The same went for the other cats led by the little white one—they had all united and taken up positions beside Zane, ready to face the incoming "enemy."
"Hey! Wait a sec!"
The cat on the side reached out, trying to stop them, but the others misunderstood, thinking she was about to attack the other groups. In an instant, chaos broke out.
The Tanuki House descended into utter mayhem. Cats dashed around wildly, meows filled the air—it was complete pandemonium.
A passerby glanced inside the cat café and saw only a bunch of cats chasing one another. They couldn't help but wonder:
Isn't this just a cat café? Why does it sound like a warzone in there...
...
That afternoon, Zane went to the Public Security Bureau to find Qingyi and resumed his daily training. In the evening, he spent some time at the video store before heading back to the Tanuki House.
The next morning, as usual, the recently idle cats arrived on time and hung around the Tanuki House.
And of course, Soldier 11—the "daily instance"—showed up right on schedule. For reasons unknown, even after being defeated by Zane again and again, she just kept coming back.
Day three, day four, day five... the days went by with no changes. Zane's routine remained the same.
Simple, but satisfying.
And the daily instance was just one part of that routine.
For some reason, those lurking in the shadows had quieted down and hadn't stirred up any trouble. Perhaps it had something to do with Zane having too much free time—so much so that even the "Firepickers" had vanished recently.
Half a month passed in a blink.
With Soldier 11 showing up like clockwork every day, Zane finally lost his patience.
...
"Can I just admit defeat already? Fighting you is seriously boring, okay? It's nothing but fire blades every single time. You could at least try making an ice blade or something…"
Zane stared at Soldier 11, who was once again drawing her blade, a black line forming on his forehead. He had to admit, she was the first opponent to make him want to surrender.
Even against Nineveh, he had only acknowledged her victory—never actually conceded defeat.
He'd fought Soldier 11 more than ten times. If they were spaced out, it might've been tolerable. But she came every single day like she was glued to him. Was this ever going to end?
Soldier 11 bit her lip at his words, unsure how to respond.
It's not like she didn't want to use ice or lightning blades—she just couldn't. Unlike Zane, she couldn't freely control elemental energy...
"Alright, fine, you win. Keep the goggles. That way, you won't have to burn through your Defense Army salary just to keep replacing them."
Zane waved her off and turned to leave, but a hand suddenly reached out and tugged on his shirt from behind.
He stopped, clenched his fist, and forced himself to hold back. He wasn't going to let Soldier 11 get her way so easily.
"What do you want?"
He turned around and asked coldly.
Soldier 11 met his gaze for a moment, then lowered her head, still clutching his shirt tightly. After a brief silence, she softly said,
"Don't go…"
Her voice was so faint that Zane almost missed it.
"What did you say?"
Her eyes flickered slightly as she recalled what her teammates had said during her latest assessment:
"Soldier 11, compared to a month ago, your Ether compatibility has improved by 17%, reaction speed by 12%, offensive stats by 15%, damage resistance by 26%, decision-making by 12%, and overall combat proficiency by 18%…"
"In total, your combat ability has increased by 19%. That's an explosive leap. You're almost back to where you were when you first entered the Obol Squad for advanced training…"
"Right now, most of your comrades are improving very slowly, but you're the exception. It's unbelievable. If you have time, you should share your experiences with the others…"
Snapping back to the present, Soldier 11 looked up with determination and said earnestly,
"Don't go. Stay with me."
She knew this kind of opportunity might never come again. No one could easily give up such incredible growth.
And she had her own goals—she needed strength.
"Why should I?"
Zane didn't get what was going through her head. He thought she was acting weird and didn't feel like humoring her. He had more loot than he knew what to do with—he could probably start a stall just selling goggles. What was the point in fighting anymore?
At this point, only Hoshimi Miyabi really caught his interest, and Qingyi was still miles ahead of him in skill.
What did Soldier 11 have to offer?
"I…"
Her hand loosened slightly. Yeah... why should he?
He'd been merciful enough, sparing her from serious harm every time. That was more kindness than most would get.
What right did she have to ask this of him?
She let go, a look of disappointment on her face as she lowered her head, lost in thought.
But just seconds later, she could still see Zane standing there in her peripheral vision. She looked up—he hadn't left.
"Why are you still here…"
Zane raised an eyebrow at her question.
Was she really as clueless as Hoshimi Miyabi? Wasn't it obvious why he hadn't left?
They'd fought so many times, he'd hinted over and over... and her mind was still stuck on battle?
He had actually wanted to use this as an excuse to pressure her a bit. But now he realized—she wasn't resisting because she disagreed. She just didn't get it at all...
Yeah, it was boring. Yeah, it was a waste of time. But if there was enough benefit, he didn't mind sparing ten minutes for a quick match.
Seeing that Zane hadn't moved, Soldier 11 felt a new wave of hope. She took off her goggles, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes to show her sincerity.
"Will you stay and keep me company?"
"If you have any conditions, just say them. I'll try my best to meet them…"
Her eyes were filled with honesty. Even if it meant being used as a punching bag, she was willing.
Just then, Trigger, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally stepped out and spoke up.
"Zane, we can provide you with Defense Army intel about yourself. That's valuable enough, isn't it?"
"You should know how high our information access is as members of the Obol Squad."
Zane gave a small smile.
Finally, that's what he wanted to hear. Took them long enough.
It was obvious Soldier 11's teammates hadn't told her anything. If he hadn't pushed today...
"So you're betraying the Defense Army now? How do you expect me to trust you?"
Trigger replied immediately,
"Don't worry. While we're technically part of the Defense Army, the Defense Army is the Defense Army. The Staff Army is the Staff Army."