Beat Them to a Pulp, I'll Take the Blame!

The driver's mind was still in a daze as Xu Mo dragged him out of the cab like a ragdoll.

With his feet off the ground and his collar choking him, he instinctively clawed at the slender hand holding him.

“What are you doing?! What are you doing?!”

Xu Mo ignored him and slammed him onto the hood. The driver's back crashed hard against the metal, and Xu Mo pinned him down ruthlessly.

“Who told you to take this route?”

The driver stared back, shouting with a look of sheer innocence, “What are you talking about? This is the normal route!”

Hearing him play dumb, a sinister grin spread across Xu Mo's face.

He was an Old-Timer; no one had the right to question his gaming experience!

Although Dawn City was just a starting zone and he wasn't taking things too seriously, memorizing maps was a basic skill for any veteran player.

Xu Mo didn't feel like wasting breath. Without asking a second time, he grabbed the driver's right pinky and snapped it back.

Crack!

The crisp sound made everyone around them—students and Scavengers alike—wince in sympathy.

“Aaaaargh!”

The driver arched his back as his agonizing scream ripped through the dusty air. The blinding pain from his severed finger sent waves of darkness rushing over his vision.

“Who told you to take this route?”

“I don't know what you're talking about! You're—”

Crack! His ring finger snapped next.

This time, the driver couldn't even scream. He curled up like a shrimp, wheezing and gasping for air.

“The Xu family! It was the Xu family!” he finally broke down, tears and snot smearing across his face.

“They gave me a route and told me to take you the long way, to delay you as long as possible! I was just following orders...”

With a smirk, Xu Mo grabbed the driver by the hair and slammed his head hard against the cab's windshield.

Thud!

The tempered glass shattered into a dense spiderweb of cracks. The driver's body went limp and slid down, passing out in the mud.

He clapped his hands clean and turned his gaze toward Xu Hu.

In his mind, Bai Feifei's mouth was hanging open in shock—or it would be, if her spiritual form actually had a mouth.

She couldn't help but recall what Xu Mo had said right after logging in: “Actually, I already felt something was off on our way here.”

Bai Feifei fell silent.

Once again, she reminded herself that this Evil God's omniscience was far beyond her comprehension. She could not afford to overlook his danger just because he occasionally acted absurdly.

Xu Hu's face darkened. This was incredibly awkward.

He had indeed received orders from his family to cause some trouble for Qingping Academy before the Graduation Show and make the students suffer a bit. The Family Head had even told him not to worry about the consequences, as the Xu family would handle everything.

On top of that, he was supposed to test the strength of the woman named Bai Feifei.

From the beginning, he had felt there was no point in testing a Rank 4 Scavenger, let alone a woman.

He hadn't expected her to completely ignore standard procedure, instantly crippling the driver and beating the truth out of him.

Now, his only option was to deny everything and force his way through!

“You, Bai!” Xu Hu took two steps forward, a fierce glint in his eyes.

“What do you think you're doing? I'm the head of the North District. I don't know anything about what you just said! As for what route the driver took, that's his own business, I have nothing to do with it!”

As he spoke, he gestured to his subordinates. The masked Scavengers stepped forward in unison, gripping their weapons.

“I don't care what kind of background you have. Once you're in the North District, you follow my rules.” Xu Hu's voice grew cold.

“The North District is under a permanent state of war. Since you initiated violence here, I have reason to suspect your identity is compromised and that you pose a threat!”

He waved his hand. “Take them!”

Over a dozen Scavengers moved at once, splitting into groups of three to five. They flanked the students from different directions, surrounding the Qingping Academy group.

In Xu Hu's mind, these pampered students would be scared out of their wits the moment they saw this kind of display.

But things didn't go at all as he expected.

The moment the Scavengers closed in, Ye Yu lashed out with her iron whip. The tip struck one man's wrist, sending his weapon flying from his grip.

The other students nearby lunged forward simultaneously. Without a moment's hesitation, they targeted weak points and struck with lethal precision, acting with exceptional decisiveness.

This was the muscle memory forged from training under Bai Feifei for so long.

Xu Hu froze in surprise. Since when did students from the Inner City possess this level of combat prowess?

After forcing their opponents back, the students' eyes gleamed with excitement. Ye Yu turned and asked, “Teacher Bai, is there something wrong with these people?”

She didn't ask "what should we do," but rather "is there something wrong with them."

The grin on Xu Mo's face widened as he praised Bai Feifei in his mind.

“Not bad. You actually have quite a knack for teaching. You've trained these kids pretty well.”

Bai Feifei: “...Thanks to you.”

“Don't worry about any of that!” He scanned the students. “Now that you're in the Outer City, you follow the Outer City's rules.”

The students paused. Ye Yu instinctively asked, “What rules?”

“Fists talk!” With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in Xu Mo's hand. “I forgot to mention this earlier, but there aren't that many rules out here. If you see someone who annoys you, just beat them up.”

“As long as you can win, anything goes.”

“Perfect. Consider this your first real combat exercise. Beat them to a pulp! If anything happens, I'll take the blame!”

The students of the Elite Class only froze for a split second before charging forward in unison.

Those foul-mouthed Scavengers had already thoroughly irritated them.

This was how it should be! Rolling with Teacher Bai meant they never had to swallow their anger!

Xu Hu's eyes widened. He had intended to fight, but he hadn't expected a full-blown brawl!

The surrounding Scavengers were also panicking. If they actually beat up these Inner City young masters, they were terrified of the repercussions.

“Fight back! I'll take responsibility!” Left with no choice, Xu Hu roared, charging straight at “Bai Feifei.” He was clearly looking to capture the leader first.

...

The ruined urban area on the front lines of the North District.

Amidst the crumbling walls and debris, Yaoguang Academy, Lieyang Academy, Tiandou Academy...

The trucks from each academy had already arrived, waiting in silence.

An Edgerunner clad in a combat suit frowned, checking his watch.

He was the highest-ranking official from the Inner City in charge of the North District, much like how Liu Yun was Wan Qianhong's superior in the East District.

“Why isn't Qingping Academy here yet?” he muttered in dissatisfaction.

“The situation in the North District is different from the others. A delay here is no laughing matter...”

As he spoke, he looked in a certain direction.

Standing on the highest vantage point in that direction was Liu Yun.

Dressed in her purple robe, she stood with her hands behind her back, gazing past the layers of ruins into the distance.

She closed her eyes, her fingers subtly moving inside her sleeve as she calculated the path of karma. Her expression remained impassive.

As a Prophet, she possessed a certain ability to seek fortune, avoid disaster, and calculate cause and effect. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

“Something is wrong...”