She was somewhat surprised that these two were still alive, and she couldn’t quite pinpoint the feeling in her heart, but she knew it wasn’t good.
Seeing her distress, Lu Chen asked, "How do you want to handle this?"
"I don’t want to deal with it, just leave them there," Su Mo shook her head; as for her bizarre parents, it’s best to respect them from a distance.
That they were alive was her greatest act of filial piety.
"Is there anywhere else we can go?" Su Mo looked up, her smile lifting away her previous mood in an instant.
"There is," Lu Chen said as he led her and the child into a massive high-rise building.
She looked up to see a sign hanging above that read Mission Distribution Hall.
Inside was a spacious and bright hall, bustling with people, most of whom were dressed cleanly.
Su Mo could clearly sense the subtle yet present aura of authority and the lingering scent of slaughter from the zombies that surrounded these people.
Everyone in the hall was not someone to be trifled with.
"What is this for?" Su Mo looked around and then asked the person consulting at the counter.
"Mercenary tasks," Lu Chen said, leading her directly to a counter to line up.
The trio, composed of two adults and one child, drew attention wherever they went, but no one approached them with the intention to chat or provoke; everyone minded their own business.
When it was Su Mo’s turn, the young girl behind the counter first showed a slight surprise before asking respectfully, "How may I help you?"
"Give me an introduction," Su Mo said, glancing at the scrolling screen in front of her.
"We have search and rescue, supply, and Crystal Stone missions, which type do you need?"
"Crystal Stone," Su Mo said without hesitation.
The girl smiled and nodded, and immediately, dozens of missions were displayed on the electronic screen.
Su Mo looked through them one by one until her eyes landed on Yan City, surprise flashing in her eyes. The time stamp showed it was just posted this morning and the reservation spots were already full.
The military provides weapons and vehicles, the Crystal Stones all go to the mercenaries; with such favorable terms, she couldn’t help asking, "Why clear the zombies in Yan City?"
The girl politely responded, "We are only responsible for posting the missions, we cannot answer the rest."
Su Mo faintly felt something unusual, she looked up at Lu Chen and saw that he was pondering; she then replied, "Are there any missions that are close by and suitable for 6 to 7 people to undertake?"
The girl searched for a while and finally brought up a mission on the screen, enlarging it: "Nanfang Village, a pure Crystal Stone hunting mission, a ten-person team, the trip is the day after tomorrow, transportation provided by the military, the military will take a twenty percent cut of the reward."
"I’ll take five spots," Su Mo nodded in agreement.
The girl smiled and nodded, "Of course, but the superpower requirement for Nanfang Village is Level 2; you and your companions need to go to the second floor for superpower testing. Upon passing, you can then confirm the mission."
Su Mo nodded without question, and the girl handed her five forms; after Su Mo filled out the forms, the mission was successfully pre-booked.
"Why five people?" Ling Ye tugged at Su Mo’s hand, "Am I not going?"
Su Mo looked down, momentarily taken aback, and then she laughed, "It’s not suitable now, you and Su Niang stay at home."
Home? Something stirred in Ling Ye’s heart, and he then lowered his head and replied, "Oh."
After the three of them had completed the paperwork, they hadn’t even left the hall when they were confronted by a gang of fierce-looking people.
The woman, nestled in the embrace of a robust man, with tears of a beauty, pointed at Lu Chen and Su Mo, pouring out her grievances.
"It seems we’ve got ourselves into some trouble," Su Mo said to Lu Chen with a smile.
The man glanced at her helplessly, "You seem quite happy about it?"
Su Mo hurriedly shook her head and cooed as she clung to his arm, "No, no."
The two of them interacted as if they didn’t take the burly man in front of them seriously at all, he simply held the beauty in his arms without getting annoyed but with an overwhelming presence, his gaze shifting over Lu Chen’s body, "Was it you who messed with my woman?"
Lu Chen just stood there upright, calmly watching him.
The burly man gazed at him for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. He pushed the woman hanging on him towards Lu Chen, "Bro, had you said you liked her earlier, I’d have given her to you."
Su Mo raised an eyebrow and quickly darted in front of Lu Chen, kicking the woman in the buttocks and sending her back, "Didn’t you see his wife and son here, blind?"
The gorgeous woman fell awkwardly on the ground, feeling as if her hip bones were about to split open, whining in pain non-stop.
Only then did the big man notice a little boy standing next to them, he glanced at Lu Chen and withdrew the imposing air about him.
"Sorry, I am Jin Han, the leader of the Thunder Wolf Mercenary Group," he said, walking over to Lu Chen and extending his hand.
"Lu Chen," Lu Chen replied, his long, cool fingers gripping the offered hand, and after a polite shake, they released.
"A misunderstanding, my apologies," Jin Han, a large figure, moved aside very politely for Lu Chen and the others, not looking like someone who was there to cause trouble anymore.
Appreciating his understanding, Su Mo walked past them, holding hands, not forgetting to turn back and sting with a comment, "Get another woman, too dirty."
Jin Han met Su Mo’s face and chuckled, finding her cute façade... strangely adorable.
His teammates trailing behind him couldn’t help but ask curiously:
"Boss, aren’t you mad someone touched your stuff?"
"It’s not like your style,"
Jin Han kicked backward without looking and said in a low voice, "What do you kids know, I just released all my Level 3 pressure and that man didn’t bat an eye, what does that tell you?"
At this point, the men behind were stunned: "Stronger than the boss?"
Jin Han nodded, looking down at the woman on the ground, "See his wife? Isn’t she purer looking than this one? They even have a child; would he be interested in this kind of thing?"
So everything was just a failed seduction attempt, turning into a setup.
"Boss," the woman on the ground cried as she tried to cling to Jin Han’s trouser leg, who stepped back in disgust, "I’ll leave her to you guys, return her to the Outer Ring when you’re done with her."
What happened to the woman afterward went without saying.
After the trio went out, they got in the car and returned to the Inner Ring.
It was almost noon when they arrived at the villa, and they found many vegetables and meats left outside.
It turns out that early in the morning, Hu Ding had sent people over with the gifts per Vice Commander Jiang’s instructions. Su Niang wasn’t sure whether to accept them, so she had simply left them outside until they returned.
"Bring them in," Lu Chen directed after inspecting the basket of goods and then went inside.
Jianxiong came out carrying two large baskets and began to walk inside, already fantasizing about today’s lunch.
"Let’s put everything in the kitchen," Su Mo rolled up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen, with Su Niang following her.
As expected of a villa kitchen, it was fully equipped with all kinds of cooking utensils, even the gas was properly installed.
One basket was filled with meat, the other with vegetables.
Su Mo crouched down, took hold of a strip of lean meat, and underneath it were animal organs resembling pig stomachs. The lean meat was bright red, but the skin was black with thorns on it, which made her ask curiously, "Is this pork?"
Su Niang glanced at it and wasn’t very sure either, saying doubtfully, "Is it... pork? It’s just the color... doesn’t seem right."