Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 345 That was you too, wasn't it?
Zero moved with astonishing speed, a hint of urgency flashing across her face, but she remained calm, her golden eyes scanning rapidly for other possible entrances.

Then a strange sound came.

It wasn't the roar of collapsing buildings, nor the cries of crowds, but painful gasps, interspersed with intermittent whispers, as if complaining about something.

The sound was coming from the direction of the principal's office.

The principal's office, located directly above the ice cellar, a quaint two-story building, was also affected. The violent tremors caused a large area of ​​the entrance to collapse, revealing the hidden internal structure.

Right at the edge of the well, a figure was struggling to climb upwards.

He was a nearly naked boy, soaked to the bone, his black hair stuck to his forehead, water droplets running down his muscles, mingling with the numerous wounds on his body. He was almost completely exhausted, each exertion was incredibly difficult, his muscles trembled from overexertion, and he was muttering something incoherently.

Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, a fair hand reached out in front of him.

He was startled and subconsciously looked up.

Through his blurry vision, he saw that familiar face.

His tense nerves inexplicably relaxed, and he unhesitatingly placed his mud- and blood-stained hand on it.

That hand pulled him up from the damn elevator shaft.

The girl's gaze fell on him.

His physique was well-defined, with clear muscle lines, almost perfect, but at this moment it was covered with bruises of varying shades, and water droplets slid down the grooves of his skin.

"What... are you doing here?"

Lu Mingfei was panting, his voice hoarse.

"Come to you."

Zero's answer was as concise as ever.

Lu Mingfei sighed helplessly and muttered:

"Okay, okay, anyway, you always manage to find me accurately."

He's used to it.

"Where are the enemies?"

Ling glanced around, then quickly returned her gaze to Lu Mingfei.

"He got away," Lu Mingfei complained. "That guy has no sportsmanship; when he can't win in close combat, he resorts to incantations, trying to bury me alive."

"Ah."

Ling responded softly, reaching out to gently touch his bluish-purple skin. The slightly cool touch made Lu Mingfei feel a little itchy.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's alright, it'll be fine in a couple of days." Lu Mingfei grimaced. "I got carried away and forgot I can't refresh my status here."

I almost forgot that you can't revive after dying here.

He knew Zero wouldn't understand these things, and he also knew Zero wouldn't ask any further questions.

Zero examined his injuries, her fingertips moving gently across his bruised skin. Her movements were professional, as if she had been trained.

“They’re all superficial injuries,” she said calmly. “A minor rib fracture. Is it hurting here?”

Her fingers carefully pressed below Lu Mingfei's left breast.

"Ouch—it hurts the most here."

Lu Mingfei gasped, instinctively trying to dodge, but Ling held him down again.

"It's a mess out there."

Zero calmly said:
"You can't go back to Norton Hall, nor can you go to the school clinic; the injuries on your body are hard to explain."

Her words were entirely based on the premise of keeping the secret, as if Lu Mingfei's position was her position.

"Can't you say you fell during the earthquake?"

Lu Mingfei said it offhand.

Ling glanced at the obvious sword and knife wounds on his body, but said nothing.

Lu Mingfei looked embarrassed.

She deftly opened the medical kit and took out medical alcohol and cotton balls.

As soon as the bottle cap was unscrewed, a pungent odor immediately filled the air.

"disinfect."

As she spoke, the cotton ball was already soaked in alcohol.

Before Lu Mingfei could react, a cold cotton ball was pressed onto the wound.

The next second, a sharp, intense pain shot up, making him tremble slightly, but he didn't utter a sound.

His numerous near-death experiences gave him an extraordinary tolerance for pain.

Zero paused for a moment, but his movements remained steady.

She carefully wiped the edges of the wound with a cotton ball, cleaning away the congealed blood and dirt.

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but shudder as the alcohol seeped into the wound.

"Bear it."

Zero's voice was calm:
"Better than getting infected."

Her fingers were steady, but she applied less pressure. The cotton ball moved quickly across the wound, trying to minimize the pain.

Lu Mingfei could feel the warmth of her fingertips.

"You still carry a first-aid kit with you?"

He grimaced and asked. Zero glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, and continued what she was doing.

The cotton ball rubbed against a deep wound between his ribs, and the stinging sensation of the alcohol made Lu Mingfei unconsciously tense his muscles.

Lu Mingfei then remembered that she had come specifically to find him.

But it still felt strange. How could she find this hidden exit so accurately?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

He asked in a low voice:

"Do you know that person named Mai Shude?"

Zero remained silent.

Sometimes silence is the best answer.

A silence fell between the two.

Scattered sounds could be heard in the distance, and the sirens of rescue vehicles were approaching, but in this small corner, there was only the faint sound of two people breathing.

Lu Mingfei looked at her profile.

The light outlined the delicate lines of her nose, and her usually calm, golden eyes were now lowered, reminding him of a lake surface covered with a thin layer of ice in early winter—

It appears transparent, but you can't see what's hidden underneath.

He suddenly recalled the scene when he first met Zero in Kassel.

She was always like this, quietly appearing when he needed her, like a pre-programmed routine.

The program won't soften its movements when he's injured, nor will it pause its fingertips when he cries out in pain.

Lu Mingfei asked calmly:
"Are you one of Lu Mingze's men?"

Somehow, he found that he didn't want to hear a positive answer.

The cotton ball stopped in mid-air, and Zero raised his eyes.

The moonlight shone on her golden eyelashes, making them look like they were covered in frost.

"Not a subordinate."

She spoke softly, her voice almost carried away by the night wind:

"It was just a collaboration. He was there when the contract was signed."

Lu Mingfei was stunned.

The answer was more complex and unsettling than he had imagined.

A contract? What contract? Why is Lu Mingze here?
Zero continued what he was doing, gently wiping his wound with a cotton ball.

Her fingers remained steady, but Lu Mingfei could feel her breathing become somewhat lighter.

"What contract?"

he asked.

Zero shook his head and did not answer.

She put away the used cotton balls and took out new bandages.

As the bandage wrapped around his chest, her arm gently brushed against his skin.

Watching her skillful bandaging movements, Lu Mingfei suddenly asked softly:

Do you remember that ball a long time ago?

Zero's fingers paused slightly on the bandage.

"I saw some memories at that ball."

Lu Mingfei continued, his voice very soft, as if he were talking in his sleep:

"Intermittently, many people were dancing, the lights were dazzling, and the applause was thunderous."

Bandages were slowly wrapped around his chest, and Ling lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks.

“Under everyone’s watchful eyes, her slender figure twirled before me,” Lu Mingfei’s voice softened, “the flared skirt like a peacock’s tail feathers.”

He paused for a moment, feeling Zero's fingers trembling slightly on his back.

"That's you too, isn't it?"

Zero did not answer immediately.

She carefully tucked the end of the bandage in, her fingers lingering on his back for a moment before slowly withdrawing.

The moonlight shone on her pale face, and her golden eyes finally lifted, looking directly at him.

"it's me."

she says.

Those two simple words sent a jolt through Lu Mingfei's heart.

It turns out those blurry fragments of memory weren't an illusion; the figure dancing under the dazzling lights really was her.

"Why."

he murmured.

Ling gently shook her head and reached out to drape a coat over him. Her fingertips brushed against his collarbone, carrying a hint of coolness.

“You’ll understand later,” she said. “Let’s leave here now.”

She stood up and extended her hand to him.

Lu Mingfei looked at her slender fingers, then looked up into her eyes. In those golden eyes, he saw his own reflection.

(End of this chapter)