Book 9: Chapter 62: Returning Home

“Qin Lun, we’ll head back first then?” Lace waved her plump little hand playfully at Qin Lun, then turned and left in high spirits. This girl had gained a lot from this mission with the two serial killers. Even though two other apostles shared the spoils, she still made a huge profit.

Though it was nothing compared to Qin Lun and the other, it was important to know that this Quest World involved external conflict. Among the three who entered together, only she had an easy and pleasant time, almost like a picnic.

“By the way, your team…” Qin Lun suddenly remembered something and blurted out a question.

“Big Sister Kelly said that if you got me through the last world safely, this Black Iron Team would be given to you. Anyway, your servants at home could use it!” Before Qin Lun could finish, Lace’s voice came from the distance.

“Why hasn’t Grant come out yet?” Watching Lace’s graceful retreating figure, Lili pouted unhappily and idly twirled her hair around her finger.

“Let’s wait a bit longer!” Qin Lun shrugged helplessly, also confused about what Grant was doing in the teleportation room.

“He’s out… Huh? There’s someone with him!” Lili blinked and asked curiously, “Boss Qin Lun, didn’t you say there were only three of you on this mission?”

“Oh, probably an acquaintance he met in the Teleportation Hall…” Qin Lun replied absentmindedly. But when he clearly saw the figure behind Grant, his eyes instantly widened, his mouth fell open, and he suddenly felt his brain couldn’t keep up.

“This… she… that…” Lili also saw the figure clearly now and was so shocked she became tongue-tied. She looked at Qin Lun, then at the two people across from them.

“You, you… Grant, you brought her back to life?” Qin Lun, after all, had a strong mind and quickly regained his composure. He looked at Grant with a complicated expression, as if seeing his companion in a new light.

“Heh, it’s rare to see you startled. Seeing your expressions makes any cost worthwhile.” Grant clapped his hands and laughed heartily. He turned sideways, revealing the person behind him. “Let me formally introduce my new Servant Apostle—Integra Fahrenheit Wingates Hellsing!”

Indeed, the tall woman behind Grant, wearing a white wool coat, with blonde hair and a stern expression, was none other than Integra, the one Grant had beheaded and then resurrected.

At this moment, the head of the Hellsing organization looked at them with clear displeasure. Her characteristically British pride made it hard for her to accept being saved by an enemy.

“Who said I’m your servant? Don’t forget we have an irreconcilable enmity between us. After I repay you for this favor, we will still be enemies!” Integra curled her lip disdainfully and habitually reached into her chest pocket, only to find that Grant had only prepared clothes for her, without a cigar case.

“Where are my cigarettes?” The woman slightly raised her fair chin and looked coldly at Grant.

“Alright then!” Grant’s mouth twitched slightly. He flipped his hand and took out a silver cigar case, handing it to Integra. It seemed he had just exchanged it for everyday items from the Star Void.

Integra took the cigar case, skillfully took out a cigar and held it in her mouth. Then she tilted her head and glanced sideways at Grant.

“What?” Grant looked blankly at the proud woman.

“A lighter! You clueless man!” Integra crooked a finger at Grant and said lightly, “Remember, it has to be a Zippo brand!”

“Pfft!” Lili finally couldn’t hold back a chuckle. She turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“Grant, you brought this on yourself! Aren’t you worried she might stab you in your sleep?” Qin Lun’s expression was also strange as he teased lightly through the Team Channel. “Or do you just have a taste for this?”

“She… given her personality, she probably wouldn’t, right? Since she’s become an apostle… I’ll train her slowly!” Grant’s eyes darted, his expression somewhat hesitant, but he still exchanged for a lighter and handed it to Integra.

“You’re the one who’s going to be trained, aren’t you?” Qin Lun glanced and saw it was indeed a Zippo brand. He was momentarily speechless.

“Lili, let’s go.” Qin Lun shrugged indifferently, gave a slight nod towards Integra, then turned and left. After all, this was Grant’s own choice, and he had no interest in getting involved.

“If you are Kluge, then… he must be Gerthard, right?” Watching Qin Lun’s retreating figure, Integra’s pupils contracted slightly. A strange expression floated onto her face as she smiled faintly. “I didn’t expect his real appearance to be so unremarkable!”

…

“Boss Qin Lun, why did Boss Grant resurrect an enemy?” On the way back, Lili couldn’t help but ask. “Her body was destroyed to that state, and she could still come back to life!”

“Grant’s Life-Taking Relic is different from mine. As long as the skin fragment hasn’t completely merged with the mask, there’s a chance to separate the soul again.” Qin Lun explained calmly. “As for why he resurrected Integra, I think he must have his own reasons.”

Qin Lun didn’t explain in detail to Lili, but he vaguely guessed why Grant had resurrected Integra.

Among the five of them serial killers, he himself had several servants. “Beauty” Lili was closest to Disciple Hansen, and was practically Hansen’s servant. “Handsome Guy” Silva leaned towards Shepherd, while Firecracker Rand was somewhat special. In fact, after Rand revealed the truth about how he became a serial killer, he could almost be removed from the list of serial killers.

Apart from an extreme obsession with fire, Rand didn’t have the mental issues of the other serial killers. After telling the truth, his relationships with the others warmed up quickly, and he integrated into the team more easily than anyone else.

Moreover, Rand’s combat ability was very special. He rarely fought one-on-one, but was indispensable in team battles. From now on, in any team operation, he would get his share of the profits. His fighting style meant that having servants or not didn’t affect his standing within the team.

Thus, the only truly lone serial killer was Joker Grant. Normally, a powerful Main Tank like Grant wouldn’t lack influence in any team.

However, the serial killer team formed by Qin Lun and the others was very unique. Each of them had strong individual combat abilities. Take Qin Lun for example; after obtaining Demon Transformation, he largely shed his dependence on a Main Tank. It wasn’t that he didn’t need one, but he needed one less frequently, which affected Grant’s importance to the team.

Under these circumstances, Grant naturally felt a sense of crisis and wanted to find a trustworthy Servant Apostle.

However, it was hard for a serial killer like Grant to gain the trust of other apostles. Furthermore, powerful servants weren’t easy to find, especially ones that Joker himself found acceptable.

From this perspective, Integra was indeed a suitable candidate. The former head of Hellsing came from a long family tradition. Hailing from a vampire hunter family, she had received combat training since childhood and had a very solid foundation. As an apostle, she was more suitable than some superhumans with poor bloodlines.

Besides, if it were truly a superhuman, Grant might not have been able to pay the Soul Life Limit required to bring them into the Shattered Starry Sky.

As for the hatred between Integra and Grant, and even Qin Lun, upon careful thought, it wasn’t really a big deal.

She herself was killed and resurrected by Grant, so there was no family feud. Her two vampire servants: Alucard didn’t perish in the Battle of London, and Seras died by Lancelot’s hand. The servants at Hellsing Manor were killed by the Crusaders of The Church, nothing to do with Qin Lun or Grant.

Although there was national enmity between them, since Integra had become an apostle, that standpoint vanished. Just as Grant said, after experiencing a few Quest Worlds, that woman would slowly get used to it. This was the necessary path for all apostles.

Most importantly, Integra earned Grant’s respect and acknowledgment just before her death. With her tenacious and stubborn character, once she accepted Joker as one of her own, the probability of betrayal was almost zero.

Even if she always held a grudge, given that woman’s character and disposition, she seemed to look down on scheming against companions. At worst, she might part ways with Grant. It was indeed worth a gamble, and the chance of success wasn’t small.

Thinking this, Qin Lun inwardly admired Joker’s choice. Although this guy’s planning ability wasn’t as good as his or Shepherd Hill’s, his careful attention to detail far surpassed ordinary apostles. Combined with his exceptional combat talent that surpassed the other serial killers, he was sure to have a place in the future Murderer Team.

But just thinking about Integra’s stubborn and tsundere queenly character, Qin Lun couldn’t help but feel a wave of mischievous amusement.

“Could it be that beneath Joker’s brutal personality, he actually hides masochistic tendencies? Given his childhood experiences of abuse, it doesn’t seem impossible!” Qin Lun stroked the stubble on his chin, his expression becoming particularly peculiar.

…

Looking towards the villa from afar, they saw Frank waiting on the front steps with the two little ones.

“Master!” Didi waved his little hand vigorously at him, his pointy green ears twitching slightly, showing his extreme happiness. Although Qin Lun had only been in and out of the Quest World for just over an hour, for the little goblin who had personally experienced a Quest World, he was still overjoyed that his master had successfully survived another one, especially since this Quest World was very likely to involve combat with Reincarnators.

“Young master, you’re back!” Frank rubbed his hands together and smiled warmly. Sif beside him didn’t say anything, but her gaze never left Qin Lun, looking at him with concern.

“Squeak squeak!” As if feeling left out, the little squirrel popped out from Sif’s collar, raised its upper body and chirped twice at Qin Lun, happily wagging its fluffy big tail.

“Heh, let’s go inside.” Looking at the heartwarming scene before him, a warmth Qin Lun had never felt before surged in his heart, making him feel both fulfilled and strangely unfamiliar.