Chapter 85

Bai She looked at Zhao Zhu, and Zhao Zhu looked at Bai She. Both felt a cold and complex aura from the other, a mix of being natural enemies and mutual respect.

Zhao Zhu absolutely did not think that he had done something good to move Bai She to appear suddenly, as he hadn’t done anything good recently, and had instead caused quite a bit of bloodshed. Moreover, the Bai She in front of him didn’t seem to be a good character either, the cold aura emanating from it made Zhao Zhu feel a chill from the depths of his heart.

The two remained in a standoff for about a quarter of an hour. Suddenly, Bai She lowered its body and approached Zhao Zhu’s chest. Its head rubbed against Zhao Zhu’s shoulder, as if it was attached to something. Zhao Zhu suddenly understood, as that position was where his jade hairpin tattoo was located. Could it be that the aura from the jade hairpin attracted this Bai She?

So, was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Bai She flicked its tongue, its head pressed against Zhao Zhu’s shoulder, and its body involuntarily coiled around Zhao Zhu. This scene looked extremely bizarre. If this were to be captured and posted online, it would surely attract a lot of attention, but fortunately, there was no one around Zhao Zhu, so it saved him a lot of trouble.

Zhao Zhu felt his tattoo area start to warm up, and then a warm sensation was drawn out of his body, as if entering Bai She’s body. Bai She seemed to enjoy it, continuously wriggling and emitting excited physical signals.

This was not a one-sided gift or a one-sided plunder. Zhao Zhu also felt a cool, mint-like sensation transfer from Bai She to his mind. His mental power began to grow at a speed that even surprised him...

Under the night sky, the man and the snake each took what they needed.

For Zhao Zhu, he could not directly obtain the power of the jade hairpin. Apart from the warning it gave in dangerous situations, he could not use or control its other abilities. Of course, the appearance of the graceful figure last night to massage him was also similar, as Zhao Zhu could not guarantee that the figure would appear every night. Perhaps it was because he stayed in an ancient-style room that night, which made the "spirit" in the jade hairpin feel nostalgic and manifest. Such a thing was a rare occurrence, and it was unlikely to happen again.

Now, it was clear that Bai She was drawing the power of the jade hairpin from his body, but in return, it was giving Zhao Zhu its mental power. As for why it was giving back, Bai She probably understood that if it only took, Zhao Zhu wouldn’t continue to be so passive.

"Boom!"

Zhao Zhu felt his mental power in his mind accumulate to a certain level and then transform, as if a quantitative change led to a qualitative change, elevating the level of his mental power. Originally, Zhao Zhu had only exchanged for a G-level mental constitution, but now, his mental power level had been upgraded due to this Bai She, reaching the F-level mental constitution, and the improvement was still ongoing!

After about half an hour, Bai She slowly crawled off Zhao Zhu’s body and returned to the water, entering West Lake.

Zhao Zhu closed his eyes, feeling the mental storm within his body. Then, he slowly opened his eyes, a glint of sharpness in his gaze. Now, his mental power level had reached the middle of the F-level, which was a pleasant surprise, and a big one at that. At the same time, Zhao Zhu had a premonition and realization that he probably wouldn’t have the chance to see this Bai She again. They had each taken what they needed, and there was no longer any need to meet.

Walking back to his seat, Zhao Zhu drank the tea on the table in one go, a bit of a waste of good tea, but Zhao Zhu was in a good mood. If he had enough cash on him, he might have thrown red bills into West Lake, a vulgar act but one that best expressed his current emotions.

After sitting for a while, Zhao Zhu returned to the third-floor room of the teahouse, took a shower, and lay on the bed, casually browsing news on his phone. He then involuntarily opened the group chat window. The topics in the group changed all the time, with no fixed rules. It was a free-for-all, and anyone who joined in could participate. Sometimes, someone would enter a mission world, and sometimes, someone would die.

Of course, the more experienced members, the stronger ones, rarely chatted in the group. Usually, it was the newcomers who chatted, and occasionally, a few experienced members would pop in and receive some attention.

Watching them chat and joke, Zhao Zhu found it quite amusing. At this moment, he noticed a private message. He opened it and saw it was from "Huo Xiaomiao," Chen Fei.

"Hey, are you there?"

Chen Fei’s message had a lazy tone, as she had just finished a shower and was sitting on the bed, painting her toenails. Unfortunately, this scene was hidden from everyone, but it was indeed very alluring.

"Yep, I’m here," Zhao Zhu replied.

"Did you offend Zhao Hejing? The one from Northeast China."

"Yes, I did."

"Did you offend him badly?"

"I think it was pretty bad," Zhao Zhu thought for a moment and replied.

"Oh, that explains it. Zhao Hejing messaged me, offering a bounty for your life."

"..."

"Afraid?"

"Why didn’t he come himself?"

"If he came personally, he might kill you, but he would also be buried with you. Even if he hired me to kill you, after the job, I would probably be fine, but he would suffer a great deal of punishment. At his level, the restrictions are beyond what we can understand."

"Would you come to kill me?"

"The price is very tempting."

"..."

"Hey, your attitude is making me uncomfortable."

"Me too."

"Anyway, you saved me once."

"So you’re planning to come and protect me, to repay the favor?"

"..."

"Got it, did I guess right?"

"You’re thick-skinned. My point was that since you saved me, I’ll just skip this job. I have no interest in running over to help you fight other experienced members."

"Thanks for the heads-up."

"Take care. But you have a lot of experienced members around you. The mental enhancer nicknamed 'Madman' lives with you, and so does the fat guy. They’re not easy to deal with. If they really decide to protect you, even other experienced members wouldn’t be able to touch you.

And the stronger members in the group are under even greater restrictions, monitored by the moderators and the group owner. It’s hard for them to kill someone in the real world. They are the most terrifying but also the least threatening, like Zhao Hejing, the king of Northeast China. Killing you would be like squashing an ant, but now he can’t even leave Liaoning."

"I understand. I’m in Hangzhou now. Want to come visit?"

"I’m in school. What if the teacher calls roll?" Chen Fei’s words were a polite refusal. She had already fulfilled her duty by informing Zhao Zhu, and she didn’t want to get involved in this mess.

After ending the chat, Zhao Zhu turned off his phone, rubbed his eyes, and was relieved that he had already made plans with Zhu Jianping and Xiong Zhiqi. They would arrive tomorrow, and his strength had just been enhanced, even his cards had been boosted. His confidence was indeed much stronger than before.

But why hasn’t Zhu Wanqi come back yet?

At this moment, Zhao Zhu realized he had been a bit indifferent to his girlfriend. He reopened his phone and called Zhu Wanqi:

The phone rang for a while before it was answered, but it wasn’t Zhu Wanqi. A rough male voice answered:

"I have her. Kid, get ready with 100,000 yuan, and I’ll return her to you in one piece. I promise not to touch her, or else, my buddies haven’t had a woman in a long time."

The call was cut off. Zhao Zhu looked at his phone screen, but his face showed no panic or anxiety, remaining calm. He then called Fan Pian:

"What’s up, Zhao Zhu?" Fan Pian was still busy in the lab.

"How many cards have you enhanced with mithril?"

"About thirty are done, and the other seventy will be ready by tomorrow night."

"Okay, give me those thirty first."

"What’s going on?"

"Ran into some trouble."

"What kind of trouble? Are you going to fight?"

"My girlfriend has been kidnapped."

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The previous two chapters were repeated, which was probably a glitch. Fortunately, it was a public, free chapter, so it didn’t cause much trouble for the readers.

I’ll preheat something here. Although the editor hasn’t given me a specific notice, the release of "Terror Web Novel" is not far off. I’ve put a lot of effort into this book, and I hope that when it’s released, more people will support the official version and support me.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me with donations and votes recently. I didn’t mention you individually in the chapters to avoid affecting the reading experience, but I remember your kindness. Writing with your support is not lonely.

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