“Ah—”
Xue Xun had only just stood up and hadn’t had time to say anything more when Yi Luo’s figure vanished down the corridor.
The group all talked over each other, and Xue Xun’s office papers were scattered in the rush.
“Did I tell you not to step on the papers!” Xue Xun shouted.
Yi Luo shut the shout out behind the door, grabbed Q-chan, and headed straight for the treatment center.
The moment he stepped inside, the receptionist glanced at him, checked his HP was safe, and lowered her head again.
Yi Luo stopped at the front desk and greeted her. “Xiao Yao, I need to ask you something—”
The girl, already knowing what he meant, answered, “You mean about that critical case?”
Yi Luo paused, then laughed—apparently He Wuning already had a codename here. He nodded. “Been keeping you busy again, huh?”
“He’s with Teacher Yan.” The girl looked up, half worried, half exasperated. “He should have been done by now. Why hasn’t he come down? Don’t tell me Teacher Yan is still lecturing him?”
Yi Luo raised an eyebrow. “I’ll go up and see.”
“Hey!” the girl glared at him. “If you go up you’ll only get scolded too! He came in with only a few drops of blood left and said he had like a dozen before—”
Q-chan quickly explained in a small voice, “He had a health buff earlier, he really did have like a dozen…”
“A dozen doesn’t mean it’s safe!” the girl shot it a look. “One poke from a monster and you’re dead!”
Q-chan immediately shrank back and hid behind Yi Luo, firmly refusing to help He Wuning get scolded.
“You’d better keep your distance. Don’t go looking for trouble…” Xiao Yao huffed, and by the time she looked up Yi Luo was already on the stairs. She hurriedly called, “Hey! Yi Luo!”
“Stop yelling.” Yi Luo shushed her with a finger to his lips and waved it off casually. “It’s fine—my skin’s thick. I’ve been scolded since I was little.”
He stopped at Teacher Yan’s door and, without ceremony, pushed it open a crack and peeked in. “Teacher Yan, I came to—”
“Keep it down!” Teacher Yan shot him a glare. Only then did Yi Luo really see: He Wuning was curled up in a chair in front of her, apparently asleep in an awkward, unstable position.
He Wuning was a light sleeper. At the noise he opened his eyes instantly and instinctively reached for his waist—the skinner’s knife was already in his hand.
Teacher Yan shot Yi Luo a look that was neither soft nor harsh. Yi Luo, feeling sheepish, rubbed his nose and bowed his head.
Realizing he wasn’t out in the wild, He Wuning relaxed again and rubbed his temples. “…Did I fall asleep?”
He was a bit surprised Teacher Yan hadn’t woken him.
Teacher Yan snorted. “If you’re awake, go back. You here to eat or what?”
He Wuning: “…”
The old woman’s momentary gentleness proved to be an illusion.
He Wuning stood up in silence. He didn’t seem surprised to see Yi Luo there, and he didn’t take Q-chan from his hand. Instead, he pointed in the direction of the car. “It’s out front.”
Yi Luo felt like he’d been summoned and dismissed at will and thought to himself he should at least charge a little for the repair.
He raised an eyebrow in mild displeasure but his tone softened as soon as he spoke: “You didn’t sleep all night?”
“Mm. Insomnia.” He Wuning answered perfunctorily.
Who calls being up all night & slaughtering monsters “insomnia”?
Yi Luo stared at him for a moment without calling him out on the poor lie. Then he came straight to the point: “Do you want to team up with me?”
He Wuning looked briefly surprised by the sudden question and gave him a strange glance. “The entire forum knows. I never team up with others.”
He often supplied official guides and intelligence; his high ranking on the unofficial player leaderboard had a lot of people begging to team up with him for a while. Plenty of them were competent players, famous on the boards, but He Wuning had never replied to any of them.
“Others are others. I’m me,” Yi Luo said matter-of-factly. “Maybe you actually like me.”
He Wuning looked at him as if he were staring at an idiot.
“All right, besides the fact that I think you’re interesting, there’s something a bit special.” Yi Luo composed himself—that was his ‘serious business’ tone. “I reported your ability status and mentioned you might have had some odd occurrences you couldn’t fully convey. Now you’re a key protected individual. If I hadn’t suggested otherwise, they’d probably have already sent a squad to escort you.”
He Wuning pictured the scene and couldn’t help frowning. He regretted a little telling Yi Luo about the Administrator Permission thing.
Yi Luo talked like he was consoling him: “Think about it—one person is better than a whole squad, right?”
“I told you, Bai Yan was pulled back from the brink. Now they’ve got a limb-whole, kicking you, they’d want to wrap you in human walls, layers and layers of protection.”
His tone was almost coaxing. He Wuning raised an eyebrow. “If you follow me, what exactly are you responsible for?”
“Car repairs, taste testing, skill-grinding…” Yi Luo counted off on his fingers, paused, and smiled a little, “And if necessary, provide emotional support—what people usually call ‘dating.’”
He Wuning: “…”
“Joking.” Yi Luo saw He Wuning’s expression stiffen and backed off. “The main thing is to guarantee your safety, and cover your retreat when necessary.”
He reached out and tapped the center of He Wuning’s forehead. He Wuning didn’t dodge. Yi Luo smiled. “If we run into real danger, I’ll give you a shot to send you home.”
He Wuning’s expression remained blank. “Not needed.”
Yi Luo had the instinct that He Wuning hadn’t been truly angry before, but now… it seemed he was genuinely not pleased.
“I don’t want any teammate thinking about shooting me,” He Wuning said seriously. “I don’t need protection. I can handle myself.”
“The announcement went out today. Just in case, they’ll encourage everyone to operate in squads,” Yi Luo said, unsure where he might have stepped on He Wuning’s nerves—but he wasn’t ready to give up.
“Encourage, not force,” He Wuning replied, not turning his head as he walked ahead. “You’re following me, but the other cars… you’re not going to worry about them?”
“There aren’t many cars anyway,” Yi Luo pondered. “Oh, there’s that one awakened guy who can drive an excavator, but he takes care of his vehicle way more than you. Yours breaks fastest. If needed, I’ll come back once. You’ll be back to restock anyway, right?”
He Wuning didn’t answer.
Yi Luo shook his head in helplessness. “Why so reluctant? I thought you actually liked me.”
He reached over and draped an arm over He Wuning’s shoulder. He Wuning felt like every hair on his body was standing on end. Yi Luo seemed oblivious—or maybe aware but unwilling to let go—coaxing him like a child: “Just give me a chance, Brother He.”
He Wuning looked unimpressed. “…Thick-skinned.”
“Mm,” Yi Luo admitted, “Always have been.”
He Wuning stopped walking, appearing to consider the offer. “Alright… I guess.”
Yi Luo was about to smile, but He Wuning added, “But let me be clear first.”
“I won’t die. No one has to risk themselves to save me.”
“If you’re my teammate, there’s only one rule: you don’t die. At least, you don’t die before me.”
He Wuning stared into Yi Luo’s eyes. Yi Luo didn’t flinch. “What if we encounter a monster neither of us can handle?”
He Wuning tilted his chin. “I’ll handle it. You leave.”
“Not happening,” Yi Luo said firmly.
He Wuning frowned, about to push his hand away. Yi Luo tightened his grip on his shoulder. “I think it’s best we rely on our own skills. If you kill me, I live. If I kill you, you live.”
He smiled. “How about that?”
He Wuning withdrew his gaze and snorted but didn’t verbally refuse. Yi Luo took it as agreement.
Yi Luo pointed. “First, let’s get the paperwork.”
He Wuning hesitated slightly. Yi Luo patted him reassuringly. “Teammate certificate. Just register.”
“Oh, by the way, Qi Xue and the others are at the training field. On the way, do you want to check in?”
“Those kids are always trying to get news about you,” Yi Luo added.
He Wuning didn’t reply. Yi Luo knew if he wanted to say no, he wouldn’t, and staying silent could be taken as tacit agreement.
……a
The training field was crowded with mostly healthy young people. Qi Xue, Long Teng, and their group of kids seemed small in comparison, but no one commented.
Their training focuses were different. The chubby kid kept getting thrown in the ring until he became a flattened, defeated mess. Qi Xue trained physical endurance, while Long Teng practiced shooting.
None of the three were performing exceptionally, especially Long Teng, whose shots were wildly off. The instructor shook his head at him.
The chubby kid teased, “Brother Long, you’re not doing so well, huh?”
Long Teng rubbed his head in frustration. “You don’t get it! It just means my talent isn’t in this area! And anyway, guns aren’t that strong. Haven’t you seen Brother He? One little knife, swish swish…”
Qi Xue whispered, “I saw Yi Luo use a gun.”
A professional sniper rifle, no less.
The chubby kid suddenly wondered aloud: “BrotherLong, which of the two big shots is stronger?”
Long Teng admired He Wuning completely, but respected Yi Luo too. He thought carefully. “Depends on the situation… distance matters.”
“You haven’t heard that saying?”
Long Teng gestured: “Beyond seven steps, the gun’s fast. Within seven steps—”
Before he could finish, Yi Luo appeared behind him, pressing his head down and smiling. “Within seven steps, the gun is accurate and fast.”
“Train properly. No slacking.”
Long Teng’s face turned red. He glanced at He Wuning and whispered, “Within seven steps, maybe Brother He is stronger.”
Yi Luo turned, intrigued. “Really? Brother He?”
“Not really,” He Wuning said lazily, lifting his eyelids. “You’re fast.”
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The author has something to say:
Mini bonus skit (not canon)
Yi Luo: ? Is he mocking me?
Q-chan: He is. Wait… didn’t you say you were going to teach him a lesson?
Yi Luo: I did! Scroll up, didn’t I say—“You didn’t sleep all night, what were you doing?”
Q-chan: …That’s it?
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