Choice

"Go back."

Chen Xi's words, carrying a hint of charity, echoed in Lin Yue's mind.

Did she hate Chen Xi?

She did. When she had first regressed, she had wanted nothing more than to chop Chen Xi apart and chew her to pieces.

She would never forget that suffocating feeling of sinking beneath the sea. Chen Xi and that man had thrown her alive into the ocean, watching her struggle inside the sack...

But as time passed and the missing pieces of information fell into place, the anger in her heart gradually subsided after she learned the truth.

After all, judging by the timeline, Chen Xi had most likely already died at Wu Xin's hands back then and become her puppet.

And that look...

Lin Yue suddenly recalled the last cycle, when she had been controlling the Shadow Dweller at school. Before Chen Xi died, she seemed to have looked at her with the same expression.

Like an utterly exhausted cat licking its wounds, intending to quietly find a place to die alone.

I have to save her.

The moment that thought arose, it took firm root in Lin Yue's heart.

With her power of Regression, she absolutely could not give up on Chen Xi so easily.

"Miss, are you getting on or not?" The bus driver hesitated for a moment before asking.

It was the last bus, after all. If she was not waiting for the bus, what was she doing?

The driver's gruff voice pulled Lin Yue back to reality. She looked toward the bus and saw that the black-haired girl was already seated near the back, silently admiring the scenery outside the window.

"I got distracted just now. Sorry for holding you up." Passing the front seats, Lin Yue walked straight toward Chen Xi.

"I don't need to hide, and I don't need to run." The girl sat beside Chen Xi, her eyes shimmering.

If Chen Xi's tail had still been manifested after hearing that, it would probably have wagged itself airborne.

Their relationship had finally progressed a step further. It was just a pity...

[CG generation failed. Converted into Wish Power charge: 45%]

[Current charge: 77%]

Fine, failing to judge that killing the Rain Lord counted was one thing, but even this kind of "iconic scene" did not get one?

Chen Xi could only curse her damned luck in frustration.

Realizing she was still stringing Lin Yue along, Chen Xi answered helplessly, "Whatever. If you insist on courting death, then come along."

The two rode the bus back to the foot of Chen Xi's apartment building.

The stairwell was dimly lit, and Lin Yue followed closely behind Chen Xi.

"Are we still going back to school tomorrow?" The moment Lin Yue finished speaking, she realized she had asked a stupid question.

They might die tomorrow. What school was there to attend?

Chen Xi did not mock her. "We will. Once we kill Wu Xin, we can return to peaceful lives."

She took out her key, opened the door, and quickly entered the living room.

Lin Yue froze for a moment at her words, then smiled.

"Then it's a promise."

Chen Xi pointed to the second shelf of the shoe cabinet. "There are spare slippers there. The wardrobe is in my room, and there are some new, unused underwear sets in the bottom compartment."

"You shower first. I still need to soak in the bath to control the Rain Lord."

"Oh." Lin Yue walked in and curiously looked around the living room, nodding like a pecking chick.

"By the way, aren't we worried Wu Xin might ambush us?" she asked anxiously.

Chen Xi shook her head. "No need. She seems to need to meet certain conditions before she can make a move against us."

"Chen Xi, you have so many men's clothes." Lin Yue's muffled voice came from the bedroom. Chen Xi turned toward the sound and found that Lin Yue had somehow already entered the room.

Chen Xi followed her inside. Lin Yue's head was nearly buried in the pile of clothes.

"Can you wear them for me to see?" She turned around and looked at Chen Xi with an expectant expression.

Chen Xi leaned against the doorframe with one hand on her hip, expressionless.

"I won't wear them for you to see. Also, I plan to wear men's clothes around the house later too. It is absolutely not because you want to see."

"Anyway, go take a shower already."

She casually picked out a fitting outfit and tossed it to Lin Yue. With no excuse left to keep looking through the wardrobe, Lin Yue could only dejectedly head to the bathroom to wash up.

Once things quieted down, Chen Xi sat on the sofa and opened the Otherwalker Forum.

After the Rain Lord incident, Chen Xi immediately understood that information was far too important in this world.

If they had not learned about Domains and their rules, she and Lin Yue would most likely have died in the rainstorm.

Of course, knowing one's own strength was also essential.

After watching several introductory videos, Chen Xi had roughly assessed her own strength—Mid First Rank.

This standard was based on the ability displayed by the most basic Legend, the Fighter, at Lower First Rank.

Lin Yue was probably Mid First Rank as well. After all, her Shadow Dweller was nothing like an ordinary Shadow Dweller.

Of course, Chen Xi herself also had the Berserk ability. She estimated that after going Berserk, she could reach Upper First Rank.

It had to be said, she was still only a Succubus who had not even entered a Rank.

After controlling the Rain Lord, with her strength soaring, dealing with Wu Xin would no longer be a fantasy.

Wu Xin was probably only a Peak First Rank Transcendent as well, since her purpose was far too obvious.

Her Ascension Ritual most likely required her to complete tasks with similar conditions.

Major Rank advancements for Transcendents in this world required the completion of corresponding rituals, which made knowledge and intelligence especially important.

As the Federation's official organization, the Countermeasure Bureau undoubtedly possessed the largest intelligence network. Even the Skynet Forum was backed by the Federation government.

Once Wu Xin was dealt with, becoming an unofficial member would not be a bad option.

The sound of running water drifted through the room, irritating Chen Xi a little.

Thinking that she would have to shower later too...

"I'm done."

Lin Yue pushed open the bathroom door and walked straight up to Chen Xi.

"Did you take your clothes out..." Chen Xi got halfway through her question when her peripheral vision caught Lin Yue's current appearance.

The blonde girl was still covered in the misty dampness of a fresh bath. Her long, golden wavy hair was securely pinned up with a hair clip, her skin pale as snow, and her cherry-pink lips pressed together as she gazed innocently at Chen Xi on the sofa.

Perhaps because she had first met Lin Yue while scrutinizing her as an opponent, Lin Yue had been beautiful then, but nowhere near as stunning as she was now.

More importantly...

"Why did you come out with only a bath towel wrapped around your head?!" Chen Xi turned her head away, her face flushing as she demanded.

"Why are you being so fierce? You're even bigger than me..." After muttering a few complaints, Lin Yue obediently returned to the bathroom and changed into casual clothes.

A few seconds later, Lin Yue emerged from the bathroom wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts.

"Where's the hair dryer?" She rubbed her hair dry.

"Here." Chen Xi pulled open a drawer. "Are you like this in the dorm and at home too?"

Lin Yue did not think much of it. "What else would I do? Even if you dry yourself thoroughly after a shower, you still feel a little sticky."

"Obviously, you wait until you air-dry before getting dressed. Your bathroom doesn't have a drying function..."

Hearing that, Chen Xi had wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, she let it go.

Lin Yue was an orphan, and her university dorm was a single room. She had most likely grown used to living that way.

Chen Xi joked, "Then could I trouble milady to put on clothes before coming out at my place?"

"Pfft."

Lin Yue chuckled. "I thought you were an iceberg. So you can make bad jokes too?"

Chen Xi retorted, "I'm not an iceberg. I just warm up slowly. I don't bother interacting too much with unnecessary people or showing them my emotions."

Lin Yue fiddled with the hair dryer and casually said, "So I'm someone necessary, then."