After Xu Que finished giving instructions, Kun Shao quickly relayed them to Zhao Xian and the others.
Hearing this, Zhao Xian and the rest were stunned. They hadn't expected Xu Que to actually plan on taking them to another city's interdimensional space!
"Do we need to report this?" Huang Bo asked.
"We're not soldiers; there's no need," Zhao Xian replied.
"Alright then, let's go pack up. We'll meet him in the western district tomorrow," Huang Bo said before leading his group away.
"Don't look at me—I'm not going back to the martial arts hall," Kun Shao hurriedly said.
Zhao Xian shot him a glance, then swiftly departed with his martial arts group.
After the two groups had left, Kun Shao rubbed his hands together and began patrolling his territory.
To him, this territory might only be D-level, but as his very first holding, he was quite invested in it.
What surprised him, however, was that apart from a spirit crystal mine, the land held practically nothing else...
"No wonder Xu-ge said this place couldn't even make it onto the Heavenly Rankings. It really is dirt poor!"
Kun Shao sighed, then withdrew his consciousness from the territory.
...
At dawn the next day, Xu Que had just finished slaying two Ghost Toads when he heard the roar of an engine behind him.
Seeing Shen Mengchu step out of her pink Elf car, Xu Que felt an unexpected wave of nostalgia surge through him.
In his previous life, he vaguely remembered Shen Mengchu as sharp and iron-willed, but she always seemed to change in his presence.
Back then, he couldn't understand her behavior and had even called her "crazy." But he later learned, in the fifth year after the Fall, that she'd died at the hands of otherworldly creatures.
"What's wrong?" Shen Mengchu asked, noticing his distraction.
"Ah, nothing. Just haven't seen you in a while, kind of missed you," Xu Que replied with a sheepish grin.
"Don't be ridiculous," Shen Mengchu blushed, saying, "We saw each other just last month at the alumni gathering!"
Xu Que was taken aback. Yes, in this life, they had indeed met last month—but his memories were from his previous life…
"By the way, do you have any news on Liu Ruyan?" Shen Mengchu asked suddenly.
Xu Que's expression darkened as he asked in return, "Why are you looking for her?"
"She's now considered a deserter. She was your girlfriend before, so I thought you might know," Shen Mengchu explained.
Understanding, Xu Que quickly fabricated a reply: "We broke up after the alumni gathering. I heard she's now with Ji Boda."
"Ji Boda?" Shen Mengchu was stunned, then said, "That's impossible—he sacrificed himself in the Harbor District battle two days ago."
"Ji Boda is dead?" Xu Que's face turned cold; he could scarcely believe it.
All he'd wanted was to kill Ji Boda himself, but now Shen Mengchu was telling him Ji Boda was already dead! Whom could he now exact his vengeance upon? How could he repay the grudge of having his eyes gouged out?
Seeing his abnormal reaction, Shen Mengchu asked in concern, "Xu Que, what's wrong?"
"Xu Que, don't scare me!"
In that moment, Xu Que looked like a soulless zombie, his eyes hollow, his neck twitching mechanically.
"No, this can't be. He wouldn't die so easily. My vengeance remains unfulfilled! He must still be alive!"
Shen Mengchu, frightened by his words, hadn't expected Xu Que to hold such a deep-seated grudge against Ji Boda.
Could it be because of Liu Ruyan?
But Xu Que's earlier nonchalant attitude had suggested he didn't care for her at all.
"Xu Que, what's happening to you? Look at me; I'm Shen Mengchu, who's secretly admired you for years!" Shen Mengchu shook his arm.
In that instant, Xu Que jolted back to reality, as if struck by lightning.
Panting heavily, he steadied himself. He knew that he'd nearly lost control, that he'd been close to slipping into a dangerous state.
"Thank you." Xu Que patted Shen Mengchu on the back. "I'm fine now. I just didn't expect Ji Boda to die at the hands of otherworldly creatures."
Shen Mengchu didn't pry into his grudge against Ji Boda, nor did she want to. At that moment, all she wanted was to stay by Xu Que's side.
As they held each other tightly, a sudden cough interrupted their moment.
"Xu-ge, did we come at a bad time?" Kun Shao asked slyly.
"As a martial artist, I saw nothing," Zhao Xian said, looking up at the sky.
"I didn't see anything either; I was focused on the Rankings," Huang Bo added awkwardly.
"What? You two backstabbers!" Kun Shao bristled, glaring at Qi Kai and Qi Shan.
They lowered their heads, feigning ignorance as though they hadn't seen anything at all.
"Damn it, you guys aren't real brothers!" Kun Shao shook his fist in mock outrage.
"Alright, enough. It's not what you think," Xu Que quickly explained.
Hearing his explanation, Shen Mengchu nodded shyly, her faint murmur of "hmm" barely audible, tinged with a hint of nervousness.
"See? My Xu-ge's got my back!" Kun Shao grinned.
"Let's go. I have something important to discuss," Xu Que said.
"Xu-ge, what about this place?" Zhao Xian asked, pointing at the dimensional rift.
"Don't worry. I've already informed the military, and this space is stable now. At most, only three or four Ghost Toads might slip out in a day," Xu Que reassured.
The group finally understood.
As Xu Que and Shen Mengchu approached the car that Kun Shao and his crew had driven, they were both taken aback by the sight...
"Don't tell me you're planning to drive this to Liao City!" Xu Que said, eyeing the six-wheeled monstrosity.
"Of course! It's a domestic marvel, built to last!" Kun Shao boasted.
Xu Que's eye twitched. He began to suspect Kun Shao had been paid to promote the car.
"Maybe I should call for a military vehicle; there might be danger on the way," Shen Mengchu offered.
"No need," Xu Que replied. "I'll drive your car. If we come across another abandoned vehicle, we'll swap."
The others agreed readily enough; with Xu Que at the helm, they felt reassured.
Within half an hour, they'd already switched to a seven-seater, far more comfortable than the original vehicle. Xu Que simply patted Kun Shao's shoulder apologetically.
On the road to Liao City, traffic was sparse; most people knew the risks and avoided long-distance travel.
After Xu Que briefed the group on their mission objectives, Zhao Xian and the others were astounded. They hadn't expected him to be so bold.
"Xu-ge, did you say we'd each get weapons for this mission?" Kun Shao asked, delighted.
As for the dangers of the interdimensional space, he dismissed them, assured by Xu Que's careful planning. With the boss so well-prepared, he figured nothing could go wrong—unaware that his carelessness would nearly cost them their lives.
Xu Que nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, that dimensional space should contain numerous weapons and armor."
In his past life, Xu Que had never lacked for weapons. By the time he'd joined the fight against otherworldly creatures, the Dimensional Surge was already over, and survivors were mainly fortified behind walls. With half of Blue Star's population gone, there was rarely a shortage of gear.
Hearing the promise of weapons and armor, Zhao Xian and the others smiled. After all, that was exactly what they were lacking.