The battle was over.
The moment Ye's body crashed heavily to the ground, the taut string that had held Xiang Lie's heart together snapped with a sharp twang. The black long spear in his hand flickered, then, in a soft, fading glow, transformed back into the cool-tempered girl, "Jing."
The instant the armament dissolved, an unprecedented wave of weakness, as vast and overwhelming as a mountain crumbling into a tsunami, swept over him! Xiang Lie's vision tunneled, all his strength draining away like an ebbing tide. His body could no longer support itself, and he crumpled forward.
"Xiang Lie!" Jing cried out in alarm, ignoring her own energy-depleted exhaustion. She quickly stepped forward, bracing his mountain-heavy frame with her slender shoulders, barely able to hold him. "Xiang Lie! What's wrong? Don't scare me!" She called out anxiously, only to find the man in her arms had completely lost consciousness.
In the last sliver of fading awareness before plunging into boundless darkness, Xiang Lie vaguely heard Mister Yi's calm, gentle voice echoing in his ears. "Help him to rest. He's simply over-exerted."
…
In the darkness, Xiang Lie felt like a solitary boat, adrift in an endless, warm ocean. Through the haze, that cold, synthesized mechanical voice once again sounded in his mind.
'DETECTING THE BIRTH OF A BRAND NEW MUSCLE PHILOSOPHY DEEP WITHIN THE HOST'S SOUL…'
'PHILOSOPHY ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS… CONTENT: "BIG IS NOT NECESSARILY BEST"…'
'A BRANCH HAS APPEARED IN THE "THRONE" PHILOSOPHY SYSTEM, MEETING SYSTEM ADVANCEMENT CONDITIONS…'
'CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! SUCCESSFULLY UNLOCKED "ARM MUSCLE GROUP" "UNLIMITED REPAIR" PERMISSION.'
'INITIATING REPAIR OF ALL DAMAGED MUSCLE TISSUE… REPAIR PROGRESS 10%… 50%… 100%… REPAIR COMPLETE.'
…
When Xiang Lie's eyes fluttered open again, soft morning light streamed through the porthole, warmly bathing his face. He wiggled his fingers, feeling an unprecedented, abundant power surging through his entire body, even stronger than before he had armed with Jing.
He instinctively raised a hand, touching the 'Throne' of his right shoulder. The skin was smooth, the muscle firm; not only was there no knife wound, but not even a single scar remained. Ah You… perfectly intact!
"Excellent!" he exclaimed in happy relief, his mind completely at ease.
Just as he was about to sit up and properly savor the joy of surviving this ordeal, he suddenly discovered an extremely peculiar, even terrifying, problem.
Huh?
Where are my trunks?
He yanked back the thin blanket covering him, only to find himself dressed in a clean, loose grey sleep set. His trusty companion, the red boxer briefs emblazoned with the characters for "Struggle," which had accompanied him through countless days and nights and witnessed every sweat-drenched battle—were gone!
"Who! Who changed my clothes?!" Xiang Lie felt his scalp prickle with alarm.
"Oh, you're awake, Classmate Xiang Lie."
A gentle voice drifted from beside him. It was Xiao Lin. She was holding a damp cloth, meticulously wiping down the bedside cabinet.
"Sister Xiao Lin!" Xiang Lie abandoned all pretense of politeness, asking urgently, "Uh… who… who helped me change?"
His heart was screaming a desperate prayer. Please! Please let it be Mister Yi! Please!
Xiao Lin tilted her head, a natural smile gracing her lips. "Oh, I changed them for you. You've been unconscious for three whole days, and you were sweating a lot. We couldn't leave you in dirty clothes, could we?"
CRASH!
An invisible bolt of lightning struck Xiang Lie's forehead with perfect precision.
"I… I helped take care of you with Mo," Xiao Lin continued, seemingly oblivious to Xiang Lie's petrified expression. "But Mo isn't very experienced; she kept fumbling, so for most of the time afterward, it was just me helping you wash and change. How are you feeling now?"
Three… three days?
Washing… and changing?
Xiang Lie rigidly raised a hand and touched his smooth chin; there wasn't a trace of stubble. His body was clean and fresh, without a hint of sweat. A far more terrifying possibility surfaced in his mind.
He asked, his voice almost trembling, "Then… that… wiping… that was also…"
"Oh, that…"
Just as Xiao Lin was about to answer, the command center door creaked open. Ling, in her wheelchair, slowly rolled in.
"Well, well, big guy, you're awake?" She glanced at Xiang Lie on the bed, who looked utterly defeated, a playful curve to her lips. "Thank you for your help this time. Consider us at 'The Ark' owing you a big favor."
She maneuvered her wheelchair around Xiang Lie's bed, scrutinizing him with an appraising gaze, then nodded in satisfaction. "So? We have a lot of beauties at The Ark, don't we?" Her tone was tinged with a mix of boasting and testing. "Interested in staying? We'll provide food and lodging, and you'll have so many pretty sisters around. Much more interesting than your boring academy."
At the question, Xiang Lie stammered, his face turning beet red. He couldn't utter a coherent word for a long time. He genuinely sympathized with these girls, finding their plight heartbreaking. But for him to stay, to abandon his familiar life, to leave Gao Fei, his one and only gym partner… he hadn't thought about it.
Ling watched his conflicted, distressed expression, the light in her eyes visibly dimming. She chuckled self-deprecatingly, turning her head away, muttering softly, "Mister Yi is just too kind… it's annoying."
The atmosphere in the room grew awkward.
Finally, Ling broke the silence. She looked back at Xiang Lie, her voice returning to its usual business-like coolness. "Mister Yi asked me to tell you something. Your Giant Tower Academy's annual professional qualification assessment begins in five days. It's very important, as it determines your employment after graduation. He specifically asked me to inform you." She paused, then said with an air of indifference, "Whether to stay or go, you choose."
Xiang Lie nodded fervently, as if granted a reprieve. "I… I understand, thank you."
"Hmph." Ling snorted softly, seemingly still a bit unwilling to give up. She propelled her wheelchair, suddenly moving close to Xiang Lie, her beautiful silver eyes gleaming with slyness. "I hear that if you pass the highest difficulty S-rank assessment, you can earn the official title of 'Weapon Girl Hunter.' Interested?"
Before Xiang Lie could answer, she lowered her voice, continuing in a tone full of temptation: "For one 'Weapon Girl,' just by capturing her and turning her over to the Bureau for 'formatting,' you can get a two-million Star Coin bounty. What do you say, tempted? Didn't expect us to be worth so much, did you?"
She watched Xiang Lie closely, her clear eyes seemingly piercing into his soul, missing no subtle change in his expression.
However, she was disappointed. When Xiang Lie heard the astronomical figure of "two million Star Coins," he only paused for a moment, then an expression of profound disdain spread across his face.
"Two million?" he practically blurted out. "With that effort, I'd rather go to the gym and do a few more sets of trapezius exercises. What do I need all that money for? It won't make my Thrones more magnificent."
Ling stared at him, bewildered. She had envisioned countless reactions—shock, greed, struggle, feigned refusal… but she had never, ever anticipated this… this natural, heartfelt disdain. What exactly was the structure of this man's brain?
She watched Xiang Lie blankly for a full ten seconds, then, as if something suddenly clicked into place, all her probing, disappointment, and pretense vanished in that instant. She couldn't help but let out a soft burst of laughter.
"Fool."
She left him with those two words, saying no more, and maneuvered her wheelchair to leave the room. Just as her wheelchair was about to roll out of the doorway, she seemed to recall something. Without turning back, she merely tilted her head and said, in a casual, offhand tone: "Oh, right. Mo seems to have been spacing out by the flowerbed for quite a while. Do you want to… go check on her?"