Chapter 205: Mysterious Liquid
“Is it always this casual?” Beisang asked after looking around. “There’s no discipline at all.”
Normally, Gu Kaiwen was incredibly strict about discipline.
But everyone had just returned today, exhausted in body and mind, so Gu Kaiwen decided to let them have a proper rest.
Besides, it was their free mealtime; they couldn’t keep everyone on a tight leash around the clock.
After all, the Empire’s system was quite different from their old one.
Making constant demands would only backfire.
“It’s alright. Everyone’s exhausted, so Gu Kaiwen is letting them rest for the day,” Lin Jingjing explained.
With five master chefs on hand, the food here had become quite delicious.
Tasting such fine cuisine again, the other five—everyone but the commander of the Fifth Corps—wore expressions of pure bliss.
“This familiar flavor… I haven’t tasted it in so long,” Blanwen said with a sigh. His moment of sentimentality over, he asked, “Were all these dishes made by your chefs here?”
“Yes,” Lin Jingjing nodded. “We taught them our techniques.”
An idea sparked in Blanwen’s mind.
‘Once this war is over, I have to get a few chefs from Lin Jingjing.’
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. The Monster Investigation Bureau might even be disbanded by then.
The soldiers here would all be reassigned elsewhere anyway.
After the meal, Lin Jingjing had someone show them to their dormitories.
Dormitories had been arranged for them; whether they used them was up to them.
「For the next three days」
Lin Jingjing holed herself up in the training room, training relentlessly, perhaps as a way to relieve the immense pressure she was under.
The moment Gu Kaiwen and Shi Feng opened the door and walked in, a wave of intense gravity slammed down on them, nearly forcing them to their knees.
Shi Feng’s eyes immediately shot to the gravity control panel on the wall.
When he saw the gravity was set to 10, a look of horror crossed his face.
‘This woman!’
‘Isn’t she afraid of being crushed to death?’
Shi Feng looked over at Lin Jingjing. She was standing in the center of the room, relentlessly hammering a punching bag as if completely unaffected.
She was moving with perfect ease.
‘Looks like Sister Lin is getting stronger and stronger.’
Shi Feng struggled over to the panel and shut off the gravity. Sensing the change, Lin Jingjing looked over.
“What do you two want?” Lin Jingjing asked.
“You’re in here day in and day out. What are you trying to do, achieve enlightenment?” Gu Kaiwen asked, dead serious.
“I know you’re stressed, but don’t you think this is a bit much?” Gu Kaiwen said, walking over to a small mountain of destroyed punching bags.
“These are punching bags that even someone with 3S Spiritual Power can’t break, and you’ve torn through this many in just two days.”
Gu Kaiwen walked over, squatted in front of the pile of bags, and prodded at them.
Then he turned to look at Lin Jingjing, his face full of excitement.
“Sister Lin, you’re so strong! You’ve gotta teach me your ways!”
Hearing this, Lin Jingjing immediately beckoned to him. “Come here, I’ll teach you.”
“You got it!” Gu Kaiwen chirped, immediately scampering over.
Watching from nearby, Shi Feng could only watch in exasperation.
‘The moment training comes up, he completely forgets why we’re here.’
As Lin Jingjing explained, she gave a demonstration—and punched clean through another bag.
“Holy crap, Sister Lin! Did you get even stronger?” Gu Kaiwen’s eyes went wide with astonishment.
The admiration in his eyes for Lin Jingjing grew even deeper.
His blatant admiration instantly dispelled Lin Jingjing’s foul mood. She stood there, looking smug. “I know, right? I feel like I’ve gotten much stronger.”
“You could take on an entire division by yourself,” Gu Kaiwen added, hyping her up and giving her a big thumbs-up.
You could tell he genuinely believed she was that strong; the worship in his eyes only intensified.
“Hahahaha, you’re damn right.” Lin Jingjing basked in the praise. Who doesn’t love a good ego-stroking?
Shi Feng watched them, a look of pure resignation on his face.
Just as their mutual admiration society was in full swing, Shi Feng cut in, “Enough, you two. We have actual work to do.”
At the mention of work, Gu Kaiwen suddenly remembered why they were there.
He quickly put on a serious expression. “Sister Lin, Feng He is furious that you’ve been in here for two days straight and ordered us to drag you out.”
With that, Gu Kaiwen shot a look at Shi Feng. Getting the signal, Shi Feng moved in. Each grabbing one of her arms, they started marching Lin Jingjing out of the training room.
As they half-dragged her from the training room, Lin Jingjing kept asking, “Hey, where are you guys taking me?”
“Where are you guys taking me—”
Her question went unanswered.
They marched her all the way from the training room to Feng He’s office. The moment the three of them entered, all eyes in the room turned to them.
Feng He immediately shoved the object in their hands at Xiang Heng, then strode over to Lin Jingjing, crossing their arms and staring at her with a stern expression.
Facing Feng He’s stony expression, Lin Jingjing gave a dry laugh. “Feng He, finished with your research?”
“My research isn’t finished, but you—you’ve been missing all day. Lu Shaoyu couldn’t find you anywhere. What do you think you’re playing at?” Feng He demanded.
Lin Jingjing chuckled again, turning her head to the side without answering. ‘What was I supposed to do? I just needed to blow off some steam.’
The others in the room watched with great interest as Lin Jingjing got a dressing-down.
‘This is the woman who argues with anyone and everyone in meetings. Never thought I’d see the day she’d be on the receiving end of a lecture.’
‘It’s actually pretty satisfying to watch.’
When Lin Jingjing refused to answer, Feng He sighed, reached out, and grabbed her wrist to take her pulse.
Feng He only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming she was perfectly fine—in fact, strong as an ox.
‘As long as she’s okay.’
“So, was there something you needed me for?” Lin Jingjing asked.
At that, Xiang Heng, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward holding an object. “We’ve successfully analyzed the unknown liquid from Kulundi’s body.”
“It’s a type of blood hidden inside mutant beasts. This blood is extremely difficult to extract.”
“The moment a mutant beast dies, this hidden blood vanishes instantly. It’s also exceptionally rare. After a single extraction, it takes over a year for the beast to slowly regenerate it. For those people to have acquired such a large quantity, they must have captured a great number of mutant beasts.”
“This hidden mutant beast blood is also graded. The more vibrant the color, the more potent it is.”
At this, Xiang Heng placed a vial containing a red liquid in front of Lin Jingjing. “This is the hidden liquid from a Steel Beast.”
Staring at the red liquid, Lin Jingjing mused aloud, “No wonder its eyes were red.”
After a moment of silence, everyone in the room burst out laughing.
She was surprisingly funny.