“Again—”
“Did you stay up all night playing games again last night?” Xu Chuyao sat in the driver’s seat, poking her girlfriend’s head. “Buckle up first, safety is most important.”
Shen Ning obediently fastened his seatbelt, yawning with a pair of slightly drowsy eyes.
“It doesn’t count as an all-nighter. I just… needed to work out a few problems.”
It was still the same rugged off-road vehicle from before, perfect for traversing wild terrain. After becoming familiar with the controls, Xu Chuyao realized only a car with a steering wheel this large could fit Big Thunder.
Carrying her girlfriend, she drove west, heading for the county town renowned for its Daystone deposits.
“What problem? Did you figure it out?”
It was about the King’s Throne.
“I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s a cultural difference causing us to interpret things differently. So, I looked up a lot of legends from that side,” Shen Ning said seriously. “According to their myths, I found out that sometimes you need to pull a sword from a stone.”
The car shook slightly, and the one gripping the large steering wheel almost burst out laughing.
“Shen Ning, don’t bring this stuff up when I’m driving, especially when you’re so serious about it.”
So now we’ve got the Sword in the Stone.
“…I was just running some tests,” Shen Ning muttered, shrinking back and deciding not to talk for now, letting his girlfriend focus on driving.
Their destination was Shencha County, just under a hundred kilometers from the border of the Central Urban District—not close, but not far either. It was a typical satellite county within the jurisdiction of the main city. A massive locust demon once appeared there; after a brutal fight and a legendary hero’s axe, it was slain, giving the county its name.
“We’re here.”
The off-road vehicle crossed the edge of the county, carefully making its way through dense leftover woods and finally onto the highway.
Xu Chuyao tapped the steering wheel, gazing out the window for a while.
“There are so many trees, all clustered together.”
The locust demon’s lair had long been destroyed, but its enormous corpse rotted beneath the soil, creating a spectacular scene—like a grand withering, turning the entire county into a dense forest both inside and outside the city. Off-road vehicles didn’t do well here; motorcycles would probably fare best.
But Xu Chuyao wasn’t comfortable with motorcycle controls—too narrow, and Big Thunder wouldn’t fit.
“There are people ahead waiting for us,” Shen Ning suddenly said.
“Let me see… There really are.”
A few people in formal suits stood by the roadside—not just standing, but holding a sign reading [Warm Welcome to Miss Xu Chuyao from the Main City—Honored Guidance].
Xu Chuyao stopped the car but didn’t open the door. She just rolled down the window and stared at them warily.
What do you want?
Though she didn’t recognize any of them, judging by their attire and age, there was likely a County Magistrate and a head of the county’s Security Department among them.
“Welcome, welcome, Miss Xu Chuyao. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule—”
“Enough with the pleasantries. Get to the point. Take me to the scene of the accident.”
Shen Ning glanced at his girlfriend.
Although his girlfriend was usually sharp-tongued in private, she was always polite outside—especially toward friendly locals. Today was the first time she showed no mercy.
“Um, all right, please follow me.”
The head official of Shencha County, surnamed Zhang, started his own car and led the way. The off-road vehicle followed behind at a slow pace.
Xu Chuyao pressed lightly on the steering wheel. The window she’d rolled down earlier was still open, and she kept glancing outside.
“What’s up with you today?” Shen Ning asked.
Not only was she blunt earlier, she seemed a little unsettled now.
“It’s nothing, just don’t feel quite right,” Xu Chuyao glanced out again. “I don’t really like this place.”
Too many trees, and because of the local dry climate, they looked yellow and withered.
Simply put, these trees both break the wind and block sand, and insulate against electricity, so it’s no wonder Xu Chuyao didn’t like them.
“Miss Xu, we’re here.”
The two cars stopped in front of a ruined building. From the outside, it looked like it used to be a small three or four-story apartment building. Like countless ruins before, the bottom floor had been transformed by Daystone, weakening the structure and causing it to collapse.
Xu Chuyao turned and asked, “Did you find out who set the fire? Any suspicious individuals? Any casualties?”
Director Zhang wiped sweat from his brow. “Sorry, Miss Xu, we didn’t find any suspicious people. Everyone had already run out when the building collapsed. As for casualties, the building was meant for temporary rental, so no one was hurt.”
For some reason, he seemed a little nervous.
“No casualties, that’s good. But if that’s the case…”
Xu Chuyao raised her eyebrow. “Why were you so anxious to call me over?”
No pressure for cleanup, no suspicious people, no need for a fight—just a pile of ruins. Shencha County should’ve been able to handle this themselves.
Why did she have to come in person? Why even trouble Supreme Society back in Longfeng?
“Well, uh…” Director Zhang forced an awkward smile. “There’s still some Daystone left at the scene. We don’t know how to handle it and didn’t dare keep it. In case something else happened, we thought we’d ask for your guidance.”
That’s… a reason, at least.
Xu Chuyao exchanged a look with Shen Ning, then walked over and lifted the police tape. The two entered the ruins, taking turns checking the surroundings.
There was nothing dangerous; the ruins were just ruins—a collapsed building with nothing of note.
They soon found the leftover Daystone. Its faint, ghostly glow stood out clearly in the dim rubble. But on closer inspection, there wasn’t much—just about the size of three fists, only a bit more than what Xu Chuyao had brought back last time.
The spot was still pretty deep; it wouldn’t be easy to retrieve it from here.
“We’ll go out and come back in from the other side to get it,” Xu Chuyao said.
“Okay.”
However, just as Shen Ning stepped out of the ruins, he immediately blocked his girlfriend with his body.
“What’s wrong?”
Without needing an explanation, Xu Chuyao stepped out and noticed it immediately—an unnatural silence, an eerie stillness, not a soul in sight.
Director Zhang, who had come with them, and his close subordinates were all gone. Only the green sedan that had led the way remained parked beside their off-road vehicle.
Xu Chuyao’s eyelid twitched.
“Shen Ning, I think we’ve been set up. This is a trap.”
Sha, sha, sha, sha, sha—
From the shadowy woods, a man emerged, clapping his hands and greeting the girls with a mocking smile.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Xu. Your reputation is known far and wide—you figured it out right away.”
It was that same leaf-throwing, smirking man from last time.
“Peng Bier,” Xu Chuyao called out his real name. “So this was your doing.”
“Oh, I’m not the only one. I brought along an old friend, too.” Peng Bier waved to the other side. “Ladies, look behind you.”
Shen Ning immediately turned around. Upon seeing who it was, his gaze turned cold.
“It’s Professor Swina,” he said quietly to his girlfriend, back-to-back.
Xu Chuyao’s mood darkened as well.
Two Three-stage Mid-tier opponents. Even if Shen Ning could hold his own, there was still Professor Swina… Wait, there’s nearly a hundred points left in the System’s balance.
As long as I get three or more high-level rewards—how could I possibly lose!
When the reward shimmered with golden light, Xu Chuyao did fantasize for a moment, but reality reminded her—she’d drawn too many times recently, and the best she could get now was a guaranteed minimum, just a single gold, the rest all ordinary.
[Golden Reward: Spirit Power level increased by one small rank, from Three-stage Early-tier to Three-stage Mid-tier.
As the villain who can turn the tables, you’ve just gained what classmates have worked years for and still couldn’t reach. You must be quite satisfied, right?]
To be honest, the System’s rewards were pretty generous, but in the current situation, it was just a drop in the bucket.
“Miss Xu, Miss Xuyao, my dear Miss Xu.”
Peng Bier stuffed another leaf into his mouth, crunching away, visibly excited, and couldn’t help bobbing his head as he said, “I really do like you! Ever since we parted last time, every time I chew, I think of you. So, just to see you, I especially invited my good friend Professor Swina, and we set up this meticulous, elaborate plan. There were several schemes to lure you out, but I didn’t expect the very first one would work—how lucky!”
So this was targeted at her from the start.
Xu Chuyao hadn’t expected the Supreme Society to send people after her at such a critical moment.
Annoyed, aside from shock at the setup, the situation was extremely unfavorable. What now?
She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed.
“Hey, Class Rep! Shencha County is a trap! Shen Ning and I have run into a Supreme Society ambush, send backup fast! And by the way, the local security officials are in on it, don’t let them get away with it!”
No matter what happened to her, she wouldn’t let the traitors have it easy.
Xu Chuyao’s plea for help over the phone was quick and smooth, leaving Peng Bier, who’d just finished his leaf, stunned.
“Wow, Miss Xu, this is the first time I’ve seen someone make a phone call before a big fight to snitch. You really are one of a kind—I like you even more. But don’t bother screaming. We already planned to finish things before the reinforcements arrive. Let me see… hmm…”
Peng Bier counted on his fingers, then grinned wickedly at the girls.
“Ten minutes will do, at most.”
Xu Chuyao had just opened her mouth to speak when suddenly her body was pushed aside. Shen Ning took a sudden step in front of her, raising the jade-green bamboo spear in his hand and striking the ground forcefully.
Whoosh!!
A compressed gust of wind exploded out, forcing everyone back. Seizing the chance, Xu Chuyao gripped her girlfriend’s hand tightly.
[To be continued]