Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 275 - 268: It’s Another Her

Chapter 275: Chapter 268: It’s Another Her

"What on earth is going on?" Tangmo couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

"Shall I help you?" The thought echoed again in her mind, clearly her own yet not representative of her position, as if someone was lurking in her mind.

"Who are you?" Tangmo uttered in terror, because she realized that she couldn’t control her own thoughts.

She looked around blindly but found that the surroundings were still pitch black. Apart from the fire she had just ignited, she couldn’t see anyone at all.

Suddenly, she let out an uncontrollable sigh, and then again her own voice echoed in her mind: "To be honest, I really can’t stand you anymore."

"Who on earth are you?" Tangmo screamed in fear, but it was clear that she was the only one around, so her behavior seemed foolish.

"Can you stop yelling? It’s really embarrassing!" Such a sentence emerged in her mind once again.

"Who are you?" Tangmo breathed deeply, trying to calm down and converse with this unknown and mysterious voice.

"Who am I, who are you?" An absurd thought arose in her mind.

"I am Tangmo!" Tangmo recited silently in her heart.

"You are Tangmo!" The consciousness continued to manipulate her thoughts.

"Who on earth are you?" Tangmo felt a cold sweat covering her body. It seemed as if there was another person residing in her mind.

"Moumou, do you think they are treating you fairly?" the consciousness asked.

"Fair? Why isn’t it fair?" Tangmo thought.

"They are deceiving your innocence and stupidity, thinking they can control everything about you, but you haven’t noticed at all." The consciousness continued.

"No, it’s not like that, they are just, just protecting me." Her words trailed off, lacking conviction.

"They think you can’t be trusted, so they don’t want to tell you much. And you, are so foolish to believe that’s how the world should be." The consciousness said.

"I am foolish, I, am not trusted..." Tangmo bowed her head, lost in thought.

"Innocent, foolish, self-righteous, and ridiculously kind. As a soldier, you have all the shortcomings in the team." The consciousness manipulated her into bursting out in derisive laughter.

"No, it’s not like that..." Tangmo rebutted palely, but she was barely able to find a reason to counter.

"Haven’t you ever seriously considered your real role within the team? Decision-making? Intelligence? Or fighting? No, you are good at nothing. You are just like a puppet, of no use at all, amusing them with your constant blunders for them to clean up after." The consciousness laughed through Tangmo, but no matter what, she couldn’t laugh. So she smiled a strange smile.

"You’re not as good as Cheng Ziang in making decisions, you’re not as capable as Baiyue, you’re not even as reliable as Hu Daoke. The decision-maker isn’t you, the one who takes care of the team isn’t you, the one who commands in battle isn’t you, even the one who does whatever they can for the team isn’t you."

"Haven’t you realized it yet? You’ve been sidelined, you’re just a dispensable burden. Once upon a time, as the squad leader, you had the authority to command your comrades to their deaths. Now Luo’er is the captain, and you have nothing, you’re of no use anymore. The Advance Team only needs four people, do you understand?"

This consciousness constantly voiced its thoughts, bombarding Tangmo’s fragile heart. Her gaze gradually dimmed, and she muttered to herself: "I’m useless, I’m of no use, I’m a burden, I’m of no use..."

"Also," the consciousness continued, as though determined to keep up the assault, "your Luo’er, no, Luo’er has started to fall for Baiyue. Once you were very important to him, but now you’re just a naive little girl. Have you never noticed Luo’er’s attitude toward Baiyue and toward you? Think about how he treats Yaning, isn’t it similar to how he treats you? There’s no longer any romantic feeling in his feelings for you, his gentleness towards you is merely an expression of paternal love. And you, you’re already out of the game."

Tangmo hung her head, her blank eyes stared at the ground, and suddenly, she showed a creepy smile, issuing a sound from her throat that was unclear whether it was laughter or sobbing.

"Moumou, I want to help you, can I?" In the end, the consciousness said to her.

Tangmo raised her head, seemingly seeing a familiar figure in front of her. She stared at the apparition motionlessly and couldn’t help but ask: "Who are you?"

"Who am I, who are you?" The consciousness asked the same question again.

"Who am I, I am Tangmo, I am Moumou." Tangmo said in a trance.

"You are Tangmo, you are Moumou!" The consciousness echoed.

"I am Tangmo, I am Moumou!" Tangmo repeated blankly.

"I am Tangmo, I am Moumou." Tangmo closed her eyes again, and when she reopened them, her gaze was no longer as innocent and clear as before, but rather filled with determination.

"I’m not Tangmo, I’m not Moumou!" Tangmo whispered to herself. Although her appearance remained unchanged, her heart had already undergone earth-shaking changes.

"Moumou!" Luo’er’s hoarse voice echoed from afar. He followed the light from the fires and the disturbance of magic energy to find her at the center of the circle of fire.

Tangmo slowly stood up, her gaze vacant as she watched him approach her. But the anxious Luo’er did not notice that her gaze, when she looked at him, was no longer as gentle as before.

"Moumou!" Clearing through the burning branches and leaves, Luo’er dashed into the fire ring and grabbed her arm.

Before he could speak, he began to cough violently without warning. Clearly, his physical condition was deteriorating due to illness.

"Honestly, you’re sick and still running around!" Tangmo suddenly said. She then gently nestled against his chest, her hand covering the wounded area.

"Moumou..." Faced with Tangmo’s sudden change in behavior, Luo’er seemed somewhat at a loss.

"From now on, be sure to tell me immediately when you’re sick, otherwise I’ll be worried, and I’ll get very, very angry." Tangmo placed her face to his chest as she softly spoke.

"I’m sorry..." Luo’er gritted his teeth as he relayed the words.

"When you apologize, aren’t you supposed to hold me?" Tangmo gently said.

Erm," Luo’er hesitated a moment. Despite the odd sense of unease he felt towards her, he still extended his hand to embrace her as she wished.

Feeling Luo’er’s tight embrace, Tangmo’s heart swelled with satisfaction as she leaned in his arms. A triumphant smile formed on her lips. As expected, Luo’er would never reject Tangmo’s advances.

"Luo’er, no matter what happens in the future, you have to tell me. I hate being deceived." Tangmo whispered softly, nestled against him.

"Huh?" Luo’er was startled, sensing something off in her tone. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have kept things from you."

"You must seek treatment for your illness, otherwise if you die, I would be very sad." Tangmo pressed her hand against his chest wound, her eyes meeting his as she spoke.

"I know, but..." Luo’er met Tangmo’s gaze, sensing an inexplicable feeling of estrangement.

"There’s no ’but’, it’s an order!" Though Tangmo’s tone was gentle, her attitude was firm, leaving Luo’er somewhat taken aback.

"Moumou, you seem a little odd." Luo’er frowned, voicing his thoughts.

"Odd?" Tangmo tilted her head to look at him, her eyes misty with a hint of a smile gracing her lips.

Just then, the rustling noises from the jungle sounded again. Evidently, the rest of the team had found them by following the light from the fire. Luo’er turned around to see Baiyue panting heavily as she ran over.

"Luo’er!" Tangmo suddenly called his name, her hands cupping his face to turn his attention back to her.

"What..." Before Luo’er could react, Tangmo had already stood on her toes, her soft, delicate lips pressing against his. Under the watchful gaze of Baiyue, their lips met.

Baiyue stood dazed as she watched the two of them. Seeing Tangmo taking the initiative to kiss Luo’er, she felt as if something inside her had been smashed against the ground, shattering into pieces.

She had once thought that she had gained the upper hand in this competition for Luo’er’s heart, but Tangmo’s actions clearly showed that she was far from victorious. The gains she thought were hers suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Moumou, you..." Stunned, Luo’er lifted his head, not having the chance to savor the sweetness of her kiss. His eyes looked disbelievingly at Tangmo, surprised by her bold move.

Tangmo didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she turned to look at Baiyue in the distance, her gaze defiant. Clearly, she was asserting her dominance.

Baiyue gritted her teeth, looking visibly upset. Although she and Luo’er had been close before, that was only because Luo’er had been rushing to save her. But now, Tangmo had delivered her first kiss willingly, and what’s more, she was successful.

Tangmo’s gaze was full of challenge, an expression Baiyue had never seen before. She should have been suspicious, but was blinded by her rage, forgetting to observe Tangmo’s odd behavior.

"Since you both are fine, that’s great!" Baiyue forced out these words through gritted teeth, then turned and left resolutely, without another look back.

"Yue’er!" Luo’er anxiously called out her name.

"Thank you for your concern, Yue’er!" Tangmo flashed a confident smile, pulling Luo’er into a hug, looking triumphant.