Chapter 324: Chance Encounter I
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"My dear lady, how can I be of service?" This came from a young man in black formal wear. He was a handsome fine man with an air of politeness and a smile that spelt mischief; in short - he was a ladykiller. In fact, he had a long and successful history of winning over girls. Aside from that, given the situation, who would reject his advances? He laughed to himself inside as he looked at the woman in white training garb before him confidently.
If his guards had not arrived at the academy in time, the academy grounds would have been full of corpses by now. The Elante Family had a thousand mech pilots stationed on Zhou Jian planet. While it was a pity that only 500 of them came to his rescue, Xiye was already quite satisfied. The academy’s safety was now in his hands.
When Engradie Academy was plunged into crisis, the 500 war mechs had arrived to restore order. They quickly cleared the academy grounds of mutants and rescued many students and teachers.
As an aristocrat, Xiye understood his advantage. The Elante Family was on par with the likes of aristocratic families like the Shi Family and the Mi Family. While they were still a level below the Three Aristocratic Families, it did not really matter. Here in Engradie Academy, he was free to do as he pleased. There were only two people he had to be wary about, but they did not seem to be in the school at the moment.
He knew that true descendants of any of the Three Aristocratic Families would receive secret internal training since young. It was when they were 14 years old that they would be sent to other Academies for further studies, and always under disguise. Only the Elante Family that specialized in intel would know of this secretive precaution.
The young woman in white before him had hooked his interest. What with her refreshing aura! Tsk tsk, she must be some kind of combat expert, and she kept a serious expression on her face. Xiye imagined her looking sweet and mellow beside him, and felt his pulse quickened. However, he also thought it odd - such a peculiar lady should be famous in the academy, so why had he never heard of her? And who was that girl she was carrying on her back? Was it her sister?
"For shame, for shame, I’ve neglected my research," Xiye thought to himself.
Rui Bing took a glance at Xiye. She was obviously not taken by the man in black formal wear. Her expression turned cold as she said plainly, "Please leave."
"What a personality!" Xiye’s eyes lit up. As an experienced ladies’ man, he could tell the character of the other party with just few words. He smiled sincerely and said, "Please believe me, I mean no harm. Your sister does not look well, is she ill? We have professional doctors here, perhaps they might be able to assist you." Roundabout ways to speaking were usually quite effective.
Rui Bing’s face showed hesitation. On her back, Shi Fuyin was indeed not in good condition. She could feel the heat coming from her back. Shi Fuyin was having a fever.
"Thank you," Rui Bing answered succinctly, but not looking the least bit grateful. Aside from Ye Chong, she did not like talking to other men.
Xiye bowed slightly and replied politely, "I’m deeply honored to be of service!" He was secretly pleased. If she accepted his help, the rest will be easier.
Shi Fuyin was not well. However, with the excellent facilities available at Engradie Academy, and Xiye’s ingratiation, Shi Fuyin’s condition was eased.
Rui Bing ignored Xiye. She sat down cross-legged and did not move, guarding Shi Fuyin.
Ye Chong and company finally arrived at Engradie Academy. Together with him were Bi Bo, Mi De, Fatty and Fei Si. The rats had vanished from the streets, but it was still a horrible sight to behold. The roads were lined with corpses, and there were traces of blood and organs everywhere. Some of the bodies were already chewed to an unrecognizable state. The buildings that lined the streets were also in desperate need of repair.
Even someone like Ye Chong, who was no stranger to chaos, was moved by the sight of the disaster. The rest of them were even more so. Bi Bo’s recorder brought this spectacle to his viewers. The video caused quite a stir. Many of the audiences vomited on the spot. Fear and panic began to spread among the public.
Mi De and Fatty quickly noticed the recorder in Bi Bo’s hands. They were not like Ye Chong, who did not recognize what it was. Due to their family backgrounds, they were sensitive to reporters. Bi Bo quickly noticed their attention on him and switched off his recorder. Bi Bo’s decision invited protests from the audience. Five seconds later, the customer service department of the Green Planet Channel was overwhelmed by numerous requests. The entire Group grew extremely anxious, but Bi Bo had not only switched off his recorder, but also his comms device as well.
What happened later, and where the nameless young man had vanished to, remained mysteries till today.
The holographic screen turned dark.
"Boss Mu, are we going to planet Zhou Jian ?" Lian Yue asked carefully. Zhu Ling and Little Rock both looked to Mu. Only Qiu Man gave a cold laugh.
Mu shook his large head. "No, our position is too weak for now. The probability of us being destroyed before reaching Ye is above 95 percent. Besides, it will take at least 25 days for us to reach planet Zhou Jian. By then, there is an 80 to 85 percent probability that Ye has left the planet. Many experts on the virtual world were recently focusing on Zhou Jian. I had no opportunity to hack in."
Everyone went silent.
At Engradie Academy.
An ugly looking middle-aged man shook his head vigorously. "Ultra-micro analyzer? No, no. What can a young woman like you do? Don’t worry, our academy’s experts are all working on it, there will be results out soon. Rest assured, once the results are out, our academy will publish it all for public access."
Everyone exchanged glances speechlessly. Mi De and Fatty each went to one side of the overweight middle-aged man. Mi De smiled and said, "Come on now, Director. We’re just using that bl*ody thing for a while, really, it’s just for a moment, just a very short while."
The Director of Teaching Affairs immediately cut him off and yelled angrily, "What bl*ody thing? That’s an ultra-micro analyzer, an ultra-micro analyzer, alright? The only one on the entire planet!" The director gestured emotionally with his one fat finger.
"Yes yes yes!" Fatty quickly continued the exchange, putting on a flattering smile. "Don’t mind him, Director, what would he know? This ultra-micro analyzer is the most precious thing, only an aristocratic academy like ours will have. The young lady’s from a public academy, she’s never seen anything so high tech. Yeah, we should let her get a taste of it, err, educating students from other academies is also one of the noble duties of our fine academy!" Fatty spoke while quietly passing a card over to the Director.
The Director of Teaching Affairs caressed the card in a familiar gesture and immediately smiled and nodded, "You know best, fatty! Hmm, now that I think about it, you’re right, we and the Ze Xi Academy have shared a long history of friendship. Assisting them with their students is also a good deed! Ha, a marvellous idea!"
Mi De and Fatty quickly nodded and smiled agreeably while the rest of the group watched in stupefaction.
The Director led everyone into the alchemy building, reminding them, "There are many wounded, and the academy’s hospital is damaged, so the wounded students are all placed here. Please try to stay quiet and not disturb the patients."
Everyone nodded, thinking that the Director’s attitude towards the students was actually not bad.
"Sister Bing, it’s so stuffy in here, I’d like to go out," Shi Fuyin spoke softly. "As expected, they are a pair of beautiful sisters," thought Xiye, who had waited near them for some time. As an expert ladykiller, he knew the importance of patience. How can one expect to have a beautiful lady’s willing company without some patience? What he was doing now was akin to slowly simmering a dish, awaiting its final result.
"Hmm, alright!" Rui Bing opened her eyes and abruptly stood up. She lifted Shi Fuyin easily and left for the outdoors, moving quickly without giving so much as a glance at Xiye nearby. If he had not helped Shi Fuyin to secure a spot for treatment, she would have physically forced the annoying man away.
A group of people was coming from in front of her, led by a middle-aged man that looked like on of the higher-ups of the academy. Rui Bing slowed down her steps.
Ye Chong was now having a considerable headache. Blue lines were jiggling all over his vision, annoying as h*ll. If not for his mental fortitude, he would have gone crazy. He could even feel his vision degraded because of them.
Ye Chong unknowingly took a glance at Rui Bing, coming from opposite the corridor.
Rui Bing stopped abruptly, her eyes glowing bright as she yelled coldly, "Who is it?" Her white training garb fluttered in the still air.
Ye Chong felt like his head was whacked, and the blue lines vanished from his vision. This sudden change startled him greatly.
The lady in the snow white training garb! Ye Chong stopped walking despite otherwise.
He looked at the woman carrying another young lady, wearing that familiar snow white training garb. Her face was as refreshing and crisp as clear snow. Ye Chong’s mental impression of the face wearing the white training garb now turned up clearly.
The white training garb enveloped a pair of soft but callused hands. Her smooth, fair neck, and that unforgettable sweetness that he tasted on the tip of his tongue all came back to him.
Rui Bing’s eyes also landed on Ye Chong. Did that feeling of being watched come from him? The person looked familiar, be it his figure or his movements, but the face was a stranger to her.
Ye Chong stared dumbly at Rui BIng. He was reminded of Shang, of Mu, and of his time at Blue Ocean Academy. For a moment, he was lost in his memories.
The rest of the group gave a curious look at Rui Bing, who was carrying Shi Fuyin. What’s with the question? No one did anything strange. The Director of Teaching Affairs began to lecture, "Dear student, please lower your voice, don’t disturb the other students …"
The first to notice Ye Chong’s strange behavior was Fei Si. His face was blank most of the time, so the sudden emotions that showed on his face was too obvious to go unnoticed.
Ye Chong recovered himself, and quickly thought of a very important question that needed answering. He finally stepped forward before Rui Bing.
"It’s me!" Ye Chong said. He was not sure if the lady in the white training garb still remembered him.