No one answered.
Until—”Hah… hah…” A faint, perfectly even breathing sound drifted through the room.
Yun Yishan sat with her legs crossed, elegantly curled up in her chair, one hand propping up her head—she had fallen asleep at some point.
The three parties, who had been at each other’s throats just moments ago, now exchanged blank looks.
Bai Yufeng: “…She can sleep through all that noise?”
Cheng Yunqing frowned and rapped his knuckles hard on the table.
“!” Yun Yishan jolted awake, blinking groggily as she looked around. “…Mm, so room and board are covered. What else?”
Probably because she’d eaten too much earlier, she’d started getting drowsy the moment Cheng Yunqing began talking. Add to that his deep voice and even, measured tone—it was exactly like a lecturer droning on. Practically a lullaby. She vaguely remembered they’d been arguing about room and board, and then her mind had grown heavy and she’d drifted off.
“Beep beep beep—” The communicator on Bai Yufeng’s person suddenly blared urgently, breaking the silence.
“Tch, something’s happening in the Contamination Zone. I’ve got to run!” As he left, he crouched down in front of Yun Yishan, the smile still on his face. “Here, take this.” He pulled a black-gold card from his pocket, its face etched with an intricate emblem—a crossed sword and shield beneath a spread-winged eagle.
He pressed the card into her palm and held it there. The card gave a soft vibration, automatically scanning her palm’s vein pattern.
“This is a Bai Clan Black-Gold Card. You can withdraw from it anywhere there’s a Bai Clan bank. The limit is 100,000, and it’s keyed only to your biometrics.”
“F-family… bank?!” Yun Yishan thought she’d misheard. How could those two words possibly go together?
“That’s right! Whether in the White Tower or the surrounding Survival Zones, there are Bai Clan settlement points everywhere.” Bai Yufeng tapped the emblem on the card, his voice full of pride. “See? Anywhere you find this eagle, you’re covered. Spend the money however you like.” Before Yun Yishan could refuse, he shot a provocative glance at Cheng Yunqing and Lu Feichen. “It was just a measly medical bill. Clinging to it like that—must be desperate for money.”
Then he turned back to Yun Yishan. “I gave you the card of my own free will. You don’t have to pay it back, and you don’t owe me anything. If you ever feel like joining the Assault Squad, I’ll pick you up anytime! Anyway, I’ve got a mission—bye—” Before the words had even finished, he was already striding out the door.
Yun Yishan rubbed the card in her hand. “He’s just leaving? What about the promised interstellar jasmine milk tea?”
Cheng Yunqing had a sinking feeling that with a troublemaker like Bai Yufeng around, he’d never hit his military department KPIs. Exhausted, he took off his glasses and pointed at the door. “The door’s over there. Out, out, out—don’t hold up my work.”
Yun Yishan tilted her head. “Huh? Didn’t Dr. Cheng just say he was off duty?”
“…” Suppressing his anger, he turned to Lu Feichen. “Now! Take her away! And don’t show up in front of me unless it’s necessary!”
Yun Yishan rode in Lu Feichen’s car as it slowly pulled away from the White Tower. Through the window, she saw the legendary military fortress clearly for the first time—it was like a colossal white blade thrust upside down into the earth, its tip vanishing into the low-hanging clouds, as if connecting to the other end of the world.
As they drove into the crowded city district, the car slowed.
“This is Survival Zone No. 7—the closest to the White Tower and the largest of all the Survival Zones.”