She couldn’t just stand there and watch Sheng Xia get dragged away!
Qin Shuang glanced at the slender Sheng Xia beside her, who still looked like an underage girl.
Then she looked at Xu Mu, who was steadily approaching, and at Xia Xiaoxue standing not far away with her chin raised and a smug smile on her face.
A certain determination seemed to settle in her heart.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xia was still locked in an internal struggle.
Although it felt much longer, only a few seconds had actually passed.
Just as Xu Mu raised his hands and sent the fireballs crashing down, a much larger fireball suddenly shot out from behind Sheng Xia.
It swallowed Xu Mu’s attack whole and continued surging toward him.
Both Sheng Xia and Qin Shuang, who had been preparing to fight, were dumbfounded.
The two stared at each other, completely unaware of what had just happened.
When they turned back toward Xu Mu, they saw that he had already been engulfed in flames.
His clothes and hair were visibly burned away in an instant.
Yet strangely enough, his body itself remained completely unharmed.
As the flames dissipated, Xu Mu was left standing there completely naked.
Xia Xiaoxue immediately began screaming at the top of her lungs.
Sheng Xia and Qin Shuang reacted with remarkable synchronization and instantly turned around, determined not to accidentally see anything that would leave them with permanent trauma.
The moment she turned, Sheng Xia saw a man with the protagonist’s halo shining above his head.
Handsome, wealthy, and annoyingly perfect.
Gu Ziyan.
She blinked hard several times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, then unconsciously wiped away nonexistent drool from the corner of her mouth.
Dressed in a gray camouflage uniform, Gu Ziyan had already walked over and knocked her lightly on the head.
“Have you gone stupid? Are you hurt?”
Rubbing her aching forehead, Sheng Xia lowered her head.
A dangerous storm brewed in her eyes.
He actually dared to hit me. Is he tired of living?
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
Looking at Sheng Xia’s short hair, Gu Ziyan felt a strange ache in his heart.
He reached out and ruffled her hair before lifting her chin and smiling.
“Silly girl. As long as you’re okay.”
Sheng Xia’s eyes widened. She immediately shook free of his hand and shivered.
Something was definitely wrong with the plot.
Since when had the male lead become this close to her?
A smile lingered at the corner of Gu Ziyan’s lips as he murmured softly,
“It’s a relief that you’re alright.”
The moment his helicopter arrived above the plaza, he had seen Xu Mu’s fireball flying toward Sheng Xia.
The sight had nearly scared the soul out of him.
Before he had even stepped off the aircraft, he had already launched a counterattack at Xu Mu.
Only after seeing Sheng Xia standing before him completely unharmed had the stone hanging over his heart finally fallen away.
Watching the exchange between the two, then glancing at Xu Mu and the others who had already been subdued by an armed squad, Qin Shuang suddenly felt like a giant thousand-watt light bulb awkwardly wedged between them.
It was only then that Gu Ziyan seemed to notice her existence.
He turned to Sheng Xia and asked about her.
After Sheng Xia introduced the two of them to one another, the heads of Xifeng City’s three major families all arrived at the plaza.
When Xu Mu’s father saw his son’s miserable condition, rage surged through him.
He immediately ordered people forward, only to be blocked by Gu Ziyan’s men.
Meanwhile, Qin Zhentian ignored his freshly operated leg and rushed over in a wheelchair.
Only after confirming that both Qin Shuang and Sheng Xia were unharmed did he finally relax.
The Qin family had only one remaining heir.
Nothing could happen to Qin Shuang.
As for the Xia family, after seeing that Xia Xiaoxue had not suffered any serious injuries, they quietly stood to the side without saying a word.
When they had first received reports that their younger generation had started a fight in the plaza, none of them had believed it.
Now that they had witnessed it firsthand, they had no choice.
As more and more people gathered around the plaza, impatience flashed across Gu Ziyan’s face.
After learning the full story, he strode toward Xu Mu.
Xu Mu had already fainted from shock after being engulfed by the flames and was currently lying in his father Xu Lin’s arms.
Seeing the murderous look on Gu Ziyan’s face, Xu Lin shuddered.
Still, he stepped in front of his son and stiffly demanded,
“You, who are you? Why did you injure my son?”
“Gu Ziyan.”
The three words plunged the entire plaza into silence.
The son of the Huaxia Federation’s Supreme Commander.
Wasn’t his name Gu Ziyan?
The strongest ability user who had single-handedly slain hundreds of mutated beasts outside Yanjing.
The commander of Yanjing’s strongest defensive fortifications.
The youngest major general in the Huaxia Federation.
The undefeated captain of the Langya Squad.
Xu Lin froze. It took him several moments to recover.
“Major General Gu… may I ask why you’ve humiliated my son like this?”
Gu Ziyan snorted coldly.
“Tell your son to stay away from my team members in the future and keep his little schemes to himself. Otherwise, next time, burning off his clothes won’t be the only consequence.”
“Don’t think that awakening a fire elemental ability gives him the right to do whatever he wants. If he has so much free time to bully young girls, he’d be better off killing more mutated beasts.”
Cold sweat immediately drenched Xu Lin’s back.
He had never imagined that the girl his son had spent so much effort searching for would turn out to be a member of Gu Ziyan’s team.
The Xu family could not afford to offend the Federation government.
After countless thoughts raced through his mind, he promptly apologized to Sheng Xia.
Only after Gu Ziyan waved his hand and allowed them to leave did Xu Lin dare to take Xu Mu away.
The moment Gu Ziyan revealed his identity, however, Xia Xiaoxue’s eyes turned into stars as she gazed at him with admiration.
Gu Ziyan looked utterly disgusted.
He shot her a fierce glare before turning to the Xia family.
“Apparently Miss Xia’s brain doesn’t function properly. It seems she never remembers to bring it with her when she leaves the house. I’d appreciate it if the Xia family could refrain from letting her out to frighten innocent people.”
“And from now on, remember to brush Miss Xia’s teeth every day. The filth coming out of her mouth is unbearable.”
“There’s a hospital in Yanjing that specializes in treating brain disorders. I know them quite well. If you need a referral, feel free to contact me.”
The Xia family members froze awkwardly.
None of them dared object.
Xia Xiaoxue’s face flushed crimson with humiliation, but she didn’t dare utter a single complaint.
Qin Shuang stared at Gu Ziyan in disbelief.
Sheng Xia, meanwhile, shook her head, struggling not to laugh.
Men could be remarkably vicious when they decided to be sharp-tongued.
Hmph! Men!
Just like the Xu family, the Xia family left in disgrace.
Meanwhile, Qin Zhentian beamed as he warmly invited Gu Ziyan and his group to visit the Qin family estate.
Gu Ziyan politely declined.
After saying goodbye, he brought Sheng Xia to Xifeng City’s military defense base.
The military had established a dedicated garrison there, and all the supplies he had arranged were stored within the compound.
After everyone arrived, they shared dinner before gathering in a conference room.
Only then did Gu Ziyan begin introducing his teammates one by one.
“This is Xu Yi, a metal elemental ability user. If you’ve got anything valuable on you, you’d better hide it, otherwise…” Gu Ziyan said as he pointed to the man on his left.
The young man appeared to be around Gu Ziyan’s age.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses and possessed refined, elegant features. A long rectangular case was strapped across his back.
When Gu Ziyan mentioned him, he politely extended a pale, jade-like hand toward Sheng Xia.
“Hello, Sheng Xia. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Smiling warmly, Sheng Xia shook his hand.
“Hello, Xu Yi. I’m Sheng Xia. It’s nice to meet you.”
A metal elemental ability user.
A walking arsenal. As long as metal was available, it could become his weapon.
Definitely a big shot.
She would need to hug this big shot’s thigh in the future and beg for protection.
Gu Ziyan immediately pulled Xu Yi’s hand back before pointing toward the bearded man sitting beside him.
With a sour expression, he said, “This is Xu Dayou, a defensive ability user. If you ever run into danger, hide behind him. His skin is thick, and he’s built to take a beating.”
Xu Dayou put on his usual honest smile and waved casually in greeting.
There was no way he was shaking a young lady’s hand.
He had clearly noticed his young master’s expression darkened when Xu Yi shook Sheng Xia’s hand.
Besides, because of his previous mistake involving the Gu residence and the fall of Kangcheng, Gu Ziyan had nearly lost his mind and given him a lesson he still remembered vividly.
He certainly wasn’t foolish enough to provoke him again.
Sheng Xia didn’t understand why this uncle kept giving her strange looks, but she politely nodded anyway.
After all, he would undoubtedly be a valuable shield and tank in future battles.
Yes! She definitely needed to build a good relationship with him.
Seeing that Xu Dayou had enough sense to behave himself, Gu Ziyan shot him a glance before pointing to the beautiful woman seated on his right, who wore a constant smile.
“This is Ye Qingqing, my cousin. She’s a wood elemental ability user…”
Before he could finish speaking, Ye Qingqing had already jumped to her feet and rushed over to Sheng Xia.
Taking both of Sheng Xia’s hands, she enthusiastically said,
“So you’re Sheng Xia? You’re absolutely adorable! Come on, call me Sister and let me hear it.”
Caught completely off guard by her enthusiasm, Sheng Xia smiled awkwardly and cooperated.
“Hello, Sister Ye. I’m Sheng Xia.”
Ye Qingqing immediately began ruffling her hair and pinching her cheeks, apparently fascinated by her.
Gu Ziyan’s eyebrow twitched.
He quickly rescued Sheng Xia from his cousin’s clutches.
Two more people remained seated nearby.
As Gu Ziyan led Sheng Xia forward, he continued the introductions.
“This is Shen Li, a soil elemental ability user. And that’s Mu Ting, our team’s medic. She’s a healing ability user.”
Shen Li, who wore a crew cut and carried a specially designed bow on his back, simply nodded expressionlessly.
Mu Ting, on the other hand, was stunningly beautiful.
With carefully applied makeup, wavy hair, and the appearance of a wealthy heiress, she sat there with a cold expression and said nothing.
Sheng Xia didn’t mind.
She wasn’t some universally beloved heroine.
Not everyone needed to like her. She smiled politely and nodded to both of them.
At the same time, she marveled inwardly.
A soil elemental ability user.
Those were incredibly rare.
Including herself and Gu Ziyan, the team now had metal, wood, water, fire, and earth all represented.
And that Mu Ting was actually a healing ability user.
An endangered species in human form.
What kind of heavenly team was this?
No wonder the Langya Squad succeeded in every mission.
With a lineup like this, any commander who still managed to fail would have to be unbelievably incompetent.
After everyone had finished introductions, Gu Ziyan dismissed the meeting.
The others gradually left, leaving only him and Sheng Xia.
Only then did he begin explaining the true purpose of their upcoming mission.
A dimensional rift had appeared above the Lop Nur Desert.
Every day, brilliant seven-colored light radiated from the site.
The Huaxia Federation had immediately dispatched Gu Ziyan’s Langya Squad to investigate.
If any treasures were discovered, they were to secure them at all costs.
The desert was an extremely dangerous environment.
Every member of the Langya Squad was an elite among elites.
The greatest challenge of the mission was ensuring sufficient food and water supplies.
Sheng Xia’s arrival had solved that problem completely.
While teams around the world were still preparing, Gu Ziyan could move ahead of everyone else because of her Spatial storage.
The task assigned to Sheng Xia was simple.
Store and manage their supplies so the team could operate without logistical concerns.
After hearing the explanation, Sheng Xia nodded.
She had no objections.
Watching how cooperatively she accepted the assignment, Gu Ziyan hesitated before speaking again.
“Sheng Xia, the journey to Lop Nur is extremely dangerous. I… I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to bring you back safely.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“But I promise I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.”
His gaze settled on her.
“Are you afraid?”