Chapter 29: Surrender, But Only Half

“Not bad.”

Jia Ji, having just awakened from unconsciousness, heard the blue-haired girl say this.

She paused, then asked in a peculiar tone: “You’re not ugly at all. Why cover your face with a mask?”

“What?”

His dazed mind snapped awake instantly; Jia Ji slapped his own face, only to feel a layer of dust and dirt on his palms.

The black shards around him and the exaggerated human-shaped depression in the ground made it clear—he had lost his true face!

“Noooooo——!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Tears like strips of seaweed streamed down Jia Ji’s face; he collapsed in a defeated bowing posture, wailing in anguish:

“Wahhh, I’m not clean anymore.”

“Do you have some rule that says if anyone sees your face, you must kill them—or fall in love with them?”

“No such rule. It’s just… embarrassing.”

“Unfortunately, you’re not my type.”

“That’s unnecessary!”

As he spoke, Jia Ji brushed the dirt off his body and stood up, as if nothing had just happened.

Though the Red Scythe’s physical condition was exaggerated, the Beidou people weren’t far behind—especially in durability, their health bars were terrifyingly long.

Besides, he could tell that Esdees had struck hard, but still held back—she never targeted his vital points; otherwise, he wouldn’t have just passed out for a moment.

Of course, he hadn’t used the Beidou Divine Fist either—only his combat experience, combined with aura-enhanced defense, to wrestle with Esdees.

After all, this assassination-style fist art was never meant for sparring—it was meant to kill in one strike, and death was guaranteed.

Their earlier fight was nothing more than “a greeting.” For Esdees, it was also a small test to see if Jia Ji was worthy of being her “friend”—even if they were just “group mates.”

Though she had never had a “friend” and didn’t fully understand what “friend” meant, strength alone was the only standard to judge whether they could move from “group mates” to “friends.”

Now, she was mostly satisfied.

But what puzzled Jia Ji even more was how Esdees had reached the conclusion that his face was “not ugly.”

He knew Esdees was a hopeless romantic, but surely her basic sense of aesthetics was still intact—how could she say something like that?

And this girl certainly wasn’t flattering him to spare his feelings—she didn’t lie, and she looked down on lying.

She enjoyed toying with opponents during hunts, but equally loved crushing them outright with absolute power from the front.

Had his ultra-hard jawline and muscular frame earned him points? Like how no guy who works out is ever ugly?

Esdees had no idea of Jia Ji’s inner turmoil; she only believed in one principle—“Survival of the fittest.”

Simple: she liked beautiful exteriors, and she liked powerful souls.

A woman who chased strength alone, she had seen Jia Ji’s unconscious face twisted in gritted-teeth anguish—an expression she recognized instantly: someone who refused, even dared not, to relax a single bit for a single purpose.

Even in unconsciousness, his muscles remained taut, his teeth clenched, his fists still closed, maintaining a combat posture.

Those fists…

Existed solely for one purpose—pursuing ultimate function, stripping away every irrelevant thing.

This was beauty. Whether the purpose was good or evil, the human heart would be drawn to it. In Esdees’s eyes, those rough yet refined fists—unyielding, unbroken in the fierce clash—were more captivating than any face.

Besides, a fearsome appearance wasn’t a bad thing—it often saved trouble.

Raised in the northern frontier, Esdees had seen far more vicious criminals than Jia Ji; he was merely average by her standards.

“Have you rested enough?”

The blue-haired girl extended her hand toward the hedgehog-haired boy on the ground; her military cap lay discarded beside her, her eyes brimming with clear battle intent.

Jia Ji’s head throbbed.

Of course, she wouldn’t be satisfied so easily—otherwise, she wouldn’t be Esdees.

This woman—if someone made a drama about her, the title would be something like “The Strongest Evil Boss Queen Who Started Every Tragedy” or “I Became the Strongest Without Any External Skills and Crushed Everything”—from the very first scene, she embodied the ultimate template of the villainous noblewoman, the final evolution of the reincarnated evil maiden.

Put her in One Piece, she’d awaken Haoshoku Haki; in Bleach, she’d be the Captain-Commander who fights Yhwach alone; in Naruto, she’d be a Tenseigan user; in Detective Conan, she’d be Kyogoku Shin—unmatched, unstoppable. Absolute power was Esdees’s proof.

But then again, if you’re in Red Scarf, and you don’t fight Esdees, it’s like training Magnetic Rotation without learning Hell God Battle—like eating fried chicken without eating HappyChicken—you’re doomed to a relatively failed life.

“To be honest, I came here for one reason only—” Jia Ji grabbed the hand extended to him, rose from the ground, and straightened his posture, revitalized.

“To fight.”

Esdees, top of the must-fight list in Red Scarf—don’t run away, I can fight you all day!

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

The young Esdees extended her pink, nimble tongue to lick her dry lips, stepped slowly toward Jia Ji, her entire body radiating a beastlike, violent pressure, her face flushed with excitement.

She had known this guy’s mind worked differently—he often spoke nonsense, bizarre things, outlandish remarks—but she hadn’t expected him to be this unusual even here…

It suited her perfectly!

The blue-haired girl’s form blurred into a white phantom; her speed whipped up a gust of wind—but before the wind reached Jia Ji, her whipping kick descended with terrifying force.

Thud!

Before her boot struck Jia Ji’s chest, a hand with clearly defined knuckles seized it firmly—and the grip tightened progressively.

The girl tried to pull her long leg free, but felt a twisting force entangling her, her arm like a coiling python tightening its body, refusing to let go.

Esdees snorted, flipped upward, and kicked Jia Ji’s chest with her other foot, using the recoil to free her right leg…

But Jia Ji didn’t press the advantage—he just stared blankly at what was in his hand: Esdees’s long boot. Then his eyes involuntarily drifted to her smooth, fair ankle and toes.

Her arch was pale and delicate, her skin as smooth and lustrous as white jade, the curve flawless, her nails neatly trimmed, her toes shaped with unique beauty.

Wow! A jade foot!

Esdees frowned; faint veins twitched on her face, and a faint grinding sound came from her clenched teeth.

The next instant, Jia Ji flew backward again.

————————————

【Xia Na: Cough, cough. Today, the group owner’s humiliating 17-loss streak shocked the entire group. Let’s interview the party involved @Da Mengshen】

【Da Mengshen: Kids, that wasn’t me】

【Ice Queen: If not you, then who?】

【Da Mengshen: Fine, I lost—but I lost, not the Beidou Divine Fist! The Beidou Divine Fist is invincible! (loudly)】

【Ice Queen: So you mean… you still have hidden moves? ('-')ノ)`-')】

【Da Mengshen: I surrender. Do as you please】

I’m playing Ark: Survival Evolved now





(End of Chapter)