Dells grabbed Robin and burrowed rapidly underground. Hearing nothing behind him, he grew smug. He knew Ye Chen had no way to stop him.
He was so delighted his brows danced and a snot bubble swelled from his nose. Then a pair of pale, slender arms sprouted from the back of his neck, white as young lotus roots. They appeared without warning or a sound. Dells had no defenses up at all.
"Clutch!"
Robin narrowed her eyes, calm and composed, her arms folded across her chest. She looked effortlessly elegant.
Dells was caught completely off guard. With a crack, the arms locked around his neck. Fortunately, his bones and muscles were tough, and he was strong enough that his neck did not snap at once. Even so, the pain twisted his face into a grimace. Just as he moved to attack Robin, she broke free, caught hold of a rope ladder made of arms, and climbed swiftly toward the mouth of the tunnel.
"You bitch! Think you can run? Not a chance!"
Dells flew into a rage and charged after her. Before he had gone far, though, he felt a cold draft around his lower body. He looked down and saw that his trousers had fallen. Furious and flustered, he yanked them up, but by the time he could resume the chase, Robin had already leaped out of the tunnel.
Ye Chen had been waiting at the entrance. Seeing Robin safe, he let out a long breath. Dells was just about to emerge when Ye Chen swung his fist down without mercy. The force of the blow roared like a tiger freed from its cage, claws bared as it hurtled straight toward Dells's face.
Dells was already close to the entrance, his face turned upward. Ye Chen's punch struck him