NABC Page 226
Page 226
"You two, get out of the way!"
Cheng Yuqiu tried to issue a final warning, but the two people blocking her way showed no intention of moving aside, and others also began to gather around.
Suddenly, the girl's expression changed, and she looked towards the doorway with surprise.
"Nie Qingyun, you've arrived!"
Upon hearing this, the two instinctively turned to look behind them, and the next second, golden light emanated from behind them.
By the time they realized the situation was bad, it was already too late.
"Dangdang!"
With the blessing of freedom, the immense force was like a train crashing in from behind, and the two figures were instantly sent flying.
However, just as Cheng Yuqiu was about to draw his short sword and chase after him, the doorway was blocked.
"Heh, as expected of the young lady of Linjiangtai, she's really kind-hearted..." Hengye Ranma sneered as she released her grip, throwing the fleeing boy to the ground.
"How about this, you pay for the medical expenses this guy owes..."
"You are delusional!"
Cheng Yuqiu was furious. She was the one who treated him, and now she was being asked to pay for it. Wasn't this obviously bullying an honest person?
Just then, the boy who had been lying on the ground finally struggled to get up, but as soon as he propped himself up, he was trampled to the ground again by Ranma Tsuneno.
Compared to when he had just run away, the boy's face now had many more bruises, clearly indicating that he had been hit several more times.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Yuqiu's eyebrows shot up, and he raised his short sword forward.
"If you don't let go of him, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Ranma Hengye certainly didn't dare to actually fight Cheng Yuqiu, but this was his territory, and he had plenty of ways to deal with the situation.
"So...you're refusing to pay for him?" As he spoke, Ranma Tsuneno increased the pressure on his foot, glancing around as he said this.
"It seems like no one else here is willing to pay for him..."
"In that case, he'll have to pay for it himself."
The boy lay on the ground, struggling to breathe, seemingly realizing that today's events wouldn't end easily, and finally conceded, saying:
"Okay...I'll pay for it myself..."
As he spoke, he prepared to take out the only 5 Primal Crystals he had from the Data Space.
But Ranma Tsuneno immediately interrupted him, laughing strangely as he spoke:
"it is good!"
"That's right... I like people who are responsible."
"In that case, I'll give you a discount. 150 [Primal Crystals], and I'll let you go after you pay."
"what?!"
Not only the boy, but even Cheng Yuqiu's eyes widened in surprise.
150 pieces? !
It's uncertain whether an action team can even accumulate 150 [Primal Crystals] in a day; this is clearly just deliberately causing trouble.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuqiu completely abandoned any intention to negotiate and summoned the [Holy Contract] to bestow upon himself all the auras.
Ranma Tsuneno seemed to have anticipated this scene, and he raised his hand to summon a long sword, which he then held to the boy's neck.
At the same time, Cheng Yuqiu, who had just rushed two meters away, also stopped.
Seeing the hesitant girl, Ranma Tsuneno suddenly revealed a smug, confident smile:
"You seem to care about this guy quite a bit..."
"Then I must remind you, whatever you do, don't make any rash moves, or you'll lose your life."
"Despicable!" Cheng Yuqiu stomped her foot angrily.
"This can be called despicable?" Ranma Tsuneno deliberately made an exaggerated expression, laughing loudly as he scanned the others before finally fixing his gaze on Cheng Yuqiu and saying:
"Looks like you really are a true young lady..."
"Then I'll show you what real despicable behavior is..."
As he spoke, Ranma Tsuneno raised his hand and gestured to the crowd beside him.
Then, the person with the bandages wrapped around their hand came out.
“Heal him.” Ranma Tsuneno gestured with his chin to the side, then looked down at his feet:
“Otherwise, I’ll break one of his bones every 30 seconds until he can pay off his debts.”
"You!" Cheng Yuqiu gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, truly wanting to rush forward and tear the other man to pieces. But seeing the boy's pained expression, he instantly deflated. Only after a few seconds did he sheathe his weapon and whisper:
“150 [Primal Crystals], right? I'll pay for it for him.”
Regardless, let's get the person out of trouble first. Anyway, we can ask my cousin and boyfriend for help to get the money back later.
The girl couldn't help but think this.
This surprised Ranma Tsuneno; he hadn't expected that this young lady could actually afford so much.
So he twitched his lips in disdain:
"late."
"There's no such thing as paying for something after you've bought it."
"It's already overdue."
"There are... 30 seconds left."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a scream erupted from inside the room.
The boy lying on the ground had completely lost the strength to struggle, and the force coming from his back kept squeezing the air in his chest.
In such a situation, his ribs would break within seconds.
The intense pain kept stimulating his tear ducts, making his eyes blurry.
Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon Cheng Yuqiu's beautiful face, which seemed to be wavering.
Any boy with a shred of dignity wouldn't want to lose face in front of a girl.
The whole person froze.
The sight of being trampled underfoot and watching others compromise for his sake gave him a sudden urge to die.
I'm so unwilling to accept this!!!
The boy clenched his fists again, but no matter what he did, he couldn't lift his body an inch.
A feeling of powerlessness quickly permeated every cell of my body.
I'm too weak...
If it could be stronger...
If I also possessed those powerful skills, they would definitely come in handy in this situation...
Heaven is really unfair.
Even though I haven't slacked off for a moment, why... why am I still so weak until the very end?
Perhaps, this is how it was meant to end for someone like me...
At one point, the boy finally slowly loosened his clenched fist.
However, at that moment, a prompt suddenly appeared in his mind.
[A communication request from outside the system has been detected. Do you want to answer now?]
Chapter 315: Advice from a Senior
The old-fashioned fuel-powered Zippo lighter twirled lightly between my fingers, and with a crisp "ding," the rising flame ignited the cigarette.
Nie Qingyun leaned against the wall at the top of the stairs, and only after the communication was connected did he slowly exhale a puff of smoke and speak softly:
"Are you already planning to give up?"
"This doesn't seem like the behavior of a real man..."
The person on the other end of the communication channel recognized the familiar voice almost instantly, their tone filled with surprise and eagerness.
"Team leader!"
"Great! You're here... I, I'm here..."
Seemingly due to shortness of breath and excessive nervousness, he immediately began to explain the situation as soon as he opened his mouth.
However, before he could finish speaking, Nie Qingyun interrupted him without any politeness.
"Do you even have time to leisurely explain the situation over there... It seems I was overthinking it."
"no!"
The boy's tone became more urgent.
His current situation is far from optimistic.
Although Ranma Tsuneno didn't break his ribs in 30 seconds as he initially claimed, he knew perfectly well that the other party had deliberately slowed down his movements in order to put pressure on Cheng Yuqiu.
If Cheng Yuqiu delays making a decision, he will also suffer a bad end.
Right now, the only hope is that the team leader on the other end of the communication line can come over and step in to resolve this matter.
Under increasing pressure, his ribs seemed to be nearing their limit. The boy could no longer care about anything else and instinctively shouted into the other end of the communication channel.
"No matter what! Please come and help quickly!!!"
"I...I really can't hold on any longer..."
Nie Qingyun was well aware of how precarious the other party's situation was.
Because when Qin Hehuan sent someone to inform him of Cheng Yuqiu's decision regarding the deployment, he had already guessed what would happen next.
That's why I rushed back to the main building without stopping.
Logically, he could have stepped in and ended the dispute minutes earlier.
But when he saw the boy being trampled underfoot in the drone footage, his face filled with helplessness and resentment, he changed his mind.
Because whether in the past or in this apocalyptic world, this world has never been fair to everyone.
Just like some people, no matter how hard they try their whole lives, they can't get what others can easily obtain from birth.
This is reality.
Even though people always rack their brains to glorify suffering, this has never changed.
So, should those who can only barely stay in one place by running desperately accept their fate?
Regardless of what others think, Nie Qingyun would never agree with such a view.
This is why he hasn't intervened until now.
Because once he stands up at such a time, the idea that "the weak can only survive by relying on the rescue of others" will become a fait accompli, forever etched into that boy's life.
Even if it's impossible to save everyone...
Consider it compensation for the innocent person caught in the conflict...
Nie Qingyun also wanted to give the other party a chance to save themselves.
"May I have your name."
The sudden question startled the boy, who instinctively responded:
"Yamabuki Yosuke..."
“Yang Jie…” Nie Qingyun repeated the other person’s name, then changed his tone and said:
"Well, I'm on my way..."
"How long it will take is uncertain, so until then, I'll have to ask you to figure out a way yourself."
"I...I can't do it!" Upon hearing these words, Yamabuki Yosuke's heart sank to the bottom, and he almost cried out:
"I don't have that kind of strength... I, I already..."