Chapter 15

As his injuries healed, Qin Chi walked a short distance away and, hidden behind a tree, took off his tattered combat jacket and changed into a spare one.

Although he didn’t get to see the beautiful and fragrant lotus petals, the fire dragon in his mind wasn’t very happy. Still, it could feel the gentle touch that Qin Chi experienced, which was quite pleasant. Therefore, it remained relatively calm, no longer bouncing around energetically.

Qin Chi came from a military family in the Northeast base, and he had learned everything an ability user was supposed to know before he turned sixteen. After awakening the fire dragon spirit and acquiring S-level fire, S-level wind, and S-level space abilities at the age of sixteen, Qin Chi was directly sent to the military by his father. He either led teams to clear unexplored ultra-dangerous areas or stationed at coastal bases to fend off advanced sea beasts attempting to land, earning remarkable military achievements.

From a powerful but inexperienced teenager to a powerful general with extensive combat experience, Qin Chi had sustained countless injuries along the way.

His father arranged for him to have a dedicated healer, a hot-tempered major general with dual A-rank wood and earth abilities.

The major general’s spirit was a ganoderma; whenever Qin Chi was injured, the major general would habitually release the spirit directly, with the plump ganoderma slapping against him, each time feeling like it was giving Qin Chi a slap. This made both Qin Chi and the fire dragon resistant to being treated by the major general.

Until today, the fire dragon had only just realized that healing could feel this comfortable, like soft feathers gently caressing its tough scales.

The fire dragon once again conveyed its fondness to Qin Chi; this time, it was for the gentle healer.

Qin Chi didn’t pay much attention. The fire dragon’s affection was simple and pure, just like how it liked beautiful flowers but would recklessly destroy them upon realizing their superficiality, enjoyed drinking the strongest liquor, liked shiny golden decorations, and reveled in spitting fire among beastly hordes.

It was just a gentle touch. Qin Chi believed that if he were to enjoy a shoulder and neck massage, the fire dragon would also like the masseur, regardless of gender or age.

Of course, Qin Chi was in excellent health and didn’t need such services, nor was he accustomed to being touched by strangers.
—-
After fastening the last button, Qin Chi returned along the same path.

Xu Qiao was leaning against the tree trunk, pretending to be tired. Her face was obscured by her helmet, revealing only a pair of dark, glistening eyes that looked over upon hearing footsteps.

Qin Chi sat beside her, using his wind ability to bring over two nearby stone dragon lizards, and he began to leisurely extract the crystal cores, skin them, and remove the bones.

These were parts that could be exchanged for points; if it weren’t for the strong, foul smell of the beast’s meat, humans wouldn’t even spare the meat of the beasts.

Xu Qiao watched his almost artistic dissection process and suddenly smiled, “If you don’t become a teacher, being a doctor would suit you well.”

Qin Chi replied, “I don’t have healing abilities; I would only be an ordinary surgeon, and that might be quite exhausting.”

Xu Qiao said, “That’s true; hospitals are currently overburdened, and there aren’t enough healers.”

Among those with awakened plant spirit bodies, the majority are in the planting category, while healers account for only one-tenth, and combat-type abilities are even scarcer.

Although they were neighbors, opportunities for such casual conversations were few. Mentioning careers, Qin Chi casually asked, “Healers should be quite popular in hospitals; why didn’t you go?”

Xu Qiao replied naturally, “Like you, I don’t want to do a job that’s too tiring.”

At this moment, Sun Fushan and Meng Li returned after handling the other stone dragon lizards. After consuming a large amount of their abilities and busying themselves with the dissection for a while, the four of them sat down together on the ground, none in a hurry to leave.

Sun Fushan piled up the twenty-five crystal cores they had harvested today, grinning widely with happiness.

Qin Chi took out the body of an A-level female lizard from his space and handed it to Sun Fushan: “You can keep the A-level crystal cores to replenish your energy gun’s usage. You’ll take the female lizard to the mercenary association in the central area to exchange for points, and the points will be shared by the team?”

Everyone could see that Sun Fushan came from a well-off family. He didn’t try to hide it but didn’t elaborate either: “Sure.”

Twenty-five crystal cores meant that each person would take five for task submission, and the remaining five would be temporarily held by the team leader, in case they didn’t kill enough beasts during the second half of the year’s tasks; these five could serve as substitutes.

After resting enough, the four of them got into an off-road vehicle and leisurely returned to the aircraft.
—-
At five in the afternoon, the aircraft landed punctually behind the mercenary association in the West District.

The four of them had to work the next day, so they would definitely have to queue to submit their tasks tonight. Fortunately, their team was the first to complete the mission and get on the aircraft, securing good positions near the hatch, allowing them to be the first to leave the aircraft and smoothly place themselves at the front of the line.

After wearing the helmet for an extended period, it became quite stuffy. Xu Qiao took off her helmet, cradled one arm, and tapped her communication bracelet to send a voice message to Lu Yang: “We’re back. We still need to submit our tasks, so we might get home late. You can eat first; don’t wait for me.”

Lu Yang replied, “I’m not in a hurry; I’ll wait for you to eat together.”

Middle school students aren’t easily persuaded, so Xu Qiao lowered her wrist and noticed that Sun Fushan and Meng Li were also sending messages to someone. She instinctively glanced back.

As soon as she turned her head, Qin Chi’s gaze dropped.

Xu Qiao felt a bit awkward and smiled.

After queuing for a few minutes, it was their turn.

Aside from the particularly precious space crystal cores, a regular C-level crystal core could be exchanged for two thousand points.

The five crystal cores in Xu Qiao, Meng Li, and Qin Chi’s hands were automatically exchanged for ten thousand points upon submitting their tasks.

Xu Qiao didn’t know how much her two teammates earned, but this ten thousand points was half of her monthly salary.

Making half a month’s salary in a single day shows that killing beasts is a high-risk, high-profit industry. Bold ability users choose to be professional mercenaries, while the more timid prefer stable jobs that keep them busy. Only when in urgent need of points do they take risks.

The materials from the beasts were submitted together by Team Leader Sun Fushan, totaling over thirty thousand points exchanged.

With the signal restored in the base, Sun Fushan could type again and messaged in the group chat: 【Let’s wait until tomorrow to process the materials from the female lizard, and then we can calculate together?】

The three agreed.

It was almost six o’clock, and Sun Fushan needed to return to the central area, while Meng Li had to catch the subway.

Qin Chi said, “Remember, I’m treating you both to dinner tonight.”

Time in the space stopped, and the fresh hot dishes taken out remained warm.

Sun Fushan took his portion and cheerfully said, “Next time, it’s on me.”

Meng Li hesitated a bit; carrying a box meal while rushing to the subway made it easy to spill.

Seeing this, Sun Fushan snatched her meal and put it into the space as well: “I’ll deliver it to you. By the time you get home, it’ll be just right for you to eat.”

After today’s collaboration, Qin Chi and Sun Fushan became somewhat familiar teammates with Meng Li. The delicious aroma wafting from the box meal indicated that it would definitely suit Meng Li’s mother’s taste, so she didn’t refuse any longer.

Sun Fushan waved to his two teammates with cars and offered to drive Meng Li first.

Inside the black sedan, Xu Qiao sank into the comfortable passenger seat with her backpack, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

She always mentally prepared herself before going on missions, but encountering high-level beasts was another matter entirely.

Fortunately, everything had turned out well, and she would soon enjoy a stable period lasting six months again.

The sedan smoothly drove out of the mercenary association, and a refreshing breeze flowed in through the window. Xu Qiao tucked her stray hair behind her ear and glanced at the rearview mirror, where a golden, brilliant sunset was visible.

Soft music played gently in her ears, and Xu Qiao tilted her head.

Qin Chi held the steering wheel with both hands, looking ahead.

He wasn’t smiling, but his handsome profile gave off an approachable warmth, as if Xu Qiao were to strike up a conversation with him, he would naturally and politely chat with her; if she preferred to rest quietly, he wouldn’t break that tranquility.

Xu Qiao wasn’t very good at socializing; she had little contact with her military school classmates. Aside from her colleagues at the clinic and her younger brother, Lu Yang, she had known Qin Chi for only a few days, yet he had already become one of her acquaintances.

She turned her gaze back to the sunset in the rearview mirror. Perhaps the sunset was too gentle, or perhaps the soothing song chosen by Qin Chi eased her tense nerves; Xu Qiao unexpectedly fell asleep.

The stray hair by her ear was caught by the wind and brushed across the therapist’s fair and rosy cheek rhythmically.

As Xu Qiao slept, she didn’t feel much. However, her awakened lotus spirit felt itchy, so it actively released a petal, attempting to help her tuck the stray hair back in the flowing wind.

Unfortunately, the petal was not suitable for such delicate actions.

The petals had their own methods; they stuck tightly to Xu Qiao’s stray hair when the wind blew it toward her ear, preventing it from blowing away.

This solution worked temporarily, but soon the hair began to rub against the delicate petals. The petal, condensed with mental energy, was more sensitive than a girl’s tender skin; when it relaxed, it was about to be swept out of the car window by the wind. Just in time, a long hand reached over and caught the petal in the palm.

The man’s hand was long and broad, holding it gently without pressing on the thin petal.

When Qin Chi set the bewildered petal down on Xu Qiao’s backpack, the windows of the car were already closed. The noise from the road and the wind were blocked out, leaving only the soft music that had changed its melody, perhaps accompanied by a hint of fragrance unique to the lotus spirit.

“Sorry, I should have closed the window earlier,” Qin Chi said softly, glancing at the still petal.

The lotus spirit, fused with Xu Qiao’s mind, could sense everything Xu Qiao felt. Xu Qiao thought her new neighbor was gentlemanly and mysterious, and the lotus spirit felt the same, although it was slightly threatened by the man’s high temperature when he just caught the petal.

The lotus spirit couldn’t understand why, but since the problem had been resolved, it quietly flew back into Xu Qiao’s body.

The petals still preferred to grow on the flower disk, but since Xu Qiao hadn’t allowed the whole lotus plant to appear in the past two years, the petals had no choice but to fall off and move around.

In the corner of his eye, the petal disappeared, and Qin Chi looked at his right hand gripping the steering wheel.

At that moment, when he went to catch the petal, the fire dragon actually attempted to take control of the body. If Qin Chi hadn’t reacted quickly, the petal would have touched his hand covered in golden-red, hard dragon scales.

The sedan drove into the Ping An community, and the sounds of children playing outside woke Xu Qiao up.

Realizing that she had slept the entire way, Xu Qiao awkwardly looked at her teammates.

Qin Chi smiled: “Looks like you were really tired today.”

Xu Qiao replied, “I’m okay; actually, you and Meng Li were the most exhausted.”

Qin Chi asked, “Can you drive?”

Xu Qiao hesitated, “…I’ve passed my driving test, but I haven’t driven since.”

Qin Chi teased, “If you dare to drive, next time it’s your turn?”

Xu Qiao quickly shook her head, worried that she couldn’t afford to repair his luxury car if she damaged it.

The car turned a corner and stopped in front of Building 5. Xu Qiao unbuckled her seatbelt, and she spotted Lu Yang’s slender figure stepping out of the unit door.

Xu Qiao could imagine Lu Yang’s worries throughout the day. Just as she was about to push open the car door, Qin Chi handed her a box meal: “Teammate meal.”

Xu Qiao smiled and said, “Great, I’ll just consider this as adding a dish for me and Xiao Yang.”

She was genuinely hungry; the appetite of a C-level ability user was certainly no less than that of a growing middle school student.