Chapter 37
"!"
Was he asking them?
They hadn't expected Qin Su to have the strength or leisure to speak to them under these circumstances, much less care about their... thoughts?
Was it real?
Or were they hallucinating because they thought too highly of themselves?
For a moment, uncertain expressions appeared on their shocked faces, and they instinctively glanced at the people beside them.
Qin Su had anticipated that they would have some trouble understanding him when they suddenly heard him speak, so he confidently stretched out the time a little longer.
From his perspective, with power coursing through his body and urgently in need of an outlet, it was a good thing. The others, however, might mistakenly think their hesitation was adding to his burden.
Unfortunately, he couldn't "waste" too much time.
Otherwise, dragging things out too much wouldn't seem strange on a comic page, where there was no sense of time, but it would look a little odd to the "audience" present.
An important figure firmly seated on high can occasionally lower his gaze on a whim and show pity to the admirers below, but he can't be too tolerant. Being overly patient with them is a sign of tolerance.
It was fitting for him to "coldly break" this atmosphere of "uncertain bewilderment" among his classmates.
After a brief wait of about three seconds, before the others had time to confirm with one another that Qin Su was talking to them, his icy voice reached their ears again.
"Hmm?"
Qin Su raised his tone slightly at just the right moment.
Everyone: "..."
Good. Now those who had been wavering were finally sure that Qin Su really was asking them if they'd seen enough.
But...
Qin Su had held it up with one hand while asking them, and because they hadn't reacted, he'd shown no intention of putting it down, actually keeping it raised while waiting for them to come to their senses...
An honor! An absolute honor!
Only their class 6 was lucky enough to have this. The other classes were just benefiting by association; they would never have had this opportunity otherwise.
More importantly, with Qin Su facing them now, they could see the genuinely indifferent expression on his face even more clearly. Everything showed that while a Zerg weighing over a thousand kilograms was a behemoth in their eyes, it wasn't worth mentioning in Qin Su's.
Defying the heavens!
Unbelievable!
With all sorts of emotions tangled in their hearts, everyone spoke up.
"Enough, enough!"
"Yes..."
"That's right!"
"Thank you!" Without Qin Su, he might never have seen this "once-in-a-lifetime sight" with his own eyes in his long life.
"I'm so moved!"
His classmates' overlapping responses "delayed" things for another five seconds or so.
Well done!
Qin Su's expression remained icy as he silently gave his classmates and himself a thumbs-up for "meeting each other halfway."
Once he was sure his body had "calmed down" considerably and wouldn't tremble without a heavy weight pressing down on it, and that his rational mind was fully under his control, Qin Su maintained his aloof demeanor and didn't respond. Amid his classmates' voices, he naturally turned around with Mutian Tuo raised in one hand.
Under his classmates' fervent gazes, Qin Su "lightly" set the towering giant back in its original place. Taking advantage of the interval he'd just spent strongly stalling for time, he unobtrusively swept his dark eyes over the "stage" he would soon pass through.
Everyone was still basically where they'd been when he walked over, with no major changes.
The only changes...
Aside from Teacher Kaixier no longer being in the original rest area, there was He Wenyuan.
He Wenyuan had silently moved from the entrance to stand beside Raymond.
Qin Su: "..."
He believed He Wenyuan's destination had been He Muzhi's side, but Raymond, holding the Pheromone Isolation Shield, had blatantly blocked his way.
He had deliberately dawdled, but even now, only forty seconds had passed since the injection.
In another two minutes and twenty seconds, K-110 would completely lose its effect on him.
According to the information he'd gotten from Mom and Dad, he would then fall into an abnormally weakened state.
With his rationality restored and no longer in need of an outlet, Qin Su silently estimated how long it would take to reach the rest area from where he stood.
He had already experienced firsthand what a K-110 injection felt like and had gained experience using it.
The comic's villain, He Wenyuan, let his gaze wander back and forth between He Muzhi and him. In that brief glance, Qin Su's sense of danger allowed him to keenly perceive that the way He Wenyuan looked at him was completely different from the way he looked at He Muzhi.
To prevent anything untoward from happening on his way back to the rest area from No. 37, he had better not lift any of the giant Zerg after it. Better safe than sorry; he should retain enough "strength" to deal with an accident that might or might not happen.
Even if He Wenyuan didn't make a move as he passed, he wouldn't end up "so weak he'd break at a touch" and ruin his persona.
But what if He Wenyuan didn't have any ill intentions now, only to act on them within the next three days?
Qin Su: "..."
It seemed that whether He Wenyuan was harboring any schemes or not, he would have to find a way to nip them in the bud shortly and ensure his safety for the next three days...
What could he do to scare He Wenyuan enough to last three days...
At once, Qin Su thought of the Pheromone Isolation Shield in Raymond's hands and had an idea.
In any case... given He Wenyuan's previous conduct and the fact that he'd once stopped him, his upcoming "intimidation" would have a "just cause." It could both frighten He Wenyuan enough to leave him anxious and unable to think about scheming for a few days, and seem entirely justified to the onlookers.
Hum...
The sound of the heavy object being put down reminded everyone that the Mutian Tuo Qin Su had lifted was truly a giant weighing over a thousand kilograms, and its weight hadn't decreased in the slightest because he'd picked it up.
Qin Su had put down No. 37, and the fact that he had lifted it so easily plainly told them he would also be able to lift the Zerg numbered after No. 37 with ease.
Will Qin Su keep lifting them?
In an instant, nearly the same question arose in the minds of everyone watching Qin Su put down Mutian Tuo, both on and off the screen.
In less than a second, their question was answered.
Having made up his mind, Qin Su put down No. 37 and turned toward his classmates with an indifferent expression.
As he did, he didn't spare so much as a sideways glance at No. 38 or the numbers after it, and stepped forward without hesitation.
The crowd fell silent in unspoken agreement, their chests tightening as they swallowed.
They desperately wanted to see the shocking sight of Qin Su lifting the giants farther down the line, but no one dared comment on his decision out of "self-interest."
Qin Su... perhaps he was in a good mood because He Muzhi had managed to lift No. 36 and hadn't disappointed him, so he'd casually asked them whether they'd seen enough as well. They didn't dare push their luck.
Harboring private thoughts, caught between fear and satisfying their curiosity, they silently agreed to satisfy their curiosity while afraid.
As Qin Su passed in front of them, everyone looked down, looked at the sky, or glanced aside... appearing very "busy" while secretly exerting themselves to frantically inhale the air around him as he passed.
They could see with their own eyes that Qin Su wasn't using a Pheromone Isolation Shield and hadn't removed his pheromone-blocking patch, but... under such terrifying pressure, couldn't he really leak even the slightest trace of pheromones?
The crowd, trying to catch the faintest whiff of Qin Su's pheromones, was soon disappointed. They smelled nothing at all, sniffing in vain.
Qin Su: "..."
People really did look busy when they felt guilty.
No wonder teachers always said they could see every little thing students did below them in class. Now he understood.
[Classmates: sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff...]
[Believe it now? Boss 1 really didn't use pheromones as "power spinach" to help him lift. He's just that wild! He may be an Alpha, but our Boss 1 is a completely different kind of Alpha~]
[I suspect Baby 1 could send a Zerg as bulky as a mountain flying with one punch]
[Be more confident. Our Baby 1 would definitely send that Zerg flying]
[Pheromones? What are those? Our Boss 1 is already this terrifying without using them. Wouldn't he flip an entire planet over if he did?]
Qin Su: "..."
Was it that he didn't want to use pheromones? No, no, no. He simply didn't have any.
Getting close.
Seeing that he was about to reach He Wenyuan's side, Qin Su stopped at a normal social distance from Raymond, just as he'd planned.
"!!!"
[!!!]
[He stopped beside Baby Mu! Hehe, waiting for the sweet moments~]
[Why can't it be our A-Yuan? Friendly reminder: Qin Su once said something as suggestive as "I'm more interested in you than them" to our A-Yuan]
[Uh... what if it's Raymond?]
[Raymond? Are you kidding? If you picked Raymond, I advise you not to buy lottery tickets. You're guaranteed to lose your whole life]
Everyone instinctively assumed there was a two-thirds chance Qin Su had stopped because of He Muzhi and a one-third chance it was because of He Wenyuan.
"Raymond." Qin Su, who had no choice but to "covet" the Pheromone Isolation Shield in Raymond's hands for his plan to "scare" He Wenyuan, spoke first.
An oppressive pressure that was hard to ignore bore down on Raymond. Completely baffled, he said, "Ah... cough, cough."
[...Plot twist???]
[This is no less bizarre than choosing "or" between yes or no]
[Raymond (eyes wide, raising a hand to point at himself in disbelief): Me?]
[The upset came late, but it came. Sure enough, no one can truly fathom Boss 1's heart]
[Damn, anyone who picked Raymond was born to go all in]
Qin Su: "..."
No, no, no. His target in stopping this time was He Wenyuan; Raymond was merely a "distraction."
Raymond quickly composed himself, put on a social smile, and feigned calm. "May I ask what you need?"
Though that was what he said, Raymond frantically replayed everything he'd done recently in his mind, trying to figure out how he'd offended Qin Su.
Having successfully started a conversation with Raymond, Qin Su naturally spoke in response to Raymond's earlier behavior. "Thank you."
"Hmm?"
Raymond was even more puzzled.
Raymond's expression made it clear that he didn't remember saying "wait" to Qin Su when Qin Su was in a daze, intending to remind him to put on the Pheromone Isolation Shield. Qin Su's gaze naturally fell on the shield in Raymond's hands. "Although I don't need it, thank you anyway."
"You're welcome..."
Qin Su's words reminded Raymond of the earlier awkward situation. It was no different from reminding him that he'd looked like a clown for thinking Qin Su needed the Pheromone Isolation Shield.
"..."
He Muzhi came back to his senses, his mood sinking to rock bottom.
Qin Su had easily lifted Mutian Tuo, which weighed more than twice what he had lifted, and had raised it so high.
All of this showed that his ceiling couldn't even touch Qin Su's floor. Now Qin Su had stopped for Raymond rather than him, leaving him standing beside them feeling a little awkward and withdrawn.
"Then, do you still need it now?" Qin Su's gaze moved from the shield to Raymond's face.
"Of course not." Not understanding why Qin Su was asking, Raymond instinctively told the truth under Qin Su's chilly gaze.
Qin Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief and followed up with an indifferent expression. "Then, could you give it to me?"
Because Alphas had an extremely strong sense of territory, no Alpha would use something another Alpha had used. Qin Su had really been afraid that Raymond would do the opposite and say he "needed" it.
That would not only have killed the conversation, but also cut his "intimidation" plan short halfway through.
"Of course!"
Raymond didn't understand, but Qin Su had stared coldly into his eyes the entire time he spoke, putting him under enormous pressure. Why would he care about the reason? He only hoped Qin Su would take the shield and hurry away from him. Even without pheromones, Qin Su was almost making it hard for him to breathe.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Raymond held out the shield with both hands.
"Thank you." Qin Su lowered his voice, thanking him "coldly" while politely accepting the shield with both hands.
Good. The "intimidation" plan had successfully taken its first step.
[Just thinking that He Muzhi just used this is making me overheat!]
[Another precious moment of canon putting fanfiction to shame. He Muzhi fought with all his might to lift No. 36, the one Qin Su was looking at. Qin Su one-upped He Muzhi by lifting No. 37. Once the dust settled, he asked Raymond for the shield He Muzhi had used (claps hands together) (smack). Ship them!]
[Raymond is just one part of Qin Su and He Muzhi's play~]
Qin Su: "..."
The netizens really dared to say anything their imaginations came up with. He hardly dared to look, and couldn't imagine what expressions they'd have when he held the shield out to He Wenyuan.
"...You're welcome."
After handing it over, Raymond began to catch on, but in front of Qin Su, he resisted the urge to look toward He Muzhi.
He asked for the Pheromone Isolation Shield He Muzhi used right in front of everyone. This... if there's nothing between those two, I'll wash my hair while doing a handstand on a StarNet livestream!
Seeing the Pheromone Isolation Shield he'd used in Qin Su's hands, He Muzhi's slightly dead heart came back to life a little.
Although he was far behind the powerful Qin Su, he felt he could still make an effort.
The others said nothing, but the furtive looks they cast over and their excited gazes betrayed thoughts much the same as Raymond's.
The shocking scene just now had caused both He Muzhi, the protagonist, and He Wenyuan, the villain, to lose their luster and temporarily become foils for Qin Su.
Qin Su's unexpected action had focused everyone's attention entirely on him and He Muzhi.
As a result, even though He Wenyuan stood not far from the two of them, no one paid him any attention.
Taking advantage of that, He Wenyuan's eyes glimmered darkly. Concealing his covetous gaze among those of the crowd, he stared almost fixedly at the location of Qin Su's gland, his thoughts surging.
I can't imagine who would dare defy me if I had Qin Su's gland.
Wouldn't I be able to get whatever I wanted?
Even if He Muzhi were unwilling, as long as I was willing, it wouldn't be impossible to make He Muzhi kneel at my feet.
[Whoa, the Plague God is staring at Boss 1 in a daze]
[The way He Wenyuan is looking at Qin Su is anything but innocent]
[Eww, fight, fight (reveals a perverted grin eager for more drama)]
Qin Su: "..."
He knew it—there was always a villain trying to harm him! Luckily, he had prepared in advance and would "strike first."
At the thought, Qin Su went with the flow. Reminded by the bullet comments, he looked coldly at He Wenyuan, meeting his gaze almost before He Wenyuan had time to withdraw it.
"!"
A second ago, Qin Su had still been looking at Raymond. He Wenyuan had expected him to look at He Muzhi after receiving the Alph pheromone shield He Muzhi had used. Instead, the next second, Qin Su's chilling, steely gaze fell on him.
His dark eyes were sharp and dangerous, unmistakably a warning.
He Wenyuan's heart clenched. He forced a stiff smile, his heart pounding uncontrollably. He didn't dare say a word aloud, but inwardly he cursed Qin Su's ancestors.
Fuck!
The thought had barely crossed his mind before Qin Su keenly picked up on it. As expected of Qin Su. He was... terrifying.
For the time being, He Wenyuan abandoned his designs on Qin Su's gland. He could only pray that Qin Su would quickly turn his knife-like gaze away from him, or hurry up and leave so he could catch his breath.
[One look from Big Shot 1 and his face went that pale. Who was it saying He Wenyuan would grind Lizard Viper's bones to dust? Would he dare?]
[Plague God, who bullies the weak and fears the strong, and tells people what they want to hear (smiling sweetly) (looking innocent): What are you all talking about? When have Qin Su and I ever had any bad blood?]
[Before absolute power, humans and ghosts alike have to make way.]
Things didn't go as he wished.
Qin Su did move, but he took only one step before stopping in front of him.
"..."
Looking at the tall, imposing figure looming over him, He Wenyuan fell into a deafening silence.
The 'audience' both inside and outside the screen saw the scene and fell into a deathly silence at the same time.
"..."
[...]
Was... he seeing things?
Qin Su had stopped in front of He Wenyuan while holding the Alph pheromone barrier He Muzhi had used???
What a twist!
[Another reversal. As expected of Big Shot 1, whose thoughts are impossible to fathom. That move left me dumbfounded.]
[Things are galloping off in a direction neither of us could have predicted.]
[That gorgeous size difference! I want AO, nothing but AO! It echoes what Big Shot 1 said to A-Yuan earlier: 'I'm more interested in you'!]
[Seeing this, I almost think it's a photoshopped composite!]
[I've had it with this bizarre turn of events. Can't I just stop guessing?!]
"...?"
Raymond rubbed his eyes and realized in horror that he'd better get ready to wash his hair while standing on his head, live on StarNet.
He Muzhi: "..."
Great. His heart had just begun to come back to life, and now it was completely dead.
How was that lunatic He Wenyuan any better than him, who could lift No. 36?! Once word got out after class today, his friends would surely be disappointed in him.
From the bullet comments and his intuition, Qin Su knew that nearly everyone's eyes were on him and He Wenyuan.
One minute and thirty seconds remained on the three-minute countdown.
He had to hurry.
With that thought, Qin Su narrowed his dark eyes slightly as he gave He Wenyuan a 'death stare'.
He had no choice. In a confrontation, his 'psychological tactics' required him to 'hold steady' and let the other person speak first.
He Wenyuan clenched the hands at his sides into fists. Forget it. He couldn't afford to provoke Qin Su, and he couldn't avoid him either. He could only face him.
Nearly unable to breathe under Qin Su's sinister gaze, He Wenyuan raised the corners of his mouth as though throwing caution to the wind and spoke. "May I ask what you need?"
Having achieved a small part of his goal, Qin Su deliberately kept a 'cold face' and said nothing, answering through his actions instead:
He laid the Alph pheromone barrier he'd taken from Raymond flat on one hand and held it out to He Wenyuan, his expression so indifferent that no one could tell whether he was pleased or angry.
Now that his utterly crushing 'display of force' is over, He Wenyuan can guess what he means by this. Only through a continuous stream of uncertain guesses can He Wenyuan's psychological defenses be broken down further.
Staying silent was far more effective than speaking. He had no need to say anything at all.
He Wenyuan: "?"
Did this mean... it was for him?
What was Qin Su up to? A look of obvious astonishment flashed through He Wenyuan's eyes, and he didn't quite dare to be sure.
He did love everything connected to He Muzhi. If he could really get this pheromone barrier He Muzhi had used, he wouldn't wash it. He would treasure it in a transparent square display case in his room, admiring it again and again as he imagined how dazzling He Muzhi had looked wearing it, working so hard that sweat streamed down his face...
The shield had been held out for less than a second. Qin Su didn't miss the confusion in He Wenyuan's eyes, and instead of giving him much time to think, he frowned slightly at just the right moment.
"!"
He Wenyuan's pupils suddenly contracted.
A frown? Is Qin Su angry?
At the thought of how terrifying Qin Su had looked when he'd effortlessly lifted a thousand-plus-kilogram insect with one hand just now, He Wenyuan swallowed dryly. With little time left to think, he made both his eyes and the corners of his mouth curve into a friendly 'smile' and reached out.
Qin Su could literally kill him with a flick of his fingers.
"Thank you very much."
As he spoke, He Wenyuan reached out with both hands, cupping them around the shield in Qin Su's palm.
[Another, another reversal. Don't try to guess what Big Shot 1 is thinking. You can't figure it out, not at all. That said, giving it to He Wenyuan doesn't make sense either. It's completely baffling.]
[Um... it does make sense. Qin Su is interested in Plague God, and Plague God is interested in He Muzhi, so of course Qin Su would cater to his interests.]
[No way! I won't acknowledge any of this until the very last moment! (Furious)]
When He Wenyuan's palms touched the shield Qin Su was holding out, the 'audience', whose feelings were beyond words, suddenly saw Qin Su's long, sharply jointed fingers curl slightly inward.
The next instant, the Alph pheromone shield, made of a special material with exceptional hardness and strength, shattered into fragments in Qin Su's palm.
Happy Dragon Boat Festival [let me see]