“Why is it taking so long?” Ten minutes had already passed, and Ye Lan still hadn’t seen the basement door open again. Even though he trusted Su Lixiao’s strength, and didn’t think Cui Yunfan was the type to overestimate himself, this was dragging on too long.
Finally, under Ye Lan’s watchful eyes, the basement door opened again. Su Lixiao came out first, with Cui Yunfan following behind.
Cui Yunfan’s usual gentle smile remained on his face, but Ye Lan could clearly see the stiffness and strain beneath it.
At Cui Yunfan’s waist, the once-sheathed decorative sword was gone—only the empty scabbard remained. Though he tried to hide the fact that the sword had vanished, Ye Lan, watching from kilometers away, noticed immediately.
At the entrance, Su Lixiao turned toward Cui Yunfan and said: “Then this is where we part ways.”
Cui Yunfan bowed politely and asked respectfully: “Shall I assign people to ensure your safety?”
The salute shocked the patrolling guards at his side.
As the highly respected Second Seat of the Wings of Falan, he was actually bowing to a freshman?
Just who was this girl?
“Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need it—because I trust my companion to protect me.” Su Lixiao refused him.
“But…” Cui Yunfan was about to speak further when a lightsaber blade suddenly pressed against his throat, silencing him.
Su Lixiao, holding her weapon steadily, fixed her gaze on him and said: “I believe in him.”
The unshakable determination in her eyes told Cui Yunfan that he could not go against her will.
“Second Seat!”
“Put the sword down!”
The two patrolling guards panicked. Raising their rifles, they were just about to pull the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Two laser beams crossed the distance of several kilometers in an instant, striking the rifles in their hands with pinpoint accuracy.
“Ahhh!” “My hand!” The guards screamed in pain, their rifles knocked clean out of their grips.
Clang! Clang! The sound of guns hitting the ground echoed loudly in the silent night.
“Now… what do you think?” Su Lixiao smiled faintly as she withdrew her blade, leaving behind a sweating, shaken Cui Yunfan.
Then, without another word, she turned and vanished into the dark night alone.
After a long silence, once the surroundings calmed, Cui Yunfan opened his comms: “Number 5, where was that sniper just now?”
Number 5 did not immediately answer. After a pause, he said: “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Speak.” Cui Yunfan’s tone grew serious, sensing the weight behind the question.
Number 5 replied: “It was a sniper from three kilometers away. I saw him after he revealed his position, but from that distance, I couldn’t counterattack. I’m no Eagle Eye—I’d need at least two shots to hit at that range, and by then, he’d be gone.”
“Fortunately, that distance was beyond his weapon’s effective range?” Cui Yunfan examined the burns on the guards’ hands. Though their weapons were ruined, the two of them only had minor burns.
“I think he deliberately reduced his weapon’s energy output,” Number 5 disagreed. He had seen the sniper clearly, and the weapon as well. “Because that was an anti-materiel energy sniper rifle. Its true power shouldn’t be this weak.”
After all, an anti-materiel weapon could punch through armored vehicles, or instantly kill anyone with less than a Type-I shield.
Then Number 5’s tone shifted to something teasing: “Old Cui, looks like the ‘interesting’ freshman you wanted to see has shown up. How do you feel now?”
“Perhaps I was aiming too high, because I can’t control it.” Cui Yunfan reached for his sword out of habit, only to remember it was gone. With a wry smile, he said: “That girl’s level is easily top three among this year’s freshmen. In fact, even compared to the entire academy, she’d still rank near the top.”
Number 5 sounded surprised: “Oh? Such a high evaluation? Then what about that sniper?”
“Hard to say.” Cui Yunfan shook his head. The sniper had revealed too little; he could only judge from the scant clues. “But in terms of concealment, he’s frighteningly good. From start to finish, I never sensed his presence.”
“So what’s your plan?” Number 5 asked. “Going to recruit them? Send people after them?”
“You can try looking, but don’t expect too much.” Cui Yunfan sighed. He tilted his head back, gazing at the night sky.
The stars, once hidden by clouds, now peeked through, scattering light across the earth and cutting through the oppressive darkness.
Because the wind had risen.
…
Ye Lan had already abandoned his sniping position and was heading toward the rendezvous point.
The moment he fired, he knew he had to relocate—otherwise, he would risk enemy counter-snipers. Fortunately, Su Lixiao had secured her equipment, so he could withdraw safely.
When Ye Lan reached the meeting place, Su Lixiao hadn’t arrived yet.
The entire area was silent. If not for the lingering smell of smoke, one could hardly believe this ruined city had been a battlefield just hours earlier.
Crumbling buildings, collapsed ruins, scattered wreckage—this was the tone of the old city. With no water and no shelters, no animals lived here. And so, when human presence faded, the city fell into a deathly silence.
At this very moment, everything was still. But Ye Lan’s surroundings gradually brightened. Looking up, he saw stars breaking free from the clouds.
“Whew—” A gust of night wind blew, lifting his hair into disarray. He quickly held it down and used a tie to bundle it together, preventing himself from looking like a wild man.
Long hair… really a hassle.
The thought of Su Lixiao’s request for him to grow it out made Ye Lan’s head ache. He had never cared for his hair. In his previous life, it had all fallen out from exhaustion anyway—so hair care was the last thing he ever worried about.
But what puzzled him more was something else entirely.
Why had Su Lixiao suddenly drawn her blade on Cui Yunfan at the end?
Judging by Cui Yunfan’s expression, he hadn’t been angry so much as bewildered—almost innocent, in fact.
From the outcome, her action seemed less like hostility and more like… a signal, guiding Ye Lan to act.
At that moment, Ye Lan’s sharp ears caught light footsteps sneaking up behind him.
An ambush!
But there was no killing intent. Which meant there was only one person it could be.
Ye Lan raised a brow and pretended not to notice.
“Boo!”
Suddenly, a long-haired “female ghost” leapt in front of him. She tried to twist her face and claw her hands menacingly, but her stunning beauty only made her look like she was play-acting.
Ye Lan stared at the “ghost,” silence dragging until the air grew awkward. Finally, as if belatedly realizing, he shouted: “Ahhh, so scary—!”
“At least pretend you’re scared!” Su Lixiao, dropping the act, pushed her hair back, scolding him for his lack of reaction.
Ye Lan sighed helplessly: “I don’t spook that easily.”
Maybe, if it had been pitch black and he’d been off guard, he might have been startled.
But right now, the wind had blown the clouds away, and the starlight shone down bright and clear. It was far too illuminated—he wasn’t blind, after all.