The sky outside gradually brightened. Luo Yifang checked the time, stretched, then closed his laptop. "I should go buy something to eat... I'm a little hungry after gaming all night."
It was still somewhat dark outside. Luo Yifang casually found a twenty-four-hour convenience store, bought some bread and milk, then returned to Busu Dixin's dorm. After gaming all night, his mind was unusually clear. At the very least, he remembered to buy enough for two... unlike last night.
After stuffing the simple breakfast into his stomach in a few bites, Luo Yifang saw that it was not even six in the morning yet and simply continued his ranked climb. Last night, he had finally learned just how deep the noob pool was. It had been fine when he had not taken it seriously at first, but as he kept playing, he realized it was no longer a matter of whether he was serious or not. It was a matter of him muting everyone, listening to music, and playing one against nine. As a result, he lost more than he won all night and was thoroughly devoured by the deep-sea crocodiles of the noob pool.
Gradually, after another noob match ended, the sky grew brighter. Cars began passing along the streets outside, and Academy City, silent throughout the night, welcomed another new day. Luo Yifang propped up his chin with one hand and idly scrolled through webpages. "Ah, another peaceful day."
"Mm..." Just as Luo Yifang sighed, Busu Dixin, lying on the bed, let out a groan and slowly woke from her deep sleep.
Oh no! Why am I on the bed? Could it be that I've already been... Tears nearly fell from Busu Dixin's eyes, but a moment later, she suddenly realized that aside from being somewhat rumpled, her clothes showed no signs of having been removed. Discovering this, Busu Dixin calmed down a little. But when she saw that Luo Yifang was still in her room, her mentality exploded again—this guy still hadn't left?! What exactly did he want?!
"Oh? You're awake?" Luo Yifang smoothly walked into the kitchen and took out a bag of bread and a carton of warmed milk. "Here, have something to eat."
Busu Dixin felt as though her entire worldview was about to collapse. Just how abnormal was his train of thought? He had captured her last night, clearly intending to do something improper to her, so why did he seem like a completely different person this morning?! If she could beat him, she would have already humanely destroyed him! And this was her kitchen!
Suppressing the urge to rush over and punch Luo Yifang's annoyingly punchable face, Busu Dixin sat on the bed without saying a word. Seeing her like that, Luo Yifang weighed the breakfast in his hand and asked, "Hey, are you going to eat or not? Holding this is tiring."
I... No, calm down. Busu Dixin tried hard to suppress the inexplicable anger surging inside her. But when she saw the bread in Luo Yifang's hand, her stomach disobediently growled. Busu Dixin's expression stiffened, and a faint blush appeared on her face. What was even more coincidental was that the bread Luo Yifang had grabbed happened to be her favorite flavor. On top of that, she had been busy participating in experiments these past few days and had barely eaten a decent meal. She was already starving.
Thinking about how she had slept defenselessly last night and Luo Yifang had done nothing to her, Busu Dixin was no longer quite as afraid that he would do something terrible. Once she figured that out, she felt that this guy did not seem all that dangerous. Without another word, she snatched the breakfast from Luo Yifang's hand and began eating by herself, completely ignoring him. Watching her, Luo Yifang found it both amusing and strange. Had she not eaten for days?
"Now then, if I ask you again, you probably won't faint from fright this time, right?" Luo Yifang asked after Busu Dixin finished eating.
"Cough, cough..." Busu Dixin had just taken a sip of milk and nearly choked to death. "What did you say? What are you asking me?" Are you an idiot? You had to tie me up just to ask me something? But in an instant, Busu Dixin's nerves tightened, because she remembered that she really had been involved in something that might make someone target her like this.
Seeing that something was off with Busu Dixin's expression, Luo Yifang smiled. "You guessed it too, right? The Absolute Ability User Project... I need some information."
"How do you know about that project?!" Busu Dixin's voice sank. This project was something that absolutely could not be brought into the open in Academy City, a dark plan carried out in secret. Other than the researchers, only the participants knew the full course of the experiment. Even some low-level experimenters had no idea what experiment they were taking part in.
"Ha, it's simple." Though Luo Yifang kept smiling, Busu Dixin felt nothing but danger in that smile. "Because I was supposed to be the first subject of this experiment."
What? Busu Dixin felt as if something was wrong with her ears. According to the "Ability Assessment," there were only two people in Academy City... The person currently participating in this project was No. 2. That meant the pervert before her was the being standing at the peak of 2.3 million people—No. 1, "Vector Manipulation"?! Busu Dixin simply could not connect the guy before her with No. 1, but the terrifying strength Luo Yifang had displayed earlier left her no choice but to believe it.
"Didn't you refuse to participate..." A sense of foreboding rose in Busu Dixin's heart. She had heard certain rumors, and judging by No. 2's behavior, she had always felt that No. 1 probably was not normal either. "Since you're no longer an experimental subject, I can't reveal information about this project to you."
"Oh? Then I can only deal with you, traitor." Luo Yifang was not worried that Busu Dixin would refuse to tell him. The reason was simple: Busu Dixin herself wanted to stop this inhumane experiment, but she had no way to accomplish that alone.
"You... what do you mean?" Busu Dixin quietly took two steps back. Her heart was in turmoil. How was that possible... What did this guy know?! She clearly had not exposed herself... Had they moved against her so quickly? Busu Dixin gritted her teeth, suddenly spun around, pulled a pistol from a drawer, and aimed it at Luo Yifang's head. With a bang, the pistol spat a blinding muzzle flash. As Busu Dixin watched the smoke gradually disperse, the sight before her left her stunned.
The bullet had struck Luo Yifang squarely in the forehead, yet the amber bullet spun wildly in front of his brow. After losing all its kinetic energy, it dropped weakly to the floor with a crisp clink.
"No... no way..." Busu Dixin stared at the scene before her in disbelief. How had he reacted quickly enough to activate his ability?
"Nice shot, but..." Luo Yifang shrugged and slowly walked toward Busu Dixin. "Sorry."
I'm dead. That was the last sentence echoing through Busu Dixin's mind before she closed her eyes.
Before you continue