Chapter Forty-Four: Going Shopping

Chapter Forty-Four

In the afternoon, the six of them agreed to head to the base’s mission hall to register their mercenary squad.

But just before leaving, Mei looked speechlessly at Mo Chen, whose eye was bruised, and Ye Jingxuan, whose lip was split. Did these two really plan to go out in public like this?

How embarrassing!

Mei took out a vial of medicine, dipped her finger in it, and dabbed the salve onto their wounds.

“Ow—what is this stuff? It burns!” Mo Chen exclaimed as soon as the medicine touched his skin, the pain intensifying until he couldn’t help but cry out.

Ye Jingxuan, standing beside him, didn’t utter a sound, but sweat beaded on his forehead and his handsome face twisted with pain. If not for his pride, he might have yelled, too.

“Hurts, does it? Serves you right. I want you to feel it! Who told you to get your faces all banged up? This medicine is painful, yes, but it works wonders, so bear with it!” Mei declared gleefully.

At last, she wasn’t the only one enjoying Cyril’s miraculous concoctions!

After about ten minutes, the pain finally eased. Mei took out a small mirror for them to check, and to their amazement, not a trace of injury remained on either of their faces.

“The medicine is good, just way too painful!” Mo Chen touched his face, satisfied with the results, though the side effect was almost too much to handle.

Ye Jingxuan said nothing, but his eyes betrayed a lingering fear of the pain.

“All right, even if you want to use this medicine again, it’s up to me whether I’ll let you! Now, hurry up!” Mei rolled her eyes at the two. Though she’d brought plenty of medicine, every vial used was one less in her stash, and they actually dared to complain?

Next time, she’d never give any to them again!

Mo Chen caught Mei’s disgruntled glance, shrugged helplessly, and took the lead, holding her hand as they walked out. Though the fight was over, that didn’t mean the issues between him and Ye Jingxuan were resolved. He still couldn’t stand him and had no intention of giving him a chance to get close to Mei!

Ye Jingxuan withdrew his outstretched hand, pressed his lips together, and watched their retreating figures, his gaze growing darker before he followed the others outside.

The mission hall at Changyang Base was crowded, but since there were people from the Ye family working there, they were led straight to the registration window without having to queue.

They received the forms, which An Ziyou filled out—the reason being, simply, that his handwriting was the most elegant.

When finished, he handed back the forms for verification.

“Mei, Mo Chen, Ye Jingxuan, Lin Shaojie, Qu Wenyuan, An Ziyou—six members, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Squad name: ‘Reversal.’ Captain: Mei. Which one is that?” The woman in charge of registration looked up at the group, only to see a cute little girl step forward.

“That’s me!”

“Um, you’re not an adult yet, are you, little one?” The woman asked, somewhat conflicted.

If she wasn’t sure these people weren’t playing a prank on her, she would have called security to throw them all out by now. A group of adults choosing a child as their captain—could they be any less reliable?

“Are these people just here for fun?”

“Who knows? Maybe she’s some rich girl, bored at home, who dragged a few bodyguards out to play.”

“Hmph, talk about reckless! Wait till she sees a zombie—she’ll probably burst into tears and run crying to her mother!”

People in the hall whispered and laughed at the scene, the atmosphere chaotic. A few recognized Ye Jingxuan and, seeing that he hadn’t formed his own team but rather joined as a member under a child, began to wonder if the Ye family really had fallen into decline.

Mei was unfazed by the reactions around her, tilting her head with a look of innocent puzzlement as she asked the registration officer, “Big sister, is there a rule in the base that minors can’t be captains?”

“Well, no, but little one, zombies are dangerous. It’s better to let adults handle these things!” The woman, unable to resist Mei’s adorable demeanor, tried to persuade her while glaring at the five adults behind her. How could they let a child fool around like this? A child might not know better, but did they?

The five adults, unfairly scolded, felt aggrieved but couldn’t defend themselves—they simply endured it.

Mei, on the other hand, took a liking to the well-meaning woman, smiling sweetly as she explained, “It’s okay, big sister. My friends are all really strong. They won’t let anything happen to me. I’m just tagging along for fun, it’s no big deal!”

Hearing this, the woman realized further persuasion was pointless, so she continued verifying the form.

“Mo Chen, Level Four Lightning Ability. Ye Jingxuan, Level Four Metal Ability. Mei, Level Three Light Ability? Lin Shaojie, Level Three Wind Ability. An Ziyou, Level Two Psychic Ability. Qu Wenyuan, Level One Water Ability!” As she read, the woman grew increasingly astonished, glancing up at the little girl again when she reached Mei’s name.

By the end, those listening nearby were shocked to discover that this six-person team consisted entirely of ability users!

Since when were ability users so common? Not only did so many appear at once, but they were all in the same squad?

The crowd’s attitude toward Mei and her companions changed instantly. Several quick-thinking individuals stepped forward, hoping to ask what kind of recruits they’d be looking for once the team was established.

A squad of six ability users was definitely a force to reckon with—someone to cling to!

The woman checked every detail on the form, stamped it, entered the necessary information into the computer, archived the paperwork, and then handed Mei a card resembling a bank card.

“Little one, be sure to keep this safe! You’ll need it for all squad missions and rewards. This card is your squad’s official proof recognized by the base. Don’t lose or damage it—replacing it is a big hassle!”

“I understand, thank you, big sister!” Mei accepted the card politely, then asked, “Sister, can we take on missions now?”

“You can! New squads start at the entry level and can only accept entry-level or some unrestricted missions. There aren’t many good entry-level missions, so choose carefully, all right?” The woman seemed quite fond of Mei and couldn’t resist giving her some more advice.

“I understand, big sister, you’re so kind! I’m off to pick some missions now—goodbye!” Mei waved cheerfully as she left, having bestowed the woman with the coveted “good person” title.

Along the way, many tried to strike up conversations, but Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan, whether intentionally or not, blocked them all.

Mei made her way to the mission terminals, picked one that was free, and tapped the screen a few times, filtering out the missions without level restrictions.

“These ones, right, A-Ye?” Mei pointed at the screen, asking Ye Jingxuan.

“Mm.”

With his confirmation, Mei didn’t bother to check the mission details or rewards. She simply inserted her card and accepted several missions. The screen flashed a message indicating success, and she retrieved her card.

“All done. Shall we head back?” Mei turned to the others, seeing that there was nothing else to do.

“Mei, do you want to go back?” An Ziyou asked.

“I heard there’s a marketplace here. I’d like to check it out!” Mei’s eyes shone brighter than before as she looked at the others.

Though Mei was half a homebody and usually preferred to stay in, once she was out, she refused to return until she’d fully enjoyed herself.

“Want to go shopping? I’ll go with you, Mei!” Qu Wenyuan perked up immediately at the suggestion.

Shopping had once been her greatest hobby. She and her friends used to spend whole days shopping without feeling tired. Unfortunately, after coming to this world, she could never indulge that passion again. Now there was finally a chance—how could she not be excited?

“Let’s go, then. Maybe we’ll find something useful in the market,” An Ziyou said, taking Mei’s hand.

With both women eager to go, none of the men objected.

Only Lin Shaojie looked miserable, glancing at Ye Jingxuan and Mo Chen. “Do we really have to go? Can’t we skip it?”

“Why not?” Mo Chen raised a questioning brow.

“You’ve never gone shopping with girls, have you, Brother Mo?” Lin Shaojie asked, though his tone left little room for doubt.

“No, I haven’t. What’s the problem?”

“That’s just it! You don’t know—shopping with girls is pure torture! Don’t be fooled by how delicate they seem. Normally, they get tired after a little walk, but when they shop, they can go all day and still be full of energy! And if they see something they like, they’ll want to try it on, try it out, taste it—half the time they don’t even buy it! You never know if they like it or not!” Lin Shaojie tried to explain the horrors of shopping with women, hoping to gain their sympathy and avoid going.

He spoke from bitter experience—his girlfriend used to love dragging him out to shop, and every trip was pure agony.

But before he could finish, Ye Jingxuan had already strode off in Mei’s direction.

“Hey, Brother Ye, I’m not done talking!” Lin Shaojie called out, feeling even more dejected at being ignored.

“Come on, let’s go. All that was before the apocalypse—do you think any of it still applies? There aren’t enough places now for anyone to shop all day. And look what time it is. At best, we’ll browse for a couple of hours before curfew. Even if you wanted to keep shopping, no one would go with you after dark!” Mo Chen clapped Lin Shaojie on the back, reassuring him there was nothing to worry about.

Lin Shaojie scratched his head, watching the others leave one after another, wanting to protest but unable. Mo Chen’s reasoning was sound, but based on his experience, women could never be judged by common logic. Sadly, his solitary dissent was meaningless—he could only follow along, sulking.

Mei and Qu Wenyuan inquired about the location of the trading market, then headed there with light, eager steps. Beside Mei, An Ziyou held her hand, walking at a leisurely pace, a gentle smile gracing his exceptionally handsome face. His presence was like a spring breeze, drawing the attention of many women, who cast him repeated glances.

But all his attention was focused on the little girl at his side, leaving not a shred for anyone else. He didn’t even notice the people trying to approach them, intentionally or otherwise.