"I won't ask about things I shouldn't know."
Huo Fuyu became uncharacteristically serious. "I won't tell anyone else about this either."
Nan Yue gave a half-smile. "Since when were you so kind-hearted?"
Huo Fuyu gave a bitter laugh. "You're growing too fast. Right now, I wouldn't risk offending you."
"It's just that if something similar happens again, and it's not me witnessing it, it might not be possible to keep it a secret."
Nan Yue could sense his sincerity. After all, they were old friends who had faced death together twice.
She waved her hand. "Don't worry. Even if something happens, it won't involve you."
Huo Fuyu breathed a sigh of relief. That was exactly what he wanted.
Was he curious about the secret between Wen Xiang Yuan and Nan Yue?
He was.
But years of experience on the edge of death told him that this secret could be fatal.
Moreover, he had a premonition that one day this secret would be revealed to the public.
He would just wait and see.
"Multiplayer Qualification Exam, Code 32120: Eden Garden. Mission Result: Cleared."
"Calculating scavenger rank evaluation based on the cleaning process, please wait..."
"Team Evaluation Grade: S++"
"Evaluation Reward: 160,000 team reward points."
"Congratulations. We hope you will continue your efforts and devote your everything to the Scavenger Project."
"We look forward to your even more brilliant performance."
The first thing Nan Yue did upon returning to the purification room was look for Wen Xiang Yuan.
She wasn't sure if Wen Xiang Yuan had gained her freedom because she had absorbed the pollution.
She had too many questions and needed to find answers from Wen Xiang Yuan.
And Wen Xiang Yuan was now truly standing by her side.
"Boss."
Wen Xiang Yuan's eyes were brimming with tears, and she had reverted to that somewhat scatterbrained, innocent, and cute girl.
"Waaah, Boss!"
Wen Xiang Yuan threw herself into Nan Yue's embrace. Zhu Xi Ning and Gu Xiang Kai breathed long sighs of relief nearby.
"What about your alternate personality?"
Gu Xiang Kai only needed one look at Zhu Xi Ning to know her state. Zhu Xi Ning nodded absently while watching Wen Xiang Yuan.
"We can communicate now and switch freely. Since we're back, she's retreated. She doesn't like these touchy-feely scenes."
"She just likes killing people."
Gu Xiang Kai silently shut his mouth.
Jiang Siyan didn't get too caught up in this scene of teammates reuniting. Ever since Zhou Yang died after following Shen Nian to the polluted lands, his emotions had been very indifferent.
It was only after He Jiu Chen's reminder that he realized his feelings for Nan Yue. But after countless self-analyses, he felt that besides love, much of it was looking up to a strong individual and a yearning for hope.
So, he didn't say anything.
Scavengers didn't know how to love, and he didn't want to prematurely define these feelings.
He considered Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning companions; they were strong and reliable.
But Wen Xiang Yuan... Wen Xiang Yuan was an uncertain factor. Her existence was too strange, even capable of shaking the faith that many scavengers relied on for survival.
Her instability brought inherent danger.
Thus, Jiang Siyan maintained a safe distance, observing rationally.
He didn't reject Wen Xiang Yuan, especially after this mission; his opinion of her had improved greatly. However, she remained an uncertain factor.
He only needed to protect Nan Yue and observe her, as well as his feelings for her.
This was the standard Jiang Siyan set for himself.
"Let's leave this place first."
Jiang Siyan's words calmed Nan Yue down from her massive emotional fluctuations. She grabbed Wen Xiang Yuan's hand. "Let's go."
The five of them walked out of the Purification Center. Although only five or six days had passed, and this mission hadn't been as dangerous or horrific as previous ones, they all felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
This mission seemed to have quietly changed everyone, though they didn't know exactly how.
"A-Nan, we planned before to head to the next city state after the mission. Now..."
Zhu Xi Ning glanced at Wen Xiang Yuan. They had many questions and things to say, and for a moment, she didn't know how to prioritize them.
Nan Yue pondered for a moment. "We'll follow the original plan."
Both they and Wen Xiang Yuan needed to organize their thoughts. More importantly, they were too prominent now. The massive amount of points earned from this mission had suddenly propelled the team into the top 20 of the Power Rankings.
And Nan Yue's personal ranking had jumped directly to 12th.
Currently, these two things had already stirred up a massive storm on the forums. This was something Huo Fuyu had sent a reminder about as soon as he exited the mission.
Ever since discovering that Wen Xiang Yuan was a bit problematic, Huo Fuyu had maintained a very conscious boundary in his attitude toward Nan Yue.
Bai La La had also sent a congratulatory message, though she didn't say much.
The lady had always preferred to be a lone wolf.
"We are currently the main topic of discussion. Since we said last time that we would act high-profile, let's not hide away."
Changing the plan now might instead attract people with ulterior motives.
"Is that okay?"
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded. "No problem."
The five of them walked toward the teleportation point. Along the way, there were eyes watching them from the shadows.
It couldn't be helped; like their team name, these people were all too eye-catching.
"The next one is an animal city state."
Jiang Siyan didn't care about those gazes at all. He walked beside Nan Yue, intentionally or unintentionally using his body to shield her from some of the malicious stares.
"There are only three animal city states: Whale, Eagle, and Tiger."
Jiang Siyan's gaze was as gentle as ever, but he completely ignored the opinions of the others, focusing solely on Nan Yue.
"Which one do you want to go to?"
Nan Yue glanced at Wen Xiang Yuan. "Let's go to Eagle."
Wen Xiang Yuan walked quietly beside Nan Yue and smiled upon hearing her say that.
Nan Yue noticed that since reuniting with Wen Xiang Yuan this time, the other girl had undergone some subtle changes.
If she had to describe it, she was more firm, confident, and calm.
Previously, no matter how one looked at it, Wen Xiang Yuan had been out of place among other scavengers, feeling like an innocent and romantic child with nothing to worry about.
But now, Wen Xiang Yuan seemed to have grown up overnight.
Or perhaps, the little secret Wen Xiang Yuan had been hiding before had made her feel a bit guilty. She was afraid of being disliked and afraid of being consumed by her own secret.
But now she had confidence and a firmer understanding of the path she needed to take.
She had become stronger.
Those secrets in the dark, and an identity sufficient to make everyone turn against her—in the current Wen Xiang Yuan's eyes, she now had the confidence to handle them.
She was no longer running away; she had the courage to face the darkness.
After entering the teleportation point, the scene before their eyes changed. The five of them arrived at the exotic Eagle City State.
The style here leaned more toward a desolate desert. The overall architectural style was Moroccan, and the weather was much hotter.
The scavengers here dressed more lightly; men in board shorts and women in tank tops and hot pants could be seen everywhere on the streets.
And the high walls here were no longer the transparent ones that revealed the pollution outside.
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