Chapter 35: People Beyond the Wall

Fei Xia moved like a silent black cat, using the cover of night to stealthily approach the supply truck.

Qinghai was not there. 

The area around the vehicle was completely empty—not a single soul in sight.

She lightly jumped onto the truck and quickly scanned the interior of the cargo hold.

The escorted supplies were tightly covered with waterproof tarps. 

At first glance, nothing seemed out of place.

But Fei Xia noticed that in the farthest corner, there was a clear gap in the neatly stacked supply crates.

After doing a quick count twice, she confirmed that two food supply crates were missing.

There were no signs of violent damage. 

Even the dust remained undisturbed, with only a slight wrinkle on the corner of the tarp indicating it had been lifted.

Silent and traceless…

It was very likely an inside job, or perhaps a highly skilled theft.

Either way, the result was clear.

That five-thousand-yuan “perfect completion bonus” was gone.

Fei Xia’s face instantly darkened.

She crouched down, preparing to examine the scene more carefully for clues, when a faint disturbance in the airflow came from behind her.

Someone was coming.

Fei Xia immediately retreated deeper into the shadows and held her breath.

A nimble figure landed lightly.

It was Qinghai Starlight.

When she landed, she didn’t notice anyone inside the truck. Instead, she cautiously peeked around the rear of the vehicle.

After confirming no one was around, she let out a long breath of relief and was about to step inside.

“What were you doing?”

A cold, flat voice suddenly rang out from within the truck without any warning.

“Waaa—!!!”

Qinghai Starlight let out a short, high-pitched scream that was cute in tone but extremely loud.

She jumped as if she had stepped on a live wire.

She looked toward the source of the voice in terror.

In the deep shadows of the cargo hold, Fei Xia stood with her arms crossed. 

Her somewhat torn black cloak blended perfectly with the darkness. 

Only her dead-fish eyes stared at her quietly, as if she had already seen through everything.

Qinghai Starlight’s mind went completely blank. Her heart nearly stopped.

Oh no! I’ve been caught red-handed!

“I… I-I…”

This top idol who was usually graceful and confident on stage, able to chat and laugh in front of thousands of fans, was now stuttering like a child who had been caught misbehaving.

Her eyes darted around. Cold sweat instantly soaked her bangs as she desperately searched for an excuse.

In the end, she came up with a reason so stupid she didn’t even believe it herself.

“I… I just went to… to the bathroom! I went a bit far because I was too embarrassed!”

“Toilet?”

Fei Xia frowned slightly. 

Remembering her own previous experience relieving herself, it really was… quite troublesome.

She pointed at the pile of supplies behind her, intending to discuss it with Qinghai.

“A couple of food crates are missing. Do you have any idea what happened?”

“Uh…”

Qinghai froze.

“That… this…”

Qinghai bit her lip, as if making up her mind.

“It… it must have been stolen by a monster! Yes! That’s it! A monster!”

“A monster?”

Fei Xia’s frown didn’t relax. Instead, it deepened, and her gaze became sharp.

“You’re saying that a monster sneaked into the camp right under the noses of three magical girls and a fully armed special forces team…”

“Silently opened the truck door, stole two heavy crates weighing one hundred kilograms each, and then slipped away without alerting anyone?”

“Uh… Y-Yeah, that’s probably it?”

Qinghai nodded stiffly, sweating profusely, feeling like she was about to suffocate.

“…”

Fei Xia’s expression turned extremely serious.

Although she hadn’t expected Qinghai to lie to her, if what she said was true, that would mean…

There was a monster with extremely high intelligence, stealth capabilities, and the ability to evade detection.

This was no longer just about losing supplies. This was a sign that the entire group could be wiped out.

With that level of stealth, if it wanted to kill them, the girls sleeping in the tents would have died dozens of times already.

No. Maybe they had already been attacked!

“The situation might be more serious than we thought.”

Fei Xia made a quick decision and took out her communicator, preparing to contact the team leader.

“Hey? Wait! Don’t!”

Qinghai panicked instantly.

Seeing Fei Xia’s finger moving toward the call button, Qinghai Starlight completely lost it.

She lunged forward desperately and grabbed Fei Xia’s hand. The eyes that usually sparkled with confidence were now filled with panic and pleading.

“It’s… it’s actually not a very powerful monster! I already drove it away! Really!”

Qinghai rambled incoherently, trying to patch the holes in her story with more lies.

“It’s the kind of… the kind of thief monster that’s only good at hiding! Its combat power is only five! It’s not worth bothering the team leader over!”

“If… if word gets out that we couldn’t even guard the supplies, where would my reputation as an idol go…”

Fei Xia didn’t speak. She simply looked at her quietly.

She looked at this top idol whose clothes were neat, breathing steady, and who didn’t have a single speck of dust on her.

Drove it away? In such a short time? Without making any noise? Without even messing up her clothes?

Moreover, if she had really encountered a monster, based on the few days Fei Xia had known her, her first reaction would have been to check on the safety of the camp, not desperately try to stop her from reporting it.

It was obvious that Qinghai was deliberately hiding something.

And she was extremely bad at it.

The air fell into a brief, deathly silence.

Only the sound of the wasteland wind wailed through the gaps in the truck.

“Sigh…”

A sigh mixed with helplessness and heartache escaped from Fei Xia’s lips.

It was her final lament for the five thousand yuan bonus that was about to fly away.

Fei Xia put away her communicator and pulled her hand out of Qinghai’s cold palm.

“Senior, that’s the right way to address you, right?”

Fei Xia looked at her. 

There was no accusation in those cold eyes, only a clear understanding that she had seen through everything, along with a trace of exhaustion.

“You’re really not very good at lying.”

Qinghai’s body stiffened violently. The excuses she was still trying to weave got stuck in her throat.

She visibly deflated, lowering her head, not daring to meet Fei Xia’s eyes.

“Although I don’t know why you stole… took these things, and I don’t care whether you’re selling them on the black market or using them for something else.”

Fei Xia jumped down from the truck. 

With her back to Qinghai, she waved her hand casually, her tone as flat as if she were commenting on the nice moonlight.

“Everyone has their own secrets and difficulties. I’m not interested and I don’t want to know.”

She paused, her voice lowering slightly but remaining clear.

“That day at the administration hall, if it weren’t for you, I might not have even gotten through the door, let alone gotten this job. I’ve kept that favor in mind.”

“So tonight, I didn’t see anything, and I was never here.”

“I have no idea where or how the supplies went missing.”

With that, Fei Xia tightened her cloak around herself and turned to leave the truck, ready to go back to sleep.

Since the “perfect completion bonus” was already lost, there was no point in stirring up more trouble.

She could consider this as repaying part of the favor.

“…Wait.”

Qinghai’s weak but trembling voice came from behind.

Fei Xia stopped but didn’t turn around.

“If you want to give me hush money, I wouldn’t say no.”

“It’s not that.”

Huh? She’s not offering?

Fei Xia felt a little disappointed inside, but since she had already acted this cool, she had no choice but to keep up the act.

Qinghai lifted her head and looked at that small yet somehow reliable back.

She bit her lower lip. A flicker of struggle passed through her eyes before turning into determination.

She didn’t want to lie to her.

Not just because her lies had already been seen through, but because this was the first time she had met someone like Fei Xia—who clearly saw the violation yet chose to repay kindness instead.

“Those supplies… aren’t for selling, and they’re not for me personally.”

Qinghai took a deep breath. Her voice carried a sad but firm resolve.

“…I want to tell you the truth.”

Fei Xia turned her head slightly, catching Qinghai’s serious expression from the corner of her eye.

Her instincts told her that what came next might be big trouble.

But she still chose to stop and listen.

“Those supplies…”

Qinghai pointed toward the deeper darkness in the distance.

“Are for the people who have been forgotten beyond the wall.

“Otherwise, they won’t be able to survive this winter.”