Chapter 35: Rose’s Companionship

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Rose’s Companionship

Dropped suddenly to the ground, the felon looked up, glaring fiercely at the two of them.

Huai Yu was also stunned. "What’s wrong?"

"Just in case," Lin Xuefeng smiled. "After acquiring a Superpower, some people’s abilities undergo a secondary mutation. And for a portion of them, their Five Senses are greatly enhanced.

"We’ve chatted about too many things we shouldn’t have. I was worried he might have overheard."

Huai Yu sighed. If she hadn’t been alone for so long, and if Lin Xuefeng hadn’t felt so reassuring, she wouldn’t have blurted out so many things she shouldn’t have.

But the mental relaxation she felt right now was incredibly satisfying. She looked at him curiously and asked, "Then how do we make sure whether he heard us or not?"

Lin Xuefeng raised an eyebrow. "Make sure? We don’t need to."

He added with a hint of regret, "It’s a pity. When the Mutant Value is unstable, the Rose Corridor strongly dislikes bloodshed and conflict. So—"

THUD!

A stream of water silently wrapped around the felon’s head, then instantly compressed inward with immense force.

Huai Yu could only watch as the man’s previously vicious gaze instantly went blank, his eyes bulging to their absolute limits.

Accompanied by a muffled sound that seemed to come from underwater, his hard skull caved in. Red and pink matter slowly oozed out, and a thick, pinkish liquid began to drip from his nasal cavity.

His cry of pain ended the moment it began. Now, only an empty shell of consciousness lingered on its last breath, the sound of his breathing almost imperceptible.

The encapsulating water sphere did not disperse. It continued to swirl around his head, ensuring that not a single drop of blood or brain matter spilled out.

Lin Xuefeng turned around, his expression clear and bright. "Huai Yu, let me teach you one more thing. When it’s time to strike, do not hesitate. Never give any insignificant nobody the chance to turn the tables and interfere with you."

His actions were so decisive, without a shred of hesitation. Huai Yu was stunned by the sight—so clearly bloody, yet inexplicably quiet—and her face instantly turned pale.

But then she nodded, her eyes shining brightly. "Okay, I’ll remember that. But what if he dies?"

"Nothing. A felon escaping from prison, resisting law enforcement... Does that even need an explanation?"

Lin Xuefeng spoke with confidence, but his face instantly crumpled into a frown. "Sigh. Once he stops breathing, I still have to drop him off at the gates of the Defense Army... How troublesome."

Huai Yu sat back down and rested her chin in her hands as she watched him. She couldn’t help but feel that this man was very interesting, and his way of doing things was just as fascinating.

Still, it was so unfair! She wondered, "I told him my secrets, yet he hasn’t revealed anything about himself. Could his name be fake too?"

He had brought the man inside for some on-the-spot teaching, as well as to ensure the absolute safety of the Rose Corridor. But now, seeing that the man was exhaling more than inhaling and could no longer make a sound, Lin Xuefeng dragged him back outside with a look of pure disgust.

The room fell silent once more. Huai Yu pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding; it had all been incredibly thrilling.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, then looked at Lin Xuefeng. "You still haven’t told me what you’re going to the Wilderness for."

Lin Xuefeng coaxed her with a smile, "I can’t tell you that. Hmm, that Rose is very beautiful. Could you give it to me?"

"You’re taking a flower to the Wilderness?" Huai Yu asked, puzzled.

His smile didn’t waver. "I feel that having it with me will be very romantic."

"Then you..." She wanted to ask more, but Lin Xuefeng waved a hand at her. "Huai Yu, it’s very late. You should get some rest."

Huai Yu was indeed exhausted.

She had been running around all day, overdrawing her Superpower several times, and the night had brought relentless mental stimulation. She shouldn’t have been able to sleep so soundly, but remembering Lin Xuefeng’s abilities gave her an unexpected sense of security.

She nodded. "Alright then..."

Taking off her jacket, she crawled into her sleeping bag. She had intended to say a few more words, but her mind had barely churned for a second before she succumbed to the fatigue and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

The room was dim. A blurry, flowing Water Curtain, resembling a wall of water, split the treehouse in two. Through it, the flickering, tangerine glow of a fire was faintly visible. It was the only source of light in the pitch-black room.

"What is this..." Huai Yu stared blankly for a moment before unzipping her sleeping bag and sitting up. She raised her wrist and squinted at the blurry numbers.

It was ten o’clock in the morning!

The sound of rain beating against the roof hadn’t stopped, though it had noticeably lightened. The room was entirely empty, and the door curtain was pulled tight, leaving only a tiny crack.

Where was Lin Xuefeng?

Huai Yu got out of bed and hesitantly pressed her palm against the Water Curtain. In an instant, the entire screen collapsed to the floor like cascading folds of silk. After pausing briefly on the blue brick floor, the water swiftly flowed out toward both sides due to the floor’s slope.

Was this meant to protect her?

Huai Yu curiously inspected her palm. The texture had been icy cold, yet her hand wasn’t wet at all. It was very strange.

She pushed aside the door curtain, allowing the gloomy daylight from outside to filter in, instantly brightening the room.

It was only then that Huai Yu noticed the room... looked different.

Take the curtain she had just lifted, for example. Originally, she had braided it out of three strands and lashed them together. Her weaving had been uneven and jagged, with numerous broken grass stems poking out at odd angles. Since she had been working with dry grass, which lacked flexibility, Huai Yu felt it hadn’t been her fault.

But now, the grass curtain had been replaced. The strands of dry grass were layered neatly, woven with the meticulous warp and weft of a proper straw mat. Hanging over the door, it made the entire treehouse look far more complete.

She looked around the room.

The Rose in the makeshift vase by the bed had disappeared. However, the simple cabinets and stools she had cobbled together, as well as the blue brick floor, had been thoroughly washed clean of all mud and grime. The clothes she had hung up but hadn’t gotten around to washing were now immaculate; they didn’t hold a trace of dampness and felt perfectly dry. Then there were the pots and bowls from last night... and her old-fashioned bicycle leaning against the wall, previously caked in dirt and grass clippings... Everything was spotless. Someone had even woven three vine baskets of varying sizes!

Filled with pleasant surprises, Huai Yu examined the room all the way back to her bed. There, resting on a blue brick by the headboard, she found a small, crystal-clear Ice Sculpture!

The Ice Sculpture wasn’t carved into any particular shape. Instead, it formed a solid base with a single line of text crystallized on top:

[Thank you for your Rose — Lin Xuefeng]

She opened her mouth, entirely at a loss for words for a long time. Finally, she let out a fierce, regretful sigh. "The Snail Maiden!"

The Snail Maiden was gone, but Huai Yu’s life had to go on.

The felon was nowhere to be seen. Huai Yu turned and entered the shed, only to freeze in her tracks once more.

The messy pile of branches and hard logs that she had haphazardly dragged in during her frantic rush had been chopped into perfectly neat, uniform segments. Some of the thicker logs had even been split in half. They were stacked in meticulous order by size against the edge of the shed. While the sheer quantity wasn’t massive, it was incredibly pleasing to the eye.

Huai Yu tentatively picked up a piece of firewood. She realized that these fresh branches, which she had hauled back just the day before yesterday, had all their moisture completely drained out, making them light as a feather. At the very least, they definitely wouldn’t produce thick, damp smoke when burned.

Recalling the Ice Sculpture sitting by her bed, a sudden wave of melancholy welled up from the bottom of her heart.