Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

"Feixue, I won't let you off easy today." A head of fiery red hair leaped into the air as its owner bounced around.

"I think I heard that kind of boast yesterday too." The purple-haired woman flipped over and stepped onto the ring, lowering her center of gravity slightly to find her familiar position.

"Begin!" Outside the arena, the hunters spontaneously formed a referee team.

"Take this!" Erica launched the first attack without any intention of testing the waters. With a swift forward slide, her left jab shot straight at Feixue's face like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, creating a slight whistling sound.

As Feixue tilted her head to the right, her fist grazed her earlobe. Almost simultaneously, Erica twisted her waist and hips, and her right hook, carrying the full force of her body, slammed into Feixue's ribs.

boom!

With a muffled thud, Feixue blocked the blow with the outside of her forearm and elbow, but the force transmitted through her made her entire arm go numb. Erica's punch was heavy, carrying her usual explosive power that seemed to burn everything.

"Not bad reaction!" Before Erica finished speaking, her combined offensive had already begun. Straight punches, hooks, and low kicks with tricky angles were all delivered in a continuous barrage of attacks, as fierce and direct as a summer downpour.

Feixue retreated step by step, sometimes blocking, sometimes gliding lightly to dodge, her shoes making short, squeaking sounds as they rubbed together. Until her heels touched the taut ropes behind her.

Erica's eyes flashed with excitement at seizing an opportunity. She lowered her shoulder, gathered her strength, and unleashed a powerful, unadorned rear punch, like a cannonball, towards Feixue's jaw.

In the nick of time, Feixue didn't try to create space. Instead, she suddenly exerted force from her core, her upper body snapping as she leaned back violently. Erica's powerful punch, carrying a gust of wind, whistled past just centimeters above her nose. The slight imbalance caused by the excessive force occurred simultaneously in both of them.

Taking advantage of this slight opening, Feixue used the momentum of leaning back to spring her left leg upward like a taut bowstring being released, the instep of her foot drawing a clean and crisp arc.

Snapped!

The side of her toe lightly touched the edge of Erica's chin, the force controlled with extreme precision. It was merely a clear warning signal, not a real exertion of force, but it was enough to halt Sofia's surging offensive.

The outcome is decided.

"Feixue, you won again." Ran Bing walked over to Feixue, who had just come down from the arena, and patted Feixue's shoulder with her small hand.

"I was careless this time. She won't be so lucky next time." Erica followed on the other side of Feixue, who was sandwiched in the middle.

"You always rush in too aggressively, which naturally makes you more vulnerable." Feixue's voice came through the mask, carrying a hint of helplessness but no blame.

Erica pouted, immediately putting on a tearful, utterly devastated expression: "Feixue! How could you say that to me! It hurts me so much!"

Feixue was already immune to her performance. Not only was she unmoved, she turned her head, reached out her hands, and precisely pinched Erica's cute, chubby cheeks, gently rubbing them: "I just love seeing you sad. It's especially cute."

A very soft, breathy laugh faintly came from under the mask. Although her true expression could not be seen, one could still sense the girl's gentle smile beneath the mask.

"I want to pinch her too! I want to pinch her too!" Ran Bing also got excited and grinned as she stretched out a finger to join in teasing Erica, gently poking her other cheek.

"Ouch! You guys! You're just rubbing, why are you using so much force!" Erica winced in pain, finally breaking free from their clutches. She quickly covered her slightly reddened cheeks with both hands, rubbing them again, and muttered, "You guys are pinching my face so hard it's going to swell up..."

The three walked side by side toward the cafeteria, the atmosphere relaxed. Just as they reached the cafeteria entrance, Ran Bing spotted something with her sharp eyes, and immediately, like a little bird returning to its nest, she said, "I'm going first!" and ran off happily.

Feixue and Erica looked in the direction she ran and sure enough saw Captain Mark's tall figure. Ran Bing jogged over and naturally stood next to Mark. The two talked in hushed tones, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

"Ran Bing and Captain Mark are always inseparable," Erica remarked. "Is this what they call childhood sweethearts in the old world?"

"Then we're all childhood sweethearts," Feixue said.

All the upper-class citizens grew up in the Gongzi Education System from birth, but Feixue and Erica were a few years younger than Mark and Ranbing, and were not in the same grade.

He wasn't familiar with Mark and the others before joining the Hunters. Although they have a good relationship now, it hasn't reached the level he had with Ran Bing.

Feixue suddenly felt that it would be better if things were still in the old world. Even though the disaster had already broken out, Captain Mark and Lieutenant Ranbing could at least be together without any worries.

Feixue only dared to keep these words to herself. If the people from the Law Institute heard them, even if they wouldn't torture her because she was a hunter and an important fighting force for the Lighthouse, they would definitely put her in solitary confinement.

"Yeah, right." Erica nodded, pulled Feixue to the cafeteria window, and they each ordered two hamburgers.

The hamburgers here are neither cheap nor expensive; they have carbohydrates, meat, and vegetables, making them the most cost-effective set meal in this cafeteria.

Finding an empty table and sitting down, Erica took a big bite of her hamburger, her cheeks bulging, and asked indistinctly, "Feixue, you seem to be in a better mood lately? You seemed a bit down lately, and you were even quieter. What's wrong?"

Feixue paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the hamburger, then continued as if nothing had happened, her voice calm and even behind the mask: "Maybe... I wasn't feeling well during my period earlier."

"Really?" Erica stopped chewing suspiciously, staring intently at the profile of Feixue's mask, trying to find some flaw in the cold metal surface. They had grown up together since childhood, and even when Feixue was menstruating, she had never acted like this before... with a heavy heart.

Come to think of it, were those days really Feixue's period? Erica thought to herself, somewhat unsure.

Feixue didn't reply to her, not daring to tell her the real reason. Did she expect me to say that I didn't know who saved me during the last mission, and that I suspected there were actually people on the ground?

But this idea was too shocking, so she kept it to herself, yet she couldn't help but wonder if there were any people on the ground, and if so, how they survived.

Erica saw that Feixue didn't reply, so she didn't press the matter. Feixue was always like this; rather than being aloof, she was more like being sullen.

Just when Erica thought the conversation was over, Feixue suddenly spoke in a low voice, asking a question that caught Erica completely off guard:

"Erica, do you think... there are still people on the ground now?"

Erica was stunned, forgetting to swallow the hamburger in her mouth. How did the topic jump to this?

But she still quickly finished chewing, and subconsciously, almost instinctively, gave the answer according to the Lighthouse's teachings: "How is that possible... The Lighthouse hasn't received any signals from survivors on the ground for almost twenty years. The ground is full of Devouring Beasts, and the environment is so harsh... How could anyone possibly survive?"

Erica's matter-of-fact answer was like a bucket of ice water, almost extinguishing the flickering flame in Feixue's heart.

She silently took a bite of the hamburger; the flavors of the synthetic patty and sauce mingled in her mouth, making her lose her appetite.

"Yes... the lighthouse's detection and records can't be wrong," Feixue echoed softly, as if trying to convince herself.

She looked up, her gaze passing through the slightly noisy crowd in the cafeteria. Through the window, all she could see was an endless sea of ​​clouds surging and rolling. The image of the green land she had seen on the screen during her childhood lessons flashed through her mind. Now, if she wanted to see it again, she could only go to the rooftop farm at the very top of the lighthouse, and even that was a censored version.

Feixue sped up her burger eating; she'd been eating it so often lately that she was getting a little tired of it.

A slight vibration came from her elbow. Feixue paused. As a sniper, she keenly sensed that something was wrong. The table was fixed to the floor, so why was it vibrating?

Her gaze shifted to Erica, only to see a glutton with his cheeks stuffed full.

It wasn't Erica playing pranks, it was...

The entire restaurant began to shake violently, and many people's plates slipped to the ground as they started cursing.

"What's going on!" Erica exclaimed in shock, quickly gripping the hamburger in her hand tightly.

Feixue had already finished eating. At this moment, she gripped the table leg tightly with one hand and held Erica with the other to prevent her from falling to the ground.

What time is it? Still thinking about food? Feixue looked at Erica helplessly, then looked around. Everyone was holding onto something. A question popped into her mind: What's wrong with the lighthouse?

At this moment, in the center of the aviation control room.

A group of people sat upright, their eyes fixed on the screen in front of them, anxiously searching for errors.

"Commander-in-Chief, the attitude control engine has malfunctioned!"

"What's going on?" A long-haired woman stood in front of the screen, dressed in a uniform-style outfit with metallic patterns, paired with an exquisite gold necklace and belt.

The screen in front of her kept refreshing with various instructions, but the source of all of them was unknown. Even when she used the authority of the chief commander of the air control room, she could not stop these instructions from being executed.

Who has higher authority than her?

For a split second, a person flashed into Jing Nan's mind. This person had higher authority than her in this area, but she immediately ruled them out. How could the city lord do such a thing?

She hoped this situation wouldn't last too long. She prayed silently.

As if in response, the shaking of the lighthouse stopped shortly afterward.

Soon, a call came in.

Jingnan opened the communicator, and a slightly hoarse but gentle voice came through: "Jingnan, what's wrong with the flight control room?"

"Lord City Lord, the air control room has received numerous commands from unknown sources, and they possess the highest level of authorization. We are unable to stop them." Jing Nan paused. "Lord City Lord, do you know what's going on?"

"Are you sure you received some instructions from an unknown source?" The voice on the other end remained calm, but after being a daughter for so many years, Jingnan could still keenly detect a hint of surprise in it.

"Do you know what happened?" Jingnan asked cautiously in a low voice, bypassing the crowd.

No one dared to eavesdrop. Everyone here knew that before the Three Laws were invoked, their commander-in-chief and the city lord were father and daughter.

There was no reply, only silence.

Jingnan didn't disturb them and continued the call.

The message finally came from the other end of the call: "This matter involves some confidential information, and I cannot tell you right now."

"What could be more important than the survival of the lighthouse!" Jingnan lowered his voice, but couldn't help but ask. An unknown command had invaded the flight control room, which was extremely dangerous. This place controlled the normal floating of the lighthouse, and any problem could lead to a fatal crash.

"Listen to me! Don't ask any questions, don't investigate. You just need to understand that this is the Lighthouse's top secret!" As if to prevent further questioning, the tone on the other end became cold.

Jing Nan's expression kept changing. There were secrets about this lighthouse that even she, the commander-in-chief, didn't know. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only uttered one word: "Yes."

With communication cut off, Jingnan walked helplessly to the window. This was not only the air control room, but also the best observation deck in the entire lighthouse. However, looking at the scenery outside the window, she couldn't calm down. The command from an unknown source made her feel a sense of crisis.

No one knows that the cause of all this was a boy from hundreds of kilometers away, who is now sleeping peacefully.