Chapter 117: Ye Zimei

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After saying so much, Liang Bing’s true purpose could actually be summed up in just a few words.

I’m scared. I want to run away!

There was no denying that Liang Bing’s experience this time had been terrifying. If Gao Ning had not provided timely support and sent her into the Warrior Training Facility, the mission would have failed long ago.

Yet even with military reinforcements, she had still been unable to resist Sister Nine’s bizarre abilities.

For someone as strong-willed as Liang Bing, that was difficult to accept.

On top of that, receiving an admission card and learning the true nature of the Mysterious Train had inevitably shaken her resolve.

To Gao Ning, however, the Mysterious Train was precisely the kind of arrangement he wanted.

The missions were relatively easy, and with a large number of Red Alert soldiers assisting him, they did not seem particularly dangerous.

If a mission could be completed with ease, no one would willingly fight for their life. Besides, the planar wonders required by the Red Alert interface could only be obtained within mission spaces.

Gao Ning had long since made up his mind: he would not rest until he had brought out the Construction Yard.

Perhaps one day, even the complete technology of Red Alert would prove incapable of handling the dangers of the mission worlds.

Or perhaps planar wonders would simply stop appearing altogether. Only then might Gao Ning consider moving on to somewhere else.

After bidding Liang Bing farewell, Gao Ning returned to his private carriage.

As usual, he rested for a while before bringing up a hacker-training program from his computer and briefly reviewing the hacker knowledge he had neglected for one or two months.

It was rather absurd. He had gone to such lengths to master advanced hacking techniques, only for them never to find any real use.

That had been understandable in Edge of Tomorrow—the time constraints had made it impossible.

But even in the previous world, they had been of little practical use. He had merely used them to search the dark web for sensitive information in preparation for collecting planar wonders.

In any case, hacking was still quite useful. Hopefully, he would have a chance to put it to use next time.

After resting in his private carriage for about a week, Gao Ning deliberately returned to the real world.

He made a round of phone calls, confirming that his parents were safe and that none of his businesses had been affected. Then he did not linger and returned directly to the Mysterious Train.

Strangely enough, after his prolonged stay last time, the flow of time in the real world had changed.

It was no longer under his complete control. Instead, time had begun moving forward at an exceedingly slow pace.

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Counting this mission and the previous one, Gao Ning had been away for more than three months, while only a week had passed in the real world.

Fortunately, he had given everyone advance warning. Otherwise, quite a few people would have been frantic with worry.

Even so, his mother still gave him a thorough scolding.

Gao Ning merely laughed it off, neither explaining nor arguing. He then used the computer to build a simple server, linked its signal to his phone, and set up a brief automated-response mailbox.

It contained roughly a thousand prewritten conversations. Unless something unexpected happened, it should be enough to fool people for a short while.

Back on the Mysterious Train, Gao Ning changed into casual clothes and strolled toward the lounge.

When he saw Liang Bing, he could not help widening his eyes.

“What happened to you?”

The Liang Bing before him had completely abandoned her usual air of an elite professional. Normally, she wore either a business suit or luxury brands in a somewhat androgynous style.

Her appearance had always been sharp and commanding. Even when seated on a soft sofa, she kept her back ramrod straight. Combined with her exquisite features and frosty expression, she had given off the unmistakable impression of a witch from the corporate world.

Now, however, she had undergone a sudden transformation.

Her shoulder-length golden hair had been dyed black and tied simply into a ponytail at the back of her head, where it fell naturally.

Her upper body was nearly bare, her chest wrapped only in thick bandages.

She wore loose samurai trousers with a distinct Japanese style, and wooden sandals on her feet.

Before Gao Ning arrived, Liang Bing had been sitting on the sofa in a broad, imposing posture, both hands resting on a Japanese sword with a pitch-black scabbard. Judging by its length, it was probably an odachi.

A poised career woman had transformed in an instant into a female samurai. The abrupt change in style nearly left Gao Ning unable to react.

Liang Bing slowly opened her eyes.

“I only learned a few meditation techniques. In the previous world, I was hiding among a Japanese immigrant family. The husband was probably a master of kendo. There were all kinds of Japanese swords displayed throughout the house, both long and short. I hid inside a full-length mirror and watched him practice his sword techniques more than once.

“I also found an opportunity to take two books from the study and studied them briefly.

“I suddenly realized that improving my own combat ability was important as well. So, before returning, I deliberately gathered some knowledge in that area. During the more than three months in my private space, I focused on practicing and strengthening those skills.

“At present, I’ve only just reached the entry level.”

Hearing Liang Bing’s explanation, Gao Ning was rendered speechless. All he could do was raise a thumb.

Page 3 of 3

Actually, Gao Ning had initially planned to practice martial arts as well. But plans could never keep pace with changes, and all kinds of soldiers had kept appearing around him.

Later, he acquired the Castle Fruit, and his defensive power broke through the limits.

From then on, anyone who fought Gao Ning would essentially be attempting to conquer a castle. They would have to face the guards of an entire fortress.

Under those circumstances, individual combat ability was no longer of much use to him.

Once he understood that, he cast his martial-arts training plans aside.

He had not expected this crisis to give Liang Bing the desire to grow stronger as well. Although her current appearance was somewhat startling—and rather alluring—the intention behind it was certainly commendable and deserved encouragement.

Gao Ning’s silent encouragement earned him a coquettish roll of Liang Bing’s eyes.

The two of them had experienced so many worlds together. Though they spent far more time apart than together, they were still members of the same group. Moreover, everyone else had died in the previous mission, and the two of them had consequently grown closer without either realizing it.

As a result, the atmosphere between them was much more relaxed than before.

The lights overhead shifted. Liang Bing rose to her feet.

“It looks like the newcomer has arrived. Are you coming?”

Gao Ning waved her off. “I’ll pass. I just went home and made a round of phone calls without even having time to eat. I’m going to get some ribs first and put something in my stomach.”

With a wave of his hand, a large basin of honey-glazed roasted lamb ribs appeared before him. Gao Ning made no attempt to be polite, simply grabbing one with his bare hand and tearing into it.

Liang Bing nodded, pushed open the door, and entered the neighboring carriage. About fifteen minutes later, she returned with a young girl wearing SpongeBob pajamas.

The girl had her hair tied into twin buns and wore a timid expression. She kept her body curled up, following closely behind Liang Bing step by step.

Though she was moving forward, her steps were unsteady. If anything unexpected happened, she would undoubtedly turn and run at the first opportunity, returning to the neighboring carriage and taking her seat again.

Liang Bing caught hold of the girl and pressed her down onto the sofa.

“Her name is Ye Zimei, the same as a Hong Kong actress. She just turned eighteen. She was traveling in Japan when an earthquake took her life.

“This is Gao Ning. You can consider him a veteran. Once you enter the mission dimension, if you can’t find me, stay as close to Gao Ning as possible. He’ll protect you.”

Gao Ning looked the girl over. His gaze passed over her chest and paused for a second before a smile spread across his face.

“Welcome.”