Antswamp Village

Aside from entering missions, she didn't even seem to have control over her own existence.

But as lowly scavengers, there was really nothing the three of them could do; Wen Xiang Yuan's situation was something even the head of the Purification Center couldn't resolve.

This was because they were all part-time scavengers.

An idea occurred to Nan Yue then: if she could one day determine the stance of Sharp Blade, perhaps she could ask them?

Seeing the three of them worrying over her, Wen Xiang Yuan felt a bit uneasy, and her expression was somewhat troubled.

"Don't get upset on my account, Boss. I'm used to it, and I actually think it's quite nice."

Nan Yue patted Wen Xiang Yuan's head and said nothing. Fortunately, Wen Xiang Yuan didn't mysteriously disappear again after that.

When the four of them were preparing to enter a mission, Nan Yue held a small meeting.

"I won't say much else, but the main thing is to build teamwork during the mission. Wenwen, your situation is special, so don't push yourself too hard. If you feel like you can't handle it..."

"I'll just kill myself," Wen Xiang Yuan blurted out.

The other three: ...Good plan.

By the time they were waiting for the mission at the Purification Center, Nan Yue still felt a bit surreal.

She felt that adding Wen Xiang Yuan to the team was less like gaining a teammate and more like having a cheat that wouldn't die.

She felt a bit guilty.

"Beauty is Justice squad, residence: Green City State, participating project: Scavenger Daily Work."

"Evaluation format: Team evaluation. Current team size: 4 people."

"Multiplayer evaluation mission, Code 384595: Antswamp Village."

"Objective: Leave Antswamp Village after five days."

"Wishing you a successful evaluation. Eden is waiting for you."

Nan Yue surveyed the surroundings. This time, they appeared directly in a jeep.

Gu Xiang Kai was in the driver's seat, and thanks to his quick reflexes, he immediately took control of the steering wheel.

There were five people in the car. Zhu Xi Ning and Wen Xiang Yuan weren't there, replaced by two men and one woman.

"Hiss..."

The man in the passenger seat was very tall; he had hit his head on the roof the moment they arrived and was currently clutching it.

The other two clearly didn't know each other either. They looked around warily before introducing themselves.

The woman was named Shang Xi; she had short hair and a very heroic air about her eyes. The clothes on her left arm and right leg were slightly bulging, likely concealing defensive items.

The man who hit his head earlier was named Dong Sheng, and the man sitting next to Shang Xi was somewhat stout, named Wu Zicheng.

"Where are we going? Do you know the way, brother?"

"Follow the car in front," Gu Xiang Kai said, tapping the steering wheel.

Gu Xiang Kai drove very steadily. Nan Yue took the opportunity to observe the environment. They seemed to be deep in the mountains, traveling along a winding mountain road.

However, this winding road was extremely dangerous, with a towering cliff on one side and a steep abyss on the other.

Dong Sheng took one look and didn't dare look out the window again.

Gu Xiang Kai's driving skills were surprisingly good; it seemed he mastered any skill related to manual dexterity very well.

After driving for over ten minutes, Nan Yue noticed small houses appearing along the roadside.

They looked like alcoves.

"Slow down," Nan Yue said.

Gu Xiang Kai understood and reduced his speed. The others followed Nan Yue's gaze.

"What's that?"

"Looks like small stones?"

"...It's a temple made of stone."

Shang Xi narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to Nan Yue. Nan Yue made some room for her.

"I thought it was an alcove."

Shang Xi glanced at Nan Yue, a hint of a smile in her eyes. "It looks a bit like one, but it's probably for a mountain god or something."

Along the way, Nan Yue and the others discovered three or four such small stone temples. However, they couldn't stop because they had to keep up with the car in front, so they never found out what was enshrined inside.

Finally, after passing that treacherous mountain road, the jeep plunged into a forest.

Due to the change in road conditions, everyone quickly sat up straight, but they were bounced around so much they had no time to look outside.

"This road... is terrible."

Gu Xiang Kai gritted his teeth, holding the steering wheel firmly.

Gu Xiang Kai was right. There was essentially no existing road in the forest, only a small path that had likely been cleared of trees and thorns.

The ground was a bumpy dirt road, with occasional puddles and stones.

"Clang!"

Gu Xiang Kai slammed on the brakes. Everyone looked at the car that had suddenly stopped in front of them, still shaken.

Gu Xiang Kai glanced at Nan Yue through the rearview mirror, unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and leaned halfway out.

"What happened?"

A man with a buzz cut also climbed out of the car in front, cursing. "Don't know. The car in front just stopped."

The group got out of their cars in twos and threes, and only then did they realize there were five vehicles in the convoy. Gu Xiang Kai's car was the last one.

Just now, the second car had failed to avoid a rock on the side of the road, and its chassis was stuck, rendering it unable to move.

The driver was an older man with his back to everyone. He was telling a thin man next to him to crawl down and see if they could still drive it out.

Nan Yue's pace faltered. She found it somewhat unbelievable. That back...

Gu Xiang Kai was beside her and seemed to have noticed it as well. At that moment, Zhu Xi Ning, who had gotten out of the broken car, made eye contact with them.

Her face was full of helplessness as she mouthed a name to Nan Yue: "He Jiang."

Nan Yue's expression darkened. She hadn't expected that He Jiang from Multi-fortune Town hadn't died and had actually entered the same mission again.

This man's character and abilities were both a menace. For a moment, Nan Yue even considered killing He Jiang first.

He Jiang turned around just then and happened to see Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai approaching. His face stiffened, and he averted his gaze unnaturally.

"No good. I see the fuel tank is leaking. Unless we fix the car, it's definitely not going anywhere."

The thin man climbed up from the ground and patted the dirt off his hands.

At that moment, a small guy from the first car suddenly spoke. "We'll just have to squeeze in. No one in the village fixes cars, and it's not far from here anyway. We'll make do."

A look of worry appeared on the small guy's face. "That car is probably going to cost a lot of money to compensate for later."

Wen Xiang Yuan was in the first car. As soon as she got out, everyone's gaze shifted to her.

"Luo Liu, forget it. There's no other way."

Wen Xiang Yuan scurried over to Nan Yue's side. "Can I squeeze in with you?"

As it turned out, the first car wasn't full and only had four people, so distributing one person to each of the other cars wouldn't make them too crowded.

Nan Yue pulled Wen Xiang Yuan directly onto her lap. Wen Xiang Yuan's face flushed, and she didn't dare move.

Nan Yue was a bit taller than her. Sitting there while being held, Wen Xiang Yuan could see the small beauty mark at the corner of Nan Yue's eye as soon as she looked up.

She had noticed that mark before. If someone else had a beauty mark under their eye, it would look seductive, but Nan Yue's temperament was cold, making that mark feel strangely ascetic.

Nan Yue noticed Wen Xiang Yuan staring at her and lowered her gaze. "What's wrong?"