The Old Beastman pounded on the door, shaking some dust from the walls. With a CREAK, a large chunk of plaster, as if it could no longer bear its own weight, broke off from above and fell right toward Jiang Zheyu’s head.

Su Yan’s eyes sharpened. He quickly reached out, grabbed Jiang Zheyu’s wrist, and pulled her into his arms.

With a THUD, the chunk of plaster hit the ground and shattered into several pieces.

Jiang Zheyu moved her head slightly. While pressed against Su Yan’s chest, she turned to look, swallowing silently. ’If I had been standing there a moment ago,’ she thought, ’my head probably wouldn’t have split open, but I’d definitely have a splitting headache and be covered in white dust before passing out.’

The Old Beastman seemed used to this sort of thing, but he still cautiously asked Jiang Zheyu, "Honorable female, are you hurt? This apartment building is quite old. Who knew a piece of plaster would suddenly fall like that?"

Feng Qi’s black military uniform was also dusted with small white fragments.

"The materials used for this apartment are substandard." Feng Qi crouched down, picking up a crumbling piece of stone from the floor with his fingers. He slowly stood up, his critical gaze falling on the patchy, grayish-white wall where pieces had flaked off. He then began tapping on his Light Brain. "This wall was built with cheap, shoddily made Saturn Stone, which violates the Empire’s regulations on apartment building materials. A fine notification has been sent to your Light Brain. Remember to pay it on time and make the necessary renovations."

The man’s voice was cold and merciless.

The Old Beastman’s heart sank. ’Captain Qi has come by on patrol before and never nitpicked about the building materials. Why is he suddenly issuing a fine and a renovation order now?’

He looked at the young woman being held protectively in Commander Su’s arms and suddenly understood.

’Today is just the worst of luck,’ he thought. ’Of all the times for the wall to peel, it had to be today, and it nearly hit a female.’

"Yes, yes, I will," the Old Beastman could only agree.

Feng Qi went back to knocking on the small door to the stairwell, frowning slightly. "Is no one home?"

"That can’t be. I saw his younger brother come back from scavenging just today," the Old Beastman said, also confused.

"Someone’s there." Su Yan released Jiang Zheyu from his embrace, his gaze fixed on the small door. "They’re probably just too afraid to open it."

Feng Qi glanced at Su Yan. ’If Su Yan says someone’s there, then someone is definitely there. This guy’s spiritual power is even stronger than mine.’

The Old Beastman understood. His knocking became gentler. "Xiao Xuan, are you in there? I helped report your brother’s death to the Empire last time. The female is here to apologize now. Open up."

But the door remained shut.

The Old Beastman took out a key, intending to open the door himself.

A cold, detached voice sounded from behind them. "What are you doing outside my home?"

A young man stood there in tattered clothes, washed so many times they’d turned pale. He was extremely thin, with choppy black hair falling over his eyes. His clothes were filthy, stained with a lot of dust, and he had wounds on his face, looking like he’d been in a fight.

His face was handsome but cold, and his narrow eyes were a rare, magnificent mix of purple and a color like golden quicksand, two distinct hues that seemed to flow, giving them a unique beauty.

"A Si, you’re back." The Old Beastman walked over, his face wreathed in smiles. "Didn’t I help you report your brother’s situation to the Empire last time? You won’t have to live such a hard life anymore. This female will be responsible for your younger brother’s living expenses from now on. You won’t have to work so hard."

"We don’t need it." The young man simply pushed the Old Beastman aside and walked coolly to the small door of his stairwell home. He took a key from his waist and said as he unlocked the door, "You can all go back. I don’t need your so-called compensation, and I don’t need an apology."

The Old Beastman hurried over and pleaded earnestly, "Why are you so stubborn? Your brother is gone, and there are just the two of you left. Why insist on living such a bitter life? If you accept the compensation, things won’t be so hard."

The young man opened the door but paused with his hand on the handle. His cold, dark eyes glanced sideways at the Old Beastman. "I didn’t ask you to report it. Since you did, if you want the money, you can have it. I will not accept any compensation or apology from the perpetrator."

After speaking these icy words, he bent down, ducked into the stairwell, and slammed the door shut.

Jiang Zheyu watched this unfold, her lips parting slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.

’So this is the Beastman who never accepted my friend request.’

She’d actually suspected as much. ’If he wanted compensation, he would have accepted my friend request. But he never did.’

Feng Qi retracted his gaze and looked at Jiang Zheyu. "If the family doesn’t accept the apology and compensation, you can disregard it."

The Empire only provides for compensation. If they don’t want it, the Empire won’t force it on them. It’s all voluntary on both sides.

"Let’s go. There’s no need to concern ourselves with this," Feng Qi said, turning to leave.

The Old Beastman grew anxious, knocking on the door again. "A Si, an opportunity like this won’t come again! Why won’t you think about making your life easier, child? It’s not like you have to accept the apology... sigh..."

Jiang Zheyu walked over and placed the bag of fruit, children’s storybooks, paper, pens, and small toys she had bought in front of the door. She spoke softly to the closed door, "If you need help in the future, you can come find me anytime. I’ve sent you a request on your Light Brain, so there should be a record of it. If you change your mind, you can contact me whenever. The offer for compensation and an apology from me will always stand."

After she finished speaking, she paid no more mind to the Beastman inside the room.

"Let’s go." Su Yan held out his hand to her.

Jiang Zheyu paused for a moment, then took Su Yan’s hand, and they walked out together.

Feng Qi, who had already reached the top of the stairs, saw them emerge and turned to walk down.

After Jiang Zheyu had left, the small door to the stairwell opened. A delicate-looking little boy stepped out and saw the bag at the door.

He glanced cautiously back inside, as if to make sure his older brother wasn’t coming out. Then, he slowly crouched in front of the bag and rummaged through it, finding a small, silver Mecha model.

The little boy’s eyes, the same purple and gold sand color as his brother’s, blinked gently. He picked up the silver Mecha and held it in front of him, then began to slowly disassemble it before carefully reassembling it.

A shadow fell over him.

The little boy seemed to realize something. His small body froze, and he looked up at the young man, the silver Mecha still clutched in his hand.

"Throw it away. Big brother will buy you a new one." Yin Si crouched down, gently took the toy Mecha from the little boy’s hand, and casually placed it back in the bag. "Just wait a little longer. Big brother will be able to take you away from here soon."

The little boy didn’t cry or make a fuss when the toy was taken away.

Yin Si picked up the bag, intending to take the contents downstairs and throw them in the trash.