Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1158 - 563_2
Previously on Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups...
Fang Cheng looked at her and cut right to the chase:
"I need to find out, while the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps had you captured and locked up, how exactly did they reach out to the military for deals? Was there anybody else who came to check the merchandise?"
Hearing that, Jiang Yun furrowed her brows, pondered briefly, and then shook her head:
"None."
"Once Bloodthorn nabbed us, they shoved us into a tiny pitch-black room down in the basement, leaving us totally in the dark about what was happening outside, and we never laid eyes on anyone besides the Bloodthorn crew.
"It was only last night that they sneaked us up to the rooftop terrace to get ready for the handover."
While speaking, a shadow of past terror crossed her features:
"Back then, I overheard that dark-skinned short guy chatting with the man in the mask, mentioning they were getting set to wrap us up and offload us to somebody in the military. It looked like... they planned to ship us off to a lab as test subjects."
"And your personal details?"
Fang Cheng fixed his gaze on her and pressed on:
"Wouldn’t the military keep any files on you?"
"No way, I swear it."
Jiang Yun caught the implication and replied with firm assurance.
Eager to show her honesty, she sat up straight, meeting Fang Cheng’s eyes directly.
"How come?"
Fang Cheng inquired in a low tone.
Jiang Yun’s face grew somber. She shot a quick look at Xu Kuan next to her and only shared her painful story after seeing his supportive nod:
"Because Brother Kuan and I... we’ve both gone through some rough patches in life."
"To sever all links to our old days, we decided to abandon our hometowns, blew through our savings on fresh forged IDs, and settled in East Capital."
"We kept a low profile, sticking to gigs in little factories, crashing in urban slums that skipped ID checks. We avoided mingling with coworkers, scared they’d spot our differences."
Right then, Xu Kuan reached over and squeezed Jiang Yun’s chilled hand firmly.
Jiang Yun gave him a soft smile, a flicker of warm recollection in her gaze:
"Eventually, through a lucky break, Brother Kuan aided me... and that’s when we discovered we were both mutants with unique powers."
"In this strange metropolis, threats hid around every corner. We’d seen mutants get outed and snatched by officials or attacked by fake allies."
"We were fortunate, yet we couldn’t trust a soul, so we stuck together for support, like a pair of rats skulking in the drains, dodging every spotlight, terrified that getting spotted meant doom."
She halted there, her eyes drifting to the kid huddled in the corner:
"Bean’s an orphan without even a proper name."
"There’s no way the Bloodthorn folks could know her origins unless they’re mind readers."
Fang Cheng gave a small nod as he absorbed her words, grasping the full picture.
Things appeared more favorable than he’d hoped.
Bloodthorn snatched mutants to trade as goods with the military, zeroing in on their "mutant" traits instead of actual documented IDs.
Since it’s an underground exchange that shuns daylight, it skips all official channels.
Human trafficking ranks as a grave offense, after all.
The account from this woman rang true, and right now, the military probably wouldn’t track them down here.
For the moment, at least, everyone who’d spotted them—aside from Illuminati folks—whether Bloodthorn mercenaries, military liaisons, or Flying Crane Gang goons, lay dead as doornails.
Wait,
that red-haired foreigner’s still strapped to the surgery slab.
The idea raced through Fang Cheng’s thoughts in a flash, his face staying neutral, before he followed up:
"What are your next steps?"
The question dropped, and the room’s atmosphere thickened again.
Xu Kuan and Jiang Yun shared a look, mirroring the uncertainty and heavy concern in each other’s stares.
Next steps?
After the chaos of last night, they had none left.
"We... have no clue."
Xu Kuan dropped his gaze, his tone rough and parched, fingers digging into his scalp in anguish:
"We can’t return to our old spot, our work’s gone, and heaven knows if we’ll run into scum like Bloodthorn once more... we’re truly lost on where to turn."
Though they’d broken free from the hellhole, this huge world felt devoid of a safe haven for them.
At that point, the Professor, who’d stayed quiet till now, moved ahead and spoke gravely:
"Your identities might not be out yet, but to play it safe, I suggest you remain here for now and avoid heading out."
This made Jiang Yun and Xu Kuan stiffen up right away, a spark of doubt in their glances.
Ignoring their response, the Professor went on with steady reasoning:
"Last night’s clash hit the heart of the city. The uproar was massive, the fallout disastrous, particularly with the armed chopper going down and a full team of elite troops wiped out. It’s a huge embarrassment for the military."
"From what we’ve learned, the military’s locked down every access route in East Capital and launched a citywide dragnet for anyone suspicious."
The Professor stopped, eyeing them both:
"East Capital’s turned into a massive trap. The second you walk out that door, you’re at high risk of getting flagged for oddities and nabbed again."
These weren’t empty warnings.
Jiang Yun and Xu Kuan’s complexions drained to ashen.
Bean huddled tighter, tucking her face into her knees, frozen in place.
As though monsters prowled right beyond the walls.
After some time, Xu Kuan rasped out, his voice cracking slightly:
"So... while we’re here, do we get to move around freely? Can we walk out whenever we want?"