novelhk Page 23
Page 23
"Qingyan! Look here! Look here!"
"Want to team up with us? We have the top scorer on our team, so we're pretty safe!"
"Protecting beautiful women is every boy's duty!"
That shout was like a ladle of cold water being poured into a boiling oil pan, and the surrounding noise fell into an eerie silence for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, countless eyes focused on it all at once.
There was curiosity, envy, jealousy, and even more so, people who loved to stir up trouble.
Xu Qingyan and her roommates were clearly stunned by the sudden, loud invitation, and stood there, looking somewhat bewildered.
Xu Qingyan, in particular, blushed with embarrassment as her fair cheeks flushed. She instinctively looked towards Lin Che, her eyes filled with pleading and questioning.
"Brother Che, what do you think?"
Chen Hao had no idea how much trouble he was causing others. Instead, he excitedly nudged Lin Che's waist with his elbow and whispered with a wink.
"Opportunity, Che-ge! I'll create an opportunity for you!"
"Bring all the beauties in, and our team will be the pinnacle of both looks and skill!"
Lin Che's temples were throbbing.
He could feel the temperature rising rapidly under the focused gazes from those around him.
He could even hear several unfamiliar boys around him whispering among themselves.
"Holy crap, that's Lin Che? The top scorer is awesome, he directly asked the school beauty to team up with him."
"Wasn't it him who shouted? It was his roommate, but it's pretty much the same..."
"Xu Qingyan seems to be looking at him. Could they actually know each other?"
Lin Che's gaze eventually fell on Xu Qingyan.
Her roommates were looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.
After the initial panic, Xu Qingyan herself calmed down.
Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed precisely on him. In those beautiful eyes, there was no confusion, only a clear inquiry, and... a hint of expectation that even she herself hadn't noticed.
She was waiting for his decision.
Lin Che felt a wave of weakness wash over him.
What decision can he make?
In front of so many people, in front of her roommates, and when she herself is looking at him like that, how can he say "no"?
This is no longer just his problem.
Refusing would be tantamount to publicly humiliating Xu Qingyan, and also completely offending his overly enthusiastic roommates.
For the sake of one's own "efficiency," making everyone lose face is too high a price to pay.
Lin Che sighed silently in his heart.
That's it.
Plans can't keep up with changes.
He met Xu Qingyan's gaze, and finally, amidst the almost burning anticipation in the eyes of Chen Hao and the others, he nodded almost imperceptibly.
A simple action, yet it felt like pressing a switch.
"Yes! It's done!"
Chen Hao excitedly clenched his fist.
Not far away, Xu Qingyan's roommates cheered softly and surrounded the still slightly blushing Xu Qingyan as she walked over.
And so, through a series of absurd and coincidental events...
A “super brigade” of eight people, consisting of four boys from dormitory 401 and four girls from Xu Qingyan’s dormitory, was officially established amidst envious glances.
The team was assembled, but new problems arose.
"There are so many of us, we need someone to lead us, right?" a girl wearing glasses, who looked quiet and gentle, suggested in a low voice. She was Xu Qingyan's roommate.
"you still need to ask?"
Chen Hao immediately responded, pushing Lin Che, who was standing next to him, forward.
"Of course it's our Che-ge!"
“Yes, Lin Che is the most suitable,” Zhang Wei concisely agreed.
In an instant, all eyes, fourteen pairs of gazes, once again fell upon Lin Che.
This time, the look in their eyes was no longer questioning, but rather an acceptance of something taken for granted.
The halo of being the "top scorer in the city" is too dazzling.
The Arcanine that "instantly kills an elite Golem" has been embellished with countless rumors and stories, even though most people haven't seen it in person.
In the minds of these freshmen, Lin Che is synonymous with "powerful", "reliable" and "authoritative".
Faced with this almost blind trust, Lin Che had no room to refuse.
What could he say?
Does he really not want to be in the core position and just want to coast along in the background?
Nobody will believe it.
They would just think it's the top student being modest.
Lin Che felt a wave of exhaustion.
Looking at the faces before him, filled with trust and reliance, he could only helplessly twitch the corners of his mouth, which could be considered an admission.
And so, half-heartedly, he was lifted up by everyone into the "core position" of the team, a position he had tried so hard to avoid from the very beginning.
Chapter 29 Separation from the Main Force, The Dragon's Roar in the Mist!
The air in Qingchuan Wetland is humid and sticky, mixed with the smell of water vapor and decaying plants. When you breathe it in, it feels heavy and oppressive.
After entering this primeval and secret realm, Lin Che only needed one morning to fully understand all the drawbacks of team operations.
An eight-person team sounds impressive, seemingly capable of handling any unexpected situation.
The reality, however, is quite the opposite.
"Wow! Look! That butterfly's wing pattern is so unique!"
Chen Hao's loud voice rang out again. Like a husky that had broken free, he chased after an ordinary pink butterfly and plunged headfirst into the waist-high grass, startling a flock of birds.
On the other side, Xu Qingyan's roommates were gathered around a trumpet-shaped sprout that had emerged from the ground, letting out suppressed gasps of surprise, as if it were not a common grass-type spirit, but some prehistoric behemoth.
As for Li Jin, the top student, he was squatting on the ground, carefully picking up a piece of soil covered with moss with tweezers and putting it into a sample bag, while rapidly recording something on his tablet.
His expression didn't suggest he was conducting field training; it looked more like he was on a rigorous academic expedition.
In just one morning, this so-called "super brigade" covered less than five kilometers, failing to even venture beyond the outer perimeter of the wetland.
Lin Che's brows were furrowed into a knot.
This is not exploration at all.
This is a picnic.
He stopped and looked at the disorganized and haphazardly assembled team, his impatience almost overflowing.
This cannot go on.
This is a complete waste of his precious time.
At noon, the group rested in a relatively dry open space. While everyone was distributing rations and water, Lin Che walked to the center of the group.
"This is too inefficient."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the surrounding noise.
"I suggest we split into two groups and expand the scope of our reconnaissance."
Chen Hao had just taken a bite of bread when he heard this and immediately came over: "Splitting up the troops? Brother Che, isn't that too dangerous?"
"If the eight of us gather together, we'll be too conspicuous and easily attract the attention of powerful wild spirits. Splitting up will make us smaller and more agile."
Lin Che's gaze swept over the crowd, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable persuasive power.
"Alright, Chen Hao, you and Zhang Wei, lead Li Jin and the others to continue exploring along this main road. I'll take Xu Qingyan to check out the tributary river. This will cover a larger area. We'll meet at the river bend marked by three giant rocks an hour later."
His reasoning was impeccable, taking into account both safety and proposing solutions to improve efficiency.
Chen Hao wanted to say something, but seeing Lin Che's uncompromising gaze, he finally nodded.
"Alright... then Brother Che, you have to guarantee Sister-in-law's... cough, Qingyan's safety!"
Chen Hao winked and patted Lin Che's chest.
"rest assured."
Lin Che responded calmly, then turned his gaze to Xu Qingyan.
The girl seemed surprised that Lin Che would single her out. She paused for a moment, then a faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks, and she nodded gently.
Finally, the world is quiet.
The annoying shouts and timid screams all disappeared into the dense forest behind them.
All that remained in my ears was the babbling of the water and the clear calls of unknown water birds.
The two walked one after the other along a tributary river shrouded in a hazy mist, heading deeper into the wetlands.
Lin Che walked ahead, his tall figure appearing somewhat blurred in the thin mist, yet giving off an incredibly reliable feeling.
Xu Qingyan followed behind him, her steps becoming much lighter.
As she watched his tall, straight back and felt the rare tranquility that belonged only to the two of them, her heart began to race uncontrollably.
The blush on her fair cheeks became even more pronounced, and even her ears felt a little hot.
She took a deep breath and mustered up immense courage.