At the second-floor stairwell.
Chen Yu was trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't from fear, but from the tremendous shock and exhilaration surging through him like a rush of scalding blood.
In a word, his scalp was tingling.
His phone screen was still frozen on the moment Lin Yi returned to Hongfu Restaurant, dragging a bloodied staff behind him. In the background, Abyss Wolves could be seen retreating in terror at the edge of the plaza.
"Holy crap! Holy crap, holy crap!"
Chen Yu jerked his head up and looked at Zhou Jianjun. "Uncle, did you see that? Did you see it? Seven of them! Seven! In less than a minute, Brother Yi took them all down by himself! That was like activating an invincibility mode!"
Zhou Jianjun didn't answer right away.
The veteran had been through border conflicts and seen real warfare. Now, his chest was heaving, his lips pressed tightly together, his expression complicated.
He was astonished by his nephew's almost inhuman combat prowess, but he also felt a trace of lingering fear.
Zhou Jianjun gripped the edge of the crude wooden shield in his hand. The rough splinters dug painfully into his palm, and it was only through that pain that he could just barely suppress the emotions churning inside him.
Heavy footsteps, accompanied by the faint scrape of armor, were already approaching from the stairwell.
Before long, Lin Yi reappeared on the spiral staircase.
More dark-red bloodstains and gray-black powder clung to his imposing Heaven-Equaling Battle Armor. Several vicious claw marks on the breastplate and greaves stood out starkly in the dim light.
He walked up the steps, one at a time, his pace still steady. But when he reached the second-floor landing, he stopped and stood still.
"Yu."
Lin Yi's voice was a little hoarse. He stopped by the staircase and didn't move, instead asking urgently, "You got it all? Did you turn it off?"
"Yeah, yeah! I turned it off after the fight to save battery. But, Brother Yi, I got everything from when you went downstairs to when you came back in! It's super clear!"
Chen Yu snapped out of it and quickly held up his phone to show him. He was still muttering excitedly, "That was so damn cool! It was even better than a game cutscene—"
"Good."
Only after hearing that the video had been turned off did Lin Yi relax.
As he spoke, he braced one hand against the wall and leaned the heavy black-iron staff against it. Then he planted both hands on his knees, bent over, and panted heavily. Sweat mingled with blood and trickled down his temples, dripping onto the cold tiles.
Chen Yu froze for a moment, then immediately understood. A smile crept onto his face as he thought, You're exhausted, but you're still trying to act cool and tough.
He had just started forward to help when Zhou Jianjun darted to Lin Yi's side. He looked like he wanted to support him but was afraid to put too much pressure on him. At the same time, he asked anxiously, "Xiaoyi! How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Zhou Jianjun's gaze darted urgently over Lin Yi, especially the spots where the armor had been torn.
Lin Yi took a deep breath, then slowly let it out before straightening up. "I-I'm fine, Uncle. I just used up a lot of Source Energy in a short time."
Zhou Jianjun's heart eased at that. Then his voice took on the distinct reproach of an elder:
"Y-you're too reckless! Why did you have to kill that last one? If it got away, so what? There'll be another chance. Those beasts outside are all watching us!"
"If-if they got riled up and charged at us all at once, you..." A trace of lingering fear crept into his voice. "Even two fists can't fend off four hands! No matter how good you are, you can't handle that many attacking together!"
Lin Yi looked at his uncle's anxious face and wiped the sweat and blood from his own. Then he grinned, pulling out a slightly sly smile, and explained, "Don't worry, Uncle. I knew what I was doing. I deliberately killed that beast and went outside to pick up the crystals and retrieve my staff for two reasons. First, I couldn't leave my weapon behind. Second... I wanted to test something."
He paused to catch his breath, then glanced at Chen Yu and Zhou Jianjun.
"After those two encounters, I realized these monsters don't just look like wolves." Lin Yi's expression grew serious. "They work together tactically. They probe us, call to their companions, and those last two were clearly scared and trying to run. They have the cunning and instincts of wolves."
"So..."
Zhou Jianjun pondered this.
"That's why I wanted to test them. If I could confirm my guess, I could tell everyone about it in the video later."
Lin Yi tilted his head slightly toward the entrance downstairs. "I deliberately walked out in plain sight to see how they'd react if I picked up the spoils right under their noses. Would they get completely enraged and rush me no matter what, or would they be intimidated?"
"The result's right there, Uncle. They only watched and growled. They even seemed to back away a little. What does that tell us? That deep down, they still pick on the weak and fear the strong. More importantly, that fight just now scared them. They know there's a tough opponent here, so they won't dare come back lightly."
"That's their nature!"
Lin Yi caught his breath and continued, "Besides, I wasn't being reckless when I went out. I still had one more use of the blue light. If things went wrong and those beasts outside really charged, I could retreat right away. They weren't that close, either, so we'd still have time to fall back to Fujin Hall."
Listening to Lin Yi's clear, methodical explanation, which even had the feel of a battlefield analysis, Zhou Jianjun felt conflicted.
He stared at the exhausted boy before him, whose armor was battered and torn, as if he were seeing his nephew for the first time.
How was this the same boy who had secretly practiced staff techniques after his college entrance exams just to show off?
He was clearly a warrior, tempered in blood and fire!
Zhou Jianjun, who had once fought on the border, wasn't surprised that his nephew had changed like this. Plenty of soldiers had come out of a battle seeming like different people.
He just couldn't help reflecting on how Lin Yi had only just celebrated his eighteenth birthday. Now he was being forced to fight for his life, using the intelligence he should have been applying to his studies to painstakingly analyze the enemy's habits.
"You..."
Zhou Jianjun fell silent for a moment. In the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh and gently pat Lin Yi's shoulder. "You kid... you're more meticulous than this old veteran. But... next time, at least give us a heads-up."
Chen Yu had been listening for a while, and finally couldn't help chiming in. "Brother Yi! How does your brain work? You're studying monsters' habits while fighting them? That's incredible! Seriously incredible! And that video—"
"Let's go back and talk there."
Lin Yi waved a hand, cutting him off.
He'd been in control the whole time, but holding back on purpose while fighting was still tiring. Besides, his physical strength and total Source Energy were limited. He really was nearing his limit.
After leaning on his knees and catching his breath for a while, Lin Yi finally called to the two of them.
"Come on, let's get back to the hall first."
The side door of Hongfu Restaurant was carefully pushed open from the inside, at first only a crack, then quickly swung wider.
The moment Lin Yi, Zhou Jianjun, and Chen Yu appeared in the doorway, the tense, oppressive atmosphere inside the hall vanished.
"Xiao Yi!"
"Son!"
Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua rushed over at almost the same time.
When Zhou Jinghua saw the fresh bloodstains and damage on her son's armor, tears instantly welled in her eyes. Her hands trembled as she reached to touch it, but she didn't dare.
Lin Ruiming grabbed Lin Yi by the arm, his voice tight with worry. "How are you? You weren't hurt this time, were you? Quick, quick, take the armor off so I can have a look!"
"Dad, Mom, I'm really fine. This armor is sturdy. It looks worse than it is." Lin Yi hurried to reassure them. "The armor protected me, so I'm not hurt underneath. But once I've finished recording the video, I really will need to take it off and clean it."
"Big brother!"
When Zhou Mengmeng saw Lin Yi return, she broke free from her aunt's arms and charged over like a little cannonball. She clung tightly to Lin Yi's arm, her face full of admiration.
His uncle's family, Zhou Yuxuan, Ye Qingyu, Zhao Xiaowen, Li Jie—in fact, nearly everyone crowded around, asking after Lin Yi.
Ye Qingyu stood a little behind the group, her clear eyes fixed on Lin Yi. Only when she saw that he was tired but still bright-eyed did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
"Xiaoyi, what about the monsters guarding downstairs?"
Seeing that Lin Yi was fine, Lin Ruiheng asked at just the right moment. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone immediately turned to look.
Lin Yi said nothing. He simply raised his tightly clenched left hand, then slowly opened it.
Seven Spirit Radiance Crystals lay quietly in his palm, giving off a faint gray glow.
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