"An Array Flag!"
Shen Fei nodded to Li Xiaohong, who he had met a few times before and was now standing shyly at his side. Gripping the item that had just dropped, he examined it carefully. This latest drop gave him a few more theories about his unique abilityâthe one that let him "kill monsters" and get loot right from the start of the gameâs descent.
Granny Jia dropped something, too! Can you fucking believe it?
In addition to the Array Flag from the man he had just killed, Shen Fei also had a Scroll in his hand.
Before pulling Li Xiaohong away, he had seen the unprotected Granny Jiaâs internal organs being crushed by the Go piece Array, her body sliced into a bloody mess. He had simply ordered his Vine Tower to put her out of her misery, and another item had dropped from her body.
From this encounter, he had obtained two items:
[Array Flag: Super Item. Upon use, allows control over 500 items of the same type. Can form eighty-one different arrays, such as the Seven-Star Array, Flying Swallow Array, and Arrow Array, enhancing the associated items!]
[Disguise Technique: Skill. Once learned, allows the user to disguise themselves as a target individual.]
. . .
The Array Flag! This must be the fundamental item for those who inherited abilities from the game of Go. All of my Defense Towers are Tenth Tier, and I have 612 of them. They definitely count as items of the same type! Once all my Defense Towers are fully inherited, after the datafication process is complete and game items become usable, this Array Flag will finally be useful!
Shen Fei quickly processed his thoughts as he looked at the scroll-like item in his hand.
Getting the Array Flag from rescuing Li Xiaohong was a completely unexpected windfall. He had originally just been fulfilling his sisterâs request to save Li Xiaohong, a girl he had only met a few times. Shen Fei never expected that he would also take care of the conspirators who had been targeting him and Yu. Whatâs more, this group of conspirators also happened to be the ones who had bought his familyâs company shares. On top of that, he had even dealt with Granny Jia, the neighborhood troublemaker, all in one go.
This... This... This is truly killing several birds with one stone!
SWISH!
The [Disguise Technique] from Granny Jia couldnât be used at the moment. After checking the Attributes of both items, Shen Fei stored them in his inventory.
"Xiaohong, are you okay?"
Putting away the loot, Shen Fei looked at his sisterâs best friend, Li Xiaohong, who was as timid as ever. Li Xiaohong wore baggy clothes and a pair of large, black-framed glasses. She kept her head down, looking as shy as always.
"Brother Fei, Iâm fine..." Li Xiaohong replied in a tiny voice, looking at Shen Fei beside her.
"Alright! Let me take you to Shen Yueâs place. I heard her say she invited you to stay with us, but you refused?" he asked. "Really, you donât have to be so formal. Our house is pretty big. If itâs convenient, you could stay with us. Itâd be nice for you and Shen Yue to have each other for company!"
Unsure of what Li Xiaohong was thinking, Shen Fei simply stated his own thoughts on the matter.
"Um..." Li Xiaohongâs voice was as faint as a mosquitoâs buzz, her head still lowered. At the same time, her face felt so hot she thought it might explode.
Earlier, when her consciousness was suppressed by that manâs Go piece Array, Li Xiaohong had spilled everything. When she was asked about Shen Fei, she had even blurted out that she had a crush on him. Facing Shen Fei again, Li Xiaohong was so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.
Li Xiaohong felt that her crush on Shen Fei was born from a coincidence. It all started on the first day of university registration during a heavy downpour. After finishing her paperwork, Li Xiaohong, who hadnât brought an umbrella, had to run from the student activity center back to her dorm in the pouring rain. Shen Fei happened to be in the dorm, having just dropped off his sister, Shen Yue. Seeing Li Xiaohong soaked to the bone like a drowned rat, Shen Fei had immediately grabbed a large, soft, warm towel and started drying her off. He had even done it himself, personally helping to towel-dry her hair. This gesture deeply moved Li Xiaohong, who had just been kicked out of her home by her mother and stepfather... and then...
"Oh, right! Xiaohong, did you inherit a game ability? What is it?" Shen Fei asked again, looking at the ever-shy Li Xiaohong.
Shen Fei, of course, had heard Li Xiaohong confess her feelings for him while she was under control. However, he wasnât interested.
I prefer women who are more "forward." Iâm not into the obvious "good girl" type like Xiaohong. Besides, she always keeps her head down, so I canât even tell if sheâs stacked or not. More importantly, with the game invasion in full swing, I have far too many options to choose from, especially my powerful butler, Sky Control. I mostly just think of Li Xiaohong as another little sister.
"Ah!"
Feeling a sudden warmth in her lower belly at Shen Feiâs question, Li Xiaohong cried out, "Th-that... I... I didnât inherit any game ability!" she shouted in a panic, frantically waving her hands.
She was suffering in silence over the ability she had inherited. She had once asked Shen Yue what kind of girls her brother liked. Shen Yueâs answer was: "My brother likes girls who are... âpassionate and proactive.â"
To try and fit that ideal, Li Xiaohong had ended up secretly downloading a Succubus game. She wanted to learn some theories and methods on being "seductive and charming" from it. But she never imagined that game abilities would one day be inherited.
And so, she had inherited *that*.
Hearing Shen Feiâs question now, Li Xiaohong waved her hands frantically.
The game ability I inherited is not something I can ever talk about! If Shen Fei, the boy I like, ever found out, Iâd die of social embarrassment. I might even actually kill myself.
"Alright! Letâs head back, then!"
Not giving Li Xiaohongâs answer much thought, Shen Fei gave a call and, with a wave of his hand, retracted the Defense Towers he had deployed but mostly left unused.
Then, to Li Xiaohongâs utter shock, she watched as Shen Fei, shrouded in mist, summoned a Golden Celestial Horse.
"Ah!"
The moment she saw the Golden Celestial Horse, Li Xiaohong knew. The person responsible for the powerful attacks in Qing City two nights ago and last night was Shen Fei, right in front of her. The Golden Celestial Horse was undeniable proof. Li Xiaohong never imagined that the God of Qing City, the one everyone online was desperately trying to find information about, was standing right in front of her. That it was the person who had just saved herâthe very person she had a crush on.
"Excuse me!"
While Li Xiaohong was still in shock, Shen Fei reached out, put an arm around her waist, and lifted her onto the Golden Celestial Horseâs broad back.
SWISH!
After helping Li Xiaohong onto the horse, Shen Fei quickly leaped up and sat behind her.
WHOOSH!
As the Golden Celestial Horse flapped its wings and shot forward, the powerful inertia caused Shen Fei to instinctively reach out and wrap an arm around Li Xiaohongâs waist to steady them.
"Eeep!"
Li Xiaohongâs body, which had been rigid with nervousness, went completely soft the moment Shen Feiâs arm encircled her waist, and she let out a quiet whimper.
Holy crap! Her waist is so soft and smooth... More importantly, why is it so warm?
He had only meant to steady their position and was completely unprepared for how soft and smooth her waist was.
. . .