Chapter 229 - 228: Rest

Chapter 229: Chapter 228: Rest

Huangfu Miaomiao slipped out through the gap under the rolling shutter door, causing a minor commotion among the pack of Mouse Monsters outside.

But the Mouse Monsters didn’t seem to recognize her Ghost Shadow as a living creature. They continued to stubbornly slam against the jewelry store’s doors and windows, their aggression focused on Feng Ling and the others inside.

Feng Ling checked the doors and windows, figuring they could hold for half an hour.

Half an hour was enough time for Huangfu Miaomiao to return.

She turned to Li Qing and Xu Yiming. "You two get some rest. I have more stamina, so I’ll watch the door."

Without a word, Li Qing dragged a cattail cushion from under the altar, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.

Xu Yiming stared blankly for a moment, his gaze shifting uncertainly to the rolling shutter door, which was rattling continuously from the impacts—

’Rest? In an environment like this?’

He followed Li Qing’s example, found a spot to sit, and silently admired the Daoist’s mental fortitude.

Xu Yiming simply couldn’t relax.

The Mouse Monsters outside were constantly slamming into and scratching at the door. Their slender claws would occasionally slip through the gap. The aluminum alloy rolling shutter was gradually deforming, with noticeable bulges already appearing in some places.

Although he trusted that Feng Ling’s strength was more than enough to hold the door, trying to relax body and mind in this situation was a true test of one’s composure.

Li Qing seemed to notice Xu Yiming’s nervousness and started a conversation. "Talking can help you relax."

Xu Yiming thought for a moment. "But what is there to talk about..."

"Talking about things related to yourself is an effective way to distract your attention," Li Qing said calmly. "For example, your Card."

"My Card..."

The method really worked. Xu Yiming immediately forgot about the danger outside and focused intently on his own situation.

"My Card is a Four-horned Sheep. I later assimilated an antelope Card. The Card you helped me pick was a great match—my Pollution Value is only 1% right now. Given my situation, what area should I focus on for improvement?"

Li Qing said, "Continue to enhance your speed. If you get the chance, increase your Attack Power. Combining that with your speed for Thrust attacks should be quite effective."

"What about defense..." Xu Yiming looked enviously at Feng Ling’s Scale Armor, which she could manifest and dismiss at will.

But Li Qing shook his head. "Typically, Cards with high defensive power clash with speed-type Cards. For example, Eagle-beaked Turtle and Mammoth are not agile types. They would most likely increase your Pollution Value significantly."

Xu Yiming asked, confused, "But I’ve seen some Hunters who are not only fast but also have high defensive power! For example... oh, like the Silver Knight. You know that Card, right?"

"Silver Knight is a High-level Card. You can’t assimilate it," Li Qing said. "You are a Mid-level Card. If a Mid-level Card forcefully assimilates a High-level Card, not only will it fail to improve your card set’s ability, but it will also needlessly increase your Pollution Value. It’s like asking a grade-schooler to understand high school material. It would be painful."

"Ah..." Xu Yiming was crestfallen. He couldn’t help but ask, "Can the main Card never be changed?"

Li Qing shook his head again. "When players re-register an account, they can choose to inherit their original Card or spend points to draw a new main Card. But you’re human. You don’t get the chance to draw Cards."

Xu Yiming was left speechless. He muttered, "Your game is kind of discriminatory..."

Li Qing said, "At least you can still assimilate Cards. We administrators can only accept the card sets assigned by the system and can’t make any changes ourselves. The Cards in the library must be provided for players to upgrade, and human bodies are provided for players as new accounts. Administrators don’t have permission to use them."

Li Qing had intended to one-up Xu Yiming’s misery, but his blunt words struck a nerve with Ye Zheng.

Ye Zheng’s somewhat vacant face slowly turned, her mouth opening to murmur, "Kill... kill..."

Feng Ling looked helplessly at Li Qing. "You two were just supposed to be talking! Why did you have to provoke her? She had just finally quieted down!"

Li Qing and Xu Yiming both silently shrank back.

Feng Ling sighed. Spotting a claw reaching through the gap under the door, she lopped it off with her blade. ’I wonder if this door will hold until Little Skeleton gets back,’ she thought.

...

The time spent resting in the jewelry store seemed to stretch on endlessly.

The ceaseless assault from outside had everyone inside on pins and needles.

The aluminum alloy rolling shutter had gone from perfectly flat to dented and pitted. The gaps on either side grew wider, and the Mouse Monsters’ slender claws would reach through, only to be severed by Feng Ling. Unwittingly, piles of severed limbs and sticky, dark red pools of blood had accumulated on the floor.

Huangfu Miaomiao still hadn’t returned.

Feng Ling glanced at the time and saw that half an hour had passed.

’Only half an hour?’

’How does it feel like it’s been an hour?’

Feng Ling furrowed her brow, her expression betraying her anxiety.

"Feng Ling..." Xu Yiming began, "you should rest for a bit, too. I can watch the door."

"It’s fine, I’m not tired," Feng Ling replied, pulling out a cone spike and swiftly piercing the head of a Mouse Monster.

The gap in the door was getting wider. Before, only a few claws could barely squeeze through, but now half a head could fit.

’When this door finally gives way,’ Feng Ling thought, ’I’ll kill all the mice outside and then go find Huangfu Miaomiao.’

...

The rolling shutter door was sturdier than expected.

They had thought that after taking such a beating, it surely wouldn’t last much longer. Unexpectedly, more than an hour passed, and the door was still holding strong.

The mice scrambled to squeeze through the gap. Feng Ling killed them one after another, and Xu Yiming came over to help.

After killing an unknown number of them, Feng Ling suddenly said, "This is actually the kind of work Little Skeleton is suited for."

It was a waste for her to kill them. If Huangfu Miaomiao killed these mice, she would get points as a reward.

Hearing this, Xu Yiming looked up at Feng Ling. He wanted to ask if she was worried about Huangfu Miaomiao, but then decided that would be a stupid question and kept his mouth shut.

Feng Ling stopped moving.

Seeing this, Xu Yiming swung his blade hard, lopping off the head of another Mouse Monster squeezing through. "If you’re tired, rest for a while. I’ll watch."

"No, it’s not that..." Feng Ling’s brow furrowed slightly. "Listen. Can you hear the music from the Divine Travel Team?"

Xu Yiming froze. All he could hear was the squeaking and screeching of the Mouse Monsters.

"I hear it," Li Qing said. "The sound is very distant, probably on another street."

Feng Ling frowned. "Little Skeleton has been following the Divine Travel Team for so long and still isn’t back. Something might have happened."

Li Qing tried to soothe her. "Not necessarily. She’s timid. Maybe she ran into something and is hiding."

"There’s definitely something wrong with the Divine Travel Team." Feng Ling swept her gaze over the others in the room. "Have you all rested enough?"

The implication was that it was time to move out again.

The effects of the sedative in Ye Zheng’s system had mostly worn off. Upon hearing Feng Ling’s words, she responded faintly, "It would be good to go take a look."

Li Qing and Xu Yiming nodded as well.

Feng Ling took a slow breath and then abruptly unleashed her Spiritual Intimidation—the frenzied Mouse Monsters outside instantly fell silent, each one dropping to the ground and trembling uncontrollably.

The rolling shutter was too severely damaged to be raised, so Feng Ling grabbed the edge of the door, pulled the gap even wider, and stepped sideways through it.

The Mouse Monsters under her oppressive aura were completely powerless to resist. Feng Ling effortlessly cleaned up all the monsters outside the door, then retracted her spiritual power and led the others toward the sound of the drums and music.

The music was coming from one street over.

The street where the Divine Travel Team was marching was completely devoid of mice, making it very safe.

Feng Ling led the others to a rooftop and looked down at the entire Divine Travel Team. She scanned the procession from front to back but saw no sign of Huangfu Miaomiao.