Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

It was clear that Ying Ziyao and Zheng Qin were thinking along the same lines.

Xiao Qiao’s attitude towards Huo Wen’an was ambiguous.

Huo Wen’an frowned, gazing at the towering mountains in the north of Bai Ze Island. Perhaps recalling the bleak and dark past of being confined in the Toy Pool during his youth, his demeanor turned sinister and treacherous.

Zheng Qin and Ying Ziyao silently stepped back a bit.

”We were once the best comrades,” Huo Wen’an rubbed his fingers together and continued, ”Comrades who could entrust their backs to each other at any given moment.”

Zheng Qin, having lived through gunfire and bullets, understood better than Ying Ziyao the weight of confidence carried in Huo Wen’an’s words.

That pink-haired man had shared life-and-death experiences with Huo Wen’an; they were comrades who trusted each other and would risk their lives for one another.

Opening his mouth, Zheng Qin felt ashamed of his earlier despicable thoughts. ”I thought...” Thought what, Zheng Qin dared not continue.

Ying Ziyao’s expression also changed slightly; he turned around, squatting on the ground in a daze.

Zheng Qin observed Huo Wen’an’s expression.

It was hard to discern Huo Wen’an’s true thoughts from his expression.

”Pilot, you used to be best comrades, so why is the relationship so strained now?” Zheng Qin couldn’t comprehend; their mode of interaction clearly indicated the Pilot had done something to wrong the other.

The other resented him, blamed him, and every word was directed against him.

But he seemed to hate Huo Wen’an deeply, yet secretly cared for him; otherwise, he would not have warned Huo Wen’an about the risks of taking a loan to buy a car earlier.

Huo Wen’an, however, did not answer again.

Twenty minutes later, the sound of wheels rolling over the ground roared behind the warehouse’s iron door.

The heavy and solemn iron doors quickly opened to both sides, and a pitch-black combat off-road vehicle emerged from the warehouse, screeching to a halt in front of the three.

The car door opened, and Xiao Qiao, with pink hair, jumped out of the car. He kicked the wheel with his black flat-soled combat boots and tossed the car keys to Huo Wen’an. ”The car’s here.”

He handed Huo Wen’an a checklist, ”The weaponry list for the X9 generation new tank off-road vehicle is all in this booklet. Check it, and if there’s no problem, we’ll deliver it.”

Huo Wen’an took the checklist but did not check it, saying, ”I trust your work.”

Xiao Qiao’s expression changed, and he cursed angrily, ”Don’t talk like we know each other well!”

Huo Wen’an gave him a glance, then stylishly opened the driver’s door, ”Zheng Qin, Doctor Ying, get in the car.”

Zheng Qin sat in the front passenger seat, Ying Ziyao braced himself on the car door and sat in the backseat. He hesitated for a moment but honestly buckled his seatbelt securely.

Seeing Huo Wen’an skipping the equipment check, Xiao Qiao pursed his lips and turned to head back to the office building. Suddenly, Huo Wen’an’s voice called from behind: ”Xiao Qiao!”

Xiao Qiao instinctively turned his head, only to see a black object being thrown toward him.

He instinctively reached out and caught it.

The car was already far away.

Xiao Qiao opened his palm to find a round candy wrapper lying there. He unwrapped the candy to reveal a piece of chocolate covered in truffle.

Xiao Qiao was somewhat dazed.

He recalled a night many years ago when a full moon hung high in the sky. They had just survived a fight, sitting on blood-soaked grass. He was starving, his stomach rumbling, so he asked Huo Wen’an, ”099, I’m so hungry. You? I really want to eat mango-flavored nutrient.”

Xiao Qiao was from the slums and had been eating nutrient since he could remember.

Mango-flavored nutrient was his favorite food.

Huo Wen’an was also hungry and exhausted that day. Scenting the blood in the air, he said, ”I really want to eat chocolate, truffle-flavored chocolate.”

He said, ”Once, in the city next door, there was a little girl whose mother spoiled her. Every holiday, she’d stay next door to my home and bring a heap of snacks. One day, she gave me a piece of chocolate, truffle-flavored, which I really liked the taste of.”

Back to back, Huo Wen’an said, ”If we can make it out alive, I want to buy a lot of truffle chocolate.”

Xiao Qiao had heard of chocolate, but it was an imported snack only Super Power Users and wealthy families could afford. He had only seen chocolate exhibition pieces on store counters, never having the chance to taste it.

As for ’truffle’ flavor, he hadn’t even heard of it.

Xiao Qiao said, ”099, if we can make it out alive, let’s earn money together, buy truffle chocolate, eat until we’re full, eat until we’re stuffed!”

”Okay.” At that time, Huo Wen’an was unaware of his true identity and only had a vague understanding of the Toy Pool; he dreamed of surviving and finding his sister.

Once everything settled, he and Xiao Qiao would earn money together, becoming a pair of hard-luck brothers.

Xiao Qiao stared at the round chocolate, hesitated for a long time, then finally unwrapped it, carefully biting off half. He chewed it expressionlessly, swallowed it, then consumed the rest in one bite.

”It wasn’t anything special.”

He snorted, then left.

*

Outside Jile Hall, Jile Town; behind Jile Town, Fallen Demon Street; on Fallen Demon Street, Hell Palace.

Jile Town, Fallen Demon Street, and Hell Palace are the three major forces on Bai Ze Island.

The coastal Jile Town is the financial and trade center of Bai Ze Island.

Jile Hall is the gold sinkhole of Bai Ze Island; nearly all islanders fleeing to the island send their money to Jile Hall. Only Jile Hall can provide what they desire, be it food, medicine, or weapons.

Moving inland from Jile Town, there’s a residential area for islanders called Fallen Demon Street, where those who have successfully landed on the island reside. At the center of Fallen Demon Street stands a tower-like skyscraper known as Yunxiao Hall.

Yunxiao Hall is a comprehensive entertainment building, featuring casinos, bars, clubs, and various clubs, as well as many openly priced men and women.

To the west of Fallen Demon Street stretches a series of towering mountains, with a gymnasium shaped like a blooming lotus hidden in a valley. Hanging at the front of Lotus Building are three black-and-gold characters—

Hell Palace.

Hell Palace opens only on the last night of each month, allowing anyone with a ticket to enter and watch a special hunting competition.

On this night, ’Combat Dolls’ kept in the Toy Pool are ordered to don new combat suits and engage in a heartless hunting activity.

Their bloody fight scenes are captured by overhead monitors and projected seamlessly onto Hell Palace’s arena.

Spectators can place bets on every player who joins in.

This is a game that takes pleasure in taking lives.