"......At this point, you still feel like joking?"
Listening to the utterly brutal words from Bena, Wang Ya, though slightly envious, could see that Bena's situation was clearly very grim.
As an archaeology student, Wang Ya understood very well that in Xia Country's laws, Bena had already committed crimes of excavating ruins, intentionally damaging cultural relics, trafficking artifacts, smuggling, theft, espionage, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and endangering public safety.
Those were just the ones Wang Ya could think of. As for other crimes, only an investigation could tell.
But judging from the known charges alone, picking any two of them would be enough for life imprisonment, and if all charges were combined, it would surely be the death penalty. Even with merits for compensatory deeds, it couldn't be less than life imprisonment.
For someone like Bena, there's no possibility of anything like sentence reduction.
"My friend, relax..." After a long pause, Bena mustered some energy to say to Wang Ya:
"I'm not sure if you're aware, but our world is undergoing immense changes. In our context, it's the divine return, and in your Xia Country, it's the revival of Spiritual Power. These matters are unknown to most, but they are crucial contested grounds..."
"And the country I'm in, or rather a significant part of it, lacks the research capability. Your Xia Country invests no less than a trillion annually in this area, and the research funding is still increasing yearly."
Bena took another breath and said, "The wealthiest people in our country have been absorbed by a certain organization. They gave vast amounts of wealth to that organization, caring nothing about us. They are preparing to abandon us....."
"But we are also unwilling to give up." Bena looked at Wang Ya and said, "If I luckily survive, I hope we can meet again one day."
"If there's a chance, I think I can take you to touch a real fluffy beastman."
Bena, affected by snake venom, bid farewell to Wang Ya, with whom she had a special connection.
"The chance of meeting again seems slim. In your situation, it's impossible to even hire a defense lawyer."
Wang Ya sighed.
Bena trampled all over the cultural relics law, and was suspected of several major crimes. It wasn't even about hiring a defense lawyer; when lawyers saw Bena's file, they might jump up and fly overseas overnight to seek asylum.
Afraid of lagging just a step behind, getting themselves into trouble, or if Bena went in first, it would be their turn to sit on the defendant's seat.
"Hahaha...lawyers seeing me, seeing my charges, would probably be scared stupid, right? All charges come with property confiscation penalties. Their gaze at me should be like looking at a freeloader..."
Bena laughed twice.
"By the way, I like lilies and citrus flowers. If you want to send a wreath, remember to add two daisies."
Wang Ya: "......"
...
As the collapsed passage gradually opened up, members of the external support group began to enter the site, escorting all suspects to the Earth Mineral Group's hospital.
Beast Warrior Romano received special attention, secured in a restraint suit, and escorted to the Spirit Particle Research Institute.
The takeout Master Fox ordered earlier also arrived in front of him as the passage reopened.
"Hold on a second over there——"
After getting his takeout, Ansheng called out to the logistics team preparing to take Bena away.
"Hmm?"
The logistics personnel paused, still stopping, and looked at Master Fox with a puzzled expression.
"She is a friend of a friend. I'm worried she might get hungry on the way, so I prepared some food for her."
Master Fox placed the takeout bag on the ground, pulled out a cold pizza from it.
Bena looked at Master Fox with a face full of confusion.
Master Fox opened the pizza box, revealing a thoroughly cold Hawaiian pizza inside.
Bena's pupils suddenly contracted, her face shocked, and her arms involuntarily twitched as she blurted out in Italian.
The logistics personnel, seeing this, firmly held down Bena's arms on both sides.
With her hands restrained, Bena, who should have been completely unable to act, turned red, seemingly losing the ability to speak, her eyes wide open.
"Don't thank me."
Master Fox placed the pizza on the stretcher and then pulled out a box of cold spaghetti, taking two slices of pineapple from the pizza and placing them on top of the spaghetti.
Bena gasped in disbelief, her face full of astonishment.
Feeling humiliated, Bena was satisfied briefly, but upon seeing the pineapple pizza, she got angry again, then remembered she was humiliated by a fluffy creature, and felt satisfied again.
On Bena's stretcher, a pizza was placed on the left and pineapple spaghetti on the right. Holding a cup of grape-flavored Americano iced coffee in both hands, she was sent to the Earth Mineral Group's hospital.
"Master Fox keeps his word. He said he would treat you to pineapple pizza, and I will absolutely treat you to pineapple pizza."
Watching Bena leave, Ansheng muttered quietly to himself.
"If there's nothing else here, I'll go home and sleep first."
Looking at the time, Ansheng told Wang Qiqi, who was arranging logistics and cleaning up the ruins.
"Okay! I'll notify you in advance when the ruins can be opened."
Seeing that Master Fox said he was going home, Wang Qiqi responded and continued to busy herself.
In the span of three years, Bena and her team made very slow progress in excavating the ruins, partly due to constructing a ceramics factory and partly due to fear of making too much noise.
This Spirit Particle Ruins has only opened two layers, and the currently known area only has a third layer.
As for whether there's a new area after the third layer, it needs to be opened before knowing.
"Oh, by the way, when Romano wakes up, remember to let me know. I want to take a look at him." Halfway through leaving, Ansheng seemed to remember something, hurriedly returned, and tapped on Wang Qiqi.
"Okay." Wang Qiqi agreed.
...
"It's already past five..."
Walking through the newly dug passage, Ansheng glanced at the time on his phone and couldn't help but mumble to himself.
It's now 5:13. Returning to Xiqi from Tiechuan takes almost an hour.
After staying up all night, going back, Ah Qing might guard the door with a mop stick.
The little fox pondered, pouted, if Ah Qing dared to smack his butt, he would retaliate.
Emerging from the ruins, Ansheng passed the faint glow of the ceramics factory and saw Lin Ying in the business car.
"Master Fox!"
Lin Ying greeted Master Fox with a smile.
"You came just in time. I need to talk to you about something."
Ansheng hopped into the business car, stood upright on the aviation seat, full of pride, hands on his hips:
"I have a feeling, I think, tomorrow night my brand new big tail will grow out!"
"I was going to ask you to accept an award, but it turned out I was so thrilled, and my tail developed."
Tonight's Wish Power earnings were actually quite a lot.
Helping the demolition bear team demolish a chemical plant, Wish Power +1
Defeating a chameleon, Wish Power +3
However.
Ansheng was still a bit dissatisfied.
Those three Forest Werewolves were really weak. Based on past experience, a Beast Warrior like that should give three points each, but those three goofs only gave three points altogether, with very low risk.
1+3+3=7.
Tonight, Ansheng earned 7 Wish Power points.
"Master Fox is going to grow another tail?" Lin Ying's previously calm face showed a hint of surprise.
"Yes, my butt itches."