"Of course. She was insanely good—she could make it rain shit with a wave of her hand." Yan Huan looked immensely proud as he patted Sam's cold mechanical arm, producing several dull thuds.
"Look, everyone." He stepped beside Sam, grabbed her powerful silver-white right arm, and raised it high like a boxing referee declaring the winner.
Slap slap slap slap slap—
In an instant, clumps of yellow mud rained down as densely as hailstones, splashing countless tiny sprays across the pool's surface and blooming into brownish-yellow flowers across the tiled ground.
Several blobs landed with pinpoint accuracy in cocktail glasses on unused lounge chairs, making thick, wet plopping sounds.
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.
Several tourists who had still been questioning them moments ago stood with their mouths slightly open, forgetting to close them.
The man with glasses was the first to recover. He cautiously stepped forward and crouched down.
The pool lights cast a cold white sheen across his bare back.
He extended a finger and studied a fresh yellow smear that had just landed on the ground, its edges still faintly trembling—leaning close, squinting, tilting his head, changing angles.
Then, he made a move that made everyone suck in a sharp breath.
He bent down, lightly rubbed a little from the edge with his finger, rolled it between his fingertips for a moment, and then—
Put it in his mouth.
He chewed slowly.
His gaze was profound, like that of a connoisseur evaluating a vintage wine.
The pool's rippling reflections glinted off his lenses, concealing the emotion in his eyes.
"..."
The entire poolside fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Even the auntie stopped wiping the residue off her face and stared blankly at this young man brave enough to sacrifice himself.
At last, his Adam's