Chapter 267 - 227: Mastery of Countering Face-Reading (3)

Chapter 267: Chapter 227: Mastery of Countering Face-Reading (3)

However, the blow was blocked by the bones he had metalized with his Superpower. The axe was forced to cleave outwards, gouging out half his shoulder blade and arm.

Looked at another way, though, this also proved that even at full strength, he wasn’t capable of cleaving Hong Chuan completely in two.

As for injuries, every Superpower User was bound to get hurt as they grew stronger. But their regenerative abilities meant that their bodies were essentially disposable. Even a severe injury like Hong Chuan’s—losing half his shoulder—would heal in just three to four days. If he could get his hands on some crystals, not only would he recover faster, but his strength would also increase.

In this world, love, hate, grudges... none of it mattered. Only strength was real.

She glanced again at the young man across from her. He had clearly given up a deferred payment of eight crystals just to prove a point, and didn’t even have the guts to gamble on what might happen in two days...

He clearly wasn’t as confident in his own strength as he let on.

’Just as I thought. He’s just a reckless brat who lucked into some power and doesn’t know his own limits.’

Zheng Lv sneered internally. The last trace of hesitation in her eyes vanished completely. Fortune favors the bold, and she was dead set on taking these twenty crystals!

Having reached this conclusion, she slowly lowered the hand pressed to her earpiece. Rain soaked her long hair, a few strands clinging to her face.

She lifted her head, that charming, confident, and even slightly provocative smile returning to her face.

"Alright, I’ll agree to your terms."

She looked at Lin Fan, her seductive eyes seeming to swirl with an impenetrable mist.

"Since you’re so determined to have your satisfaction, I’ll indulge you. However..."

She deliberately pushed out her chest and shot Lin Fan a flirtatious wink, her tone dripping with suggestion.

"If I’m lucky enough to survive... ’that thing’ I promised you is still on the table... You’re welcome to come and find me anytime."

This was her final insurance policy.

A moment ago, she had clearly seen the desire in the young man’s eyes. A young man like him couldn’t possibly be immune to such temptation. With this psychological suggestion of a "reward" afterward, he would subconsciously hesitate when he struck. The force of his blow would naturally be weaker for it.

Such was the confidence of a top sales agent.

As she spoke, she reached up, grabbed the gas mask on top of her head, and pulled it down. CLICK. The mask locked into place, obscuring her captivating face.

"But, since you said I could defend myself however I want..."

She took a deep breath. The skin all over her body began to writhe violently, accompanied by a dense CRACKLING and GRINDING of growing bone.

"You’ll have to give me two minutes to prepare properly."

...

Lin Fan stood perfectly still in the rain, his face a complete wooden mask, devoid of any expression.

It was as if he were possessed by Ye Qingzhou.

But his left hand, the one gripping the axe handle, was trembling slightly...

Had the two of them noticed, they would have merely chalked it up to shock at Zheng Lv’s transformation, or perhaps the physiological aftermath of an adrenaline rush.

But only Lin Fan knew the truth... He was about to lose it.

It was the laughter he was struggling to suppress, the dopamine hit from a perfectly executed plan.

He couldn’t have been more satisfied with his performance over the past two minutes.

He felt he had leveled up his ability to handle those clever old foxes who were masters at reading people.

’Cynical, street-smart, and roguish, yet with the underlying innocence of a naive college student. The persona I just projected was a perfect Frankenstein’s monster—a stitch-up of the Chu siblings and all the penny-pinching Teddy-owner types I’d met over the past six months, the kind who would haggle over a few cents.’

’And that final, masterful touch was the icing on the cake.’

’When that woman was trying to be seductive, the look in my eyes... Tsk tsk, absolutely perfect.’

’It wasn’t just a cheap, lecherous stare. It was a mix of three parts shock, three parts desire, and four parts the naive innocence of someone who wants to look but doesn’t dare to stare...’

’You can’t just act that kind of look.’

’In that moment, I had to channel my past self—the me from that night in the hallway, right before the apocalypse, when I saw Su Qing...’

’An Oscar-worthy performance. Absolutely perfect!’

’Then again... do I really look that young?’

Lin Fan didn’t particularly notice it when looking at himself, but now that he thought about it, Su Qing also looked younger now than she had that night...

"’Youth is great. Young people... are so gullible.’"

’What a stereotype!’

He grumbled internally, tightening his grip on the giant axe. He watched the two people opposite him, who were constantly making subtle movements, but his own focus drifted between the two Mutated Zombies.

’This manager isn’t being honest. What does he mean, "no more crystals"? He’s just a blatant liar.’

’There are two right here...’