Han Yue woke up at 3 p.m. She blinked against the light, stretched lazily, and sank back into her pillows for a moment before sighing and sitting up. With a wave of her hand, she entered her space and drew a fragrant bath, sinking into the warm water with a tired sigh.
Her body was sore, but it wasn't just physical.
Yesterday's mission had ended at dawn—by the time they returned to the training base, it was already past six in the morning. She had collapsed into bed without even changing clothes, too drained to care.
Now, as she soaked, she stared blankly at the ceiling above the steamy bath. The water eased her muscles, but her mind wasn't so easily soothed.
Seeing those people—their bruised bodies, tear-streaked faces, the way they clung to the last shreds of their dignity—it hadn't shaken her exactly. But it drained something. Emotionally exhausting in a way she couldn't quite put into words.
The crying, the trembling testimonies, the shame and hopelessness on their faces… it reminded her too much of her past life.
Back then, she had to fight to survive, teeth bared and fists clenched. She could've easily ended up like them: sold off, degraded, forgotten. If not for the people who once saved her, she wouldn't be here now. She'd be one of the broken.
Some of those they found yesterday were already lifeless. Some dead. Others humiliated, ashamed, sick or silently screaming. That pain stuck with her—not because she was softhearted, but because it echoed something buried deep.
She exhaled slowly, brows furrowed.
No, she thought. Never again. I'll grow stronger… and punish more scum.
Then, her lips curled up slowly. She remembered the fear in those bastards' eyes. The helplessness in their screams. The quiet thrill that filled her as she watched them crumble beneath her hands.
This feeling… She let out a soft chuckle. It's comforting. Familiar. Just like old times.
She hummed quietly to herself, closing her eyes.
Suddenly, a little squeak broke her thoughts. The bathroom door creaked slightly as a furry head peeked in. Her little fox poked its nose forward, ears twitching.
Han Yue opened one eye. "Little baby, do you want to go outside?" she said with a grin. "But… you'll probably get shot by humans, heehee~"
The fox immediately perked up and then dramatically shook its head before scampering off to go play with the cats. Too young to die! her retreating steps seemed to say.
Han Yue laughed softly, patted the edge of the tub, then stood up.
After her bath, she drank a few sips of spiritual water. "Ahh~ that's better. I don't feel tired anymore," she murmured, stretching with a refreshed smile.
She changed into sporty clothes, then headed out of her space. Her stomach growled—she hadn't eaten properly since yesterday.
She walked straight to the cafeteria. Just as she entered, she spotted Shadow 2 already exiting with a tray. He glanced at her and nodded.
She nodded back, then went to pile her own plate—this time with no restraint. She was starving.
Once she had a full tray, she scanned the room and walked over to where Shadow 2 had sat. Without a word, she sat across from him.
As she placed her tray down, she suddenly remembered something. She reached into her space and pulled out a jar of pickled vegetables. Just as she was about to open it—
Clink.
Shadow 2 reached out, took the jar silently, and opened it with ease. He placed it neatly in the center of the table between them.
Han Yue blinked, a bit caught off guard.
"…Thanks," she said casually, then started eating.
Part 2
Shadow 2 and Han Yue started eating, especially Shadow 2 — his pickle addiction was instantly revived by Han Yue. She smiled with a mischievous grin and said, "I'll give you a box later. I know you missed it."
Shadow 2 just nodded and kept eating, but secretly thought: Oh, what a nice girl boss you are.
Shadow 8, who had just arrived to eat, spotted the two eating peacefully. With his eagle eyes, he grabbed a plate piled high like a mountain and sat beside Shadow 2. He saw him happily shoving pickles into his mouth and decided to try some himself.
Shadow 8 scooped a bit with his chopsticks, took a bite — and his eyes sparkled.
He immediately grabbed some meat and ate it together with the pickles. After swallowing, he shouted, "WOW! IT'S SO DELICIOUS!" Then quickly took another bite of pickles.
Some other guards nearby got curious. Han Yue noticed and, without a word, pulled out another jar and passed it over for everyone to share. Soon, a burst of praise filled the room — turns out everyone liked pickled vegetables too.
While eating, Shadow 8 said with admiration, "Wow, Yueyue! I saw your interrogation video. You looked like a villain torturing a bunch of crybabies — haha!" He looked at her like she was his idol.
Han Yue raised an eyebrow. "How'd you even see that? It was recorded at the military base."
Shadow 8 grinned. "Tsk tsk tsk, don't take me lightly! I have sources!" he said proudly, raising his head.
A second later, his smartwatch beeped — a message from Secretary Wen. He read the notification aloud:"300 more laps have been added to your 2,800 laps."
Shadow 8 groaned. "Why are my laps increasing again?! They added 300 for no reason!"
Shadow 2 squinted at him but didn't bother explaining. He just continued calmly eating his pickles.
Han Yue laughed, a tear even slipping from her eye. She wiped it off and said, "He must've found out about your 'good deeds.'"
Shadow 8 blinked, confused by her words… but in the end, he just shrugged and focused on eating. Nom nom nom… oh well, just gotta work harder!
After eating, Han Yue decided to go check the mission bulletin board outside the cafeteria. She preferred this big screen — it just looked cooler than scrolling through her smartwatch.
She glanced through the mission listings, though she didn't plan to head out for the next day or two. Time for a short break.
After that, she went to train as usual before heading home around midnight to eat "dinner" with everyone. Or was it lunch? Whatever. The schedule was weird lately — with the heatwave, everyone slept during the day and became active at night.
When she got home via train, the old butler informed her, "Lunch will be served in twenty minutes."
Han Yue nodded and scrolled through her phone. Her post was trending — the photo of her and Long Yi with the caption "with my boyfriend" had gone viral. She smiled. Heh, we do look cute together.
Fans spammed the comments with alien-heart emojis. Some fangirled wildly, while others demanded more couple photos.
Then she checked her inbox… and saw a message from the lunatic, Li Meixue:
"I have your sister Jiaojiao! If you don't want her to be sold, then break up with LONG YI. He belongs to me!!"
Han Yue was stunned for a second. So that's where that idiot Jiaojiao ended up?
She remembered hearing that, due to the apocalypse, many prisoners were released — the government no longer had the resources to keep detaining people. Only true criminals were kept — or executed — or sent to move bricks during the base's construction.
Han Yue snickered. This fool Li Meixue really thinks I care about Jiaojiao? She's not even related to me!
Let's see how those two idiots deal with each other.
So, she pretended to be distressed and replied:"Please don't hurt my sister!"
Then she casually put her phone down, still smirking.
When she raised her head, she saw Grandpa Long staring at her. She greeted him politely.
Grandpa Long said warmly, "Xiao Zixuan praised you to me yesterday. He said you were amazing during the mission and the interrogation. He really couldn't stop talking about you!"
Han Yue tilted her head. "Doesn't it feel… uncomfortable that I'm like that? You saw the video, right?"
Grandpa Long nodded. "Yes, I saw it. And I agree with Zixuan. I'm also impressed by your decisiveness and how you handle things."
He patted her head lovingly and said, "Don't overthink it. This kind of thing is normal in our line of work. Just do things your way — we'll always be here to support you."
Lunch was then served, and they ate happily.
After the meal, they had tea together. Han Yue casually brought up the Li Meixue message.
"She said she has my 'sister' Jiaojiao. But clearly, she doesn't know she's fake."
Grandpa Long burst out laughing.
"That lunatic really kidnapped that bastard?! Of all people!" He chuckled, then asked, "What did you reply?"
Han Yue, looking "worried," said, "I told her not to hurt my sister."
Grandpa Long stroked his beard and laughed even louder. "Good! Just play along. Let the lunatic deal with your fake sister. Let those two idiots entertain us more!"
Then he happily ate a cookie, his mood as sweet as the dessert.
Part 3
Han Yue stayed with Grandpa Long, lounging comfortably while they chatted.
Grandpa Long suddenly brought up a topic with a bit of excitement in his voice."Your Grandpa He's situation is going great," he began. "His son finally divorced that evil wife of his and took full custody of Xiaoxiao. I even asked if they minded that Xiaoxiao isn't their biological child… but they said they didn't care. They still love and treat her as their own."
Han Yue nodded calmly, but her eyes held a knowing glint."Not surprising. In my past life, Grandpa He would've done anything for Xiaoxiao—he'd give his life to get revenge if anyone ever hurt her."
Grandpa Long chuckled, then leaned in with a mischievous smirk."But guess what? The real father of Xiaoxiao isn't Grandpa He's best friend…" He grinned wide. "It's actually Wenhai's best friend! Hahahaha!"
Han Yue blinked in disbelief."Wait, that makes way more sense! How could it be Grandpa He's best friend? They're both old! Besides—aren't you his best friend anyway?!"
The two stared at each other for a second—and then burst out laughing.
"What she said actually makes sense! HAHA!" Grandpa Long wheezed.
Han Yue was still giggling when she asked, "So what happened to He Wenhai then? Did he fight the guy?"
Grandpa Long waved a hand. "No need. He sued him instead. Demanded child support and even filed charges with the police for wrecking his marriage and committing infidelity. The police sided with him. That so-called best friend now has to pay child support every month. Karma's real!"
Han Yue snorted, "A good ending then."
"Damn right it is," Grandpa Long nodded with satisfaction.
They were still chatting when the front door opened—Long Yi was home from work.
Han Yue smiled, "Welcome home."
Long Yi sat beside her and gently patted her head."I'm home. Good job on your mission," he said simply, but his tone was warm.
Later during dinner, they ate together as a family. Afterward, Long Yi led Han Yue into his meeting room for a quiet talk. They sat on the sofa while she updated him about everything, including Shadow 2's decision to take in the children from the previous mission.
Long Yi nodded thoughtfully."It's good. Take in strong-willed kids with no lingering family ties. No baggage. We'll train and observe them for a month. After that, I'll distribute spiritual water to them."
Han Yue agreed. She then told him about the whole Jiaojiao and Li Meixue nonsense—her tone playful and amused.
Long Yi sneered, "Let those two play house for a while."
Their conversation eventually faded. After catching up, they both headed off to rest in their own rooms.