NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: Initial Exchange
After witnessing Bronya's "crawling" process, Shu and Mei both breathed a sigh of relief, while Kiana quietly clicked her tongue in disappointment.
Sometimes disappointment isn't expressed with shouts and screams…
Shu rolled his eyes. "I'll go next."
Now that he wouldn't embarrass himself, what reason was there to keep standing outside like a fool? Did he want his chest to hurt even more?
Thinking of this, Shu raised a hand and gently touched his chest. A dull ache made him suck in a breath.
That honkai beast had really hit hard. It still throbbed…
Shu slowly bent down, using the same method as Bronya, putting his feet into the hole first, then slowly wriggling his body through.
Kiana's eyes darted around, another mischievous idea forming in her mind. Her eyes practically curved into crescents.
Wriggling and squirming, Shu was soon left with only his head outside.
Looking up, he saw Mei and Kiana, their eyes curved into slits, looking down at him as if he were some rare find on the ground.
Realizing he was the "rare find," Shu: "…"
Damn it, miscalculated.
Shu grunted and disappeared through the hole.
The hole seemed to connect to a ventilation duct, and the inside was much wider than the opening. Shu could even lift his head and see the path ahead.
But it felt a little too claustrophobic…
Thankfully, the feeling didn't last long. Soon, Shu saw the exit.
With a leap, he jumped out of the duct, landing firmly on the ground in a superhero-esque pose.
One second, two seconds…
The scene was silent.
"Shu…" Bronya, standing next to Shu's landing spot and facing a large group of people, couldn't maintain the silence.
"You can get up now, that was a cool move." Bronya said quietly in Shu's ear, choosing her words carefully.
Shu turned his head and gave Bronya a wry smile. "My chest hurts, can't get up…"
Bronya was taken aback and quickly helped Shu up. "Are you okay? Do you need to rest?"
Shu managed to stand up straight, his face already pale and covered in a sheen of sweat.
But seeing the large circle of people surrounding him and Bronya, Shu forced himself to stand tall, his hand moving from his chest to his waist.
Yun Feng's expression shifted slightly, then he put on a bright smile.
"You must be the ones who helped Mengxi return? Thank you so much." Yun Feng walked up to Shu naturally, extending his hand for a polite handshake.
Shu shook his hand briefly, then withdrew his own, mimicking Otto's mannerisms as he spoke slowly with a smile. "You flatter us. To receive such praise without much effort.
"But you, allowing us into your shelter, while we simply offer our thanks, doesn't that make us seem impolite?"
"Haha, not at all." Yun Feng chuckled. "You certainly deserve my gratitude. This is just the way we treat our guests."
Damn, he's a sly old fox.
This guy has at least three-tenths of Otto's skill.
The first round of their silent confrontation ended, both men mentally elevating the other's status and abilities.
Just then, Kiana dropped down from the duct, followed by Mei.
"Mei! Jump down! I'll catch you!" Kiana yelled, opening her arms below Mei.
"Are you sure, Kiana? I can do it myself…" Mei hesitated.
It wasn't that high, maybe three meters… three meters?
Shu looked up, suddenly feeling a little off.
Have I been jumping off buildings with Kiana too much? I just jumped down from three meters without realizing it?
Mei eventually jumped, and Kiana caught her securely in a princess carry.
"Kiana, put me down…" Mei's face was flushed, and she struggled slightly.
"Hehe, Mei must be tired…" Kiana giggled softly, her hands wandering a bit…
"Ahem." Shu coughed lightly, interrupting Kiana's invitation for intimacy. "Kiana, put Mei down."
Kiana was surprised. She turned around, then reluctantly set Mei down. "Why are there so many people…"
"Phew…" Mei sighed in relief, then noticed Shu's pale, bloodless face. Just as she was about to ask if he was okay, she saw Shu turn back to the young man who had stepped forward and continue their conversation.
Yun Feng's gaze lingered on Kiana and Mei strangely. After giving Yun Mengxi, who was huddled next to Liu Zhuohua, an equally odd look, Yun Feng forced a smile.
"These three are your… friends? Hmm, they're certainly… unique."
They sure are unique. I have five more unique friends like them.
"I heard from Zhuohua that you're heading to the city center, is that right?" After the pleasantries, Yun Feng got straight to the point.
Shu nodded. "We have our reasons."
"Would you be willing to share them?" Yun Feng glanced at Shu's waist. "Those monsters can't be dealt with by conventional means."
"We know."
Shu knew all too well about the effectiveness of firearms against honkai beasts. Even ignoring the setting that was practically falling apart, Bronya had once used a handgun to scratch a chariot-class right in front of him.
"But we have to go." Shu's voice dropped a few notches as he said this.
Sensing the determination in Shu's words, Yun Feng was silent for a moment. He couldn't tell if Shu was acting out of desperation or if he had something to rely on, but he knew that his plan to keep "those guns" here had likely failed.
Sighing, Yun Feng didn't say anything more.
"Then you can rest here. I'll have someone arrange some good resting places for you." Yun Feng gestured, and Shu noticed someone immediately leave the surrounding crowd.
Looks like he has a lot of influence.
"Thank you." Shu said, his hand relaxing slightly, his back starting to ache from trying to stand straight.
His chest hurt more and more. Shu wished he could lie down and rest right away.
Shu and the others followed the person who had come to greet them.
Yun Feng, on the other hand, fell into thought.
He needed a gun, or a similar weapon, but keeping them here was unrealistic. After their brief encounter, he understood that someone like Shu wouldn't be easy to control.
Having Chen Shicheng was already enough of a headache, he couldn't handle another one.
He'd ask Liu Zhuohua more questions, see if there was a chance to make a trade…