Chapter 23
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 23: They Must Pay Compensation
In the dimly lit basement of a rundown house, a middle-aged man with a square jaw and black hair punched a teenager in the stomach.
“Did I ever say you could take side jobs without permission?” Wei Shi narrowed his eyes at Hayato Shigenobu, who was now crouching in pain, clutching his abdomen.
Retribution had come.
“You never said we couldn’t,” Hayato grinned at him, baring his gums.
Wei Shi grabbed him by the hair and yanked him up. “Did no one teach you to ask before eating candy you found on the street? If you’d killed someone we weren’t supposed to touch and left evidence, cutting off your ass and tossing it into a urinal wouldn’t be enough to make up for it. Do you know how other teams punish people like you? Three fingers.”
He threw Hayato aside. The lesson was over.
Hayato, freshly beaten, didn’t seem bothered. His creepy grin returned almost instantly.
Disgusting.
Wei Shi turned his glare to Sister Hermit, who was carefully trimming Mi Xiaoliu’s nails.
Noticing his stare, Sister Hermit quickly set the clippers aside and picked up Wei Shi’s broken phone. “Hey Siri, spit out the charging cable.”
No response.
With a heavy sigh, she handed it back. “I tried. Buy a new one.”
“……” Wei Shi shot her a look, then stalked outside with his cigarette.
Mi Xiaoliu, by sheer luck, avoided punishment.
She had chased a target all night. Even if it amounted to nothing, she’d put in the effort.
—
“Good morning, Master.” Sasha’s belated greeting came only after Mi Xiaoliu had settled into her classroom seat.
The lazy spirit, who actually needed sleep, had stayed up late too—unlike her master, she had the privilege of sleeping in.
“Hey, Old Liu, do you play mobile games? Like ‘Genshin Impact’? It’s super popular right now.” Jim, unable to resist chatting, leaned over to his desk mate.
“’Genshin Impact’?” Mi Xiaoliu blinked at him.
“You don’t? Whatever. Let’s at least add each other on WeChat. Or QQ.” Jim proudly pulled out his brand-new Durian 14.
Of course, this was just an excuse to show off his new phone.
Mi Xiaoliu hesitated, then took out her old button phone.
“Bro, are you kidding me? Even elementary kids have smartphones now.” Jim stared. “Oh wait, you’re not much older than one. Seriously, ask your family for a smartphone. Look—”
He eagerly demonstrated his phone’s features.
“Seems like smartphones are basically necessities nowadays,” Sasha mused.
“How much?” Mi Xiaoliu asked.
“Cheap ones go for around a thousand.” Jim, of course, didn’t mention his own phone’s price.
Mi Xiaoliu immediately abandoned the idea.
Putting his phone away, Jim lowered his voice. “Hey, did you do something? Mind-Reader Girl’s been staring at you more. Think she’s got a cru—”
“It’s not nice to gossip behind someone’s back,” Yiwen cut in with a smile as she walked over.
“Sorry,” Jim mumbled awkwardly.
“Don’t apologize to me.” Yiwen shook her head.
“Arm.” Mi Xiaoliu stared at Yiwen’s right hand, now wrapped in thick bandages and slung in a makeshift sling. The girls who secretly admired Yiwen winced in sympathy.
“Got hit by something yesterday.” Yiwen touched the bandages lightly.
This was her first serious injury. Thankfully, modern medicine—boosted by research on regenerative abilities—had advanced enough that she’d recover in days instead of months.
She’d underestimated her opponent. Most physical-enhancement types had obvious muscle mass, but that black-robed figure had been so slight she’d assumed they were just agile…
At least she’d managed to reduce the force mid-air. The barn walls were old and brittle—hence why she’d crashed through two. The worst of it was a fractured arm.
Still, that black-robed person was terrifying. Pure strength-wise, they were definitely LV4.
Never underestimating an opponent again. Especially not one she should’ve hard-countered.
The “Night Demon” from last night had been fake too. The real one was long gone. The imposter’s left knee joint had a rusted nail embedded in it—the reason he couldn’t bend that leg.
Which meant the black-robed figure was likely the real killer behind the spatial murders… and probably the same person who’d saved Lu Mingxue from the black-clad kidnappers.
So they were one of those “justice-bringers.” As for why one faction kidnapped Lu Mingxue while another saved her? Plenty of explanations—maybe they’d been prioritizing Night Demon.
Interestingly, though the coat hid most details, their build was identical to her desk mate’s.
Probably. It was just a glimpse.
“Scary,” Mi Xiaoliu commented, eyeing the sling.
“Yeah. If I ever catch whoever did this, I won’t let them off easy.” Yiwen smirked, watching for any reaction.
Mi Xiaoliu nodded solemnly. “They must pay compensation.”
“Right, absolutely.”
“……”
From the back row, Lu Mingxue watched them, too drained to even laugh.
Her mind-reading told her the truth: last night’s rescue had been pure coincidence. The girl hadn’t meant to save her. No amount of romanticizing could change that.
Yet… she hadn’t killed her. It would’ve taken less than a second.
Logically, Lu Mingxue knew she should report this. It’d be the right thing—maybe even save a lost minor.
But she hadn’t. She didn’t understand why. Humans were complicated.
Maybe it was just “not biting the hand that saved you.” Like how people muttered “I can’t be bothered” instead of confronting bad behavior.
Was it really just that?
Forget it. The real tragedy was that a girl younger than her had seen her pee herself. That alone warranted moving to another planet.
From now on, she’d stay far away from that kid. If the girl got caught later, well—not her problem.
“No class tomorrow. Want to hang out?” Yiwen asked Mi Xiaoliu.
Close surveillance.
“Two dudes hanging out? Ew.” Jim fake-shuddered.
Yiwen flushed, realizing what was normal for girls sounded weird to guys.
She backtracked fast. “There’s an arcade near your place. Let’s go.”
“Master, arcades cost money,” Sasha whispered.
“No,” Mi Xiaoliu said.
“My treat.” Yiwen pulled out a bill, looking pained. “I’ll pay for food too. Whatever you want.”
There goes yesterday’s paycheck.
“Go.” Mi Xiaoliu replied.
At least that part was easy to understand.
Jim looked at Yiwen with a strange expression, just like that old man staring at his phone.
