Chapter 367: Luo Jinyou: You'd Better Shut Up

Luo Jinyou focused on driving, eyes falling on the endless desert ahead.

Under the grayish sky, there was almost nothing except gravel and the occasional withered grass.

Luo Jinyou shifted a little.

The legs were a bit short, so pressing the accelerator required leaning forward a bit, and sitting for a while was somewhat tiring.

Luo Jinyou moved again.

The tail at the back swung back and forth on the seat edge, never feeling comfortable no matter how it was placed.

Another little move.

Ying Duo lifted its head from a pile of parts, glanced at Luo Jinyou, and Luo Jinyou's small motion froze instantly.

"...... You go on." Ying Duo pretended not to have seen anything, and continued to fidget with the thing in its hands.

Luo Jinyou was silent for two seconds, then silently shoved the tail to the side; this time it finally stayed still.

Luo Jinyou exhaled, eyes returning to the road ahead, and then suddenly realized a problem.

It had been too quiet all the way.

Logically, such a desolate wilderness should be teeming with Aberrant Species.

Luo Jinyou had read many documents at the Academy and knew how dangerous the wilderness outside Tianmian City could be, yet after driving for so long they hadn't encountered a single Aberrant Species—was that right?

Not even a shadow of an Aberrant Species.

Luo Jinyou's brows twitched slightly.

Instinctively, Luo Jinyou glanced at the rearview mirror, then at the desert on both sides, and truly there was nothing.

Quiet as a dead land.

Peripheral vision caught Luo Jinyou's own hand; its appearance was unchanged, but the fingertip sensation differed—Luo Jinyou could feel the hardness of the nails and the strange force flowing beneath the skin.

Luo Jinyou looked up at the reflection in the rearview mirror.

The person in the mirror still had the same face, but two small horns had sprouted at the temples, material like some jade with faint veins; when Luo Jinyou moved his head, the horns swayed as well.

Then Luo Jinyou recalled the earlier question.

Why were there no Aberrant Species attacks on them?

The answer suddenly became clear.

Because, in their eyes, Luo Jinyou was also an Aberrant Species.

Luo Jinyou gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter; they were no longer human.

The thought circled in the mind but did not stir the expected emotions, only a strange calm.

Indeed, they were no longer human.

The body had changed, the strength had changed, even though the memories and consciousness from when they were human remained.

Before Luo Jinyou could start feeling emotional, the vehicle's speed suddenly began to drop.

Luo Jinyou looked down at the dashboard, where a symbol he didn't quite understand was flashing.

"...... Ying Duo."

"Hmm?"

"Is this car running low on energy?"

The energy used by Tianmian City is generally Source Crystals of varying quality, expensive; upon hearing this, Ying Duo lifted its head from the pile of parts, glanced at the dashboard, and nodded.

"Hmm."

Luo Jinyou furrowed the brows, "How long have we been driving? Is the energy consumption a bit high?"

Ying Duo thought for a moment and said.

"After all, it's a modified compact car; I added many dampers and concealed Runes, so this is normal."

If the car hadn't shaken so badly before that his rear was sore, he wouldn't have specially modified this thing.

Luo Jinyou recalled the earlier emotional moment and suddenly felt a bit foolish.

Ying Duo glanced at Luo Jinyou, a strange glint in the golden eyes.

"You don't think the Aberrant Species aren't attacking us because they consider you one of their kind, do you?"

Luo Jinyou: "........ Isn't that so?"

"Aberrant Species lack that kind of cognition."

Ying Duo continued to explain, the tone carrying a hint of "you're less knowledgeable than me."

"What should we do now?" Luo Jinyou decisively shifted the topic; the others were fine, but he especially didn't want to be mocked by Ying Duo.

In this desolate wilderness, where could they find Source Crystals?

Ying Duo gave no answer, merely reached into the backpack and tossed something to Luo Jinyou.

Luo Jinyou instinctively caught it.

It was a fist-sized crystal; held in the palm, a warm current of power could be felt flowing.

Luo Jinyou froze briefly, "Where did it come from?"

"Don't worry, it was harvested through official channels from the Dome."

Luo Jinyou no longer wanted to complain; Ying Duo had never concealed any suspicious aspect.

After inserting the new Source Crystal, the vehicle restarted and continued moving smoothly.

Luo Jinyou sat back in the driver's seat, "How many Source Crystals do we still have?"

If the energy ran low, they might have to risk going to a town to resupply…

Ying Duo gave no reply, simply pulled out several more Source Crystals from the backpack and piled them into a small heap on the back seat.

Luo Jinyou stared at the pile of Source Crystals and fell silent.

Is Ying Duo's standing in the Dome that high? A small mountain's worth of Source Crystals came out with a casual hand.

Never mind, as long as we have the Source Crystal.

If we don't have the Source Crystal, they can just find any place to kill Aberrant Species.

After all, they now......

Luo Jinyou glanced at the wilderness outside the window; a few Aberrant Species were roaming there.

No need to worry about Mutation contamination.

Anyway, they're already mutated—how much more could they be polluted?

After that they remained silent all the way, driving until Luo Jinyou felt tired, when Ying Duo finally spoke.

"There's a ruin ahead where we can rest."

Luo Jinyou followed his gaze and saw, in the distance, a deserted building; its broken walls looked especially desolate beneath the overcast sky.

He parked the car at the edge of the ruin and turned off the engine.

The cabin fell silent, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

Luo Jinyou stretched his neck, and his horn accidentally hit the roof.

"Thud."

He instinctively touched the tip of his horn; it hurt a little, but it was fine.

His tail also slipped out from the seat seam, swayed behind him, then found a comfortable spot and rested on the edge of the seat.

Ying Duo sat in the passenger seat, still holding a few parts; he didn't keep tinkering, just watched Luo Jinyou.

"You're accepting this surprisingly well."

Luo Jinyou blinked, "What?"

Ying Duo looked a bit regretful, "I had prepared several plans."

Luo Jinyou frowned deeper, "What plans?"

"If you're going to make a fuss, I'll hand you tissues if you cry, let you rage if you're noisy, tie you up if you lose hope, and......"

"I think you don't have it."

Luo Jinyou interrupted him expressionlessly.

Another silence fell.

Before, their favorite topic had been games; now Ying Duo laid out all his suspicious points before Luo Jinyou, who dared not ask.

Ying Duo simply tossed a few bottles of nutrient solution from his backpack to him—after all, Luo Jinyou had only become an Aberrant Species, not an immortal; he still needed to eat.