Chapter 12: Welcome

Silence reigned all around, a profound chill settling in. Building 209 was so quiet it felt like a ghost town, with only the faint echoes of raucous laughter from base members in the distance.

Ye Jingqiu stood frozen in place, her mind blaring alarm bells like a 911 call gone haywire. In that moment, only two words raced through her head:

We’re screwed.

Trembling, she raised her arm to grab Xie Pingzhi, struggling to string together words to beg for help in explaining the situation.

But Xie Pingzhi mercilessly swatted her hand away.

“No need to miss me so much, Classmate Xiao Qiu,” Xie Pingzhi said, glancing left and right with an air of utter nonchalance, as if she had no clue what she’d just done. “I’ll definitely be back within a month.”

Who the hell misses you!!!

Ye Jingqiu was about to swing a fist in protest when she turned and spotted two young women standing at the nearby corner, watching them with amused smiles.

They had clearly come with the captain.

Team Nine’s Captain Shi Wen was usually steady and tight-lipped, but even she wore a faint smile now, her words laced with meaning: “You all from Team One really do have that same great team spirit as always.”

Xie Pingzhi turned at the sound of her voice, raised an eyebrow upon seeing them, and fired back: “Well, look who’s here—Captain Shi on a business trip with the family? Save the lovey-dovey stuff for somewhere else; our Xiao Qiu isn’t even an adult yet.”

“Cut the banter,” Fang Tingling shot a glance at the base’s most disliked person before turning to Ye Jingqiu with a gentle smile, introducing herself warmly, her eyes soft with affection for the junior. “I didn’t have time to bring a proper welcome gift on such short notice, so please forgive me, Classmate Xiao Qiu.”

As she spoke, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, then lightly patted Shi Wen’s hand, nudging her to greet the newcomer as well.

Ye Jingqiu had zero defenses against this kind of gentle big-sister type. She immediately reined in her claws toward Xie Pingzhi, becoming perfectly docile, and for the first time took the initiative: “Hello, Fang-jie! Hello, Captain Shi! Are you two heading out on the trip with A-Xie?”

Xie Pingzhi: “?”

Well, damn—Xiao Qiu, you’ve got two faces!

Shi Wen returned a kind smile. “Yes, but time is tight and the mission is pressing, so A-Ling and I can’t stay long. If all goes smoothly, we’ll see you at the anniversary banquet soon?”

Ye Jingqiu naturally had no objections.

Xie Pingzhi checked the time and realized it was getting late. She waved to the two women before bidding farewell to Shi Zui: “Then we’ll head out first, Captain?”

Shi Zui nodded to her, uttering her usual terse words: “Stay safe.”

After all, they were battle comrades who’d fought side by side for years; no need for extra sentiments.

Watching the three depart, Shi Zui remained silent. Ye Jingqiu suddenly felt a chill wind picking up around her.

Right—she’d just badmouthed the captain earlier. But after all this time, surely the captain would let it slide?

Little drums beat anxiously in Ye Jingqiu’s chest as she watched Xie Pingzhi escape the hot seat, leaving her alone to face the brewing storm of “resentment.”

She didn’t dare look at the captain now, her heart pounding like she was in an exam hall. Her eyes darted everywhere, furtively gauging Shi Zui’s expression with her peripheral vision, ready to bolt or pack her bags at a moment’s notice.

The tension hung thick in the air, like a bowstring pulled taut, waiting for Shi Zui’s words to snap it.

After a long pause, Shi Zui suddenly said, “Twenty-six years old.”

Ye Jingqiu: “Huh???’

Shi Zui elaborated: “I was born on June 3, 1994. As of now, I’m about twenty-six.”

“Oh—” Ye Jingqiu hadn’t expected the captain to bring up the old topic again. Her brain short-circuited, words stumbling out: “Got it, got it. I’ll remember.”

Shi Zui furrowed her brow in silence, noting how this not-so-bright version of Ye Jingqiu was worlds apart from the smooth-talking one who’d chatted with Fang Tingling. Not speaking was one thing, but why had her whole language center gone offline too?

Hadn’t the little teammate been fluent and sweet-tongued just moments ago with Fang Tingling?

Silence fell over the scene again. Once Ye Jingqiu gathered her wits, she leaned forward cautiously, her expression as respectful as if facing a homeroom teacher, and ventured: “So, Captain… can I head back now?”

No response. Ye Jingqiu blinked, slowly shifting her right foot back a step. She was just about to turn and make a break for it when a single sentence pinned her in place once more.

“Are you afraid of me?”

Ye Jingqiu halted obediently, her gaze meeting the captain’s just then.

They were the only two at the entrance to Building 209. She had no idea where the captain had gone earlier, only noticing that not a single button on her upper shirt had been undone.

Wasn’t the captain hot?

Shi Zui’s face remained impassive, her tone flat as she asked. The long, narrow corners of her eyes were sharp as knife edges.

She simply stood there, quietly composed, evoking the image of a faint ink stroke on resilient rice paper.

“You can speak freely,” Shi Zui continued, seeing Ye Jingqiu’s silence. “Barring any accidents, we’ll be teammates for a long time. I hope you’ll trust me more.”

“It’s the foundation of our partnership, and it’ll help build a positive team atmosphere for the long haul.”

Solid reasoning.

So Ye Jingqiu thought it over and declared confidently: “Not at all, Captain. You’re clearly so approachable and kind!”

Shi Zui: ……

Never in her life had she imagined anyone describing her as “approachable.”

An obvious lie.

Shi Zui pondered for a moment, unsure whether to call out the little teammate, but right before the words left her lips, she recalled Loteria’s recent advice:

“Kids Xiao Qiu’s age have a high chance of being in their rebellious phase.”

“So, Captain Shi, you’d better not treat her the same way you treat A-Xie.”

“Respect the child, communicate positively, guide her right, and take the initiative!”

Respect the child.

Shi Zui paused, then decided to let it slide for now, simply nodding: “Alright.”

Relieved as if granted a royal pardon, Ye Jingqiu relaxed, thinking she’d survived the ordeal. She started heading into Building 209 with buoyant steps when the captain’s voice boomed like thunder in her ear.

“Any preferences? The welcome dinner tonight will probably just be the two of us. I hope you don’t mind.”

She stopped in her tracks.

A welcome dinner—meaning, alone with the captain.

For an unknown length of time.

Ye Jingqiu halted dead, then tentatively made a request to the captain:

“Since it’ll just be us tonight, how about you show me around the base? It can count as the whole base welcoming me.”

At least that way, there’d be other people around, and she wouldn’t be so on edge.

Show her around?

Shi Zui’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before smoothing out in an instant. She nodded her assent.

She wasn’t particularly fond of wasting time on idle strolls, but this was the first request Xiao Qiu had made since arriving at the Base. According to Loteria’s educational philosophy, granting it would be the wiser choice—one that would pave the way for smoother communication later on.

Besides, if Fang Tingling or Xie Pingzhi were in her shoes, they likely wouldn’t refuse Ye Jingqiu either.

A few minutes later, the news spread like wildfire throughout the Base.

Heard about it yet?

Captain Shi! The very same Captain Shi who was always as elusive as a dragon in hiding, who never wasted a second on anything outside of missions and Instinct!

She was actually out strolling with the new teammate.

The Base maintained a constant temperature year-round, untouched by the seasons—perhaps due to some faint, ethereal spiritual energy in the air. Lush vegetation thrived within its confines, flowers from different times of year blooming simultaneously. Many members thus took to leisurely walks during their free time, using them to ease their Rampage Value.

Strolls were commonplace, of course. But on Captain Shi?

“Rare” didn’t even begin to cover how bizarre it was.

Who was Captain Shi? The Base’s sole active S-rank, a ruthless powerhouse of few words who could thrash any A-rank Exotic Beast.

Rumor had it that when Xie Pingzhi first joined Team One and chattered on endlessly, Captain Shi had given her the cold shoulder for an entire month.

Was it possible that today, just to help the new teammate get her bearings, Captain Shi had reluctantly emerged from 209?

Countless Base members gazed at the two figures walking side by side in the distance, clicking their tongues in amazement. It felt like witnessing the ninth wonder of the world.

Look at Captain Shi! Willing to sacrifice her own precious time to keep the new teammate around! A true S-Rank Specialist through and through!

~~~

At the same moment

Shanghai

The flight bound for Beijing lifted off, its wings carving a white scar through the slate-gray clouds.

Night was falling, lights flickering to life across the city. In a rundown old neighborhood, Xu Xianyue—the same woman the Base had classified as a non-Awakener four years prior—sat before a computer and slowly opened her eyes.

Her features remained as refined and delicate as ever, but her usual deep amber eyes were now shrouded in a murky pale gray.

Instinct: Southern Ladle, activated.

This wasn’t the first time she’d tapped into it; Xu Xianyue handled it with practiced ease. A torrent of information flooded her mind, yet the crushing load left her utterly unfazed. She sat motionless, rapidly combing through the data, zeroing in on the one vital piece certain people desperately needed.

Half a minute later, she had her answer. Her face a mask of neutrality, Xu Xianyue pulled up her computer, ready to transmit the intel to the organization she’d been dealing with for over two years.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard: YEJINGQ……

She had typed that name countless times before, whispered it silently in her heart just as often.

Yet every time, right at the brink, she would pause for a few heartbeats. Pop a piece of chocolate into her mouth. Then hit send.

This time was no exception. Xu Xianyue tweaked her phrasing over and over, lips pressed tight as she deleted and retyped “Ye Jingqiu” again and again.

No more time for second thoughts. At last, she committed. The enter key rang out with a sharp click—sealing the deal.

The screen blinked rapidly a few times before a reply pinged back.

“Per our agreement, two vials of Instinct Potion will arrive in 30 days, instructions included.”

“Best wishes for success.”

“He is the omnipotent God, the eternal Father, the Prince of Peace.”

Xu Xianyue brushed past that slogan-like closing line, her eyes locking onto “Instinct Potion.” Relief washed over her.

Almost there. So close.

She bit down hard on the chocolate melting in her mouth, syrup flooding her teeth as sweetness bloomed across her tongue—the flavor she knew best, the one she craved most.

Xu Xianyue swallowed the last of it, then reached out to carefully lift the photo from the edge of her desk.

It was a yellowed snapshot: a tall, kind-faced man embracing the wife he’d known since their youth, with a younger, more innocent Xu Xianyue standing before them.

“Mom… just wait a little longer.”

Her thumb traced firmly over the woman’s radiant smile as she murmured,

“I’ll find you both soon.”