Chapter 19: I'm Back

“But she’s our teammate now. How can we just stand by and watch her die?” Kagumo refused to give up.

“So you want to go and kill members of the Special Operations Unit?” Ansel countered.

“Enough. Let’s think of another solution,” Yvette said, feeling a headache coming on.

At that moment, Yvette’s phone rang. She picked it up and immediately her expression darkened. She answered the call.

A sweet-looking woman with long pink hair appeared on the screen. It was a video call.

“Caroline… what are you doing?” Yvette asked coldly.

“Hello, my dear Yvette. Have you made your decision yet?” Caroline asked cheerfully. Judging by the background, she was outdoors and didn’t seem bothered at all by Yvette’s cold tone.

“Why so demanding?” Yvette asked.

“Why? Because I’m scared.” Caroline tilted her head. “I’m afraid you’ll betray me and leave, so I need to make sure you can’t escape.”

Davis snatched Yvette’s phone away and shouted angrily into it, “How long are you going to keep pestering Yvette? If I ever see you, I swear I’ll snap your neck!”

“Ugh, you annoying jerk.” Caroline’s smile vanished instantly. “Go away, I don’t want to see you.”

“I don’t get it. Why do you like that gorilla guy and not beautiful, adorable me? Is gender really that important?” Caroline lamented after Yvette got the phone back.

“Who are you calling a gorilla?!” Davis yelled back at the phone.

Davis rarely got this angry — clearly, a love rival’s meeting always stokes the flames. Kagumo and Ansel exchanged looks.

“Sis Yvette, look, he’s being mean to me~” Caroline patted her chest, playing the victim.

Yvette rubbed her temple. “Davis, sit down first. Caroline, can you change your demand?”

“No,” Caroline rejected without hesitation.

“Decide quickly, or…” Caroline’s words were cut off by the sound of a key turning in the front door.

The door opened and Mo Ying appeared. Her clothes were torn, and blood stained her face and body.

“I’m back,” Mo Ying said casually, as if she had just returned from work.

The four in the living room stared dumbfounded. Mo Ying looked at Yvette’s phone and walked forward.

“Yvette, please turn the phone towards me,” Mo Ying said.

Yvette’s expression went blank as she turned the phone screen towards Mo Ying.

Caroline, who had been smug, froze on screen and then shouted, “How are you here?! Impossible!”

Mo Ying wiped the blood from her face and looked at Caroline on the screen. “As you can see, I escaped, so you can no longer negotiate with us.”

Caroline’s disbelief pleased Mo Ying. Then she said, “By the way, do you know why Yvette doesn’t like you?”

“Why?” Caroline asked.

“It’s not about gender. It’s because she likes normal people, not someone who should be in a mental hospital.”

Mo Ying’s words successfully enraged Caroline, whose sweet face twisted. Mo Ying chuckled lightly and walked away satisfied.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The four in the living room remained stunned as they watched Mo Ying head upstairs.

“Ah!” Kraf was the first to snap out of it. She jumped up from the sofa and ran upstairs.

“She must be hurt. I’m going to check on her,” Kagumo said.

Kagumo ran upstairs. Mo Ying’s room door was open. She went straight in and closed the door behind her.

Mo Ying’s torn coat was thrown on the floor. She was wearing only a sleeveless top.

“Kagumo?” Mo Ying was wiping blood off her body with a towel.

“Let me see where you’re hurt. I’ll treat you.”

“Mm.” Mo Ying took off her top.

There were many wounds but none were deep. The worst was a knife wound on her shoulder. Kagumo noticed something else.

“You have a curse on you. It must have been placed by Caroline.”

“Caroline? Is she a Disaster or Umbra Affinity user?” Mo Ying asked.

“Yvette said she has Umbra Affinity. Don’t worry, I can purify this easily.” Kagumo placed her hand on the black mark on Mo Ying’s shoulder. A faint golden light appeared and the mark vanished.

Kagumo held Mo Ying’s wrist but felt something off. Before she could react, Mo Ying pulled her hand away.

“Thanks.” Mo Ying put on her jacket and went to get other clothes.

“Are all your clothes this dark?” Kagumo looked into Mo Ying’s wardrobe. Everything was black or gray.

“There are other colors, but I rarely wear them,” Mo Ying said.

“Why? Why wear all black all day?”

“...Because they’re dirt-resistant.” Mo Ying answered. Of course, it wasn’t the only reason; mainly it suited her affinity.

Kagumo’s expression showed she didn’t really believe it but she didn’t ask further.

Minutes later, the others came upstairs to check, but Kagumo said Mo Ying had gone to shower.

“Let’s talk tomorrow. Everyone’s tired,” Kagumo said.

About thirty minutes later, Mo Ying came out of the bathroom. She looked down at her left shoulder. After Kagumo’s treatment, only a tiny scar remained, about the size of a shallow cut.

The scar quickly healed, leaving no trace, as if she was never hurt.

She returned to her room and found Ansel waiting at the door.

“Ansel? What’s up?” Mo Ying opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

Mo Ying sat on the bed and pulled a chair over for Ansel.

“Um… I want to confess something,” Ansel said hesitantly.

Mo Ying looked at him puzzled. Ansel folded his hands together, nervously rubbing the back of his left hand with his thumb.

“Before you came back, I suggested we give up on rescuing you,” Ansel lowered his head shamefully.

“I see.” Mo Ying arrived on the fourth floor just as Caroline called. Thanks to her sharp hearing, she overheard their conversation. Ansel’s suggestion had been made even earlier, so Mo Ying hadn’t heard it.

Mo Ying didn’t reply immediately. Ansel quietly waited.

“It was a rational suggestion,” Mo Ying said without much reaction.

“Are you not upset?” Ansel asked.

“No. It’s a reasonable judgment. If it were me, I would hesitate to risk so much for someone I’d known less than a month,” Mo Ying said. She hadn’t planned on waiting for anyone to rescue her in the first place.

“That’s good. I would’ve felt guilty if something happened to you,” Ansel said, releasing his clasped hands and looking more relaxed.

“Why did you tell me this? You wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t said anything,” Mo Ying asked.

“Because after making that suggestion, I couldn’t get it off my mind… and if I hadn’t said it, Kagumo would have told you anyway,” Ansel replied.

“Why would Kagumo tell me?” Mo Ying asked.

“She really likes you. I can tell.” Ansel said. After he suggested giving up, the strongest opposition had come from her.

“Oh, I’m flattered,” Mo Ying smiled. She was happy to hear that.

“Alright, get some rest. I won’t disturb you,” Ansel left Mo Ying’s room.

Mo Ying lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Kagumo leaned toward Life and Radiance Affinities, and there was a family renowned for their exceptional healing and purification skills.

It wasn’t guaranteed that Kagumo was from that family, but Mo Ying remembered she had some connection with them in childhood.

“If that’s true, it would explain Kagumo’s kindness to me.”

Maybe because she was too young, Kraf had forgotten this, but subconsciously trusted Mo Ying—the one who had saved her.

Sigh, no point thinking about uncertain things.

The next day, Mo Ying got up late, about eleven in the morning.

Going downstairs, the first person she saw was Yvette drinking coffee, then Kraf and Ansel playing on their phones, and finally Davis zoning out.

“Good morning, Mo Ying. Did you sleep well? Were you badly hurt?” Yvette asked with concern.

“I’m fine now,” Mo Ying answered briefly, covering both questions.

“That’s good. Having a doctor in the team is really important,” Yvette said.

“Every role in the team is important,” Davis said from the side.

“Heh, that’s true,” Yvette put down her coffee.

Mo Ying went to the kitchen to make tea, then returned to the living room with her cup. “Yvette, are you still assisting the Special Operations Unit’s investigation?”

Yvette glanced at Mo Ying and nodded. “Yes. I thought I could stay out of it, but now I realize this must be solved or the trouble will keep coming.”

“Thank you all. This was originally just my and Yvette’s problem,” Davis said awkwardly.

“Not a problem,” Ansel said while rubbing his fingers. “As long as the money’s good.”

“You’re such a money grubber,” Kagumo looked at Ansel speechlessly. “But you’re right, as long as there’s money, it’s not trouble.”

As the saying goes, money isn’t everything, but without money, you’re nothing!

“Hmm, if possible, I want more. After all, I’m the biggest victim here,” Mo Ying said, just escaped from enemy territory.