The group chose to return to Earth instead of the supply point.

After a journey that was not considered too long, Hai Tianqing took the group to the entrance of the a.r.s.enal and said, “Don't behave provocatively or abnormally later. Raise both your arms. You've already been through enough trouble.”

“Rest a.s.sured,” Xia Yan said.

Hai Tianqing then raised both his arms high in the sky while moving his figure back into the portal.

Standing in the gra.s.sland, Jiang Xiao looked back at the beautiful and pleasant environment in the a.r.s.enal, which he had never imagined being so dangerous.

In contrast, the extremely harsh environment in the snowfields seemed to be much more “comfortable”.

Jiang Xiao also raised his hands and walked out, after which he was greeted with countless muzzles that looked like black holes.

There were guards at the borders of the forest and the portal was in the gra.s.sland of the a.r.s.enal. Under normal circ.u.mstances, savages and Ape Ghouls would only live in the forest.

However, there were still extra safety precautions. If there were really any creatures of other dimensions that pa.s.sed through the guards of the a.r.s.enal and accidentally entered Earth, they would be attacked violently by guns.

Jiang Xiao stood at the bottom of the deep pit, swallowed his saliva, and looked up at the numerous guns that were being pointed at him.

“Go on, don't stop,” Xia Yan said from behind. She raised her left arm and patted Jiang Xiao's back and spine with her right hand, gently nudging him along.

Under the guidance of the two soldiers, the group walked through the sewer pipe and finally returned to the egg-shaped building.

After showering and was.h.i.+ng up in the dressing room, they changed into a fresh set of clothes and exited with the guidance of the soldiers.

The temperatures were freezing.

Jiang Xiao couldn't help but shudder. Although he wore enough clothes, the temperatures in Beijiang at the end of November couldn't be compared to the a.r.s.enal where the temperatures were pleasant.

There were no sunrise and sunset in the a.r.s.enal, and the sun was always in the same position, which was rather unique and peculiar.

It was already noontime by the time the group exited.

Even though it was noontime, the temperature in Beijiang Province was still extremely low.

“The mission this time is rather satisfactory. You have all seen the environment of the a.r.s.enal and experienced what it's like. I'm sure you're now familiar with the characteristics and habits of the two species of creatures there, the savages and Ape Ghouls. Besides, you've also gone through several battles and worked well together as a team. You've gained far more than you think,” Hai Tianqing said in his usual warm and mellow voice as he drove away slowly.

The students remained silent throughout the journey and seemed to be extremely exhausted. When the vehicle pulled up slowly in front of Huayuan Estate, Hai Tianqing, who was in the driver's seat, turned around to look at the pair of siblings. “Okay, take a day off and return to school the day after tomorrow, where you will report to cla.s.s as per normal.”

“Xuexue, come home with me,” Xia Yan said pleadingly while holding onto Han Jiangxue's arm.

“I'm going home to get some rest and change into a fresh set of clothes. It's already very cold. When we return to school as per normal the day after tomorrow, we'll go home with you after school to let you teach Xiaopi,” Han Jiangxue said gently.

“What for? Let's just go shopping and buy a few sets of clothes,” Xia Yan said anxiously.

“You're really clingy,” Jiang Xiao muttered. Before Xia Yan even reacted, he frantically opened the door of the car and alighted.

“Hehe.” Han Jiangxue chuckled while covering her mouth, rubbed Xia Yan's head, and opened the door.

Xia Yan sulked and thought to herself, All this d.a.m.ned Jiang Xiao does is ruin things for me.

“Seriously, Xuexue, it's almost winter, and I should get some new clothes. Besides, we have to sell the Star Beads that we obtained in the a.r.s.enal, anyway. You must go with me. I don't want to go shopping and go to the firms by myself.” Xia Yan pleaded while holding onto Han Jiangxue's arm.

“Hmm…” Han Jiangxue was feeling conflicted and stuck in a dilemma. Everyone wanted to slack and just give the Star Beads to her.

Han Jiangxue knew that given Xia Yan's character, she would definitely hand the Star Beads over to her family and get them to help her settle them.

After some thought, Han Jiangxue felt that she would better not trouble Mr. and Mrs. Xia. Hence, she nodded and agreed. “Okay, I'll go with you.”

“Yay!” Xia Yan exclaimed gleefully. If no one else was around, she would have probably rolled around in the backseat in joy.

“Xiaopi, come back, let's go with Xia Yan,” Han Jiangxue said to Jiang Xiao as she looked out of the car window.

“Uh, I'd better go home. I'm tired. I want to sleep. I will go to school on time the day after tomorrow.” Jiang Xiao refuted as he waved his hand.

Han Jiangxue frowned. She had plenty of things to say to him. Why did he turn her down?

Was he really exhausted?

Han Jiangxue's heart grew soft at the thought of the events that he experienced in the a.r.s.enal. She was stuck in a dilemma and could not decide if she should bring Jiang Xiao away or let him be alone.

He's already grown up. Since he needs some time alone, maybe I should respect his decision?

Han Jiangxue thought about it again and agreed with a nod. “Alright.”

However, Xia Yan suddenly kept her guard up because she felt that there was something fishy about it!

What's wrong with this younger brother?

Why isn't he defending his sister?

Something seems wrong?

Is he trying to hide and do something shameful?

Xia Yan held Han Jiangxue's arm tightly. No matter what, the outcome was still wonderful for her.

Hence, Xia Yan did not mock Jiang Xiao, which was rather rare of her.

Jiang Xiao waved his hand at the car and watched Hai Tianqing drive away. He then turned around and walked into Huayuan Estate.

It was not that he didn't want to go back to Xia Yan's place to train, but rather, it was because he had seen something terrible.

He noticed a black car parked at the extreme right of the main road inside the estate.

Jiang A0S686?

This woman is still here?

Or… did she give up on driving? Has she been picked up by someone else?

Filled with doubts, Jiang Xiao quickly walked over and looked away. In the distant center of the estate, the car was parked in the same lot as it was that night. It seemed that it had never moved away at all.

It was a blessing and not a misfortune. If it was a misfortune, he would have to face it someday.

Jiang Xiao took a deep breath and walked away. When he took out his key and was about to unlock the gate of the corridor, a small motorcycle caught up with him.

Kcha.

As soon as Jiang Xiao opened the door, he heard the voice of a delivery man. “Wait a minute, wait a minute.”

“Ah.” Jiang Xiao leaned against the corridor and turned to look at the delivery man who was dressed in a blue uniform and a blue helmet on which were the words “You're still hungry, eh?”

“It's three something in the afternoon. Is this considered lunch or dinner?” Jiang Xiao remarked while feeling bored.

The delivery man parked his motorcycle and scurried towards Jiang Xiao with two large bags. “Thank you, thank you. Who knows? But this house ordered plenty of food. I reckon there should be a group of friends gathering in here.”

Jiang Xiao made way for the deliveryman and strode towards the lift lobby. While waiting for the elevator, he remarked, “Smells heavenly.”

The delivery man smiled without giving any response.

“What kinds of delicious food are there? The aroma alone is making me hungry,” Jiang Xiao said as he entered the elevator. Glancing at the big bag of food, he asked, “Which floor?”

“Seven, please. Thank you,” the delivery man answered.

Jiang Xiao paused for a moment before pressing the b.u.t.ton for the seventh floor.

“Which unit?” Jiang Xiao continued to ask.

After some thought, the delivery man answered, “701.”

Jiang Xiao grabbed the bag that the delivery man was holding on his right hand.

“Hey, don't s.n.a.t.c.h it, lest you spill the soup inside,” the delivery man hurriedly interjected.

“It's alright. If the soup gets spilled, she shall drink it from the plastic bag,” Jiang Xiao remarked casually while looking at the note inside the bag.

The delivery man was dumbfounded.

Jiang Xiao thought to himself in shock, What are those?

Sweet-and-sour fish, poached fish, fish in tomato sauce, steamed cod with tofu, shredded fish, tuna rice roll…

Something seems strange.

“Do you know the owner of the apartment?” the delivery man asked.

“Ah. She's my girlfriend. She's a d.a.m.ned homebody who doesn't go out at all. All she does is stay home and order food,” Jiang Xiao answered casually.

The delivery man scanned Jiang Xiao from head to toe and asked, “You seem rather young.”

Jiang Xiao reached out and grabbed the bag from the delivery man. “I may be young, but I'm brave. You might not believe it, but my girlfriend is an elegant G.o.ddess who has fair skin and beautiful long legs. Tsk tsk…”

The delivery man pursed his lips awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

“Let me tell you, those older leggy girls all fancy young and pet.i.te boys like me nowadays.” Jiang Xiao looked at the delivery man who was at least 1.85 meters tall and continued, “With that height of yours, you're not going to make the cut.”

Silence filled the air in the elevator as soon as he finished speaking.

When the elevator arrived on the seventh floor, the delivery man pressed the open b.u.t.ton and watched as Jiang Xiao walked towards the door of Apartment 701.

Not only did he want to verify if Jiang Xiao was bragging, but he also wanted to make sure that the mischievous Jiang Xiao did not steal the food he had to deliver.

Due to the fact that he was carrying the bags of food with both hands, Jiang Xiao knocked on the door with his head.

The delivery man was speechless.

Kcha!

The door was opened after more than ten seconds.

The delivery man was bewildered. Is this kid joking? Is she really an older girl who's young, beautiful, and has long legs?

What kind of… elegance does this woman have?

Her beautiful pair of narrow eyes complemented her sullen and cold face.

The woman opened the door and lowered her head. When she saw Jiang Xiao, a look of astonishment formed on her initially expressionless face. She said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “You're back.”

Jiang Xiao didn't respond. Instead, he stepped forward and buried his head directly in Second Last's soft and fragrant chest.

To make matters worse, she didn't push Jiang Xiao away and instead s.h.i.+vered a little while being at a complete loss for what to do.

Second Last was in disbelief. She didn't expect the strong and determined Jiang Xiao to have such a vulnerable side to him.

After several seconds, Second Last raised her hand slowly and rubbed Jiang Xiao's head gently. “You're tired.”

Pak! Pak! Pak!

The delivery man pressed the b.u.t.ton to close the doors of the elevator with all his might.

Yes.

He was flabbergasted…

Jiang Xiao didn't respond and instead, continued to bury his face in her crimson sweater while sighing and carrying the food in his hands.

There was a rare trace of sympathy in Second Last's hoa.r.s.e voice. “Were you treated unfairly?”