Huohuo stared at the pink-haired girl in front of her. She was about 150 cm tall—shorter than herself (or so she thought). She stood gracefully before her, her face still carrying the vitality and innocence of a new employee.
She looked very easy to bully.
The corners of Huohuo's lips curled up slightly. She stepped forward and patted Fu Xuan's shoulder: "Miss Fu Xuan, this mission is of great importance. It even concerns the safety of the entire Luofu."
"You wouldn't want General Qingque to be questioned by the Alliance higher-ups because of this, or even… impeached, right?"
Hearing this, Fu Xuan's heart tightened: Im… impeached? Is this matter really that serious? Why didn't Senior Qingque tell me before we left?
Ah… I understand. Senior Qingque must have been afraid that telling me would put pressure on me, so she deliberately hid it. Even if it would affect her own career, she didn't want me to feel guilty. She really… I'm going to cry.
(In reality, Qingque simply hadn't considered the possibility of mission failure. They were just a few Heliobus fragments—they couldn't stir up any big waves. She was very confident in Huohuo's ability to handle things.)
Fu Xuan thought to herself: In that case, I absolutely cannot let Senior be implicated because of me!
"Helm Master, for General Qingque, I would go through fire and water without hesitation! I'm willing to do anything!" Fu Xuan said with a serious expression.
Huohuo stroked her chin as she examined Fu Xuan: "Heh, anyone can say pretty words. But do you actually have any real skills?"
"Look at the people beside you. Each of them is an expert in combat. A few days ago, a large-scale prison break occurred in the Shackling Prison, and these three managed to drive all the prisoners back. What do you have that can compare to them?" Huohuo said.
This was the truth. Huohuo had originally thought that the little fox Qingque kept Fu Xuan by her side every day because Fu Xuan had some extraordinary ability. But after seeing her in person, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed—this was at most an ordinary person who worked hard!
She wasn't the secret subordinate she had imagined at all!
However, these blunt words sounded completely different to Fu Xuan:
—Fu Xuan, you don't want to be kicked out of the team, right? If you're lacking in combat ability, you'll have to make up for it in other areas.
Fu Xuan glanced at Sushang and the other two beside her. As Qingque's personal assistant, she naturally knew the strength of these colleagues. She said somewhat guiltily: "I… can't compare."
"But I work very hard in other areas too!"
Fu Xuan quickly added: "I-I can handle documentation work…"
—"Do you think this is child's play?"
Huohuo mercilessly interrupted her. "This mission is about capturing Heliobi. If you only know paperwork… hehehe, you'll seriously hold everyone back, Miss Fu Xuan."
"Although with the four of us here, even if one person drags us down it won't matter much, but if it affects General Qingque's reputation… you wouldn't want that to happen, right?"
Fu Xuan: !
Fu Xuan lowered her head in shame: "No… please give me a chance. I'll do anything I can to help. Please don't let me affect Senior Qingque…"
"Hmph." Huohuo gave a meaningful cold snort: "In that case, it'll depend on your performance."
Her small hand unconsciously pinched Fu Xuan's waist as she said: "You'd better seize this opportunity."
"Eek!"
Fu Xuan never expected Huohuo to suddenly pinch her. Her already tense mind was suddenly stimulated, and she couldn't help letting out a startled cry.
Huohuo frowned slightly: "Hm? What's wrong? You're so delicate—even a light touch makes you cry out?"
Fu Xuan bit her silver teeth: "N-No, Helm Master…"
In reality, Huohuo had no subjective intention of taking advantage of Fu Xuan. After all, she wasn't Qingque. However, due to the feedback from Tail devouring the Lustful Heliobus earlier, her words and actions carried some strange elements.
And she herself hadn't noticed it yet.
"Alright. Since everyone is more or less here, I hereby announce that our 'Ghost-Hunting Squad' is officially established. Our goal is to capture all the Heliobi before the chaos they cause completely disrupts the Luofu!"
"This is a critical period for the Martial Exhibition Ceremony. Everyone must stay fully alert!"
"Yes! / S-H-I / … / Y-Yes!"
The scene was still chaotic, with everyone speaking at once.
...
The Wrathful Heliobus had a fiery temper. Just as its name suggested, it got angry easily.
When it was still the main body [Blaze of the Wilds], it challenged General Teng Xiao and lost—angry.
Being sealed in the Creation Furnace—angry.
Being liberated from the Creation Furnace by Cirrus—angry.
Seeing that the people of the Luofu weren't angry made it even angrier.
It had no interest in Cirrus's plan of "disrupting the Xianzhou, generating negative emotions, and devouring them." It was simply too angry and wanted a way to vent. So it set its sights on a host, intending to borrow that person's body.
The person it targeted was a Vidyadhara woman. Although she had a graceful and noble bearing, her steps carried the momentum of dragon and tiger, and wind seemed to rise beneath her feet. Clearly, she was a trained fighter.
It was Lingsha!
"This girl looks like she has a good physique. Perfect. She can help me cause a big commotion!"
The Wrathful Heliobus muttered to itself. In the next second, it turned into a stream of light and shot straight into Lingsha's body—!
"Ugh…!"
Lingsha only felt her mind go blank for no reason. When she came back to her senses, her chest felt stuffy, and an invisible pressure rose in her heart.
Under the influence of the Wrathful Heliobus, all the annoying things she had encountered recently surged back into Lingsha's mind, causing her emotions to gradually heat up.
Being transferred to a new place with more work—anger value +1.
The Vidyadhara employees under her slacked off and didn't cooperate—anger value +1.
After beating up some extreme Vidyadhara, the Dragon Masters came out to morally blackmail her—anger value +1.
...
Lingsha's chest rose and fell slightly. More and more annoyances made her feel suffocated. When her anger accumulated to a certain critical point, she suddenly shouted and punched the nearby streetlamp!
Duang!
The solid metal streetlamp pole snapped in two on the spot, startling the passersby nearby.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Who would be happy if I died from anger…"
"I should stabilize my mindset. Otherwise I'll only let those villains hiding in the dark laugh at me…"
"······"
"Haah… No, I can't hold it back anymore…"
At first, Lingsha tried reciting mantras to stabilize her mind, but this method didn't seem very effective. Before long, she had completely overheated and was on the verge of going berserk.
"If I don't fight, I'll die (from anger)."
Crack—
The perfect, knife-carved muscle lines on Lingsha's delicate body slowly emerged. In an instant, her entire figure grew larger. She picked up the broken streetlamp and headed toward the Scalegorge Waterscape.