She sat blankly on the bed. Once she had worked through those thoughts, she felt as if she had been burnt out, reduced to snow-white ash.
If that was the case, what role did she even play in all of this?
She was far too insignificant... Bai Feifei felt as though she had been swept up in a massive conspiracy.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Just as Bai Feifei’s mind was reeling, a gentle knocking sound came from the door.
Wan Qianhong walked into the room carrying clothes and a towel. She froze for a moment when she saw Bai Feifei sitting on the edge of the bed.
“You’re awake?”
“Yeah,” Bai Feifei replied, quickly adjusting her emotions and looking up.
Wan Qianhong looked at her with a hint of guilt in her expression.
She was wearing casual clothes today, which made her look much more approachable, though a touch of exhaustion weighed on her brow, as if she hadn't slept at all the night before.
Wan Qianhong fell silent for a moment, then sat down next to Bai Feifei and reached out to touch her arm.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” Bai Feifei blinked, not understanding what the apology was for.
Wan Qianhong kept her head down, her voice very low.
“The matter with the Li and Huang families... in the end, we couldn't investigate it to the very bottom.”
“They said the evidence wasn't enough and the implications were too deep. Both families refused to admit anything, claiming it was just the work of individuals acting on their own.”
“It’s obvious it couldn't be that simple, but in the end, only a few scapegoats died. Even my teacher told me not to look into it any further for now...”
As she spoke, her hands slowly clenched into fists. Her heart was clearly far from at peace.
She found it hard to understand. It was already clear that the Huang and Li families were involved.
Before Bai Feifei could speak, Xu Mo’s voice rang out in her mind:
“I told you so. What’s the point of procedural justice in a place like this? She actually thought she could bring them back for a trial.”
“When you have the chance to kill, just kill. When you can deliver judgment directly with a blade, don’t bother thinking about handing it over to the law.”
Bai Feifei listened quietly without speaking.
To be honest, perhaps it was because of the company she kept, but she was starting to anticipate these dark realities herself.
She had originally expected that, by the end of it all, they might even try to bite back and smear her name.
She hadn't expected the Huang and Li families to actually take the hit. That was rare.
Wan Qianhong continued, “As for your current status, you are no longer a sinner. Your residency has been officially transferred to the Inner City.”
“However, despite achieving such great merit, you haven't received a hero’s treatment. You only got some contribution points and a negligible amount of money.”
Hearing this, Bai Feifei instinctively took out her identity card and looked at the markings on it.
【Name: Bai Feifei (Rank 1 Scavenger)】
【Contribution Points: 1006】
【Cash Balance: 500,000】
Bai Feifei’s eyes widened. She still didn't know what contribution points were for, but she understood the cash balance.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... am I seeing this right? What?!
“Five hundred thousand?!” Bai Feifei couldn't help but cry out in shock.
She had never seen such a sum of money in her life. This was enough for her to live a life of luxury in the Outer City until the day she died...
Wan Qianhong quickly said:
“That is just the internal Scavenger reward; it really is quite small. I’ll try to allocate some more to you from the East District later.”
“I will continue to fight for you. A hero should not remain anonymous. I will definitely help you...”
“Don’t!” Bai Feifei cut her off quickly, stopping the somewhat agitated Wan Qianhong.
“Don’t try to make me famous. All of this is already more than enough.”
“Really, it’s enough!”
Bai Feifei felt a bit shocked listening to Wan Qianhong. She had no idea what the other woman was feeling guilty about.
She had originally thought that, given what she had done, entering the Inner City would be incredibly difficult.
Now she saw that no one was investigating the people she killed, no one cared about her various outrageous actions, and they didn't even ask about her joining another organization!
It was a green light all the way. It was as if an invisible hand had swept the path clear for her, making her entry into the Inner City perfectly logical and even providing her with a sum of money.
Since when did she have this kind of backing...?
Hearing this, Wan Qianhong’s expression became even more complicated.
“You really think so?”
“Of course,” Bai Feifei nodded. “And I think being too high-profile isn't good either.”
“Besides, being called a hero... I really don’t deserve it.”
Thinking back on everything, all her “heroic acts” were basically the Old-Timer possessing her and performing thunderous, unreasonable feats of slaughter.
It was only by sheer coincidence that it turned out for the best. Could she really be called a hero...?
Listening to her, Wan Qianhong sighed.
“Thank you for your understanding. I originally thought I could give you a more proper explanation. I’m truly sorry.”
Seeing her like this, Xu Mo spoke mockingly in Bai Feifei’s mind:
“To be honest, this woman probably has a crush on you. If you hugged her right now, you’d probably have her won over.”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” Bai Feifei snapped back in her heart.
“Nonsense? This might not be nonsense at all,” Xu Mo offered his experienced opinion.
“You didn't see it, but when you fainted down in the coal mine, she was rubbing all over you while she held you.”
“...Stop talking.”
Bai Feifei now knew that Dawn City was facing a crisis of total destruction. What benefits she could gain wasn't the most urgent matter.
Realizing time was of the essence, she spoke up:
“Senior Wan, things have already gone very smoothly.”
“Since I’ve entered the Inner City, what is my next mission? Have there been any... anomalies in Dawn City recently?”
Wan Qianhong glanced at her and said:
“What’s the rush? Things have only just ended. Take a rest.”
“You’ve accomplished a great feat, and your strength is clearly beyond that of a Rank 1 Scavenger, so we need to conduct a new rank test for you.”
Wan Qianhong paused. When she reached this point, she also gave Bai Feifei a very strange look.
She found it hard to determine exactly how strong Bai Feifei was now.
Judging solely by combat power, wasn't she almost catching up to Wan herself?
“So don't be in such a hurry to ask about your work duties.”
“Wait until your new rank is settled.”
“Don't worry, I’ll try to arrange simple and easy tasks for you, so you can...”
Hearing this, Bai Feifei spoke up almost immediately:
“Don’t!”
Wan Qianhong: “Hmm?”
“I mean...” Bai Feifei searched for the right words, “A Scavenger should fulfill their mission and handle dangerous anomalies.”
Wan Qianhong smiled and shook her head, then took out a stone.
“You... I didn't expect that my teacher would understand you so well after just one meeting. She said you certainly weren't the type to stay still.”
“She said that once you woke up, I should give this to you.”
“She has a few words to say to you... and the person behind you!”
Xu Mo: “Oh? This involves me too?”
Rate on N.U.
