DOMINION'S END

Volume 5, Chapter 3: Leader’s Little Brother Is In Charge of Looking Pretty

Translated by Michimochi (proofread by Trespasserby & elisa; C/E edited by lucathia)

Wiping away sweat from my forehead, I discovered the shortcoming of having both a guy and a girl residing in my head. No matter if I looked at guys or girls, I was either not thinking of them as the same sex as me, such as when I was perving on Dàgē and Jin Feng, or I wasn’t considering them as the opposite sex, with a “take off your clothes” slipping out to a little girl just like that.

I needed to pay more attention in the future. I’m a man now! With the corresponding appendage! I can’t just go into the girls’ bathroom! Important things have to be stressed three times!

Afterwards, I found two thick, long combat coats and knocked on the bathroom door. I said, “There are two coats hanging on the door. Once you’re done bathing, put them on for now and stay put in the courtyard house. Don’t run off. I’ll head out and find you some clothes.”

A high pitched “okay” came through the door from the girl. I could finally relax and flee. On my way out, I told Wen Jianuo that I was going to the mansion. He asked if I could help figure out where Ah Qing had gone.

“He might have seen a beauty along the way and went off to flirt.” I thought about Ah Qing’s personality and how he cared little for gender as long as they were pretty. It was actually highly possible that he had been seduced away.

Wen Jianuo shook his head and said, “When doing business, Ah Qing is more serious than anyone.”

After hearing this, I started to feel that something was wrong as well. The courtyard house was not that far from the mansion. To be gone for such a long time, if he wasn’t neglecting his duties, then something really must have happened.

After considering this, I said, “Then let’s all go together, with you leading the squad. If nothing has happened, the troop can stay there and support Lily.”

Wen Jianuo also thought that this was for the best. He called for the others at once──which just made for eight. Ah Qing had already taken two people with him, and Su Ying was helping out at the mansion.

Before leaving, Wen Jianuo specifically reminded the troop members that in front of outsiders, Jiang Shuyu was supposedly just a “vice-captain” that the leader had shoved at them. They were not allowed to slip up and reveal anything about Jiang Shuyu being the true captain of this troop. If there was danger, everyone even had to protect the frail young vice-captain.

Once this was said, while everyone’s posture remained serious, their expressions became a bit distorted.

Along the way, I didn’t speak a single word. Silently, I stood in between the pair of siblings Xue Xi and Xue Huan. I intended to properly conceal myself from this point on. In the meantime, I could observe whether Wen Jianuo could assume the role as the “Captain of the Ice Spears.”

Once we reached the mansion, we finally found Chen Yanqing and the two others. Holding huge piles of things in their hands, the trio stood right in front of the gate. Their faces were pale. They looked restless and seemed like they wanted to leave, but they were surrounded by a group of civilians.

The people kept their eyes locked on the supplies in Chen Yanqing’s hands. They didn’t have to say anything. The greed glowing in their eyes exposed what they wanted to do.

“Those are the civilians that came with us.” Xue Xi gritted his teeth and said, “That fucking prick, it’s him again!”

“Who are you talking about?” I asked in a low voice.

“That guy in the glasses.” Xue Huan said in a composed manner as she observed the man in front of Chen Yanqing. “His surname is Wang. He claims to be a member of parliament. When we were fleeing from the aberrants, he was the most talkative one.”

Most talkative one? Although being talkative was normal for a member of parliament, that wasn’t a good characteristic to have when fleeing on the road with aberrants at their heels.

“Does he want to command the team?”

I’d met plenty of people like him in my past life. Back then, we didn’t have any soldiers among us. Most of us were just ordinary people. That was what we called “chaotic,” where no one wanted to listen to anyone else.

If someone with a good head on them managed to take control, that was good news; however, these types of people were often unable to seize control. Or I should say, they would never waste their energy on a power struggle. When things went awry, they would immediately bail.

Let’s consider the present. If the current me were in the midst of strangers, and these strangers had all sorts of conflicts, I would vanish in a flash. There wasn’t enough time for ditching these brainless teammates, much less fighting for power.

Xue Xi was somewhat perplexed and said, “Not that he wants to command the team, more like he always intervenes in dividing up the supplies or assigning people where to sleep. Some people were unhappy with poor assignments from him. They quarrel all day long.”

It suddenly dawned on me. A soldier’s combat ability was too high. This senator Wang obviously couldn’t openly command this group of soldiers. He himself probably didn’t dare to go after the commander’s power; after all, a single mistake would be equivalent to losing his neck. Commanding the troops obviously fell within a soldier’s expertise a whole lot more. Then, that meant that the only remaining “power” that was up for grabs would be the distribution of supplies.

“It would have been all right if he just had strong opinions, but what’s more was that he hadn’t wanted to come here at all. Saying something like Lan City can’t amount to Zhi Bei, the glorious capital. Rather than coming to Lan City, why not head toward Zhi Bei?”

Hah. Zhi Bei, is it? That place was an abyss. From the very beginning, everyone wanted to go to Zhi Bei, thinking that the capital would never fall. They had forgotten the fact that they had just escaped from a big city themselves and always skirted around cities while they fled, never having the guts to go near them.

Moreover, which city was more of a giant city than Zhi Bei? Population density in Zhi Bei ranked the highest in the country. With half of that becoming aberrants and the other half becoming food for their evolution, could it ever be the best place to go?

I was lost in my thoughts. Once we take over Lan City, we should find some time to go to Zhi Bei—No, no. We should head to Yu City in the south first.

Zhi Bei was just not a good place to go. Didn’t we see that even Thirteen, the aberrant king of Meisia, only occupied Lan City and not Zhi Bei?

Who knows? The things in Zhi Bei may be even scarier than the twelve elites. It was possible that it was just that no one had the means to tell us anything about what was going on inside.

In fact, if someone else could use this opportunity to head over and occupy Yu City, that would be amazing. This way, by conquering both major cities, human beings wouldn’t end up becoming an endangered species, right?

As for Zhi Bei, let’s not waste our energy. Letting others toss their lives into an abyss that even I myself don’t dare to step into isn’t something I could ever do.

“Ah Qing, what you are saying isn’t right!” Senator Wang disapproved then nagged, “You are soldiers. How could you not care about us ordinary people? Us, ordinary people, do not have enough to eat or wear. You don’t let us have anything even when we ask for some food and clothes. Do you want to watch us starve to death? Does this not needle your conscience?”

Chen Yanqing’s face darkened. But beside Senator Wang, it was all old people and weak children surrounding him, looking at him with anticipation. He was hardly able to spit any harsh words. He could only dryly say, “These supplies are for the Ice Spears. The Jiang Dominion is the one responsible in overseeing your supplies. They will not starve you to death.”

“They’re just a group of bandits who robbed us of all of our supplies. Why would they bother with looking after our lives…”

Senator Wang had only said a few things when he suddenly seemed to remember something, and his face paled. He didn’t dare to continue his appeal. Swiftly switching the topic, he continued to earnestly beg for the supplies.

“Oh, Ah Qing. You’re helping them fight the monsters. They would be embarrassed not to give you any supplies. Couldn’t you just leak some from between your fingers so that the elderly and the children have something to eat? Don’t tell me that you’re unwilling to do even this much?”

Chen Yanqing reddened with anger. But beside Senator Wang, there were just the old and the young. He didn’t dare blow a gasket.

Then at this moment, he looked up and saw us. He was thrilled. He wanted to squeeze through but was blocked. If his wall was made of men, it would have been fine. But it was made of the elderly, so he couldn’t just push them aside.

I rolled my eyes at him. This Ah Qing didn’t even know how to speak back to them. There was no way that these invincible, airheaded troops of mine would mistreat these people. Feeding them until they were stuffed was impossible, but feeding them until they weren’t hungry wasn’t a problem.

Wen Jianuo’s expression became frosty. As he strode over, his steps were very heavy, gradually attracting the attention of the crowd. At last, that Senator Wang finally noticed something was wrong. When he turned around and saw Wen Jianuo, half of his overbearing attitude disappeared. The aggressiveness he had toward Chen Yanqing was immediately gone.

“Senator Wang, are you dissatisfied with my soldiers again?” As soon as Wen Jianuo opened his mouth, that Senator Wang’s complexion stiffened but he had no choice but to put on a smile.

No wonder Ah Qing had pushed Ah Nuo to be the vice-captain. They really were not on the same level!

“How can that be! You’re wrongly accusing me!” Senator Wang cried with an aggrieved face. I felt goose bumps all over my body from the sight. If I hadn’t seen this Senator Wang assembling a group of elderly to stir up trouble, I would not have believed this creep was here to pick a quarrel with us.

Wen Jianuo crossed his arms across his chest and asked, “So explain yourself, why have you surrounded my men?”

Senator Wang responded immediately, “I’m just here to see if you soldiers have enough food and clothes.”

I whispered to Xue Xi, “What did Ah Nuo do to him for him to be this terrified?”

Xue Xi laughed. “He would always keep the good things to himself. The others would protest, which created a lot of trouble. On the spot, Ah Nuo ordered not to give him any supplies for three days. This guy didn’t dare to follow those who were scavenging for food either. He always hid in the midst of the elderly and weak, relying on the supplies we gave. Three days with no supplies from us meant starving for three days. Of course, he felt wronged and cursed to no end. Right then and there, Ah Nuo didn’t utter a single word and shot right next to his ear. He nearly went deaf. From then on, whenever he sees Ah Nuo, he becomes a mouse who’s seen a cat, terrified to death.”

I nodded my head to show my understanding. Although Ah Nuo was more ruthless than Ah Qing, they were soldiers after all. If it was my dàgē, that shot would not have been near the ear but right through the head.

“This is a bandit’s den!” Senator Wang complained, “You take our things upon arrival, then send over a tiny bit of stuff. You can’t even fill the gaps between our teeth with this amount! The days have become this cold, and they haven’t sent any blankets over. Robbing our supplies is the same as freezing us to death!”

This fucker. How many mercenaries do you think are in the troop? Since when was transporting 300 quilts necessary? Just go to the town and look for some yourselves! This buffoon most likely hasn’t taken a single step outside of a 100 meter radius from the mansion.

Wen Jianuo indifferently said, “We didn’t have much left to begin with. At most there were only two or three days’ worth left. It has long passed that time period. If you had more than that, then let me ask you this. Did you secretly stash some away?”

Senator Wang’s face immediately changed. He hastily said, “Of… of course not!”

Wen Jianuo ignored him and looked around at the elderly, women, and children. Those people lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

“When we joined the Jiang Dominion, we pledged to obey all orders from the leader. If he wants to kick people out, we will have no say. You can continue making trouble, though you probably won’t get kicked out.”

Wen Jianuo said it in such an illogical way. The first part didn’t match up with the latter. Many people were puzzled and snuck glances at him.

“The leader will not let anyone to leave with hatred in their hearts. It’s simple to kill people in this world. If the leader were as soft-hearted as we are, I would never have brought my people to join in the first place.”

Won’t allow anyone with hatred in their hearts to leave? The crowd seemed to be stupidly confused. Then, at this moment, Chen Yanqing muttered, “Just last time, the leader kicked a guy who wanted to rob other people of their supplies. That guy is still confined to his bed to this day, unable to get up. If it wasn’t for his mother looking after him, he probably would have rotted in bed! It was so terrifying! How can you still dare to stir trouble again? Are you betting on your elderly age? I never saw the leader ever show an ounce of respect to the elders or the weak.”

The crowd turned pale. Finally, they regretted listening to Senator Wang’s provocation. Each glared at him and pleaded with Chen Yanqing.

“Sir, you don’t have to fuss over us. We are old, and our brains have become muddled. We let some person say a couple words and make a fool out of us. We are so stupid! We deserve to be beaten!”

An old man began to slap himself, and those two slaps were even pretty loud. I wonder if I’m seeing things or something. Did he just glance at me?

Chen Yanqing impatiently said, “Elder Li, there’s no need to hit so hard.”

“I ought to do this, I really should. Who told me to be this stupid?” The old man bent his hunched back as he bemoaned this. Seeing that he was so amendable and flexible, he didn’t seem like he could be easily fooled.

Wen Jianuo sneered, “You are not a fool. It’s just that your family consists of a pair of shitheads. If you continue to coddle them, something is bound to happen sooner or later. Nowadays, a single incident can lead to death. Your crying and pleading will be useless then.”

After listening to this, Elder Li’s face fell. He could barely pull a smile together and said, “Right. Right. I’ll make sure to whip them in shape right when I go back!”

Xue Xi whispered in my ears, “His son and daughter are both thirty something, and there is even a five-year-old grandson. Both children are lazier than pigs. They would even cry about how heavy and tiring coming over to get their food is. Outside of times when we’re distributing food, I hardly ever see them. They make Elder Li come to get the supplies by himself, and he would do it so his son and daughter would have supplies. It’s preposterous! If I had given birth to this pair of jackasses, I’d send them out and leave them to be eaten by aberrants! However, Elder Li is not entirely faultless. He had his children late and developed a habit of babying his children to no end. He’s reaping what he sowed.”

I watched Elder Li, who indeed fit the word “elder” to the tee. Each strand of his hair had turned gray. He looked at least seventy years old. Seeing such an old man come over to help, just so he could receive an extra portion of supplies, meant that the soldiers likely wouldn’t have given him hard labor. It was no wonder he had attracted so much attention, when it was impossible for the soldiers to remember everyone.

After all, the soldiers had brought at least two hundred civilians with them, and they had been busy escaping for their lives. Only people like Senator Wang who kept stirring up trouble were more memorable.

“Also, sir, could you get me to a different house?” Elder Li sighed, “The house that I was assigned to is so far. I come here to collect supplies every day. My legs can’t stand it anymore!”

I almost laughed out loud. Just a moment ago, didn’t he say he would get his children off their lazy asses? Why not have them come and get the supplies on their own? For the Jiang Dominion to assign them to a faraway house, it must mean that they have capable people in their household. Yet in the end, this family sent the elderly to transport their supplies.

What’s more, assigning residences to three hundred people meant at most using up two or three roads. How far could that be? That distance did not amount to any difference. How could you become exhausted just by moving a day’s worth of food?

Probably, the real reason was insecurity from being too far from the mansion. Everyone wanted to be as close to the mansion as possible to feel secure. They would love to be able to turn and run into the mansion if an aberrant were to show up.

The others rushed in to join, “The house that I was assigned is too far as well. I saw that there are clearly empty houses that are closer. Why don’t you give them to us?”

Really? I thought for a bit and understood. Those were for future personnel. If all the closer ones were occupied and some capable person were to join in the future but wasn’t qualified enough to live in the mansion, it wasn’t like we could have them live on the outskirts. Don’t tell me they would have to drive here whenever we had a meeting?

I maintained my silence. Up until now, there were quite a few stealing looks at my way. There was amazement in their eyes, but their gaze was mostly focused on the uniform that I was wearing, especially the Jiang Dominion’s emblem.

“Sir, just do me this favor, please?” Elder Li expectantly looked at Wen Jianuo.

This Elder Li’s method was a bit smarter than Senator Wang’s. Despite his old age, he still openly used “sir” with deference, which constantly reminded the soldiers of their positions. Compared to Senator Wang’s straightforward way of saying “you are all soldiers,” his way was a lot more subtle. Even Ah Nuo couldn’t curse him out. Sure enough, this old man had his tricks.

Wen Jianuo retorted, “I’m not responsible for this matter. If you have any issues, bring it up with the people in charge of making assignments.”

“Then, what are you responsible for?” Elder Li asked curiously.

Wen Jianuo indifferently said, “As you mentioned, we are soldiers. What else can we be responsible for? We either stay behind to protect or we enter the city to search for supplies. Otherwise, how could there still be security and supplies for hundreds of people?”

Wen Jianuo refused to play into Elder Li’s hands. Elder Li had no cards left. He then looked at me and started piling on the praise. “This young man has such a handsome profile!”

You don’t have to mention it. I know I’m handsome. Plus, for an old man of seventy, I bet my Jiang Dominion uniform is more attractive than my face.

“How come I have never seen you before? How have you come to be following Sir Wen?”

I looked at Elder Li innocently, without uttering a single word. Let’s see how he makes use of this situation!

It was a pity that I miscalculated how utterly thick the skin on his face was. He actually forced his way forward and seemed like he wanted to touch my head. “This child. You are so pleasing to the eye…”

Immediately, I hid behind Xue Huan. Although she was a tough gal with a frozen face, she was still a girl after all. Elder Li couldn’t easily force his way past her to touch me.

By now, most of the crowd had noticed me, especially Senator Wang. Their eyes lit up. One by one, they tried to edge closer. This was like returning home during Chinese New Year and being surrounded by a group of elders. The next second would most likely have “Are you married yet? Where are you working? How much is your salary? Do you have a car? Have you bought a house yet?” rushing my way.

So scary! I rather go up against an aberrant. That’s a lot simpler to deal with than this.

Contrary to the indifferent tone earlier, Wen Jianuo sternly said, “Don’t touch him or you will face consequences!”

Elder Li startled. He hesitantly took a few steps back. He said, “Wha…what’s wrong? I was just concerned about this young man.”

He looked at me. The eyes of this old man were filled with panic. He shivered.

If this was all an act, I should cherish the opportunity to study from him.

“Why are you scaring this old man? He didn’t even do anything. He just asked a couple of questions. This young man didn’t even say a word in response, yet you’re yelling at the old guy. What has this world become? Sigh…”

The old people and women around us murmured in disapproval, or maybe they were thinking of their own situation. Their faces were gloomy as they empathized with their comrade in distress.

I suddenly felt a huge headache. Normally, respecting elders was not a big deal, but I knew that the elderly party was trying to climb ladders upon seeing my uniform. I didn’t want any trouble. The other party was, after all, too old to fight. I couldn’t beat him up or chase him away either. Getting latched onto like this was troublesome.

At this time, someone mocked, “Is that person royalty or something? Just asking after him warrants a scolding?”

Wen Jianuo scrunched his brows. He couldn’t answer to that.

Right this moment, my eyes lit up. I waved my hands and shouted, “Cain-gē!”

Not far away, Cain stopped. The corners of his mouth twitched. Then the next second, he recovered his arrogant manner. He was full of confidence, and it was probably because of his utmost confidence as he led the soldiers behind him over that he appeared even more imposing than Wen Jianuo.

As he led the group over, he shouted, “What are you doing? Surrounding my boss’s baby brother, do each and every one of you not want to live any longer?”

Shit! You just exposed my identity right off the bat! I can practically see my fate of getting surrounded by elders like it’s New Year. Still, even though I kind of want to beat him up, it’s not like I can hide my identity for long anyway. I’ll let Cain off this time.

Cain surveyed the crowd of old and young. He didn’t have any intent to show respect for the elderly. Instead, he sneered at them, then walked right in front of me and asked, “Xiao Yu, are these people bullying you?”

Pondering, I showed a timid expression. Neither nodding nor shaking my head, I hid further behind Xue Huan.

To be honest, Huanhuan, your back is so straight and stiff. Are you sure your vertebrae aren’t fused together?

Cain snorted vehemently. He may have been chuckling, but you could see his burning rage. He turned around. His smile vanished completely. He looked on as if the old and the weak were corpses in his eyes. That pair of eyes drowned in murderous intent, making me feel that this Cain was a stranger. He didn’t need to put on an act to pull off such a terrifying face!

“Now you’ve done it. Our leader’s precious treasures are his younger brother and sister. You touch them, you die! I commend your guts. You just arrived not too long ago, and you dared to provoke Shuyu already. Bloody hell! Don’t you guys know that I’m the one who stayed behind this time? If the boss finds out that his little brother was wronged, do you think I’d be left off the hook?”

Dead silence fell upon the scene. No one dared to speak. Cain glared at Wen Jianuo and yelled, “What are you doing? The leader told you to protect Shuyu so nothing can touch a single hair on his body! Is this the way you’re gonna protect him? Letting him get surrounded by so many people? Shuyu is timid. Don’t you know that?”

Probably, the entire Ice Spears didn’t know that.

And Cain, you finally learned how to use the “a single hair” idiom!

Wen Jianuo’s complexion changed. His lips tightened and he bowed his head. He admitted, “It is my mistake.”

Cain sneered. He raised both hands. Two pillars of fire rose from the ground as high as a whole story, one to Wen Jianuo’s left and one to his right, no more than fifty centimeters away from him. Even I could feel the sudden rise in temperature although I stood this far away. Fortunately, the flames only existed for an instant. If they lasted any longer, they could have roasted my captain without even touching him.

Cain pointed right at Wen Jianuo’s nose and warned, “If this happens again, you can just go and die! You can’t even handle a group of old fogeys. How can I expect you to protect Shuyu from aberrants? Useless things shouldn’t be kept alive and waste supplies!”

His face burned from the heat. Wen Jianuo gritted his teeth and said, “Yes, sir!”

Although Cain only threatened Wen Jianuo, it was obvious that he was making this into an example. Everyone else was so frightened that they were deathly pale.

The way Cain threatened Wen Jianuo had its benefits. In the future, even if Wen Jianuo turned a blind eye to his closest relatives, he would have an excuse. If he didn’t protect me well, he would be dead meat. Who cared if the person in front of him was ninety or a hundred years old? No matter who he trampled into the ground, no one would blame him for disrespecting the elderly anymore.

I bet no elders will surround me in the future. Though now, I’m worried that Wen Jianuo will misinterpret Cain’s good intentions, taking this threat seriously and will stay upset with Cain.

Then again, I’d been watching Wen Jianuo’s reaction since the beginning, and he wasn’t behaving like usual. He seemed to be playing along.

It seemed like there were Oscar-winning actors all around me. The pressure was on. In comparison, I was just some extra. Can I even fulfill the role of a weak and cowardly pretty boy?

Cain looked at the group of seniors again. Then, he put his hands on his waist and berated, “Each and every one of you did not go to get work but came here to surround the leader’s little brother. Are you dissatisfied with the Jiang Dominion or what?”

Bearing the brunt, Elder Li immediately responded, “We’re here to receive work. We saw how beautiful this young man looks and just wanted to say hello.”

Cain sneered, “In this world, curiosity kills people.”

Elder Li repeatedly answered “Yessir.” He didn’t dare to say any more than that.

In this age, nice people sure get taken advantage of. Senator Wang dared to provoke Chen Yanqing but did not dare to face Wen Jianuo. Elder Li puts on a soft front, and even Wen Jianuo could not beat him, but he couldn’t do anything to Cain. Then again, Cain was my brother’s subordinate. In short, Dàgē is the peak!

With such a mighty Dàgē, what more could a dìdi ask for? I was so giddy that I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from curling up. Fortunately, Xue Huan’s back was blocking me, and it was a good thing that this girl’s back was so wide.

The gate of the mansion suddenly opened. A group of people walked out. Among them, there was a familiar face, Tai Wen. He saw the people crowding in front of the gate. At first, he stood there, taken aback. Then, he surveyed the group of elders. His expression relaxed. I guessed it was because none of his people were among them.

He saluted Cain and said, “Lily had me come look for you and ask you to come with us to the central region of the town. She said that I’m responsible for collecting supplies and that you should do a sweep in the area again to avoid anything slipping through the net.”

Cain rolled his eyes at him. He impatiently responded, “Sweeping over and over again. Even ants would have been swept away!”

Tai Wen chuckled. “It’s better to be careful. Nowadays, even ants could injure people.”

Cain said in a strange tone, “If we’re even afraid of confronting ants, I think I should go meet God as soon as possible. This earth is way too dangerous!”

The elders did not dare to even squeak. One by one, they dispersed as quickly as a young person.

Tai Wen watched the departing figures of the group of elderly. He frowned and said, “This new group of civilians is terrible. Some of the younger ones just stay in the house all day long. The old ones actually come out to work more, but most of them don’t do much and they complain a whole lot more. I heard that they too had to run for their lives to make it here, right? It’s really hard to believe they were able to make it this far with that kind of attitude.”

I looked at Wen Jianuo. Sure enough, he was a bit flustered. The people that he had brought with him were different from Tai Wen’s group who could support themselves. Wen Jianuo’s group had been protected by soldiers with guns while Tai Wen’s group were just civilians with no guns yet had escaped from the city on top of that, despite the old, young, and injured they had with them. How could their temperament be the same?

Cain shrugged and said, “Boss said to observe them for a while, something about how you have to wait for the waves to recede before you can figure out who isn’t wearing pants.”

The meaning suddenly dawned on Tai Wen. He nodded and smiled. “That’s true. But what are we supposed to do with those who aren’t wearing pants?”

Cain shrugged. “How would I know? Wait for the boss to get back.”

It didn’t matter whether Cain knew or not. Tai Wen and the others stood in the midst of this sea, too, awaiting observation. How we were going to deal with them wasn’t something we should tell them beforehand. Cain looked foolish, but he didn’t mess up the important things.

“Let’s go!” Cain turned his head at me and shouted, “Shuyu, are you using these people? If not, we might as well have them come with me to sweep the town. The faster we can finish, the faster we can come back for dinner.”

“Xiao Yu, you’re here as well?” Only then did Tai Wen realize I was present. He sighed. “You still like to hide behind others, just a different person this time. Then again, your boyfriend did head into the city. Don’t tell me that this time it’s… your bestie?”

Bestie my ass! Has Guan Weijun not told you yet? Xiao Sha isn’t my boyfriend! You made Xue Huan’s stiff posture even worse!

I walked out from behind Xue Huan. I scrunched my face and said, “Xiao Sha isn’t my boyfriend. That was pretend so that we could talk in close proximity more easily!”

Tai Wen just said, “Really?” He totally didn’t believe me. Fuck, don’t tell me even Guan Weijun is actually not convinced?

I held my forehead. I don’t know why the whole world wants to shove Xiao Sha at me. Did you guys even ask Xiao Sha himself? He currently looks at me with the same gaze he uses on my big brother: full of admiration.

Tai Wen asked curiously, “Shuyu, you brought so many people over here. Is there something going on here?”

As I was about to open my mouth, Wen Jianuo took a big step forward and said, “A couple of my men hadn’t come back after coming here for supplies. I speculated that something must have been up and came over to look at the situation.”

Tai Wen’s attention was immediately pulled away by Wen Jianuo. “And you are?”

Wen Jianuo introduced himself, “I’m Wen Jianuo, the captain of the newly formed Ice Spears.”

Tai Wen also greeted him very warmly, “My name is Tai Wen. I arrived not long ago, so please give me your guidance.”

Wen Jianuo nodded, then said chivalrously, “I don’t have anything to teach you, but if you need help with anything, just say it. We’re a group of soldiers. We don’t have anything but strength.”

Hearing this, Tai Wen’s eyes flickered. He smiled. “No wonder you have such an intimidating presence. We are all just civilians and don’t have much strength.”

Really? Just who blew up the gas station then?

“But we can do some small things. If you have any clothes that need mending, water pipes or electric cables that need fixing, or just cleaning, come find us.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Jianuo nodded. “These things are just as vital. Rest assured, we won’t let you people work for nothing. How about using food supplies as barter?”

“Of course, there’s no problem.”

Tai Wen smiled warmly and amiably, but the way I see it, he was a fox through and through. Luckily, Wen Jianuo looked like a rough dude, but on the inside, he was just as much of a fox as Tai Wen!

The two had such a strong presence of mind. They definitely won’t be weak in the future. I was actually a bit worried about that, but then I recalled Dàgē’s words—he didn’t want stupid people, only talented ones. The two in front of me definitely fit that requirement well.

Cain interrupted impatiently, “Enough, enough. Stop with the chitchat already. If Lily sees you guys being so idle, she’ll rush out and stab you. Don’t blame me for not warning you. Come on, let’s go patrol!”

Patrol, huh. I didn’t feel like going. I was trying to think of an excuse to head back to my room and play with Xiaorong when suddenly, lightning flashed before my eyes. I blinked. I thought I was seeing things, but another flash came, as if we were surrounded by spotlights.

“Over there. There’s lightning!” Someone cried out.

I turned my head to look. Lan City was in that direction. Between the buildings, bolts of lightning struck one after another.

The lightning bolts shot up from the ground as opposed to the lightning that usually came down from the sky. This shocked everyone. My mind blanked from shock.

“Shujun?”