Chapter 152: Even When Knocked Down by the Weak

Huoye's words made a lot of sense; guerrilla warfare and a war of attrition were their safest options.

Among their group of eight, Huoye was S-rank, while Shangguan Yudie, Alice, Ryley, Lu Dingyuan, and Kazama Ruri were all A-rank, leaving Jiang Feng and Luo Jiajia at B-rank. For an eight-person hunting regiment, this lineup was by no means weak. However, there was one catch: to swiftly and decisively kill a Calamity-grade target, a hunting regiment would typically deploy at least thirty or more members.

Therefore, they would take it slow and not rush.

Yet, there was something else. Measuring time in units of ten days? That detail carried a rather interesting implication.

Academy regulations stipulated that if students undertook missions for a certain period prior to examinations, they could be exempted from the exams depending on the difficulty of the mission. After all, people needed rest, and expecting students to take exams immediately after returning from an overly arduous mission would be inhuman.

As for exam scores, they would be determined directly based on the completion level of the mission. Generally, since a mission replaced the exam, the score would naturally be lower than a normal test; this was a measure used by the academy to prevent students from using missions to evade examinations. However, the mission the Constellation Regiment had accepted this time was Calamity-grade, which was practically an unprecedented massive undertaking for the academy. Once completed, everyone might end up at the top of the rankings.

Huoye simply didn't want to take the exams!

Most of them understood what was going on immediately, but none of them pointed it out. After all, being students, nobody liked exams, and everyone shared a tacit understanding.

That night, everyone was making their respective preparations.

Jiang Feng utilized various external channels to gather information about this mission's target. During their previous encounter with Karen, although everyone pooled their wisdom and gathered a wealth of intelligence—especially the fact that the opponent was a rhinoceros-type disaster transmutation—it had laid a solid foundation for the victory of Alice and Ryley's team.

"My combat power is still insufficient, so pre-battle support is the best contribution I can make right now. Calamity-grade? Watch me turn your background inside out!"

Kazama Ruri went to sleep early. Up to now, she had never truly unleashed her full strength, yet even without doing so, she felt exhausted every single day. There was no helping it; that was the price of her psychic arts. However, this time was a tough battle, and she might genuinely need to give it everything she had.

She wanted to avenge her sister and slay one of the Twelve Calamities. The regiment commander had said he would accomplish this within a year, which was fine. But the commander had also mentioned that her name, Kazama Ruri, probably wouldn't be credited in the achievements when the time came. That didn't matter; as long as she could get her revenge, she was content.

Thus, she needed to conserve her energy and build up her strength.

Lu Dingyuan was writing a letter to his family. He had never been a particularly smart person; grand concepts like human righteousness or high official positions and generous stipends were beyond his comprehension. He felt those things were too lofty and too ethereal.

He enrolled in Bancroft simply because becoming a powerful superpower user meant he could earn more money, spare his parents from backbreaking labor, ensure his younger siblings had enough to eat, and allow them to learn to read and write properly so they could become useful people.

Therefore, when the boss said they were going on an expedition against a Calamity-grade entity, he felt there was no problem at all. Growing stronger, earning more money, and giving his family a better life—and following the boss meant he would definitely earn a lot of money, just like last time, right?

Ryley wore protective goggles and used tiny electric currents between his fingertips to generate sparks, meticulously welding delicate components together. He was a mechanic; unlike ordinary Lightning-attribute users who could unleash frontline explosive force, he could still provide vital support to the team.

"I want to become the big brother's support, everyone's support. Just like father's assistance to the Reaper, I want to become a solid backing for all of them!"

Alice had stayed up all night previously and had already gone to sleep by today. To her, the human world was both a training ground and a playground. Even though responsibility weighed as heavily as Mount Tai, she must never allow herself to feel too much pressure, or life would become dreadfully dull and easily ruined.

Therefore, she had always failed to understand why her brother was so heartbroken, and why that grief had lasted for two full years. Not only was he making himself miserable, but Qingxue back in the heavens wouldn't be happy either.

She didn't understand that the responsibilities and pressures on Huoye's shoulders were heavy, and he had shouldered them entirely by choice.

Huoye and Shangguan Yudie were both out on the balcony. Huo Xialan had previously instructed them to practice their internal arts for a few days, and once they made a certain amount of progress, she would teach them other things.

As her breathing techniques progressed, Huoye gradually came to understand his own meridians and acupuncture points. He also realized why he could feel his skin breathing when performing internal cultivation and respiration—it was thanks to the naturally unobstructed meridians he was born with.

Come to think of it, why were his meridians naturally unobstructed? It was quite possible that it was thanks to the congenital high-speed metabolism granted by his Zi-grade stem cells. After all, he basically never got drunk. Even if he chugged alcohol recklessly, he would likely recover to normal within minutes.

The two of them continued the internal cultivation breathing method while practicing the Tai Chi taught by Huo Xialan.

Naturally, this wasn't some exclusive family secret Tai Chi of the Huo family; it was just ordinary Tai Chi used for health preservation. Yes, the kind you could find any crisp morning by stepping outside to the flowerbeds downstairs, where you would see elderly folks practicing.

It had zero lethality, but it was certainly useful for strengthening the body and regulating one's vital energy and meridians.

The two of them simultaneously spread their arms wide, lifted one leg, and paused mid-air in the "White Crane Spreads Its Wings" posture.

Maintaining this pose, Huoye slowly said, "Xiaoyu, this mission... well, never mind, there's nothing much to say."

Shangguan Yudie's intuition allowed her to grasp his meaning effortlessly. She said, "I'll protect myself well, you don't need to worry about me." Huoye smiled and remarked, "Come to think of it... we've never officially been on a date. How about when we get back, we go on a proper shopping trip, have a candlelight dinner, and then watch a movie together in the living room at night?"

Shangguan Yudie was momentarily stunned, then laughed. "How are you so familiar with dating itineraries?"

Continuing with the next movement, "Brush Knee and Twist Step," Huoye said, "Not really. I used to want to try this with Qingxue. But she was too self-reliant; aside from small gifts given on birthdays or holidays, she was never willing to spend a single cent of mine. Perhaps it was the class divide between the two of us that created such a barrier."

Performing the exact same movements as Huoye, Shangguan Yudie spoke as she moved, "Is that so... Then can I ask for another gift?"

"Haha, of course. Fulfilling a girlfriend's requests is a boyfriend's duty, after all," Huoye said heartily.

Shangguan Yudie continued practicing Tai Chi and remained silent for a long while. Huoye didn't urge her; she was likely feeling shy and trying to formulate her wording—Xiaoyu had always been like this since they were children.

It wasn't until the two of them had run through the entire twenty-four forms of Tai Chi and concluded the routine that Shangguan Yudie finally spoke slowly, "I want... Teacher Yeyu to write a book for me, written exclusively for me. Just like... *The Language of All Flowers*."

Hearing this, Huoye shoved his hands into his pockets and gazed up at the moon with a sigh. "You certainly pick a wonderful gift. As both the author you adore and your fiancé, crafting a story that belongs exclusively to you for my part is indeed... the most special gift I can give you. It's settled."

With those words, Huoye stepped forward and gently embraced Shangguan Yudie. The girl's soft body and fresh fragrance filled him with a profound sense of peace. He was exhausted, in pain, and deeply lonely.

There was no way out, no way to return to the past. Those who had already died could ultimately only turn to dust, leaving behind a trace of nostalgia in one's heart. Pitch-black despair spread outward, as if threatening to swallow people whole.

Time was merciless; it would not stop its flow, nor would it stay in place to weep and wail alongside you just because of your sorrow.

Countless times he had been knocked to the ground by his own weakness, countless times he had wept bitterly over his own incompetence. But so what? No matter how much was lost, one could only live on stubbornly; no matter how many setbacks there were, there were still people to protect; no matter how many scars remained, one had to forge them into the blades that carried them forward!

One had to be full of fighting spirit, march bravely ahead, and grit their teeth!

One had to sever the shackles of despair and refuse to be crushed by fate!

One had to understand that what they were fighting for, what they were risking their lives for, were the people they had to protect for a lifetime!

"I will protect you, with my life, with everything I have," Huoye whispered softly in Shangguan Yudie's ear.