The First Order

In the crowd of those making their way out of school, the figures of Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin going in the opposite direction to the roof stood stark. But since everyone was in a hurry to leave school, no one paid any attention to it.

As Ren Xiaosu followed Yang Xiaojin, he realized she had a great figure, and she was tall as well.

Yang Xiaojin glanced at him when she was turning the corner at the stairs. Ren Xiaosu immediately looked away.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Yang Xiaojin pushed open the rusty metal door and walked outside. Ren Xiaosu followed and suddenly felt as though his horizons were broadened as he stood outside on the rooftop overlooking the stronghold. This was the first time he was able to do so. Although the school building wasn’t that tall, it was high enough to be able to see into the distance.

At this moment, Yang Xiaojin threw something at Ren Xiaosu. It was the dagger she had stolen from Ren Xiaosu.

“We’re even now.” Yang Xiaojin sounded very calm. She did not explain why she had taken back the dagger, nor did Ren Xiaosu ask about it.

The two of them stood on the rooftop and were locked in a stalemate.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind where Ren Xiaosu was standing. He turned around to look and was stunned to discover two students, a male and a female, holding hands as they came up via the stairway. It looked like they were a couple?

When the couple saw there were others around, they did not seem to mind and continued heading up towards the roof. As a result, Ren Xiaosu shut the door leading to the rooftop.

The couple was dumbfounded when they saw the door get shut in their faces.

When Ren Xiaosu closed the door securely and turned back towards Yang Xiaojin, he discovered she was already pointing a small silver pistol at him.

Ren Xiaosu immediately recognized the type of gun it was—a SIG Sauer P238. This was once the most classic model of SIG Sauer and was known as the “pretty lady” among handguns.

But Ren Xiaosu did not panic. He said, “If we wanted to kill each other, we would’ve already done so. Aren’t we both here because we want to reconcile?”

If Yang Xiaojin had really intended to shoot, she wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of throwing the dagger back to him. Ren Xiaosu was feeling unusually calm at this moment.

Yang Xiaojin put away her gun again and said, “How did you manage to escape from the Qing Consortium’s defense perimeter?”

“I kept running all the way out.” Ren Xiaosu played dumb.

“What happened in the Jing Mountains after we left?” Yang Xiaojin asked.

“Countless Experimentals came rushing out, and there was even a monstrous creature that appeared from the crater of the volcano.” Ren Xiaosu briefly mentioned, “A lot of shocking incidents occurred. You can’t possibly imagine how terrifying that creature in the crater was.”

“I can imagine that,” Yang Xiaojin corrected him.

Her answer stunned Ren Xiaosu, Yang Xiaojin sounded very firm. Could Yang Xiaojin also have seen something the size of that creature before?

Ren Xiaosu asked, “Are you worried that I’ll squeal on you to the Qing Consortium?”

“I’m not afraid of that now.” Yang Xiaojin said, “Because you also have a secret you’re afraid the Qing Consortium will find out about.”

“What secret?” Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt as though something was off, and he had missed out on some details!

Yang Xiaojin started smiling. There was even a hint of arrogance to it. “When Luo Xinyu and I went back the way we took to the Jing Mountains, we discovered the wolf pack had been waiting at the mouth of the canyon all along. If it weren’t for Luo Xinyu’s ability to jump through the shadows, we would probably have had to take a detour to get around them. But calculating the time you took to get back, you must’ve already reached the town before Stronghold 113 was destroyed. First, you couldn’t have run that quickly if you were just a normal person with greater strength. Second, if you were really a normal person, you couldn’t have gotten past the wolf pack for sure.”

Ren Xiaosu tensed up. Yang Xiaojin continued, “Therefore, you’re also a supernatural being. It was just that you kept your powers more hidden than Luo Xinyu and me. It was no wonder you dared to join the expedition to head to the Jing Mountains. It was because you had a hidden trump card.”

“I didn’t meet any wolves on my way back.” Ren Xiaosu said calmly, “I just ran through the canyon. The face bugs can’t move fast either, so I had already run past them by the time they crawled out of their caves.”

Yang Xiaojin looked seriously at Ren Xiaosu and said, “I’m not listening.”

Ren Xiaosu was speechless. There was nothing he could do about it. After all the explanation, all it took were three words for it to be refuted.

But Yang Xiaojin suddenly said, “I’m not saying all this to threaten you. I just want you to understand that everyone has secrets. So don’t do anything stupid that’ll make both of us suffer.”

“Deal!” Ren Xiaosu said. In fact, that was what he wanted as well. As long as everyone got along peacefully, everything would be fine.

They had gotten along rather well in the Jing Mountains, so there was no need to fight to the death now just because they were out of the mountains.

Moreover, if Yang Xiaojin and those working with her really wanted to make a move, he would be more handicapped since Yan Liuyuan, Xiaoyu, and the others were all normal people.

Of course, Ren Xiaosu knew he could not drop his guard just because of this temporary ceasefire. After all, Yang Xiaojin was someone who could even steal back a dagger she had given away, so what else could she be capable of?

After the talk, Yang Xiaojin got ready to go downstairs. As she went past Ren Xiaosu, she noticed his grip on the dagger tightened.

Ren Xiaosu asked, “Why is the Pyro Company offering to buy the blood of supernatural beings? And why did you all make an attempt on Qing Zhen’s life?”

“The danger in Stronghold 109 is greater than you think.” Yang Xiaojin said, “Do not recklessly provoke the Pyro Company, nor sell your blood to them. That’s all I can say about it. As for the matter between us and Qing Zhen, you’re still not fit to involve yourself yet.”

“What other danger is there?” Ren Xiaosu was startled. Could there still be other forces at play other than the Pyro Company?

“Don’t be so nosy.” Yang Xiaojin said, “Besides, I doubt you have much free time to care about other matters. You might have underestimated how much the stronghold residents ostracize the refugees.”

Ren Xiaosu started pondering. It seemed like the refugees coming into the stronghold was still not over yet?

He looked down at the school entrance. A girl wrapped in a scarf and wearing a pair of sunglasses stood there. When the girl noticed him looking in her direction, she waved at him in greeting.

Just by this familiar greeting, Ren Xiaosu knew it was Luo Xinyu…

Ren Xiaosu decided to clear the last of his doubts. Or to be accurate, this was something he wanted to know deep down. “Why have supernatural beings started appearing?”

Yang Xiaojin stood at the entrance of the rooftop and turned around to look at Ren Xiaosu. She pointed a finger at her head and said, “Humans have always been weakening their physical attributes during evolution. You’ve said this before when we were in the Jing Mountains, and so has that Mr. Zhang from Stronghold 178. That’s the price to pay for wisdom.”

“I know that.” Ren Xiaosu nodded. At that time, Yang Xiaojin had also hinted that Zhang Jinglin was not a simple man. So she had already guessed his identity back then, but she wasn’t sure about it yet.

For some reason, Ren Xiaosu felt that this conversation was extremely important. The girl seemed to be using what he already knew to help him uncover the truth of this world. Ren Xiaosu started to get serious.

“Therefore, if a price has been paid, it naturally means there’s been a harvest,” Yang Xiaojin explained.

Ren Xiaosu was a little taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Yang Xiaojin laughed. She pushed her cap down further and said, “When a disaster comes, mental strength becomes the highest caliber of weapon humanity has in the face of danger.”