Sell You If You Don't Sleep

Su Ze finished preparing the meal and set it on the table. The girl who had been lying listlessly on the bed instantly revived to full health. Her wine-red long hair and loose red-and-white shrine maiden outfit fluttered as she ran over with light, quick steps.

Su Ze couldn't help but laugh as he pinched her cheeks. The girl smiled sheepishly, and upon receiving permission, immediately picked up her bowl and began devouring her food.

Her little cheeks were puffed out like a hamster storing food in its mouth.

Su Ze wasn't surprised by the girl's eating speed, as she hadn't eaten for more than a day.

Since the blood moon rose, Su Ze had only made her two meals, and this morning, she hadn't even eaten breakfast before Su Ze forcibly unlocked her genetic lock.

Soon after, the girl patted her belly and silently burped in satisfaction. Su Ze helped wipe the oil from the corner of her mouth.

While Shen Qingsheng said Su Ze was raising a wife, Su Ze felt more like he was raising a daughter.

Sensing the energy waves of mid-Candle Realm emanating from Uesugi Akizuki, Su Ze felt somewhat gratified. This kind of talent was considered very high - those with lower talent would only reach Firefly Realm after unlocking their genetic lock, while Candle Realm indicated high talent.

Su Ze didn't expect Uesugi Akizuki to be of much help during tonight's blood moon after unlocking her genetic lock - he just wanted her to have more ability to protect herself.

Uesugi Akizuki stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking of nothing and doing nothing. Spacing out was her most efficient way of maintaining her energy.

A phone call came in from Shen Qingsheng.

"Hey hey hey, I'm out!"

Su Ze was speechless, "Those who know would think you're discharged from the hospital, those who don't might think you just got out of prison."

"Don't mind those details, come on, look to your right."

Su Ze turned his head and saw a young man wrapped in bandages waving at him from a kilometer away. "Can you see daddy?"

"No, I only see a son."

"Since you're out, and it's almost sunset, why aren't you going back to guard your Third District? What brings you here?"

Shen Qingsheng jumped between buildings as he came over, explaining the current situation in the Third District.

Due to heavy casualties among Dust City's guardians, another squad of soul reapers had arrived. Two people had taken his position, and the higher-ups had originally wanted him to rest for a few more hours given how severely he was injured.

Shen Qingsheng insisted on being discharged, and the higher-ups didn't try to persuade him otherwise. Since they had already arranged for those two soul reapers to take over his position in the Third District, they sent him to support the Seventh District.

At this moment, his superior called.

"Now that you're not guarding alone, the extra pay is cancelled... beep beep beep..."

Su Ze stared blankly at the dial tone in his earpiece, then coldly at Shen Qingsheng, who felt a chill down his spine. "What's wrong with you? Do I owe you money? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Nothing, nothing," Su Ze walked dejectedly toward the living room, waving his sleeve. "What an ungrateful son."

"Are you full?" Su Ze came to the side of the wine-red haired little shrine maiden who was staring blankly at the ceiling.

Uesugi Akizuki looked at him and nodded.

"Then go back to sleep." Su Ze pointed at the bedroom.

Uesugi Akizuki nodded, then pulled at Su Ze's hand toward the bedroom. Finding she couldn't move him, she looked at Su Ze in confusion.

"Can you sleep by yourself?" Su Ze asked helplessly.

Uesugi Akizuki shook her head and tried pulling Su Ze's hand again. When it didn't work, she pursed her lips unhappily.

"Damn! Mid-Candle Realm!" Shen Qingsheng, who had been watching their interaction, suddenly noticed Uesugi Akizuki's energy waves.

"How is this possible? Last time I saw her, I could barely sense any energy waves."

Su Ze pinched Uesugi Akizuki's slightly puffed cheeks, "I just unlocked her genetic lock. Her talent's not bad, right?"

"Not bad? She's a genius!" Shen Qingsheng exclaimed, then sighed, "Too bad she has no combat experience and can't join us in battle, otherwise tonight's blood moon casualties would definitely be much lower."

"Go to sleep now, or I'll sell you off. You have no choice," Su Ze threatened while pulling at Uesugi Akizuki's cheeks.

Uesugi Akizuki immediately ran into the bedroom and lay on the bed, tightly closing her eyes as if to say, 'I'm asleep.'

Both men stared at each other in amazement.

"Did you give her some secret training? She's so obedient?" Shen Qingsheng eyed Su Ze suspiciously with deeper meaning.

"Get rid of your dirty thoughts," Su Ze locked the bedroom door. "Let's go."

"The fourth day of the blood moon, are you confident?" Shen Qingsheng asked.

Su Ze handed him a cigarette, "Don't know. Yesterday I sensed many Candle Realm presences, but they were all quickly killed by my replacement. Today, the worst case scenario might be the appearance of Lamp Realm monsters."

"Then what do we do?" Shen Qingsheng felt somewhat fearful. He was at mid-Candle Realm, and Su Ze was at peak Candle Realm. Against a Lamp Realm monster, neither would stand a chance... well, Su Ze might have a chance.

"What else can we do but fight with our lives?" Su Ze carelessly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Shen Qingsheng remained silent. Death was inevitable, and he and Su Ze, being best friends since childhood, had prepared themselves for each other's death even before joining the Forerunners.

But when that day truly approached, the mood was still incredibly heavy.

"I'll probably have to reveal my trump card tonight," Su Ze said wistfully.

Shen Qingsheng looked at the black case on Su Ze's back.

That case was a reward given by Huaxia to those who made outstanding contributions to the nation. Only the owner knew what was inside, and it was generally used as a trump card, not easily revealed.

Su Ze always brought surprises. Apart from being shameless, he had almost no flaws.

Streaks of red clouds rose on the city skyline as the two sat atop a tall building, overlooking the Seventh District. Many people looked up at them, gazing at the heroes who carried their burdens forward.

When red light enveloped the earth, the sky above became as dark as a black curtain, with the blood moon hanging high.

"Does the blood moon seem deeper to you?" Shen Qingsheng asked in shock as he stared at the enormous blood moon.

"After consuming so many people, how could it not be deeper?" Su Ze coldly watched that blood moon.

The Huaxia Central Research Institute had discovered during the first blood moon that these monsters emerging from spatial rifts were actually stationed on the blood moon.

These monsters came to harvest life force from the Blue Star, or rather, the souls within human bodies, bringing them back to the blood moon to provide it with vitality.

A spatial rift opened on the street.

Countless monsters emerged gradually, but before they could get excited, they saw a slender figure slowly walking toward them.

That figure was lowering his head, fiddling with a lighter's gear to light a cigarette. As he took a step forward, his form suddenly stretched into straight phantom images that passed through the monster tide.

Massive blade qi appeared rapidly at the positions of the phantom images, like falling willow leaves or a gorgeous sea of flowers.

It came crashing down like a tidal wave! Instantly shredding the monsters to pieces!

Such scenes occurred in front of all opened spatial rifts.

Su Ze took a deep drag of his cigarette. His clones were already spread throughout the Seventh District, with his main body freely moving between them.

One clone sat in a hidden corner, Su Ze's black case standing before him, ready to use this trump card when true danger arrived.