Love, Gun, Cupid

How dare you!

Dujuan knew what the ice cave was planning to do, and she had to intercept it before it reached a dangerous distance. However, her energy only allowed her to construct a half-solid, half-illusory chain—the very chain originally intended to kill Lin Jiade—which now stood in the way of the ice cave's charge.

Ice Cave is timid and weak in combat. After entrusting her power to Lin Jiade, she AFKs at the edge of the battlefield, and the damage she deals in battle is 0... However, AFKing has one advantage: the battle does not affect her, and she remains in good condition.

She galloped wildly through the ice cave, the joy of the novel experience unable to offset the heaviness in her heart... Dujuan wouldn't give them a second chance; she had to seize this opportunity, the only one she could do.

A half-solid, half-illusory chain suddenly appeared in the ice cave's field of vision. She had no time to slow down or change direction, so she could only grit her teeth and accelerate, trying to jump over that final obstacle.

Jump!

"Don't think about it!"

Lin Jiade and Du Juan's voices rang out one after the other. Ice Cave leaped high into the air. Du Juan lifted the chain, and just as Ice Cave's hind legs were about to pass over the chain, the obstacle still struck Ice Cave.

"No!"

Ice Cave felt something trip her up, her vision suddenly blurred, and she plummeted toward the ground, tumbling and slowing down, but finally crashing into Lin Jiade.

Lin Jiade was propelled forward by the weight of the deer's body, and the blood spear in his hand broke free from Du Juan's grasp and plunged into her energy core.

The ice cave stopped in place, one of her hind legs was bent unnaturally. Lin Jiade hugged Du Juan and fell forward. He was panting heavily and tried to support his body. Blood from his wound dripped onto Du Juan's cheeks and hair.

The moment the blood spear pierced the core of the cuckoo, the restraints on the warbler and jasmine were released. One ran towards Lin Jiade, and the other towards the cuckoo.

Jasmine hugged Lin Jiade to prevent him from collapsing before completing his mission, while Reed Warbler did her best to hinder the flow of energy within Azalea's body to prevent her from making a comeback.

“Actually, I also have a spell to transfer fatal damage,” Du Juan said, looking at Lin Jiade. “However, because I hesitated about whether to kill you, I didn’t use it.”

Congratulations anyway, Lin Jiade. Defeating a Celestial Observer is quite an achievement.

Lin Jiade said with difficulty, "No, none of us... no one can beat you individually, but we unite as a team, help each other, and create a possibility for ourselves to win."

Miss Du Juan, you had many possibilities for victory, but your arrogance led you to choose the only path that would lead to defeat. We won because of our unity and your arrogance. As for me, I only played the role of finishing the last leg of the relay.

The glory belongs to everyone, not just me.

"Lin Jiade, let's get started. Her energy recovery speed is faster than all of ours combined," Wei Ying said.

"I……"

“She doesn’t deserve a trial,” said Reed Warbler. “I hate her. Once she recovers, we won’t even have a chance for revenge!”

“Although you’re usually quite foolish, you made the right decision this time,” Du Juan said.

"Won't killing a god trigger the intervention of the heavens?" Jasmine said worriedly.

“I will take on this responsibility!” said Wei Ying.

Lin Jiade looked at Wei Ying, whose gaze darted away, and he understood that she couldn't bring herself to do it. He raised the blood spear and once again aimed it at Du Juan's energy core, saying, "Goodbye, Miss Du Juan, I love you."

Du Juan's expression turned bitter: "In the end, you wouldn't even call me Athena."

As Lin Jiade swung his arm down, he clearly heard Du Juan say "I love you" in his ear. Perhaps he misheard, or perhaps Du Juan was saying "I hate you"... In any case, this time his weapon shattered Du Juan's energy core.

Du Juan's body began to disintegrate, Ares's authority became ownerless, while Athena's other half of her authority flew into Lin Jiade's body.

Lin Jiade couldn't hold on any longer. His tense nerves finally relaxed. Jasmine grabbed his clothes from behind with one arm, while Wei Ying knelt down as if she had broken down, hugged Lin Jiade, and murmured, "We succeeded. I finally beat her and avenged my brothers and sisters. I should be happy... Why can't I smile? Waaah."

Her tears dripped onto Lin Jiade's wound, bringing a burning sensation and a real healing effect, since the tears shed by an energy being are also a form of energy.

Lin Jiade wanted to hug Wei Ying, but he was worried that Jasmine behind him would be jealous. He longed to hug two curvy foreign women, but in the end, he ended up being sandwiched between two steel plates.

He should have laughed. Defeating the dragons and the gods, even if he died, he could still leave his name in the secret history of the empire. But the price he paid for the victory made even the victor shed a tear.

"Hey, you guys should notice there's still someone conscious in the scene."

After speaking, Ice Cave raised its hoof in self-deprecation: "Ah, I forgot, I'm no longer human."

Nevertheless, Ice Cave was the calmest person present. She calmly accepted the devastating results, the sacrifices made by those she knew, and the victory that was only slightly better than defeat. She even accepted her transformation from a woman into a non-human being.

She didn't want to think about anything, watching Lin Jiade and the others "celebrating" their victory, as if she wanted to remember this scene forever. Then she closed her eyes, and the short life in the ice cave rewound. Mu Xiu took her place, and then at the end of her life, in her mother's womb, a dark yet warm feeling enveloped her, bringing her unparalleled peace of mind. She emerged from her mother's birth canal.

When she opened her eyes again, she had become a deer.

Because Tottenham won, there's an extra chapter.

Epilogue

"Jasmine, you're back in class... Hmm, what happened?"

The third-year students at Fuxing No. 1 Middle School are not considered to have a holiday. While college students, elementary school students, middle school students, and junior high school students have finished their semester courses and are enjoying their holidays at home, they have to brave the cold weather to come to school.

Students' access to information is blocked, and parents and teachers do not want them to pay attention to information unrelated to the exam. Therefore, everything that happens in their lives can keep them talking for a long time... such as Jasmine's leave of absence and Jasmine's return.

On the noon when Jasmine took a leave of absence from school, she looked fine, at least outwardly there was nothing wrong with her. But when she returned, thick protective gear had her right arm slinged across her chest, and one eye was covered by an eye patch.

This was a frightening yet pitiful injury, and Jasmine entered the period when she had the highest status in the school: everyone would give way to her and ask her how she was doing. Every classmate would rush to help her with all the trivial matters at school. Even when she went to the toilet, female classmates would take turns accompanying her. The teachers also gave Jasmine extra help to catch up on her missed lessons.

Although the first people to take action were kind, and some of those who followed suit were hypocritical, it was still heartwarming, Jasmine thought.

Her injuries looked terrible, but her arm was only broken and would take about a month to a month and a half to heal. Her eye was completely unharmed; the eye patch was just to cover her golden eye, a minor accident that occurred after the battle.

Jasmine received love and warmth from everyone at school, which slightly changed her view of humanity. After school, she left the school, refused her classmates' help, and went straight to the hospital.

Post-war West Ham Hospital underwent a series of personnel changes, but this did not affect its status as a specialized hospital for treating extraordinary individuals. Jasmine visits Lin Jiade, Kapok, and Ice Cave; her three comrades-in-arms have been in the hospital for two weeks.

After the azaleas were defeated that day, the weakened group carried the kapok and ice cave over. Watching the sacred site collapse, they fell into the reality of Fuxing City, a piece of farmland in a county town, a township, and a village below Fuxing City. When the faint moonlight shone down, these uninvited guests, exhausted from their energy, began to endure the -15°C temperature on the exposed land once again.

"It's so cold," Jasmine muttered. "Could you take us home?"

At this moment, in order to conserve energy, Wei Ying had shrunk to the size of a slime. She didn't have enough energy to open another door and send everyone back to Lin Jiade's house. Looking at the others, Jasmine murmured, "It would be too funny if the superhumans froze to death."

Fortunately, this farcical tragedy did not become a reality. A few minutes later, just as Jasmine was about to faint from the cold, a bright light appeared, accompanied by the sound of car tires rubbing against the country road.

Are you all alright?

Hannah's voice came through; she had brought volunteers from the university's superhuman club to help, along with a doctor.

The wounded from Lin Jiade's side, including the ice cave that had turned into a deer, were placed in different vehicles and taken to the hospital. In the vehicle, Jasmine asked, "How did you find us?"

"The equipment I gave you included a positioning device. I detected the signal immediately when you came out of the Holy Land... Before you were deployed to the Holy Land, the captain gave us two orders: first, to give you military supplies that are not easily damaged, and to enable the positioning function in them."

Second, once we can detect this signal in reality, we must bring doctors and equipment as quickly as possible.

“So, she (Gladiolus) really didn’t betray us,” Jasmine said softly. “She has done everything she could.”

"Where's the captain?" Hannah asked.

Gladiolus's physical body was destroyed and returned to her phylactery, awaiting the moment when she could gather enough energy to rebuild her body. However, the identity of the lich was a secret from the Special Tactics and Rescue Services team, so Jasmine had to remain silent, and her silence led to Hannah's misunderstanding.

"The captain... she sacrificed herself?" Hannah asked.

Jasmine thought for a moment and said, "We encountered a formidable enemy, a very formidable one. Ms. Korobochka protected us, but even so, we barely escaped with our lives."

Hannah believed it, or rather, now was not the time to find out the truth. She drove them to the hospital. Jasmine's injuries were the least serious. At Hannah's insistence, West Ham Hospital used healing magic on Jasmine.

She was discharged from the hospital after being re-bandaged. The bullets that pierced her body were insignificant in the face of healing magic. Even her left arm, which was almost ruined, was saved and will take about a month and a half to recover.

When she returned home and saw the anxious Hehuan, her first words were: "Dujuan is dead."

"?!"

"No matter what she promises you, she can't keep her promise."

Hehuan was stunned for a moment. She collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly, confessing her sins to Jasmine. Jasmine did not blame Hehuan. Judging from a series of events, it is not hard to imagine the role that Ragnar Sigurdsson played in the decline of Hehuan's family.

With Iphigenia's arrest, the truth will be exposed. Even if the Hehuan family does not return to its former glory, the Hehuan will no longer have to live a life of dependence. This means that the Hehuan, having regained power and wealth, will become important in this alliance.

Therefore, even though she had betrayed them before, they still pretended to be good sisters for the sake of mutual benefit.

So, Jasmine gently helped Hehuan up. Hehuan hugged Jasmine, who was much smaller than her, and cried like a child. Suddenly, Jasmine thought of Ragnar—perhaps her biological father's dragon offspring, some despicable things passed down between father and daughter.

The commotion in Fuxing City, following Korobochka's nominal death, drew the attention of higher-level forces. Jasmine, excluded because of her alien identity, didn't want to get involved in those messy affairs anyway. After giving her statement, she spent two lonely days at home when no one was around, and then simply went to school.

Aside from visiting Lin Jiade on Monday and Friday afternoons, Jasmine tries to stay at school the rest of the time. She hates being alone at home, as it reminds her of the darkest moments in her life.

However, this daily routine didn't last long. Soon after, a partner from a well-known law firm approached Jasmine and mentioned the will of the deceased Ragnar Sigurdsson.

Jasmine had no interest in getting involved with Ragnar Sigurdsson again, but the other party said gently, "I'm sorry, we've made many calls these past few days, but it seems you've taken them as sales pitches and rejected them all."

Therefore, we have no choice but to personally stake out your current address. We hope this does not offend you, as we are here because you are about to receive a large sum of money from you.

Seeing the displeasure and impatience in Jasmine's eyes, the lawyer added, "I still suggest that Miss Sigurdsson listen to this, because during his lifetime, Mr. Sigurdsson paid our law firm more than 50 dinars in notarization fees, and the accounting firm that we worked with also received a similar amount."

They inventoried Mr. Sigurdsson's assets, and we were responsible for notarizing them. In addition, Mr. Sigurdsson paid us a large sum of money to safeguard the rights of the first beneficiary of the will.

Therefore, we think Miss Sigurdsson should listen to this.

Jasmine frowned and said, "I am not Sigurdsson."

“Of course, a name is just a label, but Sigurdsson’s name can strengthen the legitimacy of your inheritance,” the lawyer said.

Jasmine pointed to her arms and blindfold: "Are we going to talk under these circumstances?"

"Money can make everything else seem insignificant. I think that acquiring that fortune will help Miss Sigurdsson recover from her injuries."

So, Jasmine led the three lawyers in suits to a nearby coffee shop. In addition to the law firm partner who was talking to Jasmine, there was also one of his entourages and a superhuman bodyguard.

The coffee shops near Linjiade Community are top-notch quiet and elegant places – that's a high-EQ perspective. A low-EQ perspective would be that the coffee shop owners have flawed business strategies, failing to stimulate the consumption desires of nearby residents, resulting in a place with style but few customers.

Rumor has it that this coffee shop is about to be sold to a local fast-food chain... but that has nothing to do with Jasmine.

"First of all, Mr. Sigurdsson's estate is valued at approximately 3000 million dinars, and Miss Sigurdsson is designated as the first in line of succession. Given such a large fortune, it is only natural that its succession would encounter very, very, very... regrettable competitors."

What surprised Jasmine more than Ragnar's property was that Ragnar had left it to her in his will. She was a little uneasy, after all, she had conspired with Lin Jiade to kill him, and now she was going to inherit his estate.

The lawyer took Jasmine's gloomy expression as concern for her competitor and nodded, saying, "Miss Sigurdsson understands perfectly. Some of your father's regrettable actions during his lifetime may be seized upon by the Empire's law enforcement agencies, who may demand huge compensation and even seize his property for judicial auction."

Indeed, the public is a strong competitor, but if it is a neutral third-party venue, they may not be able to gain much advantage.

Then there are your relatives, and a number of women who come forward claiming to be Ragnar's mistresses and those who have adopted children with him; they are the jackals who covet Miss Sigurdsson's fortune.

Based on past experience, we anticipate these individuals to be a secondary threat, but more troublesome than some government lawsuits. The latter are less likely to resort to underhanded tactics outside the courtroom, while relatives fighting over the inheritance will stop at nothing.

Jasmine nodded. She didn't know any of those people, so she wasn't particularly affected. The lawyer and his assistant exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.

In the past, these kinds of inheritance disputes would turn into large-scale family dramas. Although lawyers only provided legal assistance, they often became the clients' confidants. Out of professional ethics, they could only pretend to listen attentively to the family matters and grudges that the clients were not interested in, and they could not show any disrespect in front of the clients.

"Miss Sigurdsson, please take a look at these. The parts circled in red are the key information you need to see. Our office's public telephone number is also in the document."

The lawyer handed Jasmine a thick folder. Jasmine opened it, glanced at it symbolically, closed it, and said, "What do you need me to do?"

"Your relatives, your father's so-called mistresses, who are also competitors for the inheritance, will do everything they can to question your position as the first-order heir in the will. They usually use two tactics—"

First, they question your blood relationship with him. As far as I know, you and your father haven't been living together for a long time recently, and there are rumors that his daughter tragically died in a robbery when she was nine years old.

It now appears that there are other secrets in your family situation. We respect your right to privacy, but if necessary, we will ask certain private questions with respect to your wishes.