Chapter 61: Unfair Treatment of Otakus

Lin Xun felt all the strength drain from his body. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.

Talros had been completely obliterated by his Dragon Breath, not even ashes remained. Like the White Moon Church and the nun, he vanished into thin air.

His aim had been fairly accurate. The Dragon Breath hadn’t touched Lu Caiyi.

It just seemed like he had scared the girl badly. Even now, the white-robed girl’s beautiful eyes were wide open in shock, her pretty face frozen in a daze.

The suburban residential area was sparsely populated. The Dragon Breath only vaporized a few hills, and no bystanders were harmed.

But today’s commotion was massive, which meant the Logistics Division personnel would be busy.

Seeing the organization’s team finally arrive, and tardily at that, Lin Xun had no strength left to complain.

If he hadn’t had a powerful trump card, both he and Lu Caiyi would’ve perished here.

“You okay?”

Li Xingyue and Ye Xiaoqi rushed forward to help Lin Xun up.

Behind them were several Apostles he had never seen before. Judging by their appearance, they were also from the Intelligence Division.

Among them was a bespectacled man in his early twenties: Fang Yifei—whom Lin Xun had once encountered briefly at the Cultural Bureau.

Fang Yifei’s eyes widened, utterly dumbfounded by the scene before him.

He was an old-school otaku. He used to pride himself on having no interest in real-life girls, only in 2D waifus.

But during the organization’s annual party, the girls from the Intelligence Division had done a spicy dance while cosplaying.

He had an epiphany.

Fang Yifei felt like his waifu had come to life in 3D.

As a former Apostle of the Armed Division, he had impulsively transferred to the Intelligence Division.

He thought he was starting a blissful new life. But to his dismay, after transferring, the previously warm and smiling ladies began telling him they weren’t into otaku shut-ins.

To this day, he remained hopelessly single.

Hah, women.

This mission was a joint operation between the Armed and Intelligence Divisions, and he wasn’t privy to the details.

When he ran into his old Armed Division colleagues, he felt ashamed and cursed himself for being so young and foolish, switching departments so rashly.

But to save face, Fang Yifei put on a front, bragging about his “happy” life in the Intelligence Division.

He talked such a big game that the other single dogs from the Armed Division had stars in their eyes, itching to follow his lead and giving him envious looks.

At that moment, Fang Yifei felt maybe joining the Intelligence Division had been the right choice after all.

Besides, the Intelligence Division recently welcomed a newcomer, an online shut-in who also wrote web novels, just like him.

Fang Yifei was deeply moved.

At one of life’s darkest crossroads, the most comforting thing isn’t sympathy. It’s meeting someone who’s even worse off than you.

Another shut-in, and a newbie even weaker than he was.

Fang Yifei was convinced that this new Apostle named Lin Xun had to be having an even rougher time than him.

“I’m not the most miserable. Someone out there has it worse.” With that belief, Fang Yifei regained his spirits. His eyes lit up, his posture straightened, and his confidence surged.

Before the operation began, he finally learned the mission details: rescue the rookie Apostle Lin Xun and eliminate the enemy faction.

Fang Yifei made a silent vow to himself. He would rescue Lin Xun no matter what. The two of them could then support each other, becoming a pair of battle-worn comrades.

“He mustn’t die. If he does, I’ll become the most miserable person in the Intelligence Division.”

So Fang Yifei told himself.

Even though the enemy had blocked their path mid-operation, delaying them by two minutes, it didn’t dampen his burning desire to fight.

But when he saw the so-called “rookie” unleash a world-destroying Dragon Breath that disintegrated the enemy into dust and leveled entire mountains.

His worldview shattered.

“This guy’s a rookie?”

“This isn’t someone pretending to be weak. He’s a damn boss in disguise.”

The colleagues around him were just as stunned.

Fang Yifei couldn’t believe how fast times had changed. Veterans like him were being completely drowned out by these monstrous newcomers.

He tried to comfort himself. So what if he’s strong? Strength can be improved through grinding. But being handsome is forever.

But then he saw the rookie cancel his Shell manifestation. What appeared was a devastatingly handsome guy.

The girls nearby had stars in their eyes, clicking their tongues and gasping things like “So handsome,” “I heard he doesn’t have a girlfriend,” “His looks are perfect for our Intelligence Division.”

Fang Yifei’s entire worldview collapsed.

Weren’t we all supposed to be shut-in losers? Then why, why was he better looking than me?

We’re both otakus. How can the difference in treatment be so vast?

Are women really that shallow, judging a man’s worth by nothing but his looks?

Then he saw his ice-cold goddess superior, the black stocking lady, step up to the rookie, help him up, and whisper intimately in his ear.

His faith crumbled.

“I… I want to go back to the Armed Division.”

“What did I do to deserve this injustice?”

“I’m quitting the Intelligence Division. I hope Team Leader Wang will forgive me and take me back.”

“At least the Armed Division still has our team mascot, Deer Goddess.”

And then, he saw the team mascot, the white-clothed girl refuse the help of her Armed Division colleagues, forcing her frail body forward to stand before the rookie. Blushing, she bowed her head and apologized.

His world shattered.

“Let it all end. I’m done.”

Fang Yifei muttered to himself.

Middle-aged Team Leader Wang, who had always treated the Deer Goddess like his own daughter, quietly approached the rookie.

Fang Yifei’s eyes lit up. He had one last shred of hope.

Everyone in the Armed Division knew that Team Leader Wang cherished the Deer Goddess like a precious little princess.

If this rookie dared to steal the old man’s darling, there was no way he’d escape a beating.

Given Wang’s temper, punching him on the spot wasn’t out of the question.

Fang Yifei crossed his arms and waited eagerly for the show.

Team Leader Wang approached the rookie. The rookie looked surprised, his whole body tense, clearly bracing for a fight.

Wang extended his massive palm, wide as a fan.

“Hit him! Come on, start swinging!” Fang Yifei rubbed his hands together, giddy at the thought of a brawl.

Instead, he heard Wang’s booming voice laugh and say, “Young man, looks like we got off on the wrong foot. Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Wang Zong, head of the Armed Division.”

“The moment I saw you, I knew, you’re a good kid.”

“These past few days, thank you for looking after Yiyi.”

Fang Yifei froze, dumbfounded, unable to move.

“What is wrong with this world…”

Li Xingyue helped Lin Xun into the back seat of the car. Before long, Lu Caiyi was also helped into the vehicle.

The white-clothed girl kept apologizing to Lin Xun for not protecting him during the fight and instead needing his rescue.

Lin Xun waved it off, saying there was no need to apologize. If anything, he should be thanking her.

If Lu Caiyi hadn’t risked her life earlier, he would have had to pay a far steeper price to defeat the enemy.

Ye Xiaoqi, meanwhile, kept chattering, bombarding him with questions about how he had become a “jet-propelled warrior.”

Just as Lin Xun leaned back to close his eyes and rest, he noticed Li Xingyue and Wang Zong take the front seats.

The bearded man turned back and grinned at him. “Hey kid, how about dropping by our Armed Division sometime?”

The black stocking lady floored the gas pedal. “Keep dreaming.”