Chapter 654: Don't Call Me That

When Hong Ling was successfully "pulled" out by the mech, the blob of black slime also lost its attachment target. After realizing that retrieving Hong Ling was hopeless, it stubbornly fixed its gaze on Luo Jinyou again.

The tentacle dragged a dark afterimage through the air, clearly targeting as it bypassed the mech and lunged straight at Luo Jinyou.

The mech held Hong Ling in one hand and grabbed the base of the tentacle with the other.

The metal fingertips clenched, and the spot where the tentacle was seized jerked violently, like a snake grabbed at its seventh inch, frantically twisting to break free.

The mech's arm pulled back, using that force to fling the tentacle from Luo Jinyou's side to the other side, then it likewise grabbed Luo Jinyou and tucked him under its arm.

Luo Jinyou's body was lifted off the ground, his tail tip curling up, without struggling.

The mech swiftly carried them away from the monster's location, only easing the brakes after confirming a sufficient distance had been opened, its toes scraping a shallow mark on the floor; the smooth marble floor was probably completely ruined.

After the two of them successfully left, Yang Yixie's third round of firepower came down.

With no other reservations, only pure firepower output remained.

Under continuous strikes, the tentacle began to disintegrate, its edges shrinking and center sinking, ultimately leaving only a layer of charred black residue on the ground as the sole proof of its existence.

Hong Ling's body lay limp in the crook of the mech's arm, the residual black slime sliding down her arm and pooling into a small dark stain on the floor.

Her chest still rose and fall; she was indeed alive.

Yang Yixie jumped directly from the second-floor railing, his motion clean and decisive; he walked over to the mech, half-squatted, and used a 【Scouting】 skill to check Hong Ling's condition.

【Abnormal Status: Mutation Agitation, Exhaustion, Nightmare】

It seems Hong Ling should be fine, and she won't cause any harm.

Luo Jinyou was set down by the mech, standing in place, his tail being slowly retracted by him, only a small tip still peeking out from under his coat.

He stared at Yang Yixie's profile for a few seconds, as if making up his mind, then slowly said, "...... Ying Duo."

Yang Yixie turned his head; the fluorescent green at the tips of his hair had stopped spreading, the faint glow it emitted shining on his glasses, Luo Jinyou couldn't read his expression, making him even more uneasy.

"Don't call me like that."

Yang Yixie said coldly and mercilessly.

Luo Jinyou obviously had some misunderstanding, looking as if he'd been struck, Yang Yixie slowly shifted his gaze to the side.

"Shouting someone's game name in real life makes people shy."

Luo Jinyou froze, staring at him in silence for a while.

"...... You don't seem like someone who would be shy."

"What are you talking about? You get all flushed just from being grabbed a little, yet you won't let me be shy about being called a name?"

Luo Jinyou: "......"

Familiar heartache, familiar shamelessness.

But...... this is indeed the person he knows, although his expression is more lively and spry, that urge to make his hands itch hasn't changed at all.

Luo Jinyou watched Yang Yixie gazing at some point in the empty space ahead, realizing he was probably looking at the game interface again; he opened his mouth, but Yang Yixie spoke first and reached out his hand.

His palm lay open, knuckles clean and slender.

"Let me formally introduce myself then. Nice to meet you, I'm Yang Yixie, currently just an ordinary college student, and my game name is Ying Duo."

Luo Jinyou paused a beat, then he also reached out and shook hands.

"...... Luo Jinyou, currently, would you say you're volunteering for the authorities?"

Compared to Ying Duo's icy, stone‑cold body temperature, Yang Yixie's fingertips were warmer, bearing a thin callus from years of contact with keyboards and mechanical parts.

The person before him was real, not a hologram that shatters at a touch.

A voice suddenly drifted up from behind Luo Jinyou.

"Just now you were saying we were wasting time, yet you have the leisure to stand here chatting."

Meng Kexin had somehow already returned, her war hammer casually slung over her shoulder, the head still stained with some aberrant species blood.

With her other hand she was tucking the side‑swept bangs behind her ear, her tone full of reproach toward the sort of fighter who only joins halfway through a battle, then opens with mockery the moment he steps onto the field.

Yang Yixie pushed his glasses up without changing his expression and spoke confidently.

"That's different; I'm raising the affinity of my shield support. If I scare people off with a bad attitude, I'll have no one to partner with."

A soft grunt came from nearby; Min Tianyou stood not far away, eyes down on the shards left from his shattered ice pick.

A lone wolf type almost had his defenses broken.

Meng Kexin didn't pursue the topic, setting her war hammer down from her shoulder; the head touched the ground lightly—though it looked pink and dainty, its actual weight was astonishing.

"Since you're here, let's first form a party," she said. "Your minimap scan is far more useful than us splitting up to search."

Yang Yixie nodded, his fingers swiftly tracing a few lines in the air; the familiar fluorescent‑green party invitation popped up before each person's view, even including Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu, who had just met over there.

How long has it been since they last saw this popup?

But the current situation really isn't suited for catching up; they just briefly put their heads together to assign each person's next direction, then prepared to split up and deal with the aberrant species.

"Where are we headed next?"

Luo Jinyou turned his head to look at Yang Yixie, seeming just as eager.

Yang Yixie casually made a gesture in the air, and Luo Jinyou saw a dense array of green pop‑ups suddenly appear beside him, each showing different enemy views and still moving.

Those were mechanisms and tiny robots Yang Yixie had secretly installed throughout the city as a precaution; they're now perfect for hunting aberrant species.

"How about you go?" Yang Yixie glanced at the mech and Luo Jinyou, adding that he wasn't suited for frontline combat himself.

He tried to emit a bubble through the mech, attempting to use that method to communicate with Luo Jinyou.

Mech: "O（∩_∩）O"

Huh......

It's not hard; this way we can communicate without barriers.

Yang Yixie had Luo Jinyou and the mech go clear the aberrant species outside the mall, while he himself walked slowly toward the passage where his mother had just been hiding, intending to fetch some pastries laced with holy water for her to eat.

Anyway, everything's exposed now, so there's no need to hide.

Suddenly, Yang Yixie's phone rang.

The ringtone is a very ordinary default ringtone; Yang Yixie pulled his phone from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and slightly raised an eyebrow.

Strictly speaking, he and Bai Mu Yun are not in Party Status, Bai Mu Yun now exists by occupying one of his player account slots, but he can still see Bai Mu Yun's status.

It looks like he is also facing trouble; although it isn't enough to drive him into a mind‑less rampage, his Blood Bar is still unhealthy.

"Hey?"