"So you're telling me, grr, that during this time, you were all nominally members of the Study Group here to help me study..."
"...but in secret, every single one of you went behind my back and used your Superpowers to get handsy with Yan Huan?!"
As Spencer frowned and spoke, her hair in the darkness gradually began to take on a dazzling radiance, strand by strand, resembling the sun.
An invisible wave rippled outward, instantly enveloping everyone present.
Feeling that invisible wave radiating out, the other three girls present simultaneously felt a sense of palpitation in their hearts.
On that night, the other Hosts of the Modifiers finally remembered the terror of being dominated by the Great Pig King Spencer.
Mainly, they had been so busy dealing with An Le recently, and coupled with the fact that Spencer had been far too well-behaved...
...it made them almost forget that this girl was also a demon king level troublemaker.
Especially since anyone with eyes could tell: the Spencer saying these words was not in a very good mood.
Of course she wasn't, after all, during this time Spencer had genuinely been wanting to study hard and strive to grow.
She had kept the words spoken by Yan Huan and that Aunt Sakuramiya firmly in her heart.
She wanted to study hard, striving not to be expelled again, while also trying to get along with the others she had always been at odds with, hoping to make more friends.
To achieve this goal, she hadn't even kissed Yan Huan during this period, which showed just how firm her resolve was.
As a result, you were now telling Spencer that this group of people took advantage of her vulnerability, going behind her back one by one to get handsy with Yan Huan...
Did you really think Spencer was just a good little baby?!
"..."
Thus, as soon as those words were spoken, the Atmosphere in the area instantly descended into Silence.
"Well? Speak up, grr!!"
Hearing this, the three girls immediately exchanged secret glances with one another, communicating their thoughts.
First, the goal was very clear:
With the problem of An Le currently at hand, they absolutely could not let Spencer cause any more trouble.
It would naturally be great if she could help the three of them deal with An Le, but even if she didn't help, standing off to the side AFK would be fine too.
But they absolutely, positively must not provoke her into becoming an enemy, making her turn around and help An Le.
If a stats monster and a mechanics monster teamed up, it would truly be an impossible fight.
Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi took a deep breath, planning to speak up and smooth things over, Bai Yi, having received the signal, revealed a confident smile.
She waved her hand at Ye Shiyu and Sakuramiya Hitomi, then took a step forward, her meaning clear:
Say no more, leave it to me!
It seemed that because her earlier speech had left Ye Shiyu speechless, she now felt full of confidence.
This girl Spencer was just an immature idiot.
Wouldn't it be fine to just coax her like a child?
Bai Yi was confident she could accomplish such a simple task; after all, she was an expert at coaxing children back in her hometown.
Her voice needed to be sweet, and her attitude had to be good.
Then, by just casually telling some extravagant lies to trick them, they would eagerly follow her lead.
Surely, dealing with Spencer would be the same.
"How could that be, Spencer? We didn't do anything to Yan Huan, you just misunderstood...
"And look, we've gotten along so well recently, we're already friends, right? How could you misunderstand a friend?"
Bai Yi put her hands behind her back, bent slightly at the waist, and spoke patiently with an artificially sweet voice.
Her breathtakingly beautiful face, paired with a sweet and adorable smile, made her look just like an angelic kindergarten teacher.
It made anyone who looked at her feel an unstoppable sense of intimacy, wanting to run into her arms and act coy.
"..."
Off to the side, both Ye Shiyu and Sakuramiya Hitomi were so grossed out by her forced sweet voice that they got Goosebumps.
However, hearing this, Spencer narrowed her eyes and cast a glance at Bai Yi in front of her.
She saw that the smiling red-crowned crane figure before her grew increasingly solid after speaking those words.
It even swaggered and raised its crane head adorned with cinnabar red, spreading its black and white wings.
That was the scent of a lie.
Seeing this, Spencer clenched her fists, her expression instantly turning fierce.
"You dare lie to me?! You're courting death, grr!!"
"Eek!"
That roar made Bai Yi's body shudder, and her angelic image instantly crumbled.
'Huh, wasn't this girl supposed to be an idiot?'
'How could she see through my lies?'
And right before her eyes, because of Bai Yi's lies, Spencer was thoroughly enraged.
Her golden hair became as dazzling as the sun itself, and an invisible wave crashed over them like a tsunami, causing the others' long hair to flutter without any wind.
"Did... did I say the wrong thing?"
Seeing Spencer's expression gradually become terrifying, Bai Yi swallowed a mouthful of saliva and spoke with a guilty conscience.
Sakuramiya Hitomi was so exasperated by this question that she looked as if she were deprived of oxygen, unable to catch her breath, and hurriedly clutched her chest.
Ye Shiyu found that when she was around Bai Yi, it was genuinely difficult to maintain her emotionless expression.
Mainly because she just couldn't hold back, you know?
Every time, she would end up laughing out of sheer anger from her antics, all leading to the same result.
Sakuramiya Hitomi took a few deep breaths, then rubbed the space between the eyebrows and gritted her teeth as she said,
"Bai Yi... could you possibly... be any more stupid?"
Looking at Spencer, whose eyes were shooting daggers, even Ye Shiyu inevitably took a step back.
She faintly felt that this Spencer seemed to have become even more dangerous after the Club War.
"Are you not going to be satisfied... until you get our entire group wiped out?"
"Hah? So it's all my fault?"
"Who else is to blame for your nonsense?"
"Yes, I misspoke... but this is also a problem with you and Ye Shiyu!"
"...What does this have to do with us??"
Bai Yi innocently gripped her Pocket Watch and murmured softly,
"If Ye Shiyu hadn't been unable to resist doing bad things to Yan Huan, would she have snapped? If you hadn't brought her here, would she even know about all this?"
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi took a deep breath, no longer wanting to pay attention to Bai Yi.
She narrowed her eyes, her brilliant mind instantly analyzing the situation.
'Wait, this situation...'
'Maybe it isn't such a bad thing after all.'
'The priority right now is to join forces to stop An Le, from whatever angle you look at it, this must be done.'
And as for the other Superpower owners, Spencer and Bai Yi were both controllable in Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes; at the very least, they had a high probability of adhering to the agreement not to use their Superpowers on the President.
'Only this Ye Shiyu...'
'...has absolutely no self-control and will be detrimental to the President.'
'It would be better to just dump all the blame on Ye Shiyu.'
'Let Spencer deal with Ye Shiyu first, and then she and Bai Yi could team up with Spencer to stop An Le.'
'It would be equivalent to an alliance still consisting of three people.'
'Only replacing the most dangerous Ye Shiyu, who is the most likely to harm the President, with Spencer.'
"And here I was wanting to listen to Yan Huan and get along well with you all, grr..."
"Wait, Spencer, I have something to say! I'd like to explain the matter of getting handsy with Yan Huan that you mentioned!"
In a flash of lightning, right before Spencer completely lost control, Sakuramiya Hitomi cast a glance at Ye Shiyu and immediately spoke up.
Bai Yi was taken aback, while Ye Shiyu looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
With just that one glance, Ye Shiyu seemed to realize Sakuramiya Hitomi's intention.
She was going to sell her out, sacrificing a pawn to save the king.
"Grr?"
Hum!
Just as Spencer revealed a look of confusion, Ye Shiyu remained expressionless, the Mobile Phone in her hand abruptly emitting a dark purple glow.
In an instant, without a single shred of hesitation, she immediately raised her phone and aimed it at Spencer and Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Zero-Frame Activation!!
Sakuramiya Hitomi, who had been keeping a close eye on Ye Shiyu, instantly reacted, immediately closing her eyes and turning her head away.
But Spencer, who hadn't reacted in time due to Sakuramiya Hitomi's words, looked directly at Ye Shiyu's Phone Screen.
"Ah! It worked, Sakuramiya Hitomi, she used Hypnosis on Spencer! There's no need to wor—eh?"
Bai Yi had absolutely no idea about these twists and turns, thinking the two of them were actually coordinating.
One to attract Spencer's attention, and the other to cast Hypnosis on her.
She actually thought their tactics had succeeded.
But Bai Yi's joy hadn't lasted for more than a second before she saw the sight in front of her; Spencer, who was supposed to become sluggish, just paused for a moment and then tilted her head.
'No...'
'It didn't work?!'
Not only was Bai Yi stunned, but even Ye Shiyu's pupils shrank as she looked at Spencer in disbelief.
The last time at the Golden Lion Mansion, she had been interrupted by Spencer before she even had the chance to raise her phone.
Therefore, Ye Shiyu merely felt that this girl possessed excellent physical attributes, making close-range casting impossible to succeed.
Now, from such a distance, her Zero-Frame Activation had indeed successfully made her look at the screen.
'But it still had no effect?!'
"Ye Shiyu, what bad thing were you just trying to do to me, grr?"
Although the Hypnosis was completely useless, Spencer still felt that chilling sensation, like being tangled in a spider's web.
Instinct told Spencer that Ye Shiyu was trying to do something bad to her.
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi was also surprised for a moment.
But she quickly opened her eyes and shouted at Spencer,
"Spencer, the one who's been groping Yan Huan all this time is Ye Shiyu! It wasn't us!!"
"Grr?"
Spencer cast a glance at Sakuramiya Hitomi and saw the peacock figure before her gradually distorting.
She was telling the truth.
Bai Yi, off to the side, was already in utter chaos. There was too much happening at once for her to comprehend right now.
"No, wait... can someone please explain to me what the situation is right now?"
However, even though she hadn't activated Indifference, not a single person on the scene paid her any mind.
Spencer's forehead had Veins Bulging, her fists clenched tight; she was clearly on the verge of going berserk,
"Ye Shiyu, what exactly did you do to Yan Huan, grr?"
"What right do you, the one who forcibly kissed Xiao Huan, have to question me? And why should I tell you?"
"Because... because..."
These words made Spencer freeze for a moment, but then, the scenes of when she previously stayed at Yan Huan's house and kissed him flashed back into her mind.
For some reason, just thinking about that, and then thinking that others wanted to do the same to Yan Huan, made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
She instinctively felt that the source of this unease in her heart was the answer to Ye Shiyu's question.
It was just that she was far too clumsy and didn't know how to describe this feeling.
So, she could only blush slightly and declare loudly and domineeringly,
"Because Yan Huan is mine, grr! You aren't allowed to get handsy with him!!"
"..."
As soon as those words came out, the surroundings descended into Silence. Only the leaves from the forest slowly drifted down, landing on the heads of Sakuramiya Hitomi and the other two with the night breeze.
"You... you..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi stared blankly at Spencer, who had just issued what sounded like a declaration of war, and suddenly felt a surge of regret.
Because previously, when Spencer was acting against her, she had also made similar remarks.
At that time, she wore an evil smile on her face, looking as if she wanted to snatch the President away from her.
Yet for some reason, saying the exact same words today while blushing with a trembling voice...
...gave Sakuramiya Hitomi a feeling that was a hundred times more dangerous than the words she had spoken previously with that unbridled, evil smile.
'It was almost as if...'
'...she and the President shared mutual feelings, which was why she was so shy yet so incredibly certain.'
Buzz~
The three girls present felt a painful block in their chests from that single sentence, but the illusory bull horns appearing on Spencer's head seemed to absorb some kind of energy, becoming even more dazzling.
Swish!
But just as all three were completely dumbfounded by Spencer, the sound of a Dagger being drawn from its sheath abruptly rang out from behind Spencer.
"Hehehe~ A few girls clashing head-on, this is a scene I absolutely love to watch... I love watching fragile Girls fighting more than anything..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi's pupils shrank as she saw a man holding a Dagger, flashing an Evil Laugh, standing behind Spencer at some unknown point.
The man felt Sakuramiya Hitomi's gaze and swept his eyes over as well.
Upon seeing her black-to-pink gradient Hair Ends, the man's smile widened as he spoke,
"Found the target, Sakuramiya Hitomi, right?"
"Spencer, behind you!!"
Hearing Bai Yi's scream, Spencer clenched her fists and abruptly turned her head.
Boom!!
In an Instant, before the man with the evil smile could even react, he saw a Sandbag-sized fist tearing through the air like a cannonball, smashing directly toward his face.
He paused slightly, trying to raise his hands to block, but was still a step too late.
Bang!!
Along with a surge of immense force, his entire body was sent flying backward, flipping several times in the air before violently smashing into a tree trunk, shaking the trunk wildly and sending countless leaves falling.
Rustle...
Sakuramiya Hitomi and Bai Yi stood with their mouths wide open, staring at Spencer's fluttering golden hair, truly feeling as though she had been possessed by a Super Saiyan.
Only Ye Shiyu was stunned, realizing something.
'I knew this girl's strength was immense, but...'
'...it's still even stronger than when she fought me before.'
'It seems that after she forcibly kissed Xiao Huan during the Club Battle Finals, this girl's Superpower has become increasingly formidable.'
"Cough..."
The man who had been punched flying lay on the ground, coughing continuously, struggling with great difficulty as he tried to get back up.
Only to find that his entire body felt as if it had fallen apart; he couldn't muster an ounce of strength.
The survival instinct made his trembling hand reach toward his waist...
There, a handgun was tucked.
"Careful, he has a gun!!"
In the darkness, Sakuramiya Hitomi couldn't clearly see the man's movements, but Bai Yi saw it perfectly, and she hurriedly cried out a warning in panic.
Hearing this, Spencer reacted with lightning speed, instantly grabbing a fallen wooden branch from the forest and violently smashing it toward the man.
Thud!
With a dull thud, the man's body shuddered before he thoroughly passed out, completely Motionless.
Spencer clapped her hands, just about to turn around, but Sakuramiya Hitomi realized something and hastily ran toward the man.
Bzz... Bzz...
Although the man had already fainted, his hands still tightly gripped his firearm and Dagger.
On his chest, a clipped-on Walkie-Talkie crackled with static, and soon the voice of someone else came through,
"Jin Zuo, the boss's walkie-talkie broke, but he encountered that Yan Huan. You keep searching toward the southeast for Sakuramiya Hitomi; after he kills Yan Huan, he'll come regroup with us."
'The President / Xiao Huan / Yan Huan?!!'
As soon as she heard the voice coming from the Walkie-Talkie, Sakuramiya Hitomi's small face turned slightly pale.
"They... they must be assassins hired by my family... They're here to find the President and me..."
"Assassins with... with guns... Wait, Yan Huan is still in the room!"
As they spoke, everyone besides Spencer felt as if they had plunged into an icy abyss.
Because they all suddenly remembered: Yan Huan was still lying unconscious in the shrine after being subjected to Ye Shiyu's Hypnosis.
If those assassins' goal was to take both of their lives, and they just so happened to run into an unconscious Yan Huan lying in the shrine, then...
"Ye Shiyu... if something terrible happens to the President because you used Hypnosis on him... I... I will never let you go for the rest of my life... I swear it!!"
Bloodshot veins slowly spread across Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes as she whipped her head around, staring straight at Ye Shiyu behind her, practically roaring these words.
At this moment, not only were Ye Shiyu's limbs icy cold, but her heart almost stopped completely.
'I had no idea there were assassins...'
'If something really happens to Xiao Huan because I used Hypnosis on him...'
'...never mind Sakuramiya Hitomi and my Mother, even I would never forgive myself.'
"I... I'll rush back right now!"
Ye Shiyu was Panicked and Helpless; clutching her Mobile Phone, she immediately sprang up and sprinted in the direction of the shrine.
She quickly disappeared into the darkness.
"We... we should too... Spencer, take me back, please..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi also wanted to immediately get up and rush back, but at this moment, terrified at the possibility of Yan Huan being in danger, she couldn't even stand.
Seeing this, Spencer nodded. Just as she was about to pick her up, a sudden stench of blood wafted out from the forest behind them.
Gurgle~
Everyone's expressions changed, and they whipped their heads around.
They saw An Le swaying through the air like a teru teru bozu doll, flying over toward them.
Thinking she wanted to continue fighting, Bai Yi hastily spoke up,
"Stop! An Le!! Something's happened!! The Sakuramiya family hired assassins to go after Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi!! Hurry... hurry back and save Yan Huan! Ye Shiyu has already headed back!!"
However, An Le's pale face showed a look of surprise before her trembling body murmured,
"No... no wonder... Xiao... Xiao Huan!"
With that said, she controlled her Tentacles and dropped a burly man, who had been pumped so full of Pleasure that he had lost consciousness, right in front of them.
Huh?
Looking at the burly man with rolled-back eyes tossed onto the ground, they finally realized why An Le had taken so long to catch up with them.
She had run into an assassin!
This group of assassins had multiple accomplices!
Bai Yi looked down at the burly man An Le had dropped, glancing at the firearm slung over his shoulder and the "wing" pendant hanging around his neck, and internally cursed that things were bad.
Meanwhile, in midair, the Panicked and Helpless An Le was already being suspended by her Tentacles, flying directly toward the shrine.
"Let's go, Spencer!!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi, now carried on Spencer's back, was so tense her whole body trembled, and she quickly urged Spencer.
"Grr!"
Spencer also knew the gravity of the matter, so she immediately spun around and dashed madly toward the shrine.
Bai Yi wanted to follow behind them, but after just a few steps, she was utterly exhausted.
Don't forget, she had just been running away alongside Ye Shiyu earlier, covering quite a long distance.
Ye Shiyu and Spencer had excellent stamina, Sakuramiya Hitomi could ride the bull mount, and An Le could fly...
Only she alone was like a primitive caveman, with zero stats and no mechanics!
How the hell was she supposed to play this game!
"Could... couldn't you guys show some care for a Free-to-Play Player... Haa... Ahhh, I'm coming, Yan Huan!!"
She leaned against a tree and took a deep breath. But at the thought that Yan Huan's life was hanging by a thread, she threw caution to the wind, gritted her teeth, exerted her Utmost Effort, and accelerated once more into the night.
Bzz... Bzz...
"Jin Zuo, the boss's walkie-talkie broke, but he encountered that Yan Huan. You keep searching toward the southeast for Sakuramiya Hitomi; after he kills Yan Huan, he'll come regroup with us."
Somewhere in the forest.
Next to an assassin who had collapsed and completely lost consciousness, a woman wearing a "wing" pendant was Listening Attentively to the transmission on the Walkie-Talkie.
When it stopped, her expression changed, and she turned her head to look behind her,
"Sister Tong, this is bad! After chasing them for so long, I didn't expect Yan Huan to be nearby too... And what's more, that man has already found Yan Huan..."
"Old Li didn't report back earlier, and now Sakayori Mina has likely also been taken out by his accomplices..."
But as she spoke, she was startled by the person behind her.
She saw that the person behind her, upon hearing the name "Yan Huan," had slowly gripped her Mobile Phone tighter and tighter, until tiny cracks gradually appeared on the Phone Screen.
Because just a moment ago, the call she had dialed had been hung up.
Yet she hadn't expected...
...that it was the assassins who had found him.
The very assassins she had been hunting for so long, the ones who had murdered her adoptive mother, had now set their sights on Yan Huan.
They were going to use the exact same method to tear him away from her side.
In an Instant, countless scenes flashed through her mind.
"Hello, Boss, I heard you're hiring here. I'm here to apply."
She recalled how, one day when she had abandoned herself to despair by drinking herself into a stupor, lying decadent in her unfinished-style Bar, a young boy had walked in with a smile.
"Hiss... Boss, your decor isn't really cutting it. You won't attract any customers like this. How about I try giving it a makeover?"
"Boss Tong, it'll be a miracle if your ideas ever make any money..."
"Sister Tong, you really can't judge a book by its cover. Your Room is way too messy. Could you please hire a housekeeper to clean it up?"
"Sister Tong, could you stop drinking, please..."
"Sister Tong, I've finally figured it out. When you said you were quitting smoking, that was just utter nonsense, wasn't it?"
"Sister Tong, here, your Caramel Pudding."
"Sister Tong..."
"Sister Tong..."
"Sister Tong?"
Rustle...
The night wind surged from all sides, and dark clouds obscured the sky.
The moonlight gradually faded away into nothingness.
The gloomy Atmosphere gradually painted the face of Tong Yingying behind her into something dim and indiscernible...
Only that wine-red hair, only those eyes—which were currently sharp and bloodthirsty—were so vividly clear.
That hollow, dispirited aura gradually receded.
Schwing~
Replacing it was a silver Blade slowly being drawn from its sheath right before her eyes.
That silver glint echoed from afar with her head of red hair, looking just like a demonic fiend escaping from hell.
"Tonight, someone is going to die."