So Strong! I Love Her!

But why was she in such a hurry to reach the center of the contamination source?

Mo Xiao's brain, nearly overwhelmed to the point of unconsciousness by bliss and pleasure, was briefly brought back to its senses by the yellow sand and fierce wind.

He looked at Xin Lan's profile and wanted to ask her several times.

But when he recalled the mountains of contaminant corpses around him when he woke up, he silently kept his mouth shut.

All right, her strength had far exceeded anything he could imagine. It was downright terrifying.

A guide who could do two things at once, purifying a Mental Landscape while casually killing so many contaminants without suffering any dizziness or discomfort-there was simply no reason to doubt her strength.

He could get slapped in other ways, but he couldn't do anything else to make her dislike him. So from now on, he absolutely must not say things he shouldn't.

"Lanlan? Is that Lanlan? Wu Xi, look up there!"

In the middle of the fierce battle, Chi Ming suddenly spotted the Yinglong flying overhead. On its back was a graceful figure he could recognize at a glance anywhere.

Wu Xi was nearly mad with killing, his body covered in blood and black grime. When he first heard Chi Ming shout, he thought his Rampage Level had shot up and he was hallucinating.

But when he looked up and actually saw the Yinglong carrying Xin Lan overhead, his mouth fell open beneath his mask, wide enough to swallow an egg, and his whole body shuddered in fright.

"Holy shit! Why is Xinbao here? I know she's curious and bold, but it's so dangerous here. Couldn't Mo Xiao have kept it from her? I seriously can't believe him! If anything happens to Xinbao, I'll beat the crap out of him even if he beats me to death for it!"

For once, Chi Ming wholeheartedly agreed with his determination.

"Yeah, I'll join you."

There were simply too many contaminants around them. Though both were worried and anxious, they couldn't break away no matter what they did. They could only fight their way toward where she had landed, hoping to reach her quickly and protect her.

The crystal fragment was actually easy to find. The contaminants were most densely concentrated around it, so wherever they were most terrifying and numerous, its location could generally be determined.

But the crystal fragments in this world seemed to contain much more energy than those in the apocalypse. Not only was their contamination range larger, but the contaminants guarding them also possessed special abilities.

Looking at the small iceberg that had appeared out of nowhere on the ground and the giant blue lizard resting atop it, occasionally breathing out an icy mist, Mo Xiao warned her cautiously.

"Xin Lan, something's wrong here. There normally can't be only one contaminant around a crystal fragment unless it's far stronger than the others. And that usually means only one thing: the crystal fragment has become part of its body."

No wonder the contamination here had spread to nearly twice its original range in a year. This crystal fragment could "move."

Xin Lan nodded to show she understood, then immediately ordered the Yinglong to land on the ice.

Before they touched down, the blue lizard attacked them.

Mo Xiao immediately jumped down too, making the Yinglong grow larger and preparing to fight.

The lizard opened its mouth, but the icy breath had barely emerged when it abruptly vanished, as if it had fizzled out. The lizard's body also went rigid in an instant, as though something had suddenly struck its acupoints, and it rolled all the way down the small iceberg.

The Yinglong froze mid-flap.

Mo Xiao also blinked, too incredulous and bewildered to understand: ?

What had just happened?

One look at this lizard showed that it had been thoroughly nourished by the crystal fragment. However badly the surrounding contaminants wanted the fragment, none dared approach it. Yet Xin Lan had dealt with it in the blink of an eye? She hadn't even taken her hands out of her pockets.

Was this right?

Did a guide like her really still need a sentinel's protection? Shouldn't the sentinel be worried about whether she'd dislike him for holding her back instead...?

In less than half a minute, everything Mo Xiao had believed about guides over the years came crashing down.

He gazed almost worshipfully at the young woman before him, her hands tucked into her hoodie pocket as she walked through the contaminated zone as comfortably as if she were at home. His heart pounded like a drum, each beat louder than the last.

How could she be so amazing?

So strong! So cool! He loved her so much!

Thump, thump!

Mo Xiao pressed a hand to his heart, his moist lips slightly parted. His deep blue eyes were filled with awe, admiration, and a fervor and love he couldn't suppress no matter what.

"Xin Lan, I'll help you!"

He knew Xin Lan wanted the crystal fragment, so he immediately ran over and had the Yinglong use its claws to slice open the giant lizard's belly.

There was nothing inside, so the Yinglong simply tore it to shreds.

Finally, under Xin Lan's disgusted yet expectant gaze, the Yinglong managed to pull a dark blue crystal fragment the size of a fingernail from the shredded flesh with its claws.

"Do you need me to destroy it now?"

Mo Xiao knew she had come all this way for it, so he hadn't dared destroy it right away.

Sure enough, he had been right to ask.

"No, give it to me."

Xin Lan wasn't at all bothered by the blood still on the crystal fragment and took it directly in her hand.

Feeling the familiar energy, Xin Lan's usually cold, expressionless face finally showed a hint of delight.

"So it really is this."

So it really was?

What did that mean?

Had she seen this kind of crystal fragment before? Had she suddenly come to K9 District to look for it too? But what use was something like this?

It was the first time Mo Xiao had seen her smile from the bottom of her heart. For a moment, her smile so captivated him that he forgot to ask what she wanted it for.

Then Xin Lan suddenly unleashed her spiritual power with extreme ferocity, instantly killing all the contaminants charging toward them in one go.

Loud thuds rang out one after another. No matter how calm Mo Xiao was, he still couldn't recover for a long time as he watched these contaminants, which usually took several sentinels working together to kill, all go rigid and fall to the ground at once.

Was this really something a guide could do?

Why did he still find it so hard to believe after seeing it several times in a row?

Mo Xiao swallowed dryly and turned stiffly. This time, aside from admiration and love, his gaze held a profound awe as he looked at Xin Lan.

What had he done to deserve being matched with such a powerful guide?

Coming to K9 District at all costs had indeed been the best decision of his life. Fortunately, he had come to his senses before it was too late, or he probably would have struggled even to catch a glimpse of the hem of her clothes in the future...

Chi Ming and Wu Xi came running over with their grime-covered Spirit Bodies. Both were utterly puzzled by the situation before them.

Wu Xi even cheekily pried open the eyes of a few contaminants to have a look. Seeing that they really were dead, he immediately clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Oh my god, what on earth happened? Why did these contaminants suddenly run over here like they'd gone mad, only to all drop dead together? Were they collectively poisoned?"

"Lanlan did it."

Chi Ming had kept his eyes fixed on Xin Lan the whole way over.

But he was too dirty, and he was afraid Xin Lan would be disgusted. So no matter how excited he was, he only dared stand several meters away and look at her with a gaze full of tenderness.

"Lanlan, did you come here especially to find us?"

"You're overthinking it."

It was Mo Xiao who answered.

Xin Lan didn't pay any of them the slightest attention.

She had cleared away the surrounding contaminants so she could focus on absorbing the energy in the crystal fragment without being disturbed. Although anyone who disturbed her would be the only one to die, she preferred to concentrate on the sensation of that energy flowing into her body and merging, strand by strand, with her spiritual power.

Surging, turbulent, and scorching, the crystal's energy and her spiritual power seemed to share the same origin. Every time she absorbed it, she felt so good she could practically ascend to heaven in minutes. It was as if she had taken something, leaving her whole body floating.

None of the three knew what she was doing with her eyes closed, and none dared rashly go over and disturb her.

Then her complexion suddenly grew rosy at an incredible speed. Wu Xi, who was crouching on the ground, immediately jumped up and said nervously,

"Xinbao doesn't seem to look so good. Mo Xiao, what did you two just do?"