'I can't believe you allowed someone to touch me!' Devil's Tongue said. Even worse, since Michael had kept his hand on the hilt, the soul weapon couldn't have rejected Jasmine's hands.

'You killed a General. Shouldn't you be glad about it instead?' Michael argued, still comforting the crying girl.

'I guess you do have a point…' Surprisingly, the soul weapon didn't remain salty for long and dropped the matter.

After a few minutes Jasmine calmed down and let go of Michael.

"Thank you, Uncle! We owe you our life."

Ava bit her lower lip suppressing laughter, hearing Michael's new title give her a whiplash.

With hurried steps, Jasmine went to check on Conor's condition.

"How is he, Grandpa?"

Bryce sighed in relief. "The man will live. I have stopped the blood loss and injected him with several healing syringes. It will take him some time to recover, but once he does, he can have his arm replaced with a cybernetic."

Seeing her concerned face, he added.

"Had it not been for your makeshift way of delaying the bleeding, he would have died before I could help him. Be proud, he is alive thanks to you."

Jasmine gulped audibly. If she hadn't cried her eyes out a few seconds before, she would have broken again by the old man's praise.

"Did you find anyone alive?" With the General dead, Michael turned to Claire and Victoria. The two Masters had scouted the area thoroughly with the help of Cyberfang.

"No…" They shook their heads in dejection. Every passenger on the train had perished.

Sadly they couldn't even bring back the bodies to their loved ones, since they were either burned up beyond recognition or squashed by the alien.

The only thing they could do for these souls was to bury them, giving their spirits rest.

Since every member of Michael's was at the very least an Expert, it didn't take them long to finish the job.

"..."

With everybody buried, they stood for a minute in silence, paying their respects.

"Are we going back?" Jasmine tugged at Michael's attire, seemingly feeling most comfortable with him.

"We are. Your father was worried sick… And for a good reason."

Nodding weakly, she followed, climbing upon Cyberfang's back before departing.

ROAR!

With a little girl and an unconscious man, Michael instructed the tiger to move slower than normal.

[As you wish.]

The AI complied.

"Wow…" Jasmine's emerald eyes began to sparkle as they moved past the blizzard effortlessly. Even more surprisingly, the tiger had a heating generator, ensuring that all of its passengers were comfortable.

"Your father told me that you have tried to help the people suffering in the outskirts." Michael said, bringing her out of her daze.

"Not just tried, I did help the suffering in several cities." She said, proud of herself.

"Originally I didn't think it was possible, but when I heard that someone had managed to get rid of the gangs in Azure, I was inspired to help the other cities." She reminisced.

"I would like to meet that person, but their name is hard to find…" The girl sighed in dejection.

"Oh, that was me." Michael said casually.

"WHAT?!" Jasmine instantly went closer, swarming him with questions.

Ava giggled at the sight. It was nice to finally see someone shorter than her traveling with their group.

At the same time, Victoria was focused ahead, refusing to glance backward.

'Too cute… She could still be distressed. Don't pet… resist the temptation.'

As they neared the city, Michael became tired from answering all Jasmine's questions. Noticing that, Bryce instantly took his spot. The old man was used to taking care of kids after all.

"I tell you, when we feared that he was finished, we saw him standing unfazed over the corpse of a slain General!" The old man decided to tell a few of Michael's tales.

Claire sighed. "Are you sure that telling a girl such stories is a good idea?"

"Don't question the old man; he knows the best!"

Leaving the two to deal with the girl, Michael turned to Leo and Enzo.

"Is Conor stable?"

"Yes, Bryce did a fine job." Leo nodded.

"He is an Early Expert like me, yet he survived an encounter with a General! It seems that I am falling behind!" Enzo proclaimed.

Several hours later they reached the city. Since Cyberfang hadn't been running at full speed, Amelia had recovered most of her strength.

"Jasmine!" Ford instantly ran towards the little girl, taking her in his arms.

"Thank you so much! I don't know how I can repay you!" After the father got his emotions under control, he bowed towards Michael's group.

Even his prosperous business was worthless when compared to the life of his daughter.

"Uncle, you were amazing! Can you teach me how to fight like you?" Jasmine asked in excitement.

"It will be good for her!" Bryce laughed, stroking his overgrown beard. It was needless to say that the little girl reminded him of Claire when she had been small. He was having the time of his life!

"..."

Understandably, Michael was hesitant. Jasmine was meant to become a businesswoman, not a fighter. If it weren't for her efforts, humanity would struggle more in the future.

"Why do you want to fight?"

"I want to help the less fortunate like you!" Jasmine replied.

"Then, just keep doing what you are doing." He patted her on the head.

"A child shouldn't wield a weapon. Leave that for the adults. If you want to help, why don't you start by taking care of the outer region in Azure?"

Even if Michael had taken care of the gangs there, the region was far from prospering. Things couldn't change so fast.

Jasmine seemed reluctant at first, but since Michael insisted that she would be more helpful that way, she obliged.

As for payment for the job, aside from the money donation that Michael sent to his family back on Earth. He asked Ford to aid his daughter in her journey to help the city prosper.

Since the man wanted to foster her business skills, he agreed.

At some point Victoria wasn't able to resist the temptation anymore as she pinched Jasmine's cheek.

A satisfied smile spread over her face. Seeing that the little girl didn't mind, giggling from the tickling instead.

Meanwhile, Michael went to speak with Conor. With the help of several doctors, the man had awoken, and he was curious to see how the Early Expert that had faced a General and lived to tell the tale was doing.

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