Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Lu Shu walked alongside the crowd. Beside him, the secret practitioners did not look as proud as before. Instead, they were miserable and distressed like a dog that just been hit.
There were no tents, and only very few people managed to bring their luggage along. As a rough estimate, there were around 70,000 secret practitioners who had made it out this time, but about 60,000 were not as lucky. Most of them had failed to escape due to the serious stampede earlier.
However, the 70,000 plus survivors had to trek three days and three nights before they could return to Port Artyom. Besides a shortage of food, they were also in constant fear of being caught by the Heavenly Network.
But Lu Shu knew that it was not in the character of the Heavenly Network to do that. Yet, the secret practitioners did not know that. Thus, they lived on the razor’s edge, terrified by beasts along the road. At the moment, their dignity as Metahumans was nowhere to be found.
After one whole day, they were finally assured that the Heavenly Network would not chase after them. Only then did the teams on the front lines dare to take a short rest by the road.
Now, their main concern had changed from being killed to being starved to death. No one would think of food when they ran for their lives.
But that was none of Lu Shu’s concern. Then, he suddenly realized there was a huge influx of distress points!
He had been focusing on redeeming chi fruits after the ignition of the third star. After all, the fourth nebula required four million points, which seemed like a rather distant goal. Hence, Lu Shu redirected his attention to the third sword spirit, wondering what kind of personality this one might have.
But now… he had accumulated another one million distress points!
How come? Lu Shu was confused.
Then, he heard someone beside them talking, “I wonder where the Heavenly Network got their bronze armor. It’s so terrifying! All the large organizations lied to us! They never told us that the Heavenly Network is so powerful!”
“Indeed, the bronze armor is a piece of precious treasure. Our attacks can hardly deal any fatal damage to them!”
Lu Shu had suddenly come to the realization that the grudges those people held towards the bronze armor… had been attributed to him too!
Splendid! Although he did not contribute to their distress directly, the fact that the Heavenly Network had used the armor he had surrendered long ago rendered him the ultimate cause of all the negative emotions. This was simply wonderful!
Lu Shu almost laughed out loud. He had an urge to call Nie Ting immediately to discuss whether he should kill the people around him. Anyway, those guys would pose a detrimental threat to the entire human race… Okay, that was Lu Shu’s nonsense.
He leaned against a tree, deliberating whether to redeem all the points for chi fruits… But now, it seemed that his power ascension was more important if Nie Ting could not take action personally.
Meanwhile, Lu Shu waited for the crowd to move as he snacked. His face was hidden under his hood, but everyone’s attention was drawn to him due to the noise he made as he opened the food packaging…
Then came another wave of distress points. People were confused… Why did this fellow bring snacks when he fled for his life?
Lu Shu glanced around and asked in English, “Does this look tasty?”
A female secret practitioner who was not so good-looking met Lu Shu’s eyes and said, “If you give it to me, you can bring me away now. I don’t mind the woods over there.”
As she spoke, the woman purposely pulled down her collar.
People like her were not that uncommon… Having understood what she was referring to, Lu Shu shouted immediately, “I’m not that kind of person!”
The woman scorned, “All men are the same. I won’t believe you, if you claimed to be a virgin. While other men have to pay, you can get it with a packet of snacks only.”
Lu Shu refused in a stern and just manner. “I’m proud to be poor, because the lack of financial means keeps my personality upright. Truth be told, I’m really a…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a giant wave of energy exploded right below the woman. Then, like an enormous spring, the ground beneath her suddenly shot up, throwing the woman into the air. Then, they could only hear her scream going more and more distant…
Lu Xiaoyu had arrived…
Yet, she had hidden in the earth all the time, watching Lu Shu from underground.
Lu Shu turned at once and announced loudly to those around him, “I am a wholesome man and I refuse to entertain uncouth requests. Do not tempt me with those things, please!”
That took the crowd by surprise. Fine, now we know what kind of person you are, but you did not have to make a public announcement… Besides, the woman only wanted your food, it was unnecessary to use such violence…
In fact, there were other female secret practitioners who had been rejected after their attempt to depend on others. But this woman was the most unlucky one…
At that moment, Lu Shu was thought to be a pretty powerful earth-type Metahuman.
Lu Shu realized that it was then when Lu Xiaoyu had finally stopped feeding him distress points…
Actually, a moment earlier, he had sensed a wave of earth-type power approaching him underground, which was immediately followed by Lu Xiaoyu’s distress points. So, who else could it be?
After other people looked away from Lu Shu, he secretly wrote on the ground as he believed that Lu Xiaoyu would be able to see it. “Why are you here?”
Silently the mud transformed into a line of words. “I’m here to protect you!”
Lu Shu was amused. He wrote. “It’s very dangerous here. I suggest you wait for me at the Heavenly Network campsite. Once I find the one behind the scene, we can kill him together!”
The words on the ground changed. This time, there was a drawing made of mud too. Lu Shu studied it carefully and realized that it was Lu Xiaoyu’s face with a disdainful look. “You should tell that to an 11-year-old. You can’t fool me with that, Lu Shu.”
Lu Shu was dumbfounded. Lu Xiaoyu was not much older either. She was only 12! Besides… she could even add emojis to her captions! What a creative use of earth-type powers…
“From Lu Shu’s distress, +199!”
“Lu Xiaoyu.” Lu Shu wrote with a serious face. “You have to listen to me this time. If we stay together, we’ll be easily exposed. Thus, it’ll be easier if I act alone. Moreover, you are not safe down there because it’s possible that there are people of the sensory type in other large organizations. Besides, you know how much I treasure my life. I’m just going to help the Heavenly Network with a fight. Do you think I will let myself die so easily?”
After a short moment of silence, Lu Xiaoyu replied. “You are right.”
Lu Shu’s head throbbed. Although it was the truth, he felt kind of weird to admit it directly
