Chapter 37

It must be said, birds of a feather flock together. It's not about how noble or lowly you are; it's about the circles you live in. The things you see, hear, and think about every day naturally shape your mindset.

In front of him was Yao Jing, who could instantly understand Du Qian's excitement and happiness. She was equally delighted, feeling that she had gained something.

If it were Zhang Xiu or Sikong Min, they wouldn't understand at all, wouldn't find it funny, and certainly wouldn't feel they had gained anything. A meal, a hundred yuan or so, is that even a big deal?

In Du Qian's eyes, a normal person's salary is between thirty to fifty yuan, and he, with a high salary, could earn up to sixty or seventy at most. After all, the new recruit bonus isn't a monthly thing; it only happens once.

Spending over a hundred yuan on a meal is a very, very luxurious thing. Not paying for a meal and getting away with it, is there anything more delightful than that?

"By the way, what did you want to talk to me about today, Junior Sister Yao?" Du Qian, after enjoying himself, finally remembered what Yao Jing wanted.

"Nothing, I'm leaving." Yao Jing said, turned around, and left. That's just how she is; she never drags things out. Today, she just wanted to say 'thank you' and treat Du Qian to a meal. Other things can wait.

"Oh!" Du Qian's eyes were dazed. Nothing? What do you mean, nothing? You didn't even say what you wanted, just wanted a free meal. That's not good, not good at all. You're in the Flying Tiger Team, you earn more than I do.

Well, it was agreed that Yao Jing would treat him, but today's incident was an accident.

Yao Jing left like that, but this wasn't over. Cheng Bupo must give an explanation. She would wait, giving him a few days. No matter who it is, anyone who wants to cause trouble for Senior Brother Du Qian must first get past her. This is the price she has to pay for the opportunity she won.

Too many things have happened these past few days, with a lot of information to process. Du Qian didn't think too much about it. Mistakes happen when detectives are on the case.

Or rather, Du Qian was too busy with his own affairs and didn't want to think too deeply. Right now, he was busy selling storage boxes. There weren't many, only three, just to test the waters. The money in his identity card was running low.

For a war orphan, happy moments are few, and life is more real. Unexpected surprises don't follow you around. The retail price of a storage box is twenty yuan, and the buyback price is ten yuan, his bottom line. The price of spirit bones and spirit marrow is more normal, fifty yuan for both.

With the addition of spirit bones and spirit marrow, Du Qian's identity card had eighty more yuan. Normally, this would make him happy for months, but now he couldn't be happy. The money wasn't enough.

The portable tester in front of him had the lowest accuracy, even lower than the old pointer-type tester at school, priced at three hundred yuan. He couldn't afford it.

Du Qian knew his situation was different from anyone else's. Others don't need to test as frequently as he does. Testing once a month is already frequent; testing once every six months or a year is normal.

But he was different. He needed to calculate how much each spirit horn could improve him and verify it with the knowledge in the book. He wanted to know what changes had occurred in his body.

Absorbing spirit horns and enhancing combat power are good things. But Du Qian didn't believe that such good things would just happen to him without a reason.

Apart from dreaming, earning spirit horns yesterday and skipping the bill today were the luckiest things that had happened to him in his eighteen years of life.

With a regretful look, he walked out of the store, looking at another store nearby, hesitating whether to go in and test. The problem was that he needed to test too many times, even several times a day, to calculate clearly. It was really too expensive.

A thought struck him, and he finally thought of a more troublesome but money-saving way. He quickly picked up his phone.

"Senior Brother Du, is there something?" Yao Jing asked. They had just parted, and the call came so soon. Did Senior Brother misunderstand something? Yao Jing hadn't thought about marriage, at least not so early. Would her actions make Senior Brother think too much?

Even if she were to marry in the future, Senior Brother Du wouldn't be suitable. Every girl dreams of love, and no one can escape such thoughts. Yao Jing was no exception. She was worried that Senior Brother might confess, which would be too troublesome.

"Junior Sister Yao, I have a question. Do you know many people in the Flying Tiger Team? How are your relationships?"

Yao Jing blinked. The question Du Qian asked was quite different from what she had expected. She blushed for no reason, but fortunately, no one was around, and Du Qian couldn't see her through the phone.

"Not many, but it's okay." With every "Sister Yao," Yao Jing knew she would find it hard to integrate into the Flying Tiger Team, but no one would dare to offend her.

"Um... um..." Du Qian didn't know how to start. Asking for a favor after a free meal was a bit much, especially since the meal was skipped and not paid for.

The survival rule at the orphan school was that sharing a benefit could bring people closer, but no one owed anyone else. If someone treated you, even a penny, you should remember it.

"Senior Brother, just say it."

"Alright, I won't be polite. I'll treat you to a meal later. Your Flying Tiger Team has a combat power tester, right?"

This is easy: "Of course, Senior Brother wants to test?"

"Um... not just once, I might test frequently. Would that be too much trouble?" Du Qian knew it wouldn't just be a little trouble; it would be a lot. Testing once might be okay, but frequent testing would be embarrassing.

The Flying Tiger Team isn't a market; outsiders can't just walk in. Even though Du Qian is a patrol officer and part of the system, it's not that easy.

"Frequent testing?" Is it necessary? Has Senior Brother's combat power improved quickly recently?

If it were another war orphan, they would find Du Qian's request laughable, but Yao Jing wouldn't think so. She had similar experiences.

Just thinking about it, increasing combat power to over two hundred thousand in ten years is quite terrifying.

Someone as diligent as Du Qian might improve by one or two points a day, while Yao Jing, on average, improved by over sixty points a day, dozens or even hundreds of times more than ordinary orphans.

Combat power doesn't increase evenly. Sometimes it's slow, sometimes it's fast. Yao Jing had experienced rapid increases in combat power more than once.

Du Qian's troubles were the same as hers, but even more intense. Back then, the school's tester always disappointed her, even though she could feel her combat power improving. It was a terrible feeling.

What could be more delightful than seeing your combat power increase every day in this world?

Joining the Flying Tiger Team, aside from other benefits, the free use of the tester alone was enough to give her a sense of belonging.

"Um, it's fine, just for fun." Du Qian said casually.

Sure, if your combat power isn't increasing quickly, who would test for fun, to打击自信心吗？

Senior Brother has a secret.

"If you test frequently, I suggest Senior Brother use a portable tester. It's less accurate but more convenient. I happen to have one."

Happen to have one? Can you just carry that around? Du Qian wasn't doubting Yao Jing but felt something was off.

"A portable one is best." A portable one is good; you can keep it at home and test anytime. The equipment at the Flying Tiger Team is definitely better, but it's not convenient for him to go there often, and it might cause trouble for Yao Jing.

"Where are you, Senior Brother? I'll bring it to you."

"Is... is that okay? It's the team's equipment, right?"

"No problem, I can apply for another one. If it breaks, just give it to me, and the team can reimburse it."

Can it be reimbursed? At this moment, Du Qian felt the gap between him and Yao Jing. Junior Sister is doing really well. In just three days, the gap has widened so much, it's really disheartening.

The three beauties of the same year, to earn such a title, indeed, there are no undeserving ones. Beauty in the orphan school isn't about appearance but a recognition of strength.

"Thanks, I owe you one. I'm heading home now, passing by the police station. You know the place, right?"

"Sure, see you later."

Ten minutes later, seeing Yao Jing again, Du Qian's heart sank. The gap seemed to be getting even wider. Yao Jing arrived in a car, no doubt provided by the Flying Tiger Team.

The patrol police also have cars, but they are patrol cars. Not only are they not assigned to individuals, but even when on duty, only qualified patrol officers can use them. Someone like Du Qian, if he doesn't do well, might never get a chance to drive, like Uncle Feng.

Looking at the Flying Tiger Team, a new member for just three days already has a car. How can you compare? He had heard before how amazing the Flying Tiger Team is, but it seemed distant. When he realized that Junior Sister Yao was also a member, the sense of loss was overwhelming.

"Senior Brother, here you go. The energy bar is used up. Call me if you need a replacement; the team can provide it." This is Du Qian; if it were someone else, they wouldn't lend it, let alone say so much.

As a public servant, using public property is natural. Du Qian is calculating, and so is Yao Jing. Energy bars aren't cheap.

Actually, the tester requires very little energy. A fully charged portable tester can test hundreds of times. Even if you replace the energy bar yourself, it's not much money on average. But if you can save, why not?

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, I'll take you home."

Du Qian forced a smile and declined. The gap was too big; it's better to have less contact. Orphans' hearts are always so sensitive.

He quickly walked home, closed the door, and stood under the cold water for a while before regaining his senses. He howled and rushed out of the bathroom, put on his clothes, and ran to the bank.

Before leaving, he naturally didn't forget to take the tester with him. It's expensive. He was so focused on the gap with Junior Sister that he forgot he had already sent the spirit horns to the bank, but he still needed to use them.

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