It had been so long since Mike last smoked that he choked on the first puff, nearly coughing. Luckily, he held it in, taking a breath as the dust swirled around him. He didn't want to ruin such a perfect moment to show off. Seeing the stunned expressions on Geoff and the others, Mike was satisfied. He took another drag from the cigarette, then swung his heavy hammer, flicking off every last drop of blood.
He walked over to Qiqi, carrying the hammer, and squatted down. His massive body blocked the sunlight, casting her in shadow.
"Can you stand?" Mike asked.
Qiqi snapped back to reality and struggled to get up, but she couldn't succeed after several attempts, clearly injured badly. Besides the wounds on her arm, her ankle was sprained from the last fall, causing her to gasp in pain. Yet the little cat girl remained tough, biting her lip and shedding tears silently, whether from pain or frustration.
Mike understood her feelings. He had witnessed Geoff's actions earlier. Geoff hadn't been wrong; sacrificing Qiqi to save the entire convoy was the rational choice. Anyone with sense would have made the same decision. But Mike never liked too much rationality. Abandoning a team member was abandoning a comrade. Some things weren't about right or wrong but a sign of incompetence.
"Alright, little kitty, let me handle this." Mike took a drag, then tossed and crushed the cigarette. With one swoop, he scooped up the petite cat girl, who winced from the rough handling but said nothing, looking at Mike with wide, teary eyes.
"Don't mind me being dirty," Mike said, smiling at her.
"I won't, meow..." the little cat girl muttered, lowering her head, her face blushing slightly.
With the cat girl in one arm and the hammer on his shoulder, Mike returned to the convoy. Seeing everyone still staring at him, he raised an eyebrow, "What are you standing around for? Clean up the battlefield."
"Ah... Oh!" Warren was the first to react, his gaze filled with a complex mix of respect and awe for Mike.
"Dead... It's completely dead," Martina said, looking at the bloodied wolf demon in the crater.
Warren ran over and pulled out the wolf demon's body. It had to be pried out; its head, which had taken the full force of Mike's hammer, was flattened, red and white mashed together. This gave an idea of the immense power behind Mike's final blow.
"Can we still sell it, all smashed up?" Mike muttered.
"Well..." Martina swallowed, shaking her head, "I'm not sure..."
"Whatever, just stuff it in a sack," Mike said, waving his hand. "And you, Geos?"
"It's Geoff..." Geoff replied, a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, Geos, fix the cart quickly. The mission won't wait, and I need to earn my commission," Mike ordered.
Geoff felt a bit annoyed but swallowed his retort. It wasn't just Mike's strength; he could see the blatant disdain in Mike's eyes. Geoff's actions had made Mike despise him. With no choice, Geoff suppressed his frustration and awkwardness, silently beginning to repair the cart.
The cart had spare wheels and planks; these simple carts were easy to fix. In less than half an hour, the cart was repaired, though some of the goods were indeed damaged.
Martina checked and said, "Thirty bottles are broken, and ten are missing."
Whistling, Mike pushed the half-exposed potion bottle back into his pouch. "Probably got lost when the cart tipped over."
"Pfft..." The little cat girl couldn't help but laugh, then winced in pain from her wounds.
Martina sighed but said nothing, silently packing the potions into a wooden box. Losing some money wasn't a big deal compared to Mike saving their lives by defeating the wolf demon. Besides, they weren't in the mood to worry about the mysteriously missing potions.
The convoy quickly set off again, though the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"Alright, it's nothing serious. In three to five days, you'll be running and jumping again," Martina said with a smile as she finished bandaging Qiqi.
But Qiqi just nodded, turning her head away, and burrowing deeper into Mike's embrace. Seeing this, Martina's smile stiffened, and she sighed before jumping onto the roof of the cart to keep watch, not wanting to disturb Qiqi.
Everyone knew Qiqi was hurt emotionally, as they had just abandoned her. Now, she only felt close to Mike, not to them. They understood and felt guilty, knowing they had tried to save her but ultimately failed. There was no argument to be made. It was likely that after this mission, the team would need to recruit a new scout.
"How are you feeling?" Mike asked, leaning against the cart with a piece of sweetgrass in his mouth. He avoided smoking, knowing the sensitive-nosed beastmen wouldn't like it.
"Much better, not as painful now, meow..." Qiqi said softly, leaning against Mike. Listening to the strong heartbeat beneath his chest, her fear from the recent terror began to subside.
"I wasn't talking about your injuries," Mike said.
Qiqi paused, looking up at him briefly before lowering her head again, feeling down.
"I... I don't know…"
It was clear the little cat girl was truly upset, as she even left off her usual endearing suffix.
"After this mission, do you still want to stay with the escort team?" Mike asked again.
The little cat girl was silent for a long time before she replied, "I don't want to..."
"Where will you go?" Mike continued.
"I don't know... I just don't want to stay here anymore…" Qiqi said. "Maybe I'll go home... I don't want to, but I kind of miss home…"
Mike nodded. When people are hurt, they often want to go home because, for most, home is a sanctuary, both physically and emotionally. It showed how deeply Qiqi was affected.
"So, you don't want to go back home because you wanted to make a name for yourself out here, right?" Mike said.
Qiqi looked up at him. When she left home, she had indeed thought this way. But now, she felt the home was better, at least her family wouldn't abandon her.
"But if I don't go home, I don't know where else to go. Other places are dangerous; I might get caught and sold by the Seth Merchant Guild, meow…" The little cat girl said, shrinking back.
Maybe talking about the future distracted her, as her usual suffix returned.
"In that case, how about joining me?" Mike smiled.
At that moment, he felt like a bad guy tricking the little cat girl... but he wasn't a bad guy. He was only sixteen, far from being an adult.
"You know, I'm a mercenary, and good mercenaries need their team."
"So, I plan to form my team."
"If you join now when the team grows into a guild, you'll be an original member."
Hearing this, Qiqi's fluffy tail started to wag, clearly interested. The little cat girl's emotions were easy to read.
"Will you abandon me?" Qiqi looked at Mike with hopeful eyes. At that moment, she seemed like a child longing for security.
Mike knew he needed to give her that sense of safety.
"Of course not, I'm not a coward!" Mike laughed, his voice loud and clear.
Instantly, everyone in the convoy, who had been eavesdropping, had a twitch at the corner of their mouths. It was as if he was calling them cowards. But they couldn't argue back, so they just chose to stay silent despite feeling uncomfortable and angry.
"Little kitty, let me teach you something." Mike knew his words would make the others uncomfortable, but he was saying it for their benefit too.
"Some things are more important than life."
"In the mercenary business, it's even more so."
"Money, fame, reputation—these are all more important than life."
"Where I come from, many people dream of becoming living legends, and many die for it."
"After all, we do jobs that risk our lives. You can't hold life too dear if you want to be a mercenary."
"And among these things more important than life, one stands out the most."
"That is comradeship."
"This world is harsh and unforgiving, which is why the value of comrades shines through."
"I don't care about my life, but a true comrade will put your life first, even taking a fatal blow for you."
"And you must be willing to do the same for your comrade."
"Because only by doing so, can a group of people who don't value their own lives survive together in this harsh world!"
"Only then can you make a name, earn money, gain status, and achieve those things more important than life!"
"Little kitty, I can't guarantee many things."
"But one thing I can say with pride."
"If you are my comrade, I won't let you die before me!"
"This is the only promise I can make with pride!"
Hearing Mike's words, the little cat girl was excited, her blood boiling. She struggled to get up, her small hands pressing against Mike's chest, her face flushed.
"I, I want to join, meow!"