Chapter 24: A Lamb Entering A Tiger’s Den

“You asked me to come here just to kill me?”

Han Nuo was the first to speak.

The men from Jifeng sealed the doors, and a look of hatred burned in Xinhuo’s eyes.

Wu Xiaomi, who had once challenged the beast-faced clan solo, was also present—standing right behind Kang Jie.

On the surface, the situation clearly looked unfavorable for Han Nuo’s group, the Ark.

But he remained calm.

“With all due respect, you may have the numbers, but wiping out the Ark won’t be that easy.”

Each Ark member was well-equipped, their expressions calm and resolute.

No way a mere ten days of raiding could forge that air of blood and violence.

They weren’t ordinary people to begin with.

Mercenaries, maybe soldiers? 

Wu Xiaomi guessed silently.

Facing Han Nuo’s cold, disdainful gaze, Kang Jie simply smiled.

He extended a hand and asked:

“Do you want to be a superhero?”

What??

What kind of ridiculous question was that?

Not just Wu Xiaomi—everyone from Xinhuo and Jifeng had their jaws on the floor.

“I know a good psychiatrist,” Han Nuo looked at Kang Jie sympathetically, “If you need him, I can have him dragged here…”

“No need to worry about my sanity, I’m fine. I’m serious.”

Kang Jie still held out his hand earnestly. “So, are you interested in being a superhero?”

This Kang Jie really had to be insane.

Han Nuo seemed thoughtful.

“As you’ve all seen, the white world we returned to has lost its laws and its order. So we need superheroes—a patrol force to keep the peace.”

Kang Jie stood up and continued:

“Xinhuo alone doesn’t have the strength to protect the entire district, so I’m asking all of you for help. That includes Jifeng, and Bian’an.”

“This is why you called me here?” Han Nuo let out a cold laugh and got up to leave. “Childish.”

“Don’t forget—we still have a score to settle.” Kang Jie’s tone suddenly turned cold.

Han Nuo stopped walking, and for the first time, looked directly at Kang Jie.

Kang Jie still wore that polite, gentlemanly smile, but the look in his eyes was no longer so gentle or innocent.

“These past few days, I’ve dreamed every night of how Elder Lin and the others died. I hear them cursing me in my ears, blaming me for not avenging them…

I know I can take revenge. And I believe everyone in Xinhuo is holding back their rage, more than willing to risk their lives to take you down.”

“I thought you were a coward, pretending to forget your hatred.” Han Nuo sat back down at the table, “Good to know you haven’t.”

Through it all, Kang Jie kept his hand extended in peace.

“I know revenge would make us all feel better. At the very least, we could fight to the death and kill you. But the outcome… would just be mutual destruction.”

“Mutual destruction? Aren’t you overestimating yourself?”

Kang Jie smiled casually. “You need to pay for your crimes, but not with your lives.

You’re well-trained, strong. It’d be a waste for you to die like this…”

“So?”

“Join the United Heroes Association. Assign your elite fighters to protect the weak and maintain peace in the district. However many lives you’ve taken, you’ll need to save just as many in return.”

“I refuse.” Han Nuo’s rejection was sharp and decisive, “In this kind of world, the only value weaklings have is to serve as cannon fodder. I won’t waste time or energy on them.”

Kang Jie didn’t seem surprised by the answer.

He continued holding out his hand, smiling. “Let me break down the math for you.”

“Oh?”

“Using raid points to exchange for food, you’ll need at least 30 points a month—just for the basic staples.

But raids are dangerous. 

When you return, you’ll crave comfort, crave good food. 

You’ll want roast chicken, hot dishes, milk tea, soda…

That’ll push it to at least 200 points per person, per month.

And risking your life on a mission? That only gets you 500 points.”

“……”

“Sure, the bracelet has replaced your phone, but you’ll still crave old forms of entertainment. Bars, clubs, cheap non-addictive narcotics… After a battle, you’ll want a bit of indulgence, or release. You need that atmosphere and someone needs to run those places.”

“I’m not interested in any of that.”

“But your subordinates? Are they?”

“……”

Han Nuo was momentarily speechless.

His men really had been mercenaries.

They were used to life and death, but after missions, they often numbed themselves through indulgence trying to forget the brutality of it all.

They were still human, after all.

And humans need a way to let go.

“So we don’t just need fighters. We need farmers—so with soil and seeds, we can grow our own food and save precious raid points.

We also need a variety of skilled workers—bartenders, therapists, musicians, actors, even some lousy novelists.”

Kang Jie went on and on.

“Enough,” Han Nuo interrupted, “And if I still say no?”

“Then Xinhuo will go all out against you.”

He wasn’t joking.

“You must atone for the crimes you’ve committed.”

“…Stubborn idiot,” Han Nuo sighed.

From the start of the conversation until now, Kang Jie had been holding out his hand the entire time.

He had been waiting.

Finally, the two hands briefly clasped.

Han Nuo had agreed.

“I’ll assign one elite to help. Just one. The rest will stay to defend our base,” he said.

“Tha—no, I won’t thank you. This is your duty,” Kang Jie nodded solemnly.

“One more thing.”

Han Nuo suddenly turned to look at Wu Xiaomi.

“?”

Caught off guard, a question mark popped over Wu Xiaomi’s head.

She had been trying her best to look fierce, standing in support of Kang Jie.

Baring her little tiger fangs, scrunching her nose.

—A bodyguard should act like one, right?

Even if she couldn’t be the Godfather, she should at least be a proper gang boss!

“I found out who pushed you.”

Han Nuo tossed over a stack of documents.

“?!”

I was just about to give this guy a hard time… and he brought it up himself.

“It wasn’t anyone from Xinhuo, nor a member of the Ark,” Han Nuo said, tapping the folder. 

“The first sighting was in this very restaurant. He eavesdropped on your conversation with Kang Jie—that’s how he learned your whereabouts.

That day, he came for you. His target was to kill you.”

Kill me?

Why?

I… didn’t do anything heinous, did I?

“The Ark will continue investigating this man,” Han Nuo added. “Rest assured, we have no desire to make an enemy of a strong individual like yourself. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

This guy really is… thorough in everything he does.

Makes it hard to stay angry.

……

I picked up the folder.

“Grrr—”

In the silent restaurant, the sound of Wu Xiaomi’s stomach growling was incredibly loud.

“Pfft—”

The previously tense and grim atmosphere instantly crumbled.

“Get the food out, quick!” Ah Lei walked in, laughing shamelessly, “The poor kid’s clearly starving.”

Wu Xiaomi was so embarrassed she buried her head under the table.

It wasn’t until the waiter brought out fried chicken drumsticks, the aroma impossibly tempting, that she finally couldn’t resist and popped back up.

“Shameless,” muttered Xiao Luobo, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. “Give me one too.”

Wu Xiaomi spread a napkin over her head before handing a drumstick to Xiao Luobo.

Xiao Luobo hugged the drumstick, which was bigger than her own head, and gnawed on it until her face was slick with oil.

……

Kang Jie watched the girl beside him in secret.

He felt that meeting Wu Xiaomi was probably one of the luckiest things that had ever happened to him.

Not because of romantic feelings.

Though he couldn’t help but be drawn to her sometimes… what he truly felt lucky for was having her as a friend.

Even if that friend seemed a bit silly.

Her happiness was always so pure, so simple. 

It was like she had no idea she was living in a post-apocalyptic world, never once troubled by Earth’s destruction.

She didn’t seem to care about any of the things that made others sad.

He had never seen a trace of resentment or dissatisfaction in her.

She just seemed so content with everything as it was.

But why?

She didn’t even have a home anymore…

“No matter the reason, thank you.”

Kang Jie had a low alcohol tolerance, and it didn’t take long before he was feeling tipsy.

?

Wu Xiaomi was too busy scarfing down food to hear a single word he said.

Kang Jie just sat there, watching her from behind.

The scent of the girl mixed with the aroma of the drinks—soft peach sweetness blending into the hazy buzz of alcohol.

So soothing.

……

[Temporary raid complete. Returning.]

As the countdown hit zero, a prompt appeared in front of everyone.

One by one, people vanished from the restaurant.

A prompt popped up in front of Wu Xiaomi too.

The scene before her began to change.

“Hm?”

Something was off.

She’d noticed it last time too.

Everyone else always reappeared in the same spot they’d disappeared from.

But not her.

Her return location always had a bit of a deviation.

“Where… is this?”

She clearly wasn’t back in the little hideout with Bai Xiaozhi.

What she saw instead was a dark, sinister room. 

Iron chains and instruments of torture hanging from the bedframe.

Before Wu Xiaomi could get a proper look at her surroundings—

“Thud—”

A dull impact.

A wooden club slammed hard into the back of her head.

Just before she lost consciousness, Wu Xiaomi fought to turn her head and catch a glimpse behind her.

Black clothes. Face covered.

It was that assassin.