The cat-headed employee's axe struck empty air, and it seemed to daze for a moment.
Immediately after, it shrieked in excitement.
“She ran!”
“One of the kittens ran away!”
“Catch them!”
This shout was like poking a hornet's nest.
The cat-headed employees who had been searching the breeding area all turned their heads in unison.
In the darkness, pairs of golden vertical pupils lit up.
Axes, hooks, stun batons, and trailers.
All kinds of noises chased after Cen Yao's direction at the same time.
The players hiding in the shadows had been on the verge of being discovered.
One of them had even pulled out a life-saving item, preparing to tank the first wave of attacks.
But Cen Yao's sudden run instantly drew away the attention of all the ghosts.
Hiding in the dark, everyone watched as that deep purple figure pushed the wheelchair and kicked up a cloud of dust.
Billowing dust rose behind her as the howling cat-headed employees gave chase.
All the players: “...”
Silence.
Shock.
Gratitude.
Finally, someone slowly clutched their chest.
“Our savior!”
Although they didn't know why, they couldn't help but feel there was some personal grudge in the way their savior was running.
But that didn't stop them from watching Cen Yao's receding figure with eyes full of deep gratitude, as if she were their second parent.
Someone even instinctively bowed their head slightly toward the billowing dust.
Respect.
True respect.
On the other side, forced to experience a life-or-death speed run in his wheelchair, Pei Tinglan's face was dark enough to drip ink.
The powerful inertia repeatedly forced his body backward uncontrollably.
He could only grip the armrests of the wheelchair with all his might, his knuckles turning white.
To make matters worse, the ground was uneven.
And the wheelchair was certainly not built for high-speed off-roading.
Every time it hit a rock, the entire wheelchair bounced violently.
Pei Tinglan bounced along with it.
In just a few seconds, he had bitten the soft flesh inside his mouth several times, the metallic taste of blood spreading across his tongue.
The sudden discomfort and loss of control caused his mood to sour instantly.
The moment the Muting Spell was lifted, he practically squeezed his voice through his teeth.
“You...”
The wheelchair rolled violently over a protruding stone.
Pei Tinglan jolted, and the second half of his sentence was broken into complete pieces.
“Are... are you... out... of... your... mind?!”
Cen Yao ignored him.
She ran even faster.
Pei Tinglan's face grew even darker.
“Running... uh... so... hm... fast, are you... trying... to... eat... crap?!”
Before the last word could even land, the wheelchair rolled into a shallow pit.
His voice cut off on the spot.
“Ugh—”
With this jolt, he bit the soft flesh in his mouth again.
The taste of blood grew stronger.
The pain was so intense that the gloom in Pei Tinglan's eyes almost solidified.
He had always hated this feeling.
Out of control.
Powerless.
Forced to be pushed around by someone else.
Every jolt of the wheelchair felt like it was dragging him ruthlessly back into far worse memories.
Ruined corridors.
Collapsed staircases.
Ghostly shadows chasing from behind.
And the legs that had lost all sensation after that day.
Pei Tinglan's breathing grew heavy, the irritability and disgust in his eyes nearly impossible to suppress.
Cen Yao naturally heard his cursing.
But not only was she not angry, she even added another gentle breeze to her legs.
Her speed increased once more.
Cen Yao had said she didn't leave grudges overnight, and she meant it.
Even if this person was once her idol.
That was still no excuse.
So what if he was once her idol?
Did being a former idol give him the right to watch her get chopped by an axe without warning her?
Did being a former idol give him the right to call her a fool?
Did being a former idol give him the right to have such a toxic mouth?
No.
Absolutely not.
Since his mouth was so toxic, she would let him experience a physical mute.
Watching Cen Yao's antics from the System Space, the orb silently hugged itself.
For some reason, its own mouth suddenly felt a phantom ache.
It realized once again that its Host really did have a bit of a mischievous, black-bellied side to her.
She clearly had a more effortless, convenient, and elegant broom she could use, but she didn't.
She just had to push a wheelchair and sprint across the uneven ground.
She even specifically ran toward the areas with the most pits.
And this Pei Tinglan too.
Why did he have to have such a toxic mouth?
Look!
Wasn't he getting punished now?
Couldn't he see his mouth was full of blood, to the point he didn't even dare to speak anymore?
Tsk tsk.
Why bother?
The orb looked at its Host running like the wind ahead, then at Pei Tinglan, who was being bounced so hard he was questioning his life choices, and seriously summarized:
A toxic tongue brings momentary pleasure, but a bumpy ride brings absolute torture.
The cat-headed employees behind were catching up.
They weren't slow, and running on all fours was even faster than walking upright.
The cat-headed employee dragging the axe was so excited its voice went out of pitch.
“Catch her!”
“Chop up the bad little kitten!”
“The one in the wheelchair too!”
“The manager will love a pretty kitten!”
Cen Yao frowned.
Pretty kitten?
Who were they talking about?
She looked down at Pei Tinglan in the wheelchair.
Excellent.
His expression was even more sour.
He had clearly heard it too.
Cen Yao's mood bizarrely improved a bit.
As she ran, she observed the surrounding terrain.
Outside the breeding area was a coffee forest.
Under the cover of night, the coffee trees grew densely with intertwined branches. Clusters of red and black coffee cherries hung from the twigs, looking like frozen eyeballs.
Rustling sounds came from deep within the forest.
It was uncertain if there were other dangers.
But continuing to run in the open was definitely not an option.
Cen Yao raised her hand and whipped out a vine.
Several vines abruptly burst from the ground, wrapping around the ankles of the leading two cat-headed employees.
With a thud, they crashed to the ground.
The cat-headed employees behind couldn't stop in time and crashed into a pile.
An axe flew out of someone's hand, grazing past Cen Yao's back before slamming into the mud not far away.
With a bang,
mud splattered over half of Pei Tinglan's wheelchair, and some even landed on his clothes.
Pei Tinglan closed his eyes.
...Endure.
He couldn't endure it at all.
Swallowing the bloody spit in his mouth, his voice was chillingly deep.
“If you don't know how to run, you can donate your legs to someone in need.”
Cen Yao didn't slow down. She even let out a light laugh.
“Do you mean donating them to you?”
“Just shut up, Pei Tinglan.”
When she uttered his name, the person in the wheelchair clearly froze for a moment.
Pei Tinglan looked up at her.
A flash of genuine surprise finally crossed those beautiful, gloomy eyes.
Cen Yao didn't look at him.
She pushed the wheelchair into the coffee forest, her voice scattered slightly by the night wind.
“If you say another word, I'll give you an encore of that last stretch of road.”
Pei Tinglan: “...”
He pressed his tongue against the bitten inner wall of his cheek and sneered.
“A fan?”
Cen Yao's footsteps paused for a fraction of a second, but she quickly resumed running as if nothing had happened.
“A former fan.”
Pei Tinglan scoffed.
“An ex-fan turning on me?”
Cen Yao pushed the wheelchair to the left, precisely running over a protruding tree root.
Caught off guard, Pei Tinglan was jolted once again.
The second half of his mockery was cut off in his throat.
Cen Yao smiled.
“Now, I'm just a passerby.”
Pei Tinglan's gaze was dark.
Cen Yao felt incredibly refreshed.
As expected.
Settling a grudge on the spot was great for one's physical and mental health.
Rate on N.U.
