Since she had been an unregistered resident from beginning to end, moving into the city was temporarily out of the question.
She simply rented a small, two-story house in a small village in the Outer Ring as a place to settle down.
Afterward, she ran back to the Hollow to dig up all her treasures, and incidentally plundered some ornaments from the rich district.
When Yao Ji, holding Cui Ji, walked into the village, their beautiful faces attracted quite a few gazes from the small village at the time.
About a day or two later, Cui Ji, having adapted to her prosthetic limbs, obediently followed behind Yao Ji.
Her personal tragic experiences had made her understand the importance of reading expressions at all times.
Yao Ji turned her head, revealing what she thought was an exceptionally sunny smile, and said to Cui Ji, "I saved you, so how will you repay me?"
"..." Cui Ji seemed to have made some kind of decision, "I have a way to replicate the Silver Army; every living person replicated can be used as a weapon..."
"Bang!" Yao Ji flicked Cui Ji’s head hard, and a large bump the size of a fist instantly appeared, making Cui Ji teary-eyed, but she immediately stopped crying.
Because she saw that Yao Ji’s originally amiable smile had completely frozen, the black mist behind her had condensed into a phantom, and various red lights burst forth around her body.
"Let me see your true value, thank you." At this moment, Yao Ji’s smile had become a forced, insincere grin, making her look like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Then, Cui Ji felt her head grabbed by a hand, and facing her was still Yao Ji’s same forced, insincere smile.
Cui Ji was so scared that her eyes nearly popped out, letting out a scream of "Ah," and immediately knelt on the ground.
Cui Ji: Who could imagine a woman as fierce as an Asura looking at you with such an expression? And you even witnessed her chop the military tactical units of Ida into atoms, and turn a beast into several pieces!
Yao Ji covered her head, feeling a headache, as Cui Ji’s mind had become extremely twisted.
The correction process would be a long course of treatment.
She tried to calm herself down, then spoke to Cui Ji again in a calm tone: "Calm down, I am fundamentally different from those people in the black market; first of all, I am not a pervert."
"!! Actually, there’s no need to replicate living people; just tissue culture can produce enough tissue cells for organ transplantation! But this method requires customization." Cui Ji was clearly frightened, her voice full of panic, but at least the proposed solution was practical.
Cell tissue and cloning technology are not ethical.
To be precise, only somatic cells are needed.
Yao Ji’s subsequent questions to Cui Ji confirmed this statement; accurately speaking, only the somatic cell nucleus was needed.
What Cui Ji wanted was DNA.
"I have a question, how do you know about these technologies?" Yao Ji asked with interest.
"I’m not good at fighting, so I prefer to read technology-related books.
At that time... the Silver Army didn't restrict our reading, so I taught myself the relevant technologies..." Cui Ji’s voice grew softer and softer; it was clear she didn't want to continue.
"Good value, but that's not important." Yao Ji saw Cui Ji’s body visibly tremble, then cupped Cui Ji’s face with both hands, "Let go of your heavy past, seize the opportunity to embrace tomorrow.
This is your most important value right now."
Cui Ji’s body visibly trembled, and she looked up and asked, "Why?"
Yao Ji saw Cui Ji look up like that, staring blankly at her with wide eyes, looking very silly and cute, so she mischievously leaned close to the girl’s ear, gently blew, and said, "Because you're so cute!"
Cui Ji’s body froze for a moment; Yao Ji noticed a slight tremor, but more so a struggle.
It seemed Cui Ji was recalling something.
Yao Ji wondered if she had said something wrong?
After thinking for a moment about the reasons Cui Ji had been repeatedly traded... "..."
Yao Ji: I am guilty, I deserve to die.
After a while, Cui Ji stopped struggling, and a look of determination appeared in her eyes.
Only then did Yao Ji relax.
Honestly, just a moment ago, Yao Ji had considered whether to tell Cui Ji that Anbi and Number 11, Xia Lin, were alive?
But then she shook her head.
From the plot, Anbi’s emotional intelligence was like zero, and Number 11’s emotional intelligence was negative.
Their minds were much simpler than her own; they eliminated evil and promoted good, completely unaware of what gray was.
She had been a depressive patient since childhood, and she had overcome it without medication, so she had some experience in psychological counseling.
Moreover, the most important thing was, what use would a talent like Cui Ji be to someone like Nicole?
It would be better to keep her for herself!
Did the Cunning Rabbit House need some engineering genius?
"Cui Ji, you don't need to worry about anything else right now; first, step out of your past shadows!" Yao Ji placed her hand on Cui Ji’s shoulder and said gently, "If you insist on asking me why I saved you?
Everyone has a heart that cannot bear to see others suffer."
"Without a heart of compassion, one is not human, but a beast." Yao Ji silently complained internally.
She had to admit, a sage was a sage, convincing people with reason, and the Analects reigned supreme.
A complex, indescribable emotion flashed across Cui Ji’s face, but it ultimately settled into her determined gaze.
She nodded heavily, also bidding farewell to that heavy past.
"In this world, there are also good people like the captain..." Cui Ji comforted herself internally.
But honestly, the Outer Ring was indeed poor.
Last time she went to a store to buy roasted meat, she found insect legs in the meat.
The simple wooden chairs felt like they would break with a little force.
Daily necessities were even more makeshift; she could only make do with them.
However, she and Cui Ji didn't care; Cui Ji was used to hardship, and she had grown up watching survival in the wild, knowing that protein was six times that of beef.
About a week later, Cui Ji was no different from a normal girl.
Her daily life consisted of reading and writing a pile of high-level knowledge that even she wasn't particularly eager to understand.
When she was free, Cui Ji would play with the phone she had given her, and then bully the Demon Lord when she wasn't around.
Initially, she would go out to buy supplies herself, and sometimes, since the goods were directly in the village, she didn't bring a knife.
Upon returning, the Demon Lord would always hide behind her, looking at the feigning-cute Cui Ji with the gaze one would use for tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves.
After a period of fully adapting to her limbs, she also took on the task of going out to buy food and daily necessities.
"Don't cause trouble when you go out, but don't be afraid to offend people either." This was Yao Ji’s only instruction to Cui Ji.
Yao Ji was also calculating that it was almost time for her to start the next step of her plan—finding the protagonist and the main storyline.
Although she wasn't stupid, the changes in her body had forced her to give up some activities that would increase her lower intelligence limit.
But currently, she didn't particularly understand this world, and Cui Ji had the psychological age of a child, even worse than herself in terms of world perception.
Following the main storyline was undoubtedly the safest approach.
"By the way, why hasn't Cui Ji returned after being out for so long today? There couldn't be robbers, could there?" Yao Ji looked at the clock on the wall; four whole hours had passed.
Even the farthest market only took an hour to return from.
"?? Cui Ji's body is reinforced with high-end prosthetics, even a whole level stronger than her original combat power.
Even general calamity-level Eihai might not be able to defeat Cui Ji, so nothing bad should have happened, right?"
Still uneasy, she took her knife and went out, casually putting on a grey cloak she had picked up from who-knows-where, looking like a dusty traveler.
She followed the route to the market.
What?
Slow exploration?
Try exploring at 200 km/h.
She sped along, charging recklessly, and finally found a group of Motorcycle Gang members and Cui Ji on the way back.
The two sides were indeed fighting, but Yao Ji was puzzled.
She and the Motorcycle Gang had no past grudges or recent animosity, so why were they fighting?
Cui Ji didn't seem like the type to cause trouble.
On the other side, from Cui Ji’s perspective, the battle wasn't particularly intense; Cui Ji seemed to be handling the encirclement with ease.
The riders’ attack methods were nothing more than the same old tricks.
Cui Ji didn't flinch from close-range attacks.
She directly blocked large knives and the like with her bare hands, often resulting in the opponent's knife breaking.
With a punch, the helmets worn by the attacking riders were basically unsalvageable, and the people inside would safely pass out.
She could randomly catch bullets from long-range attacks with her bare hands, then, to the opponent's astonishment, raise a four-barreled cannon on the back of her hand, sending the opponent flying for a sky-high experience.
Hmm, Cui Ji was evolving in the direction of Iron Man, or perhaps Cyborg?
A small mountain of Motorcycle Gang members had already fallen nearby, and on the other side were their scrapped motorcycles.
A wolf-like person, seemingly their leader, was swaying, struggling to stand up.
"You’re called Morse, right?" Cui Ji expressionlessly caught the opponent's bullet with her bare hand and tossed it aside, "I have no intention of provoking conflict, but please don't make things difficult for me."
Morse was sweating profusely at this point.
This time, he was ordered by Lucius to contact the TOPS Conglomerate in the city, and coincidentally ran into Cui Ji on her way home.
Cui Ji initially pretended not to see them and took a detour.
But as she walked, she realized something was wrong.
She checked the infrared sensing system on her right hand and found many red dots monitoring her from behind.
No matter how she detoured or took difficult paths, these guys, like immortal cockroaches, clung tightly behind her.
Eventually, Cui Ji couldn't take it anymore.
She first placed the purchased supplies in a ravine, then confronted these trackers.
Then came the scene just now.
These Motorcycle Gang members, to put it plainly, were just ordinary people with slightly stronger abilities, and they were no match for Cui Ji, who came from the Silver Army and had been buffed and strengthened.
No matter how many people came, they were just cannon fodder.
Cui Ji's buff enhancement basically eliminated the fatigue debuff; she fought for an hour straight without getting tired, making Morse sweat profusely and forcing him to enter the fray himself.
But when he entered the fray himself, he realized he was the biggest clown.
No matter what attack, it would be blocked by the opponent.
Every bullet he fired would be caught or directly deflected by the opponent.
In close combat, Cui Ji even grabbed his tail and smashed him against a nearby rock seventy or eighty times, almost knocking his soul out of him.
If Cui Ji hadn't deliberately misfired her portable missile in the last hit, Morse might have truly only been able to report to the King of Hell.
When Yao Ji arrived at the battlefield, to be honest, the fight wasn't over yet.
Morse was being used as a handy weapon to smash against rocks, his entire face bruised and swollen.
It had to be said that the Greeks were not only strong in Aether adaptability but also incredibly resilient!
Before Yao Ji could even make an appearance, a round of applause came from afar.
A young man wearing a black cotton jacket with bangs covering one eye appeared in her and Cui Ji’s line of sight.
Yao Ji mobilized her brain cells, recalled for a moment, and remembered that this was the discarded boss from the Inferno Ride plot.
Yes, the traitorous Crown Prince, Lucius.
Lucius clapped his hands as he walked over, saying in an extremely annoying tone, "You really are extraordinarily skilled; so many people have been taken down by you."
Cui Ji remained expressionless, saying in a cold, emotionless voice, "I don't want to get involved in your mess.
Let me leave, and we'll be even."
Lucius smiled and said, "These are my subordinates; they are impolite and offended the young lady.
As an apology, I naturally want to present the young lady with some gifts."
Lucius gestured, and a pair of exquisite silver earrings were brought over by his subordinate.
He maintained that annoying smile and said, "Young lady, these are luxury items from the city; what do you think?"
Cui Ji looked at the ornament.
Indeed, it was a high-end product, only used by the nobles of TOPS, basically their exclusive item.
Don't ask me, a doll, how I know this!
Lucius sent someone over, carrying the gift, and carefully placed it in front of Cui Ji.
Cui Ji picked up the ornament.
After a second look, she discovered the trick within it: there was a tracker inside.
Cui Ji already had a deep hatred for such products, and the hand holding the earring unconsciously tightened, deforming the earring.
"Don't be so violent and reckless." At this moment, Yao Ji appeared, wearing her cloak, and grasped Cui Ji’s hand, signaling her not to act impulsively, "Lucius, the Crown Prince of the Triumphant, I didn't expect him to be so polite."
As she spoke, Yao Ji casually tossed the subordinate in front of her into the pile of people Cui Ji had knocked down.
"We appreciate your kindness, but you can leave now." Yao Ji’s voice was also filled with coldness, and Lucius’s face instantly turned ugly.
Yao Ji couldn't help but inwardly disdain Lucius: asking for help with such a rotten attitude?
His IQ was probably only 25.
"Then we'll see."
"Haha, let's each display our unique abilities, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea!"
After a war of words, the two went their separate ways.
Yao Ji casually pulled Cui Ji, taking the daily necessities she had bought at the market, and the two returned to their small house.
Before returning to the small house, Cui Ji had placed the pair of silver earrings into a large pit quite far from the village.
According to Cui Ji, she hoped to bury millions of TNT in that pit.
After doing this, Cui Ji felt much more relieved.
The moment she pushed open the door, she couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort.
Yao Ji, watching this scene from the side, nodded; the initial psychological healing was complete.
A wounded heart needs something to lean on.
Home is the greatest reliance.
As the saying goes, a thatched hut with earthen steps, a wattle gate, a humble door, a snail shell, a thorny fence.
Welcome home, Cui Ji.
