Chapter 11: The Eleventh Cup

Chapter 11: The Eleventh Cup

"Ah—"

Xue Xun had just stood up and hadn't even had time to say anything more when Yi Luo's figure disappeared down the corridor.

This group of people, each one more self-absorbed than the last, only managed to scatter the papers on the floor of Xue Xun's office.

"I told you not to step on the papers on the floor!"

Yi Luo shut Xue Xun's angry shouts behind the door and headed straight for the treatment center with Q-jam in tow.

As soon as he stepped inside, the receptionist glanced at him, confirmed his health was safe, and then lowered her head again.

Yi Luo approached the counter and greeted her, "Xiao Yao, I have a question..."

The girl seemed to know what was coming, "Here to ask about that critical case?"

Yi Luo was taken aback but then smiled, realizing He Wuning must have earned a nickname here. He nodded, "Did you guys have to work hard on him again?"

"He’s with Teacher Yan," the young girl looked up, half worried and half frustrated, "He should be done by now. Why hasn’t he come down? Could it be that Teacher Yan is lecturing him?"

Yi Luo raised an eyebrow, "I'll go check."

"Hey!" the girl glared at him, "If you go, you’ll get scolded too! And him, he came in with just a few drops of blood left, claiming he had over ten before..."

Q-jam whispered, "He had a health boost earlier, so he really did have over ten..."

"A few drops aren’t safe either!" the girl glared at it, "One hit from a monster and he’d be dead!"

Q-jam immediately shrank back behind Yi Luo, refusing to help He Wuning take the blame.

"I suggest you keep your distance and avoid getting scolded..." Xiao Yao huffed angrily, but as she looked up, Yi Luo was already climbing the stairs. She called out, "Hey! Yi Luo!"

"Don’t shout," Yi Luo made a hushing gesture and waved casually, "It’s fine. I’m used to being scolded; my skin is thick."

He stopped in front of Teacher Yan’s door and rudely peeked inside, "Teacher Yan, I came to see..."

"Quiet!" Teacher Yan glared at him. Yi Luo finally saw the scene inside and automatically fell silent—He Wuning was curled up in a chair in front of Teacher Yan, asleep in such an unsteady position.

He Wuning woke up instantly at the sound, instinctively reaching for his waist—the small skinning knife appeared in his hand.

Teacher Yan gave Yi Luo a stern look, making Yi Luo feel guilty as he rubbed his nose and lowered his head.

Seeming to remember he wasn’t in the wild, He Wuning slowly relaxed and rubbed his temples, "Did I fall asleep?"

He was surprised that Teacher Yan hadn’t woken him up.

Teacher Yan snorted, "If you’re awake, go home. Are you planning to eat here?"

He Wuning: "..."

The brief moment of gentleness seemed like an illusion.

He Wuning silently stood up, seemingly unsurprised by Yi Luo’s presence and not offering to take Q-jam from him. Instead, he pointed in a direction, "The car is outside."

Yi Luo felt a bit like he was being summoned and dismissed, thinking he deserved some compensation for fixing the car.

He raised an eyebrow, but his tone softened slightly, "Didn’t you sleep all night?"

"Yeah, insomnia," He Wuning answered dismissively.

Who goes around killing monsters when they’re supposed to be sleeping?

Yi Luo stared at him silently for a moment, not calling out his poor lie, and asked directly, "Are you going to team up with me?"

He Wuning seemed surprised by this sudden question and glanced at him oddly, "Everyone knows I never team up with anyone."

He often provided strategy tips to the officials and ranked high on the unofficial player leaderboard. For a while, many people on the forum wanted to team up with him, including some skilled players or those on the leaderboard, but He Wuning had never responded to any of them.

"Others are others, I am me," Yi Luo said confidently, "Maybe you’ll actually like me."

He Wuning looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Okay, besides finding you interesting, there’s a special situation," Yi Luo sobered up, "I reported your ability and mentioned your potential hidden encounters. Now you’re a priority protection target. If I hadn’t intervened, a squad would probably be following you right now."

He Wuning imagined the scene and couldn’t help frowning, regretting telling Yi Luo about the administrator permissions.

Yi Luo spoke in a persuasive tone, "Think about it, wouldn’t it be better with just me rather than a whole squad?"

"I told you Bai Yan barely survived, and now we have another fully functional you. They want to protect you with layers of people."

His tone sounded like he was coaxing someone, and He Wuning couldn’t help raising an eyebrow, "What exactly will you do if you follow me?"

"Fix the car, taste test food, level skills..." Yi Luo counted on his fingers, paused, and smiled, "And provide emotional support—dating, if you will."

He Wuning: "..."

"Just kidding," Yi Luo saw He Wuning’s expression turning sour and backed off, "Mainly ensuring your safety and covering your back when necessary."

He tapped He Wuning’s forehead lightly, who didn’t flinch. Yi Luo laughed, "If you’re truly in danger, I’ll give you a shot to send you home."

He Wuning remained expressionless, "Not needed."

Yi Luo sensed that He Wuning wasn’t really angry earlier, but now he seemed genuinely displeased.

"I don’t want a teammate who thinks about shooting me," He Wuning said sternly, "I don’t need protection. I can handle things alone."

"The announcement went out today, encouraging everyone to operate in squads for safety." Yi Luo wasn’t sure which nerve he had touched, but he wasn’t about to give up easily.

"Encouragement, not coercion." He Wuning walked forward without looking back. "You're following me, but what about the other vehicles?"

"There aren't that many." Yi Luo pondered for a moment. "Oh, there's someone who can drive an excavator after awakening, but they care much more about the vehicles than you do. You break them the fastest. If I need to come back, I will. Besides, you'll have to return to resupply anyway, right?"

He Wuning remained silent.

Yi Luo shook his head helplessly. "Why are you so reluctant? I thought you liked me."

He reached out and put his arm around He Wuning's shoulders. He Wuning seemed like he was about to explode, but Yi Luo acted as if he didn't notice—or perhaps he noticed but didn't intend to let go. He coaxed him like a child, "Give it a chance? Brother He."

He Wuning looked unyielding. "…You have quite a thick skin."

"Hmm." Yi Luo didn't deny it. "I've had it since I was little."

He Wuning stopped walking, seemingly considering his proposal seriously. "It could work."

Yi Luo was about to smile when He Wuning continued, "But let's get one thing straight."

"I won't die, and I don't need others risking their lives to save me."

"If you want to be my teammate, there's only one condition: you're not allowed to die, at least not before me."

He Wuning stared into Yi Luo's eyes, who met his gaze without flinching. "What if we encounter a monster neither of us can handle?"

He Wuning raised his chin. "I'll fight; you run."

"No way." Yi Luo firmly refused.

He Wuning frowned and tried to push his hand away, but Yi Luo held him tighter. "I think it should be based on our abilities. If you can kill me, then I live. If I can kill you, then you live."

He smiled. "How about it?"

He Wuning withdrew his gaze and grunted without answering, but he didn't verbally object either. Yi Luo took it as agreement.

Yi Luo pointed ahead. "Wait, let's go register first."

He Wuning's steps hesitated slightly. Yi Luo patted him reassuringly. "Teammate registration, just a formality."

"By the way, Qi Xue and the others are at the training ground now. On the way, do you want to see them?"

"Those kids keep asking about you whenever they get the chance."

He Wuning remained silent, but Yi Luo knew that this person would say no even if he wanted to. Silence usually meant consent.

...

The training ground was bustling with mostly healthy young people. Qi Xue, Long Teng, and the other children looked small among them, but no one commented.

Their training focuses were different. The chubby kid kept getting thrown off the mat, eventually becoming a flattened pancake of despair. Qi Xue started with physical conditioning, while Long Teng was learning shooting.

None of them were doing particularly well, especially Long Teng, whose shots were wildly off target. The instructor shook his head every time he saw him.

The chubby kid gloated, "Brother Long, you're not very good, are you?"

Long Teng angrily rubbed his big head. "What do you know! It just means my talent isn't in this area! Besides, guns aren't that great. Have you seen Brother He? With just a small knife, he's unstoppable..."

Qi Xue whispered, "I saw Yi Luo using a gun."

A professional one.

The chubby kid wondered aloud, "Brother Long, which of those two is stronger?"

Long Teng, full of admiration for his idol He Wuning but also respectful towards Yi Luo, considered carefully. "Well, it depends on the situation. Distance matters."

"Haven't you heard?"

Long Teng gestured, "Beyond seven steps, guns are faster. Within seven steps..."

Before he could finish, Yi Luo suddenly appeared behind him and pressed his hand on his head, smiling. "Within seven steps, guns are both accurate and fast."

"Practice hard, don't slack off."

Long Teng blushed and glanced at He Wuning, muttering almost inaudibly, "Within seven steps, it might be Brother He who's stronger."

Yi Luo turned to He Wuning with interest. "Is that so, Brother He?"

"Not at all," He Wuning said disinterestedly, lifting his eyelids slightly. "You're faster."