Chapter 27: Retaliation
After taking care of business, the group left the Protection Association.
The men watched Sophie Wexler’s retreating back, their gazes venomous. They couldn’t just swallow this insult.
Sophie Wexler walked ahead. Sensing footsteps trailing her, she remained perfectly calm, weaving through a series of turns before ducking into a deserted alley.
"Looks like the last lesson wasn’t enough. She actually dared to walk into an alley. She’s asking for it!" one of them growled through clenched teeth, and they followed.
Sophie Wexler sneered inwardly. ’Some people just never learn.’
When they followed her around the corner, they found that Sophie Wexler had vanished. The next thing they knew, their world went black as burlap sacks were thrown over their heads.
"Who—who dares to do this to us!" Caught completely off guard, they shouted in fury.
"Sophie Wexler, is that you? I know it’s you!"
Sophie Wexler stood nearby and twitched a finger. At her signal, the person beside her picked up a club and started swinging.
"AHH!"
Screams of agony followed one after another.
At some point, Sophie Wexler had put on a mask. She didn’t say a word from beginning to end, only raising a hand to signal for them to stop when she felt it was enough.
Receiving the signal from his employer, the man immediately put away the club and left at top speed.
Other than the screams, no one made a sound. From bagging their heads to the beating to the retreat, the entire process was swift and methodical, clearly arranged in advance.
Sophie Wexler watched the scene with cold eyes.
She had always been the type to get her revenge. Although those Star Thieves never talked, she wasn’t an idiot. She had a good idea of who had hired them.
But without any evidence, she couldn’t really do anything to them, which led to today’s little show.
Since she couldn’t resolve this through proper channels, she had to take matters into her own hands.
The time, place, and people were all carefully selected to ensure no evidence would be left behind.
She had them to thank for the idea of hiring people.
’Galactics have relied on their spiritual power for so long, they’ve truly forgotten about the most primitive form of strength!’
This way, she taught them a lesson without damaging their so-called Spiritual Seas. By not using spiritual power, she left no incriminating evidence.
If they hadn’t followed her, they could have avoided this whole ordeal. They had only themselves to blame.
The curses continued behind her, but Sophie Wexler didn’t spare them a single glance. She turned and left. Before leaving, she anonymously called an ambulance for them and was even thoughtful enough to make it cash on delivery.
Not only had she handled the Star Thieves and taught their employers a lesson, but she’d also gotten her money back. Sophie Wexler was in a great mood.
The problem was basically solved. Now, all she had to do was buy an A-level Crystal Stone to pay back the Wexlers Family.
This money, plus what she had recently earned from her livestreams, should be almost enough.
She didn’t know who the original owner of her body sold it to, and she couldn’t find the person now.
Sophie Wexler had no choice but to search elsewhere, but every place she went, she was told they had no A-level Crystal Stones.
Their planet was resource-poor to begin with. A-level Crystal Stones barely circulated on the market; forget A-level, even B-level ones were rare.
Sophie Wexler: "..."
When Cillian Forrest returned, he saw Sophie Wexler sitting at the table, her chin propped in her hands, sighing one breath after another.
Tammy was rolling around the floor, cleaning the room.
The moment it saw Cillian Forrest, Tammy immediately displayed a smiling face on its screen and chirped in its cute, robotic voice, "Welcome home, male master Cillian Forrest."
Sophie Wexler had been feeling down, but the moment she registered what Tammy said, she froze on the spot.
She whipped her head around to look at Tammy. ’Didn’t I tell it to change the address term?!’
In the next second, her eyes met Cillian Forrest’s. The man’s expression was placid as his gaze landed on her face.
He didn’t say anything, but Sophie Wexler just knew he was asking about the origin of that title.
"Male master?"
The moment Cillian Forrest spoke, Sophie Wexler could feel her face burning. She quickly explained, "Um, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t tell Tammy to say that."
Cillian Forrest: "Is that so?"
Sophie Wexler nodded frantically, but Tammy honestly piped up the next second, "Master told me to change the address term."
Hearing this, Sophie Wexler’s vision went dark. The more she tried to explain, the worse it got.
"No, I told Tammy to just call you by your name! I don’t know what’s wrong with its programming, but it added," Sophie Wexler hesitated for a moment before saying the two words, "male master."
’The first time I heard Tammy use the title "male master," I should have known its programming was unreliable. I shouldn’t have let it make the change itself. What a complete mess it made.’
After speaking, she immediately called out, "Tammy, come here."
Tammy stared with its big eyes and rolled over to Sophie Wexler. She reached out and patted its head. "One of these days, I’m going to find someone to fix your programming. It’s such a mess."
As she spoke, she began operating it herself, changing the designation for Cillian Forrest to his name.
After she finished, she even showed it to Cillian Forrest. "There, it’s fixed. That was really an accident. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you."
Cillian Forrest glanced at Tammy’s control panel and hummed in acknowledgment.
To move past the awkwardness, Sophie Wexler quickly changed the subject. "Did you report back to the military district today?"
Cillian Forrest grunted in affirmation. "Sort of."
This planet was under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Corps. Because it never participated in the Empire’s power struggles, it had always remained on the periphery of the political center.
He couldn’t possibly report to *their* military district; what he’d said before was just a cover story.
Even Ethan Cross had just happened to be there that day; he wasn’t actually stationed with the Seventh Legion.
"Then don’t you have to stay at the military district? Why are you back?" She thought that after Cillian Forrest reported for duty, he wouldn’t be coming back much.
"Are you hoping I won’t come back?" Cillian Forrest stared at her and asked slowly.
"No," Sophie Wexler denied immediately. "Of course not."
"My superiors are considerate of my slow recovery and have specifically given me some time off to rest." Cillian Forrest was laying the groundwork for his frequent presence in the future.
"That makes sense." Sophie Wexler nodded, thinking of Cillian Forrest’s devastated Spiritual Sea and the Starbug toxins.
"Why were you sighing earlier?" Cillian Forrest recalled Sophie Wexler’s expression when he first came in.
At the mention of this, Sophie Wexler grew distressed again. "It’s because Sophie Wexler took..." Realizing her slip, she quickly corrected herself. "I—when I was young and ignorant, I took an A-level Crystal Stone from the Wexlers Family, and now I can’t buy a new one to give back to them."
Cillian Forrest’s gaze faltered slightly. He knew what had happened; Ethan Cross had told him everything he witnessed at the Wexlers’ home.
But he pretended not to know and listened until Sophie Wexler finished.
"Sigh, this planet is so resource-poor. Where am I supposed to find an A-level Crystal Stone?" Sophie Wexler sighed.
But in the next second, something was placed in front of her. "Here."