Chapter 26: The Embarrassed Su Lie and the Clever Toka

Carl noticed that Skye had woken up. So, he quietly exited the group chat. He smiled. "Awake?" "Mm..." Skye nodded, rubbing her eyes. "I'm a little hungry. Let's go eat." "Alright." After freshening up, the two of them headed out. Once they'd finished eating, They didn't return home immediately. Instead, they took a leisurely stroll along the seaside. While enjoying dinner, Carl suddenly had a feeling— And re-entered the chat group. [Chat Group – Multi-Dimensional Link] 『Wall Guard Commander』: Carl-sama, thank you again for everything you've done. @GodOfMankind 『Heavenly Blade King』: Hm? 『Heavenly Blade King』: General Su Lie, you're thanking Carl-sama again? 『Heavenly Blade King』: Didn't you already thank him earlier? 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: [confused.jpg] 『Wall Guard Commander』: That was for eliminating the demonspawn. This time... it's for a comrade. 『Heavenly Blade King』: Ohhh. 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: [eating melon.jpg] 『Heavenly Blade King』: Wait, Carl-sama saved your comrade too? 『Wall Guard Commander』: Indeed. Carl-sama not only eliminated the demonspawn in Guan City— 『Wall Guard Commander』: He also saved my comrade. The situation was complicated, but... that's the gist of it. 『Heavenly Blade King』: I see. 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: [666.jpg] Carl had just rejoined the group when he saw Su Lie explaining things to everyone. He immediately guessed what had happened. Shima Jiro must have returned to the Wall Guard. That would explain why Su Lie was thanking him again— and why his tone had grown noticeably gentler. Still, Carl didn't think much of it. He'd only done what he felt like doing. It had nothing to do with anyone else. 『God of Mankind』: No need to thank me, General Su Lie. 『Wall Guard Commander』: This isn't just empty formality— I truly owe you my deepest thanks. 『Wall Guard Commander』: I know your strength, Carl-sama, is far beyond anything someone like me, a mere mortal, could ever hope to match... 『Wall Guard Commander』: But I have to say this. 『Wall Guard Commander』: You saved the people of the Great Wall and Yucheng, and you helped Shima Jiro. 『Wall Guard Commander』: This grace, this kindness—I, Su Lie, will never forget. 『Wall Guard Commander』: If you ever need anything from me in the future, 『Wall Guard Commander』: I, Su Lie, will charge through fire and water without hesitation. 『Heavenly Blade King』: [shocked.jpg] 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: [watching drama.jpg] 『God of Mankind』: Alright then. I accept your sincerity, General Su Lie. Carl thought to himself— He probably wouldn't ever need Su Lie's help. But with such earnestness, It didn't feel right to brush him off coldly. After Carl's reply, Su Lie seemed to relax visibly, even joining in the group conversation more casually. Then suddenly, Kaisa remembered something and curiously spoke up. 『Heavenly Blade King』: General Su Lie, there's something I've been meaning to ask. 『Wall Guard Commander』: Go ahead. If it's something I know, I'll gladly answer. (He assumed she was going to ask about Carl-sama's powers.) 『Heavenly Blade King』: Not quite. I am curious about Carl-sama's strength— 『Heavenly Blade King』: But right now, I want to ask: have you finished all your official duties, General? 『Heavenly Blade King』: A few hours ago, you looked really busy. 『Heavenly Blade King』: Now you're here chatting like you're totally free. 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: Oh yeah! You done with work already? The group chat fell silent. A full dozen seconds passed. At first, Takanashi Toka and Kaisa were simply waiting for Su Lie's response. But as the silence dragged on, they began to suspect something was wrong with the app. Did it freeze? Kaisa couldn't hold it in any longer. 『Heavenly Blade King』: General Su Lie? 『Wall Guard Commander』: Uh... 『Wall Guard Commander』: Yes, I finished the official business. 『Wall Guard Commander』: But... I've got some other things to deal with now. 『Wall Guard Commander』: I'll step out for a bit. You all keep chatting. 『Wall Guard Commander』: Carl-sama, once again, thank you. In truth— The reason Su Lie had thanked Carl twice and suddenly become so friendly... Had nothing to do with "work being finished." It was because of Shima Jiro. He had once deeply resented Carl for killing his comrade. After all, they'd fought side by side. Even if Shima Jiro had made grave mistakes— He could have been jailed, or reported to Chang'an City for trial. Imprisonment didn't necessarily mean death. But Carl had taken his life. And now... Su Lie had learned the truth. He realized he'd wrongfully blamed Carl. Naturally, he felt ashamed. Carl-sama... really was a good man! But Su Lie wasn't the type who could lie or fake his emotions. Embarrassed, he fled the chat. 『God of Mankind』: No need for all the formality. 『Heavenly Blade King』: ?? Why does it feel like something weird's going on with General Su Lie? 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: I felt it too! There's something off! 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: What happened? 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: Carl-sama, do you know what's up with Su Lie? 『God of Mankind』: No idea. He said he had something to take care of. Of course, Carl already had a pretty good idea what had caused the shift. But— There was no need to spell it out. 『God of Mankind』: Anyway, I'm out and about. Logging off for now. 『Heavenly Blade King』: Okay, see you later, Carl-sama. 『God of Mankind』: Later. 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: Carl-sama's gone too... 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: But my gut tells me something definitely happened with General Su Lie! 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: And Carl-sama... he totally knows what it is! 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: Those two are super suspicious! 『Heavenly Blade King』: Wow! Toka-nee, you're spot on again! 『What to Do If My Little Sister's a Chunibyo』: Hahahaha! At that moment, Carl hadn't actually exited the group chat just yet. He read their messages, And his expression turned a little strange. With a faint, amused smile, He finally closed the chat window. Right now, Carl was still at the restaurant with Skye, finishing dinner. Beside him, Skye, chewing thoughtfully, noticed the smile on his face. She tilted her head, curious. "What happened? You look so happy." "Hmm... Stark Industries stock just spiked. A big jump," Carl replied casually, sipping red wine. "Oh, that's good news," Skye nodded. "I didn't think Stark Industries stock still had room to rise." "Of course it does. They've got deep ties with the government." "And besides, it's a company with a long, storied history." "...Fair enough." Skye didn't really know much about stocks or finance. But even she had heard of Stark Industries. After all, There weren't many people in America who hadn't.