Chapter 10: We

The car smoothly accelerated, heading toward the wilderness under the night sky.

The atmosphere inside the cabin was tense.

After all, facing a wealthy heir radiating "money power," with a female assassin driver up front oozing murderous intent, these young people simply couldn't relax.

Zhang Kai seemed to want to lighten the mood; he cleared his throat and forced a flattering smile toward Lin Mo:

"Uh… Lin Shao."

"The Team Fuben we're heading to is Hard difficulty—its monsters are vicious, nothing like the dumb wild beasts out in the open."

Lin Mo was drinking cola; he nodded casually at this.

"Mm, and then?"

Seeing Lin Mo respond, Zhang Kai gained a bit of courage: "We four have trained together a long time; our tactics are precise. You're just a blank… ah damn, a universal mage—your aim might be a bit off, and you could throw off our rhythm…"

Here, Zhang Kai paused, then continued:

"So, once we enter the Team Fuben, how about you just stay at the back? The dirty, tiring work can be left to us."

"You can treat this like… a sightseeing trip? Even if you don't fight at all, it's still the greatest contribution to the team."

The moment he spoke, the air in the cabin froze.

Xia Qingyue frowned slightly, feeling Zhang Kai had said too much.

This sounded like concern for Lin Mo's safety—but put bluntly, wasn't it just calling Lin Mo a burden, telling him not to get in the way?

Lin Mo hadn't spoken yet.

Squeee—!

The luxury car suddenly slammed on the brakes.

The massive inertia threw Zhang Kai forward; his face smashed hard against the seatback ahead.

"Oh shit!"

Zhang Kai screamed, clutching his nose.

Before he could complain, he looked up—and met a pair of icy, bone-chilling eyes through the rearview mirror.

Ye Hongyu gripped the steering wheel with one hand, staring at Zhang Kai through the rearview mirror:

"If I heard correctly, you're saying our young master is too weak to fight alongside you? Or are you trying to teach him how to do his job?"

"… "

"… "

The cabin fell utterly silent.

As a seasoned warrior, Ye Hongyu's aura was far beyond what these students, who'd never left campus, could endure.

"I… no, sis, that's not what I meant."

Zhang Kai's face turned instantly ashen; he stammered: "I… I just wanted Lin Shao to be safe… I'm bad with words! I deserve to die!"

Saying this, he actually raised his hand and slapped his own mouth.

"Lin Shao, don't take it personally—I'm just a loose-tongued idiot. Just treat me like a fart and forget me!"

Wang Meng and Liu Weiwei beside him didn't dare even breathe.

They huddled in the corner, trembling.

Especially timid Liu Weiwei, her face pale as paper, terrified the next one called out would be her.

In this moment, they finally understood what "serving a lord is like serving a tiger" truly meant.

Even the usually calm Xia Qingyue now had a faint sheen of sweat on her palms.

She realized that before this seemingly kindhearted wealthy heir, any ill-chosen word could bring unforeseen consequences.

Lin Mo watched this scene, utterly speechless.

How had it come to this? Like he was some big villain—someone the protagonist had to kill off early?

Xia Qingyue took a deep breath and stepped in to defuse the tension:

"Sis Hongyu, Zhang Kai really is clumsy with words, but he meant no harm—he's genuinely worried about Lin's safety. Please don't hold it against him."

Lin Mo sighed helplessly. "Alright, Ye Jie, just drive. Don't scare them. They really meant well."

Hearing their young master speak, Ye Hongyu's murderous aura slowly receded.

"Hmph."

She snorted, then pressed the accelerator again.

The car resumed motion.

Zhang Kai slumped back in his seat, his back soaked in cold sweat; he silently vowed to say not another word from now on.

And at this moment,

Xiao Huo also began to stir.

【【Fireball Spell】 Roaring: I can't take it! I absolutely can't! That kid actually dares say you're weak? Says your aim's bad?!】

【Who the hell is he? I killed more monsters yesterday than he's seen in his entire life! This isn't just insulting you—it's insulting ME!】

【If you nod, I'll fly out right now and make sure he doesn't even leave behind ashes! Let him learn what 'not lifting a finger' really means!】

Lin Mo felt a pounding headache and quickly pressed down on this hothead in his mind:

"Xiao Huo, Xiao Huo! Calm down!"

"He just blurted out one stupid remark—do you really need to kill him over it?"

【【Fireball Spell】Furious: Why not?! A true powerhouse cannot be insulted! He's challenging my dignity! Burn him! He must be burned!】

Lin Mo sighed helplessly and lectured earnestly:

"Xiao Huo, we're a skill—we need to have vision."

"If we kill someone just because they said something rude, what kind of monsters would we become? Serial killers? Big villains?"

"It's wrong to kill so easily, do you understand?"

【【Fireball Spell】: …… Pfft, hypocritical humans.】

"Power is meant to protect yourself and those you care about, not to bully your teammates."

"As long as you're strong enough, the truth will silence them. There's no need to kill over a petty argument—that's beneath you, and it crosses the line."

Lin Mo replied calmly in his heart.

【【Fireball Spell】continued muttering, but at least fell silent: Hmph… Fine, I'll spare his dog life! Once we enter the Team Fuben, I'll show them what real damage output looks like—blind their dog eyes!】

"That's better."

Lin Mo smiled faintly.

…

About an hour passed.

The luxury car stopped on a desolate stretch of rocky wasteland.

The car doors opened, and everyone stepped out.

The night wind howled across the wilderness, but for Zhang Kai and the others who had just endured Ye Hongyu's deathly gaze, this cold wind felt almost comforting.

"Master, we've arrived."

Ye Hongyu walked around the front of the car and respectfully opened the door for Lin Mo.

Lin Mo stepped out and looked around.

Ye Hongyu pulled out the ancient scroll.

"Coordinates are correct."

As the scroll burned to ash,

Hum—!

The air ahead violently trembled, and a rift glowing with purple light tore open.

This was the Team Fuben entrance.

Ye Hongyu turned to face Lin Mo:

"Master, although this is a trained team, conditions inside the Team Fuben are unpredictable—be extremely careful."

"If you encounter danger, don't be reckless—your survival comes first."

Lin Mo nodded:

"Don't worry, Ye Jie, I'll take care of myself."

Then Ye Hongyu's gaze swept again over Xia Qingyue and the other three.

"All of you, listen carefully."

"Since you took the Lin family's money and accepted the Lin family's mission, you must risk your lives to protect the Master."

"If the Master comes out with even a single scratch—"

"Yes, yes, yes! Ye Jie, rest assured!"

"We'll protect Lin Shao with our lives!"

Zhang Kai and Wang Meng nodded frantically, as if ready to swear an oath on the spot.

Even the usually aloof Xia Qingyue nodded seriously:

"Rest assured, as team leader, I am responsible for the safety of my members."

"Go."

Ye Hongyu waved her hand.