"N-No… that's not it…"
Under Cipher's relentless questioning, Luo Lin instantly became flustered.
"Of course I see you as family! It's just… just…"
She lowered her head, not daring to meet Cipher's sapphire-like eyes.
"It's just… when I took you in, I never thought about getting anything in return… At the beginning, the idea was that we were the ones helping you…"
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes. Her voice grew quieter and quieter, filled with a strong sense of unease.
"But now it's the opposite. We're using your money… relying on your help just to escape our current situation… It feels…"
It felt as though everything they had done before… was nothing more than taking from Sister Cipher.
And that… simply wasn't fair to her.
"We wanted to help someone, but in the end we can't even solve our own problems without the help of the person we were trying to help… Sister Cipher, I… am I just too useless?"
'Something's not right here…'
Watching the scene unfold in front of her, Cipher realized she had misjudged.
She originally thought that after playing the emotional card, even if Luo Lin still felt a little resistant toward the money, she would at least accept part of it—for the sake of comforting her, and for the benefit of the team.
But what she hadn't expected was that Luo Lin's personality and inner world were even more fragile than she had imagined.
Every act of help she offered came with absolutely no expectation of return. And even when someone tried to repay her kindness, she would instead believe it was only because she herself wasn't strong enough—so the one she helped had to help her back.
Put nicely, it could be described as excessive selflessness, a saint-like compassion.
Put bluntly, it was pathological, the kind that could even be called a psychological problem.
She interpreted "helping others" as something she must do.
But she interpreted "being helped" as proof of her own incompetence.
The true meaning of the word help had been completely twisted.
Cipher rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on.
She was honestly curious what Luo Lin had gone through during childhood to develop such a distorted personality.
More importantly… she was amazed Luo Lin had even managed to survive until now.
With this kind of mindset, even in her previous life in Yan Country—where public security was extremely good—she would have been scammed brutally by countless shameless fraudsters.
Let alone here.
The Pit District was barely survivable as it was.
If this conversation continued, Luo Lin's mental state would definitely spiral again.
Cipher let out a quiet sigh. 'Let's put this matter aside for now. I'll deal with her psychological problem slowly later.'
Anyway, her own strength was more than enough.
Even if the team couldn't afford that so-called Potential Activation Medium, she could still cover for them whenever a commission went wrong.
After organizing her thoughts, Cipher spoke to Luo Lin in a serious tone.
"You're not useless… On the contrary, you're quite amazing."
Luo Lin froze for a moment before looking up at Cipher.
"But… I can't even—"
"Stop! Let me finish!"
Cipher immediately cut her off before she could continue digging herself into another pit of self-pressure.
"If you were useless, then why would Lin Wei and Xiong Lei willingly follow you?"
"If you were useless, then how did this underground house where we all live suddenly appear? Did it build itself? Or was it all done by Xiong Lei alone?"
"It's because of the bracelet—"
"I know it's because of the bracelet," Cipher interrupted again. "But do you know a saying?"
"Luck is also a part of strength!"
"You founded the Spark Squad! This house was built by you and Xiong Lei together! Those countless commissions were completed under your leadership! You've allowed everyone to live somewhat comfortably in this damned Pit District!"
"Tell me, Luo Lin—out of all these things, which one didn't involve your effort?"
"And besides, do you know what the most important issue is?"
Luo Lin was completely stunned by Cipher's rapid barrage of words. When she was asked directly, she could only shake her head blankly.
"The most important issue… is that you are the captain of the Spark Squad right now."
"What is a captain?"
"A captain is the leader—the core of the team!"
"If even you, the captain, think you're completely useless… then doesn't that mean you're basically saying that the entire Spark Squad—Lin Wei, Xiong Lei, and even me—"
"—are all worthless trash too?! Isn't that right?"
As she spoke, Cipher even turned to look at Lin Wei and Xiong Lei.
The two of them, sitting beside the table, exchanged glances… then cooperatively nodded.
"N-No! That's not it! You… you're all amazing! You're all important!"
Hearing Cipher's words, Luo Lin seemed as though she had been struck by something.
Her eyes instantly reddened as she hurriedly refuted the terrifying conclusion.
"So there you go… stop saying you're useless all the time."
Cipher's tone softened considerably.
"You're the core of the Spark Squad, Captain Luo Lin."
"…Mm… Thank you, Sister Cipher. I… I think I understand now… I won't casually say that I'm useless anymore…"
Luo Lin lowered her head again and quietly thanked her.
'You definitely didn't understand anything… This is just one of the negative side effects caused by that psychological issue…'
Even though she was mercilessly complaining inside her mind, Cipher still showed a gentle smile on the surface.
She then handed Luo Lin's personal terminal back to her.
Before Luo Lin could say anything, Cipher quickly spoke.
"The USB drive can't withdraw the credit points once they're transferred. Since you don't want to take them, just help me keep them for now."
"When I need to use them later, you can spend them for me. How about that, Captain Luo Lin?"
Luo Lin's eyes immediately lit up.
Then she smiled brightly at Cipher.
"Okay, Sister Cipher! I'll definitely keep it safe for you!"
'Sigh… finally managed to muddle through that one. Let's take it slowly.'
Cipher secretly wiped away nonexistent sweat.
Then she turned to Luo Lin and said,
"Weren't we going to do a commission today? After we finish eating, let's get ready and head out."
After saying that, Cipher viciously bit into the energy bar in her hand.
Whether it was to express her eagerness… or simply vent the frustration she had just felt…
Or perhaps both.
Well, whatever.
At a time like this, the only thing left to do was chew on an energy bar.
Before long, everyone finished their energy bars.
After tidying up their weapons and equipment, the group crawled out through the dog hole, pushed aside the steel plate covering it, and smoothly arrived at the entrance of the underground parking lot.