After finishing the dungeon run, Bai Youwei went to the service station.

She had a lot of points, and the things she wanted to buy were all inexpensive. She picked through the shelves and loaded up a pile of items, not even using up the loose change.

The others followed the usual routine and restocked a large supply of firearms, then everyone headed back together to No. 23 Grand Avenue.

The villas here were all purchased in the team’s name. When the previous captain died, ownership transferred directly to Nick.

The layout and structure inside were roughly similar to Yuri’s villa from before. The male and female servants were all the same model. Everyone moved through the place with practiced ease, settling in and getting ready to rest.

Nick was curious about what specialty items Bai Youwei had bought to run up the score. When he passed by her and Shen Mo’s room, he paused and took a deliberate look.

He saw Bai Youwei pull out a heavy coil of rope.

Rope was practical — useful in all kinds of exploration situations. Reasonable purchase.

Then he saw Bai Youwei pull out a bag of chocolates.

Chocolates……

Nick’s lips curved slightly. He suddenly found Bai Youwei rather childlike — actually kind of cute — thinking of snacks for herself even in the middle of a supply run.

Then he watched Bai Youwei pull out a packet of mint candies. A bag of hawthorn slices. Butter cookies. Strawberry milk. Cheese cake. Caramel popcorn. Lemon effervescent tablets……

Nick: “……”

Wasn’t that a little too childlike?

Did she think eating all these snacks would turn her into some kind of superhero who’d magically score incredible points???

Nick was baffled beyond words.

“You made a trip all the way to the service station for… this?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Bai Youwei was cheerfully unwrapping the mint candies. She heard the question, turned to look at him, and seemed faintly puzzled.

“What else?” She tilted her head, studying Nick with genuine confusion. “If there’s something you want to buy, go buy it yourself~”

Nick: “……”

He felt he should be clearer about what he meant.

“What I’m asking is, why did you buy all these snacks?”

“To eat.” Bai Youwei unwrapped a candy as a matter of course and tossed it into her mouth. Her voice came out muffled. “Mint is refreshing, good for heat, and dissolves nicely in water too. Hawthorn helps with digestion. Effervescent tablets give you vitamin C……”

Nick turned and walked away.

He couldn’t listen to any more of this.

Shen Mo came out of the room’s private en suite bathroom. “Hot water’s ready. Who were you talking to just now?”

“Nick.” Bai Youwei’s tone was all pure innocence. “He wanted some of my snacks but was too embarrassed to ask for them.”

A heavy stumbling sound came from the direction of the staircase.

……

Besides preparing for tomorrow’s score run, they also gathered information about the Wicked Strong Brigade’s progress.

Jason had indeed recruited his teammates into the team as expected.

Even though Natasha hadn’t been discharged from the hospital yet, it hadn’t slowed those people down at all. There were four of them total. At an average pace of one dungeon per day, they’d already worked through the thirty-four dungeons down to twenty-eight remaining — victory was in sight.

Of course, if Alarming the People’s Brigade managed to break another record, the situation could be completely reversed.

After all, Alarming the People’s Brigade had only seventeen dungeons left uncompleted.

The next morning, before heading out, Ada stopped by the hospital first to visit Natasha, then went to the subway station to meet up with the others.

When Bai Youwei saw him, she noticed something odd about his expression — a half-smile that carried a cold, mocking edge.

“What happened?” Bai Youwei frowned. “What did Natasha say?”

Shen Mo also looked over, waiting for Ada’s answer.

By this point, the only word Ada had for the situation was absurd. He let out a cold scoff and said, “That guy Jason — he really opened my eyes. He told Natasha he’d found the person responsible for Yuri’s death, and that the person wants to join the team. Jason also told Natasha she’d better agree to it — that once the person achieves their goal, they’ll slip up and show their hand. He said that once they’re in a dungeon together, he can take care of them at any time.”

“And did he?” Bai Youwei asked.

“Take care of them — not even close.” Ada ground his back teeth, clearly seething with contempt for the man. “He says they’re short on manpower right now, so he’s going to use that person to help clear the remaining dungeons first, then cut them loose at the last moment.”

Shen Mo frowned. “And Natasha agreed?”

—