Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 228 What do you mean by "open"? It was never closed at all.

"Is it better not to give hope at all than to give it to someone who has no chance of realizing it?"

Lu Mingfei could understand Guan Ying's choice, and even empathized with it to some extent.

Memories flooded back. Those letters always carried a faint scent of mothballs, as if they had drifted from a very far place.

His parents would write him a letter every six months. The first letter said that they would plan to return to China to visit him when his "work was temporarily over".

He still remembers that afternoon when he sat by the window in the classroom reading the letter. The sunlight made the letter paper translucent, and the penmanship reflected the light slightly.

Lu Mingfei was naturally very happy at the time. The next day, he even boasted to his classmates that his parents were both archaeology experts and were busy with a super project that, once announced, would shock the world like Sven Hedin's discovery of the ancient city of Loulan.

But after waiting for a long time, another six months later, the next letter came, and the content of the letter was always "there has been new progress in the matter", so the plan to return to China to visit him had to be postponed again.

Disappointment was inevitable, yet he still held onto hope. Then, during an argument, a classmate said, "Your parents aren't busy with work; they're divorced abroad and don't want you, so they're leaving you with relatives." After that…

That was Lu Mingfei's first and last fight. The memory remains crystal clear. He remembers the sensation of his fist hitting the other person's cheek, the chalk dust flying through the classroom, and the astonished expressions on his classmates' faces.

Because afterwards, his aunt forced him to apologize to that classmate and make him do chores so they could pay less medical bills. Back at his aunt's house that night, he overheard his aunt and uncle discussing whether his parents had really divorced abroad without telling them, and whether he would still receive child support…

Looking back, I think that's when he started losing interest in everything and becoming increasingly depressed. As someone who is neither cared for nor loved by anyone, it seems only natural that he would become whatever he is.

After that, Lu Mingfei stopped looking forward to the letters that came every six months, to the point that the faces of the man and woman became somewhat blurry, like those faded old photographs.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment if it is not realized.

"So even someone as awesome as you, junior brother, has sad stories?"

The sudden sound pulled Lu Mingfei back to reality from his brief reverie, and he realized that he had arrived at the place Nuonuo had asked him to go.

This was the very edge of the camp, with a small stream flowing beside it, its waters gurgling and creating tiny white bubbles on the rocks. Nono sat on a large, moss-covered rock, having changed out of her combat uniform into her everyday clothes, and wearing her silver four-leaf clover pendant. Her dark red hair was tied up high, with a few strands fluttering in the breeze.

"I?"

Lu Mingfei looked around, seemingly trying to find a third person present.

"When did I become associated with the word 'awesome'? What have I done to deserve this, senior sister?"

"So you don't deny that you were thinking about some sad things just now." Nono rested her hands on the rocks, gazing at the sky, seemingly trying to find a flower amidst the ever-changing, swirling clouds.

"In the face of your 'profile,' there's no point in denying it."

Lu Mingfei, who had been seen through, didn't care. He kicked away a small pebble at his feet and watched it roll into the stream, making a soft "plop" sound, and then sink to the bottom after floating a distance.

The deeper something is hidden, the less willing it is to be mentioned by oneself or others, the more it shows that one cares. Now he has enough people he cares about and people who care about him, goals he needs to strive for and the ability to achieve those goals... He lacks nothing.

Luck finally arrived after seventeen and a half years of bad luck, though in a way that was not ordinary and painful... but when he wasn't being electrocuted, Lu Mingfei felt it was still quite worth it.

"But speaking of which, Senior Sister, is what you're doing really not some kind of mind-reading technique? As far as I know, real 'profiling' shouldn't be this...mystical."

Lu Mingfei finally couldn't help but ask. In his opinion, Nuonuo's ability was comparable to the power of words, and even far more abnormal than some of the effects of words!
"If only I could read minds, then I would know what you are sad about and why you are sad, instead of just being limited to knowing the matter."

Nono lowered her head, her gaze shifting to him, her bright eyes revealing an unfathomable depth in her dark pupils. "For someone who can easily understand all sorts of problems, what is your choice when faced with a difficult one?"

"Should I take a test? In the past, I would have chosen to skip the question and move on to the next one, because time is limited and getting as many points as possible is always better than trying to solve everything at once..."

Lu Mingfei subconsciously replied with rubbish.

"what about now?"

"It's rare to encounter a problem that I can't solve now," Lu Mingfei answered honestly.

"What if we run into each other again?"

"perhaps……"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, somewhat dejected. "They really won't give up until they understand it, right?"

"It seems you understand." Nono smiled.

"But aren't you afraid of misunderstandings, senior sister?"

Lu Mingfei looked dejected. He understood what Nuonuo was talking about, but things were indeed stuck there. He couldn't let Nuonuo figure out his secrets; he hadn't even told Chu Zihang! And in the process…

"Hey, I'm a girl and I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of! Be generous, we can be brothers! How about we swear an oath of brotherhood?"

Nono spoke with great interest, her gaze wandering around. Her eyes swept over the pebbles on the riverbank, then looked at a clump of bushes not far away, as if she were preparing to look for a suitable tool to draw blood.

Now Lu Mingfei finally understood why she had the nickname "Little Witch"—her eccentric and crazy demeanor made it hard not to associate her with such a person.

"Swearing an oath of brotherhood by blood is too old-fashioned. Nowadays, the Oath of the Peach Garden is all the rage, right? Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei kneel there with a statue of Guan Yu in front of them and say, 'With Lord Guan Yu above, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei now swear brotherhood by blood'..."

Lu Mingfei casually uttered some extremely vulgar language, looking at Nuonuo with some suspicion.

"But I feel like you didn't come to me for this, did you? There must be something else going on. You're not being sincere! I won't be your brother."

"Oh?"

Nono was taken aback. "You could tell that?"

"Please, senior sister, don't think you're invincible just because you have 'profile' skills. My ability to read people is also quite strong, okay?"

Lu Mingfei mumbled something, thinking to himself that his entry, [Emotional Perception], wasn't to be underestimated. Although it didn't seem as detailed as Nuonuo's "Profiling" yet, observing some clues through emotional feedback was still relatively easy. What does "on" mean? It's never been off! And since it's on, it's as if it's never been on at all…

"awesome……"

A rare hint of embarrassment appeared on Nuonuo's face, which immediately piqued Lu Mingfei's interest. In his view, apart from occasionally acting like a crazy little witch when she had an episode, Chen Motong was more like a proud princess who didn't care about anything or anything. Even when she looked directly at you, you could feel that she didn't really see you.

But why would a girl like that be embarrassed by something? It can't just be because she was exposed, right? It must be because of this!
"Alright, since you've figured it out, I'll just say it straight... cough cough, here's what happened."

Nono coughed twice and recounted the deal she had made with Chu Zihang in the Nibelungen.

"I admit that I hadn't really thought about how to cover for you at the time, so the excuse I came up with was a bit superficial. I was originally planning to change it later, but after coming out just now, judging from Teacher Zhang's expression, it seems that he intends to just keep it from you."

So, in this deal, what I promised isn't actually done. But if I'm not mistaken, Chu Zihang should do as planned. So, how about I consider it making up for it by owing you a favor…”

"do not talk!"

Before Nuonuo could finish speaking, Lu Mingfei interrupted her, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at her, his excitement evident.

"Is everything you just said true?"

"real……"

"Brother!"

Lu Mingfei rushed forward in one stride, so fast that Nuonuo couldn't react at all, and grabbed her hand and shook it up and down.

"Don't say you owe me a favor, I owe you one!"

Heaven help me, Lu Mingfei had been looking forward to gossiping about Chu Zihang for who knows how long... Sometimes when his gossipy senior brother eats too much of his gossip, he just wants to see what kind of expression his senior brother would have if similar gossip happened to him.

A thirst for revenge, pure and simple revenge!
Unfortunately, the chances were slim. His senior brother's indifference was like that of a stone sculpture on Easter Island, which had been standing there for hundreds and thousands of years, staring in one direction without moving. Not to mention that there were no peach trees growing on the island, even if peach blossoms drifted across the ocean and landed on him, they would only rot.

Previously, Lu Mingfei didn't think much of Su Xi because her personality clearly indicated that even if she made an advance, it wouldn't be very enthusiastic, and Chu Zihang was obviously not going to respond... But now that there's Nuonuo, it's a different story. She's a strategist with 'profile' abilities, and she can almost see through people's hearts!

They don't act unless they're absolutely sure, but when they do, they'll make a stunning debut. Then, they can tailor some strategies to their specific needs; who knows, they might actually have a chance?

"Brother, let's call this a strategist alliance!"

Lu Mingfei spoke with a serious and righteous expression. He recalled a joke he had seen on a forum before, which said that before college boys and girls started dating, each of them actually had one or even several strategists behind them, who were always looking for trouble. Sometimes, the two strategists would secretly follow the couple on their dates, and after meeting, they would assess each other's strengths and then form a strategic alliance...

It's so interesting to think about! I wonder what Senior Brother Chu will do? Lu Mingfei is already getting impatient.

"Really? You owe me a favor?"

Nono's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected such an unexpected surprise.
Actually, she was lying, but the lie was deeper than Lu Mingfei thought... Lu Mingfei's [emotional perception] only allowed him to uncover one layer but not the second.

Lu Mingfei's strength showed her a second possibility, a completely new choice and a new path. Once she could embark on it, the world would be wide open!
The only problem is how to get on board, since her relationship with Lu Mingfei isn't really that close, and it seems she doesn't have anything of equal value to offer in exchange.

I never expected someone to hand me a pillow when I was dozing off!
Thinking of this, she suddenly shouted and grabbed Lu Mingfei's hand: "A gentleman's word is his bond!"

Her breath was like thunder, majestic and awe-inspiring; at this moment, the little witch resembled a female general.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback, realizing that something seemed amiss and that he had gotten a little too excited. But since he had already said all that, there seemed to be no going back, not to mention that he really wanted to hear about his senior brother's gossip... So he had no choice but to go along with her.

"It's hard to chase a horse!"

The thick clouds finally peeked through a crack, and sunlight streamed down, shining like a spotlight onto their clasped hands. The scene was hardly reminiscent of romantic love; rather, it resembled a grand covenant, witnessed by heaven and earth.

Suddenly, a bird took flight from the side, and a glint of light reflected from the dense foliage caught Lu Mingfei's eye out of the corner of his eye, drawing his attention. His expression turned serious, and he released his grip, almost instinctively activating [Explosive Sprint].

A reflection? Could it be a sniper!
Time seemed to slow down instantly, as if it had stood still. The bird, which had been taking flight swiftly, flapped its wings laboriously in the gel-like air, its light body rising at an extremely slow pace, while Lu Mingfei continued to move as usual.

He went straight to his destination.

It was a guy who was completely covered up from head to toe, and he even used branches and dead leaves as cover with great professionalism. His burly and strong body was perfectly hidden in the bushes. He was obviously a guy who had received professional training!

Lu Mingfei's gaze almost instantly fell on the equipment held in the man's hand... But what surprised him was that what the man was holding was not the sniper rifle commonly seen in movies and TV shows, but a camera, which looked like a portable professional device, and he had a lewd smile on his face.

Never mind, let's fight first!

……

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I really am your senior brother!"

The burly man wailed, his expression utterly miserable. His bruised and swollen face looked like he had endured some kind of torture, and he was about to collapse to the ground, never to rise again...

"Indeed."

Nono looked down at him for a moment, then said, "Well done!"

"Who told you to be so sneaky?" Lu Mingfei scratched his head awkwardly.

Fingel von Frings, a student at Kassel College and Lu Mingfei's senior... is also a member of this special operations team, but seems to be carrying out a secret mission and acting alone.

I never expected our first meeting to be in this way.

What does "sneaky" mean?

Fingel retorted indignantly, "This is my professional ethics!"

(End of this chapter)