A Visitor

Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet possessed a combat trait that, by her own description, should probably be called: [Extreme Sensitivity] Because a source energy surge was also a form of energy fluctuation, whether violent or faint, it inevitably caused tremors. Thus, the perception and reflexes of every inch of her skin could predict in advance the direction, intensity, and speed of incoming attacks, while simultaneously allowing her to become like catkins drifting in the wind. The predictable combat logic was straightforward: when a spear swept toward her and energy surged, she would move ahead of the weapon. The fiercer the spear, the faster she moved. Such evasion, combined with active dodging... Her body had to be extraordinarily flexible. As for further offensive variations built upon that foundation, one could not anticipate them entirely just yet. Wu Xu pondered in silence for a moment. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet held her poised strike, pausing without unleashing it. Logically, she should never have revealed these details about her combat trait. Yet she did, because this had long ceased to be a fight to the death. Wu Xu had already held back twice. Perhaps he didn't want to kill a woman for no reason? Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet thought. At the same time, the man before her—the look in his eyes... It was seemingly the first time, when fighting like this, that Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet saw not the slightest impurity in her opponent's gaze. Be it disdain, contempt, greed, or even the faintest glimmer of desire. At most, there had been a sliver of awkwardness—a tiny flicker that vanished in an instant. This, ironically, made her feel somewhat embarrassed and bashful on the spot. In truth, she hadn't cared much about such things originally. After all, in this cruel world of source energy, before life and death, far too many people would scrape by in the filthiest and most humiliating ways. Exposing as much skin as possible for battle was nothing by comparison. Meanwhile, the spectators in the stands hadn't heard Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet's last few remarks. However, some among them, such as Shu You and Eric, likely knew about her trait-based combat style from the start. Gulp! The sound of someone swallowing saliva rose from not far off, and from nearby. He Tangtang and the Little Prince exchanged glances. "You can actually fight like this?!" "She's so fair, and her legs are so long... Mmm, she must keep the doors closed when she trains, right?" The clack of iron armor turning was the sole sound in the arena, followed by Rusty Sister speaking with a hint of envy. "Mm," Zhe Qiuhong nodded. At the same time, Han Qingyu noticed Shu You turning toward him once more. Shu You asked, "Does she look good?" Because he had realized this fellow seemed completely numb to it. "A bit chubby," Han Qingyu said earnestly. "That isn't called chubby!" Zhe Qiuhong suddenly interjected, speaking in indignant exasperation. She had just made a silent comparison in her head... They were probably about the same size. And perhaps because Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet fought more often and was adept in combat, that other part of her was a bit perkier. "Doctor Zhe is right." Her opinion received unanimous support from He Tangtang, the Little Prince, and Wen Jifei. Even Shu You gave a slight nod, then continued questioning Han Qingyu: "In your eyes now, can Wu Xu still win?" "He can't win," Han Qingyu sighed. Down in the arena below, Wu Xu finally spoke: "I concede." There was simply no way to fight. It wasn't a battle he had to win anyway... Thinking this, Wu Xu turned, slung his sword, held his spear, and walked straight out of the ring. Reaching the edge of the arena, he bent down to gather his belongings from the ground, preparing to leave. "Do... do you look down on me?" the voice behind him asked. "...No," Wu Xu answered, and then abruptly swung his arm back. Whoosh! His dark brown military coat flew backward through the air. It unfurled, settling over Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet did not dodge. In truth, Wu Xu's answer didn't quite line up with his action. On anyone else, such a gesture would have made the answer seem like a lie. But when Wu Xu said it and did it, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet felt no such insincerity. "Thank you," she said, keeping her voice as even as possible, and slipped into the coat, holding both sides closed. This scene unfolded right before everyone's eyes. "Outrageous!" He Tangtang said. "Conceding is one thing, but what's with throwing his coat?" "Exactly!" the Little Prince sighed, echoed by a collective murmur of sighs in the distance. He then glanced at Wen Jifei and said, "If you had shot that coat out of the air just now... you would truly be a great man." "..." Wen Jifei couldn't be bothered to respond. He turned to Han Qingyu and chuckled. "So, is our Xu'er picking up a girl? Qingzi, look at him, take some notes. Otherwise, in a few years even the little lizard will be slashing Great Spikes, and you'll still be waiting to go home for blind dates." ... "Look, they're coming out." After a brief quiet, the waiting crowd outside quickly noticed that the battle had ended. Major Qing and Shu You walked out side by side. And behind them was Lieutenant Wu Xu, seemingly without a scratch on him. So, he won? "No, Lieutenant Wu Xu lost." The news quickly spread from those who had been inside the arena. Of course, given the current power of the Azure Dragon Gang, they didn't dare say too much or go into detail. Yet in their hearts: "Without a doubt, Lieutenant Wu Xu just hit on a girl in the duel arena... Sure enough, only a Super can pick up a Super babe. A non-Super would've probably been dead long ago." "Given how things stand, there's a strong chance the Azure Dragon Gang will rope in yet another Super. If so, the scales of the City of Iniquity will truly tilt entirely in their favor." "..." Han Qingyu and Shu You, on the other hand, weren't thinking about this at all. Han Qingyu was leaving, as Shu You well knew, and there was still a battle to be fought between them—not far off, by the look of it. "Hey, Boss Shu You." "Speak." "Are those bones of much use to you?" Han Qingyu asked in a low voice. "Nonsense! How could you not know their value?" Shu You retorted. Thus, it was certain that Shu You's usage of the Bones of Eternal Life was, at most, roughly the same as Wu Xu's. After Wu Xu advanced to Super combat power, Han Qingyu had let him experiment with the horn bone for a few days. They couldn't directly absorb the bone source, but they could occasionally sense the energy pulsations, which aided the growth and transformation of life source energy, thereby allowing them to practice source energy surges. Of these, the latter was less concrete, but seemingly more important. The manner of surging within the bone source differed considerably from their prior understanding. It was very difficult to achieve from scratch, but once guided successfully and performed even once, notable progress would follow. For that very reason, the larger and more turbulent the bone source field, the better. It was the difference between standing before a stream, a river, a lake, or the sea. "Then, once you obtain more bones, how long until you go kill Alphonse?" Han Qingyu asked after thinking it over. "I don't..." He almost said he didn't know, but how could he not know? Shu You thought for a moment and said, "As soon as possible." "And then? What's the best outcome?" Han Qingyu pressed. Shu You glanced at him without speaking. "Mutual destruction, right? And you aren't even very confident in that." Having said what needed to be said, Han Qingyu stopped in his tracks, no longer walking alongside him. To expect a man like Shu You to say, in the face of their shared vengeance, "Fine, I'll give all my resources to you; you do it, and I'll wait for your good news," was practically impossible. Even if he knew that the best-case cost of pursuing vengeance himself was mutual destruction. On the way home, everyone teased Wu Xu—except the Little Prince, who didn't dare... The teasing didn't let up all the way until dinner. Knock, knock. A knock sounded at the courtyard gate. Chopsticks picking up food froze instantly as everyone turned toward the gate. "Don't tell me she's here to return the coat? That fast!" "Very likely. But normally, shouldn't she wash it by hand before returning it?" "Maybe the Cat Girl was too impatient." Talking about someone right in front of them truly felt wonderful.