Chapter 35 The Perfect Group, Yu Xing Undergoes Surgery

Chapter 35: The Perfect Team: Yu Xing's Surgery

"Ke Yuan, you should join another team. Ours is already full," Fei Mingming said to Ke Yuan, a hint of apology in his voice.

Ke Yuan fell silent, a surge of anger rising within him. He had been the first to approach Fei Mingming, yet Fei Mingming had accepted four others right in front of him, even putting on an apologetic act.

But before his anger could fully surface, a smile plastered itself onto his face.

"Oh… alright then," Ke Yuan said, taking two steps back before turning to leave.

As he stepped out of the room, the faint violet moonlight fell upon him, and his heart turned cold.

He had thought becoming one of the Divine Chosen was the start of good fortune—that he would join the Divine Chosen Team, then move his entire family to Zone B to live a prosperous and dignified life. But upon arriving at the church, he realized that even among the Divine Chosen, there were significant disparities.

The Divine Chosen from wealthy families not only knew more than him, had higher mental strength, and better physical abilities, but they were also far more skilled in using their Divine Skills. Compared to them, his own clumsy attempts at using Divine Skills felt like an insult to the God of Steel.

Dejected, he wandered out of the dormitory, beginning to doubt whether he would ever successfully join the Divine Chosen Team. He thought of his family’s hopeful eyes, their tiny, dilapidated home in Zone C…

"There he is!"

Suddenly, Ke Yuan heard a voice. He looked up to see four figures running toward him from the darkness.

"Ke Yuan’s here!" He heard Yu Xing—the one from Zone D who had been standing out ever since arriving at the church—shouting.

Then, he was blocked at the doorway by the four of them. Ke Yuan wasn’t genetically gifted, so he wasn’t particularly tall. Hemmed in by four girls all over five-foot-seven, he immediately felt a sense of pressure.

"Ke Yuan," Yu Xing said, "Would you like to join our team? We’re just missing one person."

Ke Yuan’s eyes widened. Someone was actually inviting him to join their team… even if it was the team everyone considered the least likely to win. But… he swallowed hard and nodded vigorously. "Yeah!"

"Great! I… I-I…" Too excited to speak clearly, Ke Yuan stuttered, "I’d love to!"

The four in front of him laughed. Only then did Ke Yuan realize with shock that Zhao Lan had also joined Yu Xing’s team.

"Ke Yuan, you found a team willing to take you?"

The voice came from behind him—Fei Mingming.

"Oh, so it’s Yu Xing’s team," Fei Mingming said as he came out of the dorm. Then, in surprise, he added, "Huh? Zhao Lan?"

"You joined Yu Xing’s team?" Fei Mingming asked in disbelief.

Zhao Lan stood calmly to the side and nodded. "Yes."

"But…" Fei Mingming wanted to ask, *Don’t you want to win?* Then he noticed Da Ya in the group.

It clicked. *Ah, Zhao Lan must have joined for Da Ya’s sake. She really puts friendship first. Too bad friendship won’t win the competition.*

Other teams that weren’t yet full also noticed the situation. Immediately, someone shouted, "Zhao Lan, come join our team! We still have spots!"

"Zhao Lan, join us! You can be the leader!"

Ke Yuan glanced worriedly at Zhao Lan, only to see her smiling as she declined them all. "No, no, I’ve already joined a team. Don’t say things like that in front of my teammates—they’ll feel bad."

With that, Zhao Lan waved for everyone to return to Yu Xing’s dormitory. The others watched as the five of them left, muttering to each other.

"Has Zhao Lan gone crazy? Joining *that* team?"

"Don’t say that. Yu Xing is strong—she’s killed mutated creatures before."

"But what good are two strong members? Can two people carry three weak links?"

It was true. Da Ya and Miao Yuanjin had no offensive capabilities, and Ke Yuan was a failure who struggled to use his Divine Skill properly. The team relied entirely on Yu Xing and Zhao Lan. How could they possibly win? They were likely to lose.

At first, Ke Yuan had thought Yu Xing’s team had only approached him because they had no other options. But now he realized that wasn’t the case. There were still plenty of people without teams, yet they had still chosen him.

The thought made Ke Yuan’s nose tingle with emotion. He almost cried right there in front of his new teammates.

Once the dormitory door was closed behind them, Zhao Lan said, "From now on, we’re teammates."

The five of them, who had all been preoccupied with their own thoughts, looked at each other. In each other’s eyes, they saw resolve.

"Next, we need to discuss how we’re going to win," Zhao Lan said, her expression turning serious.

Everyone waited attentively for her next words. Zhao Lan continued, "First, we need to choose a leader. If we ever disagree on something, the leader’s decision will be final."

No one objected. Zhao Lan nodded. "Now, let’s vote. When I count down from five, point to whoever you want as leader."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One!"

The moment Zhao Lan said "one," all five of them pointed at the same time.

Then, silence fell. Ke Yuan was shocked.

Yu Xing and Ke Yuan had both pointed at Zhao Lan, while the other three had pointed at Yu Xing.

"Good," Zhao Lan said, satisfied. "An overwhelming victory. This means our team won’t be stuck arguing."

Ke Yuan: *"..."* Three to two—how is that overwhelming?

Yu Xing gave Zhao Lan a deep look. *She hides her feelings well, but in the end, she still gave herself away. She really does have a crush on me!*

Miao Yuanjin was happy with how it turned out, but she couldn’t understand Da Ya’s choice. "Why did you pick Yu Xing?"

Da Ya widened her pretty eyes. "When no one else wanted me, Xing was the first to invite me without a second thought. Of course I’d choose her."

Then she turned the question back on Miao Yuanjin. "Weren’t you always arguing with her? Why did *you* pick her?"

Miao Yuanjin: *"..."*

She quickly glanced at Yu Xing, her cheeks flushing slightly. Defensively, she muttered, "I just know her the best, that’s all."

Truthfully, Miao Yuanjin’s feelings toward Yu Xing were complicated. On one hand, Yu Xing was incredibly annoying, always picking on her. But earlier, when she had told Yu Xing to go get Zhao Lan, Yu Xing had actually listened and brought Zhao Lan back. It made her feel like Yu Xing truly valued her words.

She suddenly realized that Yu Xing wasn’t so bad after all. Sure, she had a mouthy way of speaking, but she was reliable when it mattered.

Of course, the main reason she had voted for Yu Xing was that she knew no one would vote for *her*, so she might as well give her vote to Yu Xing—at least they were roommates.

"Guess I’m the leader, then," Yu Xing said, accepting the result somewhat reluctantly.

"Leader," Zhao Lan said to Yu Xing.

"Leader!" Da Ya exclaimed.

"Le-leader." Ke Yuan felt conflicted. He was from District C, while Yu Xing was a commoner from District D—yet now, that commoner had become their leader.

"Leader." Miao Yuanjin's voice was soft.

"So, regarding how to lead our group to final victory," Zhao Lan asked, "Leader, do you have any good ideas?"

Yu Xing: "Well…" If possible, she wanted to pull out her magic staff and blast through darkness with lightning.

"What are your thoughts?" Yu Xing deflected.

"First," Zhao Lan looked at Ke Yuan, "Ke Yuan needs to train hard in his Divine Skill and strive to master it."

Ke Yuan winced and said, "I'll do my best."

"Then there's Da Ya." Zhao Lan turned to Da Ya. "No Divine Skill is worthless. I've thought about it—though Da Ya's Divine Skill has no attack power on its own, it can be used in combination with mine. My Divine Skill can only freeze one person at a time when used alone, but if coordinated well with Da Ya's, perhaps I can freeze more than one at once."

After a brief moment of thought, Da Ya understood and immediately grew excited. "Great, great! I knew I was useful!"

"As for Yuan Jin…" Zhao Lan's gaze at Miao Yuanjin was somewhat hesitant.

Miao Yuanjin pressed her lips tightly together, her pride shattered by repeated setbacks.

She turned her face away, her voice hoarse as she tried to salvage her dignity. "I know I'm useless, but only here. Once I graduate from the church, plenty of people will fight to have me. I am the Moon God's Beloved, after all!"

Zhao Lan frowned slightly. She could tell Miao Yuanjin wasn't as indifferent as she pretended to be.

"Who said you're useless?" Just as Miao Yuanjin was using all her strength not to cry, Yu Xing spoke up.

"She's very useful," Yu Xing said.

Zhao Lan quickly asked, "How?"

"Look at the five of us." Yu Xing pointed at Ke Yuan. "Ke Yuan is the offensive type, the main attacker."

Ke Yuan was stunned. "Me? The main attacker?"

"Yes." Yu Xing then pointed at Zhao Lan, "You're the controller. Your Divine Skill can control everyone."

Zhao Lan pondered this. She had originally thought she was the main attacker.

"Da Ya is support," Yu Xing pointed at Da Ya. "She assists Zhao Lan."

Da Ya nodded uncertainly, and Yu Xing continued, "As for me, I'm also a main attacker—magic attacker."

"Magic attacker?" Everyone stared blankly at Yu Xing, not understanding what she meant.

"Don't underestimate my attack power." Yu Xing patted her chest. "Ever seen how scary bad luck gets?"

Zhao Lan reluctantly accepted Yu Xing's claim as a main attacker and asked, "Then what about Yuan Jin?"

"We still need a tank!" Yu Xing said matter-of-factly. "She's the perfect tank!"

"…"

For a moment, everyone fell silent. After a long pause, Da Ya hesitantly raised her hand. "What's a tank?"

"A meat shield," Yu Xing explained. "Haven't you played games? Someone with high health points who's hard to kill and blocks damage for the team."

"I don't want to be a meat shield!" Miao Yuanjin shrieked. "I'm not a meat shield at all!"

Everyone glanced at Miao Yuanjin's petite figure, their expressions dubious.

"You'd make a great tank," Yu Xing insisted, trying to convince her. "Your Divine Skill doesn't work on people, but theirs don't work on you either. When the time comes, you just need to protect Zhao Lan and Da Ya. If anyone attacks them with their Divine Skill, you rush in and block the attack. Isn't that the perfect meat shield?"

"…"

Everyone fell silent again. For the first time, they realized that the precious Moon God's Beloved, who was supposed to be protected by everyone, could be used this way.

Zhao Lan's eyes lit up. She gazed at Miao Yuanjin with newfound respect and said, "You really are so useful. Then I'll be counting on you—you must protect me well."

Miao Yuanjin: "…"

Miao Yuanjin was livid. She was the most exalted Moon God's Beloved—people were supposed to protect her, not the other way around! Why was she being turned into a meat shield?!

"You don't want to?" Yu Xing fluttered her eyelashes at Miao Yuanjin. "You don't want to protect us?"

Miao Yuanjin: "…"

Night fell. The church's rules stated that no one could wander outside the dormitory after 10 PM. Miao Yuanjin lay in bed fuming, while Yu Xing scrolled through her Terminal.

The person who had sent her a DM earlier had replied.

"Who is Sister Xiu to you? Why are you looking for the man in the photo?"

Yu Xing sat up straight immediately upon reading this. The tone—could the sender really be Sister Xiu's boyfriend? After some thought, she replied:

"What's it matter to you who she is? If I'm looking for someone, I have my reasons. If you don't want to say anything, forget it."

Yu Xing had started this search just curious, never expecting to actually find the person. If the sender really was Sister Xiu's boyfriend, his cowardly refusal to admit it made her lose interest. She thought Sister Xiu deserved better than someone like him.

Just as she assumed the conversation was over, the other person invited her to meet offline.

"Some things are hard to explain online. If you really want to find that man, we should meet face-to-face when you have the chance."

Yu Xing: "?"

"Bring the photo."

Yu Xing: "…"

Meeting strangers didn't scare her, but she was swamped with training.

The other person asked again:

"Are you in the Seven Cities? We could meet in District C whenever you're free."

Yu Xing hesitated before replying:

"My schedule's packed lately. Not sure when I’ll be free."

After a long silence, the other person sent another message:

"I’m free anytime. Just contact me whenever you’re available."

Staring at the message, Yu Xing thought it might take ages before she had time—probably not until after church training.

It was already very late. Following her usual routine, Yu Xing sent goodnight texts to Gu Ya and Mei Hexuan before going to sleep.

At the Gu family villa, Gu Ya couldn't focus on his terminal. At this moment, he was kneeling on the floor, his clothes torn and his body covered in wounds, trembling uncontrollably.

His father sat before him, holding a whip and pointing it at his nose as he demanded, "Still not talking?"

Gu Ya took several deep breaths, trying to keep his voice steady so he wouldn’t sound too pathetic. "I don’t even know Miao Yuanjin. How could I have bullied her?"

"Still lying?" Gu's father looked at his son with disdain. "If you didn’t bully her, why would her father personally come to me about this?"

Miao Yuanjin’s father was a name that carried weight to Gu Ya. His mind reeled for a moment, and he struggled to lift his head. "He came to you personally… to say I bullied Miao Yuanjin?"

"Hmph." Gu's father snorted coldly, his meaning clear.

Gu Ya was dumbfounded. It was actually Miao Yuanjin’s father who had personally sought out his dad to accuse him of bullying her.

He couldn’t blame his father for misunderstanding—even he himself began to wonder if he had somehow, unknowingly, bullied Miao Yuanjin. After all, with Miao’s father’s status, why would he falsely accuse a junior like him for no reason?

But he really had never met Miao Yuanjin!

Lately, he had been too preoccupied with scheming revenge against Yu Xing to have time to bully anyone else. How could he have possibly bullied Miao Yuanjin?!

"I really didn’t…" Gu Ya felt completely innocent. He was the most unfairly accused person in the world.

*Crack!*

The whip flashed, adding another bloody mark to Gu Ya’s shoulder.

His uncle, with elegant poise, said, "I’ll give you one more chance. Think carefully before you speak."

Gu Ya: "…Ugh."

---

The next morning was another combat training session. Jiang Lingwen stood on the field with her characteristically blank expression, waiting for all the students.

Once everyone had gathered, Jiang Lingwen took out her terminal and asked, "Have you all formed your teams?"

"We have!" Fei Mingming called out.

"Good." Jiang Lingwen was satisfied with their efficiency. Holding her terminal, she said, "Which groups are together? Who are the team leaders? Report to me so I can take note."

Fei Mingming was the first to respond. "I’m the leader. Our team members are Fei Mingming, Mai Kao Fu, Huizi…"

As soon as Fei Mingming finished his report, Yu Xing heard Da Ya urging her. "Our turn."

Yu Xing immediately straightened up and declared, "I’m the leader. Our team members are Yu Xing, Miao Yuanjin, Da Ya, Zhao Lan, Ke Yuan!"

After Yu Xing spoke, Jiang Lingwen looked over at their group with some surprise, as if she hadn’t expected such a combination.

Once all the teams had reported, Jiang Lingwen said, "For the next few days of practical combat, I won’t be teaching you anything. Instead, I’ve invited other instructors to guide you."

As she spoke, she gestured toward the distance, and immediately, seven or eight young men and women in casual clothes walked over.

The eight of them appeared to be in their twenties or thirties—though Yu Xing couldn’t tell their exact ages. Their presence was imposing, very much like… the impression Bai Qinghe and the others gave her.

Sure enough, the next second, she heard Jiang Lingwen say, "They are all members I’ve invited from the Divine Chosen Team. Their Divine Skills correspond to yours. Starting today and until the competition, you’ll be learning how to use your Divine Skills under their guidance."

The students immediately erupted in excitement. To them, the Divine Chosen Team were their idols, the goal they strived toward. To have actual members of the team teaching them was beyond thrilling.

Just as the students couldn’t resist whispering among themselves, Jiang Lingwen added, "Of course, not all of you will have an instructor."

She looked at Da Ya. "For example, the Beloved of the Rain God—because there is no Rain God’s Beloved in Seven Cities’ Divine Chosen Team."

Da Ya: "…"

Da Ya immediately looked utterly devastated. Why did everyone else get a teacher, while she was left with none? Moon God, why are you doing this to me?!

"And then there’s the Beloved of the God of Misfortune." Jiang Lingwen turned to Yu Xing. "Because there is currently no second Beloved of the God of Misfortune in the world."

Da Ya turned to Yu Xing, hoping to see a shared sense of misery in her eyes.

Instead, Yu Xing cheerfully replied, "Got it, understood."

Da Ya: "…" You're not even upset?

"Alright, begin your training." Jiang Lingwen motioned to Yu Xing. "You, come with me."

The reason Jiang Lingwen took Yu Xing aside was that the free treatment she'd requested on Yu Xing’s behalf had been approved. She was now taking Yu Xing to Seven Cities Hospital for surgery.

Seven Cities Hospital was located in District B, the best hospital in the city. From the original host’s memories, most people from District D couldn’t afford treatment there and had to resort to small clinics—hence the proliferation of back-alley clinics in District D.

Though Jiang Lingwen dressed plainly, she drove an incredibly sleek Hovercar. The vehicle was autonomous, and Jiang Lingwen and Yu Xing rode together in back.

"So cool…" Yu Xing remarked with envy. "This car must be expensive, right?"

Jiang Lingwen shook her head. "I don’t know. My mother gave it to me."

So Jiang Lingwen was also wealthy. Yu Xing thought wistfully—how many contaminated zones would she need to purify to become rich?

Perhaps because the silence felt oppressive, Jiang Lingwen asked awkwardly, "How has life in the church been for you?"

She recalled Yu Xing's issues with Miao Yuanjin. As someone born into a wealthy family and having spent many years in the church, Jiang Lingwen knew exactly what kind of behavior to expect from entitled rich kids.

So she said, "If anyone bullies you and you can’t handle it, you can come to me."

"Huh?" Yu Xing, distracted by the scenery outside, answered distractedly, "Church life is great. I really like it here. The rooms are spacious and clean, the beds are comfortable, and the cafeteria food is delicious. Since coming here, I finally get to eat three square meals instead of living on nutrient packs."

Yu Xing had spoken casually, but Jiang Lingwen’s face became unreadable.

She suddenly wondered if forcing Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin into the same team to reconcile their differences had been a mistake. Had she piled on unnecessary stress and trouble to Yu Xing’s already difficult life?

After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Lingwen said, "If you don’t want to be in the same team as Miao Yuanjin, I can separate you…"

"Not at all." Yu Xing was confused by the offer and quickly became defensive. "I think our team is great! Everyone’s abilities balance each other out. We work together perfectly—please don’t split us up. All five of us are essential!"

Jiang Lingwen: "…"

The defensiveness and earnestness in Yu Xing’s eyes were genuine, leaving Jiang Lingwen completely perplexed. She thought back to yesterday’s fight between Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin, then considered the five members of Yu Xing’s team.

She couldn't begin to understand—how exactly did these five complement each other? And why were they "essential"?

The Hovercar stopped automatically at the hospital entrance. As soon as they got out, a male and female hospital staffer approached, greeting Jiang Lingwen first before turning their attention to Yu Xing.

The male doctor looked Yu Xing over with an inscrutable look. "So this is the first Beloved of the God of Misfortune?"

"Yes." Jiang Lingwen nodded, then explained to Yu Xing, "After hearing about your condition, the director of Seven Cities Hospital decided to cover the surgery costs."

Really? For free? Yu Xing was a little worried. Jiang Lingwen had mentioned that both her cardiac and ocular procedures would be done at once. Would such an extensive procedure be dangerous?

No, Yu Xing told herself. With the level of technology here, a procedure like this shouldn’t pose any risk. Her only concern was the recovery time—what if it interfered with the church’s competition? Without her, what if their team lost?

Dr. George led Yu Xing and Jiang Lingwen to an operating room, which was divided into two sections: an observation room and the actual surgery room.

Inside the surgery room, there was nothing but a single Treatment Pod.

"Lie down inside," Dr. George instructed, pointing at the pod.

That's it? Yu Xing was skeptical. No prep or anything?