Love, Gun, Cupid

"Really?" Mu Mian's voice sounded from behind Lin Jiade. "I do have a way to make you fall asleep faster."

The bonus chapter event has ended. In May, I owed a total of 76 chapters, of which 32 have been repaid, leaving 44 chapters to be added.

There will also be an extra episode featuring the European Championship this month.

I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days, so I might have fewer symptoms.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Ghouls

When Lin Jiade was informed that he had to stay in the Mirror Realm, Jasmine was already asleep. At nine o'clock in the morning, she woke up and snuggled up to the person next to her. When she realized that she could only feel the blanket, she opened her eyes and realized that Lin Jiade was no longer sleeping in the same bed with her.

"playboy!"

Her blanket billowed up, and her tail emerged from it, wrapping around another pillow and slamming it onto the bed. Raindrops slammed down on her fists until the movement neutralized her displeasure, and then she lovingly hugged the pillow again.

The poor pillow took the place of Lin Jiade in bearing Jasmine's hatred and love. After dawdling for a while, she reluctantly got up, her pajamas falling to the floor and becoming a circle around her feet.

Jasmine crossed her legs off the ground, letting the over-the-knee stockings cover her feet, and then pulled them up to thigh height. She released her grip on the edge of the stockings, which snapped against her thighs with a "snap."

She took off her dress, pulled it over her head, cinched her waist, and buttoned the collar. The swaying skirt partially covered her knee-high socks. Then she took out a comb and a mirror to roughly tidy her hair, put on her headdress, straightened it, and left the room.

“Lin Jiade and Jianlan are not here; they were left in the Mirror Realm,” Du Juan said.

"Oh."

Jasmine immediately turned and went back to her room, yanked off her hair accessory, took off her over-the-knee socks and threw them on the bed, then walked barefoot to the wardrobe and took out her sportswear. The corset was ripped open, the buttons were quickly undone, and the dress peeled off her body, twirling and falling onto the chair.

When she reappeared, she had reverted to her initial artwork, wearing an ugly tracksuit... Although it was ugly, the tracksuit was comfortable and easy to move in, unlike her other outfits, which were extremely impractical and made her feel like a doll to be dressed up and fawned over.

Du Juan chuckled and snapped a picture of Jasmine. Jasmine frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"

“Send it to my sister Weiying and let her give her opinion… She replied so quickly, saying your taste in clothing is like that of a German dragoon.”

"?"

“She also said that Lin Jiade looked like a Prussian before the Battle of Jena, so my sister praised you and Lin Jiade as a match made in heaven.” Du Juan licked her lips. “Want to see a picture of my sister?”

"Not interested."

Jasmine went to brush her teeth and wash her face. From the sink came her muffled voice: "Are they alright?"

"He went through a battle, which was mostly a test between the two sides, but he probably didn't have a good time, because in front of Kapok, he and Gladiolus kissed in the dawn of the Mirror Realm. Such a romantic scene is not very comfortable for single people to see."

Jasmine bit off the toothbrush, spat out the residue, and picked up a new one. She heard Du Juan continue, "Kapok cut Lin Jiade's clothes into shreds, and sweat flowed down his smooth muscles. Even Jianlan's eyes changed when she saw it."

Jasmine bit off the second toothbrush, repeating the actions from half a minute earlier. As she unpacked it, she said to Du Juan, "Was that part recorded? I want to see it too."

"You're becoming more and more honest these days."

There's no need for me to maintain a likable persona in front of you.

Jasmine sat down, her face still damp with water droplets. She savored the highlights of Lin Jiade's life in the Mirror World, then said, "Was the battle with the Baker Street Squad also part of your plan?"

"To be precise, the Baker Street team is weaker than before due to insufficient energy reserves and the reconstructed bodies are more fragile. Furthermore, its core member, Lancelot, has not yet been able to reconstruct his body due to the separation of his soul fragments."

In the mid-to-high-level competition among magic researchers, the outcome ultimately depends on energy reserves. How many energy-storing Amanda Stones can the Baker Street team collect in the Mirror Realm? And how many Amanda Stones can the Empire deposit into the town's teleportation magic circle?

Before the battle even began, the outcome was already decided; the only variable was the manner of victory—it was this confidence that allowed the Empire to control the deployment of personnel and resources to the most economical extent.

Jasmine said coldly, "This is the local faction's approach, because they are the ones supplying the people and resources. If this is done, the recovered Korobochka will return to Brilliant City instead of remaining in the local areas. It's like these local regions are paying for Brilliant City's expenses."

In particular, the expenses of the Kapok Squad are provided by the lord of District 18. He suffered a setback in Fuxing City last month, and with a master-level magic researcher watching, he dares not act maliciously, but he will definitely cooperate passively.

"Let's set aside the economic considerations of the empire and its regions. I believe that in this victorious expedition, it is in our common interest to let our fine young men add a brilliant chapter to their resumes."

"Whose victory is certain? How many people will be sacrificed in this certain victory? Between your shady dealings and Lin Jiade's resume, which one has more embellishments?"

Jasmine stared at Azalea: "You sit in front of the TV, watching in real time with magic, expensive wine in crystal glasses, watching people fight in another world, and then lamenting that those enemies are destined to be crushed under the wheels, while Lin Jiade will rise higher as the wheels turn."

The way they orchestrate everything from behind the scenes is truly impressive. The blood spurting from their wounds won't get on you, and the crossbow bolts won't hit your vital spots. Enemies far stronger than you won't even appear before you…

But my boyfriend will! Kapok and Gladiolus are protecting him, but he's still threatened. He's my everything, but not yours; you're just playing a game of raising an upright ape.

You value the characters in the game a lot, and you've invested a lot of effort in them, but ultimately it's just a game. You're not an internet addict, and you can distinguish between the two.

So you can just throw him into that hellhole and spout your winning formula. You're a ghoul, and you're trying to turn him into one too... I'm fed up with this constant anxiety about him!

Jasmine blushed with anger, but her rage was ultimately powerless, as Azalea no longer bothered to maintain the false balance between them.

When Lin Jiade was around, Du Juan would restrain herself a bit, not deliberately bullying Jasmine, so that Lin Jiade would feel secure in the family relationship. But now that he was gone, teasing a weak red dragon was a rare experience in her life.

Taking advantage of someone's weakness, kicking someone when they're down, and winning everything are Du Juan's virtues, so she said, "Which are you angrier about more? Is it me pushing Lin Jiade into the Mirror Realm, or is it that you can't kiss your boyfriend in the morning light like Jianlan?"

Don't tell me you don't mind. After all, you and Lin Jiade have only kissed at home and at university, both places Jianlan has been to. She might have even guided your boyfriend to recreate those moments. So, all things considered, she has more memorable CGs than you.

Jasmine went back to her room, and soon after she changed into another, more conservative outfit and went out.

"Where are you going?" Dujuan asked.

Jasmine gave her a cold look and left without turning back.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Golden Cloth

Lin Jiade was covered in bumps from the bean tree. This was not just sword training, but a fight that was close to a real combat exercise, where every means was used to win.

Lin Jiade's Amanda Stone had run out of energy in the previous battle and needed time to recharge. Jianlan could only watch helplessly as this unfair confrontation unfolded, watching Lin Jiade's clothes being torn to shreds, barely concealing the budding muscles beneath.

A little...sexy? Gladiolus thought.

She recalled being forced to empathize with Du Juan and enjoying Lin Jiade's passionate embrace. Desire clung to her soul at an inopportune time, but in the end, she felt more sorry for Lin Jiade.

As Lin Jiade lay down and Mu Mian turned her back to him, her illusory figure rubbed against the spot where he had been hit, the cool sensation easing Lin Jiade's pain.

The time came to November 2nd, Imperial Standard Time. With the expansion of the transport magic array's capacity, more finished mechanical products from the Empire were delivered to the town, freeing up most of the labor force—who were originally unqualified.

As a result, the teleportation magic circle's quota was finally allocated to the labor force of the teleportation town. With fewer people to feed, Naboo's battlefield kitchens were also relieved of their burden. More machinery allowed the town to be transformed at a rapid pace.

The most obvious thing is the simple defensive fortification "stone wall" built around the teleportation magic circle. It is equipped with the most suitable civilian equipment for use in the Mirror Realm. Naturally, Cyrus Smith and his battle-hardened squad have the highest priority to use it.

Lao Can and Tang Ao's squad were deployed in the town. As a field force, they were ready to provide flank support when the stone wall was attacked, forming a pincer movement. The remaining three teams were transporting magic arrays to prepare for the evacuation of the town's residents.

Among the townspeople, Lin Jiade only had a slight connection with two people: Friday and the twin-tailed monster girl who threw stones at him. They both looked at him with the same gaze: hatred for the invaders and resentment at their own powerlessness.

Because their expressions were too obvious, they were pulled out of the migration procession as potential adversaries to prevent them from inciting the townspeople to cause trouble on the empire's homeland.

Lin Jiade escorted them to forced labor, to build useless but exhausting defensive fortifications south of the town.

Over three days, aside from 57 potential adversaries, the remaining two thousand-plus town residents were all relocated to the Empire's mainland—ostensibly by selling the town's residents to the Empire as slaves in exchange for some supplies.

When Lin Jiade saw the wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, he couldn't help but whistle. How could such a thing be considered civilian equipment?

However, when he saw the spider-shaped mech, he was even more surprised. Wouldn't the Empire be criticized diplomatically for sending such a thing to another world?

However, this was not what Lin Jiade cared about, because from November 2nd to November 5th, he received some personal supplies, such as the Thunder Magic Talisman paper and a recorded video that Jasmine gave him. He looked at Jasmine with teary eyes, but not entirely for her—he hadn't been able to talk to his parents this week and didn't even have a chance to lie.

With Jianlan by his side, Lin Jiade found some solace in his second girlfriend and mentor. Only the four of them saw these vulnerable sides of him. In front of outsiders, Lin Jiade was taciturn and worked hard like an old ox.

Jasmine brought not only warmth, but also a change of clothes. Kapok's intensive training caused his clothes to wear out rapidly, almost every day his clothes would burst open... It was as if he and Kapok were playing some strange game with a mod, and the genders were reversed.

Finally, and most importantly, was a talisman. Lin Jiade solemnly affixed it to his left arm. It was from September, when he fought for Jasmine. Jasmine had given him the talisman to use lightning magic. That spell had taken a heavy toll on Jasmine's body, and this time... he hoped she would be alright.

The cuckoo gave him only one thing: a clover-shaped amulet woven from feathers and hair. This time, she revealed the answer to him: the amulet contained a divine oracle—a substitute for death. If its mechanism could be used properly, it would dramatically change the course of the battle.

The final piece of Lin Jiade's self-construction plan was a non-powered exoskeleton with the shape of the Capricorn Gold Cloth, which was then personalized and delivered to him. At first, everyone was quite shocked by Lin Jiade's extravagant act of buying a small powered armor, but after seeing that he bought the youth version (monkey version), they lost interest.

However, in Lin Jiade's eyes, the direct boost the Gold Cloth could provide was irrelevant; the key lay in the energy reserves of the Amanda Stone's intermediate layer. After Jianlan's investigation, it was satisfactory that the energy reserves of the Capricorn Gold Cloth were sufficient to support Jianlan's combat needs for several minutes.

In addition to the weapons and spells that Lin Jiade already possessed, the young man believed that he had already achieved the ultimate in terms of material conditions—excluding the unorthodox method of sleeping with Senior Sister Hehuan and then using her resources to spend money on equipment and items.

The remaining task is for him to integrate his own resources and figure out how to exert his initiative in the right places.

Many people live their whole lives in a daze, but for Lin Jiade, who is only 19 years old and has been on the path of a magic researcher for less than 50 days, being correct is a demanding requirement.

Fortunately, he had people he could rely on to guide him. He put on his golden armor and fought against enemies played by Kapok, Yuki, Arcturus, and the Flying Fish of the Stars, in order to improve his understanding of various professional magic researchers.

Of course, this is a paid service. Friendship is friendship, and business is business, but the advantage of having good relations with mercenaries is that they are willing to pay on credit and settle the bill when they return to the empire.

Lin Jiade's selfless training also caught the attention of others. Tang Ao, who was stationed in the town, looked at Lao Can and asked, "What do you think?"

"Of course I hope it becomes sweeter and more delicious, so that it will be easier to catch the big fish we're looking forward to."

"We're not exactly good enough to attack, but we're more than capable of defending. Do you really think they'll come to attack us?"

“Yes,” Lao Can said. “Our energy reserves are increasing, while the enemy’s reserves remain largely unchanged. When our reserves reach the threshold that the enemy can tolerate, they will launch a full-scale attack to annihilate us.”

We are not the key to the battle, nor are the kapok trees that possess the means of survival, but we hope the enemy will consider us crucial—that is our only hope.

I got a headache after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, so I rubbed it.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Worm: Betrayal

At 0:50 Imperial Standard Time on November 7th, the sky over the Mirror Realm was illuminated by the sun, which appeared smaller and colder than its home planet. The birds had somewhat adapted to the time difference from the different planet, but even so, the awake sentinels still consumed many energy drinks.

The town was eerily quiet. Apart from the 57 potential hostile elements who were scheduled to teleport at 5:00 AM, all the residents had evacuated. Thus, under the sunlight of the Mirror Realm, the town exuded an eerie silence.

Lin Jiade was fast asleep, Jianlan was watching over him, and Mumian was tossing and turning in her sleep, not sleeping soundly. Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded, making Lin Jiade jump up instantly.

"Don't panic. First, check your equipment, then put on your protective gear, and finally put on your Gold Cloth."

Lin Jiade originally wanted to crawl out of the tent immediately, but Jianlan's prompting made him stop. The amulet that Dujuan had given him was stuck to his chest, and there was a talisman on his left arm that would allow him to use lightning magic. He reached into his pocket, touched the gun handle, and also touched the talisman that sealed his longsword.

Once he was fully equipped, he crawled out of the tent, unscrewed a bottle of water and took a big gulp, then stuffed the energy bar into his pocket. He put on his protective gear himself, and with the help of Kapok, he put on his Capricorn Gold Cloth Youth Edition, or rather, Lady Gladiolus's happy battery.

On the way, he saw the other team members. Yuki was even putting on a vest as she ran, her hair falling out in strands like spaghetti. Arcturus and Interstellar Flying Fish were not much better off; the former had his backpack on his front, and the latter was holding an energy bar in his hand.

Upon arriving at the rendezvous point, they finally had time to tidy themselves up. As Yuki did so, she complained, "Have those enemies finally come to their deaths?"

"They must have come confident that they could defeat us," said Starfish.

"Defeat the Empire? Who would believe that?"

"We are just civilians adventuring in the Mirror Realm," Mu Mian said solemnly. "Remember, there is no official imperial force here!"

Yuki said impatiently, "I know, I know, that's something for diplomats to argue about. We mercenaries just collect our wages by clocking in and out."

When the Kapok Squad assembled in the designated area, the entire Cyrus Smith Squad from District 17 took their positions on the stone wall defense system. A pale blue light curtain unfolded, and a hemispherical shield enveloped the teleportation magic circle.

This is one of the most popular pieces of equipment in the Empire's foreign trade arms. "Most popular" means that it is most popular with arms dealers because it is essentially a bunker with special lighting effects. Except for a very few special situations, buying it is equivalent to paying an intelligence tax.

Considering that this thing is not very technologically advanced, the Imperial Foreign Trade Bureau's Technology Control Committee, after evaluation, agreed to grant it foreign trade product qualification certification. With its high-tech appearance and cool special effects, it has indeed reaped a lot of "IQ tax" (i.e., exploiting people's lack of knowledge and understanding).

However, the town's current terrain is a special case where the stone wall defense system can be effective—Baker Street Squad has no air force, no high-performance explosives, no saturation bombing capability, no tactical-level magical weapons... and not even enough troops.

This is the kind of enemy the Stonewall system loves most.

Lin Jiade took out his phone, tapped the red dot on the map, and discovered that in the drone's field of vision, a team of humans and golems was rushing towards the town. The first to launch was the modern modified version of the Hale Rocket, which departed from the town, heading towards the enemy team.

The drones ascended higher to avoid being shot down by the enemy, and their onboard optical observation and energy detection equipment closely monitored the battlefield dynamics.