Giving a bottle of water, Noa said, letting out a subtle smile. "Thanks for the help. If not for you, the situation would have turned very grave for us."
Sungjun gave a montary pause as he stared front, not at her but at the holographic screen displayed before him.
Ding!
[An S-rank Ability: mory Extraction is Detected. Would you like to extract it?]
At that notification, Sungjun couldn’t help but respond to her more kindly as he took the bottle, "It is not a problem. I just did what I should do."
[Extraction Process has been started. Ti for completion: 180 seconds]
Needing to keep her busy for 3 minutes, Sungjun stopped his work and went on conversing, starting by stretching his hand. "Alexander. You can call Alex."
Noa was slightly surprised but said. "I’m Noa."
"So, what do you do?" As Sungjun asked her while keeping his eye on the tir on the screen, Noa didn’t bother hiding it, but instead of completely explaining it, she simply said, "You can say I’m a police officer."
Sungjun blinked in surprise at that. He couldn’t help but wonder whether she knew him or sothing. After all, he was a mafia don. But then, reminding himself that no officer would like to introduce themselves as police, especially to his face, he cald himself and asked. "Did you co here with soone?"
Noa shook her head. "No. It’s just ..."
"That’s good." Sungjun nodded and then looked around a bit while saying, "If you don’t mind... can we talk sowhere else. I am actually just in need of an officer."
"You like food?" she asked casually in response, brushing hair out of her face.
"I eat to survive," Sungjun replied, blinking in surprise.
"Great. How about I’ll treat you to lunch then?" she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Consider it a thank-you al. You know, technically, you saved my life. We can talk in a restaurant."
"Sure, not a problem..." He nodded with a smile.
While both of them started walking away, Tianzhu was seen watching them from far away.
Right then, he felt nudging from the side. As he turned, he saw Vera, who had a mischievous smile on her face. "It feels like Uncle’s having a crush on soone."
Tianzhu blankly stared at her and gave a knock on her head. "Shut up. Let’s go."
"Wait..." Vera, however, grabbed his hand and said, "Let’s eat sothing." Tianzhu looked at her and then at Theo. He let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine."
After a while, as Sungjun and Noa walked out of the mall, a system chi rang in Sungjun’s head, receiving a notification that the skill had been extracted successfully.
Once the goal had been accomplished, Sungjun stopped and used an excuse to go to the toilet before rushing back to the mall.
While she waited outside, Sungjun gathered with the remaining two, using their mobile phone service, which was now working due to the disappearance of the dungeon barrier.
Tempest, Umbra, and Sungjun gathered on the first floor of the mall. Both stood before him for further orders.
Sungjun rely took the ergency exit to leave the mall with them and disappeared, leaving a poor Noa there waiting for him for atleast forty-five minutes before she stord away in anger, feeling like he played her a fool.
To improve her mood, she kicked on the accelerator, making her way to Qinghefang Historical Street, which is not far away and known for street food delicacies."
Soon, she found herself at a bustling street food stall in Qinghefang Historical Street. The scent of sizzling oil, sweet and spicy sauces, and freshly made dumplings filled the air.
While she was walking around and enjoying a corn dog, her eyes spotted a familiar-looking family of three.
Vera was seen walking beside Theo and her father, hesitated for a second before finally picking up a grilled skewer of stinky tofu. She took a bite and blinked. "This is... better than I expected," as she admitted, chewing thoughtfully while Theo made a face filled with disgust, not liking the taste. Noa approached them.
With a pat on his shoulder, she attempted to surprise him, but when she touched him, Tianzhu’s reflexes activated on their own. Before he reacted, his hands grabbed her arm, resulting in a sharp hiss escaping her mouth. Just as he turned around, he saw her, and he imdiately freed her. "Ah..."
"Miss Noa?" Vera’s eyes lit in surprise. However, Noa’s face turned ugly as she rubbed her reddened arm. "Seriously, what’s wrong with you? You just assault anyone who tries to call you?"
"I’m sorry..." Tianzhu imdiately bowed, his expression turning awkward. "My body just acted on its own." anwhile, Noa still didn’t look pleased by his excuse. However, before she could speak, Vera criticized him, letting out a scoff, "Uncle, aren’t you a store owner? Why do you have such reflexes?"
As Tianzhu could only apologize to her once again, Noa could only nod.
After a while;
As the group of four walked through the streets, with Vera and Noa quite engaged in conversation, the forr asking the latter all kinds of personal questions, Theo halted his footsteps and stared at them. Just stared for a while. No one turned back to pay attention to him.
Theo wanted to turn around to walk away, but in the end, he slowly moved forward, maintaining a steady distance between the group.
anwhile, Tianzhu chuckled as he took a bite of his own. "I used to eat these all the ti as a kid. After school, before training. Cheap, fast, and filling."
Vera raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Noa leaned in a bit, curious. "Wait... you an like martial arts training or hunter training?"
"Not exactly." Tianzhu shook his head. "I wasn’t a fighter. I trained to beco a baseball player.
Noa nearly choked on her food in surprise. "Athlete? Seriously?" She blinked at him, almost as if trying to figure out if he was joking. "What happened then? Did you retire as a pro? Or..."
Tianzhu sighed softly, interrupting her. "It’s a long story," he said, not offering much more but clearly implying to her not to ask anything.
Vera, sensing the shift in mood, quickly changed the topic. "Umm... Noa, when are you going back to Edo?"
Noa blinked at the sudden shift. "Tonight."
Vera seed to grow more curious. "Do you co to Hangzhou often?"
Noa took a mont before answering, "Hmm... Not really. This is just a one-ti visit. But I frequently visit Lin’an (Southern Wu’s capital city)." Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "But lately, I’m thinking of moving to Cheongju in the Goryeo Islands. My mother lives there with my grandparents after her separation from my father. I guess once I shift there, I will be leaving the field and confined to an office. Then, I guess I might not co here."
Vera’s eyes widened at the ntion of family. "Eh? Why did your parents separate?"
Noa hesitated, the question catching her off guard. It wasn’t sothing she often spoke about.
Just as she was about to respond, Tianzhu raised his voice, his tone stern. "Vera, it’s not polite to ask that." He turned to Noa, his expression apologetic. "I’m sorry."
Noa smiled softly, her gaze kind. "It’s alright," she said, waving it off. Then, she glanced back at Vera. "In the adult world of relationships, separations happen for many reasons. Sotis, it’s complicated, even for the children who have seen their parents up close. So things are just difficult to explain."
Vera tilted her head, digesting Noa’s answer. Then, after a while, she glanced between the two adults beside her.
"And what about you, Miss Noa?" she asked, her tone lighter now, clearly trying to shift the mood. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Noa blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. She awkwardly smiled. "Hmm... No." She paused before adding, "It’s been a few years since I dated anyone."
Vera’s curiosity was piqued. "So, what’s your ideal type then?"
Noa thought for a mont, a slight frown appearing on her face as she tried to gather her thoughts. "Hmm... I don’t know. Never really thought about it much, actually..."
"What about my uncle, then?" Vera suddenly interjected, pointing at Tianzhu with a teasing grin.
Tianzhu nearly spat out his food in surprise, his eyes widening. "Vera..."
Vera continued. "He’s handso, young, and quite successful. He’s sotis a little too caring, though... and a bit stingy."
Tianzhu’s face darkened slightly, and his voice turned a bit serious. "Okay, Vera, that’s enough." His tone was firm, and Vera flinched slightly, her eyes flickering to her father’s expression.
Seeing the change in his deanor, Vera imdiately apologized. "Sorry, Miss Noa. I guess that was too insensitive of ." She then let out a quiet sigh, realizing she had gone a little too far. "I was just frustrated, you know? I hate seeing my uncle all alone while everyone else around seems so happy."
Noa, already taken aback by the question, softened and offered a forced smile. "It’s okay," she said, though her tone was a little awkward. She glanced at Tianzhu and, for a mont, seed to hesitate. "I... uh... think it’s best if adult matters stay in the adult world," she said, a touch of awkwardness creeping into her voice.
She then looked at Tianzhu with a slightly more playful tone. "As for your uncle, Vera, like you said, he’s handso, young, successful... and strong. So, as long as he’s interested, he’ll find soone sooner or later."
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