Chapter4:Princess &Knight

"Hmm—"

　　Yu Ming stretched into a cat pose, her whole body elongating, leaving both Suluo and Beihai momentarily stunned.

　　"Yu Ming," Beihai picked up the binoculars,"what's your Beast Index?"

　　"23%," Yu Ming said as she reached her left arm around her back to touch her right shoulder."What about you?"

　　"68%," Beihai responded nonchalantly.

　　"No wonder Zhen Cheng values you so much," Yu Ming scoffed.

　　"The normal Beast Index for a beastman is stable below 40%. Anything over 40% is a low-level risk, and anything over 50% is a high-level risk, which makes you a prime target for the Territorial Defense Force. But 68%? That's practically a walking human weapon."

　　"I see it differently," Beihai countered."A higher Beast Index doesn't necessarily make someone more dangerous. Sometimes, the most harmless-looking people are actually the deadliest. Just like a lower Beast Index doesn't mean someone's less dangerous."

　　"But it's an undeniable fact that the higher the Beast Index, the more dangerous the individual," Yu Ming said playfully as she finished her yoga routine, placing her palms together and exhaling deeply.

　　"They're coming."

　　No sooner had Yu Ming spoken than the convoy's headlights appeared in the binoculars.

　　"They're here." Beihai immediately crouched down.

　　"Suluo, get ready to detonate the EMP mines and jam their communications; Yu Ming, take out the drivers of the lead and tail vehicles first, block them in so they can't turn around."

　　"Yes!" Suluo quickly lay down beside Beihai, gripping the detonator tightly.

　　Yu Ming sat on her waterproof mat, calmly assembling her sniper rifle."I have a little donkey, but I really can't afford to keep it—"

　　"Yu Ming, you—!"

　　The convoy drew closer, the tiny lights gradually taking shape. Three large trucks, flanked by four armored escort vehicles, were driving straight toward them, with the logo of Gene Pharma emblazoned on the truck trailers.

　　"Okay—"

　　Yu Ming set up her sniper rifle, lying flat on the cliff, and couldn't resist muttering her mantra,"Pew, pew, pew... Who gets the unlucky bullet today?"

　　Beihai kept a close eye on the convoy through the binoculars."Prepare to detonate."

　　One truck, two trucks, three trucks...

　　Everything was going as planned. Soon, the entire convoy was right on top of the mines they had laid.

　　"Detonate!!"

　　But once again, things didn't go as expected. The EMP mines, which were supposed to disable the vehicles, failed to work as intended!

　　"How...?" Suluo's face turned pale as she frantically pressed the detonator."Why isn't it working?!"

　　Beihai managed to stay calm, seeing that Suluo was on the verge of breaking down. She was about to order Yu Ming to shoot the lead vehicle when suddenly, the entire convoy came to a halt on the road.

　　The unexpected development caught all three of them off guard.

　　Realizing this was an opportunity, Beihai quickly instructed Suluo to check the detonator for faults, while she grabbed the binoculars to continue observing.

　　Explosions echoed from all directions, and the canyon across from them lit up with bright white light! In an instant, countless drifters charged out from both sides of the road, riding motorcycles or driving modified off-road vehicles, surrounding the convoy in no time.

　　"It's the drifter tribe..."

　　"Listen up, people inside!"

　　Bull swaggered up to the front of the drifters, hefting a large-caliber shotgun and grinning menacingly."Be smart, leave the 'cargo,' and we'll let you go! You're just company dogs, risking your lives for peanuts. Why bother?"

　　Nanshan tried to get closer but was quickly pushed back by the other drifters.

　　"The detonator's wiring was faulty. I'll fix it right away."

　　Beihai nodded."Alright. First, jam the convoy's communications."

　　As Suluo disabled the convoy's communication system, the lead armored vehicle realized it couldn't contact the others, causing a brief moment of confusion among the drivers.

　　"Our patience is running out!" Bull shouted, his voice full of threat.

　　"Either send someone with authority to negotiate, and we'll resolve this peacefully, or we'll start a bloodbath! Some people will die, but either way, we're taking that cargo. Make your choice!"

　　In the wastelands, drifters often outnumbered any single convoy, making it hard for a mere convoy to pose a serious threat. No wonder Bull was so confident.

　　"Hmm?"

　　Beihai's binoculars scanned the drifters.

　　Despite their rough appearance, none of them seemed like true fighters; they didn't even carry proper weapons—just a bunch of troublemakers who liked being in the middle of things.

　　And something about one of them felt familiar to Beihai.

　　"Are... you okay?"

　　Ah... so it was that naive rich girl.

　　But what was a rich kid like her doing with a drifter tribe?

　　As Beihai pondered this, Suluo interrupted her thoughts."Sister Beihai, I fixed it!"

　　Yu Ming yawned."Are we going to do this or not? Just say the word."

　　"Wait a bit longer," Beihai instructed.

　　"If the convoy cooperates, we'll go down and collect the spoils. If they fight with the drifters, we'll take out the convoy."

　　"Got it. I'll follow your lead."

　　Exciting?

　　For someone as inexperienced as Nanshan, this tense standoff was definitely exhilarating!

　　A man finally emerged from the lead armored vehicle. The escort captain removed his utility belt, raised his hands to show he meant no harm, and cautiously approached Bull.

　　"Brother, just name your price! But we really can't give you this cargo! How about we make a deal and become friends instead?"

　　"Cut the crap."

　　Bull sneered, pressing the shotgun against the captain's cheek."A corporate lackey pretending to be noble. Who the hell are you calling 'brother?' Do you think you deserve it?"

　　The captain forced a smile."Come on, we're all just workers here. I don't like company dogs either—no one does! But I'm stuck with this lousy job. If you take this cargo, I'll lose my livelihood, and my wife and kids will starve."

　　As he spoke, the captain carefully pulled a photo from his chest pocket."Look, my wife's a beastman too. This is my son, and this is my daughter. They're still in school, and I can't afford to lose my job right now! For the sake of the kids, can't we work something out? Leave a little room for kindness, and we might meet again under better circumstances."

　　His words moved Nanshan a little.

　　After all, whether it was the captain or the drifters, they were all just workers trying to survive in a harsh world. Why should they fight to the death when they were all on the same side, just struggling to live?

　　With this thought, Nanshan stepped forward and said,"Brother Bull, don't point your gun at him. We're all workers, and we should understand and help each other. Why don't we sit down and talk? I'm sure we can find a solution that works for everyone."

　　Bull looked at Nanshan."I want to take the capitalists' means of production. He wants to protect them. You tell me, how do we find a solution that works for both of us?"

　　As Bull's attention wavered, the captain's eyes suddenly flashed with malice! He quickly shoved Bull's shotgun aside, grabbed Nanshan by the arm, and pulled her into a chokehold, drawing a pistol from his waistband and pressing it to her head!

　　"Nobody move!!" the captain shouted angrily.

　　"One move and I'll blow her head off!!"

　　"Damn it," Beihai muttered under her breath,"that idiot..."

　　"Shit!" Bull was shocked, and the drifters immediately aimed their weapons at the convoy.

　　"She's not one of us! Let her go!!"

　　"Bullshit!!" the captain snarled.

　　"Who'd believe that crap?! If I don't make it out of here, my family's dead too! Tell your people to back off! Once we're safe, I'll let her go!"

　　Nanshan was already shaking with fear, unable even to scream.

　　Bull was furious."If you hurt her, none of you will leave here alive!"

　　"Try me!!"

　　Seeing the negotiations breaking down, Beihai sighed and gave Yu Ming the order."Yu Ming, take him out."

　　"Do you want his brains to splatter to the left or the right?"

　　"Do you think I give a damn?"

　　Bang! A shot rang out, and the captain's brains splattered everywhere! His lifeless body crumpled to the ground, blood and brain matter splashing all over Nanshan's face.

　　"Suluo, detonate the mines."

　　With a thunderous explosion, all the vehicles were immediately disabled!

　　Gunfire erupted as the drifters charged, dragging the truck drivers and any security personnel who tried to resist out of the vehicles and shooting them on the spot.

　　Nanshan stood frozen in place, as if paralyzed, her mind unable to process the chaos unfolding around her.

　　"Nanshan? Nanshan!!"

　　It took a while before Bull's frantic shaking finally brought her back to reality.

　　She gagged, and then she couldn't stop vomiting.

　　"Mission accomplished."

　　Beihai dialed Zhen Cheng's number.

　　"Mmm-hmm~ I saw everything, darling. I'll transfer the payment shortly, so keep an eye on your account~"

　　Beihai stretched lazily."Alright, that's a wrap, ladies."

　　Yu Ming leaned on her sniper rifle, yawning."So boring... I only got to fire one shot."

　　Suluo asked,"Are we leaving now?"

　　Beihai looked at the drifters busy dismantling the vehicles and at Nanshan, who was still retching uncontrollably, then said to the two,"There's something that's bothering me. You two wait in the car for a bit."

　　Yu Ming lit a cigarette."If you're not back in ten minutes, I'm driving off."

　　"You wouldn't dare."

　　Beihai jogged down the steep slope to the road. As soon as she appeared, a few drifters immediately raised their guns in alarm."Who are you?!"

　　"I'm from C18, hired by the same client as you."

　　Bull approached and shook hands with Beihai."Nice to meet you. That shot you took helped a lot."

　　"It wasn't my shot," Beihai replied.

　　"The client didn't specify what to do with the 'unmarked beastmen.' What are your plans?"

　　Bull crossed his arms."Honestly, I haven't figured that out yet. What about you?"

　　"I want to take a look first."

　　By rights, Beihai's job was done once the convoy was intercepted, and she should have left. But something inside her wouldn't let her walk away, not without seeing what was in those three trucks.

　　"Got it open!"

　　With a loud bang, the drifter engineer finally managed to open the hydraulic door of the first truck.

　　Everyone peered inside, and a chill ran down their spines.

　　Bull took a closer look, his mouth twitching."...What the hell is this?"

　　The truck was packed, wall-to-wall, with beastmen.

　　To save costs, the company hadn't even bothered to put them in cages. Instead, each beastman was tightly sealed in a latex vacuum bag, stacked upright like vacuum-packed snacks, filling the truck to capacity. Each one was connected to a single oversized oxygen tank by a network of breathing tubes.

　　"...Get them out of there!"

　　One by one, the vacuum bags were pulled out of the truck. There were men, women, and even a few children among the beastmen.

　　The drifters sliced open the vacuum bags, freeing the beastmen inside. As they emerged from their confines, they looked around in a daze, their expressions blank and disoriented.

　　Beihai leaned against the truck door, lighting a cigarette, her gaze complicated.

　　"How could they treat beastmen like this...?"

　　Nanshan murmured as she stared at the bewildered beastmen.

　　"We're all human beings, aren't we?"

　　Beihai shot her a sideways glance.

　　"Are you pitying them?"

　　Nanshan recognized Beihai.

　　"Is it wrong to feel pity?"

　　Beihai sneered. She reached out and gently grasped Nanshan's chin, turning her face toward the beastmen."Then you'd better take a good look—"

　　"Hey, don't cry, miss!"

　　A female fox-beastman suddenly burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. The drifters around her fumbled awkwardly, trying to console her.

　　"What did you people do?!"

　　The fox-beastman's voice was filled with both anger and despair as she glared at the drifters.

　　"I worked so hard in prison... I worked so hard to turn my life around, to reform, even selling my body, all so I could get a spot on the list for A-grade city beast slaves! I sacrificed everything! And now you've ruined it all!"

　　She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

　　Nanshan couldn't believe what she was hearing, her eyes widening in shock.

　　Bull stared at her coldly."You're happy to be a slave for humans?"

　　"Even being a slave in an A-grade city is better than living in the hellhole of a D-grade city... At least there, I wouldn't have to worry about food or clothes. What does it matter if I have to give up my dignity?"

　　Beihai let out a smug laugh."That's the beastmen you've been pitying all this time. Still feel sorry for them now?"

　　Nanshan was silent.

　　Her fists clenched, trembling with emotion.

　　"...Are you happy?" Nanshan asked, glaring at Beihai.

　　"Seeing someone driven to this point by a society that treats them like garbage, do you think that's right? Do they deserve this?"

　　Beihai chuckled."What else, bookworm?"

　　Nanshan stared at her, then let out a bitter laugh.

　　"You really should read more, you uncultured fool."

　　With that, Nanshan stormed off.

　　Beihai shrugged. Just another naive kid who hasn't been beaten down by life yet.

　　Bull asked Beihai,"So, what do you think?"

　　"She's pretty cute," Beihai said, smirking."In both her thoughts and her appearance. It's not a bad thing."

　　Bull looked at her, exasperated.

　　"...I was asking about the beastmen."

　　"Oh. To be honest, I don't know what to do with them either."

　　Beihai replied,"We can't just leave them here, and taking them to an A-grade city isn't an option. They wouldn't want to go back either..."

　　"I have an idea."

　　Bull said, his tone playful as he glanced at Beihai.

　　"Why don't we ask Nanshan for her opinion?"

　　"Huh?" Beihai raised an eyebrow.

　　"Her? Why?"

　　"Because she's well-read," Bull said with a grin.