She was being hunted down, so she became a magical girl.

"Sister who has lost her color, is this our destination?"

"Call me 'sister'," Xu Ting sternly corrected Jiang Chenglian's pronunciation. "I'm over twenty this year."

Even if I can't be the older brother, I absolutely cannot tolerate my younger sister calling me "younger sister".

This was a huge humiliation for Xu Ting.

"Really? I really couldn't tell." Jiang Chenglian was skeptical, but he understood that Xu Ting didn't want to be called "little sister".

"So, you who have lost your color, is this really your destination?"

Looking at the building in front of him, Xu Ting felt a surge of emotions.

Before me stood an abandoned water tower.

Large sections of cement were peeling off the exterior walls of the water tower, and vines were growing wildly along the rusted metal ladder. At first glance, it was clearly not a place where people could live.

If Xu Ting's character model hadn't been so approachable, Jiang Chenglian would have definitely thought that Xu Ting was planning to lure her to the wilderness to carry out a dirty trick.

No, maybe she's already thinking that.

"This is it."

Trusting in the superstition, Xu Ting braced himself and uttered the prepared words.

"Creating an identity document is not a simple matter; until it is completed, you are still an undocumented person."

"So we have prepared a safe place for you, so that you can have a temporary place to stay."

"A safe place to live?" Jiang Chenglian repeated Xu Ting's words, glancing at the water tower in front of him.

Snapped.

Another small piece of cement fell off the dilapidated wall.

"Yes, you'll see when you see it."

Xu Ting opened the iron gate with the sign "Danger, Do Not Enter" and stepped inside.

The tower was pitch black and had a damp, foul smell.

Jiang Chenglian behind him clenched his hands nervously, but Xu Ting, who had secretly scanned the area with his magic ball, felt relieved.

She wandered around and eventually ended up in front of a wall inside the water tower.

He reached out and tapped three times.

The miniature camera hidden in the wall crack was pointed at Xu Ting's face.

The wall then opened.

"Wow--"

Jiang Chenglian exclaimed in delight with great cooperation. She followed Xu Ting into the secret room inside the water tower and sat down on the sofa without any hesitation.

"This is a safe house. You can enter by scanning your face after you register your facial data into the system."

"The outer wall of the water tower is half a meter thick, which cannot be penetrated by ordinary bullets and explosives. Cameras are installed at a high position, which can observe enemy activity over a long range."

"The room is stocked with food, water, and essential medicines, providing shelter and healing in case of an emergency."

"You can explore the other features on your own."

The main problem is that Xu Ting doesn't know what other functions it has.

"Um... Loser, I can't afford that much money." Jiang Chenglian sat comfortably for a while before getting down to business.

"I just want to buy an identity document, not such a nice safe house."

Xu Ting certainly didn't want to ask Jiang Chenglian for money. The orphanage's money was basically what she had earned over the past eight years, and asking Jiang Chenglian for money would just be transferring money from one hand to the other.

But Xu Ting also needed to give Jiang Cheng a reason that could convince her.

"I know, so what I want are special conditions."

"Special conditions?" Jiang Chenglian seemed to have thought of something and hugged his chest warily.

"I have no intention of selling my body."

"Even if it's you... it's still not allowed!"

What is this guy saying?

Xu Ting rolled her eyes countless times in her mind, but still put on a kind and amiable expression.

"You've misunderstood. I just wanted to befriend a magical girl."

She channeled the magic within her body, and a red orb of light formed in her palm.

"Isn't it normal for magical girls to help each other out?"

Upon seeing this, Jiang Chenglian was greatly alarmed. He jumped up from the sofa, put his hands in a defensive stance, and shouted sharply:

"How...how did you figure that out?"

"...After the epitaph incident, everyone is wary of pretty girls. Not to mention me, a magical girl, even ordinary people might notice the strangeness in your actions," Xu Ting said helplessly.

"To disguise yourself as an ordinary person, it's best to act cautiously and timidly. A delicate and pretty girl should be walking on thin ice in the downtown area."

Jiang Chenglian took another half step back, and asked with hostility:

"What is this epitaph incident?"

She didn't know?

That makes sense. The orphanage is located on the outskirts of Hezhi City, which is bordered by wilderness and has limited access to information. Jiang Chenglian also strictly limits the children's internet time. It's normal that he didn't know.

"I'll explain the epitaph incident to you later. Let's get back to the topic at hand."

Xu Ting tried her best to comfort the other party.

"I have no ill intentions towards you, nor do I want to unilaterally exploit your abilities; I simply want to make an equal deal with you."

"I will provide you with stable accommodation and identification, and in return, Ms. Jiang, you can help me with small favors when I need them."

"This is very fair; everyone in Hezhi City does it this way."

She tried to persuade Jiang Chenglian using the well-known survival rules of the mercenary world.

But things backfired.

"Thank you for reminding me of my failed disguise, but Miss Faded Beauty, I don't want to make this deal with you."

Jiang Chenglian firmly rejected Xu Ting's suggestion.

"The power of magical girls cannot be abused; it can only be used in the right place. I cannot use it as a bargaining chip."

"Excuse me, I'm leaving."

......

We're doomed.

The dice roll resulted in a major failure, and Xu Ting's negotiations completely fell apart.

There were two things that Xu Ting hadn't expected at all.

Firstly, as a mercenary, she naturally regarded the magical girl's power as an advantage she could utilize and proactively put it on the negotiating table.

The way to obtain the contract documents from the mythical words is by selling one's combat power.

But for Jiang Chenglian, such behavior would instead place a heavy moral burden on her.

This is a fundamental conflict in their values.

Secondly, Xu Ting subconsciously misjudged Jiang Chenglian.

She subconsciously felt that Jiang Chenglian was still that cute little girl who followed her around happily and obeyed her every word.

Therefore, when negotiating terms, her tone seemed somewhat condescending.

In short, the current situation is very serious.

Jiang Chenglian had already planned to leave. If she really ran away, it would be difficult for Xu Ting to find her again.

He can only feel at ease when his own sister is under his watchful eye.

"Miss Jiang, please wait a moment."

Forced into a corner, Xu Ting had no choice but to reveal his last trump card.

"I have a lead related to your brother!"

Jiang Chenglian maintained her defensive stance, her imposing manner undiminished, and said with neither arrogance nor servility:

"Miss Loser, I need to confirm that you really have clues before we can discuss anything else."

Xu Ting certainly has clues.

Moreover, it could be said that there are far too many.

"Your brother's real name is Xu Ting, right?" Xu Ting didn't care how to cover up the lie afterward, and could only drop the bombshell all at once.

"He only cares about the head and not the tail" perfectly describes Xu Ting now.

This statement is very damaging.

Jiang Chenglian disregarded everything else and quickly walked to Xu Ting's side, looking down at his face, and anxiously asked:

"Do you know my brother?"

"Yes, I have some connection with him," Xu Ting could only make up an excuse.

"He's a mercenary, and so am I. We met during a mission..."