Chapter 908: No One Owes You Gratitude

Xia Qing’s swift and ruthless actions scattered the onlookers in every direction. In the stairwell, only she remained, holding her suitcase in one hand, while a blood-stained rusted blade lay at her feet.

The staff in the second-floor restroom had gone pale with fright just seeing how fierce Xia Qing was; their legs nearly gave out beneath them.

Another ordinary guard from the patrol team stepped forward, gun aimed at the woman writhing in pain on the ground, her face contorted in agony.

“Mama! Mama—” The child being held by another guard wailed, their cries torn from the chest, desperate as they watched the woman get captured.

Expressionless, Xia Qing hugged the suitcase and walked down the stairs, heading straight for the mall’s main entrance. No one dared stop her. Whether the woman she caught was the thief or just the instigator, the patrol would just review the mall’s surveillance footage. There was no need for Xia Qing to give a statement or provide evidence.

During the Calamity Years, children without the means to protect themselves became a focus for Safe Zone protection—and a tool for those looking for loopholes to exploit. Sometimes these people were the children’s own family; sometimes they were just members of a criminal ring.

Just raising a child got you subsidies. The more decent folks would make sure the weakest got fed first. Those with less conscience ate first themselves—as long as the child didn’t starve to death, it was fine. But the truly ruthless? They forced hungry children to steal to support the adults.

The government tried hard to crack down on crimes like this, but with not enough officers and too many people, there was still plenty that slipped through the cracks.

A lot of people who lost something—even if they caught a child in the act—chose to turn a blind eye or stayed silent, worried about the trouble that might come from reporting it.

If Xia Qing still lived in the Safe Zone, she would’ve clutched her purse a little tighter and pretended not to see. But now that she lived in her own territory, she didn’t need to worry about being targeted by those kinds of criminals.

As Xia Qing walked out, Tang Huai, dressed in casual clothes, hopped out of the car and took her suitcase, putting it in the trunk. Once they were driving, he said quietly, “That kid’s never going to thank you. People who saw what you did will just call you brutal.”

By the rules, kids caught stealing would be sent to boarding schools for mandatory education. The adults who encouraged them would go to jail and be forced into labor. So that child had the right to education at last, but it came at the price of being separated from his mom.

“I’ve always been brutal,” Xia Qing said softly, watching the scenery slip by—rows of barred windows outside the car—never once mentioning that the woman likely wasn’t even the kid’s real mother.

And even if she was, any mother who’d abuse her own child should lose her rights to raise them.

“Sister Qing. Brother Huai.”

Huo Zhun was the first to clamber into the car after the exams, drooping with disappointment as he greeted Xia Qing and Tang Huai. It was obvious his trip had been for nothing. Shi Du was next inside, looking just as defeated.

Zhu Li, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement. She squeezed in and sat behind Xia Qing, lowering her voice as she whispered, “Sister Qing, look over there—Tang Lu is about to come out.”

Xia Qing turned to look and instantly spotted Tang Lu stepping out through the school gates, head held high, dressed in a pink dress. Her walk was as haughty as ever, just like before the Su Feng Squad fell apart. Only now she was much thinner, with just one bodyguard at her back—she looked more alone than ever.

Tang Lu spotted Tang Huai’s car and immediately put on a dazzling smile, striding quickly over in high heels.

“Tch.” Tang Huai wanted nothing to do with Tang Lu. He slammed the gas pedal and sped away.

From the rearview mirror, Xia Qing watched Tang Lu stomp and scowl at the curb, clutching her pink see-through pencil case.

“That’s Tang Zhengsu’s daughter?” Huo Zhun perked up at the sight of drama. “She’s the only one in that family who didn’t get arrested, right? Pretty impressive.”

Shi Du was curious too. “Brother Huai, did Tang Lu hire that bodyguard herself, or did your family assign one?”

“The bodyguard’s the only one my dad sent. The rest’s got nothing to do with us.”

Zhu Li was zeroed in on the details. “Don’t be fooled by Tang Lu’s airs. Everything she’s wearing, down to her shoes, is stuff she used to own. She’s lost so much weight, and if she took off her foundation, I bet her dark circles would put mine to shame.”

Truth was, Zhu Li had been studying morning and night for exams, and even she was showing dark circles now.

“Anyone who just sits around and still gets skinny probably isn’t eating well,” said Huo Zhun, who had been locked inside by his old man so long he’d developed a spare tire around his waist. “Sister Qing, are you busy the next few days? Want to go hunting together? I’m bored out of my mind at home.”

Shi Du and Zhu Li both gave Xia Qing hopeful looks. But it was Tang Huai, still driving, who spoke first. “We’ll talk about grouping up next time. Let’s go out to eat first—celebrate you all finishing the exams. Zhu Li, ask Yan and Wen Nengjie where they are.”

Everyone was part of the same alliance, so it wouldn’t be a real meal without Yuan Yan from Territory Five. Wen Nengjie was now apprenticing under Tang Huai, learning insect breeding, and the two had gotten close.

“Sure!” Zhu Li quickly contacted Yuan Yan and Wen Nengjie. She didn’t even need to report back—Tang Huai was an Auditory Evolutionary and had already overheard that both were back at the Azure Dragon Squad base, waiting for the helicopter to return them to the territory.

The Azure Dragon Squad’s base was in Outer City, so Tang Huai switched the dinner spot. The Tang family ran a restaurant not far from the squad headquarters.

Once he’d arranged a private room, Tang Huai actually called Yang Jin. “Brother Jin, you busy? Huo Zhun and the others finished their exams, so we’re having a get-together… Ah, next time then. We’ll hang out soon.”

When she heard that Tang Huai invited Yang Jin to dinner, Zhu Li knew something was up. She snuck a glance at Xia Qing but didn’t dare say a word.

Still gripping the steering wheel, Tang Huai told Xia Qing, “Brother Jin can’t make it. Brother Yue and Tao are still at the hospital, so it’s just us tonight.”

Xia Qing showed no reaction. Yang Jin was off setting up nets and catching fish; there’s no way he had time for dinner with their lazy bunch.

When Tang Huai parked in front of the family restaurant right by the Azure Dragon base, he was surprised to see Hu Zifeng coming out to meet them too. Tang Huai immediately wanted to get out and tell him to leave, but thinking of today’s goal, forced himself to hold back.

For all his annoyance, Hu Zifeng was Xia Qing’s boyfriend, after all.

Seeing Tang Huai’s visible displeasure, Huo Zhun grinned and gave him a consoling slap on the shoulder.

Hu Zifeng ambled over with a big smile to greet everyone, then turned to Xia Qing, all concern. “That must’ve been a long day—aren’t you tired?”

“Not tired.”

Xia Qing said she wasn’t tired, but honestly, a day in the Safe Zone left her more exhausted than a day’s work in her territory—even a full day of prying rocks on Hill Fifty-Five couldn’t compare.

Totally drained, inside and out.

Yuan Yan came over to Xia Qing and said, “The documents Uncle Ping gave me are already in the helicopter.”

Xia Qing nodded her thanks.

Noticing the tension in Yuan Yan’s voice, Zhu Li shot her a questioning look.

Yuan Yan shook her head quickly, signaling she was fine. Xia Qing understood what she was nervous about, but there was no way to talk here.

Tang Huai let out another heavy humph, shooting a vicious glare at Hu Zifeng before finally herding everyone into their private room.

Tang Huai went all out as host—six meat dishes, four vegetable ones, and a big pot of soup, all made with Green Lantern fish. The food was so good everyone forgot to even listen to the usual bickering between Hu Zifeng and Tang Huai.

Once the helicopter lifted off and Xia Qing checked in with the staff at the Ninth Center, giving Yan Yue and He Hui each a pink briefcase, Tang Huai finally slid over to quietly beg her, “Sister Qing, next time you put a team together, can you bring me along? I promise I won’t slow you down.”

When asked why now, Tang Huai would say it was all thanks to expert advice.

After Xia Qing had eaten Tang Huai’s soup that afternoon and enjoyed his fancy dinner that night, she couldn’t bring herself to embarrass him in front of everyone. She gave him a slight nod.

Wen Nengjie, who’d been watching Xia Qing the whole time, grinned ear to ear. He wasn’t an Evolved fighter so he couldn’t go out in a squad with Xia Qing—but just riding the Territory One helicopter, riding in the Azure Dragon Squad leader’s car, and eating at the Tang family’s restaurant with them all… he was more than satisfied.

“Thank you, Sister Qing!” Tang Huai nearly bounced out of his chair and immediately sent a message to his sister: Sis, Xia Qing agreed to let me join her team!

The helicopter was nearly back over the territory when Tang Ning finally responded with a single word:

“Get lost.”