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By the time we brought in the new batch of survivors, which came out to about 200 hundred or so, it was already night. It was also at this time that I got a notification on my electronic AI about another video call from aunty Xinqing -I had just taken my first bite of dinner too…

Even without answering, I could already tell that this call would have something to do with Zuoqiu Xinqing. As expected, I was immediately bombarded by aunty Xinqing half-screaming at me through the holographic display once it turned on.

“Ke! Big news! The whole Gaia is ablaze right now!” Her hands flailed about in a display of unfettered excitement. “That video you sent me this afternoon exploded on the web like a nuke! Committee Member Li’s ship has already sunk, and the other malefactors aboard his ship weren’t spared either… I even heard that the committee member got invited to have a friendly chat with some investigators. That dishonest merchant, Xue Guode… apparently he put on some weight to avoid being recognised, but too bad for him, even an insignificant person like him got tracked down by the investigators…”

Aunty Xinqing continued on like a machine gun, finally pulling out a couple of screenshots for me to peruse. “Ke, look, here are some of the comments from watching Zuoqiu Shanming getting beaten up… I knew it would blow up, but not this much!”

The picture showed an entire hornet’s nest worth of comments flying across the screen. If one did not turn off the comments, nothing could be seen underneath at all. It just so happened that these comments were what I was actually here for.

“All I can say is that I deeply sympathise, and am greatly angered at the same time, by Zuoqiu Shanming’s treatment. Not only did they kill him, they even stuffed him in a food processor… how do you expect me to eat my minced meat buns in the future?!”

“You can’t un-see that! Geez!”

“How cruel, why won’t these bad people just die!?”

“I feel that reporter was asking for it. This clearly wasn’t his fight, and yet he had to stick his nose into it. Well, look at him now: dead.”

“Ah, that person who said Zuoqiu Shanming deserved it was my son. I’m sorry for letting him out of his cage by accident. I should have chained his legs to prevent him from biting others.”

“Oh, he’s your son? Well, why don’t you stuff him into a meat processor? What are you still raising such a stupid son for? To show off at New Year’s?”

“Thumbs up for the food processor.”

“Food processor +2.”

“+10086!”

“Bring that evildoer to justice! Make sure to go through every scrap of his finances!”

“A moment of silence for our hero!”

The comments were mostly in support of the poor reporter, and even if there were commenters who were paid off by the committee member, they were quickly drowned out by a wave of support.

And this wave of support wasn’t going away till the man got his just desserts!

“Li was one of the candidates for chairman. I’m sure even the aliens have their eyes on this case. If mishandled, this might end up being the stick they were looking for to club the Federation.”

If I was being honest right now, exposing that scoundrel Li right now probably wasn’t a great idea, if the goal was avoid having the Federation look bad. After all, Southern Plains just had an actual zombie apocalypse, that’s another stick as well.

Now, there was another scandal involving its most popular chairman candidate turning out to be an accomplice to murder, and arms trafficking…

Regardless, this rogue committee member’s misbehavior was now a matter that affected the entire planet, and not just the council!

And while we were being honest, releasing this video was definitely detrimental to aunty Xinqing. On the surface, she was the upstanding whistleblower… but those connected to Li Shengjin were all the elite of Gaia. Most would have some dirty dealings with the man, and his exposure would undoubtedly implicate them as well. Pull out the carrot, pull out the soil as well. These shady figures would have to protect Li Shengjin, at the very least, for their own self-preservation. Being the culprit for all this, aunty Xinqing was a prime target.

Had it not been for the video blowing up so spectacularly, Li Shengjin would have actually gotten away with it. Unfortunately for him, we acted quickly by just releasing the video to the web.

However, this act could also be seen as detrimental to the council as well. After all, if someone as prominent as Li Shengjin was involved in murder and arms trafficking, how dirty would the entire Federation have to be?

But that wasn’t a question we had to worry about. Our actions weren’t completely a negative either. At the very least, there were some higher-ups in the army who expressed their gratitude to us. Li Shengjin’s trafficking was a threat against their very well-being after all.

With their help, aunty Xinqing was probably going to be fine.

Before ending the video call, aunty Xinqing left behind a mysterious note, telling me to look out for good news in the future. A little puzzled, I closed the video feed and picked up my chopsticks. Yet the moment I did so, a notification from the general rudely interrupted me.

I guess dinner will have to wait…

The holographic display popped up once more, nearly blinding me with a flash from the general’s sparkly bald head. As always, he had on that silly grin.

Because of that whole fiasco with the weapons factory, my impression of him couldn’t be any worse. He himself knew that his little slip up ended up being unpleasant for me. Thanks to that, he was even sillier than usual as he fumbled with an apology, nearly causing me to chortle in the process.

By that point, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry. I wasn’t even that angry to begin with, seeing as he was the reason I stumbled into Zuoqiu Shanming. The fact that we managed to give the poor reporter some comfort, and take out an evildoer in the process, was to be celebrated.

His reason for contacting me was simple: thanks to my exemplary performance, the military was making an exemption by granting me the rank of Colonel, and a medal of bravery.

The rank was immediate, but the medal was… Well, they couldn’t just mail it to me now. In other words, I had to wait till later to receive the commendation and attend a ceremony.

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

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Roughly ten seconds later, the lights disappeared entirely. I could feel the SP around me rise, but only ever so slightly. A mere second later, it vanished, as if those lights never existed.

Zuoqiu Shanming’s soul had vanished, scattered to the winds, as some would say… And how easygoing can that fellow get? I thought he would at least wait till I got revenge for him before leaving…

Meh. Time to put aside that reporter for now. I can just send the video evidence to aunty Xinqing when I have more time. Once that’s done, that committee member is doomed.

Now was a rather extraordinary time for Southern Plains; the entire world’s eyes, and perhaps a few other planets as well, were focused on this single city. As long as I released that video to the public, that scoundrel Li would find himself hard-pressed to cover up such a scandal.

Even if the other committee members did not wish to blow this matter up, the other planets would be more than happy to use this opportunity to weaken the Federation’s position. Regardless of whether it was for their own interests or the planet’s, those fat cats on the committee had to kick out this scoundrel.

With that little saga over and done with, I led Lixiang and Floater on another search throughout the warehouse of the factory. We ended up finding quite a few useful materials in the end.

Our next task was to find a more reliable base to house the survivors. The defensive systems itself weren’t an issue, seeing as the system just unlocked a new trump card for me.

The system underwent its usual routine maintenance, then, as expected, new, foreign products were introduced to the Marketplace. Of note was a 50000 point item that could guard against any monster invasion -perfect for building a base.

Bastion Crystal:
With this bastion crystal as the core, a single region could be designated as a protected zone. Within this area, any attack under Nine-star will be nullified.

Pricy, to be sure, but since it could be employed multiple times, this was definitely a bargain.

While points might be hard to earn, Southern Plains, as it was now, was a heaven for point farming… Sorry, dead people of the city, but it’s true… For my current self, 50000 wasn’t that tall of an order anymore. Just strengthening one of the girls’ bloodlines would set me back 100000.

Points? They aren’t even an issue for your big brother over here.

Now that the underground factory was swept clean, I summoned my inferno lioness to burn that food processor down to ashes, after which I had them buried.

Even though his ghost was no longer present, which made this series of actions rather unnecessary, but I still wished for his remains to at least receive some measure of dignity. Even if the result was austere, at best…

Having done all that, I was now ready to contact aunty Xinqing.

“Yo~ Ke, my dearest, what news do you have for me today? It hasn’t been that long since you last contacted your aunty, do you miss her that much already?”

The moment the holographic screen popped up, the bubbly figure of my aunty Xinqing stood ready to tease me. Although, using bubbly to describe a middle-aged lady like her seemed odd…

“Aunty Xinqing, we’ve reached the factory General Rodenas told us about. Like he said, it’s abandoned, and common sense would dictate that abandoned factories would be empty, am I right?”

“Ahaha, so it’s empty then? Sorry about that, Ke, you had to make a trip for nothing… Don’t worry, someone is going to pay for this transgression. Anyway, it’s General Rodenas who suggested that you visit the factory, Ke. If you have any complaints, you should take it up with the general. I’m sure he would be more than happy to entertain you. After all, the general is no match for our Ke’s beauty.”

“Aunty… enough with the teasing… let’s get back to business for a second… The factory wasn’t completely empty…” My face immediately darkened at the thought of Zuoqiu Shanming’s tragedy. “Or maybe it would have been better if the factory was empty…”

Realising that my expression had turned grim, aunty Xinqing reined in her usual flippant attitude as well. “What happened on your side, Ke?”

My knuckles turned white from clenching. “Something very serious… Aunty, I’m sure you’ve heard of Zuoqiu Shanming.”

“Zuoqiu Shanming? Is that some celebrity?” Being a professional shut-in, as known as a researcher, aunty Xinqing did not seem to know of the reporter. Thus, she had to pull up the data herself to have a quick look. “Zuoqiu Shanming… reporter for the FBS, reported missing five years ago… Ke, are you referring to this person?”

“Yup, that’s him. He didn’t actually go missing at all.” My eyes narrowed. “He was murdered.”

“Murdered? Who was it?”

“The details are in the video I’m sending to you, all the answers are in there as well.” I tapped on the screen to upload the video to her, then continued, “Once you’re done watching the video, I hope that you can upload the video to the web. I’m sure there will be opposition, but I want the story of Zuoqiu Shanming to be known to the world.”

“Oh? Seems like this Zuoqiu Shanming person offended someone powerful.”

“Quite powerful, he’s the most popular running candidate for Chairman.” I looked at the holographic image of aunty Xinqing with concern. “If this video is released, he should be finished… right? I mean, he won’t try anything crazy in a fit of desperation?”

“It will be fine!” Aunty Xinqing, however, did not seem to share my apprehension. I could practically hear her leaping for joy on my end as she said, “Who would’ve thought that it would be a scandal regarding Committee Member Li. Good, I’m sure this video would cause an uproar in the public. This is a great gain for our bureau’s reputation!”

“You have no idea how tense things have been at the bureau, what with the eyes of the entire world on us. Everyone is scared stiff of making a single mistake. Well, now we have Committee Member Li to share the burden with us. Let alone stop it, I want him to suffer more. And besides, our bureau is definitely in a safe spot right now. Even if that worm wants to do anything, he can’t…”

“On that front, you don’t have to worry, aunty Xinqing. There’s more than enough evidence to convict him.” Had it not been for society harping on proof and all that nonsense, I would have already sliced the scumbag into eight pieces.

Naturally, that was just an expression. Not to be taken literally. I couldn’t even fly out of Southern Plains right now. Until the safety of the girls had been confirmed, there was no way I would ever take the risk of abandoning them to danger!

Now that I was done reporting to aunty Xinqing, it was time for us to return to the surface. Our mission was over, and what was left was to escort the survivors to the hot springs inn.

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

Leave a comment

I never would have figured Zuoqiu Shanming to be the kind of guy who cracked a lot of jokes, especially how he seemed fond of using his own death to do so.

“You shouldn’t make light of your own death, and you know what I’m trying to say.”

“Okay, okay. But I really don’t remember, I just woke up in this state.”

Unsure of whether or not he was trying to be coy again, I got a little irate. “What I’m trying to ask is, how did you end up as a ghost…”

“I don’t know that either, I just woke up in this state… Are you telling me it’s not the norm to turn into a ghost when you die?” Zuoqiu Shanming replied in an unsure tone.

“Well, if you take into account of Southern Plains’s current situation, turning into a ghost is the norm.” At that point, I decided that regardless of whether or not the man was being serious, there were some matters that had to be said. “But you’ve already been dead for five years. And five years ago, it’s not common for ghosts to appear like that. And just because there are ghosts appearing in Southern Plains now, doesn’t mean the same phenomenon is happening in other parts of Gaia.”

“Five years…ago? I’ve been dead for five years?” Zuoqiu Shanming’s voice turned a little shrill as he forced those words out.

“That’s right, you’ve been dead for five years, or at least that’s what the information I’ve been given says.”

“Five years… five years, and it only felt like an instant for me…” Zuoqiu Shanming murmured despondently. “Then what has happened to Xue Guode? And Committee Member Li… I wish to know what has happened to him.”

“I’m not sure about Xue Guode, but if it’s about Committee Member Li… he seems to be making preparations to become the chairman of the Federation Council.” I opened up a holographic screen. Within was a mature but handsome looking man, black-haired with a short and neat hairstyle, along with a well-pressed tuxedo. “I’m assuming the committee member you are referring to is Li Shengjin.”

“That’s right, that’s him! I would recognise him even if he turned to ashes!” Faced with a photo of his nemesis, I could even feel the rage emanating from him, despite not seeing his face at all. “What is a b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ like him running for chairman for?! How could he be so shameless?!”

I’m sure the man has a skin thicker than a brick wall…

Li Shengjin was the most popular candidate for the next chairman, and from the looks of things, he probably spent a great deal of money to achieve this. So where did his money come from? Apparently, through some very shady means…

But Zuoqiu Shanming wasn’t the only one angered and devastated by this news. Even a bystander like me was shocked by this revelation. Putting aside the murder of a reporter, the fact that someone so unscrupulous could even have a chance of becoming chairman was just chilling. Who knows what would happen to the Federation if a reprobate like him ever became the leader.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to pass on these documents to the relevant department, I’m sure Committee Member Li won’t be smiling for very long.”

“But that scoundrel Li has a wide network of contacts, you can’t touch him. Even the military isn’t safe from his tendrils.”

“It’s all right, I have my own ways. I’m sure Li Shengjin can’t touch me, as well-connected as he might be. Besides, I can just leak all the evidence onto the web, I doubt even his vast resources are vast enough to cover that up, once it blows up.”

“In that case, I’m relieved… While you’re at it, could you take care of Xue Guode as well?”

“Okay, I promise he won’t get away scot-free. Assuming he’s still alive.”

I solemnly swore to the poor food processor, and this was no empty oath either. After all, even if nothing worked out, everything I’ve seen today had all been recorded. As long as I passed this on to aunty Xinqing, there was no way that scumbag could get away unscathed.

Yes… so what if the masses are easily lied to? Not on my watch! Once this video gets exposed, those two dogs aren’t going anywhere.

“Other than that, do you have anything else I can help you with?”

I was just as sincere when I made that offer. For a brave man like Zuoqiu Shanming, I was more than happy to help him any way I could.

“No, that’s enough. As long as I have lady Mo Ke’s assurance, I’m satisfied.”

Hmm? Why does it sound like he’s leaving his last words behind?

Honestly, I was still shocked at how clean his soul was after that horrific torture he went through.. The fact that he hadn’t turned into a vengeful wraith was astonishing.

“Then… Do you have anyone you wish to see? Or perhaps some unfulfilled desire?”

“None.” He answered without hesitation. “My parents died when I was young, so I have no kin to speak of. And I know myself, there’s no way I can give up on the pursuit of justice. That’s why I chose not to find a partner either… Now that I’ve mentioned it, it’s kinda pitiful that I haven’t dated a girl in all my years, nor have I even held a girl’s hand.”

“Not even a girlfriend?”

According to his data, he would be 35 years old at the time of his death. Now if we were to add in his years as a food processor ghost… he definitely qualified for a job change from Wizard to Sage…

But why do I feel this strange sense of kinship with him? And what is this faint sadness I feel in myself?

Hold on here, I’m still 16! I may not have done it yet, but I have at least had experience with being forced to sign an engagement with another girl! She might be a little too young for me to lay my hands on her, and also because I can’t get it up myself… but still! Why must I feel like I’m in the same boat as this virgin food processor!

Zuoqiu Shanming seemed to have picked up on my sadness as well. And true to his character, he couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t tell me lady Mo Ke hasn’t had a boyfriend yet? What a coincidence. How about I be lady Mo Ke’s boyfriend?”

“HUH?!”

“Absolutely not!” Before I could even recover from my shock, Lixiang had already answered for me. In fact, she barely held herself back from tossing a talisman his way, right there and then.
“Lowly ghost, how dare you set your filthy eyes on his Highness! Unforgivable!”

“Hahaha, I was just joking… Don’t worry, I’ll make my exit now…” As he said that, motes of light started rising out of the food processor. And as the crystalline particles of light grew in number, his voice grew noticeably weaker. Finally, I could make out his last words.

“A dead person shouldn’t worry so much… Am I right… That’s what being dead means… But a wonderful girl like lady Mo Ke… if only I was still alive, I would court you to the ends of the earth… pity… such a pity… how good it must be to be alive… work hard… and live well…”

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

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The video ended at that point, bringing to a close a sordid tale of betrayal and murder…

“Now do you remember something?” I turned to the giant food processor and said.

“Is that me… the person who got burned…” The voice quivered in disbelief. “How did I end up like this then?”

“How you ended up like that, huh…”

I don’t really have an answer to that, do I? Other than the fact that you got stuffed into a giant food processor, of course…

“This one has dug up some information on this Zuoqiu Shanming. Your Highness, would you like to have a look?” Lixiang dragged before me a 20 inch holographic screen, her pearly white fingers tapping on the upper left corner as she said, “This is his background, below that is information about his disappearance, along with some of the comments and ridicule from his detractors…”

I briefly scanned through the information, gaining a rough idea of what kind of man he was.

Zuoqiu Shanming was undoubtedly a man of righteousness. He had exposed multiple evildoers, rescuing countless people in the process. Because of that, he also offended a great deal of underworld figures, and people who were less than scrupulous with their means.

Naturally, that fellow within the video, known as Xue Guode, was one of those less than scrupulous people. He had bribed a bunch of officials into allowing a batch of unhygienic meat into the market, poisoning thousands of people, of which thirteen never recovered.

After this incident came to light, he thought he could buy his way out of the problem through his connections, yet who would have thought that Zuoqiu Shanming managed to obtain proof of his bribery and even exposed it to the world…

Xue Guode was only one of Zuoqiu Shanming’s many triumphs. There countless other shady businessmen and corrupt officials brought down by the man.

This was precisely why it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had enemies in every city on Gaia. There was not a day that went by that these evildoers did not wish to rub him out.

Yet he had also built up a great deal of popularity in his fight against the darkness of society. But he did not let his newfound fame get to his head, doubling down instead on his efforts to root out evil.

This continued till a few years back when he received a certain tip about an illegal arms dealer colluding with some high-ranking official in the Federation. He immediately set about investigating the matter and… the rest was history.

Many people viewed him as a hero to be admired, but just as many people viewed him as foolish. When news spread about his disappearance, a great number of commenters were more than happy to make fun of the man for overestimating his own abilities, for trying to reach for the sun. That was just how society was, jaded and numbed to the darkness permeating within it.

Those b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲! I’m getting angry just looking at those comments myself! What are you even doing, making fun of the guy who tried to help you! Geez, you would think those evildoers paid them off…

I took a deep breath, calmed myself down, then asked, “So your name is Zuoqiu Shanming?”

“I guess so…” He hesitated for a second. But a mere moment later, his voice rose in elation. “That’s right, I’m Zuoqiu Shanming! I remember now!”

“Greetings, mister Zuoqiu, my name is Mo Ke.”

“And to you, too, lady Mo Ke. I’m Zuoqiu Shanming, a reporter… or at least, I used to be.”

Zuoqiu Shanming’s spirit seemed to have gained back some of its clarity, now that its memory was returning.

Why did he call me “lady”, though? I only told him my name, so why is he assuming my gender?

“Ermm… I’m a guy, so please don’t call me lady. I don’t like it when someone mixes up my gender.”

“A guy? Impossible.” The spirit of Zuoqiu Shanming flatly stated. “I can clearly see lady Mo Ke’s soul, and that soul is definitely that of a girl’s.”

“And how do you even differentiate between two, aren’t you just a spirit?!”

I will admit, I’m starting to lose my mind a little, right now. I get it if a bunch of commoners aren’t able to see past my appearance with their mortal eyes, but why is a ghost mistaking my gender as well?”

“Distinguishing the gender of a soul is very simple: you look at the aura.” Then, in a complimenting voice, he said, “Lady Mo Ke’s soul is practically brimming with energy, and that aura is clearly feminine. Whether in terms of appearance or the soul, I’m sure lady Mo Ke is an absolute beauty!”

“So you’re saying, even if I die, I can get by in the underworld just on my looks?”

“Even though I’m not sure why lady Mo Ke has chosen such an expression, but that is correct.”

“Do you know what I want to do now?”

“Nope.”

“I want to open up your head and see if there’s a brain in there, or is it just tofu!”

Faced with my sudden outburst, he instead chuckled self-deprecatingly. “It’s a brain, trust me.”

“… Sorry…”

When he said to trust him, I immediately regretted my words. Other than “sorry”, I did not know what else to say at that point.

“It’s all right. There’s no need to apologise. Even though I may not know why lady Mo Ke has chosen to disguise herself as a man, but I’m sure the reason is a good one.”

“I just said I’m a man!” I snapped back out of sheer force of habit. However, it was clear that this reporter fellow was the same as the others;no amount of insisting was going to convince them otherwise.

“So, mister Zuoqiu, could you tell us how you ended up in this strange state?”

“They tossed me into the machine and pressed a button, then I became like this.”

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

Leave a comment

In front of us right now was a gigantic food processor that was producing a decidedly human voice. And this human voice said it forgot who it was…

Combining that with the fact that Floater found evidence of people being dragged here… it was clear to anyone with a brain what this machine was actually meant for…

What a horrific way to murder a person… assuming the above was correct…

“No…”

Lixiang quickly picked up on this possibility as well. She covered her mouth and gasped in horror, eyes filled with disbelief. “The way humans treat each other is truly the worst!”

“Do you recognise this item?” I opened up my palms to reveal the USB stick. “Did you drop this?”

“That… looks familiar… but I can’t remember…” The mysterious voice seemed to be able to perceive the outside world through some unknown means. His voice almost quivered as he said with a pause, “I feel I should know it… but I just can’t remember…”

“Should I open it up?”

“Please… please do…”

“Alright, I’ll open the USB.”

By employing my electronic AI, I didn’t even need to insert the USB before opening up its data storage.

Within it was a lone video file, which I played on my holographic display.

Like an old cinema, a video of an average-looking youth in casual clothing appeared on screen.

“Greetings everyone, I’m your reporter for the Federation Broadcasting Station (FBS), Zuoqiu Shanming. Behind me is the underground munitions factory and storage facility, hidden within an abandoned warehouse, which I mentioned before. Do not be fooled by its decrepit exterior, but here in the most remote regions of the 12th District, where no one frequents without reason, lies a den of criminal activity…”

“Zuoqiu Shanming?!” Floater barely held a gasp back as she stared at the reporter on screen. “You’re THE Zuoqiu Shanming?”

“Who is Zuoqiu Shanming?”

Based on her reaction, Floater clearly knew the man, or at least she knew the name.

“You know him?” Is he some celebrity? Or is there another reason why he’s famous?

“You can say that.” Floater answered with a dark look on her face. “Zuoqiu Shanming is known for being a brave reporter who has dedicated his entire life to chasing the truth and righting the wrongs in society. Unfortunately, he disappeared a few years back, without a trace…”

“Zuoqiu Shanming… another familiar sounding name…”

“Still can’t remember?”

“I can’t… but why do I feel pain when I look at him… even though I’m already dead…”

Already dead… so he is at least aware of his own state.

Despite the voice in that machine and the voice in that video sounding different, my gut instincts told me that this mysterious voice was most likely the voice of the deceased Zuoqiu Shanming. Why else would he react to that USB?

The video continued, Zuoqiu Shanming put on some makeup, a fake wig, and a fake beard. Even his voice was changed using a device.

Disguised as a buyer, Zuoqiu Shanming stepped into the warehouse, and after exchanging the secret codes, he successfully infiltrated the underground munitions factory. Yet the moment he stepped out of the elevator, he was pinned down by two burly, bald men…

“What the heck are you doing? Is this how you treat your guests? I’m here to make a purchase, you can’t treat me like this…”

He tried to talk his way out of his predicament, but little did he know that he had already fallen into someone else’s scheme.

“Your acting is… commendable.”

A round of clapping preceded an ominous set of footsteps, set against a deafening silence. A weaselly looking man, sporting a oily center parting, and dressed in a tuxedo walked up to Zuoqiu Shanming.

Hands on his hips, the man bent down to look at Shanming. He then reached out and tugged off the wig and fake beard on his head. Smiling, he straightened his back and threw a disdainful look at his prey. “If you can’t figure out what’s going on by now, you truly deserve to die for your stupidity, mister great reporter.”

The man clearly had some history with Shanming.

“Xue Guode!”

“That’s right, it’s me. I bet you never expected that this day would arrive when you exposed me, did you?”

“You psychopathic scumbag merchant! Why are you still alive? Weren’t you already…”

Xue Guode kicked the reporter’s side before he could even finish his sentence, cutting him off right at the crucial moment.

“Cough, cough…” Zuoqiu Shanming tried to double over in pain, however the burly men’s hands kept him pinned down.

“I bet you still don’t know that it was Committee Member Li who saved me right at the last moment. Or should I call him, cousin-in-law?” His smile grew even wider at that point. “I knew you won’t give up after exposing me like that, but just when I was considering whether or not to escape to another planet, my good old cousin got hitched to Committee Member Li… what a fortuitous turn of events, even the heavens are protecting me!”

“Committee Member Li?”

“That’s right, Committee Member Li.”

“Impossible… how can it be him… he clearly…” Zuoqiu Shanming shook his head in disbelief, completely unable to accept the reality of the situation.

“Why not? He was the one who gave you the address. Even the secret codes were given by him. Yet here you are, pinned to the ground. Isn’t that proof enough?”

“…”

Zuoqiu Shanming was left speechless by the momentous betrayal.

“Really, how old do you have to be before you grow out of your little justice make-believe?” Xue Guode smiled derisively. “Anyway, I need to check on the surprise I prepared for you. Wouldn’t want it to mess up at the best moment. You two, teach him a lesson first, then burn him… but don’t burn him to death, I want him to be barely alive for the last part. I did swear to rip you to shreds and turn you into mincemeat. I might not be the best person ever, but I keep my promises.”

Barely a second after the man left, the two burly men started beating up the poor reporter. And as instructed, they set him on fire.

Wreathed in flames, Zuoqiu Shanming desperately tried to put out the flames by tossing and turning. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to cut it at all…

From that point, the video proceeded as expected. Severely injured but still alive, the two burly men put out the fire before dragging the half-dead Zuoqiu Shanming towards the kitchen…

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

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Sometimes, looks can be deceiving: a lesson I learned when I truly entered the munitions factory…

The moment we stepped out of the barely lit elevator, hidden within an unassuming above-ground warehouse, we were all stunned. All it took was a single glance of the factory’s insides to take our breath away.

According to the bald general, there should still be a ton of munitions and weapons left here. There might be some in disrepair due to the lack of maintenance, but they should still be here… or at least, that was what the intelligence would lead us to believe. When we stepped out of the dimly-lit elevator, we found… absolutely nothing!

“Your Highness, are you sure this is the right place?” Lixiang looked at me in confusion, but the moment she found that my face was indisputably black, she immediately shut her mouth.

“The coordinates are definitely correct.” As a seasoned soldier, Floater was more than experienced with navigation, thus her opinions were definitely trustworthy. “This is the underground munitions factory. Or at least it was a munitions factory.”

“But there aren’t any weapons here, not even their parts.” Lixiang finally couldn’t hold herself back.

My face cramped up …

Yes, we all can see that the fabled underground weapons factory which was supposed to be filled to the brim with weapons is, in fact, not filled to the brim with weapons… Thanks, Lixiang.

Didn’t baldie promise us weapons? Why is it empty now? Did that bald general receive the wrong information, or have the weapons been moved away?

“Check the area for any clues.”

There’s no way there’s nothing here, I refuse to believe we came all the way here for nothing! This underground factory alone has several blocks, one of them has to have a hidden door or sorts.

The three of us stuck together as we searched through the emptied factory storage floor.

A while later, Lixiang actually found something significant. “Your Highness, there’s a storage device here.”

A storage device? I thought to myself in surprise as I rushed over to her side.

Perhaps the girl truly had some sort of talent in searching, but there was actually a storage device hidden in a corner, as she said.

The so-called storage device she found was an old USB-style device used to store data. Because our electronic AIs came with a wide variety of functions, including data storage, such devices had now become obsolete.

In fact, I probably would not have even recognised it, if not for a game I used to play mentioning such a device.

As I held the black, thumb-sized device, I had this strange feeling that this little thing was the key to unlocking this mystery.

“Where did you find it?”

“Over here.” Lixiang rode her standardised exosuit to a corner. A conspicuous black mark stained the ground; clearly someone had tried to burn something here.

“Those are remains.” After observing the area for a while, Floater stated, “A person was probably burnt to death here.”

“How do you know that?”

Her words were so sure, I could have sworn she saw the deed herself.

“There are drag marks here.” Floater had two of her detachable bits scan the ground, after which she quickly came to a conclusion, despite Lixiang and I still being completely in the dark. “This way.”

Lixiang and I exchanged a glance with each other, a look of resignation present in both of us.

I guess we have no choice but to follow…

I shrugged my shoulders then followed Floater. Lixiang made the same choice as well.

We soon found ourselves outside of the storage floor, but Floater did not seem to be slowing down in the slightest, not till we reached a kitchen of sorts.

The kitchen wasn’t large, but there were a bunch of scattered odds and ends inside, of which there was a giant food processor shaped like a vat. An entire hog could probably fit in its massive opening in one go…

Given how small this kitchen was, it wouldn’t make sense to have an industrial-scale machine like this here. Something was clearly off, and it all stemmed from that machine.

Floater stopped in front of the processor. She did not make any motion at all, merely standing silently.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

I pulled out the virus detection pearl from my pocket and found that its white pearly exterior was starting to turn black. There was something unclean nearby…

“This one agrees.” Lixiang agreed with me, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps genuinely.

Floater leaned forward a little in an attempt to open the food processor. At the side, I watched with bated breath. For some reason, I couldn’t help but feel that something was going to happen, but I couldn’t exactly find a reason to stop her either.

The moment her hand was about to touch the lid, a voice suddenly spoke up.

“Please… don’t open it.”

It was a young man’s voice; a little feminine, or maybe just afraid.

“Who’s there? Who’s speaking?” Even though she had already plastered a bunch of talismans in her exosuit, Lixiang still shivered a little. “Who was that just now? Your Highness? No… that wasn’t his Highness’s voice…”

“It’s not me.” I swallowed out of anxiety. This entire situation was just too creepy, so I kept quiet while I continued watching.

However, this sudden newcomer did nothing to deter Floater whose hand had already touched the giant machine.

“Don’t look at me!”

A shrill scream pierced the air around us, reverberating painfully in our ears to the point where Lixiang nearly jumped.

“Please… don’t look at me… weeping noises… don’t look at me…”

What’s going on? Look at who? Where is he even hiding?

Perhaps the mysterious voice’s pleading had finally worked, but Floater seemed to have stopped, though her hand was still on the lid of the machine, ready to open it at a moment’s notice.

Realising that the other party was scared, Lixiang seemed to have regained some of her composure.

She breathed in deeply, then asked, “Who are you… where are you?”

“Who am I… I… don’t remember…”

Don’t remember? Is this the legendary potato brain?

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

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In the past, we were forced out of the weapons factory due to our weakness. Faced with an unending wave of skeletal beasts and undead, retreat was unavoidable. However, now that I came upon that little windfall in the underground theme park, our overall combat power had risen multiple fold. My max SP had increased from 60 to 700, and I had even attained a powerful summon in the form of that inferno lion. Now was the time to reclaim that bio-exosuit.

However, by the time we reached the factory floor, we found the room an entire mess, and the bio-exosuit nowhere to be found.

Equipment had been strewn around in wrecked piles of metal, but there were no signs of that bio-exosuit anywhere. The most likely explanation would be that those monsters transported it elsewhere, or perhaps it had just been destroyed so completely… Regardless, there were no traces of it.

I swiftly slaughtered my way through its infested hallways, scouring them for any hints of where the bio-exosuit could be. However, there was still nothing, as if it had completely vanished from the face of Gaia.

“Not here either…”

“Don’t tell me it awoke some kind of consciousness and walked out by itself?” As always, our resident middle-schooler was more than ready to fill in the gaps with her crazy theories. The worst part was that she actually made sense… It was a bio-exosuit, what if it had some kind of soul inside it… or consciousness… Anyway, the fact is that it’s gone.

I guess there’s no reason to stay here then, we don’t have that much time to begin with, what with the chaos enveloping the city. Ghosts, skeletons, zombies, superhumans… At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if a vampire started popping up; nothing would surprise me anymore.

Maybe a magical girl will suddenly round the corner and say hi.. Or not. But there’s a giant zombie at least. That giant zombie is jumping towards me right now.

With the force of a lumbering mammoth, the giant zombie leapt right at me, causing the ceiling to shake a little from the sheer force. No matter what manner of creature it was that stood in its way, the giant zombie simply barrelled through them like a bowling ball.

“Your Highness, we’re under attack!”

“Floaters!”

Lixiang and Floater were the first to discover the nearly five-meter tall, rampaging hulk of a zombie. Just based on its size alone, I would say it was at least a level five or six. Even the strongest of exosuits wouldn’t be able to take a hit from that and come out unscathed.

The two girls were clearly alarmed by this newcomer as well. They immediately took up a combat stance, but this would soon prove to be unnecessary.

“I’ll take care of it! Taste my sword!”

I pulled out Icy Inferno, and with another firm step forward, drew it in a wide, lunging slash.

A wave of overbearing sword energy, formed of an impossible combination of fire and ice, swept right through the zombie, slicing it in half…

Bam…

Black ichor splattered about in a rain of crushed bones and severed limbs.

“Only your Highness can strike a monster down like that in one swing!”

Lixiang stared adoringly at me, which I returned with a slight smile.

Floater, on the other hand, did not react much, but she was staring at me for some reason or another.

Yet barely a second later after that lumbering giant collapsed, the hallways reverberated with the sounds of more undead creatures. These skeletal beasts did not even consider the difference in our powers before they pounced at me, their empty eye sockets somehow burning with a tenacity only matched by their lack of intelligence.

“Let’s leave, there’s no reason for us to linger.”

Because of the cramped interior of the factory, I dared not summon my inferno lion or fire elementals, lest their overwhelming attacks cause the ceiling to collapse.

Thankfully, Icy Inferno was a powerful weapon in its own right. No monster could survive a swing of its elemental blade!

We quickly left the underground factory and proceeded to our next destination: the 12th District. However, there were a few survivor camps we had to drop by on the way. These were all locations marked out on my map by aunty Xinqing. Each had their own defenders, whether it was a group of soldiers armed with exosuits, or perhaps ability users.

Because the Federation had already announced that help was on the way, and also because only three days had passed so far, there was still some semblance of order amongst the survivors. Barring the truly incorrigible, most of these survivor camps were actually waiting for the Federation’s promised rescue. Battered in spirit they might be, but they still clung to the old order of society.

That tri-colored hoodlum and Yamabe Takuma were clearly exceptions. In some sense, what was truly terrifying wasn’t the physical change that befallen the city, but rather the psychological warping.

Take an apple, for example. The outside could be all red and shiny, but one bite later, you discover that it’s rotten. But it’s already too late, because there’s a half-eaten worm sticking out of the flesh…

As for those ugly apples… Thanks, but no thanks! I value appearances, very much so! Anyway, physical changes: not scary. Psychological changes: scary. Because you can’t tell until it’s too late.

After arranging to bring the survivors back to the inn at night, the three of us continued our journey, quickly arriving at the abandoned munitions factory hidden within the 12th District.

The entrance to the factory was stashed away in an abandoned warehouse. The 12th District itself could be said to be the tail-end of Southern Plains. And this abandoned warehouse was at the outskirts of this outskirt. Basically, no one came here. In fact, no one came here since it was sealed up. I could tell… because the tape labelling the warehouse as sealed hadn’t been touched.

As for why we were still using such an ancient method… who knows…

Because this place was so remote, there were not many zombies around either.

Lixiang had already sliced apart the nearby zombies in a fit of excited point-farming rage. As she basked in the afterglow of the points, I could tell she was still hungering for more.

Honestly, she did not have to work so hard, I could easily earn enough to feed our family… I mean, feed her… I mean… Never mind.

“Let’s have a look inside… According to General Rodenas, this place was sealed up years ago. He doesn’t know the exact reason, but according to the records, there should be some abandoned munitions we can use here.”

Given Southern Plains’s current situation, procuring these arms would help any future survivors stay alive. Or at the very least, arming them would allow them to fend off any ordinary zombie.

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

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Because Floater did not have to participate in the night patrols, she was at peak condition, unlike the others. “When are we leaving?”

“I need to report to aunty Xinqing first about today’s mission, if there are no issues on her side, we will leave immediately.”

With practised ease, I activated the video link with aunty Xinqing… only to be greeted by a giant aunty Xinqing?

Her face had taken up the entirety of the holographic feed like she had her face stuck to the camera itself.

“Yahoo~ Morning Ke, the video you sent me last night has already been uploaded. As expected, it was a smash hit!” Aunty Xinqing immediately rattled on about a bunch of idle chatter. Finally, she took out a blown-up picture and showed it to the camera. “Look at this picture, your aunty took it last night. Isn’t it amusing? Hahahaha… this little commenter is absolutely adorable!”

The picture was a screenshot of the general. His bald-headed bear face smiling at me gently as we talked through the video feed. His eyes shining with an uncharacteristic softness that sent shivers down my spine…

My eyes!

The picture was a snapshot taken from the video itself, and had it not been for the majority of the floating comments being filtered out, his face would have probably been drowned.

As for what those comments were… they were mostly yelling at the general. Comments about why that old bear was staring at their Goddess to digging his eyes out for even daring to do so. In short, they hated him…

As if to make things worse, there were thinly veiled comments about the old bear cheating… to which I had this sudden urge to say: don’t blame the girl!

After that little comedy skit, I had to straighten my face a little before telling aunty Xinqing about our plan for today. She did not hesitate before plotting out a route for us on my map, marking any potential survivor clusters at the same time.

Upon ending the call with aunty Xinqing, I immediately set off with Lixiang and Floater.

Our first destination was that underground factory that had been overrun by skeletons. If that bio-exosuit was still there, I would definitely take it back with me. Otherwise, I could at least verify what happened to it.

Honestly, the odds of that exosuit still being there were high. After all, while it was a bio-exosuit, it wasn’t actually alive, so those skeletal monsters shouldn’t show any interest in it.

“Your Highness, leave it to me to clear the path ahead.”

The moment we stepped out of the inn, Lixiang immediately drove her exosuit to the front, her desire to prove herself stronger than before. Had this been the past, I would have chalked that up to her middle-schooler syndrome acting up again. But she had awakened her Primal Angel bloodline just last night, so technically, she was actually an angel of light and darkness…

Every one of the girls had gotten their own unique angel bloodlines, and every one of those bloodlines were all unfathomably powerful.

Now that Lixiang was a primal angel, her affinity with Light and Darkness had reached a frightening level. In just one night alone, she mastered countless spells, while her constitution was soaring through the roof.

To be exact, her very life essence was being improved!

An improvement in her constitution would be limited by her own genes, but an improvement in her life essence was almost an evolution of sorts.

Her body was going beyond a human’s, towards the supernatural even…

Basically, her species was on the verge of changing. As she swept the road ahead of us of monsters and undead, the irony was that she went even further along the path of inhumanity.

Given the limitations of an exosuit, ordinary pilots would never be able to pull off complex maneuvers. Yet as she was now, movements normally reserved for ace pilots only were easy for Lixiang.

“That delusional girl seems a little different than before.” With how Lixiang was throwing out the acrobatics left and right, Floater, sharp as she was, quickly realised that something had changed in the girl. “There’s no way she could move like that yesterday…”

Well, Of course. All that talk about being a primal angel of light and darkness in the past was just a joke. Now however… She was almost a divine entity.

Regardless of the fact that she had only managed to attain the most basic level of the Primal Angel bloodline, and despite her less-than-perfect physical condition, she was still able to attain a body that was beyond a normal human’s, whether it was her strength or her reflexes.

Noting my silence, she quickly came to the conclusion that this development probably had to do with me as well. “You know something?”
“She just awakened, that’s all.” I hastily found an excuse to brush off her piercing gaze. “Isn’t it normal for people to just awaken all of a sudden now?”

“Maybe.” She had no counter to that. After all, Lixiang was a registered ability user with the Bureau.

The skeletal beasts like the skeletal scorpids we encountered in the past were nothing more than trash mobs now to the empowered LIxiang. It didn’t take long before we reached the location of the underground factory. However, this wasn’t the actual exit of the factory, but rather the hole we escaped from previously.

“Your Highness, this one has found the entrance to the alchemical factory.” Lixiang pointed at the overrun rift in the ground. “This one had this location marked on her map, it should be correct.”

“In that case, let’s proceed.”

“Understood.” She took out her standard-issue laser saber and rushed into the monsters…

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

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“Two shifts, it is. I’ll have to trouble you all to work a little harder in the meantime. I’ll handle the exploration during the day. And as much as possible, I will bring back more survivors and soldiers.” I turned to Floater to see if she had anything else to add. Seeing that she was silent, I gave the table a light slap and said, “I’m planning to visit the alchemical factory tomorrow… I mean, the underground weapons factory. There’s something there which interests me.”

“Your Highness,” Lixiang immediately perked up upon hearing the words alchemical factory. “Are you perhaps referring to that organic magical construct?”

“Exactly, that organic magical contrast… I mean, that unusual exosuit…”

I swear she’s starting to infect me as well…

“Sigh…” Watching my little clown act from the side, Floater couldn’t help but give me a haughty look as she sighed. Even if she was still silent, I could feel the piercing scorn in her eyes. The kind you had when looking at a fool…

Just as our discussion was about to wrap up, Qiaoqiao came prancing in to inform us that dinner was ready.

Thanks to the wealth of supplies we scavenged, today’s meal was decent even by non-apocalypse standards. Bitong was especially insistent about preparing a wider spread to accommodate the newcomers.

The lavish meal helped to somewhat dampen their scarred souls, and for the most part, the dinner went smoothly, with a couple of smiles here and there.

The night patrols were handled jointly by Ouyang Huiren and Sima Junmo. Over thirty soldiers were further split into two groups, one handling the earlier half of the night, led by Ouyang Huiren.

The girls bought a stack of talisman and handed them to the two men, after which they went around sticking the remainder on the walls of the survivors’ rooms.

Now that our defenses were up and running, me and the girls finally retired for some well-earned rest. In the same room…

Upon entering the room, I contacted aunty Xinqing. After the usual teasing, and a round of mother and daughter quarreling, I finished giving her my routine report, along with the footage I captured today.

With that out of the way, it was now time for a little… shopping!

Thanks to all the farming I did in that theme park of an instance, plus the actual mission reward itself, I was now sitting on a small fortune of over 90000 points.

With fat stacks in my wallet, I began purchasing some of the bloodlines the girls had been eyeing.

Bitong chose the Elemental Angel, capable of controlling all four elements of Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth. Qiaoqiao chose the unique bloodline of a Blazing Angel. As for Lixiang, she naturally chose the Primal Angel bloodline.

Other than the bloodlines, I also picked up some of the skills and tools the girls were interested in. Next, I bought some enhancement cards to increase their max SP. Overall, it was a fun-filled night of revelry for everyone.

Even though my reserves were now empty, I still felt happy. The girls were excitedly testing out their newfound powers, and no one had to fight or feel left out from this shopping spree.

However, even with their bloodlines purchases, the effect wouldn’t be visible till their individual bloodlines were activated.

As for why mine activated immediately, apparently, mine was a special case since I was the system host, or so the system claimed.

Nothing much to say there…

Our revelry lasted till midnight, at which point everyone was feeling a little sleepy.

For the most part, the night was a peaceful one. Sima Junmo did end up bumping into some ghosts, but they were all low-levelled trash mobs. With those talismans protecting their exosuits, there was no danger to be had.

It was now the third day of the zombie outbreak. The cooks did their best to prepare a simple breakfast, served in the main lobby. Seated together with the officers and my companions, we began another round of discussions.

“Good work on patrolling last night. Especially Sima, I heard some ghosts appeared, but you guys handled them before I even needed to step in.”

“Not at all, the talismans lady Mo Ke gave us had an immense effect against those monsters.” Sima Junmo laughed in embarrassment, though I could still see the wide grin on his face.

Ouyang Huiren was a lot more nonchalant, but he was just as appreciative of the compliment.

“I just hope you can address me as MISTER Mo Ke instead.”

“Hahaha… Lady Mo Ke loves her jokes…”

I stared glumly at his bright smile… I just knew it would end up like this…

“Continue with the guard duties as usual, for the rest of the day, just in case some monsters decide to target the inn. I plan to visit that factory I mentioned yesterday. Hopefully there will be results from that. And if time allows, I will also check out an abandoned munitions factory in the 12th District. If there are survivors, I will do my best to bring them back.” I summarised the plan in a business-like fashion. “Right, any questions?”

“Qiaoqiao wants to go along as well!”

“This one wants to visit the alchemical factory.”

“I… Maybe I’ll just stay behind…”

Qiaoqiao was dead set on following me, while Lixiang had her reasons for visiting the underground factory. Bitong knew one of us had to stay behind to look after our base, temporary as it was. Being the freest, she was the best choice.

After some deliberation, I made my own decision as well. “Qiaoqiao, I need you to stay behind with your sister Bitong. Lixiang, you can come with me?”

“Why? Qiaoqiao wants to go out with big brother! Why does Lixiang get to go out, but Qiaoqiao can’t?!”

“That’s because I will need your sister Lixiang’s knowledge later when I head to the weapons factory. She does have expertise in that area, after all.”

This was a decision I came to after considering both my destinations. They were all locations that held exosuits and exosuit-related weaponry. Given that I know absolutely nothing on that front, expert help was needed.

“Your Highness, those are alchemical factories.”

And my expert has an acute case of middle-schooler syndrome…

“You’re heading to the abandoned munitions factory? Then count me in as well.” Floater quickly finished the bread in her hand, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said, “There might be some useful parts there, I can repair the damages my suit sustained in the past few days.”

“Alright, then Lixiang and Floater.”

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE

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“Nothing major happened while I was gone, right? Is everyone okay?”

“We’re… fine. No casualties.” He answered sheepishly while avoiding eye contact with the lioness.

“That’s great. In that case, it’s time to head back to the hot spring inn. But before that, there’s somewhere we need to visit.”

I tactfully pretended not to notice his little exchange with the lioness, and had the lioness lead the way instead.

Naturally, the place I was referring to was the Shamanta Trade Center, where there were still some survivors I had to pick up before heading back to the inn.

With the lioness leading the way, any undead who dared to even show as much as a strand of hair on their head were instantly swatted to death. Whether they were skeletal beasts or zombies, none lasted more than a tenth of a second.

We travelled in a direct line towards the trade center, rescued the survivors holed up there, then left in the direction of the inn.

“I’m back!”

I called out excitedly while retracting my wings as I descended from the skies into the inn’s courtyard.

A green-haired girl was the first to look up and spot me. Bitong’s eyes narrowed for a second before she spread her hands out and ran towards me. “Welcome back!”

“Sis… you don’t have to pinch my face everytime we meet…”

“His Highness is back? Welcome back, your Highness.”

“Big brother!”

Upon hearing my voice, Lixiang and Qiaoqiao rushed out of the room they were resting in.

“You guys…”

“Hey, you two, behave yourselves!”

“Qiaoqiao is talking to her big brother right now, can those two older sisters over there have the self-awareness to give us some privacy?”

“Can’t you see that his Highness is in pain? Loosen your grip, right now, before his Highness starts hating you.”

“The one who should be letting go is you two! Qiaoqiao, let go this instant! And Lixiang, too…”

“But Qiaoqiao hasn’t seen big brother for a whole day, Qiaoqiao doesn’t want to let go! Why must sister Bitong always separate the two of us? Bad sister!”

“Hmph, harems…” Floater passed by us at that instant, then left after a derisive snort.

“Stop fighting for a second… I brought a lot of survivors with me this time… now be good, and stop tugging on my clothes!” I finally raised my voice. “We can talk about this later, but right now, I have important matters to take care of!”

“Okay…” Startled out of their willingfulness, the girls obediently, but unwillingly, let go of me.

Phew… saved at last…

Now that the girls were settled down, I began recounting what happened throughout the day.

“So we have almost a hundred survivors joining us?” Bitong was the first to grab the crux of the situation, as always. “Seems like lodging will have to be the first problem we solve. Thankfully, the inn has quite a number of empty rooms. But the night patrols have to be adjusted as well…”

“Your Highness, have there been any sightings of other alchemical factories?” Lixiang’s eyes glowed with anticipation, eagerly awaiting a chance to show her skills once more.

Unfortunately, all she got was a confused look from me. “Alchemical factory?”

“An alchemical factory is where you manufacture magical tools.” Lixiang answered seriously.

“So you mean a weapons factory where they manufacture exosuits…”

“An alchemical factory, not a scientific one.”

“Fine, fine.” While Lixiang might seem like an introvert, she was actually quite competitive. Her goal had always been to prove her worth and secure herself a leading position in our team. To be exact, she wanted to prove herself to me and secure her place in my heart.

“We can talk about that later, the survivors will be here soon.” I said to Lixiang while patting Qiaoqiao on the head. Ambushed by the legendary head pat, all the little girl could do was close her eyes and enjoy the patting silently.

I had the girls prepare the area for the survivors. In the meantime, I grabbed Floater along as a welcoming squad for the survivors who were barely a kilometer away now.

Upon arrival, the survivors were immediately greeted by a conspicuously large, black, and downright ghastly looking monster made out of bones. Which had the unfortunate effect of scaring some of the more timid survivors.

Naturally, I explained to them that it was already dead.

The arrival of new survivors was great news for everyone, in general. At the very least, it showed that other humans were still alive in the city… as long as one held hope, all was not lost.

The time now was nearing seven in the evening. Dinner was handled by the survivors from the cafe, and I took this opportunity to have the two officers, Ouyang Huiren and Sima Junmo, gather in the room I was staying in temporarily for a quick meeting.

Other than the three of us, Lixiang and Floater were in attendance as well.

Bitong and Qiaoqiao were busy preparing dinner and allocating the rooms.

“Ahem, I called everyone here to discuss the matter of night patrols.”

Ouyang had 26 soldiers under him, 27 if the count included himself. Sima Junmo had 4 other soldiers under him; those were the survivors left in his squad. Adding on Floater, the ace pilot, we had over 30 soldiers at our disposal.

They weren’t much in the grand scheme of things, but more than sufficient for the purposes of self-protection.

Those unpredictable ghosts were a problem, but with an unending supply of talismans, they shouldn’t cause too much trouble.

“Night patrols shouldn’t be a problem with our current numbers. I had a quick look just now. We have over 30 soldiers, and not that many survivors to look after. As long as we keep them all situated within the same vicinity, patrolling shouldn’t be hard.” Sima Junmo was the first to state his opinions. Having done that, he gave me a wink. “Lady Mo Ke, how should the teams be split up?”

“I have no opinions on this matter, do you guys have any suggestions?”

As I said, I had no experience in matters of the army, so it was best to seek their advice.

“Barring any need for exploration in the day, two shifts should suffice.” Of the two, Ouyang Huiren had more experience with my current strength, thus he made his suggestions accordingly. “The goal should be to ensure Lady Mo Ke’s rest time.”

Ghosts were afraid of daylight, excluding some special circumstances, their activity would be limited to the period from ten till daylight.

Patrols were just to ensure that there weren’t any other undead ambushes. The sudden increase in survivors was the main reason why we couldn’t just rely on talismans as we did before.

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

LINK HERE