"D-Do I... have to take everything off?"
Yiji's voice trembled slightly.
Although she had long prepared herself to offer both body and heart to her master, she hadn't expected it to be this fast—and with someone else right beside them.
Th-This... isn't it a bit too stimulating?!
"No need..."
Hearing that she didn't have to take everything off, Yiji finally breathed a sigh of relief. But before her heart could fully settle, Arden added another sentence.
"Just take off your pants."
"....."
Yiji's heart skipped violently. Just taking off her pants... somehow felt even worse than taking everything off.
"Pff~ hehehe!"
Seeing Yiji's conflicted expression, Ju Fufu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
After all, she was already completely used to seeing things laid bare.
"Stop giggling. As the senior sister, you should demonstrate for your junior sister Yiji."
"Huh? Oh!"
"....."
"....."
Ju Fufu, who was doing the demonstration, looked rather awkward, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Being seen by Brother Arden didn't really matter—but this posture... lying face-down on the bed like a puppy, with her hips raised high. For a proud tiger, this was simply too shameful, not to mention that Yiji was watching right beside her.
Smack~!
With one hand holding the ointment, Arden lightly smacked Ju Fufu's rear with the other. "Now you know how to be shy? Weren't you shouting about being the 'Spiciest Hotpot King of Waifei Peninsula' back at the restaurant?"
"Uuuugh..."
Ju Fufu felt like she had no face left to show anyone.
"You too..."
Smack~!
Yiji's rear got a smack as well.
"There's not even any meat on you. Stop thinking about extra-spicy hotpot and eat properly for me."
Despite her small stature, Ju Fufu's hips were full and springy—clearly sturdy and resilient, much like Yixuan. She was obviously the type built for smooth delivery.
Compared to that, Yiji was lacking by quite a bit.
"Y-Yes, Master!"
Since her creation, this was the first time Yiji had ever been spanked—and in such a humiliating position. Her face was so red it looked like it might start steaming.
Ju Fufu turned her head to look at Yiji and realized Yiji was looking back at her in the exact same posture.
"....."
Both of them saw tears of shame welling up in each other's eyes. At that moment, Ju Fufu and Yiji deeply regretted their mistake, finally realizing how foolish it had been to challenge New Eridu's spiciest hotpot. It had all been driven by vanity—aaahhh!!
"....."
After applying the medicine to both Ju Fufu and Yiji.
"Lie still and don't move around. Call me if you need anything... I'll apply the medicine again tomorrow morning, and you should be mostly fine."
There's still another round?!
Hearing that they still needed another application, both Ju Fufu and Yiji instinctively clenched, but neither of them said anything.
If they refused, given Arden's personality, their rears would definitely get smacked again.
"....."
After a full day of rest, Ju Fufu and Yiji had completely recovered. The burning pain was gone entirely.
According to the plan, after breakfast, the three of them would head together toward the Silver Squad base.
"This is for you, Junior Sister Yiji."
Ju Fufu held out a small ornament made from kneaded tiger fur, shaped like a pair of round beads, and handed it to Yiji.
"....."
Watching this scene, Arden nodded quietly to himself.
He knew very well that the bead ornament wasn't just a gift—it was a form of acknowledgment. Aside from Master Yixuan, himself, and Sweety, Yiji was the fourth person to ever receive such an ornament from Ju Fufu.
Looks like that medicine wasn't applied for nothing.
The bond forged through shared hardship was exactly what Arden had anticipated.
"Th-Then... I won't hold back. Thank you, Senior Sister Fufu."
The relationship between Ju Fufu and Yiji had clearly grown much more harmonious, no longer as sharp and confrontational as before.
"....."
"Senior Brother Arden, Senior Sister Fufu—just ahead is the Silver Squad base."
Yiji, who was leading the way, stopped and turned to explain the situation to Arden and Ju Fufu behind her. "If we go any further, we'll enter the Silver Squad's former alert zone. Please proceed with caution."
Logically speaking, the Silver Squad had already been abandoned, but Yiji herself didn't know what the base was like now.
"Don't worry. Senior Sister will protect you."
As she spoke, Ju Fufu revealed her tiger claws and scraped them against Hu Wei's steel exterior.
Judging from the numerous scratches on Hu Wei's shell, Ju Fufu clearly enjoyed sharpening her claws on it regularly.
"Yiji, take these."
Since Ju Fufu had spoken up, Arden—as her master and second senior brother—had to show his stance as well.
He took out a stack of talismans from his talisman pouch and handed them to Yiji.
"I taught you how to use them before. You haven't forgotten, right?"
Arden felt that this might be a good opportunity for Yiji to gain some real combat experience.
"Mm."
Yiji accepted the talismans and carefully put them away.
Thus, the three of them advanced cautiously toward the Silver Squad base.
Along the way, they encountered several low-level Ethereals, all of which Yiji dealt with using talismans. They didn't encounter any Silver Squad personnel or patrols.
"So, the Silver Squad base really has been completely abandoned."
Yiji's voice carried both relief and a hint of loss.
After all, if not for Arden, the Silver Squad would have been the sole meaning of her existence. Losing it so suddenly inevitably left an empty feeling.
"At least that saves us some trouble. Let's destroy the inhumane experimental data as soon as possible."
"Mm."
The three of them quickened their pace and soon arrived at the entrance of the Silver Squad base.
Yiji tried to open the door, but discovered that the recognition system at the entrance had already failed.
She raised her foot and kicked the heavy door.
Bang~!
"Ow!"
Clearly, Yiji didn't have the strength to kick open a steel door. Instead, the recoil sent her stumbling back, and she sat on the ground clutching her foot in pain.
"Pff~ Are you okay, Yiji?"
Arden chuckled lightly. "Honestly, with a door this thick, your small frame isn't going to kick it open."
"I thought with the talisman's strength enhancement..."
Yiji stood up and pointed at the strength-boosting talisman on her forehead. "At least I'd be a bit stronger. Guess I still can't compare to Captain Anby."
She puffed out her cheeks, clearly unconvinced. "If Captain Anby were here, this door would probably shatter in one hit!"
"Uh... is Captain Anby really that strong?"
"Of course! The captain is terrifyingly strong!" Yiji said with absolute certainty.
"Is that so."
Looks like actual strength can't be judged by in-game experience alone.
In the game, even a Void Hunter wasn't twice as strong as an ordinary Proxy. But in reality, based on Arden's understanding of Yixuan and Hoshimi Miyabi, taking on ten opponents alone would be effortless. Meanwhile, Big Anby was mocked in-game as a "crash landing," which didn't match reality at all.
"That so-called captain—is she really that impressive?"
Hearing Yiji praise Anby so highly, Ju Fufu felt a bit unconvinced and wanted to give the door a kick herself.
"Wait!"
Arden stopped her. "Let's keep things quiet. No gunfire."
"Even if we haven't seen anyone along the way, if there's still someone inside the base, alerting them wouldn't be good."
"Don't worry."
This time, Yiji stood on Ju Fufu's side. "I checked earlier—the door's recognition system is shut down, which means the entire base has lost power..."
"Oh!"
Arden immediately understood.
The Silver Squad base was located in a Hollow environment. With the power cut, it meant the base's protective systems had also failed. No one could survive long under Ether erosion.
Not only had the base been abandoned—the personnel had all withdrawn as well.
Bang~!
Then Ju Fufu swung Hu Wei and smashed it brutally against the massive door.