Love, Gun, Cupid

Although it was inappropriate, Lin Jiade still wanted to complain: why did most of the magic researchers he had dealt with have such strange names, and why did they not seem like humanoid creatures at all in the cutscenes?

"I am Kapok, and these are my teammates Lin Huang, Arcturus, and Yuki. The one below holding up the golden shield is Interstellar Flying Fish."

“Hand him over,” 93 pointed at Lin Jiade, “that way you can at least avoid death.”

Kapok replied, "I refuse. You are the ones who should surrender. If you abandon darkness and embrace light, the empire can be lenient with you."

"Dark? Light?" 93 scoffed. "The color of the empire is gray, while our color is first white and then black. Is it fun to play the role of a righteous hero slaying a dragon?"

"The turmoil of the Great Void Era has subsided, and the Empire has now restored order. Those who were harmed have been compensated... However, even if we say this, you still look at us with the same old eyes and perpetuate the hatred."

The answer to Kapok was an arrow shot by 93, which landed at Kapok's feet, declaring that she had given up her last chance for reconciliation with the Empire and had completely stood on the opposite side.

Mu Mian is a cold and indifferent person. Apart from the people and things that the bodysuit-clad weirdo cares about, she is indifferent to everything else. This is perfectly illustrated by Teacher Xiao Yang's situation.

However, Mu Mian, contrary to her usual behavior, wasted words with the enemy, making Lin Jiade feel that Mu Mian was not so much expecting an answer from the enemy, but rather using the enemy's answer to give him an answer, completely extinguishing his naive fantasies.

He looked at the enemy, his eyes filled with nothing but the thought of competition and victory. As if by telepathy, he and Mu Mian simultaneously turned to the side, raised their swords, and charged towards 93.

When the Perfunctory Monster tried to use the same trick again, Yuki was one step ahead and shot at Lin Jiade and Mumian. The Flowing Wind blew Lin Jiade and Mumian into the sky, escaping the range of the Perfunctory Monster's taunt skill.

"Humph."

Just as the Perfunctory Monster was about to make a move, Arcturus's battle axe pinned him to the spot. Yuki fired an arrow, but finding that even a shot to the neck wouldn't break its defenses, she shifted her focus, using magic to alter the terrain around the Perfunctory Monster, trapping it in place.

On the other side, Kapok grabbed Lin Jiade's hand in mid-air and threw him out, falling down herself. 93 dodged backward while firing at the sky. The phantom of Gladiolus always accompanied Lin Jiade. When she saw the black phantom rapidly approaching, her hand overlapped with Lin Jiade's.

A hexagonal shield enveloped Lin Jiade's front, weakening with each hit from the arrows until it shattered the moment he landed. 93 extended his palm, pale blue ripples illuminating Lin Jiade's eyes; in response, his left hand made a grasping motion.

The Thunder spell was activated, but it was partially resisted when it landed on 93's hand, allowing a weakened version of the protective spell to be activated, pushing Lin Jiade away. However, at that moment, Kapok arrived.

Lin Jiade's brief entanglement with 93 had created an opening for Mumian to strike a fatal blow. 93 had no time to dodge, and just as Mumian's vicious blade was about to be stained with blood, a cold light flashed, deflecting Mumian's blade.

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Rescue Battle (Part Two)

In Lin Jiade's view, Mu Mian would undoubtedly pierce 93's neck. Amidst the blood splattering that resembled a B-movie, Mu Mian would stylishly pull out her weapon, leaving the enemy's teetering head and body to fall together.

However, in reality, a new enemy unit appeared on the battlefield, blocking Kapok's fatal blow. The two exchanged blows in the air for several rounds before each retreating to their teammates.

Lin Jiade recognized the enemy reinforcements as the ones who had invaded his house last Sunday, leaving it shattered with bottles and jars (although objectively, it was the cuckoo's attack that caused the damage). The Empire reimbursed the reconstruction costs, but the flowers and plants that Lin Jiade had painstakingly cultivated would never return.

Is this something a human being would do?!

The moment he saw the new enemy, fury swept over Lin Jiade's body, and even Jianlan felt her body getting slightly hot.

“Killing them here is pointless,” Jianlan whispered. “If you kill them, as long as that woman recycles them before they completely dissipate, she can reassemble them by consuming energy. Isn’t the assassin who was shredded by Dujuan standing right in front of you last time?”

"Where does she get so much energy?" Lin Jiade asked.

"I guess it's Amanda stone."

At the same time, ? also looked at 93 and asked, "You look exactly like Gladiolus."

93 gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, it's the fragment that Gladiolus asked us to retrieve. This fragment records Gladiolus's entire magical knowledge... It's with that thief!"

"Where's the man?"

"Just being alive is enough; this is one of the seven life boxes of the Gladiolus."

It was obvious. He didn't introduce himself, but his file was the best preserved in the Baker Street Squad—the best in that everyone could recognize him from his appearance and attire as someone who had once belonged to the Baker Street Squad.

She rushed towards Lin Jiade, but Mu Mian blocked her way with her sword. As she moved, Mu Mian threw something behind her, which Lin Jiade caught and realized was a miniature submachine gun.

He released the safety and immediately fired at 93, emptying the entire magazine in one go. The bullets did not hit 93 directly, but stopped around her, causing an explosion.

Gladiolus drew the last bit of energy from the Amanda Stone worn by Lin Jiade to cast a protective spell on him. She wanted to further increase the attack power of his longsword, but Lin Jiade stopped her, saying, "No, that's not what needs to be strengthened."

Lin Jiade charged toward 93. In the common sense of the inner world, it was practically suicidal for an apprentice-level magic researcher to charge toward an advanced magic researcher. However, Lin Jiade lacked common sense. He charged recklessly, his heart filled with nothing but rage.

93, whose optical vision had been blocked by the Kapok's magic, opened her energy vision. This was a racial talent that diamond elves possessed. The world in her eyes turned grayish-white, and the energy outlined the contours of the living and the dead.

93 raised his hand and fired a series of arrows. Instead of directly attacking Lin Jiade who was protected by an energy shield, the arrows attacked the land around Lin Jiade, sealing off his space to move.

Both she and Lin Jiade had backup plans, however, the thrown shadow forced them to take a step back. Lin Jiade looked at the falling shadow and found that it was Yuki and Arcturus, both of whom had unnatural bending marks on their bodies.

"As a team composed of intermediate-level magic researchers, you did well, but you encountered an enemy far stronger than you."

The perfunctory guy walked over, and Jianlan moved a step closer to Lin Jiade. She said, "Of the three enemies, ? is the strongest, he is second, and 93 is the weakest, but no matter which one, they are all stronger than your teammates."

“I know,” Lin Jiade replied, “but if I don’t rush over, they will mow down the wounded, killing both the wounded and the convoy that is transporting them. Someone has to buy these people time.”

I don't know them well, but they are my comrades. Whether on the field or on the battlefield, I will never abandon my comrades.

“This perfectly timed stupidity saved us time,” 93 chuckled sarcastically. “You are also a discarded pawn of the Empire, just like we were discarded back then.”

Lin Jiade raised a middle finger: "What does this have to do with me? It's not like I'm the one who caused your suffering. I wasn't even born when you were in trouble, so don't say things like 'no one is innocent when an avalanche happens' or 'you're motherless.'"

The perfunctory reply was: "But when an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent."

"Then I am the happy snowflake!"

Living with Du Juan honed Lin Jiade's stubbornness. The three enemies had no intention of wasting any more time. They suppressed Kapok and aimed 93 bows at the injured and immobile Yuki and Arcturus.

The bait was too obvious, but Lin Jiade was the fish that took the bait, and he couldn't stand by and watch his teammate get shot.

He shielded his teammates from a deadly arrow, but no one came to protect him. The shield that Gladiolus had cast on him was crushed by the Absent-minded Monster with his bare hands. The shadow of the hand wrapped in a leather glove fell on his face, and then it stopped.

Tang Ao, the captain of the 16th District squad, stood there, his Deer-Slaying Sword pointing at the Perfunctory Monster. Twelve golden flowers shone on the sword. He seemed to be doing nothing, but the nearby rocks rose into the air and turned into dark clouds standing on the battlefield.

Gravity-based magic? Lin Jiade wondered.

There was only one supporter, but the three enemies chose to disappear on the spot after weighing their options. Tang Ao's escort team caught up with the 15th District team ahead, and the latter gave emergency treatment to the two wounded members of the Kapok team.

Lin Jiade thanked the other party, and Tang Ao smiled. His body rose into the air and quickly disappeared from the spot. After he left, Mu Mian coldly said, "For a person like that, just give him a perfunctory response."

"Ok?"

“His breathing was quite steady, without the disorder that comes with traveling, which proves that he has actually been here for quite a while,” Yuki said, enduring the pain. “He used us as bait to observe the fighting style of the Baker Street Squad.”

"The same goes for the three advanced magic researchers who fought us. Two of them were in the open, and one was in the shadows. They had the ability to eliminate us, but they hesitated to make a move because they wanted to use the siege to see if we had any backup plans," Mu Mian said.

Lin Jiade continued, following Mu Mian's train of thought: "Senior's sword strike forced the enemy to reveal their hidden trump card. The enemy applied extreme pressure, forcing our trump card to be revealed. After judging that they might not be able to complete the mission, they retreated."

Doesn't that mean Mr. Tang Ao is very capable?

"If the records are correct, he is the last living immortal from Mount Xiaopenglai, and the last time he appeared was 1400 years ago."

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Dawn of the Mirror Realm

Lin Jiade chuckled: "1400 years ago, you might as well just say he was a celestial observer."

Kapok explained, “People in the extraordinary world generally pursue greater power, greater authority, and deeper knowledge... However, given the sheer number of people, there will always be some oddballs who challenge common sense.”

Lin Jiade recalled the Diamond Elf 93, a human-shaped tire made by Mi○Lin, and wholeheartedly agreed.

Kapok continued, "The Xiaopenglai Mountain lineage has always regarded longevity as the primary goal in pursuing extraordinary power, and they are not good at fighting. Anyone who enters the mountain must stay away from the mortal world, not care about worldly affairs, and cultivate the magic of prolonging life in the mountain, focusing on themselves."

"If that's the case, why are there still people from Little Penglai Mountain appearing in the world?"

"Perhaps the enemy possesses something that Xiao Penglai Mountain is concerned about," said Kapok.

"That flawed secret?"

"I do not know."

Lin Jiade touched his helmet. The actions of Xiao Penglai Mountain were tantamount to severing ties with others and hiding in a mountain valley to cultivate diligently. Even if they were not good at fighting, their long lifespans were enough to bring their mastery of magic to an extremely high level, making them like goalkeepers.

However, that would be too lonely. Lin Jiade would rather die in the arms of others than live a solitary life. For him, what was more terrifying than death itself was dying alone.

However, whether he lives or dies is no longer up to him. First, he needs to ask the opinions of Dujuan and Jasmine, and then it depends on Jianlan, who said that even if he dies, she will bring him back up and let him continue to live as a ghost.

The three teams returned to town. A total of seven people were injured. The other six were able to return to their posts after treatment, but Buck, the leader of the 20th District team, was more seriously injured and still needed to rest for several days after being treated by Lao Can himself.

In theory, Buck could have returned home to heal its wounds by now, but it insisted on sharing the information it had seen with everyone. So, its team members went up and took a camera and the corresponding storage device from its collar.

Soon, the images it captured appeared on everyone's phones. In the labyrinth formed by the Mirror Realm creatures, wanderers gathered and were processed into a kind of walking corpse embedded in the Mirror Realm creatures. Fran, who was in charge of the processing, also had other golems subjected to the same modification process, so that the golems possessed low-level intelligence.

“We can’t let them continue to expand,” Cyrus said. “These low-level cannon fodder can be surprisingly effective if they are managed properly. The Baker Street Squad has served the Empire on the covert front for ten years and should have a good understanding of how to drive cannon fodder.”

"Are our firepower sufficient?"

“Evacuating civilians, building defenses, and organizing equipment all require time and resources,” Cyrus said. “What is the throughput of the teleportation magic circle?”

The 19th Squad, responsible for the construction, replied, "In another 16 standard hours, we will be able to upgrade it to a level where we can bring in a modified civilian pickup truck and a machine gun at once."

However, teleportation can only take place within 10 hours when the Empire and the Mirror Realm are connected. For the remaining 14 hours, we can't do anything, especially since a portion of our transport quota needs to be used to transfer civilians here to the Empire's mainland.

The lack of manpower became a consensus among the squad leaders, and their mercenaries finally gave up their passive resistance to increasing manpower. As a result, Buck was sent back to the mainland, along with a joint request from the squad leaders for reinforcements.

The wounded returned to their posts, but their efficiency decreased, so the Kapok Squad stayed behind. At this time, Lao Can came over and cast a spell on their bodies to ensure that they could remain in the Mirror Realm when they spat out the birds.

“You’ll be living with me, and don’t let yourself out of my sight for more than three minutes,” Mu Mian said in an unquestionable tone. “Before, when you could go back, you had at least 14 hours of absolute safety, but now, you have to be on your guard every single moment.”

Lin Jiade remained silent. Yes, the problem of the town's "mole" was still unresolved. He might encounter nine people who wanted to assassinate him as he walked down the street.

Presumably, Dujuan had already seen this scene through magic, so Jasmine would also know, but letting them see him living with Kapok through a live broadcast... made me feel a little guilty.

Mu Mian and Lin Jiade's accommodation was a marching tent. It looked small from the outside, but it was a different world inside. Mu Mian skillfully figured out how to use the electrical appliances, made a drink for Lin Jiade, and handed it to him.

Lin Jiade was somewhat surprised: "I didn't see the generator."

"This place relies on energy storage materials to supply energy; to be precise, it converts energy into electricity. The Empire has such a large demand for Amanda Stone because Brilliant City needs it for clean energy."

"That sounds really good."

"That's not paradise, it's a haven for socialites. Someone like you would be completely devoured if you went there."

Lin Jiade rested briefly before leaving the tent to continue working, even more diligently than before. Jianlan waited until he was completely exhausted before asking, "You don't seem to be in a good mood."

“It would be strange if I could be in a good mood to see my teammates get injured in front of me and I could do nothing about it. I’m really… too weak.” Lin Jiade clenched his fist. “This is not a battle that someone at my level should be involved in, but I’m already in it, and I have to think about what role I can play.”

“Lin Jiade…”

Jianlan wanted to say something, but in the end she shook her head and said, "Let's review the battle back then."

Lin Jiade and Jianlan spent an hour analyzing the battle they had participated in, then went to help out in Naboo's battlefield kitchen, bringing back gifts for Mian and their teammates. Yuki and Arcturus's injuries were no longer serious.

This was Lin Jiade's first time spending the night in the Mirror Realm—according to Imperial time, because here, the long night in the Mirror Realm had passed, and a new day was just beginning.

Lin Jiade glanced at the time, extinguished the lantern, and went back to his tent to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep easily. He thought about himself, Du Juan, Jasmine, and Gladiolus, about the almost lifeless kapok tree beside him, about his teammates, about the future of this town...

He grew increasingly agitated. He opened his eyes, climbed out of his sleeping bag, and went outside the tent. He saw the morning light shining through the figure of Jianlan. She turned around, her body enveloped in a dreamlike halo.

Lin Jiade said nothing, walked to Jianlan's side, reached out and grasped a wisp of cool air, and the two silently shared the dawn of the Mirror Realm. A short while later, Jianlan turned and pressed the cool sensation onto Lin Jiade's lips.

“Good boy, it’s time to go back to sleep,” she said.

“I’m not a child anymore, and I’m not sleepy.”