ALL NOVEL Chapter 183 - Training Exercise 31
When the young man led his mercenary team, arriving in front of the Phantom Team in their fleet of hovercrafts, everyone in the Phantom Team tensed up, warily eyeing the dozen or so vehicles.
“These hovercrafts are high-end models with excellent performance and defensive capabilities. They’re expensive—definitely not something the average person could afford,” Tony whispered to Mai Dongzi.
He knew this was an area the captain wasn’t familiar with, so he provided the information quietly to help her make an informed decision.
The young man stepped out of one of the hovercrafts, followed by two Level Seven guards. Then, the others exited their vehicles as well; the lowest rank among them was Level Five, with a significant number of Level Six cultivators.
“This is quite a well-equipped mercenary team. A mercenary group with both funds and manpower usually comes from a reputable organization, yet this team isn’t displaying any insignia that identifies their affiliation,” Tony added quietly. “I can’t tell which mercenary group they belong to.”
“These people aren’t the ones who attacked us. That group looked much more like bandits—rough, poorly equipped, and likely part of a local force from Planet Liva,” Wang Zhelan said to Mai Dongzi.
Although this group was intimidating, they didn’t have the typical mannerisms of bandits. In particular, their leader, the young man, seemed out of place here. If he were alone, anyone might think he was a student from Imperial University.
The Phantom Team watched as the young man raised his hand, signaling his group to stay back, then approached them alone. The two Level Seven bodyguards at his side looked like they wanted to follow, but after he said something to them, they reluctantly stayed behind, their eyes fixed on the Phantom Team, ready to act if necessary.
Though the young man was a dual cultivator, his skill level wasn’t quite on par with their captain’s, and he wasn’t carrying any weapons, so the Phantom Team didn’t feel overly threatened by his approach.
As he walked closer, they couldn’t help but size him up. He seemed about their age, and his cultivation level suggested that his potential was comparable to those in elite programs like Yu Guangxi’s. A youth of his caliber would normally be a student at one of the prestigious universities in the Blue-Black Empire. But given that it was currently the academic term, his presence here with a mercenary team instead of on campus seemed unusual, suggesting there might be more to his background.
Mai Dongzi could tell that the young man was clearly heading towards her, as he had been staring at her the whole time.
The young man was a mixed-blood, with black hair and gray eyes. But his facial features and the way he walked, along with the expression in his eyes when he looked at her…
Mai Dongzi widened her eyes and kept staring at the young man as he walked closer to her.
Since the young man was coming alone and showed no sign of hostility, their captain also made no move to stop him.
The rest of the Phantom Team quietly gathered behind Mai Dongzi, silently watching the young man as they waited for his next move.
The young man stopped two meters away from Mai Dongzi, maintaining eye contact with her for a long while before finally speaking a single word: “Sister!”
His voice was not only hoarse but also slightly trembling, betraying his anxious and unsettled feelings.
By the time the young man reached her side, Mai Dongzi had already been 80 to 90 percent sure of his identity. But it wasn’t until he spoke that her tightly wound heart finally relaxed. She suppressed the overwhelming emotions that rose inside her, though her eyes couldn’t help but redden.
“Zixuan?” Mai Dongzi responded in a similarly hoarse voice.
The young man spoke in the ancient language of their homeland, Blue Star, and Mai Dongzi replied in the same language.
“It’s me.” The young man’s eyes were also red.
At this moment, only the two of them knew what they had been through, and how deeply they were moved.
Mai Dongzi had never forgotten the scene of her younger brother’s death in her previous life. Although he sacrificed himself for the base, as a family member, the heart-wrenching pain was unavoidable.
Though time had dulled the pain somewhat, even now, when she thought about it, she still felt sharp pangs. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so emotionally overwhelmed when she saw Zhuang Huiya.
“Sister, do you know him?” Zhuang Huaiya couldn’t help but ask.
Who was this kid who made his cousin’s eyes go red?
Zixuan saw a boy around his age approach his sister, calling her “sister,” and when he looked at the boy’s appearance, his hairs instantly stood on end. “Who is this kid? Why is he calling you ‘sister’?”
The two boys, who somewhat resembled each other, and the overwhelming tension between them, made Mai Dongzi rein in her emotions.
They were now completely under the watch of the instructors. She couldn’t reveal her identity to Zixuan right now, as it might raise suspicions.
“This is my cousin. We’ll exchange light brain numbers, and I’ll contact you after my training is done?” Mei Dongzi said, speaking in the official language of the Blue-Black Empire.
There was no rush. Her brother had been reincarnated in this world as well. They would have plenty of opportunities to be together.
When he heard that the boy was her cousin, Zixuan immediately understood and no longer felt any hostility. His gaze softened as he looked at the boy.
Zixuan was no longer a teenager, and from the way his cousin acted, he could tell that the boy regarded his sister as his real sister. Naturally, he had a good impression of him.
“Sister, who is that kid?” Zhuang Huaiya asked, still watching the boy warily. He could sense that this boy was likely his rival.
“An old acquaintance from when we were kids,” Mai Dongzi replied.
“Hello, I’m Jiang Zixuan. I’ll head to Imperial Star and wait for you there,” Jiang Zixuan said, giving his sister one last reluctant glance before turning to Zhuang Huaiya.
He knew this wasn’t the time to reconnect with his sister, but now that they were so close, he couldn’t help but want to see her and let her know of his presence.
Mai Dongzi didn’t know what identity Zixuan was using now, nor how he had found her. But from his direct approach toward her position, she could guess that he had likely suspected her existence for some time.
Mei Dongzi thought about the incident involving the “fake and real daughters” that had gone viral on the Blue-Black Empire’s star network, as well as the “Survival Game” on Water Blue Star, which had become a live-streaming sensation. Zixuan had probably found clues about her from these events.
Since it wasn’t convenient to talk, Zixuan only showed his face briefly before heading back to his mercenary group. He quickly led his team away.
When Mai Dongzi heard him say he would wait for her on Imperial Star, she realized that his identity wasn’t something to be hidden. She breathed a sigh of relief. Given her current identity, if Zixuan’s status wasn’t suitable for public exposure, it would be problematic for them to meet openly.
The boy appeared suddenly and left just as suddenly. After hearing his cousin refer to him as an old acquaintance, Zhuang Huaiya stopped asking questions.
For all these years, Mai Dongzi had maintained a pure and innocent image in the public eye. It was only after being cyberbullied that her true nature as a strong, domineering woman had emerged. Naturally, there were many secrets behind this.
Over the years, the truth about the “fake and real daughters” and where Mai Dongzi had learned her skills had certainly involved many secrets not meant for public knowledge.
Zhuang’s father had once discussed this matter with Zhuang Huaiya. Father and son had decided that as long as Mai Dongzi didn’t speak about it, they wouldn’t ask either. They would just support her.