28 The Tsuki Branch

Shun had called Liqin to talk about the Combatant's invitation for Yami. They were invited to Liqin's branch to talk about the topic.

"Oh, you're finally here!" Liqin greeted while eating the cheesy fries he had bought.

"Hello, senior Liqin," Shun waved at him from afar.

"Let's not waste time and head to the branch, fries?" Liqin handed his plate of cheesy fries to be shared, but he was rejected. "Pity, it's delicious."

"What's the name of your branch?" Yami asked in curiosity. He had thought before that the Defender base was united with one goal, to eliminate all Raiders.

"Tsuki Branch," Liqin answered and gestured towards an old building surrounded by trees and growing vegetables. "We have arrived."

Liqin walked first, and the rest followed behind him. When they got closer to the door, Shun stopped walking and was frozen on his spot.

"What's the matter, Shun?" Yami asked when he noticed his nervousness.

"This is Tsuki Branch, home for top Combatants," Shun muttered and took a few deep breaths. "Let me prepare myself first."

'So this branch is top tier,' Yami thought. He looked at Liqin, that was about to open the door. 'What kind of people will I meet here? Are they as strong as Liqin?'

"You three should relax," Liqin chuckled when he saw their tensed and anxious expression. "The rest of the Combatants are not around, but some staffs are here."

Liqin smiled and opened the door to reveal an empty and quiet entrance. He stepped aside and let the three go inside first.

They took off their shoes before stepping on the clean floor. The eerie feeling of the house caused them to feel more uneasy.

"Let's go," Liqin went first and walked to the corridor where a door was seen ahead. He stopped and looked at the three who were sweating profusely. "Welcome to the Tsuki branch."

'This is it! The first step of connecting to the Defense base!' Yami thought with his eyes focused on the opening door. His nerve was tingling with excitement as the door fully opened.

"Oh, Liqin, you're here," a child sucking a piece of lollipop looked at them. "We have guests."

"Yo, Xuxu, where's the rest of them?" Liqin asked and rubbed his tiny head.

"Liqin!" a lady appeared behind the counter, holding a massive pot. "Welcome back. Oh, you have some friends around."

"Yes, this is Shun, Mei, and little Ying," Liqin introduced them. Then, he goes to open the pots for any food. "I'll leave you three in their care. I need to do something."

Liqin left the kitchen in a hurry.

"Welcome to the branch, I'm Su Fang, and this is Xuxu," Su Fang smiled at them and gestured to sit at the dining table. "You three must be hungry. Have any of you eaten dinner?"

"We have eaten some snacks on the way here," Shun stated awkwardly and smiled.

"Okay, I'll prepare something," Su Fang opened the refrigerator and grabbed some meat and spices.

"We can help prepare the meal," Mei stated, pulling Shun and Yami with her.

"It's fine," Su Fang hesitated, but Mei insisted. "Okay, here, can you chop the meat. We'll be cooking Chicken Adobo and Cheese Lumpia!"

"Lumpia! My favorite!" Xuxu exclaimed. He pulled a chair and placed it near the counter; climbed and watched them prepare the meal.

"Su Fang, can I ask something?" Yami stated while chopping the cheese into a rectangular shape.

"Sure, what is it, Ying?" Su Fang replied with a smile.

"Can you explain about the branches in Defender base? I want to know," Yami stated, which gathered their attention.

"Hmm, there are three branches; Hoshi, Ataru, and Tsuki," Su Fang showed three of her fingers. "The Hoshi branch is composed of those who hate Raiders. Next, the Ataru branch was formed of those who didn't have any grudges against the Raiders; they worked for money. Finally, here at the Tsuki branch, we are the ones that thought, 'maybe there are friendly Raiders out there.

"The names also mean star, sun, and moon," Xuxu exclaimed excitedly.

"Really!?" Yami was shocked, but at the same time, he was suspicious of Liqin's motive for inviting him.

"Yup!" Su Fang exclaimed while stirring the pot. "I believed that we can befriend Raiders and be able to stop the attacks in the future without harming both sides."

"I see," Yami nodded his head. Somehow, he felt that he was safe in their care.

"Ying..." Shun muttered while staring down at Yami. He was about to open his mouth to talk, but the kitchen door opened, and Liqin appeared.

"Dinner smells nice," Liqin complimented while drooling. "Shun, Mei, Ying, come with me for a sec."

The three of them looked at one another and followed Liqin to another room on the 3rd floor. Liqin opened the door to reveal an office and a person sitting behind it.

"Ah, here you are. I'm Zhu Rong," the man spoke playfully with a smile.

"Everyone, this is our branch director," Liqin introduced and let the three entered the room.

After introducing themselves, Zhu Rong placed three papers in front of them.

"These are the admission papers under our branch. Sign this, and you'll become a Combatant trainee," Zhu Rong placed a pen on the table. "Decide carefully. There's no turning back if you place your signature."

"Shun, here's your paper to be transferred under our branch," Liqin gave a separate paper to Shun.

"We will think carefully," Yami stated and grabbed the papers on the table and gave one to Mei before they went out.

"Just give the papers to me after you're all done," Liqin spoke after going out with them. "It's better to call your parents and ask permission to stay here for the night."

"Yes, we will."

Shun and Mei went to call their parents while Yami kept staring at the papers.

"Liqin, can we talk?" Yami stated. He looked at Liqin, who had a knowing look on his face.

"Sure, let's go to the rooftop."