Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 77

Ling Xi sat on the floor, hugging her knees, watching the video on the television intently. The light flickering from the screen illuminated her lonely face.

At times she smiled brightly, at other times, tears streamed down her face. In the video, Jopol followed closely behind her, silently accompanying her on that journey of self-redemption.

Towards the end of the trip, Jopol appeared in Sri Lanka. She was an old acquaintance of the nobleman, holding up the brilliant blue sapphire ring. They chatted about something, and the nobleman smiled and accepted the ring.

It seemed like a solemn farewell. Jopol once again picked up the camera, about to speak, but hesitated. She had her back to the window, and the camera just managed to capture Ling Xi in the courtyard below, where she was playing ‘Eagle Catches Chickens’ with a group of children.

The laughter in the garden rose and fell, coloring the whole world. Jopol remained quiet for a moment; she too was enjoying Ling Xi’s happiness.

“Are you happy on this long journey spanning across Eurasia?” Jopol’s smile was gentle as she murmured the question. But receiving no response, she was silent for a while, her tone helpless and reluctant: “I should leave now. Give me some time. I will, like this journey, follow the ocean current, ride the monsoon, and gracefully barge into your world… Wait for me a little longer.”

The screen cut off abruptly, leaving only a dense field of small dots.

Ling Xi stared blankly at the screen, unable to look away. She pulled her knees closer, burying her head as she sobbed.

Suddenly the image twisted, and after a few strange noises, Jopol’s figure reappeared.

“Miss, what would you like to film?”

The person filming was identifiable as Chu Xi. In the lens, Jopol stood in front of a fine mahogany carved railing. She turned her head towards Chu Xi when she heard the sound, holding the exact pair of glasses that Ah Zhe later crushed.

The glasses obscured Jopol’s face, revealing only the lower half, where her sexy red lips curved into an excited, gentle smile.

She didn’t speak but hooked her finger toward Chu Xi, and the camera followed the direction she pointed.

So, everything began on that day.

The secret about the journey seemed to have been cleverly hidden by Jopol in the video.

Ling Xi awoke as if from a dream. She stumbled to her feet, feeling as if she had unearthed a priceless treasure: “The Cincinnia National Library… The destination?!”

“No one will tell you where the destination is. Unless you remember who I am, how will you ever see me?”

Attorney An’s words echoed in her ears. The smile that had just surfaced vanished immediately. Ling Xi bit her fingers and fell into contemplation: “Where exactly are you?”

She kept wondering about a sense of déjà vu, but Bole had never provided an answer, and Ling Xi couldn’t find any trace of her existence in her past memories.

Ling Xi stopped thinking about it. She ran into the study, grabbed Jopol’s notebook, and the bottle of perfume that gave her comfort. Since the night was long and full of dreams, it was better to go home and pack her luggage.

Following the road she came from, this time, it was her turn to barge into Jopol ‘s world!

“I didn’t expect you to train such capable subordinates just to guard against me all these years.” Joe Di stood at the door, looking at the weak Jopol, offering unreserved praise.

Jopol’s pale face showed a triumphant smile, and she retorted: “It seems he successfully escaped. Your people aren’t up to the task…”

Joe Di opened the iron door and walked up to Jopol. Arrogantly, he grabbed her arm, full of aggressive momentum: “No matter how formidable, they are just three people. What can they possibly do to me? You think too little of me.”

“Thinking little of you is entirely your own fault…” Jopol was too weak to resist but still stubbornly struggled: “My biggest regret is indulging you. Man proposes, God disposes. Your retribution is just a matter of time.”

“Indulgence? If it weren’t for me back then, where would you be now? Everything you have is a result of my total devotion. I’m the one who did the indulging!”

“I could surrender the entire Josiah family just to buy some peace… You are too greedy. Haven’t you seen the reality yet? You can’t get anything more from me, let alone affection.”

The words were cutting, and Joe Di’s defenses crumbled.

He clasped Jopol ‘s arms with both hands, trying to make her understand the current situation: “I advise you to wake up and think about your subordinates. Aren’t their lives important?”

Jopol’s long hair was messy. She suddenly laughed wildly, the horrific laughter echoing in the pitch-black dungeon: “If I give it to you, it’s yours. If I don’t give it, nothing belongs to you. Don’t forget who you are.”

Joe Di’s forehead was bulging with veins due to anger. Since he didn’t want to use brute force, he could only smile grimly: “We’ll see who loses everything in the end. We’ll wait and see. I told you… I won’t hurt you, but I will return all the pain you brought me onto them. Don’t blame me.”

To evade Joe Di’s pursuit, the trio found a secluded home to stay in.

Qu Ye paid the money and returned to the guest room on the second floor. Zanda and Ji Nancen were discussing the preparation of weapons: “Let’s go back to the PA-40 Regiment tomorrow. Maybe we can find the things we need.”

Ji Nancen wasn’t bothered. She threw herself onto the bed and casually agreed: “I’m okay with that. You two make the arrangements.”

“But the base is several hours away from Florence by car. Now that our car is wrecked, and our other car is parked at the small courtyard, what if Joe Di’s men are stationed there?”

“Not a big problem. I’ll take care of it later.” Zanda took the task upon himself. Qu Ye disagreed: “We should act together; we can’t split up.”

“I also think it’s better to act together,” Ji Nancen chimed in again. Qu Ye rolled her eyes at her: “Can’t you offer some constructive advice?”

“Constructive advice? Then buying a used car at the black market is the safest bet. I can help haggle.”

Ji Nancen’s suggestion was approved by both of them. Zanda then made the final decision: “Alright, let’s go first thing tomorrow morning. Once we get a car, we’ll quickly set off. We must secure the battle weapons before Chu Xi arrives.”

“Wait… you are all waiting for Chu Xi. Can her arrival change the situation? I think a quick resolution is the best approach. Excluding her, let’s prepare for Sunday as soon as possible.”

What Ji Nancen said made sense. Zanda was confused: “Sunday? Prepare for what?”

“We found out that Joe Di goes to the Cathedral for worship every Sunday. That’s our best chance to rescue Miss Bole.”

Qu Ye explained. Zanda thought for a moment and agreed with Ji Nancen: “Nancen is right; we can’t wait for Chu Xi anymore. When the time comes, you two go to the manor, and I will go to the church to deal with Joe Di.”

“Splitting up again? Joe Di always has people with him. Even if those subordinates are stupid, we’ll still be outnumbered!” Ji Nancen countered Zanda’s plan. Zanda looked up at her: “Then what plan do you think is best?”

“For any event, we should have Plan A, B, and C. Preparing multiple options guarantees success.

Besides, Jopol is safer locked up in the manor than anywhere else. Dealing with Joe Di is the primary issue.

The best plan is for all of us to go to the church. Qu Ye and I will be responsible for drawing fire, and you’ll be responsible for taking down Joe Di. The second-best is for me to go to the manor, and you and Qu Ye go to the church. The last resort is for Qu Ye and me to go to the manor, and you go to the church alone. It’s permutation and combination.”

What Ji Nancen said was flawless. Zanda and Qu Ye no longer objected.

“Alright, let’s go to the base to get the supplies tomorrow, and then we’ll make further plans. Meeting adjourned. Time to sleep.” With Zanda’s command, Ji Nancen and Qu Ye both returned to their rooms.

At the break of dawn, Zanda was already fully ready. Just as he was about to knock on Qu Ye’s door, he coincidentally ran into Ji Nancen climbing into the second floor through the window.

“Where have you been?” He looked confused. Ji Nancen brushed the dust off her clothes, showing off the car keys in her hand: “I figured buying a used car was a waste of money. I didn’t want to spend unnecessarily, so I couldn’t sleep all night. I simply took advantage of the dark of the moon to retrieve the car from the small courtyard. Don’t worry, I kept watch for a long time; no one followed me.”

Hearing Ji Nancen’s explanation, Zanda put his hands on his hips and was too lazy to roll his eyes. He seemed already accustomed to this woman, who would do anything shameless for money.

Qu Ye opened her door with a yawn, looking bewildered at the two standing by the door: “It’s still early. You two look so energetic.”

She turned her head to look at the familiar car keys in Ji Nancen’s hand and immediately understood the reason, muttering under her breath: “You’re truly a money-grubber, having no shame and no regard for your life!”

“Tsk, I did this to save you money and time! Let’s go, let’s go. I’ve already filled the tank!”

The regional base of the PA-40 Regiment was situated between the cities of Florence and Rheinz.

They arrived at their destination just in time for lunch.

Battalion Commander Lulifa was the person in charge of the base and Zanda’s close, lifelong friend.

Seeing his old comrade-in-arms whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, Lulifa warmly greeted him with a hug, then led the group directly into the mess hall.

He instructed his subordinates to prepare a generous lunch, then found a secluded corner to sit down so they could catch up slowly.

“We came back to the regiment this time mainly to purchase some firearms and ammunition. The price is negotiable.” Zanda cut straight to the chase before the other party could ask.

Lulifa took off his hat, puzzled: “Brother, you ask for guns as soon as you open your mouth. You still need to give me a reason.”

“You should be familiar with the Josiah family. Does the regiment have any dealings with them?”

“Josiah… I remember the current patriarch is called Joe Di, right?”

“Yes, we have a conflict and have encountered some trouble.”

“Why did you provoke him for no good reason?”

“To be precise, we are resolving this trouble on behalf of the true heir of the Josiah family.”

“That’s wonderful!” Lulifa’s answer was unexpected. He slapped his leg, laughing heartily, and explained: “I don’t care who the Josiah family heir is. But this Joe Di is a target for elimination on the regiment’s blacklist.”

Hearing Lulifa’s words, Zanda rarely showed a genuinely delighted smile: “Target for elimination? It seems we are on the same side. Tell me why.”

“He colluded with the largest organization in Florence to monopolize the entire region’s arms trade. For a long time, our weapon supply has faced severe shortages. Because they inflated the price too much. However, eliminating him requires instructions from a superior, and to avoid losses, we haven’t taken any action, so the problem has remained unresolved.”

Ji Nancen was highly vigilant, trying to find flaws in the conversation. After all, this trip back to the regiment was not an entirely safe move. But Lulifa’s response was impeccable. She finally lowered her guard: “Senior Lulifa, the PA-40 can use our operation to get rid of Joe Di this time. It’s mutual assistance, and we need the regiment’s support.”

“Let’s eat first. I’ll take you to pick out the equipment later. Externally, your operation has nothing to do with the PA-40, and I will not submit any report to my superiors. Besides providing weapons, what else do you need? I will help you as much as possible. But I cannot provide mercenaries; I cannot account for potential casualties.”

Hearing Lulifa’s support, Zanda raised his glass to clink with him: “Cheers to our cooperation.”

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