"How did the chat go?" Ye Jian stood up, walked over, and patted Liu Shiheng on the shoulder.
Liu Shiheng glanced up at him, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately chose not to recount the story Ne had told him. This was Ne's world, and they were both bound here.
*Deserter?! Heh, deserter my ass! The first time I ran away, I ended up fleeing right into becoming a scout and had to risk my neck going back to deliver the intelligence; the second time I ran, I turned into a lone hero and carried He Tangtang back on my back; the third time I ran, I became a spy and spent two years hanging around two Snow Lotus Supers.*
*Now I'm even more impressive—I'm undercover right in Ne's bloody lair, right by his side!*
*Sigh. If I can escape from here, I'll truly be a legend.*
After fantasizing about it in his head for a second without coming up with any feasible plan... Young Master Shiheng smiled and said casually, "Not bad. That guy's a chatterbox, though it's kind of annoying that he never shows his face. If he calls me over next time, I'm going to insist that female secretary stays behind to keep me company."
So, what Ne had said was actually true: while Young Master Shiheng possessed no formidable combat prowess and had no desire for such a thing, he possessed an extraordinary ability to adapt. Despite his constant claims of wishing the world would just end in an instant, if the Great Spikes launched a full-scale invasion and plunged everything into a brutal world, he would likely adapt faster than the vast majority of people.
Just as he had managed to stay lively and thrive under the looming threat of two Supers, Ye Jian and Courtney, back at the beginning.
He always found a way to make things work for himself.
Even though none of this was what he wanted—he had originally possessed the most carefree, luxurious life imaginable.
Hearing Liu Shiheng say that, Ye Jian burst out laughing. "Young Master, you really are something else."
"Right? And from now on, I can walk around this place like I own it, let me tell you."
With that, Liu Shiheng turned around and let out a deep breath in his heart. *Think I can't take you down?!*
*I'll turn your people against you—no, your female people... You'd better watch out, or this whole place will be filled with my descendants!*
*Then again, the people here don't seem to reproduce. And even if they did, that probably wouldn't overthrow Ne.*
*Sigh. Those bastards must all think I'm gallivanting around the world living the high life.*
***
In the City of Iniquity, dawn had only broken a short while ago, and pedestrians were sparse on the streets.
Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and Rusty Sister were already awake. Without even brushing their teeth or washing their faces, they had climbed up to a corner of the courtyard wall together, carefully peeking out just enough to peer outside.
They were as excited as children up to no good.
Because just a short distance away, standing right in front of Wu Xu, was Cat Girl, dressed in simple, plain clothes.
"Doesn't look like she dressed up," He Tangtang muttered.
"She did. She's wearing a red hair clip in the bangs on the right," Rusty Sister said.
So her little secret thought was hidden quite deep. After all, she was the leader of one of the four super factions, ranked third on the assassin rankings, a figure renowned for ferocity. For someone like her to come out wearing a red hair clip to see a man... that hint was big enough.
Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet brushed her hair aside. Naturally, she had no idea that she was currently being called Cat Girl.
For a dignified super combat power to sneak over before dawn and lie in wait for over an hour was simply unprecedented; she was even feeling a bit annoyed at herself. But fortunately, she had finally caught him alone.
*Uh, the phrase "caught him alone" feels so familiar, almost like I'm here to assassinate him,* Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet chuckled to herself.
"Why did you call me out?" Wu Xu waited for a moment, and seeing that she wasn't speaking, had no choice but to ask first.
"Oh, I came to return your jacket." Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet brought a neatly folded military jacket out from behind her back.
"Yeah." Wu Xu reached out and took it.
...And that was it.
And then? Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet had thought he would say thank you, and then she could say, "You're welcome, I should be the one thanking you for that day..."
And after that, they could exchange some combat experiences or something.
Yet the planned flow of conversation snapped right there.
"Um... I washed it," Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet tried again.
"Yeah." Wu Xu thought to himself, *I wash my clothes too. What about it?*
"I haven't washed clothes in over ten years. I didn't control my strength properly and scrubbed some stitches loose along the hem, but I sewed it back up. You can't tell."
"Okay." Wu Xu didn't know how this conversation was supposed to end.
On the other side, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet truly didn't know how to keep the conversation going, so she could only say somewhat helplessly, "Then... then I'll head back."
"All right." Wu Xu gave a nod and stood there.
"..." The words had come out of her own mouth, so Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet had no choice but to turn around and walk forward...
*Sigh, he's so dense! Even if he doesn't like me, couldn't he say a few more words?* she thought. *If I go back like this, there probably won't be any follow-up.*
*And who knows how their fight with Shu You will turn out. What if...*
At that thought, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet spun around.
She spun with immense determination, so even though her device wasn't activated, her momentum as a Super still surged. A sudden gust swept across the street... yellow leaves fluttered from the trees, while fallen leaves on the ground swirled upward.
Wu Xu almost thought she wanted to pick a fight. But if she wore clothes, there was no need; and if she didn't wear clothes, they couldn't fight.
As it turned out—
"Does Lieutenant Wu Xu have a girlfriend?!"
Amidst the swirling yellow leaves, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet stood a dozen meters away and asked in a loud voice.
Wu Xu shook his head. "No."
"Then what do you think of me?" she continued to ask.
"I... haven't thought about it," Wu Xu said.
"Mm." Nodding, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet tilted her head slightly so her gaze bypassed a falling yellow leaf, looking straight at him. "Then will you think about it?"
Wu Xu paused, then nodded. "Okay."
Then came another dozen seconds of silence...
This time, even Super Minh Nguyet ran out of courage.
"Then... then I'll go back and wait for news. Um, I have things to take care of at home. Urgent things." As she spoke, she turned, vanishing around the street corner with a whoosh.
*Sigh, this is so embarrassing,* the girl thought to herself.
***
It was over.
"Holy crap, is a Super dating really this terrifying?" At the top of the wall, He Tangtang said dumbly after watching the scene.
"Tell me about it. This is only the beginning. If things get passionate, wouldn't the house just collapse with one careless move?!" Wen Jifei chimed in.
"Poor Cat Girl is probably going to be waiting a very long time," Rusty Sister murmured as well.
Wu Xu walked over.
"Hey, Xu'er." Making no attempt to hide that they had been peeping, Wen Jifei propped himself on the wall and called out. When Wu Xu looked up, he asked, "Well? Do you like her?"
Wu Xu thought about it. "Either way is fine by me."
*Either way is fine?* That was too much! How could either way be fine? He Tangtang flared up instantly. "What do you mean 'either way is fine'?! What kind of attitude is that?!"
"Just... once we win, Qingzi said he wants to go home, do blind dates, and get married. You guys probably will too, right? If you're all married, I guess I'll probably have to get married too. She's fine as well," Wu Xu said.
Because of this explanation, the three on the wall froze.
"..." Wen Jifei prayed to the heavens that Cat Girl had truly gone far away. Otherwise, her heart would shatter, and after heartbreak came anger—she might turn directly into an enemy.
Women were such creatures: when they were sweet, they could be sweet to death, but once they became petty, they were completely unreasonable.
"Hey, Plague Chicken," He Tangtang suddenly whispered from beside him. "Do you think there's a chance Wu Xu is just like Qingzi?"
In the past, they had cared far too little about Wu Xu's love life, and coupled with the fact that it wasn't convenient to pry into his past, they had only recently begun looking into the matter for the first time... and so, they had only just discovered a problem.
Wen Jifei paused, then immediately turned back. "Wu Xu."
Wu Xu: "Yeah?"
"Have you ever liked a girl? Even a tiny flutter of the heart counts," Wen Jifei asked.
Wu Xu shook his head, without even thinking.
"What about guys?" He Tangtang asked.
Wu Xu shook his head again.
"It's over!" Wen Jifei said. "They really are the same."
Chapter 525