Ding-a-ling!
The wall clock rang out crisply. Its hands pointed to three in the morning, interrupting the middle-aged man just as he reached the climax of his story.
"Oh dear, what am I thinking? I forgot you'd traveled all night to get here, Bai!" The middle-aged man clapped his hands, his kind smile tinged with apology. He hurriedly called over the secretary standing nearby. "Chief Chen, really! How could he let you pilot a mech all the way here by yourself? Quickly, find Bai a nice room so she can get some proper sleep!"
The secretary immediately walked over to Bai Ying with a smile and politely invited her to follow.
The attentive service left Bai Ying at a loss for how to refuse.
Just then, a tiny surge of electricity crackled from the communicator around Bai Ying's neck, making her shudder on the spot!
That jolt also snapped Bai Ying out of her daze and made her realize how strangely she'd been feeling.
On the other end of the communicator, Yu Xiao realized that he had regained his faint "telepathic connection" with Bai Ying. That meant she was aware of him again.
Yu Xiao immediately told her about his situation.
"They locked the hangar doors from the outside."
Bai Ying instantly realized that the two of them seemed to have been leading her around by the nose. She'd nearly forgotten why she'd come to the Silent Graveyard in the first place!
"No need. I don't need to rest." Bai Ying's usual keep-away expression returned, and she refused to follow the secretary toward the elevator.
"How could that be? It must've taken you half a day to get here from Xuanse Cangqiong. If you're not tired, just wait in your room. Your uncle will find you the best masseuse so you can relax!" The middle-aged man pretended to frown, but his face still wore the warm, caring smile of an elder.
"I said I'm not tired."
The ice in Bai Ying's voice doused the warmth on the middle-aged man and the secretary's faces, and the room seemed to grow colder.
"Miss Bai, the boss is only concerned about you..." The secretary tried to smooth things over, turning to take Bai Ying's hand.
Smack!
Bai Ying casually swatted the secretary's hand away!
She didn't like being touched.
"When can Xingtian be upgraded?"
The middle-aged man didn't answer Bai Ying's question. Instead, he laughed heartily, picked up the untouched teacup in front of her, and shook his head as he poured the cold tea into the waste-water bowl.
"Not everyone knows how to enjoy the finer things. What a shame to leave such good tea untouched."
Bai Ying narrowed her eyes slightly. She remembered the intoxicating fragrance of tea that had greeted her as soon as she entered the room. From that moment on, it had felt as if someone had poured glue into her brain, leaving her dazed and unsure of what she was doing.
"I don't drink tea."
"Then I was making assumptions. Chief Chen used to love this Dragon Bud tea, but he hasn't touched tea since the war began."
"You still haven't answered my question."
Having already been caught off guard once, Bai Ying stayed on alert and refused to follow the middle-aged man's lead.
"What young people lack most is patience and perspective." The middle-aged man pointed at Bai Ying with a smile. "The last time I saw you, you at least knew to say hello to your uncle."
"I don't remember you, and I don't want to know you." Bai Ying clenched her fist. "You'd better answer my question now."
"Heh..." The middle-aged man smiled and pushed up his glasses. "You little rascal..."
Bang!
Before the middle-aged man could finish, Bai Ying straightened her leg and kicked the heavy tea table toward him!
But before she could put her full force into the kick, the secretary beside her grabbed her arm.
The overturned tea table changed course and smashed into a display cabinet full of porcelain!
"Get your hands off me!"
Bai Ying grabbed the secretary's arm with her free hand, then yanked hard and dragged her toward herself!
Just as Bai Ying's fist was about to land, the secretary suddenly released her arm, ducked beneath the punch, and popped the buttons on her jacket.
Bai Ying failed to hit the secretary. All she was left holding was the jacket she'd been wearing over her clothes.
"If I were you, I'd take off those shoes too." Bai Ying tossed the jacket aside and glanced at the secretary's high heels.
"I don't need to for a brat like you!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the secretary raised her long leg and kicked at Bai Ying's head!
Bai Ying intended to block with her arm, but to her surprise, the kick was far more powerful than she'd expected. Even the surrounding air seemed to tremble!
So Bai Ying forcibly pulled her arm back and twisted aside to dodge the kick!
After only two clashes, Bai Ying quickly analyzed her opponent's fighting style.
Both she and Bai Ying relied more on their legs to attack. Their builds were well suited to making use of their long legs, and women generally struggled to gain an advantage in contests of upper-body strength.
But the secretary clearly specialized in leg training and neglected her upper-body strength. In close-range clashes, the two were nowhere near evenly matched!
That made Bai Ying's next move obvious.
Whoosh!
The secretary showed no sign of stopping. As soon as her first kick missed, she spun and launched a second!
Bai Ying had no time to do anything else and could only keep dodging!
Anger gathered in Bai Ying's chest. As she dodged left and right, there was barely any room left behind her!
She hated when people used their height to keep her down!
Judging by eye, the secretary was at least 1.75 meters tall, while Bai Ying was more than half a head shorter!
She was only 1.64 meters.
The secretary could reach her with a kick, but Bai Ying couldn't reach her!
The secretary was clever too. She used that advantage to relentlessly keep Bai Ying at the very edge of her kicking range, giving her no chance to catch her breath!
After a few exchanges, the secretary had already driven Bai Ying into a corner. With nowhere left to retreat, Bai Ying had no choice but to block the next attack with her arms!
Bang!
Even though Bai Ying used her hardest point, her elbow, to block the kick, the force struck her bones like a cannonball!
Grimacing through the pain, Bai Ying used the momentum to roll across the floor. Clutching her arm, she got back into position to face the next attack.
"Heh."
The secretary looked down at the battered girl, a glimmer of delight in her eyes.
But she had no intention of stopping her attack!
With another powerful kick, the secretary smashed the wall clock!
The little bit of space Bai Ying had just gained was swallowed up again. Now she was only one body-length from the wall!
"Where are you going to dodge this time?"
Although this kind of relentless attack took a lot out of her, the secretary still had the advantage. She hadn't given Bai Ying any chance to close the distance and grapple.
Looking at Bai Ying's stubborn yet anxious expression, the secretary's lips curled into a faint smile.
She raised her long right leg, put nearly all her strength into it, and kicked viciously at Bai Ying!
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