Nerves

Under normal circumstances, freelance bands didn't take on missions back-to-back. Factoring in injuries, physical condition, and other variables, the interval between tasks was usually around a week—let alone on consecutive days. Yet Ah Jing had agreed so readily, and seemed completely unfazed by it. Amidst his surprise and joy, Qian Daofeng couldn't help feeling a tinge of worry. But the man had already returned to his room. Once it was settled, he had simply gone back. Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong also knew about Ah Jing's love for sleeping; whenever he was home, he spent almost all his time lounging in bed. Strictly speaking, people nourished by source energy didn't need nearly as much sleep as ordinary folk... It was baffling, but maybe it was just a personal quirk. Their three-story building was quite spacious, with six rooms on the ground floor alone. Aside from Rusty Sister and Zhe Qiuhong sharing a room, there was exactly one room left for each of the rest. Back when they had slept on communal bunkbeds in their squad, Rusty Sister had always slept right next to Han Qingyu. She was just a lump of scrap iron anyway, so nobody had thought anything was improper about it. Just like how she shared a bed with Zhe Qiuhong now, nobody had to worry about her getting dissected in her sleep. In that regard, they weren't like Wu Xu and Han Qingyu, neither of whom dared sleep in the same room as Zhe Qiuhong. Before long, the remaining people returned to their rooms as well. Zhe Qiuhong carried an armful of dirty laundry out to wash as usual, and Rusty Sister followed along to help haul water for her. A couple of days earlier, she had actually asked Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong for their dirty clothes to wash together, but the two of them had felt too embarrassed to hand them over. The main hall emptied out just like that. "Such a huge matter, and just like that, it's settled?" Checking the time, Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong headed out for work. "Maybe Ah Jing and the others have a lot of pull now. It feels like Boss Dao thinks very highly of them. Last time, he said they had great prospects," Ao Yong said while in the car. In truth, Boss Dao said that to everyone... Qian Daofeng nodded, offering himself a bit of comfort: "Yeah, I'm not worried. Boss Dao's band is so strong now, doing back-to-back missions definitely won't be an issue." "That's good, then." Ao Yong nodded, leaning back against the seat. Rubbing his hands together with a smile, he said with a hint of excitement, "Speaking of which, we still haven't seen Ah Jing and the guys fight." "They haven't seen us fight either!" Qian Daofeng tossed back dryly. The atmosphere inside the cab instantly stiffened. The two of them were complete weaklings. So weak that when typical public service workers hired a band for their welfare task and joined in the fight themselves, the base allocation plus their slash tally would earn them four to five source energy blocks; the most these two had ever received, however, was three blocks. The year before last, the battle had taken place at dusk and proved so fierce that the two of them combined hadn't managed to register a single slash. "This year is better—it's around ten at night." The task order that had been issued was already with Ah Jing, but with something so important, Ao Yong remembered it clearly. Qian Daofeng gave a firm nod. "Yeah. Let's strive to put on a better showing this time. We can't embarrass ourselves too much." "Right," Ao Yong agreed vigorously. Around ten-thirty that morning, they had swept their assigned street for the second time. Earning this living was truly exhausting. Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong finally managed to catch a break. Sheltering in the shade at an alley entrance, drenched in sweat, they sparred with broom handles. Reluctant to waste source energy blocks, they naturally didn't dare wield real blades, simply simulating the combat in their ordinary physical states. "No, Brother Daofeng, you can't parry the blade head-on. Pretend I'm a Great Spike. If you block, you'll be sent flying, maybe even... Anyway, you have to circle around to my back and make sure you pass behind me at peak speed," Ao Yong stopped, leaning on his broom handle to wipe away sweat as he shared from past experience. "Alright, let's go again." Qian Daofeng was panting just as heavily. The sound of braking echoed at the alley entrance. A gold sedan pulled up, honking twice—beep beep. Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong turned to look. The car window rolled down, revealing an acquaintance. Liu Lang poked his head out and waved, saying with a grin, "Daofeng, Xiao Yong, what are you two doing? Tucked away in such an out-of-the-way spot, making me drive back and forth looking for you all morning." Ao Yong forced a smile. "Brother Liu Lang." Qian Daofeng followed suit: "Brother Liu Lang." Liu Lang had made a name for himself a couple of years back, serving as the number two or three figure in a high-grade freelance band led by a boss named Shelvey. No matter how resentful Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong felt inside, they still couldn't and didn't dare offend him. "Hey!" Liu Lang acknowledged them, then said, "I came to tell you something. This year's order of yours, let my side handle it for you. We'll give you a base of two blocks..." "We've already found a band, Brother Liu Lang." "Hm?" "We didn't know you were available, Brother Liu Lang. We went to Boss Dao yesterday," Qian Daofeng paused, then added, "Sorry, Brother Liu Lang." When he heard Boss Dao's name, a flicker of displeasure and confusion crossed Liu Lang's eyes. It lasted only an instant before he chuckled and said, "No problem then. As long as someone's doing it. I was just worried you hadn't found anyone." "Thanks, Brother Liu Lang." "Don't mention it, we're all brothers." Liu Lang smiled as he pulled out cigarettes and tossed two over. "By the way, there's one other thing. I heard you've got a few people staying at your place right now who've been running with bands. That right?" Somewhat bewildered, Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong looked at him without speaking. "Let's find some time to have a meal together so I can get to know them. When you go back today, remember to mention it to them for me—say I'd like to make friends with them," Liu Lang continued. "...Sure." "Let's leave it at that. Once you've checked with them, come find me." Liu Lang waved his hand, and the gold sedan drove away. Qian Daofeng waited until the car disappeared around the corner ahead, then took the cigarette tucked behind his ear down, glanced at it, and prepared to throw it away. "Don't, Brother Daofeng!" Ao Yong stopped him, gesturing with his own cigarette. "It's decent tobacco. Let's take them back for Brother Xiaoji and the guys to smoke." Qian Daofeng paused, then handed the cigarette to him. "Brother Daofeng, why do you think Liu Lang wants to meet Ah Jing and the others?" Ao Yong asked as he wrapped the cigarettes in plastic, tucked them carefully into his breast pocket, and buttoned it up. "To poach them, I'd bet," Qian Daofeng said. "I heard that ever since Boss Dao's band rose up, Shelvey's side has had a lot less business. Why else do you think he offered to take our order with a base of two blocks? Last time he only offered one." In the City of Iniquity, public service allocations or reward-based distributions weren't particularly abundant. Freelance bands that didn't dare compete out in the wilderness were mostly divided by territory and survived on these tasks; it was a fierce rivalry where one side's gain was another's loss. Of course, top-tier freelance bands didn't care about territories. Hearing Qian Daofeng's explanation, Ao Yong caught on immediately. "So, are Ah Jing and the others actually super strong?! They must be, right? I was wondering how Boss Dao's group suddenly got so formidable. If you look at the timeline, it started right after Ah Jing and the guys joined them." Ao Yong grew somewhat excited. Logically, it made perfect sense. But there were other newcomers who had joined during the same period... Qian Daofeng furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before saying, "Still, looking at the source energy blocks they bring home each time, it doesn't look like the slash tally of a core combat asset." "Oh." Ao Yong's expression fell. He wished so badly that Ah Jing and the others were genuinely strong. "Then should we tell them? About Liu Lang wanting to meet them—do we bring it up?" "Let's mention it. Whether to meet him is up to them," Qian Daofeng thought it over. "But even after we tell them, let's not tell Liu Lang we did. I don't want Liu Lang thinking they're snubbing him... Besides, I really don't want them going over to his side." "Me neither," Ao Yong nodded. However, they didn't see Han Qingyu and the other four that evening. The five had gone over to Boss Dao's place for dinner and pre-battle preparations. After that came work again, followed by freelance band missions. Though they ran into each other twice during that time, Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong forgot to bring it up. *** "I hope things go smoothly for them tonight and fewer people get hurt," Ao Yong said, wiping down his dead iron war blade once more with a towel. The blade bore several notches and a couple of cracks. Neither the notches nor the cracks had been caused by Ao Yong. He lacked the strength for that, nor had he ever been through combat so intense. The blade had already looked like this when he bought it; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to afford it. Tonight, Boss Dao's band had a mission. And tomorrow night would be Ao Yong and Qian Daofeng's order. Taking advantage of their break before their shift, the two were making preparations. By rights, they ought to have rested well tonight, but sleep eluded them. "Yeah." Qian Daofeng was sometimes loath to admit that, as the older brother, he was actually much more prone to nervousness and anxiety than Xiao Yong; Xiao Yong was relatively more optimistic. Holding a dead iron war blade that was similarly cracked and notched, Qian Daofeng wrapped strips of cloth around the hilt, binding it tight and sturdy. When he got nervous, his palms sweat—a lot. Without wrapping it, he was afraid the blade might slip from his grip. Once finished, Qian Daofeng held it out to inspect, nodded in satisfaction, and set the blade neatly beside his pillow, aligned with the metal box of his Generation 7 device. Still uneasy, he opened the box again, checked his sole fully charged source energy block, and aligned it once more. "I need to try and get some sleep. You head back and get some sleep too," he said. "Alright." Ao Yong picked up his war blade and device, stood up, and paused at the doorway. Turning back, he said, "Brother Daofeng, don't protect me tomorrow. I want to land a strike too. I bragged to Brother Xiaoji and Old Tang, telling them I'd tallied two slashes before." With that, he walked out.