"Be careful," Bai Cha said with a smile, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.
Time changes many things, it changes people's attitudes towards her, it makes trust fragile, and it turns companions into enemies. However, it also allows some people to remain as they were, keeping their original intentions unchanged, like this new recruit.
Just as she had said she knew him, the light in the recruit's eyes shone as brightly as it had that day when he saw her leap from a giant dragon and stand upon the city walls.
It was that same gaze that had attracted her then, filled with surprise, anticipation, and admiration, making her uncharacteristically take notice of a young man.
"Miss Bai, Miss Bai, you, you're my idol," Little Zhang stammered, his neck turning a deep red as if he were too excited. Bai Cha could see it. "You're incredibly powerful. I've always wanted to be like you."
"Someone like me?" Bai Cha smiled strangely. "Even when I'm in handcuffs, locked in a military vehicle?"
"No, no!" Little Zhang quickly refuted, flustered. "Miss Bai is very capable... it must be a misunderstanding, someone framed you."
There were actually some things Bai Cha didn't know.
She was this recruit's ideal, even his belief.
Initially, Little Zhang didn't want to join the army. He just planned to serve his two years of compulsory service and then help his family with their business. His family was poor, and they had already arranged a marriage for him with a woman similar to him, waiting for his return. His life was destined to be ordinary, and he felt he wouldn't amount to much.
But that night, Bai Cha's appearance changed his mind. For the first time, he experienced what it was to have his blood boil with excitement. That day, he specifically inquired about Bai Cha, only to discover that she was a girl who hadn't even reached adulthood yet.
So capable at such a young age? If he worked extremely hard, would he be able to see this girl again? Perhaps by then, the girl would have grown up, or perhaps she wouldn't remember him at all.
Little Zhang stayed in the military camp. Every time he felt like giving up, he would recall Bai Cha's image.
The spirit of the night, the moth drawn to the flame. The dragon was so enormous and terrifying, yet the butterfly, a swallowtail, remained composed, dancing gracefully upon the ugly dragon. She stood on the city walls, her long hair flying, proud and defiant.
When would he see her again, off-screen?
She was too stunning, having astounded him his entire life.
The princess defeated the dragon and then quietly departed, without celebration or cheers, like a shadow. Every time he thought of it, he felt admiration; she was his goal.
After that day, Little Zhang suddenly realized his mind seemed quite sharp. With effort, he could pass all his exams like everyone else. With more effort, he even began to consistently rank among the top in the military camp.
Little Zhang clearly remembered the astonished look on Old Li's face, a look he couldn't conceal, when Li returned from another camp to visit him one night after training.
"Little Zhang, didn't you say you'd only serve two years and then go back? Why are you staying for extra training?" Old Li, who held a minor official position, was somewhat excited to see Little Zhang. "Not bad, you're ranking among the top now. What made you start working so hard? Did a carp turn into a dragon, or did you awaken?"
Little Zhang smiled shyly at the time. He was too embarrassed to say that he was working hard because he wanted to see Bai Cha again. Let alone others, even he himself thought it was a fantasy, facing the gap between a genius and an ordinary person.
But even so, his efforts yielded rewards. His diligence and capabilities were recognized by his superiors, and he rose steadily. Although it was his own effort, Little Zhang never forgot the girl who had inspired him and helped him become better.
Even if it was merely someone else's unintentional act, Little Zhang was deeply grateful.
All the way, Little Zhang tried his best to drive smoothly, avoiding small bumps and taking the flatter paths. The young lady beside him was breathtakingly beautiful, and Little Zhang only wanted to drive more steadily so that she could rest longer.
"We're almost there, Miss Bai." With five minutes remaining, Little Zhang woke Bai Cha. Bai Cha hadn't actually been resting; she had just closed her eyes to think. Hearing Little Zhang, she opened her eyes.
"Little Zhang, right." Bai Cha sat up, her expression turning slightly serious. "Find an excuse to leave later. Don't get involved. Go find Gong Yuechen and tell him I sent you. He'll know how to arrange things."
Little Zhang paused, then quickly agreed, "Okay."
"If you have anyone you trust, you can bring them along. Of course, don't bring too many," Bai Cha said casually. "After all, one doesn't have many true confidants who genuinely care for them in life."
"Yes, I understand." Little Zhang nodded.
Although he didn't know what was about to happen, Little Zhang vaguely guessed that Bai Cha was looking out for him.
He was just a rookie soldier, far from having any authority. Getting involved now would only make him a pawn, manipulated at will.
Thinking this, Little Zhang's gratitude towards Bai Cha increased even more.
On the interrogation platform.
Bai Cha loungingly leaned back on the small leather sofa, leisurely scrolling through her phone.
The interrogators in front of her exchanged glances, not daring to slack off with this esteemed guest. No one dared to stop Bai Cha's leisurely behavior. The important figures who brought Bai Cha over had said nothing further.
If they were to make things difficult for her, they would need the courage, and even if they had the courage, they would need the ability. This young girl's aura was too formidable. The interrogators' hearts were filled with tears, and they were on the verge of kneeling and kowtowing.
"Has the big shot arrived yet? Go report again," Bai Cha leaned back in her chair and kicked the table. "Tell him if he doesn't come soon, I'll tear this place down."
The interrogators kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.
If others said they would tear the place down, it would merely be smashing and grabbing. But when Miss Bai said she would tear this place down, it would be literal. Not a single stone or brick might be left.
This wasn't the first time; years ago, someone had tried to frame Bai Cha, and she had indeed dismantled an entire interrogation room into a pile of rubble. And she had dismantled it neatly, even arranging the parts systematically.
Steel plates were placed with steel plates, glass with glass, screws with screws...
When the big shot arrived with his entourage, rushing to persuade her to return, Bai Cha was dismantling the last piece of equipment in the interrogation room, the most expensive one. The surrounding parts were neatly piled into small mountains, indicating the work of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"I'm here."
A calm and composed figure, exuding righteousness, arrived. Bai Cha let out a soft hum and didn't even turn around. The interrogators, as if granted amnesty, bowed to the big shot and fled in disarray.
The interrogation room became very quiet. The big shot, accompanied by Gong Yuechen and a person of considerable status named Qian Jiang, had arrived. This interrogation scene was truly grand, giving her immense respect, Bai Cha thought sarcastically.
"What are you standing around for? Speak," Bai Cha raised her hands, displaying the shiny silver handcuffs on her wrists to the three of them. "Are they pretty? Pure silver."
Gong Yuechen's expression twitched. He stood up somewhat unnaturally and cleared his throat twice. "Cough, um, let me unlock them for you..."
"No need, what's there to unlock? Keep them on!" Bai Cha kicked the table again, shifting the solid, heavy, solid wood table. Gong Yuechen was forced to sit down.
"What's there to unlock? First, give me an explanation. Is it ingratitude, a sneak attack, burning bridges, or good deeds going unrewarded?" Bai Cha was truly angered this time. Her eyes were calm, and her face showed no anger, yet all three of them saw a chaotic storm in Bai Cha's gaze.
"A spy? Unclear dealings with the evil dragon? Do you know what you've implicitly agreed to?" Bai Cha coldly lifted her chin. "I gave you so much information. Since the laboratory incident last time, I've provided you with ample evidence of the光明 faction colluding with those people to raise evil dragons. So now, I'm the one digging my own grave, right? You lock up the evidence, and then you point the finger at me."
"Cough, it's not like that, um... Bai Cha, you know they're difficult to move against right now," Gong Yuechen awkwardly scratched his head, trying to smooth things over. "They have a great reputation internationally now, and several of their inventions have world-significant meaning..."
"So I'm a scapegoat," Bai Cha cut off Gong Yuechen with one sentence. "So the world where only I get hurt is achieved. I'm the most ridiculously wronged person."
"Just to give you a heads-up, I have a backup of the evidence, and I'm being monitored. Although it's not always on, I have recordings of everything I've done," Bai Cha licked her small canine teeth, her demeanor a little wicked. "You don't honestly think that by tacitly agreeing with them, they'll win, do you?"
"No, no, no, Bai Cha, you've misunderstood. How could we tacitly agree? We don't know what those people are doing either," Gong Yuechen cried out in his heart, cursing all those scoundrels in the neutral faction. At the same time, he apologized to Bai Cha. "This was our oversight. We didn't receive any information. You know how busy we are every day."
Thinking this, Gong Yuechen really wished he could drain the water from the brainstems of those people. What good was offending Bai Cha? And if you offend someone, then deal with it yourself!
Now, they've stirred up trouble and walked away, leaving others to clean up the mess. How can they do this?
As Bai Cha's direct superior, the one she scolded the hardest, Gong Yuechen truly wanted to bang his head against the wall. He genuinely couldn't understand the thought processes of his idiotic colleagues. Just dealing with them to quell Bai Cha's anger had almost driven Gong Yuechen mad.
"So, your neutral faction has split, right?" Bai Cha crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "The neutral faction has divided into the光明 neutral faction and the shadow neutral faction, right?"
"Uh..." Gong Yuechen stiffened and glanced at the big shot. His palms were sweating. He hadn't expected Bai Cha to be so audacious.
"Internal stability is a prerequisite for external defense; do I, someone less than twenty years old, need to teach you this? Have you eaten decades of rice for nothing?" Bai Cha was furious. She grabbed him and started scolding. "I protect you so you can be law-abiding and govern the country. Now you've been spoiled by me, haven't you? Bitten the hand that fed you?"
"You say I'm not giving you face in front of so many people from the country. Did you give me face when you arrested me with handcuffs? Your face is your face, and I have to go along with you?" As if deflated, Bai Cha kicked the table again. "You guys are truly capable. Gong Yuechen, did your father get involved?"
"Ah? My, my father?" Gong Yuechen looked completely bewildered. Bai Cha almost couldn't help but stand up and hit him at the sight of his confused expression.
"My father arrested me, and you don't know?!" Bai Cha's anger flared.
The big shot: "Who? Gong Tingjian arrested you?"
Gong Yuechen: "What? My dad arrested you?"
Qian Jiang: "Ah? Our people arrested you?"
The three of them spoke in unison, which made Bai Cha laugh in anger.
The interrogation room fell into an eerie silence.
"Why did you change the system?" Qian Jiang awkwardly changed the subject. "The systems of the neutral faction and the shadow faction are connected, allowing us to access and synchronize information at any time. When we reviewed the information this time, we found that the systems were no longer connected. Did you encrypt them?"
"Is there a problem?" Bai Cha raised an eyebrow.
The three were silent.
There was no problem, how could there be a problem?