Chapter 26: Past Matters

The trade fair incident at Jingtang Building that evening had far-reaching implications. Figuring out how to handle and reassure the more than a hundred non-awakeners who had personally witnessed the Instinct eruption was a major challenge in itself, but that was just one piece of a much larger puzzle demanding resolution.

Take, for example, the A-rank He Ju Commander from that night. According to its own account, this exotic beast had only recently awakened from nearly four centuries of slumber.

So how had a creature with nothing to its name—utterly unadapted to modern human society—spread word of the Candle Dragon Scale? And how had it zeroed in on its target amid the endless throng of people?

Whether some hidden hand was at work here was a question very much worth scrutinizing.

For the bone-tired members of Team One, though, all these loose ends could wait. The Candle Dragon’s awakening was too grave a matter. Deciding the base’s next move was no longer solely Action Division Minister Yi Fengyan’s call—anything touching on S-rank sequences had to be escalated straight to Ying Tian.

In corners beyond Ye Jingqiu’s sight, the Abnormal Creature Processing Base had already swung back into motion, much like it had four years prior. But right now, Classmate Xiao Qiu had only one concern on her mind—

Sleep.

Last night—or more precisely, early that morning—the hapless Classmate Xiao Qiu hadn’t truly felt her body’s exhaustion until after pushing Instinct to its limits. And this was her first time pulling an all-nighter past 3 a.m.!

Three in the morning! She had never even stayed up that late for homework.

The moment she got back to the branch division, Ye Jingqiu collapsed into bed, determined to squeeze out 99% quality sleep to bolster her thriving high school career.

By the time Classmate Xiao Qiu blearily cracked her eyes open, Aether—who had been waiting patiently nearby—kindly informed her of the hour: 5:27 p.m.

A little late.

Ye Jingqiu shook her head to clear the fog, then automatically snatched her phone from beside the pillow. She scrolled through the barren message list twice before accepting that not a single soul had reached out during her nap.

Not even the captain.

It wasn’t a big deal, really. She was used to it by now. Back in class, only Teacher Xiao Xu ever checked in on her like that now and then. She got along fine with everyone, but no one was close enough for regular heart-to-hearts.

The room lay in perfect silence, and there wasn’t a peep from beyond the walls. The captain and A-Xie must have stepped out.

With a sigh, Ye Jingqiu rolled over and sat up. In the dimness, she peered toward the window, shrouded behind curtains that blocked every scrap of light. Damn, those were well-made.

She seemed to recall stumbling into the room last night so bone-weary that her eyes wouldn’t stay open—definitely no time to fuss with curtains then.

Had Aether thoughtfully closed them for her?

Ye Jingqiu tousled her bird’s-nest hair and decided not to dwell on it. She shuffled into her slippers and headed for a quick shower. Emerging, she rummaged in her suitcase for some pajamas and tugged them on without ceremony.

Her un-dried hair ends clung to the back of her ears, dribbling water that swiftly soaked a dark patch into her top.

No one around outside, and with her stomach caving in on itself from hunger, all she craved were a couple of instant noodle cups for triage. Propriety? Proper attire? Those could fly off to the ninth heaven for all she cared.

She gave the doorknob a twist, yawned hugely, and swung the door open—

Only to come face-to-face with someone whose features weren’t quite strangers, but hardly familiar either.

They locked eyes, the air thickening to a standstill.

Caught utterly off guard by this first encounter with the newbie, Zhou Xianhui recovered with impressive speed. Her eyes crinkled in a warm smile. “Good evening, Classmate Xiao Qiu.”

Ye Jingqiu: “???”

The door and walls were that soundproof?

Still dazed, she lifted her gaze and recognized the teammate she had only glimpsed once in a video: Zhou Xianhui.

She must have just returned from outside, still clad in the base’s pure-black combat gear. Unlike the captain’s crisp severity or Xie Pingzhi’s laid-back vibe, Zhou Xianhui always seemed to carry a faint, gentle smile. Her long hair cascaded to her waist, lending her an air of distinctive warmth.

“Zhouzhou, why don’t you give Xiao Qiu’s door a knock?” The quiet shattered as Xie Pingzhi leaned out from the nearby kitchen. “I’ve had Aether page her three times—no luck. If she doesn’t wake up soon, she’ll starve right there in bed.”

Ye Jingqiu: “Huh?”

She sniffed the air on reflex, her brain lagging behind.

A thick, savory aroma permeated the room: pork marrow bones and Lingnan chicken simmered for four hours into a broth as creamy as milk fat, with melt-in-your-mouth crispy pork that parted effortlessly from the bone.

At the open kitchen counter, Xie Pingzhi occasionally glanced at Loteria’s kitchen guide while rhythmically slicing lamb with crisp snaps.

Ye Jingqiu rubbed her eyes against the illusion, then confirmed twice over that the tool in A-Xie’s hand was a gleaming new hunting knife—clearly from the same forge as the one she had plunged into the He Ju commander.

The living room projector hummed away; the little cat bounded gleefully through its home simulation, pausing now and then to swap tracks on the speakers.

Off to the side by the dining table stood Shi Zui, bent at the waist with a puzzled frown—the very captain who had unleashed Instinct twice the night before and soloed twenty-one exotic beasts—fumbling to ignite the stovetop with a flicker of Yinghuo from her fingertip.

The cozy haze of home cooking enveloped her; it felt like a dream. Ye Jingqiu froze in place for two beats. Then she watched the captain’s twenty-seventh attempt fizzle out. Abandoning the effort, Shi Zui straightened, turned, and fixed her gaze this way.

Her steady eyes traced from the little teammate’s dripping hair tips. Shi Zui’s brows knitted faintly.

“The blow dryer’s in the bathroom—second drawer on the left. Or do you need me to crank the AC higher… huh?” At the end, the captain paused just a touch before tacking on the filler word with perfect nonchalance.

Ye Jingqiu: ???

Suddenly aware of her utterly unseemly state, her face flushed crimson. In a fluster, she slammed the door shut with a sharp clap.

Zhou Xianhui: “Eh?”

Before she could muster any reassuring words for her new teammate, a frantic voice floated out from the room:

“Thanks for the concern, Captain—the temperature’s perfect as is!”

“Good evening, Sister Zhouzhou! Sorry, just changing—be right out!”

Collision sounds that even the soundproof walls couldn’t block echoed from inside the door. Zhou Xianhui was in high spirits, her eyes curving into smiles, and she decided against saying anything like “it’s fine” to spare Classmate Xiao Qiu any extra burden.

But she had clearly been the first to greet Classmate Xiao Qiu—why had the little teammate responded to the captain first?

Recalling A-Xie’s words from earlier on the road, Zhou Xianhui let out a soft chuckle. Leaning against the wall, she watched the captain fiddle with the induction cooker before speaking in a leisurely tone:

“Captain, being a parent isn’t half bad, is it?”

There was no reply, but Zhou Xianhui wasn’t impatient. She watched with keen interest as the captain calmly prepared the vegetables for rinsing, her face as impassive as ever.

It was only after a long moment that Zhou Xianhui heard the answer she’d anticipated.

“……Mm.”

~~~

Classmate Xiao Qiu had scrubbed herself spotless and neat as a pin. After one final check in the mirror—her umpteenth—she hurried out the door, barely able to contain her excitement.

She’d been starving for nearly twenty-four hours; any longer without food, and they’d be shipping her off to Babaoshan!

The base had no stuffy rules about silence at meals. At last, Team One’s members gathered around the table. The mutton rolls, bubbling away in the hot pot for just the right number of rounds, were perfectly tender. Dipped in the rich sauce, they were so flavorful they nearly melted right off the tongue.

Ye Jingqiu ate until she was utterly content, her spirit fully restored.

Seeing her satisfaction delighted the head chef, Xie Pingzhi, to no end. Grinning ear to ear, she said, “Pretty good, huh? It’s a secret recipe I swiped from Professor Luo.”

Ye Jingqiu nodded eagerly, swallowing a mouthful of flatbread before asking offhandedly, “Thanks—so where’d you all head off to this afternoon?”

“I went to pick up Zhouzhou,” Xie Pingzhi said, drawing out her words on purpose. “But the captain? She didn’t go anywhere… because a certain classmate slept way too long, so our upstanding model captain—”

Shi Zui lifted her gaze coldly, cutting off her rambling teammate. “Eat.”

Xie Pingzhi threw both hands up in surrender, chopsticks pointed skyward. “Gotcha.”

Shi Zui’s eye twitched a few times. Lately, that little “neh” tic seemed to be cropping up everywhere.

Ye Jingqiu could easily guess what Xie Pingzhi had been about to say. So that was why she hadn’t gotten any messages—the captain had been right outside her door the whole time. And the reason? She’d slept too long, and Shi Zui had been worried something might be wrong.

It was a rare sensation for her, this feeling of being looked after.

Warmth bloomed in her chest, much like the pot simmering on the stove, steam drifting through Team One’s temporary quarters. Yet it couldn’t quite mask that special glow only a true home could provide.

Even the usually bold and outgoing Ye Jingqiu felt suddenly unsure of herself. She stole a careful glance at the captain, whose face remained impassive, and after several moments of hesitation, murmured softly:

“Thanks, Captain.”

Shi Zui’s movements remained fluid and uninterrupted. “No need for thanks,” she replied evenly. “I just had some business this afternoon that needed prompt handling.”

“Tch.” Xie Pingzhi pursed her lips, thinking that verifying the monthly supplies list hardly qualified as urgent—it could be done in a minute flat.

Truth be told, Shi Zui had been concerned that Xiao Qiu, after unleashing Instinct three times in a row, might run into trouble. So she’d planted herself in the living room, ready to spring into action the moment Aether raised an alarm.

Zhou Xianhui, who had been quietly observing the trio, smiled to herself. With a light cough, she steered the conversation elsewhere to rescue the increasingly awkward little teammate:

“Wasn’t the racket you all kicked up last night a bit much? Ning Wan hounded me with complaints forever, going on about how A-Xie had the nerve to use Instinct so blatantly in a place like that.”

Xie Pingzhi threw her hands wide in boastful defense. “But it was the perfect window to snag back the Candle Dragon Scale! Did you catch Aether’s battlefield footage? Xiao Qiu and I—we were flawless together!”

“Flawless at a steep price,” Zhou Xianhui said with a laugh. “Word is, 127 non-Awakeners needed memory wipes. Boss Chen put up a real fight against the whole thing, even after the staff assured her there’d be zero side effects.”

“Oh yeah, she was throwing a fit, demanding to see you.”

Ye Jingqiu, ears perked the whole time, dropped her chopsticks at once and pressed eagerly, “Why insist on seeing A-Xie, of all people?”

Zhou Xianhui shrugged. “Suspension bridge effect, maybe? When A-Xie pulled out of the trade fair, she grabbed her on the way. Chen Yuan would’ve been fine staying put—especially with the captain right there on the rooftop.”

Zhou Xianhui hadn’t been part of the op, but she had the full rundown, clearly always tuned in to her teammates’ whereabouts.

Xie Pingzhi, who never bothered with mission follow-ups, let out an “ah.” She sighed. “Habit from bodyguard days, y’know? Danger hits, first move is shield the boss.”

Her tone hitched just a touch then, dipping subtly lower. “Besides, she’s tied to us directly. Couldn’t just ditch her there alone.”

Ye Jingqiu teased, “Aw, such a sweetheart, A-Xie! Boss Chen’s actually super nice, though.”

The subtext screamed loud and clear. Recalling how Xie Pingzhi had grilled her about Teacher Xiao Xu, Ye Jingqiu was all set to fire back—until the woman herself smiled and cut in:

“Won’t work. I’m married already.”

Shi Zui and Zhou Xianhui’s faces tightened ever so slightly.

Oblivious to the backstory, Ye Jingqiu froze solid. “A-Xie, you’re married?!”

Xie Pingzhi’s gray-blue eyes twinkled with mirth as she explained breezily, “Yep, tied the knot in Denmark. My wife’s Chinese—Zhong Qing. She picked out my name, even.”

“No wonder your Mandarin’s spot-on; family tutoring!” Ye Jingqiu marveled. “How’d you meet? Where’s she at now?”

At the name, Zhou Xianhui’s head snapped up. Shi Zui, privy to it all, was about to pivot to a mission update when Xie Pingzhi beat her to it, tone playful:

“Not going there. Other three in the squad are single—I’d hate to rub it in.”

Ye Jingqiu huffed. “Hmph.”

Ever watchful, Shi Zui shut it down. She glanced at her Aether ring first, then announced, “Food first. Administrative Department’s pinned down the backers for the He Ju Beasts. We can plan next moves after.”

Xie Pingzhi flashed a thumbs-up. “Sharp as ever. Though lemme guess: Messiah’s handiwork, right?”

“Yes, awakening the He Ju Beasts was definitely their handiwork. Otherwise, that A-rank exotic beast would have slept for at least another ten years.”

Ye Jingqiu had only heard Aether mention this organization’s name once in passing. Perhaps worried she might not grasp the full picture, Zhou Xianhui took the moment to explain it to Classmate Xiao Qiu.

The Messiah Alliance was currently the only group the base had issued a pursuit order against. They had thoroughly aligned themselves against humanity.

If the base’s mission was to eradicate exotic beasts at any cost to safeguard human lives, then this bunch aimed to awaken every last exotic beast and restore a world ruled by them.

Developing an Instinct and completing one’s awakening was about as likely as hitting the jackpot, so it wasn’t surprising that some Awakeners balked at joining the base—or even idolized exotic beasts with their immense power.

The former were straightforward enough: sign a safety agreement, and they could become exempt external members of the base. The latter were far more troublesome. They often harbored deeply antisocial tendencies and ended up fully absorbed into the Messiah Alliance.

No one knew the Messiah Alliance’s true location. It was a rootless coalition without a fixed base. They were fanatics, convinced their path was humanity’s sole salvation—after all, “Messiah” meant “Savior” in Hebrew.

The base even suspected high-level exotic beasts were involved.

But to quote Xie Pingzhi, there weren’t many sane people in that alliance. It was more like a camp for late-stage chuunibyou cases and non-mainstream ringleaders.

With that, dinner drew to a close. Ye Jingqiu, whose contribution to the meal had been precisely zero, very considerately grabbed the dishes and headed to the sink. Xie Pingzhi couldn’t talk her out of it and could only snatch up the pot to help Classmate Xiao Qiu.

This left Shi Zui and Zhou Xianhui alone in the living room.

Joking banter and the clatter of washing up drifted out from the kitchen. Shi Zui pulled her gaze away and walked silently with Zhou Xianhui out to the balcony.

Shi Zui: “Something on your mind? Your face didn’t look right just now.”

“It’s about A-Xie. Only three people know the whole story from start to finish, right? Me, you, and the Base Leader.”

“Yes. Her file isn’t even accessible to the Center Group. Ning Wan only knows bits and pieces.”

Zhou Xianhui glanced toward the kitchen. “Exactly. A month ago, in Southeast Asia, I was working with Team Five to handle some exotic beasts. At the Chao Phraya River Estuary in Bangkok, we found an Awakener willing to join the base. Aether assessed her Instinct as a good fit for the Talisman Department, and Loteria approved the application.”

That was why Zhou Xianhui had been away from the team for so long. Her Instinct proved highly effective against the exotic beasts plaguing Bangkok, so Team Five had borrowed her temporarily. Shi Zui was well aware of it.

“I’ve crossed paths with her plenty of times, and something about her always nagged at me—like I’d met her before. Her name rang a bell too. But it wasn’t until today that it all clicked.”

Shi Zui froze. “You mean…?”

Zhou Xianhui drew a deep breath. “Her name is Zhong Qing.”