The next morning, the massive gear-work city gate of Belobog creaked open a narrow slit amid steam and grinding metal.
Jingliu was already waiting.
As always, she wore a plain white fitted outfit; frost-white hair tied back neatly. The cold that could crack steel felt like nothing more than a spring breeze to her.
Well… an ice-element character in a snow map. Checks out.
This was Wei Qing's first time seeing Jingliu in actual snowfall, but it didn't surprise him. If anything, it looked natural—as if the blizzard was merely scenery built to frame her.
Nearby, Masha's eyes were rimmed red as she shoved two heavy packs into Wei Qing and Liu Ying's arms.
Inside were IPC emergency rations, basic medical supplies, environmental recorders, and several vials of a "special stabilizing drug" that supposedly helped keep the mind steady under extreme conditions.
"Be… be careful, okay?" Masha's voice trembled. She kept repeating herself like she could sew safety into them through sheer insistence. "Stay close to Lady Jingliu! If anything happens, don't try to be brave. Data isn't important—coming back alive is what matters!"
"Understood, Senior Masha. We'll be careful." Wei Qing accepted the pack and spoke gently, trying to soothe her.
They'd only known each other for two days, yet she'd taken them seriously—she'd actually been thinking about their lives.
It made Wei Qing feel a little guilty.
Hans also came to see them off, purely out of obligation. He didn't say much—just repeated the company line one last time.
"Follow IPC protocol. Complete the mission. Return safely."
His eyes lingered on Wei Qing for a brief moment—sharp, evaluating—then slid away.
Jingliu looked impatient with the entire farewell. The moment they had their equipment, she turned without hesitation and stepped through the gate into the wind and snow.
"Move."
Wei Qing and Liu Ying exchanged a glance, then followed.
The instant they left Belobog's walls, cold knifed through them.
It wasn't enough to truly trouble any of the three, but it was still the kind of cold that made ordinary lungs feel heavy.
Then Jingliu spoke without warning.
"You're just an ordinary person," she said, not looking back. "Aren't you cold?"
The question was too direct.
This place wasn't merely winter—it was extreme. She and Liu Ying, as Pathstriders, could ignore it. But an "ordinary man" should at least look like he was struggling.
Wei Qing simply tugged up the collar of his company-issued coat and replied naturally.
"It is cold, Lady Jingliu. But the company gear is reasonably warm. And honestly… being assigned to a mission beside someone as strong as you—there's a bit of excitement. It helps distract from the discomfort."
The exchange made Liu Ying's heart jump. Her hand drifted toward the weapon hidden at her waist, instincts sharpening into a thin blade.
Jingliu gave a noncommittal "hm," then fell silent and continued walking.
"B—Brother," Liu Ying muttered under her breath, using the cover of the wind to keep her voice low. "She's definitely doing it on purpose!"
"Our cover says we're just regular employees. And she's walking this fast like she wants to grind us into the snow."
Wei Qing chuckled softly. "Maybe that's just her normal pace. Stay close. Don't fall behind."
He understood Jingliu well enough to suspect this was habit rather than hostility.
…Though, if he was being honest, it also wasn't impossible that she was targeting them.
Ever since he'd stubbornly kept the name "Wei Qing," he'd caught Jingliu's gaze on him again and again—brief, cutting, as if she were testing a phantom with the tip of a blade.
From experience, when someone looks at you like that, it's usually one of two things:
Either they're in love—
—or they hate your guts.
They kept moving.
The closer they drew to their destination, the uglier the terrain became.
Warped ice spires rose like crooked teeth. The ground split into massive fissures that exhaled cold from bottomless dark. And scattered everywhere were traces of conflict.
Earth torn open by brute force. Corpses of the Antimatter Legion frozen inside thick sheets of ice. The landscape spoke in silent testimony: this was not a place that tolerated the weak.
Some marks were especially clean—efficient.
Those were Jingliu's work.
Liu Ying stared at the evidence, her earlier indignation slowly folding into a more serious unease.
That woman…
She was terrifyingly strong.
Even if Liu Ying went all out, she couldn't claim she'd definitely win.
Still, she refused to concede the point entirely.
Victory would probably be… sixty-forty.
Her sixty.
About two hours later, Jingliu stopped.
She raised a hand—halt.
"We're close," she said. "Liu Ying. The trash mobs ahead are yours."
"Huh? Me?" Liu Ying blinked, caught off guard.
After receiving the Abundance blessing, Liu Ying's body alone carried remarkable combat strength—even without activating SAM.
But agreeing too readily would break their "rookie employee" persona.
Jingliu glanced at her like she was looking at raw iron in need of forging.
"Didn't you ask for my guidance? The Hunt isn't learned in a greenhouse."
Ahead, a valley coated in icy crystal shimmered like a blade's edge. Shapes began to condense in the blizzard—shadowy outlines pulling themselves together out of distorted light.
They were nearing the Stellaron.
Several Voidrangers emerged first—mindless, driven by Destruction's instinct. The moment they sensed living presence, they lunged, limbs warped and twitching.
"…I'll try," Liu Ying said, then rushed forward.
Steel flashed.
In moments, Voidrangers fell one after another beneath her blade.
Jingliu watched quietly, then spoke to Wei Qing without looking at him.
"Your sister's skill is impressive. Not what I'd expect from a 'newcomer' who just stepped onto the Path."
Wei Qing kept his expression mild.
"Thank you for the compliment, Lady Jingliu. She does have a knack for fighting. It's the lack of experience that worries me—I fear she'll charge too far and get hurt."
"Overprotection kills jade before it's cut," Jingliu interrupted. "And you don't look very worried."
Wei Qing's heart tightened slightly, but he smiled with practiced helplessness.
"Lady Jingliu jokes. How could I not worry?"
He paused at the right place, letting the words breathe.
"She's stubborn by nature. If I show too much fear, she'll hesitate—and hesitation gets you killed faster than recklessness. Besides…"
A hint of pride slipped in, controlled but sincere.
"I trust her ability."
Jingliu's next question came like a needle.
"Who taught her sword?"
Wei Qing already had the answer waiting.
"Some crude family tricks," he said modestly. "Nothing worthy of your attention."
"Our home is remote. There's no high-level tradition. She mostly figured things out herself… and perhaps the Path showed her favor."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Liu Ying's swordplay did carry traces of him—rough, simplified guidance, not even close to Luofu's foundation forms. She'd rarely needed technique in the past; she'd had firepower.
If Jingliu could read those faint echoes and link them to a man she'd hunted for decades…
Then Wei Qing could only accept it with a sigh.
Because at that point, the game was already over.
If you've already "opened" me, what am I supposed to play with?
Join here to read ahead.
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
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My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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Uma Musume: From Beginner 42
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