The flickering firelight scorched the girl's calm face.

On that face wearing a metal mask, Jack saw no emotion.

Anger? Resentment? Unwillingness?

None of those.

What existed was only a tranquility that had accepted all reality, and a determination that entwined Yun You's soul like invisible chains.

The little girl was not wrong; her "birdcage," though akin to Jack's cage on a spiritual level, was fundamentally different in essence.

The latter's cage came from family lineage and others; it could be actively broken. But the former's prison was a self-imposed constraint, with no possibility of being broken by oneself.

Or perhaps, as Yun You herself said, she had no intention of breaking the prison but instead saw it as a fundamental goal for lifelong struggle.

For Yun You, she only envisioned two outcomes for her life.

One is to complete revenge and let the shackles naturally dissolve.

The other is to die on the path of revenge, turning to dust with her dreams.

These are two extremes, and among them, Yun You would never make a third choice.

"..."

Somehow, Jack got the feeling that the girl in front of him was somewhat pitiable.

She could have a bright future, but her life was trapped in the past, controlled by hatred, unable to take steps toward a new life, like a wolf set alight in the wilderness, running forever without stopping or looking back.

Jack himself had already found redemption, but Yun You... could she truly find redemption and gain new hope?

Without revenge to drive her, how would her life go on?

The mercenary couldn't imagine.

Or perhaps Yun You herself couldn't imagine that time either.

"What is it? Feeling sorry for me?"

Looking at Jack's hesitant expression, Yun You grinned and gently shook her head.

"Don't pity me; I don't need anyone's pity or sympathy. Because this is the path I, Yun You, have chosen, the road I must walk."

"Because of this, even if I end up with a battered head, even if there's no good outcome in the end, I will accept it calmly."

"Besides, I don't think my current situation is that bad."

Yun You shook the bare bamboo skewer she had nibbled clean.

"Jack, you come from a wealthy family, spending your childhood in a big mansion. Even though you later defected, as a mercenary, you earned enough money to rise above the bottom tier."

"It's different for me; I lived in the Lower City for 15 years, and I know what kind of life people here lead."

"Adults work for meager pay, not even enough to fill a meal, working bare-chested for over a dozen hours in factories filled with chemical reagents and toxic gases, even eating meals next to the assembly line... no holidays, and there's less than 5 hours for them to manage sleep."

"Children must search for treasures in the old masters' garbage dumps in the Upper City to fill their forever empty stomachs. Do you know what 'searching for treasures' means? It's digging through garbage cans to find leftover scraps."

"Even then, many people don't even qualify to search because even garbage dumps are monopolized by gangs, and sneaking in means risking getting beaten to death by thugs."

"In the Lower City, especially most of the folks near the 5th District, they might never in their life get a sip of clean water. They can only draw water from the polluted 'Corpse Lake' outside the city, then saturate it with more bleach than water."

"A long time ago, the Upper City even had a variety show looking for talented individuals, and they found a guy from the Lower City called the 'Iron Stomach King,' who could eat all kinds of frightening pathogens raw and even wolf down industrial saccharine."

"At the time, those guests from the Upper City were incredulously astonished, so they shined a light on him and crowned Iron Stomach King as the champion."

Yun You put down the bamboo skewer and picked up the Mexican Burrito Jack had just grilled, taking a big bite and muttering, "But those masters probably don't know, the pathogens they claim have a '100% mortality rate' from the show likely wouldn't survive half a day in the Lower City's tap water."

"The stomachs of the Lower City's people have long been trained."

"So I said, the people in this city live a life of unimaginable misery to outsiders."

"Compared to those orphans with no parents, I'm already quite fortunate. Though my family was poor, my parents never let me go hungry..."

"Later, when I lost them, I went through a rough patch, but I quickly turned around, became an Apprentice Death God, and gained a reliable mentor and teammates."

As she spoke, Yun You lightly tapped her chest, managing a smile.

"Moreover, the birdcage around me is only a minor spiritual issue. It's definitely not comparable to the people still suffering in Nest City... who might continue suffering in the future either."

Upon hearing this, Jack sighed deeply, then heavily shook his head.

"Don't compare the level of suffering, Chica, it's meaningless."

"We should think about how to ensure good results for those not having better days, not compare who is worse or who can endure more hardship."

"If you were my sister, I'd try everything to make your life better, let Chica escape the cage, even if it's just psychological."

Jack gulped down some barley wine.

Under the influence of alcohol, the mercenary felt a bit dazed, but his expression was sincere, with nothing fake about it.

"Thank you for thinking that way."

Yun You grinned, raised her orange juice and clinked glasses with Jack, casually saying, "By the way, the issuer of our mission this time, that Black Tiger fellow, I don't quite get along with him."

"If given the chance, I'd also find a way to chop off his deceitful head."

"...!"

At those words, Jack suddenly sobered up a bit.

"Black Tiger too?!"

His expression initially showed some surprise but soon became grim.

"Chica, do you mean the reason you took this mission was to find a chance to assassinate Black Tiger?"

"This... this..."

Jack's voice was tinged with concern.

Seeing his heavy-looking face, Yun You smiled and shook her head.

She understood Jack's thoughts and knew the mercenary had some misgivings.

When she hired Jack earlier, she only mentioned it was to perform a task rather than to assassinate the Apprentice Death God.

The two seem alike, but actually differ greatly.

Trying to hire someone to assassinate a Tier 2 Apprentice Death God without tens of millions or billions in Silver Cannon would not even get a glance.

Moreover, the risk far outweighs that of typical tasks; a mercenary like Jack wouldn't even touch it.

Yun You knew, Jack had a sister to care for, so he couldn't risk it; he couldn't afford to be reckless like her...

She thus understood Jack's worries.

"That's not it, rest assured."

The little girl quickly wolfed down the burrito, wiped her hands, and explained, "I didn't mean it."

"This action primarily focuses on the task itself, I won't seek trouble with Black Tiger now... I don't have the ability yet, nor would I drag you all alongside me to die."

"Revenge is my own matter."

"If I am to kill, I will accomplish it alone."

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