Chapter Ten: Roses...

Chapter Ten: Beneath the Rosebush...

When you’re feeling bad, you have to say it out loud. I decided to take my revenge on Rose. “How could you say that about me? I’m as harmless as a poplar sapling; a dangerous element is the last thing I could be. So what if we live together? No one would laugh. Brother Wei, Sister Ice, don’t you agree?”

Hearing my words, Liang Bing’s mood instantly soured. She felt as if her precious cabbage had just been trampled by a pig. What on earth was going on? She’d only neglected to monitor Rose for two days, and already she’d moved in with someone? Her gaze on me grew fierce, as if she were debating whether to slice me into eight pieces.

Just as I finished my little act of revenge, a chill ran down my spine. I thought Rose might be angry, so I stole a glance at her. Instead of anger, I saw only embarrassment and shame; not a trace of fury. Seeing that she wasn’t mad, I relaxed and decided to stoke the fire further.

“By the way, you were out on duty all day. Have some brown sugar water—I’ll fetch it for you. I told you to rest, but you refused.” As I spoke, my eyes drifted to her lower abdomen, filled with concern.

Rose fell for it and blurted out without thinking, “But I’m not on my period—why would I drink brown sugar water? There’s no need.”

Liang Bing, at first, thought Rose had her period and didn’t pay much attention. But after Rose’s response, she conjured up her own scenario in her mind—her precious cabbage must’ve been trampled by the pig. She immediately exploded, though a sliver of doubt remained.

“You—what did you do to Rose?” she demanded harshly.

Rose quickly recovered from her embarrassment. At Liang Bing’s interrogation, she shot her a surprised look and fired back without mercy, “And what business is it of yours? We’re not that close, are we?”

Liang Bing fell silent for a moment, then left the tent without another word.

I was a little bewildered at being questioned. I was just teasing Rose—why was this woman who’d just arrived reacting so strongly? Thinking it over, I realized: she must be a lesbian, interested in Rose. I gave myself a mental thumbs-up—how clever I was.

Outside the tent, Liang Bing quickly contacted the Demon Wings through a hidden channel.

“Keep a close watch on that punk sharing Rose’s tent. If he tries anything inappropriate, report it to me at once. And tell Black Wind—don’t peek at what you shouldn’t. Got it?”

After issuing her orders with a snarl, she sighed. Now that things had come to this, all she could do was make up for it. After all, Rose was her own child—no, her own creation. She had to scrutinize him with the harshest eye. If he refused to improve, he could forget about winning her approval as a mother-in-law. No, that’s not right—as a producer. This was after-sales service, she told herself, and felt justified. Wait, what was that kid’s name again? She needed to remember to ask.

Soon after, Wei Qi brought in two army-issue meal boxes. “Rose, seriously, if we’d known, we never would’ve let you go on reconnaissance. Isn’t that right?” With that, he gave me a little kick as I finished off the last of my noodles.

I didn’t mind the kick—in fact, it felt like the fruit of victory, sweet as could be.

Rose, still a bit dazed, glanced between Wei Qi and me. “Old Qi, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with me? Why shouldn’t I go on reconnaissance?”

“We know you super-soldiers recover quickly, but it was your first time, right? You should rest for at least a day.”

Realizing what he meant, Rose would have to be a fool not to understand. She didn’t bother with the meal box, but strode over and grabbed my collar, furious. “You trying to get yourself beaten up, running your mouth like that?”

“Hey, hey, relax. It’s nothing—everyone’s been there,” Wei Qi interjected quickly, separating us.

“Old Qi, it’s not what you think. I didn’t,” Rose protested anxiously—her reputation was on the line.

“Right, right, you didn’t. It’s just Yunyang making things up.”

Hearing Wei Qi coddle her like a child, Rose realized nothing she said would convince him. She fell silent, eating her noodles in a gloomy mood.

As the three of us lapsed into a strained silence, Liang Bing entered, walked straight up to me, and looked down.

“Kid, what’s your name?”

“Uh, I’m Yunyang—‘Yun’ as in ‘white clouds,’ ‘Yang’ as in ‘soaring.’”

“No need to explain, we get it.”

She gave me a once-over, making an internal assessment: looks—an eight, maybe; temperament—well, a bit like a salted fish; family background—no, not necessary to check, since his abilities are mediocre. All in all, just an ordinary guy. An ordinary guy isn’t good enough for my Rose. Let me read him with the Eye of Insight. Her eyes flashed white, but nothing appeared.

Thinking she’d been too hasty, Liang Bing turned away and tried again, but still saw nothing. She shot me a look of surprise. Even the Eye of Insight couldn’t read him—what kind of creature was this?

Still, it wasn’t a problem. At least he wasn’t an enemy. If she couldn’t read him, that meant he wasn’t ordinary—so he had some strength, after all. So why didn’t that make her happy? She glanced between me and Rose. Well, it was acceptable, she supposed.

Watching Rose and me enter the tent, shoulder to shoulder, Liang Bing gritted her teeth. She was still fuming. What to do? After a moment, she decided to eavesdrop from the neighboring tent. Surveillance was in place, but she still felt uneasy.

Inside, the two of us sat on opposite bunks. The atmosphere was awkward. Rose spoke first.

“Who would’ve thought? You actually have a sharp tongue.”

“Didn’t expect it, did you? Got tripped up, didn’t you, little miss?” I replied, bright with glee.

At my smug look, Rose could hardly contain her anger. She stood, gave me a wicked smile, and said, “Didn’t expect this, did you? You’re about to get beat up, kid.”

Seeing her rise, I was suddenly filled with foreboding. “What are you doing? Hitting people is illegal, you know. I’ll call for help.”

She paused, then, under my increasingly panicked gaze, casually set up a soundproof wormhole corridor. Rubbing her pale, delicate knuckles, her face filled with the glee of imminent revenge. Clearly, she didn’t think I could escape her grasp.

Watching Rose approach, grinning wickedly, I knew I couldn’t just sit and wait for a beating. I steeled myself and charged at her. She hadn’t expected me to resist and was caught off guard as I grabbed her shoulders. Seizing the opportunity, I braced myself to shove her onto the bunk and make my escape.

But to my astonishment, she didn’t budge an inch. The atmosphere turned painfully awkward. I forced a smile uglier than a grimace.

“If I say it was an accident, would you believe me?”

Rose just laughed coldly. “Do you think I would?”

A thousand curses surged through my mind, but this might be my last chance. With nothing to lose, I threw my weight into another attempt—only to discover, to my shock, that Rose was wearing just a military vest for sleeping, not her armor. Perhaps her skin was too smooth, her shoulders too slippery; my grip slipped, and I lost my balance, ending up face-first against her.

Everything happened too fast—even Rose, a super-soldier, didn’t react in time. All she felt was a sudden pain in her chest—her soft curves had been assaulted. A dark aura nearly materialized around her; she felt herself on the verge of turning wicked. She grabbed my shoulders, ready to hurl me over—not just any throw, but a chest-over-shoulders slam.

At that moment, a shadow flashed into the tent—it was Liang Bing. She’d been alerted by the Demon Wings the moment Rose set up the soundproof corridor, and as she tried to break through and eavesdrop, she heard a surprised voice from the little demon: “That kid’s attacking Rose!”

A string snapped in Liang Bing’s mind, and without thinking, she charged straight into Rose’s tent. She saw the scene everyone else would soon know: me, clinging to Rose’s back, her hands on my shoulders, my face pressed against her chest.

Already seething, Liang Bing was incensed by the sight. Her precious cabbage—she’d braced herself, but seeing it with her own eyes was too much. Without a care for Rose’s feelings, she grabbed me by the shirt and flung me out of the tent. There was a thunderous crash as I smashed through a car’s windshield, even knocking off the steering wheel.

Rose stared in shock at the direction I’d flown, getting out only a single word—“You”—before a loud bang cut her off. Not hearing my scream, she realized something was wrong—this could be fatal. Ignoring Liang Bing, she rushed out to check on me.

As I flew through the air, only one thought filled my mind: “Holy hell, is a human being even capable of this?”

The next moment, I collided intimately with the car. Military vehicles are built tough—the windshields are bulletproof. Yet the impact totaled the car, proof of Liang Bing’s immense strength.

The instant I hit the steering wheel, my spine snapped; when my neck struck the gearshift, it was shattered by a tremendous force. In a sense, I was already dead.

And thoroughly dead at that. Not even the most advanced hospital on Earth could have saved me—let alone a makeshift refugee camp.