Chapter 110: Reward for a Good Kid

“Happy birthday, son.”

In the dimly lit room, only the candles on the cake flickered with firelight.

The birthday boy wore the small crown that came with the cake, his big eyes staring in surprise at the cake before him.

Today was his birthday. His parents had actually remembered, and had even bought him a large cake with his name written in oil.

“Son, make a wish quickly and blow out the candles so your wish will come true.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Even though his parents urged him, before blowing out the candles, the birthday boy noticed the pitch-black gloves on his mother’s hands.

“Mom, what are those for?”

“These… are Mom’s magical tools. As long as you wear them, you’ll be filled with courage.”

“Really?” The birthday boy’s eyes sparkled, and suddenly the birthday gift in his hands didn’t seem so appealing.

“Do you want them, son?”

“Mm… mm!”

The smile on his father’s face faded slightly, and he tugged at his mother’s arm. She patted his hand, moved to sit beside the birthday boy, and pulled him into her arms.

“Since you like them, you’ll get them one day.”

“Really?”

“I won’t lie to you, son.”

His mother gently stroked his head, her eyes filled with endless tenderness.

“You’ll need them, because you’re my son. You can’t fall too far behind me and your dad.”

“But Mom, I don’t want to…”

“Alright, come blow out the candles. What wish do you want to make?”

Interrupted, the birthday boy didn’t think much. He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

“Son, Mom will always be by your side. Always.”

I wish…

****

Bai Chen woke up after that strangely dreamlike dream.

He lay in bed, staring at the somewhat unfamiliar ceiling.

They say dreams are chaotic, but that one just now… was a bit strange too.

In his memory, there had never been such a warm birthday party.

His parents were busy every day. Even if they remembered his birthday, they would just buy a cake and a gift on the day and leave him at home alone.

Bai Chen sighed, then closed his eyes.

Even though he knew it was fake, he wished this beautiful illusion could last a little longer.

Before he could dwell on it further, a constant noise came from beside the bed. It sounded like someone was peeling an apple.

Bai Chen opened his eyes and confirmed that both his hands were empty and there was no strange soft object on his body.

He still didn’t dare turn his head, afraid that what he would see was a naked girl sitting beside him.

A naked girl would be fine, but he was more worried she would be wearing some weird outfit, half-covering herself to tempt him.

Maybe it would be a relatively ordinary nurse outfit? Or a maid outfit?

Thinking this, Bai Chen sighed heavily.

Well, a man always has to face things head-on.

Let me see who is disturbing my sleep…

What came into view was not a maid, not a nurse, and not even a girl. It was a man over twenty-five, wearing casual clothes.

He had the face of someone who didn’t want to work overtime, and was peeling an apple roughly. When the apple was fully peeled, it had shrunk by at least a third.

“Yo, awake? Want an apple?” Su Wanghai smiled.

“…”

Bai Chen closed his eyes again.

“How did he fall asleep again? If you don’t like apples, I’ll eat them myself.”

Not getting a response from Bai Chen, Su Wanghai actually started eating the freshly peeled apple.

“How long was I out?”

“Four days.”

That’s the longest yet.

“The branch must have spent a lot of effort to save me, right?”

“Nope.”

“Huh?”

Su Wanghai chewed the apple as if he were talking about something trivial. “When we found you, we thought you were about to kick the bucket. After bringing you back to the base, we realized you were hardly injured, just obviously exhausted.”

“Not injured?”

Hearing this, Bai Chen sat up and found that his body was indeed fine, just a bit sluggish from sleeping so long.

“Amazing.”

“We thought so too.”

Su Wanghai shrugged.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“Yeah…”

Bai Chen remembered that he and Mo Qiu were originally attending the weekend review session when they were attacked by a humanoid monster.

A giant plant covered the school, and almost everyone fell unconscious.

And the culprit behind all this was Libelle!

“Did you catch that monster?” Bai Chen’s tone turned low.

“No.” Su Wanghai shook his head. “But we found the body you split in two.”

Bai Chen was stunned, then listened as he continued.

“Kid, you’re getting more and more outrageous. Not only was it split in two, but it was also damaged beyond recognition. But according to the branch’s research report, this monster’s combat power before death was terrifyingly high.”

“Libelle is dead? Killed by me…”

Bai Chen looked at his hands, recalling what happened.

Libelle used Mo Qiu to coerce me into kneeling. I did it, but she went back on her word, and I charged straight in.

And then Libelle was killed by me?

“Just like that?”

“Would I lie to you?” Su Wanghai frowned. “Want to see the report? As for the body… the R&D department has already taken it as a treasure.”

Those guys hoarded that kind of corpse like otaku collecting precious figurines; they wouldn’t let anyone near it easily.

Libelle died just like that?

I feel like… I’ve forgotten something.

Bai Chen’s mental gears were still turning when Su Wanghai slapped him on the back, almost knocking the gears out of his head.

“It’s all in the past. Why think so much?”

Su Wanghai grinned cheerfully.

“Kid, you’re famous now.”

“Huh!”

Before Bai Chen could figure out what was going on, the ward door was kicked open.

“Is Bai Chen awake?!”

Cheng Xuan rushed in. The moment she met Bai Chen’s gaze, she hurried forward.

“Awake? Any major issues?”

“No.”

“Can you walk?”

“Should be able to.”

“Then get out of bed quickly. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

“Huh?”

What now?

Bai Chen had no choice but to leave the ward and follow them through the corridors of the branch base.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like everyone around was staring at him, which made him a bit embarrassed.

“Manager, where are we…”

Before Bai Chen could finish, he saw a figure approaching in the distance.

It was Minister Liu from the R&D department. He was still in his short pajamas and white coat, with thick leg hair, and he shuffled over in slippers.

Startled by his frightening expression, Bai Chen halted as Minister Liu walked past Cheng Xuan and Su Wanghai and stopped in front of him.

“I, I’m not going to be taken as a lab rat for R&D, am I?”

Just as Bai Chen’s heart was in his throat, Minister Liu suddenly broke into a smile, grabbed his hand, and shook it firmly.

“I knew I hadn’t misjudged you, kid! You have a bright future!”

Bai Chen: ?

“Thanks to you, we were able to recover such a great corpse specimen. We hit the jackpot this time!”

“Ah, oh.” Bai Chen nodded slightly. “Specimen, you mean Libelle’s corpse?”

“So that monster was called Libelle?”

Minister Liu paused, then smiled again.

“Anyway, thank you. Next time you have a chance, remember to contact me first. Try to go easy on them; a well-preserved specimen has more value.”

Bai Chen could only nod vaguely, not daring to breathe because of the stench of sweat and strange chemicals emanating from Minister Liu.

“Minister Liu, we need to take him to that place.”

“Right, look at my memory. See you next time.”

After parting with Minister Liu, Bai Chen was still completely bewildered. What place?

Everyone was mysterious until he went on stage and became the center of attention. Only then did Bai Chen snap back to reality.

It was an awards ceremony.

It was his first time seeing the branch president. In front of almost all the staff, the president praised Bai Chen’s great achievements and awarded him a certificate of honor on the spot.

Besides the honor badge, there was also a hefty monetary reward, so large that Bai Chen’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets.

This was equivalent to a whole year’s salary!

Was it really that amazing? He just killed a Libelle…

*Not at all.*

The branch president narrowed his eyes.

“If it weren’t for you, Fengling City would be in grave danger!”

Through their explanation, Bai Chen learned that beneath Fengling Middle School there was a dangerous relic connected to the entire city. If Bai Chen hadn’t eliminated the culprit in time, Fengling City would have faced destruction because of what was in the relic.

“Ah, is that so?”

Having inexplicably become the hero who saved the entire city, Bai Chen was still very uncomfortable. People’s gazes were a bit too piercing, making him unable to meet their eyes. The sharply-angled badge in his hand was also prickly to hold.

After stepping down from the stage, Bai Chen sought out the branch president and Cheng Xuan.

More than the awards ceremony, Bai Chen wanted to know what happened afterward.

From the moment the anomaly at Fengling Middle School was noticed by the branch, to the giant plant withering, and the demon hunters entering the school, only fifteen minutes had passed.

Even though the giant plant had withered, its damage to the school was unimaginable. The Hunter Guild was urgently rebuilding the school with the government, while the students were arranged to attend nearby campuses, adopting a schedule of half-time home study and half-time in-school study.

It seemed time in the illusion flowed differently from the outside.

The relic collapsed, and the branch could no longer investigate the illusion.

Libelle was dead. Bai Chen had finally avenged his great enemy.

But one thought still drove him to leave the branch.

That was Mo Qiu.

After leaving the base, Bai Chen rushed to the hospital and found the corresponding ward.

The moment he opened the door, he finally saw the girl he most wanted to see.

She stood by the window, as if watching children playing in the yard.

She was still wearing a hospital gown. Even after four days, her face remained pale, and the color of her lips had faded considerably.

Their eyes met, and Bai Chen could no longer look away from her lusterless eyes.

He slowly approached her and stopped in front of her.

On the way there, he had thought of many words of apology, but when they reached his lips, they all turned into a dry “I’m sorry.”

Mo Qiu shook her head, meaning she didn’t blame him.

“That monster was after me. I still dragged you into it…”

Before he could finish, Mo Qiu raised her finger and pressed it against his lips.

Bai Chen was stunned. The girl tilted her head:

“You did very well.”

“But I…”

“Bai Chen is a good kid.”

“…”

“Good kid, want a reward?”

“Yes.”

Whether he needed it or not, the girl would do this.

She stood on tiptoe and brought her face close.

Their lips met, and Bai Chen’s eyes widened.

It was a very light and short kiss, but it struck heavily in his heart.

After Mo Qiu pulled back, she didn’t forget to add:

“This is my first kiss, and a gift.”

At that moment, the ripples in Bai Chen’s heart could no longer be suppressed.

Mo Qiu let him hold her shoulders, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickering in her dead fish eyes.

Like an old mother satisfied with her good child’s behavior.

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