Keep Out

Ding!

The wall clock let out a crisp chime as the hour hand pointed to three in the morning, cutting off the middle-aged man just as he reached the climax of his story.

"Oh my, look at my brain, I completely forgot that you traveled through the night to get here, Xiao Bai!" The middle-aged man clapped his hands, his kind smile tinged with a hint of apology as he hurriedly beckoned the secretary standing to the side. "Chief Chen is really something, how could he let you pilot a mech all by yourself! Quick, quick, arrange a nice room for Xiao Bai so she can get some proper sleep!"

The secretary immediately walked over to Bai Ying with a smile, inviting her to follow in a gentle and polite tone.

This meticulous and thoughtful service left Bai Ying at a loss for how to refuse.

Just then, a spark of electricity suddenly surged from the communicator on Bai Ying's neck, giving her a sudden jolt that made her shudder in place!

This shock was like a bucket of cold water, snapping Bai Ying out of her daze and making her realize the bizarre state her mind had been in!

On the other end of the communicator, Yu Xiao realized he had regained a faint "sensory link" with Bai Ying, which meant she had finally become aware of his presence again.

Yu Xiao immediately stated his current predicament.

"They've locked the hangar doors from the outside."

Bai Ying realized instantly that she was being led by the nose, to the point where she had almost forgotten why she had come to the Silent Graveyard in the first place!

"No need, I don't need to rest." Bai Ying reverted to her usual unapproachable expression, refusing to follow the secretary toward the elevator any further.

"How can that be? It must have taken half a day to walk here from Xuanse Cangqiong. If you aren't tired, Xiao Bai, just wait in the room for a bit. Uncle will find you the best masseur to help your body relax!" The middle-aged man pretended to frown, though his face still wore the caring smile of an elder.

"I said, I am not tired."

Bai Ying's icy tone was like a basin of freezing water splashed onto the enthusiastic faces of the middle-aged man and his secretary, causing the temperature in the room to drop significantly.

"Miss Bai, the boss is only concerned about you..." The secretary tried to smooth things over, turning to reach for Bai Ying's hand.

Slap!

Bai Ying swung her hand, swatting the other woman's hand away mid-air!

She did not like being touched.

"When will Xingtian be ready for the upgrade?"

The middle-aged man did not answer her question directly; instead, he let out a hearty laugh. He picked up the teacup Bai Ying hadn't touched, shook his head with a smile, and poured the cold tea into the waste bowl.

"It seems not everyone knows how to enjoy things. It's a real shame to waste such good tea."

Bai Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling the intoxicating aroma of tea that had greeted her the moment she walked in—it was from that moment on that her brain had felt like it was filled with glue, leaving her muddled and unaware of what she was doing.

"I don't drink tea."

"That was my presumption. Chief Chen used to love this Dragon Bud, but ever since the war started, he hasn't touched tea at all."

"You didn't answer my question."

Having been caught off guard once, Bai Ying was now highly vigilant and refused to follow the middle-aged man's train of thought.

"Young people lack patience and composure." The middle-aged man smiled and pointed at Bai Ying. "The last time I saw you, you still knew how to greet your uncle."

"I don't remember you, and I don't want to know you." Bai Ying clenched her fists. "You had better answer my question right now."

"Heh heh..." The middle-aged man chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "You child..."

Bang!

Before the middle-aged man could finish his sentence, Bai Ying straightened her leg and kicked the heavy tea table toward him!

But before Bai Ying could put her full strength into the kick, the secretary standing beside her grabbed her arm.

The overturned tea table changed trajectory, crashing into a display cabinet filled with porcelain!

"Get your hands off me!"

Bai Ying grabbed the woman's arm in return, pulling hard to drag her closer!

Seeing Bai Ying's fist about to connect, the secretary suddenly released her grip, ducked down to avoid the punch, and ripped open the buttons on her own jacket!

Bai Ying failed to land the hit, ending up with nothing but the woman's outer blazer in her hand.

"If I were you, I'd take the shoes off too." Bai Ying tossed the jacket aside and glanced at the high heels on the other woman's feet.

"I don't need to do that to deal with a brat like you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the secretary raised her long leg and launched an attack at Bai Ying's head!

Bai Ying intended to block with her arm, but she was shocked to find that the power behind the kick was far greater than she had imagined; the very air around them seemed to tremble!

Forced to retract her arm, Bai Ying dodged the kick by turning to the side!

After only two exchanges, Bai Ying quickly analyzed her opponent's fighting style.

Both she and the secretary relied heavily on leg-based attacks, partly because their builds favored the reach of their legs, and partly because women rarely held an advantage in upper-body strength contests.

However, the opponent was clearly specialized in leg training while neglecting her upper body, meaning they were not on the same level in close-quarters combat!

With that, Bai Ying's next tactic became clear.

Whoosh!

The opponent showed no signs of stopping; after the first kick missed, she immediately spun around to deliver a second!

Bai Ying had no time for any other move and could only continue to dodge!

A surge of fury was building in the chest of Bai Ying, and as she dodged left and right, there was little space left behind her!

What she hated most was others using their height advantage to suppress her!

Just by eyeballing it, the secretary was at least 1.75 meters tall, while Bai Ying was a good half-head shorter than her!

She was only 1.64 meters tall.

This resulted in the opponent being able to land kicks on her, while she couldn't even reach the opponent!

The secretary was also clever, utilizing this advantage to relentlessly suppress Bai Ying at the limit of her leg's reach, giving her no chance to catch her breath!

Within a few rounds, the secretary had already forced Bai Ying into a corner, which meant that with nowhere left to retreat, Bai Ying had to choose to use her upper limbs to block the incoming attacks!

Bang!

Even though Bai Ying had used her hardest elbows to defend, that powerful force still slammed into her bones like a lead ball!

Bai Ying could only endure the pain, using the momentum to complete a roll on the ground, clutching her arm as she prepared to face the next attack.

"Heh."

The secretary looked down at the somewhat disheveled girl, a hint of delight appearing in the depths of her eyes.

But she had no intention of stopping her assault there!

With another heavy kick, the secretary shattered the wall clock!

The little bit of space Bai Ying had just managed to secure was compressed once again; now, she was only one body-length away from the wall!

"Where will you hide this time?"

Although such a storm-like offensive was exhausting, the secretary ultimately held the advantage, not giving Bai Ying any opportunity for close-quarters grappling.

Watching the stubborn yet anxious expression on Bai Ying's face, the corners of the secretary's mouth curled upward slightly.

She raised her long right leg and, using almost all of her strength, kicked fiercely toward Bai Ying!