Chapter 34: The Bodyguard

Jiang Qin spent a long time idly scrolling through her phone in the breakroom.

Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in her ears.

[Ding, Reputation points have reached one million. Store upgrading.]
[Upgrade failed...]
[Compensation package for the host has been issued to the temporary inventory.]

Jiang Qin: ...

It felt as though her cheat code had arrived, only to swerve away halfway, tossing her a few crumbs of gold to soothe her instead. Since she was out in public, she didn't dare check what was inside the package, so she could only pine for the moment she could return home.

After waiting for quite a while longer, she finally saw You Wei wiping sweat from his brow as he brought three people over.

Hmm... three handsome men.

Then again, there were basically no ugly people in the Interstellar era, unless they were truly unkempt. So, Jiang Qin was only momentarily surprised, with no further thoughts on the matter.

To be honest, having lived on the edge of survival for years, she had no romantic inclinations whatsoever. Even though this place was friendly toward females, she never dared to let her guard down, nor did she dare to trust anyone. While it was rare for a female to be betrayed by her partner, it was not unheard of.

After a few seconds of wandering thoughts, she heard You Wei introduce them: "Xiao Qin, these three are bounty hunters I’ve hired. From today on, they will be your bodyguards. We’ve booked them for one year for now; we’ll see about renewing the contract after that."

"Uncle, why did you suddenly hire bodyguards for me?"

You Wei hesitated, then gestured with his eyes for the three men to stand guard at the door. Once they were out of earshot, he asked anxiously, "Xiao Qin, are you aware that your spiritual projection manifested while you were singing earlier?"

Jiang Qin was startled. In her previous life, even though she had been kept in isolation by the Jiang family, she had done her best to understand the Interstellar world after she left. She knew very well under what conditions a spiritual projection could manifest. Currently, it was only possible for a spiritual projection to leave the mind during deep soothing.

But she had only been singing...

Seeing her expression, You Wei understood. "You didn't know."

Jiang Qin frowned and shook her head, her heart heavy. It wasn't about being like everyone else; the fear lay in being the most special person in the crowd, especially when that specialty involved soothing. The Interstellar world was not a peaceful utopia; people disappearing was all too common.

It was no wonder You Wei had hired bounty hunters for her, and judging by the aura those three exuded, their ranks were likely not low. Jiang Qin felt grateful for this. In this day and age, what boss would constantly overdraw their own resources to take care of an employee? Yet, You Wei had done so many times.

Although the bar had gained popularity because of her, she had only been working for a few days, and the money earned certainly didn't cover what he had spent on her. First, the salary advance, then the custom-made instrument, and now, hiring high-level bodyguards... With so much uncertainty in the future, who knew if You Wei would ever earn back more than what he had invested?

"Although I don't know the reason why, it doesn't change the fact that you’ve been targeted." That was why You Wei had spent a large sum on bounty hunters. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been willing to spend so much—it wasn't as if their bar lacked security.

"Don't worry. As long as you work at Moonlight, I, You Wei, will find a way to protect you." You Wei comforted her, "You don't need to be too nervous. Those people wouldn't dare target you brazenly. As for what they do in the shadows, we aren't afraid of them."

"Mhm."

Even so, Jiang Qin still felt uneasy. Ultimately, she was powerless. Even if she was a beastman female, she could only provide support from the rear. Perhaps that was why the status of females was so high. They had almost no combat capability; males' spiritual power was a weapon, while their spiritual power was merely a repair tool. Was it because there were so few tools capable of repairing weapons that they had to be protected?

"Don't think too much about it. If you're really scared, we could always move to the Main Planet to open a bar; the safety there might be better." You Wei had indeed considered this. If it were someone else, they might not be qualified to open a shop on the Main Planet, but he was. Although the price would be returning to that suffocating family.

Jiang Qin shook her head and refused, "Thank you, Uncle You Wei, but you don't need to change your plans for me. People with bad intentions won't stop wanting to harm me just because I live on the Main Planet or a second-tier planet. Rather than constantly moving and hiding in the dark, it’s better to find ways to strengthen myself and improve my defenses."

Since she couldn't compete physically, Jiang Qin figured it would be better to work hard to earn more money and buy high-tech gear to protect herself. With so many powerful weapons in the Interstellar era, she didn't believe a beastman's body could withstand something like a laser cannon.

"Besides, in the end, they only want to know why I can manifest my spiritual projection while singing. It’s not something unheard of. If they really want to know, I’m willing to share my experience unconditionally."

Jiang Qin felt that anyone with a bit of intelligence could probably guess the reason. To kill a C-rank female for an answer that was already plain to see—she didn't think the authorities would do that. Only those organizations running illegal experiments in the shadows would be interested in her. After all, they were a bunch of madmen; there was no logic to be found there.

***

After talking with You Wei, Jiang Qin left with her three bodyguards.

The three bodyguards were led by an S-rank male: Shi Lichuan, 26. Although he was the strongest of the three, his face looked very youthful, especially with his tousled black hair, making him look like an obedient college student. Because of his black hair, Jiang Qin asked what kind of beastman he was. She then learned he was a Bone-Armored Bear.

Jiang Qin had seen this type of bear before. If she had to describe it, it was like a giant panda wearing bone armor! No wonder his hair was black and he had a baby face...

As for the other two, they were both A-rank males: the Firebird beastman, Kui Wen, 32; and the Sea Snake beastman, Ba Zi, 28.

The three of them were a team and were gold-level bounty hunters. They usually didn't take on long-term protection missions. However, You Wei had once saved their team, so they didn't mind spending some time to repay the favor. That was why You Wei had sought them out. If it were other bounty hunters, he would have to worry about the possibility of them being bought off. He had no such concerns with Shi Lichuan’s team; he trusted them deeply.

You Wei had told her all this primarily to set her mind at ease, letting her know she could choose to trust them.

On the way back, Shi Lichuan kept stealing glances at Jiang Qin. He was wondering why Uncle You Wei had said this mission was so dangerous. It was just protecting a C-rank female, wasn't it? It wasn't like she was an S-rank. Of course, an S-rank wouldn't have fallen to their team anyway.