The NHW stronghold is located on the outskirts of the central city in an industrial zone. The weather here is always in a drowsy state, regardless of the season. Unlike the towering skyscrapers in the city center, this land is poor in resources, and the remnants of industrial chemicals have turned a few households into a terrifying place that humans find hard to approach—or perhaps, willingly avoid. Abandoned workshops have been repurposed into homes for NHW members.

Even so, NHW, exiled mutants, and beggars have formed a dependable community in this region, living in an orderly manner amidst the chaos.

Jiuyue, dragging her exhausted body, pushed open the door and walked inside.

He walked slowly, stepping over scattered guns on the ground, and with a gentle leap, he jumped onto the hammock hanging by the window. He casually switched on the stereo inside the room. For a moment, upbeat electronic music accompanied the wind from outside, blowing in through the broken glass. Jiuyue slowly closed his eyes, savoring the rare tranquility.

Suddenly, a pair of ice-cold hands touched her face. Jiuyue forcefully opened her eyes and grabbed the handgun, which was lying limp on the edge of the bed. She pressed the gun against the person's head. As she focused and took a closer look, a smirk appeared on her lips, causing her to retract the gun and put it aside. "How did you manage to appear out of thin air..."

"If I didn't appear out of nowhere, how would I have been able to save you?" Bai Lin lowered her head, sniffed the bloodstained wound on Jiu Yue's neck, and furrowed her brows. "Why is there a foul smell in your blood?"

"That damn snake..." Jiuyue coldly snorted twice, stiffened, and continued to lay down, half-closing his eyes, staring at the hazy sky through the window.

"He really isn't afraid of trouble..." Bai Lin bit his lip, the sharp canines contrasting against the light outside the house, shimmering brightly. He reached out and touched the wound on Jiu Yue's neck, causing the latter to flinch and turn his head. "Don't touch, it still hurts..."

"Is the injury severe?"

"Not heavy, just painful."

Bai Lin remained silent, staring at Jiu Yue with an ambiguous expression in his eyes that was difficult to put into words.

The atmosphere remained tense for a while before Bai Lin finally spoke slowly, "Jiu Yue, do you know that King still wants to bring the Fox Clan over to our side?"

Jiuyue's body paused for a moment, then nodded.

"If the fox tribe keeps refusing, King will explode one day."

"Let it explode, they're all useless anyway~" Jiu Yue's tone remained cheerful as he sat up, reaching out to pause the music playing from the stereo. He turned around, flashing a mischievous smile at Bai Lin. "What's wrong? Worried that I'll be sad because the fox clan got wiped out?"

Bai Lin looked back at Jiu Yue without saying a word, and her eyebrows gradually furrowed together.

"The foxes will not be exterminated as long as there are humans protecting them." Taking a deep breath, Jiuyue smiled and turned her eyes to the window. "If King sees the foxes in their weak state... he should no longer have the intention of recruiting them."

After saying that, he really burst into laughter, his eyes narrowing into a crescent shape.

"Jiuyue, don't you... care at all?"

"Don't care, why bother caring."

White Lin did not even think about her response, and she didn't know how to continue asking. White Lin is a wolf, and wolves are the most densely populated social species in the canine family. However, foxes, also members of the canine family, are a rare solitary species. Perhaps because of this, Jiuyue can completely disregard the life and death of her own species. Or is it because she really looks down on their weakness? White Lin couldn't figure it out and could only silently lean against Jiuyue's side, staring at her relaxed expression.

There was silence for a while, and Jiu Yue suddenly spoke up.

"Bai Lin, there will be a fireworks show in the city center in a few days. Will you accompany me?"