179 I Knew I

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Statistics:

Time: 0:35

Score Multiplier: x1,25

Score: 125

Targets missed: 0

Record time: 0:30 (Only counted if all targets were hit)

Record score: 130

Record reward: 1000 points for each record (Distributed by the end of the day)

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'Huh… It seems like someone already set a high record. Could it be Wuxing?' Dongmei thought, seeing her statistics.

She was already shooting around three targets per second which was already considered fast. If she were to shoot faster, there was a chance she would miss some targets.

In this activity, the time didn't actually matter if one wanted to earn points, only accuracy did. But being challenged like that, Dongmei wanted to at least match Wuxing's skills. She still had nine runs to earn her two thousand points.

She set up the next round and decided to try hard for the next few rounds.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Score: 126

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Score: 128

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Score: 127

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Score: 129

Oof…

Dongmei wiped the sweat from her forehead, finding it hard to cross the last mark. Her accuracy was impeccable but her speed was lacking. She was already proud of herself for reaching his score but something pushed her to do more. She could feel this wasn't her limit.

\"What if…\" Dongmei suddenly thought of an idea, but hesitated, realizing it would be cheating.

She wanted to use her new ability, knowing exactly where her mistakes were. Her reaction time was reaching point two seconds which was already good but this was exactly where she was losing most of her time.

'I can check on Wuxing first then…' Dongmei thought, finding the reason to enter into this amazing state and closed her eyes.

In the next second, her mind exploded, shattering into thousands small fragments that filled her room in a blink. She felt a sting of pain but it was bearable, much softer compared to the first and second time she used it.

The pieces of her mind acted like mini spy cameras, showing her the view of the whole place. She spread them in every direction and they passed through walls, entering each room with ease.

'Wuxing…' She found him in the room next to her own and witnessed his incredible form.

He didn't even blink.

Didn't even flinch.

Each of his moves were smooth, switching from one target to another as if he knew where the next target would appear.

She witnessed the score reach ninety nine before stopping. He looked at the time which showed twenty five seconds and only five seconds later did he score the last point with a smile on his face.

'So cool…' Dongmei commented proudly but also felt bad. It turned out he was much better than she though and he simply pretended to keep his record low.

The motivation to beat him using her ability disappeared as soon as she saw it, realizing it didn't make sense. He didn't use anything yet he was already six seconds faster.

She reverted his mind back into her body and smiled, starting another session.

'I'm a lucky woman.'

———

After all ten rounds, she checked the leaderboard and found the two of them were on top, claiming number one and two spots. Each of them had two thousands points but others were quickly catching up. If they wanted to stay on top, they had to move quickly.

She left the room and saw that Wuxing was already waiting for her, messing with his metal card. He looked up as soon as she opened the doors so her idea of sneaking up on him failed. She still didn't change her overall goal and walked up to him, hugging him deeply.

\"I love you,\" Dongmei confessed, not bothered by other people watching them.

\"Why so suddenly?\" Wuxing asked confused, probably thinking something happened but she only tightened her hug. \"Nothing. I just wanted you to know that.\"

He embraced her as well in response and whispered, \"I love you too.\"

\"Hehe,\" Dongmei giggled as she heard what she wanted and released him, pulling him out of the shooting range.

As they walked out, they could hear people who saw them curse under their breath.

\"Damn. Why didn't I take my girl with me…\"

Both of them laughed at that, feeling as if they won the lottery by being together.

\"We were right about the top ten strategy,\" Wuxing informed after they were finally alone, walking towards the next activity. \"They all fell down to the bottom of the rankings so they must have gone to hunt. Currently there are more than one hundred who still have one only thousand points. They probably followed in their footsteps.\"

\"Mhmm, I saw it too,\" Dongmei nodded, entangling her fingers with his own as if they were on a date. \"I don't think this is a good idea. There is a chance they will get hurt and their selection would be over. There is almost fifty thousand points to claim across all activities if you were to go through it all. Of course, impossible to finish them all in the allocated time.\"

Wuxing thought for a moment and described how he saw it, \"I doubt they will hunt on their own. They will simply wait and steal other people's prey. They would need to kill eighty beasts for each of them to get twenty thousand points. Do you think they can do that before the time is up, knowing they have to be careful at the same time? It's not possible.\"

\"So you think this is just a ploy set up by management? Many will die this way,\" Dongmei suggested but Wuxing shook his head. \"Not necessarily. If you were on their place, would you give up on your beast and save your life or fight top ten fighters?\"

\"Mhmm, I get it,\" Dongmei nodded, leaning on his shoulder. \"This way they will get free points today. But what about tomorrow? The news will spread and people either won't go out or will group up instead. They won't be able to get any points for free.\"

\"Simple. They will increase the reward. With better profits and more pressure, people will risk their lives. Maybe there won't be any deaths today but it will eventually happen as the time goes on. Remember, all those who left now love to kill. This is why I want to avoid it for now.\" Wuxing expressed honestly.

They already reached the track so they stopped talking about their strategy. Even though they had Dongmei's ability, it would still be hard to avoid clashing with others.

\"Let's set the records and move on. We will waste a lot of time and energy if we were to complete all the runs.\"

———

At the same time as Wuxing and Dongmei were grinding points like everyone else, Scarlet was chilling with Ash, eating ice cream at Ash's beach house.

\"It was really a good idea to bring a fridge of ice-cream to this island. It's too hot,\" Ash commented as she ate another spoon of chocolate ice-cream. \"I think I will get fat soon. My ice-cream addiction is getting worse.\"

\"Big sis, you are joking. Your figure is amazing. You are still far from getting fat,\" Scarlet assured. \"Ice-cream addition is the only addiction that I accept.\"

\"Hehe, me too,\" Ash laughed softly before turning sad. \"I have been eating ice-cream a lot since that incident… I still can't forget about him.\"

\"Hmm? Are you maybe talking about Wuxing?\" Scarlet questioned, her interest piqued. \"Chameleon was talking about it...\"

\"Did you meet him?\" Ash questioned, looking at Scarlet's eyes.

Thankfully, Ash didn't have to lie and replied honestly, \"I did but only once. We didn't talk much though.\"

She only met Wuxing once. The rest of the times she was talking to Chameleon who was technically another person.

\"I miss him,\" Ash confessed sadly. \"I have been eating a lot since he died…\"

\"...\" Scarlet didn't know how to comment on that so she stayed silent.

\"Even when I advanced in ranks and became his superior, he still treated me like his assistant, shamelessly coming to me for everything. After a while, we promised each other that we will go out if none of us finds a partner by the time he is twenty five. To think I only learned about his arrest after it was already too late.\" Ash explained, showing a guilty expression.

Scarlet couldn't help but feel bad for her. \"It's not your fault. It's those that framed him that should be blamed,\" Scarlet cheered her up.

\"Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that in our world…\" Ash muttered sadly and wiped her eyes, covering them with her hands. \"I'm sorry, I got a bit emotional. I will be better in a second and we can start to train. I can't bring him back to live so it's best to forget…\"

\"Big sis…\" Scarlet put down her ice-cream and hugged Ash but the one started sobbing, breaking her heart.

\"I heard from chameleon that Wuxing's body was never found. What if he is still alive and roaming the world somewhere?\" Scarlet suggested, trying to stop Ash from crying.

It worked as Ash looked up and asked softly, \"Really…? You think so?\"

\"Mhmm, I'm sure he is.\" Scarlet nodded with a bright smile. \"He wouldn't die so easily, right? If he is so great as Chameleon said, wouldn't he prefer to fake his death and get his revenge from the shadows? As long as you don't see his dead body, you shouldn't lose hope.\"

Ash wiped her eyes for the last time and successfully stopped her tears from falling and returned the hug. \"Thank you. I think you are right. I will never stop looking for him,\" Ash promised.

\"Great! That's the spirit,\" Scarlet hyped her up, enjoying the hug but then Ash pulled her away and announced, \"Let's start the training. Wait for me outside. I will bring the bowls to the kitchen.\"

\"Alright!\" Scarlet agreed without questions, remembering Wuxing's order to work hard.

She left, leaving Ash on her own. If she was there, she would see the immediate change in Ash's expression. Her sadness was replaced by a frown and suspicion.

\"I knew it… They must know something…\" Ash muttered to herself and looked outside the window.

\"Wuxing, I know you are alive… Why you still didn't meet with me…?\"