CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: RELY ON YOURSELF RATHER THAN OTHERS

The two set off again, but this time, instead of driving themselves, they took Sun Yazhu’s private plane.

Sun Yazhu didn’t ask where they were going and directly had the driver take them to the airport.

"Sister Ning, is flying okay with you?" Ye Tong asked softly.

Ji Ning responded with a "hmm".

Ye Tong noticed that Sister Ning seemed to trust Sun Yazhu a lot. Had something happened between them that she didn’t know about?

Ye Tong frowned a little, worried that Ji Ning might be trusting the wrong person, and whispered, "Sister Ning, it’s better to be cautious when traveling."

Ji Ning glanced at her, exited the game screen, and typed a line: Sun Yazhu is trustworthy.

Ye Tong didn’t say anything more, but the questions in her heart grew bigger.

***

Nightfall came.

In front of a large floor-to-ceiling window, a woman in a bathrobe elegantly lit the cigarette at her lips.

She took a deep drag and slowly exhaled.

The white smoke half-concealed her face, making it appear and disappear.

Her expression was calm, frighteningly calm.

The female bodyguard behind her didn’t dare to make a sound, bowing slightly as she reported to her.

"Miss, those scums have been dealt with in secret. Now the only person who knows about the case is the girl who saved you. Do you want to...?"

"No need. She won’t speak out."

"But, regarding the Family Head..."

"No need to tell him."

"Understood..."

The woman took a few more puffs of her cigarette, extinguished the butt, stood up, and went back into the bathroom.

As the hot water washed over her, the woman’s fair skin gradually turned red, as if she were unaware, continuously scrubbing her skin with her hands.

As if doing so could completely wash away the previous disgusting humiliation.

...

"Don’t come over! I beg you, I’ll give you money, just please don’t touch me."

"Little beauty, we’ve already seen your body..."

"I beg you..."

"It’s better to rely on oneself than to beg others!"

The painful memories and disgusting voices came to an abrupt halt with that clear and cold voice.

The small figure seemed to come with light, pulling her back from the abyss.

"How do you want to deal with them?"

"Kill him... I want to kill him..."

The cold touch of metal drove her madly to stab at that disgusting body.

Red blinded her eyes.

After the madness came endless fear.

Yet that figure said calmly, "Don’t worry, he won’t die now."

...

The warm sound of water stopped.

The woman put on her bathrobe and walked barefoot out of the bathroom.

Leaving two trails of water stains on the shiny marble floor.

The female bodyguard waiting outside the bathroom approached with a worried look, and the woman smiled lightly, "What’s there to be afraid of? The Sun Family’s estate isn’t in my hands yet, I won’t harm myself."

"Miss, we’ve found the person."

The woman’s brow furrowed slightly, "What does the forensic say?"

"All joints shattered, he fell off a cliff to his death."

"Fell off a cliff? Are you sure?" The woman’s eyes brightened, focusing on the bodyguard’s eyes.

"Yes, police found him at the bottom of the cliff, and there are eyewitnesses who confirmed he went up the mountain and jumped off the cliff himself."

The woman turned her gaze out the window, as if all strength was drained from her body, and she sat straight onto the nearby sofa, her calm face suddenly covered in tears, yet with a smile on her lips.

***

The closer they got to Nanling, the worse the air quality became.

Ye Tong had already put on protective clothing and an oxygen mask.

Meanwhile, Ji Ning sat calmly in the cabin, eyes closed, as if nothing was happening.

"Sister Ning, aren’t you going to put on protective clothing? The radiation level outside has exceeded the safety limit now."

"No need."

Ye Tong referred to the safety limit set by the International Alliance, which stated that in a safety zone, the radiation concentration in the air per 1,000 cubic meters should not exceed 10%.

Areas above 10% but below 30% are classified as buffer zones, above 30% as pollution zones, and above 50% as uninhabitable zones.

Ye Tong glanced at the radiation detection instrument in the cabin, feeling quite worried.

Though the higher the physique level, the stronger the resistance to radiation and harmful substances in the air, Ji Ning was only at A9 level...

At that moment, the in-flight broadcast suddenly came on: "Ladies, we are approaching Nanling City. I will land at the temporary airport. The radiation level outside is now at 15%. If your physique level is below B5, please wear protective clothing and an oxygen mask before disembarking."

Ye Tong quickly picked up the protective clothing beside her and handed it to Ji Ning.

Ji Ning glanced at the thick protective clothing and snorted disdainfully.

For superpower users, this level of radiation was nothing more than an itch.

But the little nurse was so nagging and fearful.

After thinking for a bit, Ji Ning finally took the protective clothing and put it on.

Ye Tong breathed a sigh of relief, then curiously looked out the window.

Nanling City was on the edge of a safety zone, with most of its territory in a buffer zone. The sky was gray and heavily smogged, requiring masks or protective face shields to be worn outdoors.

"Haven’t you been here before?" Ji Ning asked.

Ye Tong said awkwardly, "Back then, I was locked up and didn’t get to explore."

If she could, she wouldn’t even want to remember that dark history.

Ji Ning nodded slightly, not asking more.

Ye Tong stole a glance back at her, seeing her looking out the window, feeling somewhat empty inside.

Sometimes she envied Ji Ning because, in Ji Ning’s eyes, many things seemed not worth mentioning; she could easily resolve any issue.

Is this what it’s like to be truly strong?

Ye Tong lowered her head, looking at the weapon under her clothing.

She pursed her lips, her gaze becoming more determined than before.

"Sister Ning, can you teach me to shoot after we get off the plane?"

"Sure."

Ye Tong smiled, snuggling up to Ji Ning’s arm, "Sister Ning, why are you so nice?"

"Let go!"

"No way, you could surely have dodged earlier, but you let me hold you, hehe, don’t refuse now～"

Ji Ning glanced at her, saying lightly, "I’m afraid you’d break your arm."

"..."

***

Nanling City stands on the edge of the safety zone, serving as one of the defensive lines for protecting the zone.

Several large bases are stationed nearby, along with countless private adventure organizations, resulting in a diverse mix of people and frequent firefights can be seen.

By the time they arrived, it was already evening.

Airport staff suggested they stay overnight at a nearby hotel, as it was rare to see females here, especially attractive ones without protectors.

"There are two large bases stationed near the airport, making it the safest place in Nanling City. You just cross the street outside and there’s a hotel with many vacancies."

The two followed the advice, walking a few minutes after leaving the airport to find the hotel he mentioned, carrying their backpacks.

The hotel owner, a thin middle-aged man, was taken aback upon seeing them, then frowned and asked seriously, "Are you newly assigned students from the military academy?"

Ye Tong was about to deny but felt an elbow nudge her, immediately swallowing her words, smiling at the owner, and changing the topic to ask, "Will breakfast be provided tomorrow?"

"No, it won’t. You can eat at the restaurants and supermarkets on the street ahead."

Ye Tong thanked him, took the room key handed over by the owner, and led Ji Ning to find their room.

This small hotel had six floors, and their room was the one closest to the elevator on the top floor.

Due to poor sound insulation, the sound of the elevator opening and closing could be heard from within the room.

The first thing Ye Tong did upon entering was to turn off the lights.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh—I’m checking for hidden cameras," Ye Tong said in a low voice, turning on the flashlight feature on her phone, asking Ji Ning to help search.

"Sister Ning, the TV often exposes that small hotels have pinhole cameras hidden in the rooms, used to secretly film female customers. You should look around too."

Ji Ning put her luggage down, sat on the bed to change clothes, "There aren’t any in here."

"Really? How do you know?"

A sweep with spiritual power would tell.

"The hotel owner is affiliated with the base."