Chapter 213: There Is

What should we do, should we send a message to inform Old Zhu and Shen Ning? What if the Chief Officer gets into trouble…

Just as Xiao Si Nuo was about to make a decision, Xu Chuyao returned and sat down.

At that moment, the Stage was presenting the fifth song and dance act.

As she sat down, she even hummed along with the rhythm for a few lines, singing so earnestly that even the little hatchet couldn’t help but be entertained.

“Chief Officer, why did you come back so soon?”

“Well, if I didn’t, how could I not come back?”

It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, but everyone was sitting here. It wouldn’t be very good for someone to be lying alone in the dormitory at this time.

“That’s not what I meant, I was asking… is he all right?”

“No issues, he has no idea about my little tricks.”

Thinking back to her experience in the principal’s office just now, Xu Chuyao almost laughed out loud; “On the contrary, he thinks I’m clever, proper, and have no issues with my thoughts. He even thinks I have a bright future, maybe he’s planning to support me a bit.”

Xiao Si Nuo was extremely surprised. “Really?”

Our Special Investigation Group has done so many outrageous things outside, not only did he not punish us, he even gave us rewards.

“Of course, it’s true.” Xu Chuyao snapped her fingers. “Don’t you know what it means to act like water flowing without leaving a trace?”

As a big figure in a high position, Marshal Wen Shengqing chose to let us handle things. Naturally, he would investigate thoroughly in advance, looking into every detail of our backgrounds.

But the thing is, three years ago, I only transferred here. Before that, I was just a run-of-the-mill Spirit Power User—lost my family at birth, was taken to the Academy’s preparatory class as soon as I could remember, and lived an ivory tower life up until now.

Living so simply, with such a clean background, and only eighteen or nineteen years old. To say I’m a blank sheet of paper may be a stretch, but my record is as clean as it gets.

A young girl who hasn’t even stepped into society, what kind of bad intentions could she possibly have?

Xiao Si Nuo finally caught on, thought for a bit, then asked carefully, “So do we need to be more careful around him in the future, or… treat him more warily?”

“Nonsense, of course, we do.” Xu Chuyao rolled her eyes at him. “Didn’t Wang Li used to do tasks for him, too?”

“That’s true.”

Xiao Si Nuo finally fell silent and obediently watched the performance on Stage from behind, while Xu Chuyao yawned, turned her head, and scanned the audience. In the front row of the boys’ section, she spotted her girlfriend.

Shen Cha and Mi Xiaolu were sitting together. The former was holding a small snack and eating little by little, while the latter would occasionally walk to a nearby snack booth and bring back a handful of treats to share.

One was eating, the other supplying, forming a perpetual motion machine. The supplier even kept muttering things like, “It’s all for you, I’ll bring you to my dorm next time,” but the girl’s attention was caught by the performance on Stage, and she didn’t really catch what the girl beside her was saying.

Xu Chuyao sighed silently.

Look, it’s exactly because this girl is so aloof that even when Marshal Wen Shengqing came, he didn’t catch her, and just reported me as the mastermind.

In the end, I still have to bear everything.

“Let’s just watch the show. Hey, Xiao Si Nuo, which act is this now? How much longer until the skit?”

“The next one is coming up.”

Wind blows cold as water buries the dead.

Outside Cuiyi City, by the edge of the sea, standing in what was once a tourist hotspot and is now a deserted land, looking out at the distant ocean, breathing in the salty sea breeze, Liris and the others felt a strange urge to recite a poem.

“Wang Li, do you count as a martyr now?” Liris asked with a smirk, but no one replied, so he shrugged helplessly, “Alright, just pretend I never said anything.”

Wang Li naturally couldn’t be called a martyr, quite the opposite—in fact, her reputation here was notorious. However, someone else’s reputation was very good.

Right behind them, from the direction of the Floodplain Mountains that formed the border of this region, came the faint and solemn sound of chiseling.

After the battle against the Sea Monster, hundreds had worked together to clean up the battlefield. More than a week had passed, and now the site had become a historical relic, with no one coming by anymore. However, on the side of the mountain, construction had begun—a clay statue of a young girl was slowly taking shape on the mountainside.

To commemorate Shen Cha, who arrived just in time during the Sea Monster attack, turning the tide like an angel and saving countless people, they decided to erect a statue of her on the mountain.

“Liris, she’s already a Fourth Rank now, that’s really something.”

Liris shook his head and reminisced.

“A year ago, when Professor Swina led the Clown Gang against the First Rank, what a bitter battle. Oh right, you all know about the Gang, right? After Swina’s death, the Clown Gang was handed over to me. I’ve led them through many great deeds.”

Not to mention, during Swina’s time, the Clown Gang never had a total victory, but under my lead, not only did we launch several significant attacks, we even once coordinated with the Equator Defense Line. Although that incident marked the Clown Gang’s end, it was still quite an accomplishment.

As the saying goes, rather than living a whole life accomplishing nothing, better to burn bright even if just once. The Clown Gang members should thank me for that.

“Enough with the useless talk, Liris.” A stern, sharp-eyed man with Slavic features gave him a cold glare. “Let’s finish our task and go back early.”

The others didn’t speak, but their meaning was similar.

Those gathered here on the coast were all middle-ranking members of the Supreme Society, meaning Three-Stage Spirit Power Users and those just below Fourth Rank.

Strictly speaking, their position wasn’t very high, but they knew themselves that they’d already become the main force. After Wang Li died, they could only report to a high-level member, but there were only a handful of true high-ups in the entire Supreme Society.

They’d looked into it before—middle-ranking folks like them, including those from the Clown Gang, were recruited through various channels, so their numbers were decent.

But those above Fourth Rank were different: they’d been there since the founding of the Supreme Society, and once they died, no new ones would appear to replace them.

“The Penguin is dead… In that case, you all should go pay your respects to her at the sea.”

This was the first command issued by that new high-level superior Liris had pledged allegiance to. Along with the message, a few objects from the mansion had been sent over.

That’s why they were here today.

“You know, kid, I really feel like I’ve known you forever. No other reason, it’s just that you remind me of one of my old subordinates—the one who participated in the Equator Defense Line battle. His name was Ying Xingseng.”

Liris was trying to get closer, but his warmth was met with an icy response from the sharp-eyed man.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

One by one, people put down their backpacks and took out several items—a battered animal encyclopedia, a black-and-white striped sweater, and a lipstick that had long run dry.

These were the things sent over for them to burn for Wang Li.

“I know you all don’t like listening to me, but let me just say one thing,” Liris couldn’t help himself, “Shouldn’t we burn some joss paper for the Penguin, at least?”

“That might not be convenient.” A voice came from the side, deep and authoritative.

It was the first time since arriving here that anyone had responded to Liris. He was so moved he nearly burst into tears. Turning around quickly, he saw a graceful woman standing beside him.

“Hey there, what should I call you?”

“Just call me Huan Tai,” the woman said with a smile.

The performances at the School’s festival were almost over by noon. Xu Chuyao didn’t plan to go in the afternoon, for no other reason than the heat.

After lunch, she dragged her girlfriend along to find a quiet, peaceful spot—just an empty little corridor outside the classroom—and sat on a bench to talk about what happened in the principal’s office.

“…That’s the situation. That sly old fox wants us to do his dirty work again. Most likely it’ll be just like last time—secret missions involving killing and arson. But what can I do? When the order is given, I can’t refuse.”

Xu Chuyao recounted everything, her voice full of feeling, painting herself as someone utterly helpless.

“If only we could find an excuse to delay things, so we can have some time to grow stronger… Shen Ning, do you have any ideas on how to stall for time?”

“I do.”

The girl’s sudden nod caught the tomboy off guard.

“Really, you do? What is it?”

Shen Ning gazed seriously at her girlfriend, her eyes bright. “Get married. Hold a wedding banquet.”