Chapter 280: Play Your Part

Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Play Your Part

Every time Feng Ling and Ye Zheng fought, they had a tacit understanding: no Spiritual Suppression and no second forms.

Just a straight-up brawl.

Feng Ling had more appendages and higher damage output.

Ye Zheng was fast, her movements nimble and unpredictable.

Both of their Cards had the ability to repair their bodies, so they fought without reservation, every move drawing blood.

The fight ended quickly, too.

In just a few minutes, Ye Zheng limped into the building, and Feng Ling, covered in blood, returned to the entrance of the sales office.

"Cool~" Zhou Diao couldn’t help but whistle in appreciation.

Su Yuqing shot him a fierce glare, then turned to the returning Feng Ling with a look of exasperated disappointment. "You just got out of the Maze, you should be resting! Look at the state you’re in! Injured like this, you can forget about doing anything for the next few days. Just recover! Be grateful no Alien Species have come knocking, or the consequences would be unthinkable!"

Feng Ling retorted, "Give me a break. If an Alien Species actually showed up, she wouldn’t need to take her frustration out on me. Her temper is atrocious!"

Her words left Su Yuqing speechless.

Huangfu Miaomiao offered a vial of medicine to Feng Ling, but she didn’t take it. Casually wiping away some of the blood on her body, she frowned and said, "I’m going to wash up."

Su Yuqing couldn’t help but ask, "How is *she* going to wash up?"

Feng Ling gave him a baffled look. "How would I know? Go ask her yourself."

With that, she headed for the second floor.

Seeing this, Huangfu Miaomiao and Li Qing quietly followed Feng Ling.

The two men were left at the entrance.

Su Yuqing looked out at the open space between the sales office and the large building, thinking, ’The facilities here are still too primitive. There isn’t even a proper place to wash up.’

...

「The next day.」

Su Yuqing returned with a construction crew.

The jackhammer started up at noon, its incessant GRINDING lasting until sunset. The noise was so maddening that Ye Zheng nearly stormed out to kill someone.

She found Feng Ling and asked what was going on.

Feng Ling shrugged. "Su Yuqing wants to build you a swimming pool—heated, with an automatic water circulation system—so you have a convenient place to wash up. He can’t modify the building’s internal structure, so he roped off a spot outside and started excavating."

Ye Zheng’s brow furrowed. "Is he crazy? If I wanted to wash up, wouldn’t it be easier to just jump in the river?"

"Exactly." Feng Ling nodded, then froze and looked at Ye Zheng. "Wait a minute. Looking like you do now, if you jumped in the river, could you even get back out?"

The question left Ye Zheng speechless, and she began to doubt herself.

She used to be an expert swimmer, but now, she wasn’t sure.

Feng Ling looked her up and down, from the moth wings on her back to the spindly spider legs below. She figured it would be a struggle.

No matter how you looked at her, she seemed built to drown.

"You should probably stay out of the river," Feng Ling said. "Just wait for the pool."

Ye Zheng’s expression darkened. While she was touched by Su Yuqing’s gesture, it also made her feel embarrassed, and she grew agitated.

She paced back and forth for a moment before asking, "How long will the swimming pool take to build?"

Feng Ling shook her head. "I don’t know, but my guess is a month at the very least."

"A month?!" Ye Zheng exclaimed, stunned. "You mean I have to put up with this noise for a whole month?! Absolutely not! You go and tell him I’m against it! A month is too long. With workers coming and going, not only will it keep the Pollution Bodies from moving about freely, it could also expose our location. Has he even considered those security risks?! This is ridiculous!"

Feng Ling sneered. "Tell him yourself. I have no interest in being part of your little melodrama."

Annoyed, Ye Zheng shot back, "I’m worried about *your* safety too! This isn’t a joke!"

"The person who poses the biggest threat to me right now is you." Feng Ling clutched at one of her wounds from yesterday, frowning at Ye Zheng. "I’m warning you, no fighting today. I’m going to Yuquan City to meet Pei Xianjue tomorrow. We can fight again when I get back."

Restless and fuming, her chest tight with frustration, Ye Zheng spun around and raked her sharp claws through the shrubbery, venting her anger!

Seeing her rampage, Feng Ling called out coolly from the sidelines, "Hey, looks like that 40% Pollution Value of yours is still a little high. Feel like taking a trip to the Maze near Daling Forest?"

Ye Zheng shredded a few more shrubs, then whipped her head around and roared, her expression savage, "At least half of that Maze is across the border! We can’t just go there whenever we feel like it! Right now, we should be focused on finding Xing Guang and destroying the Star Association!"

"Alright, we’ll take our time then." Feng Ling’s expression was melancholic. "None of the Little Thirds that returned today brought back any useful clues. If I can’t find Xing Guang within two months, I’ll really be out of ideas."

Ye Zheng frowned. "Why two months?"

Feng Ling tilted her head and sighed. "Because autumn starts in two months. The weather will cool down, and people will start wearing thicker clothes with higher collars. The Little Thirds won’t be able to see people’s collarbones."

Ye Zheng grew even more frustrated at this, raising a claw to snap several more branches.

There was a faint sound from behind them.

The two of them turned to see Li Qing approaching hesitantly. He stopped a short distance away, under a streetlight.

Ye Zheng frowned, then turned and went back into the building.

Feng Ling walked over and asked Li Qing, "What is it?"

"Maze Administrators have been contacting me," Li Qing said.

—Ever since Crow had successfully gone "offline," Li Qing had been receiving a steady stream of messages from other administrators. Some were asking for help, while others were just probing. He had spent some time sifting through them, which was why he was only now approaching Feng Ling to discuss the matter.

"We’ve confirmed the locations of two Mazes so far," Li Qing said. "Both are to the southwest."

Feng Ling paused. ’Isn’t Guangshan City to the southwest?’ she thought.

"Are they in the country?" she asked.

Li Qing shook his head. "Abroad."

Her interest waned instantly. She started walking toward the sales office. "We haven’t even finished cleaning up things here at home; why would I go abroad? I’ll think about all that after we catch Xing Guang."

The answer was what he’d expected. Li Qing kept pace with her. "Then I’ll tell them to lie low and wait until you’ve finished up here..."

Feng Ling came to an abrupt halt.

Li Qing quickly stopped as well. "What is it?" he asked.

"On second thought..." Feng Ling said, pondering. "That last Crow was completely unreliable. These administrators can’t just get a free ride. They have to contribute something. Here’s what you’ll tell them—"

Feng Ling turned to face Li Qing and said with great seriousness, "Whoever provides clues about the Star Association—whoever offers me the most help—that’s the Maze I’ll prioritize in their territory."

"I understand..." Li Qing nodded. "That will make our determination to deal with the Star Association perfectly clear."

He felt the weight of the task ahead, but he was also filled with hope. He let out a breath and said to Feng Ling, "I’ll talk to them. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

"No rush," she said, the corners of her lips curling. "First, I need you to play your part."

Li Qing blinked. "Me?"

"The Divination Master hasn’t had much work lately, has he?" Feng Ling crossed her arms and smiled. "Use your Divination Technique to find Xing Guang’s general location. Think you can handle that?"