MORIC - Chapter 136
Chapter 136: Riding the Bus Together Counts as Romantic
The transportation to the mission area was extremely inconvenient. The moment you stepped outside, the sun was strong enough to kill you.
Just waiting for the bus at the station, Chi Yueshan felt like she was about to dehydrate.
Not to mention the young miss standing beside her.
Xi Zhoumeng had taken sun protection to the absolute extreme. Covered from head to toe, only a single eye was visible, which made Chi Yueshan want to get angry but also laugh when she saw her.
Xi Shuang wasn't as fully equipped; she just held a parasol. Watching Ling Xun spray yet another layer of sunscreen on her face, she sighed with deep-seated bitterness.
She said to Wen Xinghuo, who was off to the side, "Stop holding the umbrella for her. The princess is getting sun on her right side."
Xi Zhoumeng laughed out loud without any reservation.
Chi Yueshan glanced over as well, biting her lip to hold back her laughter.
Wen Xinghuo was too large, and holding a small parasol was completely at odds with her physique.
The weather was so hot, and Sheng Yangkui was hot just from standing next to Wen Xinghuo. Even if she didn't say anything, the sweat beading on her forehead was proof enough.
Xi Zhoumeng turned her head and asked Wen Xinghuo, "I remember you brought an umbrella, didn't you? Take it out and let's see."
Xi Shuang nearly stuck her tongue out from the heat. She regretted not upgrading her light-brain to the latest model; otherwise, she could have stored some things.
She listlessly chimed in, "Yeah, take it out. A big umbrella is good. I'm begging you, give the princess a break. Isn't it better to let her hold her own cute, yellow lace parasol?"
She was the type who, even after death, would want a loudspeaker placed on her grave to broadcast her life story. She didn't forget to complain, "What kind of harsh conditions are these? How could the random assignment be this miserable? I bet when I get back, I could buy a blind box and definitely get the secret rare item."
Xi Zhoumeng coughed.
Chi Yueshan glanced at her. "Has the heat gotten to you?"
Xi Zhoumeng shook her head.
The bus stop on this planet was already dilapidated. The only bit of coolness came from the shade of a nearby tree.
The real-time bus schedule display at the station looked like it was from another era, and the route information was just garbled text.
Just then, Wen Xinghuo pulled a short rod from her backpack. Under the shocked gazes of the others, the rod extended section by section, finally snapping open with a sound like a blooming flower.
Everyone present fell silent.
The last bit of Ling Xun's sunscreen spray hissed onto Xi Shuang's face.
Xi Shuang: "Holy crap."
Ling Xun: "So cool."
Xi Zhoumeng: "Wooo~"
Chi Yueshan found it hard not to follow suit, but she felt it was a bit too mean, so she could only let out a small "uh..."
Sheng Yangkui was also stunned. She stared at the umbrella's canopy, large enough for five or six people, then glanced at the embarrassed Wen Xinghuo, who was silently staring at an insect crawling on the ground.
Sheng Yangkui praised her sincerely, "You're amazing."
Immediately after, laughter erupted, starting with Xi Shuang, and Ling Xun couldn't hold it in either.
Xi Zhoumeng, fanning herself with an energy fan, chimed in, "As expected of you. This is practically high-tech machinery."
It was nothing special, just the kind of large sun umbrella you often see outside coffee shops.
For some reason, Wen Xinghuo held it up effortlessly, yet it still created a comical effect.
Wen Xinghuo's face turned red, but Xi Zhoumeng was still fanning the flames, heckling for no particular reason.
"Princess, you don't have to think everything about Wen Xinghuo is amazing, do you?"
Xi Shuang whistled and chimed in at the right moment, "Our Xinghuo is indeed amazing."
Not satisfied with just heckling herself, she had to get Ling Xun to join in.
Ling Xun repeated perfunctorily, "Amazing in every way."
And with that, both of them didn't know where to look.
The awkwardness was palpable.
Chi Yueshan shook off a wave of goosebumps and lightly hit Xi Zhoumeng with the small fan hanging from her waist.
"Be serious. If you have so much free time, why don't you see when the bus is coming?"
After saying that, she happily moved under Wen Xinghuo's umbrella and said to Sheng Yangkui, "Can I share?"
Before Xi Zhoumeng could even let out a cry, she watched as Chi Yueshan darted over to Wen Xinghuo's side like a swallow returning to the forest.
"Such a big umbrella is all for show. You'll have to put it away when the bus comes."
Xi Zhoumeng said to Chi Yueshan.
Xi Shuang seriously suspected she was taking a jab at Wen Xinghuo, but she had no proof.
But since the wind was strong and the shade from the tree was small, she didn't want to get sunburned either, so she also walked over.
Chi Yueshan: "The weather here is unpredictable. It might rain later."
She had done her homework on this planet before coming, but there was very little data, and not much of the information she'd scraped from the internet was useful.
But that didn't stop her from being fully prepared. She had asked Li Rong to prepare all these supplies beforehand. Otherwise, if Xi Zhoumeng had been in charge, they probably would have ended up with entire crates of clothes.
Xi Zhoumeng glanced at the vicious sun overhead. Just as she was about to say "no way," she felt a sudden gust of wind.
The next second, dark clouds blotted out the sun, and a torrential downpour hammered down, bringing an instantaneous, bone-chilling cold.
Xi Shuang: "Chi Yueshan, are you a prophet?"
Ling Xun looked at Xi Zhoumeng, seeming to want to say something but holding back.
The second-year Omega senior's sun-protection veil fluttered in the wind, and in the next moment, it was soaked by the rain, showing dark, wet patches.
Even Wen Xinghuo couldn't help but want to laugh, let alone Chi Yueshan.
Her eyes curved with amusement as she said to Xi Zhoumeng, "What are you standing there for? Come over here."
Xi Zhoumeng's rebellious streak kicked in. "No."
The bus station was already dilapidated, and the awning overhead was full of leaks. It was truly the type of place where it rained just as hard inside as it did outside.
Seeing that her shoulders were soaked, Chi Yueshan was both angry and amused. "Xi Zhoumeng, hurry up and get over here."
Xi Zhoumeng: "Who am I to deserve to be with everyone?"
Wen Xinghuo: ...
Xi Shuang: ...
Ling Xun quietly asked Xi Shuang, "Is Senior Xi always like this?"
Among the group, she was the least familiar with Xi Zhoumeng. Her impression of Xi Zhoumeng was the same as most people's.
Even after having a meal together, she hadn't noticed Xi Zhoumeng's other sides.
But now, she was faintly sensing Xi Zhoumeng's passive-aggressive nature.
Xi Shuang nodded grimly. "I can tolerate it because she's an Omega. If an Alpha acted like this, I'd go crazy."
Chi Yueshan overheard this and suddenly grew a little worried.
If Xi Zhoumeng really did turn into an Alpha, would she end up fighting with Xi Shuang? After all, even as an Omega, she already used Xi Shuang as a target! It was utterly depraved!
The sound of the rain mixed with the wind, swirling around the dilapidated road on this strange planet, leaving Xi Zhoumeng looking a bit disheveled.
In the end, Chi Yueshan's heart ached for her and she reached out to pull her in.
Wen Xinghuo, holding the large umbrella, was like a steadfast rock, giving off an unparalleled sense of security. Meanwhile, Chi Yueshan pulled Xi Zhoumeng in and, in the next second, removed her damp veil.
Xi Zhoumeng lowered her eyes. "Can the prophet predict some good weather next?"
She looked both annoying and beautiful like this. A few damp strands of hair stuck to her face, and Chi Yueshan reached out to tidy them, scoffing, "How could I possibly control the weather."
"Let's just pray the bus comes quickly."
A dilapidated planet, a dilapidated station, and even the bus was dilapidated.
A rusty metal door, windows cracked like spiderwebs—as far as the eye could see, hardly a single pane of glass was intact.
The driver was an old man with a mechanical leg, urging them to hurry up and swipe their cards.
Fortunately, the galaxy's payment system was universal. Wen Xinghuo closed the umbrella, Chi Yueshan placated Xi Zhoumeng, Xi Shuang and Ling Xun wiped the seats, and Sheng Yangkui went to pay.
Sheng Yangkui, who had never been out like this before, found it all very novel—a whole new world, a whole new experience.
Even though the rain poured down and dark clouds obscured the road ahead.
But sitting surrounded by her classmates filled her with hope.
Chi Yueshan wiped the back of the seat again, and Xi Zhoumeng finally sat down, looking not quite as unhappy anymore.
Chi Yueshan breathed a sigh of relief and handed Xi Zhoumeng a piece of candy.
"What's this?"
Chi Yueshan: "Haven't seen it before? It's a bestseller in the Lower World. Devil Candy. If you eat it, you'll end up like me."
She stuck out her tongue, which was so green it made Xi Zhoumeng's mouth twitch.
Xi Shuang came over to beg for some, so Chi Yueshan just gave a few pieces to everyone.
She asked Xi Zhoumeng, "Have you ever ridden a bus before?"
Xi Zhoumeng snorted. "Of course I have."
They both knew perfectly well what the other was asking and what the answer meant.
Xi Zhoumeng rested her head on Chi Yueshan's shoulder. This route would take at least two hours. The sound of the dilapidated bus starting up mixed with the thunder and rain, as if it were driving toward the end of the world.
Driving until the dawn broke through this world, driving toward a brand-new future.
Chi Yueshan: "I'm glad I didn't come alone. To be honest, I'm a little scared."
She fiddled with her candy wrapper, then took Xi Zhoumeng's as well and casually folded it into a small boat.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Did you ever think about who you'd do your practical training with before?"
Chi Yueshan was perfectly frank. "My plan from the very beginning was to do the practical training with you, Senior."
Xi Zhoumeng cursed herself: What a great question to ask.
Isn't that the destined path?
The next moment, she came to terms with it. Chi Yueshan has me now. Everything is different.
The me from that future timeline... if only I had gotten the Magnetic Star Meteorite sooner, known how to fold space sooner, known...
At the very least, that ending probably wouldn't have happened.
But it's okay. This time, I definitely won't repeat the same mistakes.
Chi Yueshan thought Xi Zhoumeng was angry again. "What's wrong? Aren't I with you now?"
After she spoke, she laughed. She folded the candy wrapper over and over, turning it from a small boat into a paper crane, and finally, under Xi Zhoumeng's gaze, fashioned it into a somewhat sloppy-looking ring.
Chi Yueshan slipped the ring onto Xi Zhoumeng's ring finger.
"It's rare for you not to be wearing your jingly-jangly things."
The feel of the plastic wrapper wasn't great, and its color was garish. But Xi Zhoumeng's fingers were slender and fair; anything cheap would look like a luxury item on her.
"This feels a bit like a spring field trip now."
Chi Yueshan squeezed Xi Zhoumeng's hand. "But I never really went to school. I heard about it from Pingping. She's attended the best schools in the lower and Upper Worlds since she was a child."
"But the Lower World has no spring, no real flowers. The four seasons are just the four seasons written about in books. The spring trips she mentioned were just visits to artificially constructed gardens of fake flowers."
The Lower World was inherently barren, with no suitable soil, and due to historical issues, it was like the Upper World's garbage dump.
No wonder the natives of the Upper World said that going to the Lower World was exile.
There were too many withered bones by the roadside; some people even collected them to make musical instruments. Rats had more vitality than children.
If people weren't fierce, if they didn't yearn to live, they were destined not to survive for long.
Xi Zhoumeng hooked her hand around Chi Yueshan's. "It's okay. My family has a garden. From now on, you can go on not just spring trips, but summer, autumn, or winter trips too."
Her breath ghosted across Chi Yueshan's neck, almost making her tremble.
The feeling was familiar, but Chi Yueshan clearly remembered that neither she nor Xi Zhoumeng were in heat.
She could only press her legs together and say nonchalantly, "I don't like flowers anyway. Real or fake, it's all the same."
Xi Zhoumeng hummed in agreement. Taking advantage of the fact that Xi Shuang and Ling Xun were sharing a light-brain to watch a movie in the back, she brazenly wrapped her arms around Chi Yueshan's waist, pressed her face against Chi Yueshan's collarbone, and said in a low voice, "You only like this flower—me."
Chi Yueshan really wanted to call her cheesy, but at that moment, the world was a hazy gray, and a blue mist seemed to have melted into the rain, tinting even her vision with its color.
She felt a little cold, and also a little uneasy.
But Xi Zhoumeng was so warm, and she couldn't bear to push her away. She turned her head to look at the other person's sleeping face.
She thought: She really is a flower.
A very, very expensive one. Does that make me fertile soil?
The bus jolted and swayed. The closer it got to its destination, the colder and more desolate it became.
Even the bus driver thought the weather had been particularly strange lately.
As Chi Yueshan slept, she ended up leaning against Xi Zhoumeng's chest, her hand still clutching Xi Zhoumeng's.
Xi Zhoumeng subconsciously tugged at the bracelet on her wrist.
At the same time, she felt a strong tremor, originating from within, that made her grit her teeth.
In that instant, Sheng Yangkui also turned her head instinctively.
The moment her eyes met Sheng Yangkui's, Xi Zhoumeng offered a smile.
Wen Xinghuo noticed Sheng Yangkui trembling and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
Sheng Yangkui shook her head and glanced worriedly at Xi Zhoumeng. Wen Xinghuo understood immediately.
But Xi Zhoumeng's expression had lost all trace of her earlier mockery about Wen Xinghuo's umbrella; it was now uncharacteristically serious.
The bus hit a puddle, and the jolt nearly sent Chi Yueshan crashing into the window, but Xi Zhoumeng held her securely in her arms, and she didn't wake up.
Sheng Yangkui was so anxious she nearly bit her lip until it bled, looking extremely worried about Xi Zhoumeng.
She lowered her voice, knowing Xi Zhoumeng didn't want to worry Chi Yueshan, and glanced at the person in Xi Zhoumeng's arms. "I'm afraid she'll completely read your consciousness and make you..."
When Xi Zhoumeng had first proposed this, Sheng Yangkui had actually disagreed.
As someone who knew the pain of a consciousness invasion all too well, she wouldn't wish for anyone else to experience that kind of agony, which was akin to being sliced by a thousand cuts.
It was as if her brain was being dissected, all her beautiful memories tainted, and though she knew everything that was happening, she was powerless to change it.
But at the time, Xi Zhoumeng had been very certain. "I have experience."
Now, holding Chi Yueshan, Xi Zhoumeng shook her head. "It won't happen. My consciousness is ten million times stronger than hers."
But she was still a bit puzzled. "Why would it make a move this time? It hasn't even had a chance to invade your consciousness yet."
Xi Zhoumeng looked at the obsidian bracelet, thinking to herself that there must be another reason why the Zerg could parasitize the royal bloodline.
But she had recently searched through the entire history of the ZR-Galaxy and couldn't find any records from the year the Zerg first appeared.
Of course, it was also possible that in this lifetime, Wen Xinghuo and Sheng Yangkui had gotten together early and seemed more solid than gold, so the Queen was afraid that Wen Xinghuo would mark Sheng Yangkui and therefore...
However, in recent years, experts had already predicted that the Zerg Tide would arrive early based on sporadic Zerg sightings in other regions.
Xi Zhoumeng suddenly felt it was beneath her. Why was she trying to guess the thoughts of such a creature?
But she was still annoyed, so she randomly glared at Wen Xinghuo. "It's all your fault, you femme fatale."
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