RITAAB 58

Chapter 58 【o(￣︶￣)o】

Qin Jiuzhen quickly adjusted his mood and, after taking a bag to collect the bodies, he was about to start cleaning up the corpses. But at that moment, as he turned around, he suddenly saw three people walking on the road outside the back door of this area.

Isn’t that the Liu Zhongyuan squad? His brother Qin Jiulin is there, and Duan Qiufeng’s target, Qi Yu, is also there. They seem to be heading forward, but what are they going to do?

Qin Jiuzhen couldn’t resist and called out, “Brother!”

Qin Shanzhou and Yao Meimei, who were still angry, instinctively turned their heads to look outside. Qin Jiulin also looked over when he heard the familiar voice, only to see the three people who irritated him.

Liu Zhongyuan blinked. These three people here are a family of three. This young person is Qin Jiuzhen, and the two behind him are his parents, which means they are Qin Jiulin’s parents!

Qin Shanzhou’s eyes flashed with excitement, but he quickly realized that he could ask Qin Jiulin for food now. That way, even if they slacked off and didn’t work, they would still have something to eat!

He walked to a position closer to the back door. He wanted to go out, but there was a big iron gate that prevented him from leaving. He could only watch Qin Jiulin from behind the iron gate.

“You little brat finally shows up in front of us? As your father, can’t you even say hello? Have you really forgotten about us now that you’ve grown wings?” Qin Shanzhou said.

“Don’t forget, you used to rely on us for food and drink. We raised you. You will always owe us!”

Qin Jiulin coldly looked at him. “Yes, indeed, I do owe you something. So, tell me, what do you want? I can give it to you.”

Noticing Qin Shanzhou’s excited expression, Qin Jiulin smiled and said, “But my patience is limited. Don’t expect me to owe you forever. Once I feel like I’ve paid off the debt, I won’t bother with you anymore. So, if you want something, think carefully.”

Qin Shanzhou’s previously excited mood instantly deflated. “Hmph! You really are an ungrateful person. Your previous actions were indeed the right ones.”

Qin Jiulin replied, “Yes, indeed, they were the right ones.”

If they had treated him well in the past, he wouldn’t know how to face this family of three now. Fortunately, their attitude, coupled with the tragedy they had already experienced, made him feel a certain way towards these three people…

Liu Zhongyuan intervened, “Alright, enough talking. We still have a mission. Don’t waste time here.”

Qi Yu looked at Liu Zhongyuan with some surprise. It seemed like the first time she had heard him speak in such a cold tone, and it was directed at Qin Jiulin. This…

She cautiously looked at Qin Jiulin and found him obediently saying, “Okay, Captain.”

Liu Zhongyuan continued leading Qin Jiulin forward, leaving Qin Shanzhou, Yao Meimei, and Qin Jiuzhen stunned as they watched their backs.

Qi Yu blinked and quickly caught up. He had no connection with these three people.

However, not long after they had walked away, a woman’s sharp voice came from behind, “Qin Jiulin, don’t think you can escape. You will never fully pay off what you owe us!”

Qin Jiulin sneered inwardly. Who owes who? Right, it does seem like he owes them, but it doesn’t matter. He will soon settle the debt.

And after settling the debt, he will wait for Xia Liansheng and Qin Jiuzhen to make a move against him. Then, he will make these two regret ever being born into this world!

Until they couldn’t see the three people behind them anymore, Liu Zhongyuan looked somewhat uneasy at Qin Jiulin, who was clearly lost in thought, and asked, “Are you… are you okay?”

Qin Jiulin took a deep breath. “Do I look like I’m not okay?”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “It’s good that you’re okay. I thought you would be sad. After all, that should be…”

Qin Jiulin said, “Yes, they are my parents, and they also know about the relationship between Xia Liansheng and Qin Jiuzhen. I am the only one kept in the dark.”

Liu Zhongyuan couldn’t understand, “Why is that? If that’s the case, why didn’t they just agree to let Xia Liansheng be with their youngest son? Why involve you? Judging from their behavior, it’s clear that they don’t intend to give you any share of the family fortune…”

Qin Jiulin replied, “I don’t understand either. When I realized they were deceiving me, I couldn’t figure out why. After all, I have no share in the family fortune, and Xia Liansheng and Qin Jiuzhen like each other. My parents are also very satisfied with Xia Liansheng and are aware of their relationship.”

“But they accepted the ambiguous relationship between Xia Liansheng and me, and even Qin Jiuzhen silently consented. Sometimes they even deliberately concealed their relationship. I don’t understand.”

Not only Liu Zhongyuan, but even Qi Yu, who was following behind, was full of question marks. Why is this happening?

Is this Xia Liansheng just playing with Qin Ge’s younger brother? Is it simply to toy with Qin Ge’s feelings? What other reason could there be?

Liu Zhongyuan was very puzzled, but suddenly he remembered the strange words that Xia Liansheng had said to him before. They were very nonsensical and left him completely clueless, but he felt that they were somehow related to this situation.

“Do you remember those words Xia Liansheng said to me? Those very strange words,” Liu Zhongyuan asked.

Qin Jiulin hesitated slightly, “You mean…”

Liu Zhongyuan continued, “Don’t worry, whatever their motive may be, let’s be prepared. We’ll face whatever comes our way. I refuse to believe that with our strength, we can be easily manipulated by him.”

Qin Jiulin thought to himself that in his previous life, he was successfully manipulated because he trusted Xia Liansheng too much. Otherwise, how could a variant beast with a Beastman Nucleus, who had grown so powerful, be critically injured so easily?

The strength of a variant beast with a Beastman Nucleus is completely different from before. It’s at least ten times stronger! Both offense and defense are greatly enhanced. Even if there’s a hand grenade explosion in front of them, at most they’ll just get slightly dazed.

Qi Yu had no idea what they were talking about. It was like listening to a foreign language. What do they mean by the words Xia Liansheng said before? How are they strange?

Also, what about the inexplicable actions between Xia Liansheng and the people from the Qin family? Aren’t these two going to investigate further? He wanted to know!

Curiosity killed the cat, so Qi Yu decided it was best not to ask too many questions.

They left quickly, but Qin Shanzhou and the other two who remained behind still had a large area to clean up. After Qin Jiulin’s figure disappeared from his sight, Qin Shanzhou glared at Yao Meimei with a twisted expression.

“What are you still standing there for? What are you looking at? Hurry up and clean! If there’s no food later, it’s your fault!”

Yao Meimei reluctantly nodded when she saw that he was truly angry. “I understand…”

Qin Jiuzhen also joined Yao Meimei in cleaning. Their task was to collect and dispose of the large chunks of corpse debris, among other things, and then clean the rest with water.

Fortunately, they were now able to live in the residential area, as living in tents had been uncomfortable.

Qin Shanzhou was on the verge of exploding at the moment, so Qin Jiuzhen and Yao Meimei didn’t dare to provoke his anger any further. They could only start cleaning the bodies on the side.

Even though they felt nauseous several times while handling the corpses, they persevered because it was crucial for their future food supply.

Xia Liansheng’s team had successfully completed their mission this time. Although there were a few minor setbacks along the way, thankfully, no one was injured, although it did take a bit more time.

When they returned to the military camp and were informed that they could go to the area taken over by the military, they were momentarily stunned. However, all three of them wanted to live in a normal house.

After all, living in tents had been their only option before.

Xia Liansheng asked, “Has the military cleaned up that area?”

The soldier replied, “It was cleaned up by Liu Zhongyuan’s team. They’re really strong.”

Xia Liansheng didn’t ask any further after receiving the answer. Continuing to ask might make him even angrier. “Alright, I understand. Thank you. Can we go now?”

The soldier said, “You can go. Captain Gao and his team are already there. If you want to report the mission’s success, you have to go there too. It’s good that you can live in houses now.”

“After the area taken over by the military is completely cleaned up, we, as the last group, will also need to go there. This place will be abandoned by then.”

“Alright, I understand. So, we… Oh, by the way, I noticed that some of the relatives who came with the beastman individuals are not here. Did they go with them?”

The soldier glanced at him and said, “Yes, they felt it was unsafe to stay here and insisted on going with them. Captain Gao agreed since they wanted to go. But, there’s something strange and disgusted in his expression when he spoke about it. However, it doesn’t matter as long as nothing goes wrong.”

After all, Xia Liansheng had noticed that Qin Jiuzhen and the others were no longer here when he returned.

The three of them arrived at the entrance of the street where they had been before. After registering their identities and information at the checkpoint, they were allowed to enter. After all, their identities were clear and transparent.

At this moment, there are no spies or infiltrators. The half-beastmen individuals outside cannot turn back into normal humans.

Coincidentally, Xia Liansheng and his team happened to encounter the three members of Liu Zhongyuan’s squad while looking for Gao Siyang.

Xie Sihan and Cheng Tianxiang were very excited and approached them, getting a little closer. “Hello!”

Liu Zhongyuan was in the middle of communicating with Gao Siyang when Qin Jiulin nodded at her. “Hello, just back from a mission? No injuries, I hope?”

Cheng Tianxiang replied, “No injuries, no injuries! Just a little tired. We definitely need two days of rest.”

Qin Jiulin agreed, “Indeed, we need to rest well. After all, that’s the most important thing. How can we do more missions if we don’t take care of our bodies?”

Cheng Tianxiang nodded in agreement, “Yes, exactly. That’s what I think too.”

She then approached Qi Yu, “You’re Qi Yu, right? Your beast form is a snow owl?”

Qi Yu took a step back and nodded, “Yes, that’s me. You’re the one with the beast form of a wild goose, right?”

Cheng Tianxiang exclaimed, “Ah!”

She looked pleasantly surprised, “I didn’t expect you to know me!”

Qi Yu replied, “Well, I’ve seen some information about you before, so I remember a little.”

By this time, Liu Zhongyuan had finished talking with Gao Siyang. Now he had a chance to turn and look at Xia Liansheng. From the moment Xia Liansheng entered until now, he had been staring at him, with a gaze so intense that it seemed like he wanted to burn him alive. It was really hard to ignore. “Welcome back.”

Xia Liansheng put on a fake smile, “Thank you.”

Liu Zhongyuan, in front of him, grabbed Qin Jiulin’s hand and said, “Let’s go, Jiulin. Let’s go eat.”

The three of them came this time to give Gao Siyang a detailed report on the previous mission. Originally, Gao Siyang planned to take this opportunity to talk to Liu Zhongyuan about a mission he had been thinking about for a long time, but unfortunately, Xia Liansheng’s team returned.

To be honest, Xia Liansheng’s team had spent many more days on their mission than Liu Zhongyuan’s team, but the difficulty of their mission was only about a third or even a quarter of the plaza mission that Liu Zhongyuan’s team had undertaken. So the difference in strength between these two teams became apparent.

Therefore, that mission truly belonged to Liu Zhongyuan’s team!

Xia Liansheng didn’t notice the different look that Gao Siyang gave to their two teams. He was still staring at the hand that Liu Zhongyuan was holding onto Qin Jiulin. The worst part was… Qin Jiulin didn’t pull away from him, which meant he didn’t reject Liu Zhongyuan’s intimate behavior.

Even after Liu Zhongyuan’s team had walked quite a distance away, Xia Liansheng still hadn’t snapped out of it. Gao Siyang coughed, “Captain Xia?”

Xia Liansheng snapped out of his daze and turned to face Gao Siyang, “Captain Gao, sorry, I was lost in thought.”

Gao Siyang said, “No problem. First of all, congratulations on your successful mission and, most importantly, on not getting injured. Xie Sihan and Cheng Tianxiang, you can go back and rest. Captain Xia, stay here to report.”

Xie Sihan and the others didn’t have any intention of staying. “Then we’ll go back and rest.”

After Cheng Tianxiang left, she continued muttering to herself about how being a captain meant taking more responsibility, but at least she wasn’t the captain.

Xia Liansheng thought to himself, can she really be a captain?

Gao Siyang said, “Captain Xia, you can start now.”

Xia Liansheng smiled faintly. “Okay.”

By the time Xia Liansheng left, an hour had already passed. As soon as he stepped outside, he was stopped by the soldiers. “Captain Xia, the army has arranged a place for you to stay here. It’s all cleaned up. You can move in directly. It’s that building over there.”

Xia Liansheng took the paper with the address of his temporary residence from the soldier, along with a key. “Thank you.”

There was no point in thinking any further. He decided to go and see his new place first. As the captain of a team of beastman individuals, his residence shouldn’t be too shabby, right?

When he found his new place, he was satisfied with the house. Though it was a bit small, it had everything he needed, and it was already cleaned up.

To him, the house wasn’t too big, but it would do for now.

Xia Liansheng rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit hungry. He hadn’t had a proper meal in a while because of the mission. But first, he planned to take a shower.

However, the house didn’t have electricity or running water, so if he wanted to shower, he would have to fetch water himself or go to the temporary public bathhouse.

No one minded. They were all grown men after all. Of course, the soldiers, beastman individuals, and ordinary people had separate bathing areas. It wouldn’t be appropriate to mix them together.

Just as Xia Liansheng finished showering and was getting ready to go to the cafeteria for a meal, he unexpectedly ran into the trio who were having their meal. Even his two squad members were there.

Xia Liansheng saw that they were engrossed in their conversation and didn’t approach them. Instead, he got his food first and then walked over to sit across from Qi Yu.

There was no choice. Liu Zhongyuan and Qin Jiulin had taken the seats opposite each other, leaving Xia Liansheng with no choice but to sit across from Qi Yu.

“What are you all talking about? Seems like you’re having a great time.”

As he spoke, he looked at Qin Jiulin. It seemed intentional, but the harmonious atmosphere from earlier had suddenly turned much colder as soon as he appeared.

Qin Jiulin was about to speak when Liu Zhongyuan interrupted her. “Oh, nothing. These two girls were just asking us how we managed to complete such a difficult mission in such a short time.”

“We were just talking about this, just a simple chat, nothing major. You wouldn’t be interested, would you? After all, our speed in completing missions is greatly influenced by our beastman forms.”

“So, because our beastman forms are different, even if we tell you about our experiences, you won’t be able to replicate them. What suits others may not suit oneself, right, two beautiful ladies?”

Cheng Tianxiang chimed in, “Yes, yes, our beastman forms are all different. It’s true that they are not suitable. By the way, I heard that Captain Liu’s form is a giant snake, 50 meters long. Is that true or false?”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked, “What’s the matter? Haven’t you seen it before?”

Cheng Tianxiang replied, “I’ve only seen it from a distance, but never up close. I really want to see it, I’m so excited!”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “Oh, I see. In that case, how about this? Since you guys have a few days off, let’s go hunting together sometime in the next two days.”

Cheng Tianxiang’s eyes lit up, “That’s great! How about tomorrow? We’ll go with you tomorrow!”

Xia Liansheng’s gaze fell on Qin Jiulin, “I also want to see the tiger up close. I heard it has black and red markings, it must look so cool!”

Cheng Tianxiang added, “I also wanted to get a closer look at the snowy owl! Snowy owls can hunt too, but my claws… oh, I only have webbed feet!”

Qi Yu’s mouth twitched, “Ah… well, as long as you can fly, it’s fine. Even if you can’t catch prey, there are many other ways you can help.”

Cheng Tianxiang smiled, “I know, I know. I’m a little envious, but not to the point of feeling inadequate.”

Qi Yu let out a sigh of relief, and Cheng Tianxiang continued to smile, thinking that Qi Yu was such a cute little brother.

Xia Liansheng saw them chatting and laughing, excluding him, and his smile almost faltered. Fortunately, his years of acting alongside Qin Jiulin helped him hold on.

“Well, if that’s the case, let’s go hunting together tomorrow.”

Liu Zhongyuan’s eyes shifted, “As for me, I actually admire Captain Xia a lot. We are both captains of Beastmen squads. How about the two of us have a little competition tomorrow?”

Xia Liansheng’s eyelid twitched, “A competition? What for?”

He had a bad feeling about this, and it soon turned out to be true.

Liu Zhongyuan said, “Oh, it’s just a friendly match. Since the two of us are captains, we should set an example for our team members, right? We can simply compare who can catch the most prey in the same amount of time. It’s simple, right? I don’t think anyone would refuse such a simple competition, right?”

Xia Sihan was also eager to try, she looked at Qin Jiulin, as if she also wanted to challenge him, but Qin Jiulin raised his hand to stop her from speaking further.

Xia Sihan gave up, as for Cheng Tianxiang, her beastman form couldn’t catch prey at all, so she could only watch them with envy in her eyes.

They quickly realized that Xia Liansheng did not immediately accept Liu Zhongyuan’s challenge.

Everyone looked at him with some confusion, especially Xie Sihan and Cheng Tianxiang.

Xia Liansheng’s mouth twitched, his smile seeming a bit forced. “Doesn’t this seem unfair? After all, everyone knows how strong your beast form is, in this aspect, I’m definitely…”

Liu Zhongyuan looked surprised, cutting him off before he could finish. “Are you refusing? Are you afraid of losing face?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just for fun. It’s not a serious competition. You don’t have to take it seriously. Don’t you want to do it?” Xia Liansheng’s face wore a fixed smile. He even caught a glimpse of Cheng Tianxiang’s disdainful gaze. Impulsively, he agreed, “Alright then, let’s compare a little, but…”

Liu Zhongyuan didn’t let him finish, “Great, great, no problem, I promise!”

Feeling frustrated, Xia Liansheng finished his meal. Before leaving, he didn’t even think about talking to Qin Jiulin. After all, every time he tried to speak, Liu Zhongyuan would interrupt. It seemed that Liu Zhongyuan wouldn’t give him a chance to talk to Qin Jiulin. In that case, he would find time to speak with Qin Jiulin alone.

As Xia Liansheng walked away, Cheng Tianxiang and Xie Sihan didn’t spare him a second glance. Although Xia Liansheng hadn’t done anything wrong, maybe it was their sixth sense as women, but they didn’t really like their captain.

They even felt a faint sense of disgust towards him, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on why…

After Xia Liansheng walked away, Cheng Tianxiang frowned and said, “Captain Xia seems quite unhappy. Why is that? It’s just a friendly competition, right? Is there a need to take it so seriously?”

Liu Zhongyuan chuckled, “Hahaha… maybe he’s just very competitive. Before, it seemed like he was comparing our team’s mission completion speed.”

Cheng Tianxiang agreed, “Yeah! He cares a lot about the difficulty and time it takes to complete missions. When Sister Xie Sihan got injured while saving me, he had a really sour expression on his face. Even though he didn’t show that expression afterwards, we all knew deep down that he didn’t really care. It was all an act for us!”

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