Zhe Fei was about to head to Yingxunsi City, which was practically on the other side of the world, with a long journey ahead.
She had brought along some of Shen Ning’s favorite snacks for the road.
While the people sitting nearby gathered together—some telling stories, others listening—a young girl pulled out a snow cake from her pocket, holding it in her hands and nibbling on it slowly.
The trip felt like a spring outing.
“Ever since the Unification War ended, the world of humanity has been relatively peaceful overall, but there are still remnants of enemy forces out there. That’s why many combat units have been retained. The Starfire Squad is one of them. Our tasks aren’t complicated. As a regional mobile force, we go wherever support is needed, and occasionally take on work like escorting, sealing off sites, or making arrests.”
The journey felt like an excursion.
“Everyone else is listening so seriously, why aren’t you?” The persistent Tong Ying climbed up to the window and said, “All you ever do is eat your snow cake.”
She was the type who liked to point things out herself.
Shen Ning didn’t respond, she just broke off a small piece of snow cake, popped it into her mouth, poured herself a cup of clear tea, and took a big gulp.
Snacks and tea—considered a simple afternoon tea.
On the other side, Xu Chuyao and Xiao Si Xun both listened intently. Li Yao sat up straight out of courtesy, while Xiao Si Xun was genuinely interested, so he listened with great focus.
After Yu Yan finished explaining her squad’s duties, her tone suddenly shifted.
“The last mission of the Starfire Squad was to capture and deliver a surrendering tycoon. But when we arrived, we found he was already being tortured by a group of mysterious people. We engaged them in fierce combat. Most of the Starfire Squad died, and those who survived were gravely injured. In the end, I was the only one left alive.”
Xiao Si Tao quietly turned his head, trying to exchange a glance with Shen Ning, only to find the other party was completely absorbed in eating, not looking in this direction at all.
A few months ago, when he first met Shen Ning, he’d already heard about this story from Shen Ning, and he’d even shared it with Wang Biao back then.
Now, hearing it straight from the Head Teacher’s mouth, Xiao Si Xun felt a bit emotional, but didn’t expect that his partner Shen Ning wasn’t even listening.
“Uh, that’s really tragic.” He forced himself to say, “So, Head Teacher, the thing you want us to do is to deal with those mysterious people and get revenge?”
Yu Jing sighed, leaning forward gently. “It’s not that simple. In fact, there’s more to it. When I came out of the hospital and found all my companions had already passed away, I couldn’t accept it. So, I reported the matter many times, requested to form a new squad, and wanted to bring those mysterious people to justice as criminals. But… I was rejected.”
Xiao Si You was momentarily stunned. “Rejected?”
“Yes. I heard it was the highest-ranking officer of the Combat Division at the time, Master Wen Shengliang, who signed the closing document, announcing that everything was settled. After that, no matter what I tried, I could never find any trace of them again. Even the records of that battle were wiped clean, as if they’d never existed, and it was all written off as my companions dying by accident.” Yu Pei closed her eyes in pain. “Even the records of that battle were erased, as if they never existed, and my companions’ deaths were blamed on accidents.”
Xu Chuyao had been kissing her girlfriend along the way. As someone who loved stories, she also loved to listen, but now she felt something was off.
Wait a minute—could this really be… that incident?
“That’s too much, there must be a problem!” Xiao Si Xun said, “Head Teacher, don’t worry, we’ll definitely—”
“Hey, cough!”
Xu Chuyao slapped his chest to interrupt, “Head Teacher, if what you’re saying is true, then this is a very serious matter. We must treat it with utmost caution and not rush.”
The more Xiao Si Xun listened, the more nervous he became. All this time, it was the first time he’d seen Li Yao act so serious.
“You’re right, we mustn’t act rashly. I’m just telling you about it since we’re all on this trip together.” Yu Yan returned to her seat, “I’m not in a hurry. After all, I’ve waited for twenty years already.”
It seemed like nothing special had happened today, but there was an undercurrent of deep anxiety in her words.
Cheng Bei hesitated, wanting to offer some comforting words, but worried they wouldn’t sound right, so in the end, she just sat quietly at the side, sharing the silence.
“Officer Tong,” Xiao Si Dan whispered, “is this thing really…”
“Don’t ask,” Xu Chuyao shot him a glare. “We’ll talk about it later when there’s time.”
“Okay.”
Even though he didn’t understand the situation, he was absolutely obedient.
Xu Chuyao also returned to her seat, looked back at her girlfriend, her feelings growing more complicated.
What’s going on? The protagonist is still focused on making snacks, yet the next stage of the main storyline is about to unfold.
She knew, if what Head Teacher said wasn’t exaggerated, then those mysterious people mentioned in the story were the predecessor of the Supreme Society.
“Hey, you’re still eating? Still eating!” The persistent Tong Ying knocked on the window. “Li Qi was just peeking at you. You should take the chance to respond!”
The young girl paused slightly. Peeking at me? Why?
“Why ask why? If someone’s peeking at you, you’re supposed to reciprocate! What a good opportunity, and all you do is eat!”
Shen Ning put away her snack bag, patting the words on the packaging.
No more—class is over now.
Ku Xie Si City, Skyview Airport. Just outside was the municipal entry administration office.
After getting off the plane, the group walked up to the counter and presented their entry permits. The staff checked them carefully.
“Ms. Yu, confirmed. Welcome to the City of Judgment.”
“Mr. Cheng Zhao, confirmed. Welcome.”
“Why are there so many Third Rank today? Here comes another one… Shen Xiao Qia, uh…”
The young girl stood at the window, her tone calm: “Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem.” The staff member stamped the document and handed it back. “Welcome to Ku Xie Si City, have a pleasant journey.”
To think there could be such a young Third Rank… truly unbelievable. Even though this is my job, seeing someone this young at Third Rank is something I might never witness a second time in my life…
“Well, you’re seeing a second one right now.” A tall, beautiful girl with long straight black hair suddenly popped in from outside the window, waving and smiling. “Over here, here, there’s another one!”
She was holding a permit for cross-border travel as a Third Rank Ability User.
The staff member’s eyelids twitched as he took it and checked carefully. Eighteen, nearly nineteen, looked exactly the same as the photo—maybe even prettier.
“Have a pleasant journey.”
Exiting the administrative building, the group of five came to the street outside. It was already getting late, and they stood on the edge of the main road’s pedestrian street, momentarily unsure where to go.
Cheng Qi helped Xiao Si Xun with the luggage, then suddenly realized a problem: “Didn’t Student Feng help book a hotel for us?”
Yu Yan looked toward the female student from the Bai family: “The principal said Xu Chuyao has connections here…”
“Yes, yes, I have connections.” Xu Chuyao took out her phone. “Wait a sec, I’ll make a call.”
Not long after, a long black luxury car stopped by the curb. A chauffeur in a suit rolled down the window and asked politely, “Excuse me, is this Miss Xu Chuyao and her party?”
“Yes, yes, that’s us.”
Without another word, Xu Chuyao saw it was getting late and didn’t want to waste time. She opened the car door and got in.
The others looked at each other, hesitated, but followed her in.
“Xu Chuyao,” Yu Die asked gently, “is your friend from here? They came so quickly.”
The chauffeur in front smiled, “Not local, but Yingxunsi City is special. Many families have branches here, and the Holmes Family is one of them. Our young miss told us in advance that a friend would be arriving these two days, and asked us to take care of you.”
Holmes Family.
Shen Ning was startled. “The connection you mentioned—is it that infamous woman, Spegger?”
[Villain Points +150]
Xu Chuyao shot her a helpless look. “Who else could it be? I’m not some social butterfly, and who else would I know this far away?”
And for just 50 villain points, Yao Qiong would probably add oil and vinegar for extra flavor.