Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Eating and Taking

I walked out of the intersection and sat on a bench by the shore waiting for the bus. The first thing to arrive was a motorcycle. It had a large front end, resembling an animal's skull, with upturned diamond-shaped headlights, dark blue painted fenders, a twin-beam front suspension wrapped in amber cast aluminum alloy, a clever two-wheel design, and a narrow, upturned rear end. The shape was unique and avant-garde.

“Drip, drip.”

Two short whistles sounded, and Ares, wearing a helmet, got off the motorcycle seat, rummaged through the side box, and handed her a helmet, wanting to take her for a ride. But it was such a sunny day, even after just a few minutes under a tree to cool off, sweat started to break out on her back. She waved her hand, unable to bear the scorching sun.

Xu Shanshan: "It's too hot."

Ares felt a hint of saltiness. It was indeed too hot. The black lion on his shoulder seemed to be able to feel the heat and stuck out its tongue. He put the thing back and watched her walk towards the off-road vehicle behind.

It was a pure black seven-seater four-wheel drive car with a square front end and round headlights. There was also a row of small searchlights on the lower side of the headlights. As I approached the car body, I found that the tires were wide and high, the shoulders were covered with three-dimensional patterns, and the grooves were tilted and staggered. There was a roof box installed on the roof. The outer surface was not dirty and reflected a luster, indicating that it was well maintained.

The car was nearly six meters long, its chassis so high it reached her crotch. The door opened, revealing the leather floor mats. A cool breeze emanated from it, and she looked hesitant. How was she supposed to get in? Did she have to climb up on the tires? That was too much for an ordinary person.

The SUV made the motorcycle and passing cars in front of it look like tiny things, which made it look very imposing. But is it necessary to drive such a large vehicle when traveling alone in the city? Wouldn't it consume a lot of fuel? And parking is also inconvenient.

Manuel: "I'll help you up."

He said he was supporting her, but in fact he was hugging her. With his two-meter-tall body, he held her waist and lifted her up, her body hanging in the air. He pulled his feet up until the carpet was lower than his feet, stretched his legs and stepped on it, stretched out his hands to grab the back of the seat, trying to lean his body forward, but he didn't have enough strength.

She leaned back, with the hand on her lower back preventing her from falling. "Be careful," it seemed that her stubbornness only increased the burden on the people behind her, and they also had to distract themselves from worrying about her shaking, so she stopped moving and got into the car in an awkward manner.

The man closed the car door tightly and got in from the other side. She took this opportunity to fasten her seat belt. He jumped up with a light jump. Maybe there were springs on the soles of his shoes. She had no intention of competing with these super humans in physical fitness. After all, her strengths lay elsewhere.

"Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll install a pedal next time."

There's certainly no reason to be picky about hitchhiking. "No, it's cool." The air inside the car is fresh and it's actually quite comfortable.

She raised her head and looked around, finally finding the reason why Manuel was so devoted to using it. She saw a palm-sized painting under the door panel, which had faded a little. It showed dogs of the Caninae subfamily, with their mouths wide open and smiling. Standing in the middle was a tall gray wolf. She gently placed her finger on it. Is this Manuel's team?

Manuel: “Are you interested in it?”

She turned her head, excitedly wanting to answer yes, but there was a subtle sense of loneliness in his eyes. Where were his teammates? Turning to look at the empty chair in the back seat, his eyes flickering up and down, he asked cautiously, "Is it okay?"

“Dongdongdong——”

There was a knock on the car door, the sound came from behind. Ares stood outside the door and saw beads of sweat sliding down his nose through the rearview mirror. He was scorching hot, and beads of sweat as big as beans soaked his temples. She lowered the window for a clearer view.

Ares: "Give me a ride?"

Xu Shanshan: "Who goes out without checking the weather and only cares about looking cool?"

Being teased, he didn't get angry, and said with a playful smile: "I was wrong, Miss."

He has already contacted someone to tow the truck, and it will be stored somewhere temporarily. The heat is only one aspect. In fact, the engine is equipped with a three-in-one cooling system, so there is no pain of riding on a stove. The scorching sun will make the exposed skin hot and red, but it is still bearable.

The weather has been weird recently. A cool breeze blew in from between the fences, adhering to her arm and carrying her body fragrance towards Ares, bringing him both physical and spiritual satisfaction. She rested her chin on the car window, and he restrained himself from getting close. A pack of wet wipes was handed to her.

The green-eyed man pulled a leather-bound binder from under the seat. Seeing someone approaching, he reset his seat, sat up, unlocked it, and slid the rear door open. Light shone onto the two seats in the second row. The person had also jumped in, but landed lightly, barely perceiving the car's sway.

As soon as he sat down, the black lion formed by the fog jumped down from his shoulder, leaped over the storage box between the seats, pounced on her legs, and began to rub her arms with his hands. He lay on his back, touched his little bus, and after enjoying the air conditioning for a while, turned over and fell asleep in her arms, curled up with his eyes narrowed into slits.

Manuel handed her the notebook, and she took it with a hint of curiosity. The car started slowly, and he turned his gaze to the front and said softly, "Where do you want to go?"

Xu Shanshan: "I want to buy a gift, but I don't know where to go. Do you have any recommendations?"

Manuel: “Who are you going to give it to?”

Ares was strapped into the back seat, the backrest obscuring his view of her face. Black Lion had fallen asleep again, so he could only glance sideways at the rearview mirror, which was covered in a gray filter. Hearing her words, he felt anxious. Although he was also looking forward to it, he knew that those people would not include him.

"A lot of people, do you know them from the air combat team?"

The green-eyed man shook his head slightly. He had not been on the front line for a long time. If he had to say something, he had beaten up a young man who did not know how to control his severity some time ago. The opponent's spirit body seemed to be a bird, and he should be from the air combat team. He did not hit him hard, and he should have recovered in the past few days.

Meanwhile, Song Xiaoyu, who had just been released from the third floor below ground, sneezed. Someone seemed to be talking about him, and he hoped it was the guide. She hadn't come looking for him again, and despite the ridicule from his fellow inmates, he felt fortunate. He didn't want them to see him like this, ruining their image in their hearts.

His injuries had almost healed, but his face was still red, swollen, and bruised, looking ugly. That person was too cruel. The ugly guy just couldn't stand seeing others doing well. He wanted to continue to find the prison warden for a fair fight, but that person was not there, so he considered it good luck.

At the same time, Xu Shanshan raised her hand and flipped open the first page of the coiled notebook. On it was a large heart with pink floral lettering: "Marine Combat Team Canine Wing." Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. She hadn't expected these people to have such girlish hearts. Curious about who had designed this, she covered her mouth with her hand and smiled at Manuel.

Manuel: "Bai Yang made it. At that time, many people in the team didn't want it. They thought they would be laughed at if they showed it to others."

"I think it's cute." She continued to scroll down.

Ares, unwilling to be left out, returned to the previous question: "I know people in the air combat team." The woman stopped flipping through the books, looked at him through the rearview window, and pretended to listen attentively. "Darren, Song Xiaoyu, Xie Yifei..."

He actually remembered most of them, reciting their names like the back of his hand, shaking his head in disapproval. He finally gave an unfair assessment, "A bunch of conceited idiots." Finally, he explained why they knew each other. "We sometimes train together, go on missions, and participate in simulation exercises. Who do you want to send?"

Looking up and down, he was seen with chains and metal decorations hanging all over his body and clothes, and earrings on his head, dressed like a trendy man. How could he have the nerve to say that others love beauty?

She thought for a moment. "Both. I haven't met Darren yet. Do you know what people in the aerial combat team generally like?"

Why should we care what they like? Ares: "Why should we give them things?"

“Because they helped me.”

Seeing that he looked unconvinced, she began to count on her fingers, and it was almost the number of people on two hands. When she finished her reasons, even Manuel, who never went against her decisions, frowned slightly and couldn't help but interrupt.

"No need to thank them for this," he said, his arm on the steering wheel. It was inappropriate to be chosen for spiritual counseling, to reduce pollution levels, to have the opportunity to approach the guide, and to accept her gift.

Ares rarely agreed with the green-eyed man, but what he said was true. He had worked so hard to get an opportunity, but others had easily obtained it because they were close to him. They took advantage of him and acted like a good boy. How shameless! Besides, what kind of help was that?

Suddenly one day, your boss gives you a promotion, a raise, and lots of gold coins when you're nearly starving. At the end, she even gives you a gift to thank you for this opportunity. Fairy tales don't even describe this. They're ungrateful and even take advantage of you.

It was simply a fantasy. He was certain that if this were to get out, she would become a legendary figure on the Sentinel Forum, a renowned bodhisattva. This was not a good thing. Tolerating others' greed would only lead to them craving more, and ultimately, she would be completely overwhelmed.

Ares: "This is the Sentinels' duty. It is an honor for them to be chosen by you."

Manuel: "They shouldn't be a burden to you."

The two people with different tempers opposed it unanimously. She originally thought she was right, but now she had to think carefully. The rules of this world were not the same as before. Although she felt bad, there was no need for her to ignore the two people's kind suggestions.

The mist ball in her arms was awakened by the sound of the quarrel. He raised his head and looked at her with sleepy eyes. He reached out and hooked the other's chin, then lowered his head again.

"Then pick one for my savior. Without him, I would have died in the danger zone." Her superior and Sister Xue Rou also helped her a lot. As her initial guides, she knew how lucky it was to have a patient veteran to guide her when she first entered the workplace.

Seeing her insistence, the other two did not refute, but it was really not a happy thing to accompany the person you like to pick out a gift for your rival.

When the three of them came out of the mall, Manuel was carrying a lot of bags in her hands, and Ares walked beside her holding an umbrella for her. Because they were close, Ares carried her into the car this time. This time she didn't move and let him carry her to the seat steadily.

Manuel opened the car door and wanted to put them in the back seat. She stretched out her hand, so he handed it forward and looked at it back and forth impatiently. Ares leaned over to the side of the headrest in confusion, "What is this mud?" She also bought many different colors and a lot of matching tools.

"Clay, can be used to make figurines."

Ares: "What's a figurine?"

"It's a model made by hand,"

Ares: "What about that? Why buy a ball of wool?"

"I want to make wool felt," she said, as the curious baby had too many questions. "Stop asking. I'll show you the finished product later."

"good."

Manuel obviously knew more. "Do you like crafts?"

She nodded. It was just a little personal hobby. Suddenly, the phone rang. The screen of the light computer on her wrist went black. It wasn't hers. She turned around and saw the incoming call reminder on the central control display. The boss called Manuel directly.

The man answered the phone. She tilted her head and put her index finger between her lips, making a hushing expression. Then the boss's voice echoed, "I have something else to deal with here, so I can't come pick her up. Please take her to the address below and let her in through facial recognition."

Manuel didn't respond immediately, but looked up at her. Shan Hao, who was on the other side of the call, sat in a chair, looking a little uneasy. "Is she okay?"

Xu Shanshan blurted out, "I'm fine, sir, we just came out of the library." She lied casually, hiding a little surprise.

"Well," the officer responded when he heard someone calling him from the other side, "Wait a moment," and his voice quickened, "Come back early, don't play outside for too long."

"I understand. Let's have dinner and then go back."

"Don't eat cold or spicy food recently, okay?"

"Yeah," she agreed as she took the ice cream offered by Ares.

As if sensing that she might be veiled in disobedience, he called out again, "Manuel, her health is the most important thing. Don't indulge her. You should understand what I mean."

Manuel thought for a moment and responded, "I understand."

He might have wanted to ask something else, but the other end urged him again, so he just gave a few simple instructions and hung up the phone.

As soon as she took the first lick, green eyes looked over, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself. She pouted and pretended not to see it. He was not there anyway, so what was wrong with eating it? She knew her own body well. Besides, if she didn't eat it now, she would never have another chance.

Her mood was disturbed by a phone call. Seeing that she was unhappy, Ares handed her the cylinder in his hand and said, "I have matcha flavor here. Do you want to try it?"

It hasn't been touched yet, she thought, leaning over to lick it, smearing the green cream on her lips. He smiled and handed her a tissue to wipe it.

Manuel: "If you want to eat, you can come back next week." He turned up the air conditioner temperature, no longer the default cold breeze.

Ares: "Don't worry about them, miss, I'll give you some of mine too." This made Manuel frown and look back at him in disapproval. "Nonsense," he glared back without giving in. So what? She had to do whatever she wanted. She couldn't do this or that. She was not a puppet. At most, she could apply hot compress and massage to relieve the pain. He seemed to have forgotten that the little guide had a different physique from him.

Or maybe she shouldn't eat it. Xu Shanshan suddenly felt depressed and didn't want to talk much. She turned her head to the side, flipping through the manual with one hand, and still holding the ice cream cone with the other hand. There are three teams in the Canine Brigade, namely the Caninae, the Servale and the Vulpes. After opening the catalog and reading the team's history and heroic deeds, the first person introduced was Manuel.

He is not only the captain of the Canidae team, but also the captain of the entire squadron. In addition to the personal introduction, there are also some comments that look like a yearbook. When you scroll down, you will find that they are all well received. There is a star rating, and it has five stars. This is too funny.

After laughing, I realized I shouldn't have gotten mad at them, so I started explaining, "I can't come out for the next two months."

Ares: "Why?" Did her leader restrict her from going out? This is a criminal act and is absolutely not allowed.

Xu Shanshan: "I have to attend two training camps. They say it's to improve my wilderness survival and on-the-spot response skills."

Manuel had more experience in leading subordinates, so he guessed there was another reason. She didn't seem like the type to deliberately play the devil's advocate or pretend to obey. "You think you won't have time to come out in the future, so you don't want to waste the opportunity?"

"Yes," she licked another bite of the coconut milk ice cream, "I will start working in the silent therapy room next Monday, and my spare time will probably be filled with training." Even Sister Xue Rou said it was a devilish special training, it must be very terrifying.

It sounds a lot like a training camp for team guides, but once a guide joins the team, he is basically only responsible for the team's sentinels. During the special training period, other activities are temporarily put on hold to free up time and energy, but she still has to continue working, which is too hard.

Manuel: "Are you going out with the team?"

"No," she shook her head. "It seems that he wants me to develop comprehensively in morals, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor." It was as if she was stuffed in through the back door, taking only one course in each stage to stretch out the time.

Ares: "If you need a coach, I can help you."

"Thanks," she declined with great emotion.

"I can bring you something delicious."

"That's very good." She showed an appreciative look and stretched out her right hand. Ares didn't react at first, then he held her hand, "It's a high-five." It was very hot, and she retracted it helplessly.

"From now on, if you want to eat something, just order takeout. When I finish training, pick it up at the door and I'll deliver it to you."

"Good."

Manuel: "During the special training, we will be staying in a unified dormitory, and our laptops will be confiscated and checked every night. If you want to send it, you can only do so during her daytime working hours. Later, we will be in the field, which is a remote location and you can't go there."

"Then we won't be able to contact her tonight?"

Manuel: “I’m afraid so.”

Putting that topic aside, she finished her ice cream cone. Ares handed her a bottle of water from behind, unscrewing the cap. She drank it contentedly and then returned to reading the yearbook. There were many people in the Canine Squad. The graffiti on the car was probably from the Canine Squad. Everyone looked youthful and full of energy, and even Manuel still had a hint of pride on his face.

I turned to the end of the booklet and saw a printed date. I calculated that it was eight years ago.

The three of us had dinner together again. At my strong request, she treated us and I finally sent her home as planned.

Entering the cordoned-off area, the crowds gradually thinned, until only two cars and a sea of ​​green remained. Seeing her looking back, reluctant to turn back, the heat outside had subsided, and a cool breeze blew over the water valley. Looking at the hourly forecast, the navigation showed only 900 meters left. Manuel suggested, "How about getting out of the car and walking to digest your food?"

"good."

So he drove the car into the parking lot and parked it. The three of them walked back slowly. Manuel turned on the headlights and shone the beams. It was getting late. When they arrived at the door of their house, a figure stood in the yard and looked over.

As the night darkened, the eyes of many sentries flickered like flashlights. She heard someone calling her name, so she took the gift bag from Manuel, dragged it by her thigh, and hurriedly said, "Bye, see you tomorrow, no, next week."

The two men said goodbye to her, and she turned and walked quickly, pushed open the fence, walked to the commander, and opened the door. "Go in first."

She went in carrying her things, her backpack feeling heavy and falling down. Seeing him walking towards them, she nervously leaned over the door to peek, but she didn't hear anything. A loud welcome came from the robot at her feet. Damn it, when she saw the commander turned around to look at her, she hid behind the wall guiltily.

They probably won't say anything.

She was so tired that she collapsed on the sofa, her calves weak. Fortunately, the man came in with a calm expression and looked at the paper bag. "What did you buy?"

The exciting moment arrived. She took out a square box from her pocket, tied with a ribbon. The style was dignified and elegant. "What is this?"

She opened the gift box and found a dark purple silk jacquard tie rolled inside, while mumbling, "Dangdang——"

"I noticed the ties in your closet were all very plain in color, so I thought I'd buy you one. This is the latest model," he said, taking a closer look. "It's encrusted with diamonds, but they're small and unassuming."

The first second Shan Hao saw it, he subconsciously wanted to refuse it. He had enough accessories, but when he saw her expectant eyes, the words that were about to slip out of his mouth stopped, "I think the wardrobe is indeed lacking some other colors." He took it and accepted it.

"What about the others?"

"Toys, and a gift for Sister Xue Rou." It sounds fine.

Then he asked about today's situation. She omitted some details and glossed over it, then asked him in return: "Did anything happen today?"

Speaking of this, he was silent for a while, "Nothing, it's been taken care of. Are you going out tomorrow?"

The woman shook her head, took two steps back, and then fell on the sofa. "I'm tired and want to rest in the room."

Shan Hao: "Okay, I'll take you back to the White Pagoda at noon tomorrow."

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