Chapter 29: Chen Yun's Invitation

After grabbing a quick stir-fried rice bowl from the cafeteria to go, Ye Yang headed straight back to his dormitory. Well, a female dormitory—he really had a miserable lot in life.

Fortunately, this place was different from the dorms at a typical university; there were no colorful undergarments hanging everywhere, nor were there girls running around naked. He was spared any major awkwardness, though, truth be told, he would have quite liked to witness the latter.

His room was on the third floor, toward the back of the classroom building. Since Hunters were a rare group of super-powered individuals, there were even fewer female trainees on the third floor, so everyone was essentially given their own large room. This kept Ye Yang from feeling too stifled, even if he wouldn't exactly have objected to living with a girl.

Just as Qi Fang had said, the room was excellent—it was essentially a single suite in a hotel. It seemed the benefits for Hunters were quite good; after all, they were the only force capable of standing against the monsters.

The room was divided into two sections and included a private bathroom, complete with all necessary appliances and furniture. It even had thick carpeting and felt quite luxurious. No wonder Lin Tian had mentioned that he could live on campus if he wanted, and let Qi Fang have the apartment they were renting.

Still, Ye Yang felt it was better to live off-campus. He and Qi Fang were close enough that sharing a space wouldn't be an issue, and while this place was nice, it was ultimately a female dormitory—it just felt a bit strange to live here.

The items Wang Feng had promised had already been delivered. It wasn't just a packet of field training materials, but also the thing he had dreamed of most: a brand-new iPhone 9. He hadn't expected to get his hands on one so soon.

The iPhone 9 was indeed incredibly useful, but it was also exponentially more complicated than the phones from his previous life. It required several layers of security: a fingerprint scan, a retinal scan, voice recognition, and even a "psyche-detection" password. If the device detected that the user's mental state was in chaos, it wouldn't even unlock.

Lin Tian had explained the reasoning behind this: since Hunters fought interdimensional monsters, if one were accidentally infected or compromised by a powerful creature—a Level 4 or Level 5, for instance—the iPhone 9 would lock down to prevent the leakage of sensitive intelligence.

However, Ye Yang couldn't quite wrap his head around why that specific password was necessary if Hunters were supposedly immune to infection.

What Ye Yang cared about most was the storage space inside the iPhone 9. It was indeed the size of a car trunk, though it was currently empty. Lin Tian had mentioned that his "mercury weapon" would be forged based on the style he chose, so that would likely be handled in the next day or two.

As for the device’s other functions, Ye Yang was completely lost. In his past life, he had been a pro with computers, phones, and mobile gaming, but this device’s features were beyond his comprehension. There was no user manual, so he decided to leave it be until Lin Tian returned. At least he knew how to make calls, use the storage space, and… well, he figured out how to play Plants vs. Zombies.

Actually, never mind, he didn't need that.

He picked up the materials on the table, eager to start studying, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Is Ye Yang there? It's Chen Yun."

He opened the door to see Chen Yun’s cute, charming face. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Honestly, this girl was exactly his type; she was more mature than Qi Fang and didn't seem as difficult to get along with.

Of course, the most "mature" thing about her was her… *ahem*, he estimated at least a 36E. If Ye Yang weren't already spoken for, he probably would have started making moves the moment they met.

"Oh? You’re eating stir-fry? I was actually planning on inviting you to dinner," Chen Yun said with a look of regret. Ye Yang froze. Inviting him to dinner? Why?

"It’s nothing, really. Just a celebration for a new classmate joining us. It’s rare to find someone I can chat with so happily," Chen Yun said with a smile.

Ye Yang scratched his head. Instinctively, he didn't want to refuse; she was a girl, and he had a very good impression of her—easily an 80 out of 100. Still, he felt this didn't really seem like a celebration for a new student; if it were, surely it wouldn't just be the two of them.

"How about it? I rarely invite people out, you know. We can't go anywhere too expensive, though—just a small place outside the school, if you don't mind…"

"No, no, of course not!" Ye Yang waved his hands. He looked at the stir-fry he’d only taken two bites of. *Forget it*, he thought, *I’ll finish it tomorrow morning.* He had to see Wang Feng at 5:00 AM anyway, and the cafeteria probably wouldn't be open that early.

The "small restaurant" by the school gate was truly… small. It only had three square tables, and there wasn't even a proper kitchen—the owner was outside with a wok, stir-frying dishes right on the street.

"You don't mind, do you?" Chen Yun asked apologetically. "I’m not very wealthy, so…"

"Not at all! Actually, I should have been the one treating you today," Ye Yang said, scratching his head. Lin Tian had given him his basic living expenses and mentioned that a Hunter’s salary would begin after his first internship, so he wasn't exactly strapped for cash.

"As long as you don't mind. I couldn't let you pay," Chen Yun smiled. They found a table and sat down, and then… the girl promptly rested her 36E assets on the table. Ye Yang had to wipe his nose again.

He had eaten at plenty of street stalls before the "Ice Age" (the cataclysm), so he actually missed this kind of local flavor. He immediately ordered two dishes he liked. To his surprise, Chen Yun also ordered a bottle of liquor.

"Drinking? I don't think I can handle that much," Ye Yang said awkwardly. His tolerance wasn't bad, but he had to get up early to meet Wang Feng, and he didn't want to go back and just pass out—he still had a ton of reading to do.

"Oh, it's fine! I'll be drinking too. If you don't want any, I can finish the bottle myself," Chen Yun laughed.

Ye Yang pursed his lips. This girl seemed like a heavy drinker. She was going to polish off a pound of hard liquor by herself? He’d better be careful not to get drunk and let her sell him off.

Even though they only ordered two dishes, the owner was generous with the portions; they were served in two small pots, and the two of them dug in with gusto.

Though she claimed she wouldn't push him to drink, Chen Yun kept pouring his glass with impressive speed. Within minutes, the bottle was more than half empty. Ye Yang began to wonder: what was this girl’s game? Was she really trying to get him drunk and sell him?

"I'm really sorry about today. I invited you out, but it's not exactly a fancy restaurant," Chen Yun said, patting her face, which was flushed from the alcohol. She stuck her tongue out playfully.

"No… it's fine," Ye Yang chuckled. He was finding it hard to cope. A girl like Chen Yun was incredibly tempting to him, especially with the charming, tipsy vulnerability she was showing.

"I can't help it. My family situation isn't great. There are nine of us, but only my father and I have an income. My pay isn't very high either… *sigh*… Level 2 Hunters can't take on major missions, so the salary is really low," Chen Yun sighed.

Ye Yang nodded. He had asked Lin Tian about the pay scale before and had a rough idea. The salary for a Level 2 Hunter was indeed mediocre; the real career for a Hunter didn't start until Level 3.

Level 1 was purely for training; there were no missions and virtually no salary, just the academy covering basic expenses. Level 2 meant you had passed that stage, but because your potential hadn't fully manifested, you still couldn't participate in high-stakes combat. At most, you were assigned minor rescue operations—since Hunters were immune to infection, that was their primary role.

Because of this, the Level 2 salary was very average—barely better than an office worker's, assuming you didn't have to pay for your own living costs. So, it was fine for Chen Yun, but trying to support a family of nine was another story.

Hunters at Level 3 and above earned a very handsome salary. There was even talk of "Gold Cards" for them, a method used to encourage Hunters to excel.

But Ye Yang didn't understand why she was telling him this. Was she going to ask for a loan?

"Come on, cheers!" Chen Yun suddenly raised her glass and downed the entire thing in one go. The alcohol made her face flush an even deeper red. Ye Yang instinctively looked away; he really couldn't handle this. Did this girl have any idea how tempting she was when she was drinking?

"Ye Yang…" Chen Yun suddenly murmured in a daze. Ye Yang’s heart skipped a beat. *Here it comes,* he thought. *She didn't invite me to dinner for no reason. Is she asking for money?*

Ye Yang was wrong—dead wrong. Chen Yun wasn't asking for money. Instead, her face glowing red, she picked up her small stool and shifted it closer.

"I… I have a favor to ask. I hope you'll say yes," Chen Yun said, twisting the hem of her shirt. Their shoulders were touching now, and Ye Yang could smell her scent and feel the softness of her clothes against him.

"Gulp." Ye Yang couldn't help but swallow hard. He downed his own glass, struggling to keep his composure. He could easily keep his distance from a girl like Qi Fang, seeing her as nothing more than cute.

But Chen Yun—even though she was at most twenty, barely older than Qi Fang—exuded a maturity that was miles apart. Coupled with the fact that she perfectly fit his aesthetic, Ye Yang had already developed an intense attraction to her after just one day.

"Can you… can you please…" Chen Yun suddenly gathered the courage to look up. Just as Ye Yang felt a wave of dizziness, she grabbed his hand.

"Can you take me with you on your field training internship? Even if I’m only Level 2, if I perform well during the internship, I can take on some missions. The pay would be so much better. My family… my family is really…"

"Internship? You want to join the internship?" Ye Yang almost coughed up blood. The moment she grabbed his hand, he had truly thought she was trying to seduce him—he had even *hoped* she was. But it was just about an internship.

Honestly, at that moment, looking at the blushing girl, Ye Yang felt a profound sense of disappointment. It seemed his charm wasn't quite enough to make a beautiful girl throw herself at him just yet.