Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"All the residents of Payin City are under the watch of the T2 level AI \'April\'. If there\'s a sudden spike in missing persons, the AI will notify the Federal Government."

"That dairy factory is really convenient. Not only does it have underground dairy farming with cows, but it\'s also equipped with complementary slaughtering, processing, and treatment facilities. Hiding a small artificial human cultivation facility within would be a lot easier."

"Clones lack intelligence, dead, they can be processed into feed for cows, and then the manure can be used as fuel in the incinerators for reuse. Eventually, it all turns to ash, and naturally, no one would find out."

"The quality of evildoers these days is getting lower and lower. It really gives a bad impression," sighed Lude.

"Yo, Lude, feeling all sentimental at such a young age, are we? I\'ve seen far more bizarre and despicable things in my life than this," Pascal put down the black and red box he was holding and started assembling its parts.

"That\'s okay, I\'d rather not hear it. I\'m afraid it might affect my mood during the mission," Lude shook his head.

"Besides, there are countless such incidents in the history of the Fifth Epoch. Compared to those times, today\'s villains are practically white lotuses."

"That was indeed an era filled with darkness and devoid of all limits. No wonder the entire civilization eventually collapsed."

The three of them chatted to relieve the high tension and equipped themselves with various weapons and gear before continuing their exploration.

Yang Che not only switched on the night vision on his goggles but also put on special tactical headphones, constantly on alert. Lude held an Eight Mountains Plate scanner in one hand and a black pistol with a laser sight resembling a red line in the other, while Pascal inserted special ceramic plates into his bulletproof lining and then picked up a rotating machine gun that resembled a metallic storm.

Among the three, Yang Che had the strongest overall response capabilities, Lude excelled in search, hacking, and tracking, and Pascal was the heavy firepower expert.

"Reinforcements will arrive in 30 minutes. Let\'s hurry up and scout the area."

"Understood."

The three headed toward the dark cave.

————

Meanwhile, Hexia returned to her home. After taking a bath, she put on her pajamas, went back to the bedroom, and sat on the bed to flip through the scores she had received during the day.

Her personal terminal was placed in front of the bed, and it projected a virtual keyboard into the air. After entering the scores, the notes from the music piece scrolled by, and the girl placed her fingers on the keys, getting accustomed to the tune as if playing a piano.

Time flew unnoticed, and soon it was 9 PM when a knocking sound came from downstairs.

Shortly after, Grandma He came to the outside of Hexia\'s bedroom to ask.

"A young man from the neighborhood is looking for you, says he has something important."

"Who?" Hexia put away her things and walked out of the bedroom.

Following Grandma He downstairs, she arrived at the door and saw the familiar face.

"Qiao Long?"

The black-haired young man of the day wore a leather jacket and trousers, his eyes tinged with fatigue, as if he wasn\'t in good shape.

"Miss Hexia." He bowed respectfully before speaking.

"Sorry to intrude upon you like this, but I\'m here for a very important matter that requires your help."

"What\'s the matter, I\'ve said it before, haven\'t I?" Hexia frowned, having previously mentioned she didn\'t want to see this guy again.

"I know, but it really is an extremely important matter, and it won\'t cause any trouble for your life," he spoke anxiously.

"Hexia." Seeing him like this, Grandma He couldn\'t help but speak up to the young girl.

Taking a deep breath, Hexia opened her eyes, "Let\'s talk outside." She asked Grandma He to stay in the house.

The two of them went to a corner in the hallway where they stood still.

"What is it?" The girl looked up at the figure much taller than herself, wondering what trouble could have possibly brought this person back to her.

"It\'s one of my companions, whom you might have seen before, the particularly fat and tall one."

"What\'s happened to him?"

"He was attacked underground and is currently in a critical condition, barely hanging on."

"Why not take him to the hospital?" Hexia\'s tone softened slightly.

"It\'s no use, I know the medical capabilities of Payin City today; they can\'t handle such severe injuries, and besides, ambulances can\'t reach that place."

"Oh?"

"It was in a cave on the 72nd level underground, an area not marked on the Federation\'s map."

"Can\'t he be moved?" the girl asked curiously.

"Because he was temporarily encased in ice using special methods, moving him would make the injuries worse and he might die on the spot." Qiao Long shook his head and punched the wall, making a thud.

"That\'s a gray zone, isn\'t it? You want me to go to such a dangerous place?" Although Hexia was only sixteen, she still had her guard up.

"I will clear the way and protect you, ensuring absolute safety on the road." Qiao Long bent down fiercely, his body almost at a 90° angle.

"Talking like this now, you should know what you did before," Hexia shook her head. That day, her bones had been crushed by this man, and she still remembered the pain vividly. If it weren\'t for her never having killed anyone, her unwillingness to cross that line, and not wanting to complicate her future life, Qiao Long would already be a corpse.

"I am very sorry for offending Miss Hexia that day, but no matter what, I ask for your help this time." His voice grew more urgent, and eventually, he pulled out a specially made secret lockbox from behind his waist and handed it to Hexia.

"This is what I prepared for my advancement, which I can entrust to Miss Hexia for safekeeping as a guarantee."

"This is…" The girl took the black, long box, slid the button on the side, and the lid opened to reveal the liquid inside sparkling with a bright red luster.

Gently shaking it, the liquid rippled with broken scales of light, giving off a warm sensation, and she could even faintly hear the sound of a dragon roaring.

\'Dragon Blood Elixir (Scarlet Scale Thorn Dragon)\' [Excellent Luminous Gold Rank]: A precious Dragon Blood Potion that allows the Transcendents of the Dragon Sequence to gain the bloodline ability of the \'Scarlet Scale Thorn Dragon\' during their advancement and, after Sequence 6, the Dragon Transformation Ability. (As the Scarlet Scale Thorn Dragon itself is not very powerful, hence the rank is reduced to Excellent Luminous Gold Rank.)

Feeling the Magic Rhythm within the crimson liquid, Hexia slowly opened her eyes, looking at Qiao Long with slight surprise.

The potion was genuine, and its price extremely steep. On the official website, it was listed for 2.6 million Federation Coins but was not available for purchase. If acquired through special means, the cost would be even higher.

"How much did you spend on this potion?"

"I found a middleman on the black market, who used special channels to bring it to Payin City, and in the end, it cost me about 4 million Federation Coins. For this, I\'ve accumulated a debt of approximately 800,000 Federation Coins."

"I see." Hexia thoroughly sensed his expression and emotions before concluding that Qiao Long was not lying.

Lying in front of a Songstress with the Talent for Soul Synchronization was not something many in the Federation could do, let alone in front of a girl with the potential for Color Level.

With a sigh, Hexia lowered her arms, realizing that Qiao Long truly was in trouble.

To go for the rescue or to ignore it? After all, Qiao Long wouldn\'t dare to harm her at the moment. The scene fell into a brief silence and stillness.

A minute later, the girl turned around with the potion in hand, walking towards the house in her slippers.

"I\'m going to change my clothes." It wouldn\'t do to travel far in pajamas, after all.

"Yes." Qiao Long replied gratefully upon hearing her words, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Back in her room, after explaining the situation to Grandma He, Hexia returned to her bedroom. She stored the potion in a spatial rift, then changed into a suit of clothes suitable for travel, and before leaving, she picked up a black coat to drape over her shoulders.

"Let\'s go."

Once prepared, Hexia re-emerged in front of Qiao Long dressed in sneakers and shorts, wearing the hood of her coat over her head and a mask covering her face, with only strands of her black hair and her pale blue eyes showing from beneath the hood.

"Yes!"