Chapter 15: 14 Gao Si Zhun

While Nishijo and Yamanaka Kishida patrolled the skies in two Hien aircraft searching for the Zuluks, Qi Ming and Kei knocked on the village chief’s door.

“Ah, brave members of the Victory Team—thank you for eliminating the monster…” The chief began offering polite pleasantries, but fell silent the moment he saw the small girl behind them.

Qi Ming asked Kei to stay outside with Xiao Xue, then pulled the chief inside for a private word.

“The Witch has not been eliminated—conditions could reverse at any moment.” He startled the chief with this blunt statement.

This young man wore the Victory Team uniform and carried himself with dignity—he wouldn’t joke about something like this.

Qi Ming: “The Witch still lurks in the snowy mountains. If Xiao Xue is bullied, it will emerge again to seek justice for the child.”

The chief: “Those delinquents died so horribly—who wouldn’t be afraid? Who would dare provoke her?”

Qi Ming: “Don’t underestimate human diversity. There are always fools who court death—and drag others into danger with them.”

The experienced chief pondered and found this logical—if villagers shunned Xiao Xue out of fear, wouldn’t the Witch count that as bullying too?

If it causes chaos every few days, how can this village possibly function?

The chief begged the Victory Team to return to the snowy mountains, find the Witch, and destroy it once and for all.

“I feel sorry for Xiao Xue, but since the Witch appeared, tourists have dropped sharply. From the village’s development perspective, sympathy alone isn’t enough,” the chief said.

Qi Ming offered a new idea: “For a tourist attraction, natural scenery matters—but so does human storytelling. A mother who became a spirit to protect her daughter after death—what a moving tale. And the protagonist is right before us. With a little polish, it could draw crowds.”

The chief was tempted, but still felt the risk was too great.

The villagers would never truly accept Xiao Xue—and given time, even a small misstep could spark disaster.

“The train of thought runs free, but we can guide it along tracks we lay ourselves.” Qi Ming stood, placed a hand on the chief’s left shoulder, and fired off a series of questions:

“Chief, do you consider Xiao Xue and the Witch unstable elements?”

“Of course.”

“Do you fear that one careless move might land you in the same fate as those five delinquents?”

“It’s possible.”

“Does the presence of a ‘different’ person like Xiao Xue make you uneasy—even afraid?”

“A little, yes.”

“Do you believe Xiao Xue’s existence harms the village with no benefit?”

“I suppose so…”

“Of course you’ll say ‘yes’—because once you affirm the earlier points, you can’t logically deny this final, ‘natural’ conclusion.”

Qi Ming placed his other hand on the chief’s right shoulder:

“Chief, has Xiao Xue ever done anything harmful of her own accord?”

“No, she’s always been quiet and well-behaved.”

“Do you consider the deaths of those five delinquents as ‘ridding the village of evil’?”

“That’s true—we won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

“In today’s chaotic world, do you think having a girl protected by a monster might mean the village gains protection when other dangers arise?”

“That’s true.”

“Do you now believe Xiao Xue’s presence benefits the village?”

The chief stared, dumbfounded: “Yes, you’re…”

Qi Ming clapped his hands: “Plant an impression first, then guide them toward the viewpoint you’ve pre-set. Use this method on other villagers—they’ll come to see it themselves.”

The chief thought for a moment, then his eyes lit with admiration: “No wonder everyone says the Victory Team is made of the elite among elites. Today I see it’s true.”

Qi Ming waved it off: “Not quite. So far, apart from Kei and me, everyone else seems to have some serious mental issues.”

“Thump…” A soft sound came from the door.

The chief became more convinced that Qi Ming’s plan could turn something bad into something good. “If only a reporter could help promote this,” he said. “It’s a shame that young man, Ji Shi Zhun, is gone.”

Qi Ming froze: “Gao Si Zhun? That war correspondent?”

The second-generation Nexus bearer?

The chief nodded vigorously:

“Yes, yes—that’s him! I didn’t expect you’d know him too.”

“He stayed here for a while, investigating the snowy mountains and Fog-Blowing Mountain, then went to war zones and lost contact.”

“You used to be able to find his reports online, but now searching his name turns up nothing—probably taken down due to copyright issues.”

Used to be visible, now nothing… no wonder I couldn’t find any information.

…………………………

“Please keep a close eye on Xiao Xue.”

“No problem. From now on, I’m Xiao Xue’s guardian—I’ll take care of her.”

After bidding farewell to Xiao Xue and the chief and walking some distance, Kei couldn’t help speaking: “Qi Ming, I heard everything you just said.”

The muffled thump at the door was her reaction to overhearing “everyone else seems to have some serious mental issues.”

Qi Ming: “What do you think?”

Kei thought a moment: “The villagers will probably accept Xiao Xue now… because of the benefits.”

Qi Ming: “What else do you expect them to care about? Love? None of them are her family.”

Kei looked down at her toes: “I suppose…”

Qi Ming: “Kei, I need your help.”

“What kind of help?” Kei tensed—was he planning to form an alliance against Yamada Kishida?

Qi Ming: “You’re good at gathering intelligence. Can you dig deep into the background of ‘Gao Si Zhun’? If you can find his current location, even better.”

Kei exhaled in relief—no problem—but she asked curiously: What’s so special about this war correspondent?

Qi Ming: “You know Yamada and Kishida’s situation. If we can replace them with Gao Si Zhun, I’ll have a lot less trouble.”

Kei stayed silent—Yamada and Kishida were her seniors; this was a topic she couldn’t touch.

“Also keep an eye out for a few other names… No, focus on Gao Si Zhun for now.”

Qi Ming had wanted to hand her a list: Zhenjiao Dagu, Gao Shan Womeng, Chunye Wuzang… but decided to proceed step by step.

From his conversation with the chief, Qi Ming was certain—the man he described, righteous and ambitious, who grew weary of probing desires and turned to the battlefield, was Gao Si Zhun.

In this world of chaos, true justice still exists—only buried beneath something.

With careful digging, there must be great rewards.

But who is suppressing it all? And how was this fused world created?

(End of Chapter)