On the road, Sam checked the nurous ’scars’ left on his body by Angel last night.
The enhanced self-healing ability was quite evident now, not only had the hickeys vanished quickly, but even the scratches made by fingernails had disappeared without a trace, and there was a miraculous effect.
That was, the color of the skin showed no difference from the surrounding skin, not looking like it was newly grown.
Sam held the envelope and wasn’t in a hurry to rush over, admiring the scenery along the way, which resembled the scenes that appeared in his dreams.
Everything was as it should be, with no differences.
The farmland nearby, the ditches traversing these fields, and the few acquaintances he encountered on the road. It seed they recognized him as he was now, exchanging brief greetings and reminiscing about past trivial matters.
Of course, they couldn’t help but remark on how handso Sam had grown, making him unforgettable.
It had to be said, Cedarwood felt better to him; although Kuhang was a bustling tropolis with convenient infrastructure and traffic, and could satisfy so higher desires and leisure ti, Sam knew deeply how important it was to feel secure.
Unfortunately, he still had to return because he had school to attend. Otherwise, Alice or Zoe would surely co looking for him here, and then, the situation would only get worse.
Now, with his exceptionally good vision, Sam could see the slope not far away, and there, among the waist of the mountain, a courtyard slightly obscured by countless leaves.
It seed soone was busy with repairs, which must be where he was headed.
Sam easily climbed the sowhat old steps up the slope.
Looking at the workers busily at work in the courtyard, whom he didn’t recognize, he could only politely ask, "Hello, is the owner here right now? I have sothing I need to discuss with her."
There wasn’t a single woman present, just a worker drenched in sweat who glanced at Sam, seemingly in the midst of landscaping the yard. "Seems she went down to buy water... Didn’t you run into her? Then you might have to wait a bit."
It was slightly unfortunate, but Sam didn’t make much of it and thanked the worker.
Then, finding a random spot to sit down in a nearby open area, he aimlessly watched the workers busily at work.
He wasn’t in a hurry to return; there was nothing pressing awaiting him, and besides, it was still early in the day.
About ten minutes later, a figure entered Sam’s line of sight. This figure was tall and graceful.
From this angle, he couldn’t directly see the person’s face since they were facing away from him.
But one could be certain it was a very beautiful and charismatic woman, judging solely by the unique elegance of her standing and walking posture.
Yet, why did she look so familiar? It seed as if he had seen her sowhere before.
When the woman finished distributing the water she had bought to the workers, Sam approached her.
At that mont, the worker who had just explained the situation to Sam pointed in his direction, and the woman paused before turning towards the approaching Sam.
Seeing her face clearly, Sam instinctively stopped in his tracks.
Sam had a hunch before arriving that sothing might be off on this visit, but despite preemptively ruling out many possibilities in his mind, he hadn’t expected to overlook this woman...
As Sam stood there sowhat dazed, she had already approached him, smiling.
"It’s you... I didn’t expect to run into you here, Sam."
Sam smiled back, albeit helplessly: "I didn’t expect that this house belonged to you... Officer."
Indeed, the woman standing before him, tall with a unique charisma, a beautiful face adorned with a hint of valor, was the female police officer he had encountered during Zoe’s rescue.
If he rembered correctly... her na was Aurora.
Aurora smiled, "This house isn’t exactly mine, it’s just... Ah, shall we talk over there?"
Sam had planned to deliver the money and leave, but since he knew the person, it seed he couldn’t just walk away.
He nodded, and they both entered the yard.
The workers outside continued their renovations, while Aurora led Sam to a spot on the house’s front porch, choosing a clean area to sit down.
"The interior isn’t quite sorted yet, so it’s a bit ssy. We’ll have to sit here."
Sam shook his head, "It’s okay... By the way, Officer Aurora, are you... related to soone I know?"
Sam asked directly at this mont.
Aurora smiled at Sam, "Are you referring to Mia?"
Sam nodded.
After a mont of contemplation, Aurora provided an answer, "Yes, I’m Mia’s sister."
Indeed, that connected the dots for Sam. Perhaps Aurora had known all along that he was an employee of Mia’s, which is why she had been so considerate towards him at the police station, sharing many words of concern. How she knew remains unclear, maybe it was ntioned, or perhaps she pays special attention to Mia’s life.
This also explained why, when Sam ntioned he was returning to his hotown, Mia said her hotown was Cedarwood too.
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And then there was that ntion of "that woman."
It seems she was referring to Aurora in front of him, and their relationship appeared to be sowhat strained.
"Surprised?"
Seeing Sam’s expression, Aurora asked with a smile.
Feeling the faint fragrance emanating from the woman beside him, he had a perfect view of her beautiful profile.
Sam diverted his gaze forward, saying, "A little, yes."
Aurora laughed, "It’s nothing, because we’re not actually sisters."
"Ah?"
"How to put it... Well, Mia’s mother remarried my father when Mia was very young, after being in a single-parent family."
Remarried? So they beca sisters, not by blood?
"No wonder you two..." Sam started to say but then stopped himself, seemingly finding it inappropriate to comnt further.
Aurora said nonchalantly, "Thinking our relationship is strained? You noticed."
"Ah... Sorry, it seems out of place for to comnt on this."
Aurora shook her head, "Actually, it’s quite obvious. Mia probably felt out of place since she was young, naturally wary of , especially after... that incident."
"That incident?"
"What? Sam, you seem quite interested in Mia’s matters."
"Not really, it was just a spontaneous question since she’s my boss. Probably your personal matters."
Aurora pondered for a mont, then nodded.
"It is personal, but if you want to know, I can tell you."
"There’s no need... After all, I’m an outsider; these matters don’t concern ."
Aurora squinted at Sam, "Really? Then why do I always see your photos on her social dia?"
Ah... that was even more absurd.
Sam was aware of this. Mia occasionally took photos inside the convenience store, deliberately including Sam, with captions like: "Here’s our handso staff mber~ Looking good as always~" and similar sentints.
Sam had ntioned it to her a few tis, but Mia never took it seriously, and he didn’t know what to make of it.
"Mia is just like that... purely for fun."
"Indeed, in your eyes, she probably always appears lively and cheerful, almost childlike."
Seeing the sowhat profound look on Aurora’s face, as if she was reminiscing about sothing, Sam knew it was best not to continue on this topic and quickly changed the subject.
"Ah, right. I ca here to help my dad with sothing."
"Your dad?"
"Yes, Robert, a well-known bricklayer in Cedarwood. He asked to give this to you."
With that, Sam handed an envelope to Aurora.
After opening the envelope and finding it contained part of the money she had paid, Aurora looked puzzled. "What’s this for?"
Sam smiled, "My dad said this was extra salary you paid him, and he sent to return it to you."
Aurora slightly furrowed her brows.
"This was specifically for your dad. He is indeed the best bricklayer around here, very efficient in his work, diligent and ticulous, completing the task faster than I expected. That’s why I paid him a bit extra, as a thank you for his help. It’s a tip for him, and there’s no need to return it."
Sam shook his head.
"Officer Aurora, you might not fully understand, my dad is just that kind of person. He doesn’t like taking more than what was agreed upon, whatever was negotiated at the start is what he sticks to.
My dad had a bad experience with this sort of thing when he was younger. It was supposed to be a simple favor, he did his best, but in the end, the neighbor claid he took extra money without delivering. Since then, my dad has always made it clear what the deal is and sticks to it, unwilling to take any extra favors. I hope you can understand."
This wasn’t a fabricated story; it was indeed an experience his father had gone through. Though it didn’t seem to have a significant impact later, it left a deep impression on him regarding such matters.
With Sam putting it that way, Aurora seed reluctant to insist further.
"I didn’t expect your dad to be such a person... Then, it’s only natural for him to have such a righteous son."
Righteous?
Was she referring to the incident where he helped Zoe fend off Cael?
Sam smiled. "Sothing like that, it’s our family’s outstanding trait."
Aurora, however, smiled and shook her head, her sharp eyes fixed directly on Sam.
"You’re also excellent. Your dad always brags about how outstanding his son is to others. I hadn’t thought much of it until now, but it seems he was right. You’re not only handso but also behave impeccably. No wonder my sister likes you so much."
Likes? Wasn’t that a strange choice of words?
Sam laughed awkwardly: "Mia is very kind to all of us employees, never making things difficult for us, and I have a lot of respect for her."
Sam used this to clarify that there was no special relationship between him and Mia.
Aurora’s continued scrutiny felt to Sam like being examined by an investigator.
"Mia is beautiful and treats you well, not to ntion the age difference between you two isn’t significant. Don’t you have any other thoughts?"
What kind of question was that?
Sam replied with resignation, "What thoughts could I possibly have? It’s just a part-ti job... At most, we could be considered friends, which is already good."
Aurora nodded thoughtfully, seeming to ponder over sothing. Deciding it was ti to leave, Sam was about to go when Aurora suddenly turned to him.
"About that last incident... From the injuries on that man and the description of the scene, it’s clear you’re physically strong but seem to lack formal combat training, right?"
Why this topic all of a sudden? Sam beca cautious.
"Um... I’ve never learned those skills, nor have I had the ti."
Aurora shook her head.
"No problem, would you like to learn? When you’re back in Kuhang, I can teach you if you have ti. Whether it’s police restraining techniques, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, karate... Moreover, you might not know, but my father is a renowned Kendo master, and I’ve been learning Kendo since I was six."
Teach him?
Kendo, jiu-jitsu, combat, and restraining techniques?
Truth be told, Sam was intrigued.
His attributes had improved a lot, but the system never rewarded him with practical combat skills, which had been a source of frustration.
Mastering such skills would not only help him against the likes of Angel but also in other unforeseen situations or dealing with potential adversaries like Brody.
But Sam knew well there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
So, Aurora’s offer wasn’t out of sheer generosity but had an ulterior motive.
Sam looked at her warily.
"Officer Aurora, we’re not that close, and even with Mia in the picture, our eting was coincidental. You have no reason to do this. Do you want to do sothing for you?"
Aurora smiled at Sam.
"Smart, aren’t you? So, what do you think it is?"
Sam shook his head.
"I don’t know the details, but I’m sure it must involve Mia... I respect her a lot, and I wouldn’t want to do anything that might harm her. So, unfortunately..."
Sam stood up, ready to leave.
But Aurora looked up at the handso Sam.
"What if I told you this is to help her?"
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