Chapter 52: The PUA Pro
He’d seen Shen Ling’an fight several times now.
Not long ago, Shen Ling’an had been severely injured. According to his calculations, Shen Ling’an shouldn’t have the strength left to charge out and fight a Mutant.
But now, Shen Ling’an had rushed out again, and his momentum was even fiercer than before he was hurt.
’Is he hiding his true strength?’
’But why would he choose to reveal it now?’
"An elixir!" Xu Qingsui said from the side, just as Lu Jingyu was puzzling over it.
Lu Jingyu shot her a surprised glance before turning his gaze back to Shen Ling’an, his eyes darkening.
If Shen Ling’an had taken an elixir that temporarily boosted his strength, then the current situation made sense.
But that kind of elixir could be used to carve out a bloody path to safety in a critical moment, which just went to show how precious it was.
’So how did Shen Ling’an get his hands on an elixir like that?’
’Could it be from that mastermind behind the scenes again?’
’First weapons, now an elixir... such grand gestures.’ He was growing more and more curious about that person’s identity.
"It was Xu Ruming!" Xu Qingsui spoke again, interrupting Lu Jingyu’s thoughts.
"How do you know?"
Thinking about what happened before, Xu Qingsui felt a lump form in her throat.
Although those were the experiences of the body’s original owner, sharing the same body made her feel them as if they were her own.
Still, she decided to say it. Once some things were out in the open, they were no longer a burden.
"The Xu Family’s parents gave it to her. Before Xu Ruming was found, they said they would give me that elixir for my coming-of-age ceremony, for emergencies."
"But after they found Xu Ruming, on the day of our joint coming-of-age ceremony, they gave that elixir to her right in front of me."
"Honestly, it belonged to the Xu Family to begin with, so I wouldn’t have had a problem with them giving it to Xu Ruming. It’s just... I’ll never forget the insults and curses they hurled at me that day."
Xu Qingsui’s eyes flickered, as if she were reliving that scene all over again.
Seeing the light in her eyes waver, Lu Jingyu suddenly felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to pull her into his arms.
’It wasn’t her fault she was switched at birth. Why should she have to bear their condemnation?’
’She’s clearly such an exceptional person. Why should she have to carry the blame for someone else’s mistake?’
Because Xu Qingsui’s strength was plain to see, Lu Jingyu had never treated her like a D-level guide, even though she still wore the D-level medal on her chest.
Based on what Xu Qingsui said, he assumed the Xu Family had blamed her for being switched at birth.
But that was only one of the reasons. There was another, more important one that Xu Qingsui hadn’t mentioned.
The Xu Family, hoping to produce a high-level guide, had invested some resources in Xu Qingsui before they knew about the mix-up.
Unfortunately, when she tested as just a D-level guide, it only fueled the anger of the Xu Family members, who were already resentful about the situation.
In an instant, they had unleashed all their dissatisfaction on her.
Seeing the vacant look in Xu Qingsui’s eyes, Lu Jingyu finally couldn’t resist raising a hand to her shoulder.
He’d wanted to hug her, but he changed his mind at the last second and gently patted her shoulder instead.
Feeling Lu Jingyu’s touch and seeing the pity in his eyes, Xu Qingsui suddenly smiled.
"I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve already left the Xu Family. The moment I left, I said goodbye to my former self. From now on, I’m just me."
Voicing the original owner’s sorrow on her behalf, Xu Qingsui felt a great sense of relief.
At the same time, she bid a final farewell to the original owner. From now on, she would live only for herself.
Xu Qingsui’s smile seemed to have a healing power; the gloom in Lu Jingyu’s heart was instantly dispelled.
He nodded firmly at Xu Qingsui, agreeing with her words.
THUD!
Just as their eyes met and a different kind of emotion stirred between them...
A figure came hurtling through the water and crashed heavily onto the ground not far in front of them.
The impact was so great that they could even feel the ground beneath their feet tremble.
The two quickly tore their eyes away and looked at the unidentified flying object. It was Shen Ling’an, curled up on the ground. He had barely moved before he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
While the two of them had been deep in conversation, Shen Ling’an and the Hai Ma had been locked in a stalemate.
Shen Ling’an’s earlier actions had thoroughly enraged the Hai Ma. The frenzied creature’s countless large mouths on its chest began to heave, actually stirring up waves in the deep sea.
All the waves rushed toward Shen Ling’an. His earlier success had made him let his guard down.
He hadn’t expected that the seemingly harmless waves would feel like being run over by a heavy-duty mech when they hit him.
He only withstood one round before he was sent flying, landing directly at the feet of Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu.
Shen Ling’an opened his eyes to see the two of them looking down on him. Overwhelmed with humiliation, he spat out another mouthful of blood.
When Xu Ruming saw Shen Ling’an get knocked away, she subconsciously chased after him.
She wasn’t concerned for Shen Ling’an’s safety. What she cared about was that he had to win back her dignity for her.
Finding herself in front of Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu, her face flushed with embarrassment.
But she couldn’t worry about that now. She immediately knelt down and helped Shen Ling’an up.
"Brother Ling’an, you were so close." Not wanting Lu Jingyu to overhear her conversation with Shen Ling’an, Xu Ruming deliberately lowered her voice.
This, however, only made it seem more like she was fawning over Shen Ling’an.
"You had the upper hand the whole time. You only slipped up because you underestimated it. If you’re just a little more careful, you can definitely finish it off."
Shen Ling’an had just opened his mouth to speak when blood trickled from the corner.
He frowned. He couldn’t even speak; he didn’t think he had another fight left in him.
"Brother Ling’an, Lu Jingyu and Xu Qingsui are standing right over there, laughing at us. You were so close. Are you really going to give up like this and let them look down on us?"
The image of Lu Jingyu and Xu Qingsui he had just seen suddenly flashed through Shen Ling’an’s mind.
In reality, the two had just been a bit confused and bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
But in Shen Ling’an’s eyes, their faces were filled with scorn and contempt.
Seeing the hatred surface in Shen Ling’an’s eyes, Xu Ruming decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Brother Ling’an, the elixir is still effective for another five minutes. I believe that if you unleash your full power, five minutes is more than enough time to take care of that Hai Ma."
At that moment, the Hai Ma that had sent Shen Ling’an flying was writhing its body, as if in celebration.
Shen Ling’an’s gaze locked onto the Hai Ma. With a sudden burst of resolve, he endured the discomfort in his body and shot forward again.
As he charged toward the Hai Ma once more, Shen Ling’an’s entire body was enveloped in a dark green light.
The seawater around him began to boil as he moved.
The Hai Ma also sensed Shen Ling’an’s counterattack. After arching its body again, it didn’t immediately relax. The black socket where its eye had been ripped out stared intently in the direction Shen Ling’an was flying from.
Just as the two were about to collide, the Hai Ma suddenly opened its maw, and an earsplitting sound echoed across the seabed.