Chapter 27: Grade A Yellow, Lotus Lake (16)

Before Fang Xiaoyi could react, Ji Xianxing grabbed her and pulled her away: "Run!"

Her startled soul suddenly snapped back into her body, and she took off running right alongside Ji Xianxing.

Ji Xianxing’s face was as dark as ink. She and Xu Yiliu had calculated everything, yet both of them had completely overlooked the most important point: in a yellow-level task area, anything other than the pollutants cannot attack the cleaners unless specific conditions are triggered. They had been so focused on clearing the level that they had completely neglected these so-called conditions.

Fang Xiaoyi, true to someone who had already cleared a B-level task, had already realized this. She pushed herself to the limit, sprinting toward the exit of the manor: "They’re still just standing there!"

"Almost," Ji Xianxing said, counting the seconds, inwardly cursing her own oversight.

Green-level task areas were low-risk, but yellow-level areas offered a measure of mercy to cleaners; except under extremely special circumstances, once the conditions were triggered, the enemies would not immediately launch a group attack, leaving a small window for them to catch their breath.

That time would not be long.

Fang Xiaoyi gasped in alarm: "They’re moving!"

The man near the manor gate had eyes that were gradually turning pitch black. His neck jerked, and he slowly turned to look at them.

Ji Xianxing did not slow down in the slightest. With her eyes locked on the wide-open manor gate, she charged in that direction.

Fang Xiaoyi immediately sensed footsteps coming at them from all sides. She decisively increased her speed, pulling ahead of Ji Xianxing. The man lunged at her with ferocity.

At the critical moment, Fang Xiaoyi stepped forward with her left leg, leaped into the air, and swung her right leg out in a back kick. Putting her full shoulder and arm strength into it, she threw a powerful punch with her right fist—already clenched tight—and slammed the man directly to the ground.

"Run!"

Ji Xianxing’s face was flushed with exhaustion as she brushed past Fang Xiaoyi. Fang Xiaoyi took a quick breath and sprinted after her.

After five years of studying Muay Thai, this was the only time she didn’t feel like those tuition fees had been wasted.

Their route was very clear: turn as soon as they left the manor. Fang Xiaoyi, who exercised regularly, still had enough energy to scan her surroundings, but the thin, petite Ji Xianxing was already seeing stars, the air in front of her blurring.

Seeing more and more people with pitch-black eyes surrounding them, Fang Xiaoyi grew frantic. She scooped up the exhausted Ji Xianxing: "Xu Yiliu! Xu Yiliu!"

Her composure and observational skills were excellent, but her mental capacity in emergencies was starting to run thin. Since Ji Xianxing, the smartest among them, was on the verge of fainting, the only person she could think of was Xu Yiliu.

Fang Xiaoyi ran at the fastest speed of her life. She had mocked herself for her lackluster performance in a half-marathon just half a month ago, but now she felt like she could win a mid-to-long-distance championship at the Olympics.

Fang Xiaoyi, who was slightly nearsighted, had exceptionally sharp vision at this moment. She spotted a familiar figure on the wooden bridge.

That was...

"Xu Yiliu! Chen—"

Xu Yiliu did not look up. Instead, she kicked Chen Diandian into the lake.

"Splash!"

Fang Xiaoyi watched helplessly as Chen Diandian struggled and screamed in the lake. Just as she was about to look away, unable to bear it, she noticed something strange.

Chen Diandian’s entire body was turning black. No, not turning black.

The faint lines that had been visible on him manifested completely the moment he touched the water. They were a blinding, ink-like black, obscuring his original features. Yet, those lines were not randomly pieced together; anyone could tell at a glance what they were—

It was a person. A person sketched in ink, a person who should have been on a painting.

"Look out!" Fang Xiaoyi screamed.

She saw a pastry vendor wielding a long knife lunging at Xu Yiliu, and she was still far from reaching her side. Her eyes were wide, her breathing almost frozen by the frantic running and tension.

*Can't die... If Xu Yiliu dies, I won't be able to clear this level.*

But the person who held the weight of Fang Xiaoyi’s hopes stood as still as a mountain by the bridge, looking down at the struggling Chen Diandian, her lips moving as if reciting something.

Just as the long knife was about to strike Xu Yiliu, she suddenly stepped back, her leg kicking upward to strike the man’s elbow. She then grabbed his wrist and, without a hint of mercy, snapped it with such force that even Fang Xiaoyi could hear the sound of bone breaking.

Xu Yiliu snatched the knife, but instead of dealing with the vendor, she walked to the edge of the bridge. With a flick of her wrist, she swung it down without hesitation before the eyes of Fang Xiaoyi and Ji Xianxing.

The long knife flew from her hand and plunged precisely into the top of Chen Diandian’s head.

With that, the lake turned deep red.

Fang Xiaoyi, who had just reached the bridge, felt her legs go weak. She set Ji Xianxing down and stumbled to look over the side: "Chen Diandian... Chen Diandian..."

The body surfaced, the face she had grown familiar with staring back at her with dead eyes, and the black lines on his face crumbled and vanished. If she had been in the mood to check the system panel, she would have seen the task progress change to 1/2.

"Teacher Fang, whatever you’re thinking, you’d better not grieve just yet," Xu Yiliu said. Having killed a person with her own hands, there wasn't a trace of anxiety or hesitation on her face. "Besides that one, we have another pollutant to deal with."

Fang Xiaoyi was dazed: "We have to kill again?"

Who else was there to kill?

Xu Yiliu said, "Yes, we have to kill again."

Fang Xiaoyi looked at her blankly.

Ji Xianxing frowned as she looked at the bridge, which was gradually being surrounded. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably, and her mind felt chaotic. Knowing it was her old ailment, she said quickly: "We had planned to ambush the manager tonight, but that won't work anymore. We have to go straight for them."

"Xu Yiliu, carry me." She opened her arms and looked at Xu Yiliu with a blank expression.

Xu Yiliu curled her lip but didn't refuse. She hoisted her onto her back: "I’m going to charge out to find the manager. Teacher Fang, listen carefully: find the manager, then come back to the lakeside."

She took off, moving with the speed of a flying runner.

Ji Xianxing, on her back, watched as she kicked someone aside and let out an inexplicable sigh. To Xu Yiliu, hearing her sigh was like seeing a wolf eat grass. Her scalp tingled, and even though her eyes were frantically searching for the manager, she asked: "What’s wrong with you?"

Ji Xianxing said gloomily: "I envy your combat ability and stamina."

Xu Yiliu asked casually: "What are your stamina and overall combat stats?"

She realized it was a bit intrusive immediately after asking and didn't expect a reply, but Ji Xianxing answered honestly: "42, 38."

Xu Yiliu: "..."

*No wonder she wanted to make a deal with me.*

She asked sincerely: "With stats like that, you can still clear A-level tasks?"

As she spoke, Xu Yiliu kicked open the half-closed manor gate. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she asked: "What’s your intelligence stat?"

Ji Xianxing: "98."

Xu Yiliu: "..."

*No wonder, no wonder...*

Ji Xianxing gripped her tighter: "If you don't run faster, we’re going to be surrounded."

Her movements had been fierce and sudden, and she had grabbed vendors' wares to throw at the crowd, preventing them from attacking earlier. But now, even if she were a superhero, carrying Ji Xianxing had slowed her down.

Those people, however, hadn't slowed down. They were swarming toward them like madmen. Most of them had followed them into the manor, and at this rate, the two of them would be surrounded and killed soon.

Xu Yiliu said bluntly: "Is this what they call 'shutting the door to catch the dog'?"

Ji Xianxing, lacking the energy to comment on her stupidity, said expressionlessly: "It's people."

"Where is the manager? Where is he?"

Xu Yiliu couldn't find the man in the long gown, and her temper flared: "Why can't I find him right now?"

The people around them were like rabid dogs, more and more gathering by the second. Even though Xu Yiliu had been in plenty of brawls, being encumbered by Ji Xianxing meant they were nearing a dead end.

Ji Xianxing’s vision was still going black, and her ears were ringing.

She bit her tongue hard. The metallic taste of blood finally pulled her out of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Her mind, which had been a blur since running out of the manor, instantly cleared:

"Go back to the lake! Go back to the lake!"