episode_0074

“How was it?”

Seeing the group return safely, Chen Qiu greeted them with a smile, directing his question at Xu Nian and Su Qingya.

“How did it feel on your first mission? I remember being so nervous during mine.”

“It was… alright, I guess.”

Xu Nian’s response was hesitant, her fox tail swaying lightly.

Chen Qiu found her reaction odd.

“What? The mission was a success, wasn’t it?”

His eyes suddenly caught the bloodstain still lingering on Xu Nian’s shoulder.

“Even if the fight was intense, it’s just part of growing stronger. Nothing more than a bit of hardship.”

“You’re right. Both Qingya and I learned a lot from this mission.”

Xu Nian smiled in reply.

The group had silently agreed not to disclose what had truly happened—it wasn’t something others needed to know, and they had already resolved to keep it buried in their hearts.

Today’s mission had seemed unusually difficult.

She and Su Qingya had only been Emotion Handlers for less than a week, yet they were already facing high-star incidents?

First, an amusement park swarming with Emotion Beasts, then an attack by a three-star Emotion Handler, and now they had even encountered a so-called Divine-level Joy Emotion Handler and a four-star Loneliness Emotion Beast.

Were high-star threats really that common?

“Captain, here you go.”

Su Qingya handed the four-star Loneliness Emotion Beast’s core to Xiao Ge.

Xu Nian watched, her emotions tangled.

That little girl, after being mocked, had transformed into an Emotion Beast and instantly leapt to four stars.

But Xu Nian also understood—such a boost was unnatural, hollow.

If the price of rapid growth was becoming frail, losing all reason, and forfeiting any chance of future progress—

Even turning into an Emotion Beast—

Then Xu Nian would much rather climb slowly from one star.

Speaking of stars, Xu Nian felt she was close to reaching two stars.

It was a strange sensation.

A feeling of being nearly full.

Though the main reason was the inexplicable surge of Joy energy she had gained during this mission.

There’s no way that loser Qingya is progressing faster than me, right?

“How was it?” Xiao Ge asked as he pocketed the core.

“I feel like I’m ready for a promotion,” Su Qingya replied softly, her head slightly lowered.

“Huh? Already?”

Xu Nian wasn’t the only one surprised—the others were equally shocked.

The entire squad had nine members, but aside from two four-stars and two three-stars, the rest were only two-stars.

And here Xu Nian had been feeling smug, only to learn that Su Qingya was already ready for promotion?!

Someone exclaimed in disbelief, “It took me years to reach two stars! Didn’t Su Qingya just finish the crash course today? How is she already eligible for promotion in such a short time?”

“Fortune favors the bold, I suppose.”

Su Qingya offered only that brief response to the envious murmurs around her.

Of course, she had experienced a moment when her Fear value had nearly hit 100%—naturally, her Fear energy had skyrocketed.

What did 99% Fear feel like?

It was suffocating.

Her mind could hold nothing but the source of her terror, no room for any other thought.

The urge to destroy surged uncontrollably, twisting every perception into something terrifying, trembling with fear until all she wanted was to obliterate the cause.

Her body had twisted into a heavily bestial form, and even now, Su Qingya hadn’t fully recovered.

Patches of fur still lingered on her arms, hidden beneath her coat, slowly receding.

“Two-star Fear cores aren’t hard to apply for, but you need a solid achievement to qualify. This mission should suffice,” Xiao Ge said. Handing her the four-star core earlier had been part of this consideration.

“Thank you.”

Su Qingya’s thirst for strength was insatiable.

In fact, she was frustrated that she hadn’t ranked up sooner.

The enemies were growing stronger—only by becoming stronger herself could she protect Xu Nian.

No matter how high her star rank climbed, it would never be enough.

Seeing that the serious discussion had wrapped up, Xu Nian quickly called out to Xiao Ge.

“Oh, Captain, about that little girl…”

The girl’s body still lay in Xu Nian’s theater, resting there in lonely silence.

“Bring her out. We’ll give her a proper burial. I’ll contact her parents to deliver the news and arrange for the Public Safety Bureau to send condolences.”

“Understood.”

Xu Nian’s heart twinged.

Parents who had abandoned their child in a hospital likely wouldn’t be too affected by this news.

“Actually, the fact that she could stay in the hospital at all means her parents were paying the medical bills.”

Leng Xiao noticed the shadow in Xu Nian’s eyes and offered a brief remark, nothing more.

She didn’t understand why Xu Nian reacted so strongly to this.

Maybe everyone had their own story.

Or perhaps Xu Nian felt partially responsible for what had happened?

“Don’t take this to heart. You bear no blame here. Don’t let others’ sins become your burden. You’ll encounter many similar cases in the future—just stay true to yourself.”

Xu Nian’s gaze shifted, and she nodded.

With a flick of her fan, she summoned the girl’s body, then prepared to drive home.

Truthfully… Xu Nian was conflicted.

If a Divine-level enemy was watching her, returning home now could invite danger at any moment.

Even now, she didn’t understand why this was happening.

Her first eighteen years had been utterly ordinary—why, the moment she became an Emotion Handler, had she drawn such dangerous attention?

A Divine-level foe, no less.

With such an overwhelming gap in power, why didn’t they just come for her directly?

A swift strike could have ended this journey long ago, sparing her this constant unease.

“Head back now, and be careful on the road.”

Xiao Ge said nothing more, but Xu Nian somehow sensed he was hiding something, holding back for reasons he couldn’t share.

A faint intuition told her she was being watched. When she glanced at Xiao Ge, he only gave her a reassuring look.

The sky darkened, the evening breeze cool.

Xu Nian drove slowly, the car inching forward.

Su Qingya sat in the passenger seat, leaning back, lost in thought.

“Qingya, if one day… I’m really gone—”

“No. I won’t let that happen.”

The memory of Xu Nian’s near-suicide flashed before Su Qingya’s eyes. Just the thought of it twisted her expression, fear surging uncontrollably.

Her answer was firm.

And it filled Xu Nian’s heart with a strange sense of satisfaction.

But…

The future was unpredictable. Xu Nian didn’t want Su Qingya following her to the grave.

If all went well, that would be ideal—but if the worst happened, she’d rather Su Qingya live on peacefully.

Su Qingya’s life would always come first in Xu Nian’s heart.

For that, she was willing to compromise.

Just like in her original fantasy.

So, once more, she would loosen her grip.

Release the canary from what it thought was a world of freedom—but was really just a gilded cage.

“Alright, it’s decided! Qingya, I’m going to be your therapist!”

“Therapist?”

“Yep. You’re too prone to losing control—that won’t do.”

“Then I’ll be in your care, Dr. Xu Nian.”

Xu Nian chuckled softly, her eyes reflecting the moonlight under the streetlamps, swirling with unreadable emotions.