He didn't know how long he had been running until he could no longer hear the sound of pursuers behind him. He then plunged into a dim alley, leaned against the wall, and gasped for breath.
The overwhelming power surging through his body was now receding as swiftly as a tide.
Just then, the silver-white spear in his hand suddenly flickered with light, and in a soft glow, it transformed back into the form of the silver-haired girl.
This sudden change caught Xiang Lie off guard.
He had been running while holding the spear, but when it suddenly transformed into a person, he lost his grip and let go, causing the girl to fall to the ground with a thud.
"Ouch!"
The girl landed softly on the ground, letting out a soft groan before going completely still.
"Hey!"
Xiang Lie was startled. The sudden weakness made him feel a bit dizzy, but he quickly knelt down and gently shook the girl's shoulders.
"Wake up! Hey! Are you okay?"
He cautiously placed his finger under her nose. Thankfully, she was breathing. However, she had completely lost consciousness.
Just as Xiang Lie was at a loss, a crisp yet teasing voice suddenly rang out from the depths of the alley.
"Hey! Big guy, where do you think you're putting your hands?"
Xiang Lie froze, instinctively looking down at his hands.
He realized that, in an attempt to wake the girl, his left hand was resting directly on her chest—though slender, it still had the curves of a young woman.
"Damn it!"
Xiang Lie jerked his hand back as if electrocuted, his face flushing red like a cooked shrimp. He had never had such close contact with a girl in his twenty years of life.
"I didn't mean to! I..." He hurried to explain.
With a faint mechanical rolling sound, two figures emerged slowly from the shadows.
The one in front was a young man in his late twenties, tall and well-built, with a handsome face and a gentle smile, giving off an air of warmth.
Beside him was a young girl sitting in a high-tech wheelchair. She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, with twin ponytails and silver hair, her features delicate. However, she was currently crossing her arms and glaring at Xiang Lie with an annoyed expression.
The voice that had spoken earlier belonged to the girl in the wheelchair.
"Hello, I'm Yi." The handsome man in front extended his hand and introduced himself, "You can call me Mr. Yi. This is Ling."
Xiang Lie did not shake his hand but stood up warily, shielding the unconscious silver-haired girl behind him.
"Who are you?"
"We are 'Mo's' companions," Mr. Yi pointed at the silver-haired girl behind Xiang Lie and smiled, "We belong to the 'Ark' organization outside the city. Thank you very much for saving her."
'Mo'? Is that her name?
Xiang Lie looked at the two people in front of him, then at the unconscious Mo on the ground, his vigilance not wavering in the slightest.
"How can I trust that you're her partners?" he asked in a low voice. "What if you're part of the same group as those black-clad men earlier, and you're here to capture her too?"
"Ha!" Ling, sitting in the wheelchair, laughed in anger. She pointed at Xiang Lie and said angrily, " You big guy, is your head filled with nothing but muscles? Did you do something strange to our Mo and are afraid she'll expose you when she wakes up?"
"I didn't!" Xiang Lie's neck bulged with anger.
"Ling, don't be like that." Mr. Yi sighed and patted Ling's shoulder, then smiled apologetically at Xiang Lie, "Sorry, Ling is just like that—she means no harm."
"Hmph!" Ling turned her head away, pulled out a piece of what looked like dried meat from her pocket, and muttered, "I'm still hungry. Really! Stubborn big guy, you don't believe me, do you? Watch this!"
Saying that, she angrily stuffed the piece of dried meat into her mouth, chewed it forcefully, and swallowed it.
Instantly, her body was enveloped in a red glow! As the light faded, the girl in the wheelchair vanished, replaced by a futuristic-looking red pistol floating silently in midair.
A few seconds later, the red light flashed again, and the pistol transformed back into the girl's form.
Ling's face was noticeably paler than before. She took a breath and snapped at Xiang Lie, "Did you see that, big guy? Do you believe me now?"
Xiang Lie stood there dumbfounded, feeling as though his worldview, which had been repeatedly shattered and reshaped throughout the day, had been dragged through the mud once again.
So... this transformation wasn't exclusive to Mo?
He remained silent for a long time before finally exhaling deeply and nodding.
"Alright, I believe you." He paused, but his tone remained firm. "However, I will accompany you until the 'Mo' you speak of personally confirms your identities."
"Of course," Mr. Yi agreed without hesitation, his smile growing broader. "In fact, the 'Ark' warmly welcomes powerful and kind friends like you to join us."
Saying this, he turned and walked deeper into the alley, pressing a button on what appeared to be an ordinary wall.
"Hum—"
The wall silently slid open to the sides, revealing a futuristic-looking internal passageway. A sleek, futuristic-looking silver-colored small aircraft was parked inside.
"Please, Mr. Xiang Lie." Mr. Yi made a gesture of invitation.
Xiang Lie picked up the unconscious Mo and followed them without hesitation into the aircraft.
As the hatch closed, the aircraft silently took off, quickly blending into the city's night sky.
The interior of the aircraft was extremely smooth, with almost no turbulence felt.
Xiang Lie looked out the porthole, where the city's dazzling lights resembled a starry sky reflected on the ground, swiftly receding into the distance.
Soon, that vibrant sea of light vanished beyond the horizon, replaced by endless, profound darkness.
This was what was known as the "Wasteland."
This was the first time in his life that Xiang Lie had left the boundaries of "Tower City."
He recalled that the academy's instructors had warned them on multiple occasions: beyond the tower lay wasteland, teeming with danger. For ordinary students, venturing out of the city without permission was akin to suicide.
Looking out the window at the darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything, an uneasy feeling began to spread through his heart.
The atmosphere inside the aircraft was quiet. Mr. Yi was operating something at the controls, while Ling maneuvered her wheelchair to Xiao Lie's side.
Xiao Lie's thoughts were still on the wilderness outside the window. Unintentionally, his gaze drifted downward and landed on Ling's legs. Those legs looked slender, covered by a thin blanket.
Just as he was lost in thought, Ling's voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, sounded again.
"Big guy, do you like what you see?"
Xiang Lie snapped back to reality, only to find Ling tilting her head, her lips curled into a mischievous smile as she looked at him.
"Want to... touch them?"
"..."
Xiang Lie's mind went blank. He quickly turned his head away, his cheeks burning again, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
It's over.
He felt that the "pervert" label in this young girl's eyes was probably impossible to shake off.