bustling town.
Nominally, it fell under the jurisdiction of the main city, but in reality, no one really cared about it.
It was a forgotten place.
The man known as Mad Sheep sneered coldly, “Safe? All those people in the city thought they were safe before they got caught. Even the Professor.”
Professor Swina took a big hit in Free City but didn’t manage to escape.
His capture was a huge blow to the Clown Gang.
Before this, none of the gang members knew his identity, and he never liked socializing with subordinates.
But no matter what, the Professor was the direct leader of the Clown Gang—issuing orders and orchestrating attacks.
Now that he was gone, only fear and confusion remained.
However, just two days ago, several branch leaders of the Clown Gang received news again.
A high-ranking member of the Supreme Society told them there would be a new leader to replace Professor Swina’s role, and that this new leader would help them do better.
That was why they were sitting here waiting today.
“Ascetic Monk, are you sure you didn’t mix it up?” another person was starting to lose patience. “I mean, couldn’t that note just be a prank?”
The message they were talking about was actually just a small slip of paper.
The one called Ascetic Monk was a bald man, his deep wrinkles making his expression look bitter and sorrowful when he was expressionless.
At this moment, he frowned and looked at the person speaking.
“You mean someone who knows all our identities slipped that note onto my face in the middle of the night just to play a prank?”
Ascetic Monk was the one who received the note.
“I’m saying, it’s true that the Supreme Society is behind it, but could they also have a sense of humor…”
Before the others could argue more, the door suddenly swung open.
A burly man in his forties stormed in, with a large nose and mouth, his tone unusually cheerful.
“Ahchoo, looks like everyone’s here! I knew you all were punctual people. Being punctual is good; as the saying goes, only punctual people can achieve great things. Actually, I’m quite punctual myself, just got a bit lost outside. The alleys in this small town are really tricky to navigate. Does anyone else agree? Well, never mind. No matter what, we’re all here now, and that’s something to celebrate!”
His mouth hardly stopped moving as he ran over to the front door and quickly pressed several buttons, turning the room’s lighting from the dimmest setting to full brightness.
Sunlight suddenly flooded the entire room, illuminating everyone’s expressions clearly.
“Wow, just look at you all! I feel like I’m seeing the phrase ‘elite troops’ right before my eyes. But you all seem a bit down. Why so gloomy?”
“You ask why we’re gloomy?”
Mad Sheep couldn’t help himself this time and almost stood up before someone pulled him back.
“These past few days, we’ve been risking our lives for you all, not knowing how many brothers have died.
But you? Every time, it’s just a few light words issuing orders, and we haven’t even seen you in person!”
If the Professor’s identity hadn’t been exposed, they wouldn’t even have known their direct superior was less than a few hundred meters away during the brutal Commerce Plaza Battle.
“Alright, alright, I admit that communication between the Society and the gang has lacked normal hierarchical feedback.
But everyone knows this setup is only a few months old.
It’s the embryonic stage; growing pains are normal.
Look, I’m here now, talking face-to-face with everyone—that’s progress.”
The man laughed heartily, and even his words carried a trace of sincerity.
Hearing this, Mad Sheep could only sit down silently.
“I especially like one phrase: ‘Understanding forever.’
Professor Swina failed at this, but I’m different.
I’m sure you’ve noticed.
Well then, let me introduce myself.
My name’s Morris—not my real name, but that’s okay.
In exchange, you can tell me your nicknames.”
He gave a false name for himself but didn’t require their real names.
That sounded fair, yet Ascetic Monk frowned, feeling something was off.
Then he remembered the note slapped on his face two days ago when he was sleeping at home.
The note addressed him by his real name—Richard, who used to be part of the Qingxing Gang but now unemployed and single, yet went to a foot massage parlor every other day.
He looked like a middle-aged bald man pretending to be an ascetic.
One by one, the others gave their codenames.
Morris enthusiastically commented on each:
“Mad Sheep, sounds wild and spirited.
Katie, just as cute as you look.
Pu Xi? Wow, not a name you can shout out loud in public.
Crow, that’s a fierce nickname—is it because you always dress in black?”
“Because he doesn’t talk much,” Katie explained for the Black Guy next to her, “It suits Crow’s mysterious, cursed vibe.”
Morris wowed again, “I told you all, you have great prospects—cultured and deep.
Just hope you don’t run into someone with the same name someday… haha!
Alright, enough chit-chat, let’s get down to business.”
He pulled out a sheet of paper and stuck it on the front wall.
On it was a drawing of a roasted sweet potato.
“You all know this thing, right?
It’s powerful.
Our brothers’ most successful raid so far used this.
Unfortunately, they didn’t make it out—they were all trapped and killed on Yaha Tower.
Let’s have a moment of silence…
Anyway, this is the focus of our next operation.”
The friendly exchange activities at Shengling Academy unfolded in a whirlwind.
On the first day, the theory open class: Teacher Hu and Xu Chuyao’s dialogue amazed everyone, bringing immense shock to the teachers and students from other schools who had traveled far.
On the second day, the physical education open class: Shen Ning took her stance and faced unlimited challengers.
Dozens of eager students from other schools rushed at her, only to be defeated in one move.
“It’s not really a move,” Principal Lü told the visiting teachers.
“When Shen Ning was just Rank 3, she defeated five Rank 2 peak opponents in one strike.
Those five were cut down like mud.”
Compared to that, the training ground opponents were just blown away gently—that was quite considerate.
On the third day, the culture open class: during history class, the teacher guided everyone through several events that changed the political situation.
These included the First Mall Attack Incident, the Commerce Plaza Battle, and the Freiden Academy War.
Their common thread: the core figures were two girls from Shengling Academy.
The dates were close, quite close indeed, but they would definitely make it into future history books.
Because what’s not considered a historical event?
As for the fourth day and beyond—
“Yesterday, Xie Yinglun’s sister and Chuyao seemed to have exchanged glances.
There’s definitely something going on!”
Sexually Repressed Shadow suggested, “Recommend giving Chuyao a good grilling, make her confess.”
Broken Shadow sighed, “You’re really impossible, not a day goes by…”
True to their word, on the fourth day the teasing began instantly.
Shen Ning sat on the small bed in her dorm, fingers threading through a gentle breeze as she lightly combed her hair.
Milky Ning Reflection leaned against the shadow on the wall, casually pulling out a teacup from somewhere beneath her skirt.
She sipped slowly, elegant and noble.
On one side was the Sexually Repressed Shadow, loudly complaining, and on the other, Broken Shadow standing guard.
This was a girl’s morning—peaceful, leisurely, and comfortable.
“I say, Commerce Plaza, you can’t be too idle.
Check if you’ve been serious, if you’ve put in the effort, and if your milestone missions have been unlocked.”
“No,” the girl answered simply.
On the night she returned to the academy, she had accidentally completed a four-star mission in her girlfriend’s dorm.
The milestone system was frozen for two weeks and was still cooling down.
“What about the random daily missions?”
Sexually Repressed Shadow probably cared about system missions even more than Shen Ning herself.
Though her motivation wasn’t the rewards.
But then again, the process of completing missions was a kind of reward.
“Uh… seems like there is one.”
The girl stopped the breeze in her hand and looked up at words in the air invisible to others.
[Random Daily Mission: Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening.
Mission Requirement: Today, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, kiss your wife Xu Chuyao once each.]
“Alright, alright, it’s about time for kisses,” Sexually Repressed Shadow got excited.
“Kisses! Kisses cause hearts to flutter, the brain blanks, the cerebellum gets twitchy, nerve signals go haywire, and limbs lose coordination.”
Broken Shadow thought kissing was good but cautioned moderation: “Don’t kiss too long.
Chuyao will get uncomfortable.
Her large chest makes breathing difficult and sensitive.”
Milky Ning Reflection remained silent, only sipping tea.
The girl leaned against the headboard, tilting her head slightly as she gazed at the familiar ceiling lost in thought.
Kisses, huh?
She felt like she’d kissed many times, so many that she lost count of which kiss today would be.
But she remembered the first time: two girls on the academy’s clock tower, the wind blowing fiercely that day…
“Stop daydreaming.
In half an hour, morning will be over, and the mission didn’t say noon would count,” Sexually Repressed Shadow’s voice pulled Shen Ning back.
“Come on, come on, move it, forward march!”
No need to run, but it was definitely time to act.
Shen Ning couldn’t find her girlfriend in the dorm or in the classroom.
Liu Hao saw Mi Xiaolu.
“Where is Xu Chuyao? Have you seen her?”
“Yeah, she’s on that small path outside the classroom.”
“Thanks.”
Watching the girl turn and walk away, Mi Xiaolu thought Shen Ning was quite polite.
If only she would be polite every time she borrowed the dorm.
On the small path outside the classroom, Xu Chuyao and Beti Holmes each sat on opposite sides of a public bench.