"Phew... it's finally over."
Ye Feng slowly removed his mask and threw both his outer clothing and the mask into the sewer.
Gazing at the cavern Su Yuxin had fled from, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
"I need to leave quickly... now there’s one more person I owe an apology to."
......
"Ring-ring~"
The sound of a phone ringing echoed as Ye Feng, standing not far from the mall, answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Sniff... sniff..."
"Yu... Yuxin! What’s wrong?"
"Ye... Ye Feng, can you come find me? I don’t even know where I am right now."
Su Yuxin’s sobbing voice came through the phone, each cry like a knife twisting in Ye Feng’s heart.
"Alright, Yuxin, send me your location. I’ll be right there."
Just as Ye Feng was about to hang up and head out, Su Yuxin hastily spoke again.
"No! Don’t hang up, Ye Feng... please..."
Her voice trembled with fear, barely holding back another wave of tears.
"...Okay."
Ye Feng simply uttered a quiet agreement before falling silent. The weight of guilt grew heavier with each girl he had harmed, taking a toll on his spirit.
After a few minutes, following the address Su Yuxin had sent, Ye Feng stepped into a secluded alleyway. Yet, after scanning the area, he couldn’t spot her. He pressed the phone to his lips and called out softly.
"Yuxin, I’m here. You can come out now."
"Ye... Ye Feng... I’m behind you..."
Hearing her shaky voice, Ye Feng turned and saw Su Yuxin hiding inside a cardboard box, a few strands of her golden hair peeking out.
"Yuxin!"
He rushed over and, upon reaching the box, found her curled up inside, knees pressed to her chest, trembling uncontrollably.
"Yuxin, it’s alright now."
"Ye... Ye Feng..."
The moment she saw him, Su Yuxin scrambled to her feet and threw herself into his arms, bursting into loud, heart-wrenching sobs.
"Waaah... Ye Feng... I was so scared! I thought I’d never see you again... sniff..."
Holding her close, Ye Feng’s heart ached even more. Each tear she shed felt like another wound carved into his conscience.
How could he call himself her protector when he was the one who had terrified her like this? He was a failure.
"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, Yuxin..."
As time passed, her crying gradually quieted.
"Ye... Ye Feng, why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong..."
Su Yuxin wiped her tears and looked up at him with curious, red-rimmed eyes.
"Because..."
Ye Feng hesitated, but in the end, he chose honesty. The guilt was eating him alive. Even if his intentions were to make amends, the damage was already done. If this left scars on her heart, he would never forgive himself.
Better to confess everything. Even if she hated him, even if she never wanted to see him again—at least the truth would be out.
"Because the one who hurt you... was me."
The words finally left his lips. He lowered his head, bracing himself for the fallout.
"...Huh?"
Su Yuxin froze, stunned into silence.
"Ye Feng, what did you just say? I... I think I misheard."
"I said I was the one who kidnapped you. I planned the whole thing."
"Wh... what? That’s not funny, Ye Feng! I know you’re just trying to make me feel better—"
"It’s the truth. I’m the reason you suffered like this."
"Stop joking! This isn’t something to laugh about!"
Su Yuxin frowned, staring at him with disbelief. But when she saw Ye Feng’s closed eyes, his expression resigned as if waiting for punishment, her breath hitched.
"The rabbit mask. The sewer. It was all me."
At those words, Su Yuxin’s face went pale. The alley fell into an oppressive silence.
"...Liar. Why... why would you...?"
Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes begging for an explanation.
"Why would you do this, Ye Feng? Did I... do something to make you hate me?"
Hearing her fragile voice, Ye Feng opened his eyes and met her gaze.
"Yuxin, I’m sorry."
"No! Don’t apologize! I don’t want apologies—I want the truth! Why did you do this? Why?"
She kept repeating the question, desperate for an answer. She was terrified—terrified that every moment they’d shared had been a lie.
"I’m sorry, Yuxin. There are things I can’t tell you."
"Can’t tell... even me?"
"......"
His silence was answer enough.
"...So, from the very beginning, you planned all this?"
The light in Su Yuxin’s emerald-green eyes dimmed, the warmth in them replaced by hollow despair.
"Yes."
"...Liar. None of this is real..."
She shook her head, unable to process the betrayal. It was as if a beautiful dream had shattered, leaving only cold, harsh reality.
Just as her eyes darkened completely, a sudden realization struck her—a single glimmer of hope in the night sky.
"Then... why did you tell me the truth? If you’d just pretended, I’d never have known..."
"Because... I couldn’t bear to let someone as kind as you suffer because of me."
At those words, a flicker of life returned to her gaze.
"So... you let me escape on purpose?"
"...Yes."
"But why go this far?"
"I’m sorry."
Seeing his refusal to elaborate, Su Yuxin sensed something deeper.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to explain—
He couldn’t.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
