Seeing how healthy the man looked now, Bai Ling returned his greeting with a smile.
Back then, saving him had been a genuinely urgent situation.
The vertical drop from the Energy Highlands down to the Valley Fortress was close to a hundred meters. Even with Eyjafjalla unleashing her Noble Phantasm, the descent still involved environmental "chip damage"—scratches from leaves, falling rocks, that sort of thing.
Of course, those problems applied to Bai Ling only.
Eyjafjalla and Erdelra weren't rock goats, but they were surprisingly adept at moving along steep terrain. By the time they reached the bottom, Bai Ling was the only one who looked thoroughly battered.
In the end, it was thanks to a bunch of Riftbreakers that Bai Ling managed a "safe landing."
The Riftbreaker he crushed on impact happened to be right by the fortress elevator—threatening Mark.
After that, Bai Ling dealt with the pack almost as an afterthought, and then immediately ran into a minor Riftbreaker leader: Rodan.
With Command Spells reinforcing her, Eyjafjalla suppressed Rodan easily. The finishing blow was delivered by the arriving Wolf Guard.
Thinking back on the scene… Bai Ling's condition had been so rough—covered in Riftbreaker blood and reeking of it—that the Wolf Guard had almost shot him on sight.
If Erdelra and Eyjafjalla hadn't stopped them in time, Bai Ling might honestly have eaten a few bullets.
No matter how you spun it, pointing a gun at a stranger who was clearly non-hostile was not exactly sound judgment.
That was why Bai Ling had said what he said later, back in the Hub District.
And Chen Qianyu, it seemed, had taken it to heart.
As that thought crossed his mind, Bai Ling turned slightly to look at her, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"…What is it, Teacher Bai Ling?"
"You're cute, Xiao Chen."
"…Eh?!"
The compliment came out of nowhere. Even though Chen Qianyu knew she was adorable, she still didn't react fast enough—her cheeks turning pink as she fumbled for the right response.
"You really are cute, Qianyu."
Talulah—who hadn't spoken much until now—casually added on, a very obvious smile tugging at her lips. Even the sour mood she'd gotten from seeing that miserable shelter improved instantly.
"…T-Talulah-jie!!!"
If it had only been Bai Ling, Chen Qianyu might've held it together.
But when Talulah said it, Xiao Chen's defenses crumbled on the spot—her already-reddened face turning outright rosy.
She didn't even understand why.
She barely knew Talulah at all, yet whenever Talulah did anything directed at her, Chen Qianyu just… couldn't resist.
Like she'd been born to be completely pinned down.
The more she thought about it, the weirder it felt.
She didn't even know the reason!!!
Honestly, teasing kids was ridiculously fun.
Bai Ling instinctively turned his head—and his gaze met Talulah's.
They could both see the amusement in each other's eyes, and for a second—
they were both fighting not to laugh.
Chen Qianyu watched them suddenly go quiet again, fists clenched as if she wanted to complain, but all she managed was to puff up her cheeks, speechless.
The pre-fight mood had warmed up enough.
Bai Ling finally reined in his smile and explained what they were here to do.
"…The Riftbreakers have looted a lot of supplies. Talulah, I need you to control your strength as much as possible—don't cause heavy destruction. We're here to take the supplies back. Clearing the Riftbreakers isn't the main objective."
"No problem."
"Xiao Chen—this one's going to rely on you more."
"I understand, Teacher Bai Ling."
Outside the Valley Fortress lay what used to be the biggest logistics hub in Valley No. 4—connecting all nearby locations into one massive transfer station.
Now it was a Riftbreaker camp.
Functional equipment had been twisted into scrap. Sparking severed cables lay everywhere, and it was hard to tell where the power interfaces even were.
Fires scattered around with zero sense of safety.
Some Riftbreakers even stood on a stage filled with strange instruments, flailing and dancing—having instruments and still not knowing how to use them.
Chen Qianyu had been here once before with the "little penguin" and Perlica.
After Bai Ling and the two lambs cleared it out, the place stayed stable for a few days—
and then recently it had fallen back into chaos.
These Riftbreakers were like rats. You cleaned them out once, and more crawled out of some corner again.
"The warehouse used to be here," Chen Qianyu said quietly. "The main shutter door is still mostly intact, so the inside shouldn't be completely wrecked."
As she spoke, she led the way—one hand, one sword, moving lightly without alerting any Riftbreakers.
Talulah followed behind, studying Chen Qianyu's movements, ready to cover her at any moment.
Bai Ling scanned their surroundings. Nothing dangerous would escape his notice.
"Chen Qianyu—stop. There's a step-trigger flamethrower trap in front of you."
Chen Qianyu froze instantly, going stiff as she stared at Bai Ling.
At that moment, Bai Ling picked up a piece of scrap metal beside him and tossed it forward.
FWOOM—
A pillar of flame erupted skyward. The heat was horrifying—enough to roast a person into charcoal.
Seeing that, Chen Qianyu broke into a sweat, and the gratitude in her eyes was unmistakable.
"You can move now," Bai Ling said calmly. "It'll take time for the trap to recharge."
That trap likely wasn't Riftbreaker-made—it looked like an old security device left behind by the transfer station itself.
Their direction was correct. The warehouse really was this way.
After following the route for a while, the three found a tightly sealed roll-up shutter inside a building.
It was even larger than the entrance door—almost covering the whole wall.
The switch was aged beyond use. It wouldn't budge.
Bai Ling stepped aside.
Talulah naturally moved in front of him, her sword beginning to glow with heat.
In the next moment, the "solid" metal gate melted like foam meeting red-hot iron—
and behind it, an elevator was still operating normally.
....
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