Chapter 25: Record (Revised)

Qi Hengyu's strike missed, his heart tightened slightly, but his combat instinct let him change moves instantly.

His arm muscles tensed violently, his left leg lashed out like a steel whip, aiming straight at Shen Zexi's lower stance.

Shen Zexi seemed to have anticipated his continuous attack, his figure swiftly retreated, using the opportunity to put distance between them.

Qi Hengyu's moves were wide and powerful, each punch and kick mixed with the brutality and directness of a street brawl, seeking to overwhelm the opponent with absolute force.

Shen Zexi clearly knew stamina wasn't his strength; after successfully creating distance, he no longer merely dodged.

Only saw his eyes narrow, fine electric arcs like tiny snakes began to appear in the air around him, emitting a faint crackle sound.

These arcs quickly condensed and extended in his hand, finally forming an energy whip made of pure Lightning Chains.

Sizzle!

The Thunder Lightning Long Whip carried a tingling sound, seeming to come alive in Shen Zexi's hand, lashing flexibly and swiftly at Qi Hengyu.

The whip's crisscrossing lashes forced Qi Hengyu to abandon relentless offense, switching to dodging and blocking.

The sandy stone ground was swept by the whip's tip, leaving scorched black marks.

Seizing the opening after the attack, Qi Hengyu burst forward to Shen Zexi's front, each punch packed with dense energy, driving Shen Zexi back several steps.

They exchanged blows back and forth; in a short time it was hard to tell who would win.

The more Qi Hengyu fought, the more excited he became; the opponent's strength only stirred his fighting spirit.

He spotted a moment when Shen Zexi zoned out, roared, poured a large amount of energy into his right fist, and unleashed a heavy, powerful Straight Punch at Shen Zexi's face, determined to hit that slippery guy this time.

However, just as his fist was about to make contact, Shen Zexi did something that completely caught Qi Hengyu off guard.

He neither blocked nor dodged, but instead twisted his body sharply sideways and backward, letting the fierce punch's wind brush past him, escaping the battle like a slippery fish.

This is...

He fled?

Although that punch didn't directly hit Shen Zexi, he had just poured a lot of energy into it; Shen Zexi took the blow, then suddenly turned a corner, rushing deeper into the alley toward a dark bend reeking of rot.

"Hey! Even if you can't beat him, don't go digging into the trash heap!"

After his punch missed, Qi Hengyu immediately steadied his stance, then shouted at Shen Zexi, both angry and bewildered.

He felt that every time he talked and fought with Shen Zexi, a pile of trash would suddenly appear in the middle of it.

But his shout cut off abruptly.

The reason was simple: he saw Shen Zexi charge into a corner piled with junk, obviously a dead end, and not stop there.

Instead, he reached out without hesitation, plunged his hand into the moldy-smelling shadow heap, and yanked something out forcefully.

He literally "pulled" out a familiar figure from inside!

Even in such dim light, that head stubbornly emitted a faint green glow—whose else could it be but Ying Duo, that messed-up kid with a sick brain?

Oh, what jumped in wasn't trash, but this bastard.

When Ying Duo was pulled out by Shen Zexi, he still wore a dazed expression.

He stared blankly at the dust-covered wall that seemed ready to collapse at any moment, and at the metal trash can in the corner emitting a strange odor.

In his Reconnaissance vision, the faint blue aura trail representing Luo Jinyou extended to this point and then abruptly stopped, as if Luo Jinyou had been swallowed by the wall.

But given his past behavior, Ying Duo already had a record with Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu, so to them this was hardly surprising.

Qi Hengyu stared, dumbfounded, as he stepped forward, looking at the dazed Ying Duo and then at the corner containing nothing but trash and wall, as if suddenly understanding something.

The corners of his mouth twitched violently a few times, and he asked Shen Zexi in a tone of near-collapse.

"Is this kid rummaging through the trash can again?"

Shen Zexi didn't answer directly, merely loosened his grip on Ying Duo's arm, wearily rubbed his aching temples, and let out a heavy sigh.

His arm still felt a little numb; although he hadn't been directly hit by Qi Hengyu's punch, he couldn't be completely unaffected—this guy really was a pure brute.

Just moments ago, in a highly focused combat state, Shen Zexi caught a flicker of Ying Guang Lu out of the corner of his eye in the alley.

He hadn't originally thought much of it, but having previously surveyed the terrain, he knew it was a dead end, and combined with that familiar visual pollution...

At that moment, his body moved before his mind, and he managed to pull Ying Duo back just before he lunged toward the trash can.

Ying Duo merely blinked innocently, his empty eyes finally tearing away from the trash heap to land on Shen Zexi and the expressive Qi Hengyu beside him, then he spoke in his flat tone.

"Have you guys seen a white-haired person?"

Qi Hengyu: "..."

"Wait a minute, this kid can actually talk?"

Qi Hengyu froze instantly; last time they met, Ying Duo hadn't uttered a single word the whole time, like a mute autistic child.

And this time, not only did his actions show clear purpose, but he even spoke!

Isn't it said that when the brain is messed up, it's hard to cure?

Unlike Qi Hengyu's startled reaction, Shen Zexi took a moment to steady his breath, sized up Ying Duo up and down, and thought his mental state seemed a bit better than before, perhaps because the school had already sent Church personnel to treat him.

But if he'd been treated, why is his love for trash cans still so deep?

Facing Ying Duo, his tone unconsciously took on helplessness and gentleness, as if dealing with a slow-witted orphanage child.

"Are you looking for someone?"

"Luo Jinyou, my roommate."

Ying Duo answered bluntly, and that crisp reply made Qi Hengyu look at him as if he'd seen a ghost.

Is the school's efficiency that high? Even with a brain problem, they could fix it that fast?

"He probably isn't here; this place is a dead end..."

Shen Zexi tried to explain to Ying Duo that the person he was looking for couldn't possibly be hiding here.

Ying Duo merely stared obsessively at the trash-filled corner, so Shen Zexi could only continue patiently adding to his explanation.

"People can't hide inside walls or, uh... inside trash cans."

Those golden eyes merely stared fixedly at the weed-covered, mottled wall, as if trying to see through it.

The musty smell and sour rot of garbage permeating the air had no effect on him; his entire attention was focused on that area which seemed completely normal to outsiders.

A garbage corner that no one wanted to approach, not even a single step away.

Qi Hengyu watched Ying Duo's unmoving, stubborn expression, his brows knotting together as impatience and a vague unease intertwined in his heart.

He leaned close to Shen Zexi, lowered his voice, and spoke in a tone that was a bit rough but full of concern:

"Hey, Shen Zexi, I think this kid's head isn't clear; maybe he sneaked out mid-treatment."

"Let's not waste time with him here; let's just drag him to the infirmary and then find a teacher."

"If anything happens, we won't be able to explain ourselves!"

Shen Zexi also felt Ying Duo's current state was extremely strange; in his eyes, Ying Duo had never been normal.