translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
“You… You, let me go! Do you know who I am?” The man cried out in pain. The expressions of the mercenaries beside him shifted slightly, but strangely, no one came to his rescue.
Bai Jing curled his lip and swept a cold gaze around him. His eyes were contemptuous, and his posture was arrogant, but even before he could take action, Xiao Sa had already removed the man from his grip. Xiao Sa radiated displeasure, staring fiercely at the place Bai Jing had touched, his aura chilling.
Bai Jing was a little speechless. He had just grabbed someone to ask him something! Did Xiao Sa need to be so stingy?
Xiao Sa’s imposing manner was not something that ordinary people could bear. That killing intent that seemed to emerge from a storm of bloody rain not only changed the expressions of the mercenaries around them, making their faces more grave, it also made the person who had just shouted turn pale. He looked at Xiao Sa fearfully and trembled, biting hard on his lip as tears welled up in his eyes.
Bai Jing finally noticed that the man was really good-looking, and his look of fear carried a kind of pitiful beauty. Unfortunately, Xiao Sa had never been the type to be swayed to compassion by beauty. In his previous life, Xiao Sa had been merciless towards even him. In this life, Xiao Sa would not, nor would Bai Jing allow him to have any feelings of pity or sympathy for anyone except for himself.
“Crack!” That was the sound of an arm being broken.
The looks on the faces of the people around them turned odd; they hadn’t expected that Xiao Sa would really make a move.
“Hurts, hurts, let me go… My brother-in-law is Qin Lie. I’ll definitely kill you… What are you guys still standing there all stunned for…” Hua Miao howled loudly in pain and roared madly at the mercenaries nearby. Several of them glanced over, then looked at Xiao Sa and Bai Jing. Except for one mercenary who hesitated, the other three stood motionless and expressed their attitudes very clearly.
Bai Jing laughed lightly, the corners of his lips curving up in a playful arc. He looked at Hua Miao on the ground in disdain and said casually, “Shut up. If you keep making noise, the next to go will be your chin.”
His tone of voice was unhurried and even, carrying an arrogant and lofty attitude that was unique to Bai Jing, and nobody doubted the truth of his statement.
Hua Miao stared up at him in horror then glared at the mercenaries beside him in anger. His hate-filled eyes seemed to want to shoot through them, but seeing that nobody was willing to help him, he hatefully hung his head to cover the poisonous resentment in his eyes and began to cry in a low voice.
Looking at the crying youth in front of him, Bai Jing had no doubt that he wouldn’t hesitate to violently avenge himself on them if he ever had the chance. But so what? In the face of absolute strength, everything else was merely empty talk. Right now, he was more curious about the mercenaries beside the youth.
Bai Jing fell into quiet thought, carefully recalling what had just happened, and his expression sank slightly. He had to admit to himself that he had miscalculated this time. It was too coincidental for Hua Miao to suddenly appear here beside him. It seemed like he had walked over from the other side of the hall when Bai Jing and Xiao Sa had come in looking for someone to speak to.
Bai Jing’s expression flickered gloomily. Normally, they were the ones to beat others, but today he’d been pecked at instead. His long, narrowed eyes flashed with a sharp light. It seemed that news had spread quickly across K City Base. Someone had seen through his temper so quickly, and according to his lofty character who would not place anyone on the same level as himself, he would indeed have just casually grabbed someone to interrogate. Then, the current situation would arise. He and Xiao Sa had only just arrived and couldn’t take the gentle approach anymore. Faced with the provocation of others, they would only use even more strength to retaliate, deterring those around them who were watching like prowling tigers with their power.
In addition, others might interpret their actions as deliberately showing their strength so that others wouldn’t act rashly while the delicate balance of power in K City Base was still maintained.
The person who designed this scene not only had a thorough understanding of his and Hua Miao’s temper, they had also taken into account his and Xiao Sa’s reactions! It was a very good plan to kill two birds with one stone!
Bai Jing’s expression was grave as he glanced around the hall. Who was it? Who on earth could it be? Someone was able to design such an intricate scene in such a short period of time. He and Xiao Sa had come to the management office on a whim. The mastermind must be here amongst the mercenaries!
Xiao Sa’s chilling aura grew even worse. It was obvious that he had also figured out the key point. The people who designed this matter had not only used them as guns to teach Hua Miao a lesson, but had also made sure that they would directly offend Hua Miao, or rather, the people supporting him from behind.
Bai Jing sneered. No matter what the plot was, they had definitely miscalculated. He and Xiao Sa might use their strength to deter the people around them, but the purpose was not to maintain a delicate balance. The schemer behind this matter obviously wanted to pit them against the people supporting Hua Miao. Whatever the result, not only would they be able to suppress Hua Miao’s momentum, they could also gather information about him and Xiao Sa. If they were fortunate, they would also be able to weaken Hua Miao’s strength. There were no disadvantages!
There was a cold glint in Bai Jing’s eyes that disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. That person had better not let him catch them.
It only took an instant for them to understand the cause and effect. Although Hua Miao was innocent, given that no one around him had stepped up for him, it was obvious how this person normally behaved. Bai Jing felt no guilt at all, and if anyone was to blame, then Hua Miao could simply be called unlucky. Also, if his personality hadn’t been really terrible, how would he have ended up being schemed against by others?
Bai Jing’s gaze casually locked onto the few people Hua Miao had begged for help.
“What’s going on here?” Just then, a man of about thirty walked steadily inside from the entrance. His eyes were sharp, and he had a deep scar on his face. His looks were so fierce that he was frightening at first glance, but if one looked again, they would be able to see that his expression was very steady.
Bai Jing’s sight solidified a little. It was obvious that the newcomer was a level two ability user. It seemed that someone wanted to see the two tigers fighting each other. Xiao Sa took on a protective attitude and stepped up beside Bai Jing, only to discover that the man hadn’t even given them a glance.
Bai Jing was somewhat depressed. Could it be that his and Xiao Sa’s presence had somehow diminished?
“Brother-in-law… You’ve come at exactly the right time! Help me clean them up! And those others. What kind of subordinates of yours are they? They just looked on as I was beaten up!” Hua Miao stared at the man like seeing a saviour and regardless of the pain in his wrist, he rushed up from the ground and pointed first at Xiao Sa and Bai Jing before pointing at the mercenaries.
A few of the mercenaries looked at the man with solemn respect, their expressions unchanging. The man was silent for a moment before glancing at Hua Miao and lightly patting him on the head. “Be good. Let me see.”
The man’s attitude was very perfunctory. Hua Miao was very unwilling and looked angry enough to burst into flames. He directed his curses at the man, “It hurts, it hurts! My hand was broken, but you’re not helping me get revenge. What’s there to see?”
The man seemed a little unhappy, but he didn’t say anything and simply lifted Hua Miao’s wrist. “Crack!” The dislocated bones were snapped back into place. Xiao Sa had a good sense of propriety; Hua Miao had just been impertinent and rude and was a youth about the same age as Bai Jing. He naturally wouldn’t be too heavy-handed – it was enough to use some dark methods that would cause pain without damaging any bones or muscles!
After fixing Hua Miao’s ‘broken bones’, the man finally looked at Xiao Sa and Bai Jing. His careless attitude suddenly changed, his dark pupils contracting as his entire temperament shifted dramatically in an instant. It was hard to imagine that the person who was now surging with killing intent was the same one who had just quietly coaxed Hua Miao a moment ago.
Everyone was waiting to watch a good show, but then things unexpectedly took a different route.
The man nodded to Xiao Sa and Bai Jing, “Hello, I am Qin Lie, and this child Miaomiao was ignorant. Thank you for your mercy. I am the head of the Raging Fire Mercenary Corps.”
“Brother-in-law –” Hua Miao was immediately dissatisfied and glared fiercely at Xiao Sa, “He was the one who broke my hand.”
Xiao Sa looked over emotionlessly. Hua Miao was shocked, and his previous petulant expression disappeared as he shrank back and hid behind Qin Lie. He looked like an angry wolf pup who was unable to cover up his hatred.
Qin Lie was rather helpless, and there was a glimmer of distress in his eyes. He gave Hua Miao a stern look that seemed to tell him to stop talking before turning to Bai Jing, “I’ve spoiled Miaomiao too much. Please don’t mind it. You two look like new faces and should have just arrived, right? If you need help with anything, I’ll try to do what I can.”
Although Hua Miao was arrogant, he was still afraid of Qin Lie when he was serious. He didn’t dare verbally refuse, but the dissatisfaction in his eyes was obvious as he glared fiercely.
The people around them who wanted to watch a good play were disappointed, but Bai Jing and Xiao Sa knew that just as they could tell that Qin Lie was a second-level ability user, Qin Lie must also be able to tell that they were second-level and third-level ability users, which was why he was so polite.
Bai Jing’s gaze unfocused a bit as he couldn’t help but recall events from his previous life after seeing how Qin Lie and Hua Miao interacted. Had Xiao Sa’s brothers’ attitude towards him back then been similar to how Qin Lie’s brothers acted towards Hua Miao? In his previous life, had he been just as annoying as Hua Miao? Or perhaps even worse… His temper back then had been even more arrogant.
Since he had that thought, some of the disgust he felt towards Hua Miao dispersed. At the end of the day, their conflict was just based on Hua Miao’s rude remarks. Back then he hadn’t been just a little bit worse than Hua Miao, but Qin Lie probably still had it tough now! Bai Jing looked at him in sympathy, “We are going to Beijing. Where can we send a telegram?”
Qin Xian was puzzled about Bai Jing’s sudden sympathy, but it was already enough that matters had been settled. They were now living in troubled times, and he knew that taller trees would attract more wind and couldn’t afford to invite more complications. Hearing that Bai Jing wanted to go to the Capital, he hurried to say, “If you want to send a telegram, we have a telegraph machine at our headquarters. But if you really want to go to Beijing, I suggest that you don’t go. The Capital is now guarded by the army, and nobody is allowed to enter or leave as they please.”
Bai Jing’s lips curled. He had noticed very clearly that the people around them seemed disdainful, and some even laughed at him for overreaching, but despite all that, they were still all very attentive, and their ears were all perked up. The reason why they had come to the management office to try and send a telegram was actually in order to spread the news about their planned trip to the Capital. He naturally wouldn’t hide the facts anymore, and he raised his chin high and spoke slowly and arrogantly, “My father is Bai Jingcheng.”
Everyone sucked in a breath of cool air. Bai Jingcheng’s name was known to all residents in State Z. Although Bai Jing didn’t really want to use this name, he had been reminded just now by Hua Miao’s shout of, ‘do you know who I am,’ just now. Bai Jing pulled a face, but he was very clear that no matter what else he could say, none of it would be as useful as that one name.
Of course, there were also those who doubted that Bai Jingcheng’s son would just show up in K City Base.
Bai Jing continued, “A few days ago in Phoenix Mountain, I was separated from the army. My father hasn’t received any news from me since then, which is why I want to send a telegram back.”
When the people around them heard this, their doubts immediately cleared up. Bai Jing had already said that he was sending a telegram; how could he possibly be lying? One of them even stepped up to say, “The Management Office has a telegraph machine. It’s in the back room. I’ll take you there.”
Bai Jing’s smile deepened, and he laughed before saying, “Good!”
That day, Bai Jing sent telegrams to Beijing, Jing Sa City, and Zhang Qiucheng. Other than Zhang Qiucheng, the other two places received their telegram and soon sent back their replies.
Bai Jingcheng’s reply first detailed his worries and concerns, then told Bai Jing to pay attention to his safety. After that, he mentioned that Zhang Qiucheng had taken over the army and contacted him so Bai Jing didn’t have to worry about that matter. Finally, he said that K City Base was far away from the capital and told him to hire mercenaries for the journey.
Bai Jing was instantly enlightened and ignored Bai Jingcheng’s polite words. He couldn’t help but praise Zhang Qiucheng – that man was really well suited to standing out during chaotic times! As for the mercenary corps… Bai Jing’s lips twitched. He had made it a point to specify this when he sent his telegram to Bai Jingcheng. Naturally, his purpose was…
Bai Jing glanced at the person who had stretched his neck in to poke his head into the room. He didn’t bother to hide the contents of the telegram from him and just directly handed it over for them to see. This was the bait he’d thrown, and now he just needed to wait for the fish to get hooked!
The reply telegram from Jing Sa City was much more complicated. Zhou Ji reported briefly on the recent situation at the base before saying that high-level zombies had been found nearby but had all been dealt with smoothly. Then, he mentioned that the harvests on the other side of Yunshan Mountain had been great; five more people at the base had advanced their abilities.
After reading Jing Sa City’s telegram, Bai Jing was very happy, but he also felt a sense of urgency rising up. There were more and more advanced zombies now, and he also needed to hurry up and train. After experiencing the ups and downs of his previous life, he knew that strength really determined everything. Just like today, if he and Xiao Sa weren’t high-level ability users, based on how Qin Lie had treated Hua Miao, how could they have been so willing to let things lie? To him, It was clear that Hua Miao’s lawless nature was a result of Qin Lie’s indulgence. He didn’t know what the relationship was between them since Hua Miao had clearly called him his brother-in-law, but it seemed that Qin Lie’s gaze towards him was totally different.
However, no matter what other people wanted to do, it had nothing to do with them. After Xiao Sa read Jing Sa City’s telegram, Bai Jing put it away. Although some others were curious, they didn’t dare ask any more questions. After all, they were now all quite aware that it was a bad idea to offend these two people.
On the first day, news of Xiao Sa and Bai Jing spread all over K City Base.
On the second day, Xu Feng led his team over to join Xiao Sa and Bai Jing, setting everyone off even more as they tried their best to dig out more information.
On the third day, Wu Guoan brought over Li Xun and their people. They naturally only joined their forces after a careful selection, and the head of the Cheetah Mercenary Corps didn’t dare protest. If he offended Bai Jing now, he would offend too many people; he had originally been dissatisfied with Li Xun, but now he needed to collaborate with Li Xun and even needed to try to build up goodwill so that they could ask Bai Jing to bring them into the Capital with him…
The fourth day…
The fifth day…
Xiao Sa’s team grew stronger and stronger day by day, and the people of K City Base began to feel restless. Some people even brought up the idea of kidnapping Bai Jing, but they were all easily dismissed.
