I Return From Hell

Chapter 141: Chapter 134: Summary of Gains, Fight for the Country

「An hour later.」

Nanyang Village, Li Xiang’s house.

Three people lay on the floor, all unconscious.

”No surveillance cameras here, yet they still found the precise location?”

Xia Yu watched the mother and son reunite, her eyes glittering. She was growing more and more interested in the person who provided the information on that website.

’To think there’s such talent within the country.’

”Yu.”

”This guy’s nickname is ’Brother Dog’. He’s the one who calls his higher-ups every half hour.”

Hong She lifted one of the young men. ”As long as we have him,” he said, ”Gao Weiguo’s side won’t find out what happened here for a while.”

”Bring him.”

Xia Yu nodded. ”We’re going to the East Spirit Pharmaceutical Factory.”

「On the road.」

”You did the right thing about Little Ai.”

”Right now, you need to take the stuff and leave Shunyang City immediately. The Gao Family will probably make a move on you soon. If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.”

Xia Yu hung up the phone with Little Nannan, her brow furrowed slightly.

”Yu, what’s wrong?”

Hong She asked.

”Little Ai refused to join.”

Xia Yu knocked Brother Dog unconscious before speaking.

”Hm.”

Hong She nodded, unsurprised.

”You seem to have expected this?”

Xia Yu couldn’t help but ask.

”It wasn’t hard to guess.”

Hong She shrugged. ”That girl hasn’t experienced the harsh realities of life yet. There’s no way she’d accept some of your methods.”

”If I’m not mistaken, she refused to join because of what happened with that baby boy, right?”

Hearing this, Xia Yu couldn’t help but see Hong She in a new light.

’Finally, there’s someone on this team who can help share the burden.’

’Talking with him will be easy, too.’

”That’s right.”

She nodded. ”Her disposition still needs tempering.”

”No.”

Hong She shook his head, offering a completely different take. ”I’m afraid there’s no time.”

”What do you mean?”

Xia Yu frowned.

’In the Apocalypse, even the most devoted Holy Mother can be changed.’

She just felt that if Little Ai couldn’t change her ways before the Apocalypse fully broke out, they would have no choice but to give up on her.

’After all, she didn’t have that much time to wait for someone to grow up.’

’Keeping a Holy Mother on the team would cause far more harm than her abilities were worth.’

”Yu.”

Hong She said, ”You seem to have forgotten about the country.”

”You seem to have forgotten that the citizens of our country have very strong patriotic feelings.”

Realization dawned on Xia Yu.

”You think she’ll join the government?”

she asked.

”Exactly.”

Hong She nodded affirmatively. ”Yu, you tried to recruit her because she has a superpower, right?”

”How did you know?”

Xia Yu was quite surprised. She felt more and more that she had underestimated Hong She.

”Back when I was escaping to the patch of land in the middle of the pond, I was about to be caught by that Big Crocodile Turtle when the boat suddenly sped up. At first, I thought it was just a burst of my own potential, but later I realized...”

”It wasn’t.”

”Someone was helping me.”

”And that strange power felt very similar to the power I use when I activate my own superpower, yet slightly different.”

Hong She recounted everything in detail. ”After that, Water Arrows and Ice Arrows kept appearing out of nowhere, and every time, that same strange power was present.”

”And Little Nannan isn’t a Superpower User.”

”So, it wasn’t hard to guess.”

It all clicked for Xia Yu.

”She’s an Ice Ability User,”

she said. ”It’s quite rare. If trained properly, she could become a major asset.”

Hong She quite agreed.

’A pity.’

’If she can’t be used by us, then no matter how good her superpower is, it’s useless.’

”She’ll regret it,”

he said.

”Heh.”

Xia Yu wasn’t concerned whether Little Ai would have regrets. She said coolly, ”We’re all adults. We have to be responsible for our own choices.”

”I hope she can shine for her country.”

’That last part was sincere.’

’The stronger the country, the better the survival environment for her and her team in the Apocalypse.’

’Besides...’

’She’d lost one thing only to gain another.’

Little Ai was good, but Hong She was just as good, if not better.

The gains from this operation were already immense. She was very satisfied.

The spoils from the operation then floated through her mind:

First, the Big Crocodile Turtle’s shell was an excellent material for a Shield. It could be used for both offense and defense, making it extremely valuable.

Second, the two Spirit Transformation Beast corpses. Their flesh and blood contained Spiritual Energy. Even after leaving the Mist Event, they could increase their Power by consuming the meat.

Third, five First-grade Crystal Cores, six Mutated Beast Crystal Cores, and eleven ordinary Mutant Crystal Cores. This haul exceeded all expectations.

Fourth, she had saved Little Ai’s life. With the girl’s personality and character, she would most likely keep her word.

Fifth, Hong She had joined them. This was the biggest gain from the entire operation. As for his loyalty, once they obtained resources like a Servant Spirit Species, would that even be a concern?

Sixth, the newly acquired ten million plus. This was actually the smallest of all their gains.

Seventh, that website! This gave them another channel for information, which was especially important to her.

...

...

”Ai Cao, you’re saying you just took part in the ’Mist Event’?”

Gao Zhengting looked at the girl before him, a sharp glint flashing deep in his eyes as he asked.

”That’s right.”

Ai Cao—the one Xia Yu called ’Little Ai’—nodded emphatically.

!

Gao Zhengting was ecstatic. He pressed, ”Tell me what happened inside.”

”Okay.”

Ai Cao nodded.

「Ten minutes later.」

”Hong She wasn’t part of Xie Shaokun’s team?”

”Besides Xie Shaokun, Little Nannan, you, Hong She, and Little Flower, there was another woman!”

”Why did that woman disappear after the Mist Event faded?”

Gao Zhengting had suddenly obtained a lot of useful information. That mysterious woman, in particular, was very likely the person pulling the strings behind Xie Shaokun!

This... this was an unexpected windfall!

He stared intently at Ai Cao, suppressing his excitement as he pressed, ”Do you know that woman? What’s her name?”

”That is a matter of great importance.”

And yet, Ai Cao, who had been so cooperative up to this point, now shook her head.

”What do you mean?”

Gao Zhengting’s expression darkened. ”Are you going to help a bunch of criminals?” he said.

”They’re not criminals.”

Ai Cao shook her head. ”And you don’t have to pressure me. I won’t tell you her identity.”

”You...”

Gao Zhengting’s fists clenched. He took a deep breath, reining in his volatile emotions, and spoke again in the calmest tone he could manage. ”Fine! I won’t pressure you.”

”What about you? Why didn’t you join them?”

’He decided to take it slow.’

’He had all the patience and confidence in the world when it came to dealing with a girl in her twenties who had just graduated.’

”Our ideologies didn’t align.”

Ai Cao said, ”They’re too cold-blooded and selfish. But I...”

”I want to stand with the country.”

”To fight for our nation!”

”Excellent.”

Gao Zhengting nodded. ’Now that’s a model youth of the new era.’ ”Our country has now established a special organization. Anyone with abilities can join.”

”As long as your absorption speed of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power is fast enough, I can help you apply.”

”Of course, if you have a superpower...”

”Never mind.”

”You’ve probably never even heard of what a superpower is.”

’The chances of a Spiritual Ability User appearing are pitifully small—calling it one in ten thousand wouldn’t be an exaggeration. And he was actually getting his hopes up over Ai Cao?’

”A superpower?”

”Does this count?”

With a flick of her finger, the water in the cup suddenly surged upward like a fountain. More bizarrely, in the next instant, it all turned to ice.

Forming a small ice sculpture.

Gao Zhengting stood frozen in place, like a statue himself.

In that moment, it was as if time itself had stopped.