The air in the laboratory seemed to be drained in an instant, and the surrounding rubble and steel rebars floated up eerily.
The oxygen tank in Ji Zhaoxi's hand gradually slipped from her grasp.
Ji Zhaoxi immediately sat up. Hmm?
Purple-black arcs of electricity exploded from beneath Pei Yufeng's skin. His mental energy had spiraled out of control. Without a target to attack, the lightning wildly backfired on him.
The veins on Pei Yufeng's forehead bulged. He knelt on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, and violently coughed up a mouthful of blood...
An unknown amount of time passed before countless pale green threads slowly pressed against Pei Yufeng's skin. They forcefully squeezed a path through the dense, crackling sparks. The originally sharp sound of electric currents gradually grew sluggish and docile.
Pei Yufeng leaned into the crook of Ji Zhaoxi's neck. With lowered eyes, she held his shoulder with one hand while the other touched his crystal core. Her ability smoothed over every crack on it.
With every inch her ability advanced, Pei Yufeng's body trembled. His scorching breath continuously hit her neck. Ji Zhaoxi uncomfortably dodged to the side, but in the next second, he followed, letting out a whimper that sounded like a plea for comfort.
"Pei Yufeng?" Ji Zhaoxi asked tentatively.
She remembered that Pei Yufeng had previously refused to let her enter his mindscape at all, but now, no matter how she touched his crystal core, he showed no reaction.
If he woke up and found out she had touched his crystal core, he would definitely be furious.
Under the soothing effect of her healing power, the pain in Pei Yufeng's body gradually dissipated. The out-of-control ability swirling around him thinned out and finally retreated obediently back into his crystal core.
Pei Yufeng gradually awoke from his chaotic state. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision still a bit blurry. He felt himself resting in a slender yet familiar embrace.
The fragmented pale green energy had not yet dispersed, acting like a light veil draped over her. A few strands of stray hair were drenched in cold sweat and clung to her skin, making those eyes appear even brighter.
Pei Yufeng stared at her blankly, his Adam's apple bobbing dryly. He instinctively wanted to help her brush away the stray hair on her forehead, but seeing the dried blood on his own hands, he pulled back.
"Pei Yufeng, your ability went out of control," Ji Zhaoxi gently grabbed his hand, her brows furrowed tightly.
"Did you come into contact with some substance just now?"
Logically speaking, an ability user of Pei Yufeng's caliber shouldn't have lost control so severely.
Pei Yufeng awkwardly avoided her gaze. He stood up from the ground without saying a word.
Ji Zhaoxi walked to the laboratory door and saw the floor littered with ability users. Her eyes immediately lit up.
"So many crystal cores!"
Pei Yufeng watched her quietly from behind.
Wearing that little white dress stained with dust, she crouched among the pile of charred, bloodied corpses, looking somewhat out of place.
Those hands, which she usually used to heal others, were now nimbly cutting open the skulls of those ability users, extracting the crystal cores from the mangled flesh and blood.
"Pei Yufeng, look!"
Ji Zhaoxi held up a crystal core, showing it off to Pei Yufeng. Her face was a bit pale and even smeared with some blood, but her eyes were full of smiles.
Pei Yufeng froze in place. A tingling sensation spread from deep within his bones, and his breathing grew ragged.
The truck drove through the desert in the night. The dashboard emitted a faint blue glow, and under the headlights, fine sand could be seen swirling in front.
Ji Zhaoxi leaned against the window, letting the wind blow over her. From time to time, she cast a guilty glance at Pei Yufeng beside her.
Ever since he woke up, he hadn't spoken a single word.
Ji Zhaoxi lowered her eyes in frustration. He definitely knew.
"Pei Yufeng, don't be mad. I didn't do it on purpose."
"I just touched your crystal core a few times with my ability's tentacles, but I didn't pierce into it."
Pei Yufeng gripped the steering wheel in silence, feeling his chaotic heartbeat growing louder and louder.
Seeing that Pei Yufeng still wasn't speaking, Ji Zhaoxi peeked at him again.
"Alright, I admit it, I did pierce it once, but it was really only once! You can check it yourself."
Hearing Ji Zhaoxi's probing tone, Pei Yufeng turned his head. In that instant, his gaze crashed into hers.
The light from the dashboard shone on her face, making her eyes look even brighter. He could clearly see his own reflection in them.
Agitated, disheveled, and full of desire.
Pei Yufeng's mind suddenly went blank for a second. The steering wheel in his hands jerked sharply, and the truck let out a piercing screech on the road. The front of the vehicle swerved, careening toward the sandy slope on the side.
"Watch out!"
Just as it was about to roll over, Pei Yufeng slammed on the brakes. A burnt smell filled the air as the truck forcefully came to a halt.
The inside of the car instantly fell into dead silence.
The shifting sands outside the window gradually receded, and a tiny, grayish-brown building in the distance came into view.
Ji Zhaoxi drove quietly, not daring to speak to Pei Yufeng again.
She was afraid that if she said anything more, Pei Yufeng would literally die of anger.
When Ji Zhaoxi and the others entered the building, two ability users were sitting in the living room.
Ji Zhaoxi recognized them: one was the water-type ability user Shen Jiaxue, and the other was the earth-type ability user Zhang Jili.
Seeing that only Ji Zhaoxi and Pei Yufeng had returned, the two ability users were momentarily stunned.
"Um... where are the others?" Zhang Jili asked hesitantly.
Ji Zhaoxi also hesitated before replying, "I think they died."
"Oh, oh."
Zhang Jili and Shen Jiaxue exchanged a glance, the two of them standing in the living room staring at each other in awkward silence.
Shen Jiaxue gave a light cough and looked at Ji Zhaoxi. "So, will he and I be following you from now on?"
"I suppose we count as part of Brother Ping and the others' belongings they left behind?"
Ji Zhaoxi was taken aback. Was there really such a way to put it?
She liked this water-type ability user because she gave her plenty of water to bathe with every day, but this earth-type ability user...
Zhang Jili hurriedly spoke up, "I'm very useful! They used to say I was the handiest to have around."
Beside them, Pei Yufeng kept his head down, who knew what he was thinking.
Ji Zhaoxi cleared her throat. "Let's talk about it later."
Zhang Jili's eyes instantly dimmed.
That night, after Ji Zhaoxi finished her shower, she had just picked up the dress beside her when Pei Yufeng silently snatched it away.
Ji Zhaoxi: ...
Pei Yufeng kept his head down, skillfully scrubbing the stains on the dress.
"Pei Yufeng."
The bathroom was extremely cramped. As soon as Ji Zhaoxi squeezed in, Pei Yufeng felt his nose instantly fill with her scent.
Her slender ankles were particularly striking against the floor. Pei Yufeng's grip on the dress tightened continuously, his breathing growing extremely heavy.
"Why don't you just not wash it? Didn't you say before that I look like a fluttering moth in this?"
Just as Ji Zhaoxi was about to walk out, Pei Yufeng's incredibly hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her.
"You don't look like a moth."
"You look... really pretty in it..."
Ji Zhaoxi instantly froze in her tracks.
