Alien Species Invasion? I Kill Them Back.

Chapter 121: Chapter 119: Friends

It wasn’t in Feng Ling’s nature to give her opponents a chance to breathe.

But in her current condition, even walking was a struggle, let alone facing the Maze Master. She could only wait patiently for her body to recover.

Baozi gathered branches from nearby and started a fire to keep the grand hall dry and warm.

Huangfu Miaomiao took everything out of her storage inventory and carefully took stock of their supplies.

"We’re low on food. Only four self-heating rice boxes left, and not enough water... We still have plenty of compressed biscuits, though."

She looked at the resting Feng Ling and asked in a low voice, "Should I exchange for some Nutrient Supplements? The Little Jellies you’re always talking about. They can quickly restore stamina and also replenish the body’s water."

Feng Ling, her eyes closed, said lazily, "Let’s finish the self-heating meals first."

Feng Ling had a psychological resistance to these kinds of products used by players. She always felt that once she used unconventional recovery methods, it meant she was too weak to recover through normal means.

When she had a fever as a child, she liked to tough it out, only taking medicine when it became unbearable. If the fever got high enough to require an injection, she would suspect her constitution was total trash.

Feng Ling was somewhat conceited; she considered herself one of the strong.

’The strong don’t need to live cautiously. If you lack that kind of confidence, you’re probably not strong enough.’

Huangfu Miaomiao opened the packaging for the self-heating meals.

Feng Ling always ate these, and Huangfu Miaomiao, having followed Feng Ling, had also learned how to prepare them. Before long, she had four steaming hot rice bowls with toppings ready.

The aroma of the rice was comforting, reminiscent of the warmth of home.

Pei Xianjue woke up groggily, her unfocused eyes staring at the beams high up in the grand hall.

Feng Ling glanced at her and had Huangfu Miaomiao give the self-heating meals to Pei Xianjue and Baozi. Except for Li Qing, who abstained from grains, there was exactly one box for everyone.

She remembered that after entering the Maze, Pei Xianjue and Baozi had only been eating compressed biscuits.

Food doesn’t just fill the stomach; the act of chewing also provides some emotional value. Clearly, the emotional value provided by compressed biscuits was very limited.

While they were eating, Feng Ling saw that the atmosphere was peaceful and decided to discuss things with Pei Xianjue:

"I used my marking ability to check. The Maze Master is guarding the tower right now. It’s probably waiting for the fruit on the tree to grow back. It didn’t eat any fruit today, so its recovery speed isn’t as fast as ours. We can try again tomorrow."

Pei Xianjue’s right hand trembled slightly, and the disposable bamboo chopsticks in her hand fell to the ground with a CLATTER.

She looked at Feng Ling in terror. "Try... try again?"

Feng Ling fell silent. After a few seconds, she turned her head and asked Bao Changzhi, "Why is she still like this? Did you use your ability on her?"

Baozi’s feelings were hard to describe.

’He could soothe Pei Xianjue’s emotions, but he couldn’t make her devoid of them. She was just severely wounded by the Maze Master. Isn’t it perfectly normal for her to be terrified at the thought of going back to kill it?’

Feng Ling said to Pei Xianjue, "We’ve come this far. We can’t just give up halfway, can we?"

Pei Xianjue’s face turned pale.

Of course, she knew they couldn’t let all their efforts go to waste, but the fear was already carved deep into her bones. The trembling in her heart constantly chipped away at her reason, and she had no idea where to find the courage.

"Xiao Ling, I... I really don’t think I can do it..." Pei Xianjue, like a demoralized deserter, stared blankly at Feng Ling and said, "Actually, I never told you... I only became a Deputy Captain because of my father’s arrangements. My combat skills and shooting were all crammed at the last minute. Every time I went on a mission, I relied entirely on two bodyguards. People like us, who get into the Inspection Bureau through special channels, are ridiculed by the other Inspectors as investment-attracting mascots. I’ve never been in a real fight, never killed anyone... Ah, no, that’s not right. I have... I killed Liang Zhou..."

Two streams of tears rolled down Pei Xianjue’s face as she muttered, "The first person I killed after getting my Card... wasn’t a monster, but a human..."

Feng Ling felt a headache coming on. She frowned and said, "I don’t care how you became an Inspector. I just need you to burn that section of tree root when I make my move. It would be even better if you could burn all the roots underground."

Pei Xianjue wiped away her tears and looked at her, sniffling. "Aren’t you going to comfort me, Xiao Ling..."

"You’re rich, powerful, and have a great dad. And you want an orphan to comfort you???" Feng Ling really wanted to throw her into the water to snap her out of it.

"But I’ve never told anyone this..." Pei Xianjue felt a little hurt. Someone like her had almost never opened up her heart to anyone. It was a rare moment of vulnerability, yet it received no response.

She asked Feng Ling, "Xiao Ling, why do you want to kill the Maze Master?"

The question stunned Feng Ling.

Feng Ling was speechless. "What ’why’? It beat me up this badly, of course I want to kill it."

"What if you die?" Pei Xianjue asked. "Aren’t you afraid of death?"

Feng Ling blurted out, "If I die, I die. There’s nothing to be done."

Pei Xianjue fell silent. After a moment, she said in a low voice, "I see. It’s because you have nothing and no attachments, so you don’t fear death. But I’m different."

Feng Ling’s eye twitched upon hearing this. "...Little Yu, I think what you just said was pretty hurtful."

"You finally stopped calling me Deputy Pei." Pei Xianjue forced herself to rally her spirits, smiling at Feng Ling. "We’re friends now, right?"

Feng Ling was very pragmatic. "Go burn the tree, and we’ll be friends."

Pei Xianjue: "..."

Feng Ling asked impatiently, "What are you so afraid of? We’ve all eaten the purple fruit, so we definitely won’t die. Even Oxhead and Horseface have died and come back to life several times. Are you telling me you’re not even as good as them?"

’They’re huge and sturdy,’ Pei Xianjue thought. ’I really can’t compare... My wound is still so deep I can feel the air in it.’

Feng Ling looked at Huangfu Miaomiao. "Didn’t you get the Demon Card? Demons are supposed to be good at sweet-talking and bewitching people, right? You try to persuade her."

Huangfu Miaomiao tilted her head, seriously pondering the matter.

’This is a rare chance to prove myself; I can’t screw it up.’

"Um... you chose to enter the Maze because you must have wanted to achieve something, to shut up those who look down on you, right?" Huangfu Miaomiao began tentatively. "If you give up now, you won’t really lose anything. You’ll just continue to be treated as a mascot, and in the future..."

She glanced at Pei Xianjue and continued, "You still won’t get your father’s approval. Maintaining the status quo is actually pretty good, too."

Pei Xianjue scoffed. "Reverse psychology, huh?"

"Not really..." It was Huangfu Miaomiao’s first time doing this, and she wasn’t very skilled. "I just think this is a rare opportunity. An Inspector who entered the Maze on their first try, an Inspector who participated in killing a Maze Boss for the first time... those two achievements are enough to be engraved on your tombstone someday. If you want to change things, you have to do something. Of course, if you don’t care about what others think, or about your dad’s approval, then just maintaining the status quo is fine."

It was unclear which sentence moved Pei Xianjue, but a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

Huangfu Miaomiao asked her, "Do you care?"

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