Chapter 16: A Beautiful Woman Visits

Over the next few days, everything was calm and quiet. The mysterious attack at the marketplace seemed to have completely vanished. If Pandora hadn't reported that the two mysterious attackers had escaped, I would have thought they had been blasted to smithereens by the ever-present Xyrin Space weapons.

Today was a rare day off. My sister personally cooked lunch, saying it was to make up for the welcome party she missed for Pan Lili because of her busy work schedule, though Lili herself showed no interest in the event.

It was called a welcome party, but the attendees were only Pandora, my sister, me, and Qianqian, who came for the fun. Despite the small number of people, this kind of gathering gave me a warm feeling, a feeling that those who spend their days engaging in various social events could never understand.

Once everyone was seated, my sister spoke first: "Now, let's welcome Lili to our family, though this welcome is a bit late."

Qianqian and I applauded simultaneously.

Pandora remained silent, sitting motionlessly at the table...

Seeing Pandora's lack of reaction, my sister, overtaken by maternal instincts, immediately thought of Pandora's "tragic past." She gently held Pandora's hand and said, "Lili, you don't have to worry anymore. From now on, you're part of this family. I'll take care of you like a big sister. No one can hurt you again."

I fully believed that no one could hurt Pandora, because according to the historical data we've gathered from the Xyrin Empire, the last civilization that tried to resist the Pandora Army had already turned to cosmic dust...

Qianqian also radiated maternal warmth. She held Pandora's other hand and said, "Yes, Lili, you don't have to worry about anyone bullying you anymore. With us here to take care of you, you might even have a chance to see things again!"

Ahem... What I wanted to say was that Pandora could actually see every tiny bit of E. coli on your hand...

"Ah Jun, say something too," Qianqian became a bit annoyed when she saw me just focusing on getting my food, "This is your own sister! Lili clings to you all the time."

I looked up and glanced at the doll-like adorable but indifferent Pandora. Her unfocused eyes turned in my direction. Perhaps because we usually communicated through a spiritual connection, I had a hunch that Pandora's attention was entirely on the crispy chicken tenders in my hand.

"Here, eat this." I handed the chopsticks forward, and to prove that Pandora really couldn't see, I directly placed the chicken tender into her mouth.

Watching Pandora quietly eat, I was rather curious about how a magic-powered constructed body like her could take an interest in carbon-based life forms' food.

Qianqian helplessly watched our "sibling" interaction and sighed: "Ah Jun, you're just the same as before, haven't changed a bit."

My sister laughed to ease the tension: "Although Ah Jun doesn't seem very expressive, he still cares a lot about Lili."

"This guy is really not expressive..." Qianqian suddenly sighed, "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we gathered like this, ever since I moved out."

"Yes," my sister also sighed, "I remember back then, you two were just little kids like Lili now. You cried so much when you parted, and look at you now..."

"Don't speak as if you're an old lady," I glared at my sister, who was sighing about time passing, feeling somewhat guilty inside. Over the years, she had shouldered the burden of the family. Although she is my elder sister, she often played the role of a mother, making it understandable why she felt this way.

Perhaps, ever since she shouldered the responsibility of this fragile family, her heart was no longer that of a young girl.

The straightforward Qianqian clearly didn't think so much. She laughed and said, "Exactly, Sister Chen Qian is still young and beautiful. Why speak so old-fashioned? Speaking of which, does Sister Chen Qian have a boyfriend now? Who's the lucky guy?"

"You brat!" My sister laughed and scolded, "Can't you think of something serious?"

"What's not serious? This is Sister Chen Qian's lifetime matter!"

People often say women have two great skills: chatting and shopping. My sister and Qianqian perfectly demonstrated the former, completely switching to full interaction mode in no time, leaving the original focus of the gathering—Pandora—out in the cold.

"Oh dear, we got so carried away that we forgot about Lili!" My sister finally realized, exclaiming. Unfortunately, Pandora still had no reaction. Whether she was unintentionally ignored or her name was called, she quietly ate what was in front of her, occasionally fumbling to pick up food, playing the role of a blind girl. It was as if the entire world had abandoned her.

Pandora, you're making my sister feel guilty...

Sure enough, seeing Pandora like this, both girls who were happily chatting just moments ago began to blame themselves. My sister picked up her untouched wine glass and said, "Lili, sorry. Sister punishes herself with a drink!"

I hurried to stop her: "Sister, don't..."

Too late...

The process could be summarized in a few words: raise the glass, lips touch, falls flat.

Watching my sister, who had collapsed on the table, Qianqian commented: "Didn't expect Sister Chen Qian to still have such a low tolerance."

At that moment, Pandora's voice suddenly sounded in my mind: "Brother, one of the two carbon-based life forms who attacked us yesterday has appeared."

I was startled, but did not show it. I laughed and chatted with Qianqian while asking through the spiritual connection, "What's going on? Where is this person? Are they coming for us?"

"Right outside the door. The person still harbors no hostility. Considering their hormone levels, they're not intending to attack, but we cannot rule out their threat."

Outside the door?

I pondered for a moment and then replied through the spiritual connection: "Do not intercept. Let's observe. If they make a move, prioritize protecting sister and Qianqian—"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Ah Jun, did you invite someone else today?" Qianqian asked curiously.

"Oh," I waved my hand to make sure Qianqian stayed seated, "It's a friend. You stay with Lili, I'll get the door."

Although Pandora assured me that the person had no ill intentions, and I believed she could handle any sudden attacks, the fact remained that the person had attacked me a few days ago, and their method was quite formidable. So, standing at the door, I felt a bit nervous.

However, that nervousness quickly turned into astonishment when I opened the door.

I had imagined the other person to be a stern young man, an unkempt man in black, a fierce scarred man, or even an armed terrorist. But I had never expected the visitor to be a sweet, tall, beautiful girl.

The woman at the door, dressed in a light yellow coat with shoulder-length hair, didn't look happy. Even though she tried to smile, her deep anger was easily noticeable.

It seemed she had suffered quite a bit under those Xyrin weapons.

Her unexpected appearance left me speechless. We stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before I finally blurted out, "You're really lucky to be alive!"

The beautiful woman's face turned instantly dark.

Lin Xue was very unhappy, extremely unhappy!

And it was all because of the man in front of her.

About ten days ago, in the school where Lin Xue had transferred to for a mission, there was a campus shooting, injuring several students. Since her abilities were not suitable for direct combat, Lin Xue chose to report the situation to her superiors and wait for support. But just as she finished reporting, three armed thugs suddenly fell to the ground, acting strange. After examination, doctors found their IQ had dropped to the level of mice, essentially turning them into idiots.

Despite the peculiarity, no witnesses could provide any valuable information, except for Lin Xue.

She noticed two crucial things.

First, when those three criminals fell, Lin Xue clearly remembered that they were standing one moment, then the next they were on the ground, brain dead. There was no transition, as if a piece of video had been cut out. This noticeable anomaly was ignored by the panicked students, making Lin Xue doubt her own memory.

The second discovery left no room for doubt. After the criminals fell, she sensed abnormal energy fluctuations from two students.

Lin Xue was confident in her abilities and reported this immediately, receiving orders to probe the targets.

Then came a nightmare day.

Lin Xue clearly remembered when Lin Feng's wind blade swept past the older boy, he didn't react at all. Even the weakest Superpower User would sense such an obvious energy fluctuation from Lin Feng. Just as Lin Xue doubted her judgment, thinking they were ordinary students, she noticed the two had calmly observed the wind blade's mark and discussed it!

They had noticed her attack long ago and simply didn't care about it!

Concluding this, Lin Xue decided to retreat immediately, but it was too late. An overwhelming energy gathered above her instantly, making her wonder if it could vaporize the entire city if it hit the ground!

To her surprise, death did not come. Possibly considering innocent lives, the attack was halted, the gathered energy quickly dissipating, though its temporary gathering had caused considerable chaos.

Realizing their power, Lin Xue swiftly pulled the confused Lin Feng and ran for their lives.

They ran for a full day and night.

The pursuers didn't intend to kill them but seemed to toy with them. Invisible energy beams followed relentlessly, pushing them to run madly. Whenever they stopped to rest, the energy would pause. As soon as they recovered a bit, the deadly energy resumed...

This cat-and-mouse game lasted till the next morning.

Then Lin Xue and Lin Feng took a taxi back from a nearby town...

Despite the chase, Lin Xue dare not offend those two. Superpower Users of their caliber were too valuable to the organization, and she couldn't make them enemies due to her own actions.

So, today, suppressing her grievance and fury, Lin Xue came to apologize, only to hear such a remark from them!