Serial Player
Chapter 111: I Take Back What I Said (Seeking Likes, Collection, and Reading List)

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: I Take Back What I Said (Seeking Likes, Collection, and Reading List)

Yanyun High School organized a trip for the students every year, ostensibly to help them relax a bit.

Li Changhe felt that with the exception of their senior year, they probably didn’t have much to stress about in the first place.

For the seniors, however, it was a different story. They sat on the school bus, the grim expressions on their faces spelling nothing but misery as they clutched their revision materials.

They wanted to play as well as study. Presumably, they were still hesitating over their decisions. After all, their college entrance exams were less than a year away and they were understandably nervous.

But this would only last for a while. Once the bus reached its destination, they would abandon their review materials without a second thought, and immerse themselves in the fun.

Young people were like that—sometimes, their emotions would triumph over their reason.

Even while they were still on the bus, some people started planning their leisure activities like casual walks and dates.

The class teacher glanced at the students, whispering and giggling amongst themselves, and frowned. He thought to himself that he would have a talk with them later.

"Teacher, you’re going to let this slide?" Li Changhe said quietly, "This is disrespect towards you! They’re actually flaunting their relationship in public, you should warn them! Shouldn’t high school students prioritize their studies over love affairs?"

The teacher looked back at Li Changhe and then at Xiao Nan, who was sitting next to him enjoying the scenery.

He thought to himself that he had recently heard some rumors about the two of them, and now here he was, getting such nonsense from Li Changhe?

However, he still trusted Xiao Nan. How could such a diligent and well-behaved girl be involved in early love?

He reckoned that it might just be a misunderstanding, given that such incidents were quite frequent over the past year.

They were just having a meal together, after all. When he was their age, he seemed to have encountered similar misunderstandings.

Ah, the bygone days of his youth. The almost thirty-year-old teacher sighed.

Then, he raised his hand and gave Li Changhe’s shoulder a karate chop. Ouch, that actually hurt his hand more.

He rubbed his arm and then leaned close to Li Changhe to whisper, "Behave yourself, kiddo! If anything happens, I won’t go easy on you!"

Then he turned to Xiao Nan, "Monitor, make sure you keep an eye on them. If there’s any gossip going around, Old Zhao will help you settle it."

Xiao Nan gave a slight nod and chuckled.

After making one more round of the bus, the teacher finally went and sat in the front passenger seat.

They were about to depart.

Li Changhe had to use his right hand to rub his shoulder because his left hand had been grabbed and stuffed into a pocket.

The ’Bronze Skin Iron Bone’ trait made him extremely robust, he barely registered the teacher’s chop. But he still felt somewhat guilty.

As soon as Xiao Nan got onto the bus, she shot Old Zhao a look that made him vacate the seat next to Li Changhe. She then stuffed Li Changhe’s left hand into the pocket of her windbreaker.

She then casually returned to watching the scenery like nothing happened. Even when the teacher approached, she didn’t let go. Luckily, nothing could be seen from his angle.

This made Li Changhe’s heart race a bit.

He coughed lightly and asked in a low voice, "Where’s your cousin?"

"She’s following behind in her own vehicle. There’s no reason for her to be on the school bus, or else we would never get a chance to talk." Xiao Nan frowned and said, "I heard from colleagues that after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, she has a hostile attitude towards men. She even requested a transfer from the headquarters just so she could get away from everything. The [Great Wall] teammates all avoid her."

"A victim of love, huh? No wonder." Li Changhe gossiped a bit.

"Normally she’s quite nice, it’s just that she’s too strong-willed. Hence, the split-up. Indeed, formidable women..." Xiao Nan paused when she realized something.

She looked at Li Changhe and asked, "Am I like that?"

Li Changhe pointed at his left hand and clicked his tongue, "Are you joking? One must know oneself!"

"Oh, then I take that back," Xiao Nan nodded, her right hand in the pocket gripping even tighter. There was no trace of reflection on her face.

Li Changhe didn’t really mind. He watched as the bus gradually started moving, and muttered, "They’ll probably make their move at Jiushan City. By then, the [Great Wall] can’t step in."

"Don’t worry, I’ve done my homework. I’ve examined your route and found a suitable location. If they don’t give up, that will be their best opportunity to strike." Xiao Nan used her phone to point out a spot on the map of Jiushan City near the mountain by the sea.

Li Changhe frowned. He knew that place. Wasn’t that right where Jiushan Temple was located? He planned on going there for training.

"By then, you’ll be having your special training there, while we’ll be sightseeing in the ancient town at the foot of the mountain. As long as I stray from the group and appear to be going to see you, it’ll be their best opportunity. After all, in their eyes, I’m just a girl going to meet her boyfriend, so there’s no sense of danger." Xiao Nan explained softly.

"It’s still somewhat unsafe. Despite your abilities, you cannot guarantee absolute safety." Li Changhe took a moment to mull it over. The plan to use Xiao Nan as bait seemed a bit too risky. He doubted that he himself could stick to the plan should anything go awry.

Xiao Nan was taken aback, feeling her palm being tightly held in the pocket. Her ears reddened slightly and she murmured, "Then is there any other way to lure them out?"

Li Changhe cracked a grin. He took a letter and photo out of the pocket.

"Tell me, how difficult is it to find them among a group of monks?"

...

Meanwhile, in another school bus, someone was looking at the bus passing by the window, or more accurately, at the two people inside the bus who were chatting and laughing together affectionately.

He laughed maliciously.

"Laugh while you can, because you won’t be able to soon!"

"Don’t act recklessly! If Li Changhe is indeed that [Player] from before, his level should be at least lv5!"

"We have the advantage in numbers, though. Besides, if we manage to kidnap Xiao Nan, would he still dare to move?"

"And remember not to kill anyone, the [Great Wall] is very strict with their rules!"

"Heh, boss, don’t worry. We’ll wipe their memories afterward. This isn’t the first time we’ve done something like this, there won’t be any risks."

...

At the very back of the convoy, several black off-road vehicles followed closely behind the school bus.

Xiao Nan’s cousin and the rest of the [Great Wall Players] who usually protected Xiao Nan in the shadows were diligently keeping pace with the bus.

They normally operated in secrecy to protect Xiao Nan in order not to expose her significant role as a [Special Ability Holder].

Obviously, they wouldn’t stop just because of a school trip.

However, her cousin’s expression didn’t seem quite right, she wore a stern face and was curt with everyone.

"That darn kid!" The sounds of her grumblings could be heard from time to time. The [Great Wall] members exchanged glances and laughed bitterly.

They all felt that she was overstepping her boundaries, what did it have to do with her whether Xiao Nan had a boyfriend or not?

"Is she planning to end up like yourself, a bitter spinster?" The [Great Wall] teammates muttered to themselves in their hearts.

But they didn’t want to cause a fuss and decided to keep their mouths shut. Recently, suspected [Players] had been appearing in the vicinity. They needed to be careful.

All three parties were heading towards Jiushan City, each with their own plans, completely unaware that Jiushan Temple was already in chaos.

At the top of Jiushan Temple, a bloodied old monk in tattered garments sat amidst the ruins of the temple.

Watching the black shadows retreating at the foot of the mountain, the old monk sighed deeply, "Just one step short. We must hold on."

As his words fell, the ruined temple began to restore itself. The humanoid creatures on the ground vanished one by one. The sound of cheerful chatter echoed from not far away.