"Thwack"
A small stone flew out from nowhere, striking He Jiang’s hand hard.
He Jiang clutched his hand and let out a scream of pain, and only then did Gu Xiang Kai notice his previous movement, grabbing He Jiang’s collar with a look like he wanted to devour him.
"What do you think you're doing!"
He Jiang was drenched in sweat from the pain, and with so many eyes on him, he could only stammer, "No... no, I just saw that your clothes were dirty. Who was that! Who hit me! Are you trying to start a rebellion?"
"A rebellion? Who do you think you are? The emperor?"
A cold voice emerged from the darkness, and everyone turned to see Nan Yue slowly walking out from that small path.
"You know exactly what you were trying to do."
Nan Yue’s gaze swept over him; she was truly a bit angry now.
She didn't know exactly what He Jiang intended to do, whether he had an awakened ability or some kind of item, but she could tell from his expression just now that it wasn't anything good.
It was only the first day of the mission and someone already couldn't keep their hands to themselves; Nan Yue almost wanted to laugh, as the three of them didn't look like pushovers at all.
When He Jiang met Nan Yue’s gaze, he subconsciously shivered, and he wondered if it was his imagination, but he suddenly saw the darkness in Nan Yue’s eyes materialize.
A thin, almost transparent black mist instantly enveloped his head, and a faint smell of decay filled his nose and mouth, making it hard to breathe.
He wanted to call for help but couldn't speak; the black mist crawled into his mouth, feeling like he had swallowed a mouthful of ice, freezing his internal organs to the core.
"Brother He! Why have you suddenly started shaking like that?"
Zhao Dekai noticed that He Jiang’s face had suddenly turned deathly pale, his whole body frozen in place yet trembling slightly.
The shaking grew more intense, and He Jiang’s eyes were filled with extreme terror, unable to even look away.
"A seizure! Is Brother He having a seizure!"
"Get out of the way!"
A space was immediately cleared at the doorway, and even Gu Xiang Kai let go, his expression turning sour.
Is this old man trying to pull a fast one?
It didn't look like it.
He looked like he had seen a ghost and was utterly terrified; what on earth was he looking at...
Gu Xiang Kai followed He Jiang’s gaze and saw Nan Yue.
Nan Yue’s expression was indifferent at the moment, but Gu Xiang Kai could tell she was angry; after staring at her for just a moment, cold sweat began to bead on Gu Xiang Kai’s forehead.
That overwhelming sense of pressure he had felt briefly back at the apartments appeared again, even stronger this time.
For some reason, Gu Xiang Kai was certain that He Jiang’s state was related to Nan Yue, even though she hadn't seemingly done anything.
And she was supposed to be a rookie who had only completed two missions.
Gu Xiang Kai hesitated, wondering if he should go over and warn Nan Yue that He Jiang looked like he was about to keel over, but his own feet felt as heavy as lead, and his throat was too dry to speak.
Just as Gu Xiang Kai was about to reach his limit and look away, Nan Yue lowered her eyes and walked toward them.
"Don't mind him, let's go back and rest."
Gu Xiang Kai’s Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, carefully observing Nan Yue to see if anything was wrong; that feeling of being stared down by the abyss felt like an illusion now.
"...Alright."
As soon as the door closed, He Jiang’s throat let out several rasping gasps as he took long breaths, finally recovering; he collapsed onto the ground, looking like he had been fished out of a lake.
"Brother He, are you okay? You scared me to death just now."
"Monster! Monster! That woman isn't human, she's a monster!"
He Jiang seemed to have lost his mind, staring at the door and muttering incessantly, while the others exchanged subtle glances.
Is this Brother He really reliable... she just looks like an ordinary girl.
Zhu Xi Ning breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two return, wringing her fingers with a guilty expression. "You're back... Those people outside wanted to barge in, and I couldn't help but snap at them a little, which made them angry."
"It's fine, that man had bad intentions; if you had acted cowardly, it would have been more troublesome."
Gu Xiang Kai didn't take it to heart; he had seen plenty of people who bullied the weak and feared the strong, though they usually didn't target him; he hadn't expected to experience firsthand how poorly female scavengers could be treated during a mission.
He turned to look at Nan Yue; she seemed normal as she slowly climbed into bed, but he felt she seemed a bit... tense?
Gu Xiang Kai was amused by the thought; although he didn't know what secret Nan Yue was hiding, her current behavior was like a student caught red-handed by a teacher, possessing a strange sense of cuteness.
So, Gu Xiang Kai deliberately teased her.
"Just now..."
Sure enough, as Gu Xiang Kai lowered his voice, Nan Yue’s blinking speed increased.
Zhu Xi Ning hadn't been outside and was about to ask what happened when Gu Xiang Kai finished teasing the big shot.
"Why do you think He Jiang is a problem?"
Nan Yue let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. "Because he seems to be trying everything he can to make contact with us."
Nan Yue recalled, "As soon as he arrived earlier, he wanted to shake hands, and after the teams were split, his body language involved a lot of physical contact with his teammates."
"When he came to find you just now, did he try to touch you?"
Zhu Xi Ning looked confused. "Yes, I twisted his wrist."
Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai: ...
The two silently looked at Zhu Xi Ning, who was dressed elaborately like a doll, and tacitly chose not to ask for the specific details.
Nan Yue frowned. "You touched him? Did anything feel wrong?"
Zhu Xi Ning thought back carefully and shook her head. "No, it felt normal."
Nan Yue pondered for a moment; she didn't think her suspicion was wrong, as the look in He Jiang’s eyes right before he was about to touch Gu Xiang Kai was clearly malicious and triumphant.
Triumphant... that could only mean he was indeed planning something and felt he would most likely succeed.
"Then it must only work when he is the one initiating the contact."
Seeing how persistent Nan Yue was with her theory, Gu Xiang Kai followed her train of thought.
"True, it didn't make sense for him to try and pat me in that situation. What is that old geezer up to?"
Nan Yue looked at Zhu Xi Ning. "Could he also have an awakened ability?"
Zhu Xi Ning bit her lip and thought. "It's hard to tell unless it's a very special awakened ability or a very powerful one that gives off a sense of pressure; otherwise, you won't know unless the awakened ability is activated."
"But I think it's very likely."
Zhu Xi Ning had a complicated expression. "Otherwise, with his behavior and intelligence, there's no way he would have survived to that age."
Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai: ...That actually makes a lot of sense.
"But it's definitely not an attack-type; otherwise, he wouldn't be so squishy. It might be a curse-type or a control-type."
But since there were countless types of awakened ability, Zhu Xi Ning couldn't say for sure; Nan Yue thought of He Jiang’s face and narrowed her eyes. "Stay away from him for the next few days."
Both nodded in agreement before they began discussing the town's situation.
"I didn't go too far; I went to Evermercy Restaurant to see if there was anything strange in their kitchen waste."
Rate on N.U.
