Chương 253: Yin Xue's Thoughts

"Your ability—could potentially save those humans who have become highly transformed into beasts?"

Captain A-007 stared intently at the petite girl in front of him, his expression serious as he confirmed again, afraid that he might have misheard her at all.

His voice wasn't loud, but it trembled slightly.

"That's right, but I can't be 100% sure about that." Starfrost nodded frankly.

"Therefore, I hope to first make a small attempt using those bound juvenile Void Beasts."

"If the final verification results are feasible, I plan to do the same thing again on those humans who have been severely transformed into beasts."

She paused, her tone softening yet becoming more serious: "If, as you say, their cure rate is almost zero, and they are destined to die in pain and struggle—then I don't want to give up any chance that might save them, even if doing so carries considerable risk."

After hearing these words, Captain A-007 remained silent for a moment. He looked at the magical girl in front of him, who, despite her petite stature, seemed to carry infinite hope, and finally nodded vigorously.

"Understood, Lady Starfrost. Regardless of the outcome, our Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs will do everything in its power to assist your operation."

He abruptly stood up, put the tactical helmet with the built-in communicator back on his head, and then pressed the communication button on the side to conduct a brief and efficient coordination with headquarters.

He then looked back at the girls and said solemnly, "I have just coordinated with my colleagues in Group B. They will clear the site as quickly as possible to make room for your attempt and will temporarily guide the medical convoy outside."

"If—I mean if—any unexpected situation arises during the treatment, these medical team colleagues will provide emergency treatment to those—the wounded—as soon as possible."

"Okay, thank you for your help," Xing Shuang said with a smile.

"It is the duty of every member of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs to cooperate fully with your operations." Captain A-007 shook his head, and then a rare, slightly relaxed smile appeared on his usually tense and resolute face. He said half-jokingly, "By the way, if you can really successfully cure those humans who have turned into beasts, not to mention the members of other groups, your colleagues in the medical team will definitely treat you like a god."

"After all, they can get away with a lot less overtime pay—which they don't even want."

Xing Shuang was slightly taken aback, then a deep sense of sympathy flashed in her eyes. She understood the weight behind that joke.

Yes, if the established procedures are followed as before, these humans whose bodies have been severely deformed and deemed incurable will eventually be brought back to the Bureau of Extraordinary Events to receive end-of-life care from the medical team members.

Then, it is only natural that they too must watch, again and again, these beings who were once of the same kind, gradually approach the end of their lives amidst endless pain and struggle.

The despair of watching life slip through your fingers and being powerless to stop it must be unbearable, and it cannot be measured by mere "overtime pay".

Seeing Xing Shuang's reaction, Captain A-007 knew that she had understood his unspoken meaning. He silently added in his mind, "So—please, you must succeed, Miss Xing Shuang."

Then he continued, "In short, everyone here has the ability to fly, so you probably don't need me to accompany you."

I will get there first to assist with the cleanup work.

"To minimize unnecessary contact with field staff, please wait here for a moment. Someone will come to notify you as soon as the cleanup is completed."

"Understood. Please also tell everyone that safety comes first and there's no need to rush," Xing Shuang replied considerately.

The captain gave the girls another standard military salute, and then left without lingering.

Instead of driving the special SUV parked nearby, he simply started walking and jogged at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, heading towards the other side of the commercial street.

"Senior Starfrost!"

As soon as she saw the captain leave, Yin Xue couldn't contain herself any longer. She rushed forward, her face full of urgency, her emerald green eyes swirling with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

"Is what you just said true? Can you really heal those people who have been turned into monsters?"

"Just like I said before, I can't be 100% sure about this, so I'll have to try it to find out."

She keenly sensed the drastic change in Yin Xue's emotions, a contradictory mix of hope and fear.

She reached out, wanting to gently stroke the other person's head to comfort them as before, but just as her fingertips were about to touch the silvery-white, smooth, emerald-green hair, the other person seemed to have been burned by something, and suddenly took a step back, subconsciously avoiding her touch.

Xing Shuang's outstretched hand froze awkwardly in mid-air.

She looked at Yin Xue with some confusion and asked softly, "What's wrong? I feel like you seem—a little uneasy?"

"I—I'm fine! I just suddenly wanted to ask!" The expectant expression on Yin Xue's face flashed by, and then she immediately lowered her head and even turned her body away, avoiding looking into the other person's eyes.

Of course, she longed to tell Senior Xing Shuang all of this, to express the pain and guilt she felt deep inside for hurting her kind who had a chance to be saved, and the deep-seated fear of "loss" and "powerlessness" stemming from her past life.

But—no, the pressure on the senior is already immense.

She has to face powerful enemies, think about complex tactics, and now she even has to take on the heavy responsibility of saving those humans who have been severely transformed into beasts—how could I bother her with such trivial matters again?

You should bear the consequences of your own mistakes.

"Yinxue, what exactly happened before?" Seeing that the other party was obviously avoiding the question, Xingshuang realized that there must be a hidden story behind it. Her expression became serious, and she asked, abandoning her previous gentle demeanor.

"Really, it's nothing! I was just asking casually!" Yin Xue forced a smile and shook her head desperately.

"Senior Xingshuang," Xingxian sighed helplessly as she watched the scene unfold, and stepped forward to say, "Let me explain this to you."

"Don't tell!"

Upon seeing that Xingxian was about to "tell on" her, Yinxue immediately became anxious, raising her voice several octaves, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Don't bother your senior with such trivial matters—ah!"

Yin Xue felt her arm suddenly being tightly gripped by a small hand, and the rest of her sentence turned into a cute exclamation.

"Xiao Li? What are you doing! Can't you see—" She turned around angrily, about to question her friend about what was going on, but when she saw the expression on the other person's face, she swallowed back the words she hadn't had a chance to say.

At this moment, Liuli was tightly holding her arm, her beautiful and serene face filled with guilt and sadness.

"Yinxue—" Liuli dared not look directly into the other's eyes, lowered her head slightly, and said in an almost inaudible voice, "Not only was I unable to help you before, but I also held you back—I am really sorry."

"If you tell your senior about this and she comforts you, you'll definitely feel better, right?"

"Of course I know that doing this will cause extra trouble for Senior Xing Shuang, but I have already troubled her so many times before, so I might as well repay her properly later—for this matter as well."

"What comfort? I don't care about what happened before at all! Why should I trouble Senior Xing Shuang because of this?" Yin Xue waved her hands repeatedly, speaking in a flustered tone.

She frequently glanced at Xingxian not far away, a fleeting look of anxiety in her eyes.

"Anyway, Xiao Li, please let me go first!"

Instead of letting go, Liuli tightened her grip on Yinxue. She slowly raised her head, her icy blue eyes already misty with a thin layer of water.

"But—if you really don't care, why are you afraid that Hoshizune will tell Senpai about this?"

"Why did you seem so eager when your senior told you there was a chance to save those people?"

"Why—during our previous conversation, you already admitted—that you also felt very uncomfortable?"

"This—this is—" Faced with Liuli's soul-searching question, Yinxue was speechless for a moment. She pouted slightly, somewhat unconvinced, but could not utter a single word in rebuttal.

"The thought that you had to do something so painful for yourself because you wanted to take care of my indecisiveness, and then had to pretend you didn't care in front of your seniors—"

"I—I will—" As she spoke, Liuli's emotions became somewhat out of control. Her voice trembled with a hint of tears, and she loosened her grip on Yinxue considerably.

It could even be said that those slender hands were merely symbolically placed on the other person's body, and could be easily broken free with just a little force.

"Hey?! Xiao Li, don't cry!"

But at this moment, upon hearing her friend's tearful voice, Yin Xue no longer cared about breaking free from her restraints or stopping Xing Xian on the other side.

She reached out somewhat flusteredly and gently stroked Liuli's soft, short hair, awkwardly trying to comfort her.

"Okay, okay, Xiaoli, what's there to be sad about—please calm down, okay? I'm begging you—" Xiao Li's idea is actually very simple — Just then, Xingxian's cool and calm voice suddenly came from behind the two of them.

Yin Xue's body trembled slightly, and she subconsciously turned her head to look at the other person with an unfriendly expression, like a small animal with its fur standing on end and its claws bared.

Xingxian ignored the wariness and hostility conveyed in the other person's eyes, and continued to speak with a calm expression: "—In this matter, Xiaoli and I are both people who have been taken care of by you, so we have no way, nor the right, to offer you any real comfort in this matter."

Her gaze shifted to Xing Shuang beside her, whose expression now held a hint of understanding.

"Therefore, Senior Xingshuang is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate at this moment."

"Senior Xing Shuang is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate."

Upon hearing the phrase "the most suitable candidate," a figure immediately flashed through Yin Xue's mind.

It wasn't the gentle and reliable senior Xing Shuang in front of me, nor was it the petite and cute "Xiao Ying" who always wanted to be bullied.

Instead, it was—the one she liked and relied on the most—A-Che.

Yes, Senior Starfrost was unaware of her secret as a reborn person. She could not truly understand the deep pain in her heart stemming from her past life, the fear of loss, and the feeling of "powerlessness."

Although "Xiaoying" and "Ache" are essentially the same person, even in that form, she couldn't give herself enough comfort.

Only A-Che, and only A-Che, can give her the greatest sense of security and truly untie the knot in her heart left by the painful experience of her past life.

It's clearly something that could be resolved if I just waited until night, let Xiaoying temporarily transform into A-Che, and then let her hug me for a while and act cute.

Why bother your seniors? Why put extra pressure on them?

Now that she knows about this, if she fails to save those humans who have turned into beasts, not only will her own sadness remain unchanged, but her senior will also feel guilty and remorseful, won't she?

That guy Xingxian is really—

"—Mind your own business." Yin Xue muttered under her breath. She awkwardly turned to the side, crossed one arm in front of her, and grabbed the elbow of the other hand, adopting a resistant posture, refusing to look at the pink figure that was slowly walking towards her.

The next moment, she suddenly felt a small, slender hand gently stroking the top of her head.

"Ugh—I already said it's alright, senior is really something—" Yin Xue muttered softly, but her instantly flushed cheeks and weak tone made her seem utterly unconvincing.

She even honestly adjusted her posture so that Xing Shuang could more easily touch her head.

Seeing the other person's insincere expression, Xingxian gave a soft "humph".

Even though she was willing to temporarily give up her seat next to her senior, and was comfortably enjoying her senior's comfort, she still said such dishonest things.

But then her gaze softened again, and she shook her head with a hint of helplessness.

The other party's behavior was essentially out of concern for Senior Xing Shuang, so what right did I have to blame them?

Well then, let's just let this stubborn guy accept this comfort for now.

As for Yin Xue's reluctance to tell her senior those things, Xing Xian had a vague idea of what was going on. But unlike Yin Xue, she had an almost blind trust in her senior's abilities.

After all, here, apart from the senior herself, probably no one understands the "Star String" concept-level ability, which is practically unfair, better than her.

Since the senior has already thought of this, he can use his abilities to treat those beast-like humans who are almost deemed incurable.

Then she will definitely succeed.

Therefore, Yin Xue's concerns were completely nonexistent from the very beginning.

This unique technique, belonging to the predecessors, exists in the form of "silk thread." Therefore, it can naturally be wrapped and bound like ordinary silk thread, and can also be stitched and cut.

The conceptual level of binding ability means that a single "Star String" is enough to immobilize a nascent Void Beast.

Correspondingly, its cutting ability is, of course, only conceptual.

For example— It can easily sever the "connection" between virtual energy and the human soul.

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