Chapter 162: The Omen of the Seventh Level

The night was deep and dark. Xie Liu woke up in a hazy daze, feeling a piercing, bone-deep pain erupting from inside his skull and shooting through his entire body, causing him to groan involuntarily.

"You're awake?" Wendy's voice reached him, tinged with a hint of anxiety. Xie Liu struggled to open his eyes, seeing the scenery rushing backward rapidly. He was draped over Wendy's back as the young woman carried him forward at a dead run.

Xie Liu raised a hand to massage his temples until the headache gradually subsided, then asked, "How long have I been out?" Noticing that the sky had already grown dim, Xie Liu felt that his calculations had failed.

"About seven or eight hours." Wendy kept moving with Xie Liu on her back, answering without turning her head.

"We are already very far from our previous battle site. You don't have to worry about them pursuing us." Wendy stopped anxiously and looked back at Xie Liu on her back. "How are you feeling? Can you move on your own?"

"I'm fine, I think I can manage. Put me down." Xie Liu told Wendy, but she remained deeply worried, lowering him gently from her back. Before Xie Liu could steady himself, his legs buckled, and he almost fell to the ground. Wendy caught him with quick reflexes.

"It's fine. Help me sit over there." Xie Liu waved a hand to signal that he was alright, asking Wendy to support him as he walked over to sit on a nearby boulder. Once they were seated, Xie Liu remained frowning, clearly still in considerable pain.

Wendy pulled the canteen from behind her back and handed it to him. Xie Liu muttered a word of thanks, took it, unscrewed the cap, and drank slowly. At that moment, Wendy asked, "Xie Liu, are you certain you've been eating properly lately?"

"What do you mean?" Xie Liu lowered the canteen, frowning as he scrutinized Wendy's face, somewhat puzzled by her abrupt question.

"When you passed out earlier, we were the ones carrying you. I could feel it—your weight didn't seem normal. Yes, the impression you gave me was that you were far too light. You felt about as heavy as a fourteen or fifteen-year-old child. Is something wrong with your body?"

"Really?" Xie Liu was somewhat taken aback. "There's never been any problem. It must be your imagination." Xie Liu was quite familiar with his own physical condition and was certain he did not suffer from the weight loss Wendy described.

"There's no mistake. Check for yourself. Could your body have undergone some kind of mutation?" Wendy remained worried, prompting him to inspect his physical status.

Although Xie Liu thought Wendy was being overly cautious, he nevertheless raised his hand to check his wristwatch. He used the system built into the watch to scan his physical condition, and then let out a sound of surprise.

"Huh!"

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

Xie Liu frowned as he stared at the watch. "You're right, there is indeed a problem. The mass of my body hasn't changed, but the gravity acting upon it has decreased. This phenomenon is difficult to explain, but I suspect it's related to my esper ability. Wait, let me scan my ability rating."

A soft clicking sound emanated from the watch as a green beam of light scanned across Xie Liu's body, continuously analyzing the state of the nanobots within him. After a dozen minutes, a precise set of data appeared on the display.

"104.7 points. What is going on here?" Xie Liu stared at the figures on the watch, somewhat astonished. Judging by this rating, he had already crossed the threshold of a Level 7 ability.

"Based on this data, I am already a Level 7 esper, but I haven't sensed any new abilities awakening." Xie Liu lowered his right hand and the watch, falling into deep thought before analyzing: "It's also possible that this temporary reading isn't entirely accurate. I might only be approaching the one-hundred threshold without actually having crossed it."

"Or perhaps your next tier of ability is currently awakening," Wendy said with a smile, clearly happy for Xie Liu. "An increase in level is a good thing. The reduction in your body weight earlier was probably due to your rising ability."

Xie Liu, however, was not convinced. Ever since he unlocked his Level 4 ability, his power had skyrocketed from Level 4 to Level 7 in a mere span of half a year. This progression was far too rapid, and it might mean his body could not keep up with such swift mutations.

"Let's put my affairs aside for now and focus on the immediate problem. Where are Ye Leng and the others?" Xie Liu inquired.

Wendy pointed ahead, where the distant figure of Ailv could be seen flitting beneath the moonlight. She said, "Ailv and Ye Leng went ahead to scout the path, and Wang Qi and his wife are looking for a safe spot to set up camp. The enemy shouldn't catch up tonight, so you can rest easy."

Xie Liu gripped the canteen and nodded slowly. Right now, what their group needed most was regrouping and recovery; under continuous combat, even a powerhouse like Wendy would feel utterly exhausted.

As she finished speaking, the communicator on Wendy's wrist, modified to look like a floral wreath, rang. Wendy glanced down at it and said, "Ye Leng and the others have found a suitable campsite and told me to hurry over. Are you in a condition to move now?"

Xie Liu raised a hand to knead his knee and shook his head helplessly. "No, there's still no sensation. The central nervous system probably hasn't recovered yet."

Without another word, Wendy grabbed Xie Liu's hand and hoisted him onto her slender back. "I'll carry you over."

Wendy possessed a remarkably tall and lanky figure. Although Xie Liu was also quite tall, Wendy carried him without the slightest difficulty. The two slowly made their way through the jungle. Xie Liu rested his head on Wendy's fragrant shoulder, closed his eyes, and surveyed their surroundings.

"There's no danger nearby. Let's go," Xie Liu remarked.

Wendy retorted with a touch of annoyance, "What time is it, and you're still thinking about that? Just get some proper rest."

Xie Liu gave an awkward laugh, trying to mask his underlying tension.

The two traversed the quiet, dark jungle. The rustling of insects and the occasional call of a cuckoo broke the silence, injecting a sliver of vitality into the secluded place.

Xie Liu lowered his head, resting it against Wendy's shoulder, and boredly and awkwardly studied her profile. This was the first time he had ever examined Wendy from such close quarters. He had to admit that setting aside her tough and fierce personality, Wendy was truly a peerless beauty.

Wendy possessed the characteristic traits of both the Eastern Han Chinese and East Slavs, making her an exquisite woman of mixed descent. Her fair skin and high-bridged nose were her most distinctive features. Beyond that, the curves of her face were not overly sharp, presenting the appearance of a classic Oriental beauty. Had he not observed her up close, Xie Liu would have found it hard to believe that the advantages of two different ethnicities could blend so flawlessly in a single person.

At that moment, Wendy was navigating the thickets with rapt concentration. To prevent Xie Liu from being scratched by nearby branches, she parted every single twig in their path.

Xie Liu withdrew his gaze from Wendy's face, pondered for a moment, and then murmured softly, "Wendy, thank you."

"Ah? What?" Wendy was clearly startled.

Xie Liu awkwardly averted his gaze and hastily added, "It's nothing."

"No, wait. Did you just say thank you to me?" After her initial shock, Wendy broke into a mischievous smile. "You definitely said it. I heard it."

"Perhaps you misheard." Xie Liu felt extremely awkward, yet he stubbornly clung to his denial. Wendy, meanwhile, smiled triumphantly, looking much like a cat that had caught the scent of fish.

Xie Liu kept his mouth shut, while Wendy giggled, her voice crisp and clear. "It's quite rare to hear you offer such a solemn expression of gratitude. Do you have a sentimental maiden's heart as well?"

Xie Liu felt that his brain must have short-circuited earlier for him to have offered thanks. Now that he was being ruthlessly mocked by Wendy, he could only puff out his cheeks and stay silent. Wendy laughed for a moment longer before gradually subsiding, and quietness settled back between them.

"Actually, I should be thanking you," Wendy said softly. "Before we met you all, my sisters and I always followed Sister Falani, living entirely under her protection and knowing nothing of the hardships of the world."

"But your arrival showed me that life can be lived differently. We can be a bit more reckless, a bit more desperate, clever at times and occasionally foolish—all of this is what you taught us."

"Am I really that great?" Xie Liu rubbed his nose to mask his embarrassment, knowing full well he didn't possess the qualities Wendy described. "I just wanted to live a little more simply."

Wendy shook her head slightly, and the two fell silent once more, soon arriving at the campsite Ye Leng and the others had chosen.

"Is that the Yangtze River ahead?" Xie Liu asked as Wendy set him down upon a boulder, stretching his neck to gaze at the shimmering river surface speckled with starlight.

"The night view here is truly wonderful." High above, the starry sky was adorned with a glittering tapestry of constellations.

"I haven't seen a starry sky like this in so long. It brings a sense of inner peace." Xie Liu leaned back comfortably against the rock, relaxing his mind. Ye Leng and Qili were busy starting a fire to cook, while Ailv's whereabouts were unknown.

With nothing to do, Wendy leaned against Xie Liu and whispered, "Hey, Xie Liu, let me tell you something."

"Go ahead." Xie Liu kept his eyes fixed on the starry sky.

"I reported our situation back to Sister Falani. I don't know if it'll cause any trouble." Wendy watched Xie Liu's expression nervously. Seeing that he showed no sign of anger, she continued, "Sister takes this matter very seriously and wants to talk to you."

"There's no need." Xie Liu shook his head. "That's probably not how your Sister Falani phrased it, is it?"

"You know what Sister said?" Wendy was somewhat surprised.

Xie Liu nodded and continued, "I know you're anxious for me to communicate with your Sister Falani because you're afraid this incident might turn us directly into enemies, right?"

"However, I don't think it's necessary. I believe Falani understands me, and I understand her, so communication is redundant." Xie Liu massaged his temples and went on, "Fine, tell me. What news did Falani send?"

"You knew all along?" Wendy was even more astonished. She turned her wrist and tapped a small glowing projection onto Xie Liu's watch. "This is what Sister asked me to give you."

Xie Liu nodded, lowered his head to review the information Falani had transmitted, and his expression shifted almost immediately. "I never expected Director Hagen to make a move, and even Vladimir has mobilized. This time, we really are facing the entire metropolis!"

With those words, Xie Liu closed his watch, stared up at the vast sea of stars, and remained silent for a long time.