Gao Wu: After transforming into a soft girl, I became a calamity?

"Ugh, why is this suddenly so cheesy..."

Jiang Mian turned her head away uncomfortably, trying to escape Ye Chenyang's "affectionate" gaze, but he gently turned her head back.

"Sleep~ Sleep~ I'm serious."

A hint of a smile appeared in Ye Chenyang's eyes, and he even deliberately cracked his throat, causing her pupils to dilate in shock.

Jiang Mian decided to go all the way and simply raised her head to silence him with a kiss.

"!"

Ye Chenyang seemed to have gotten used to her boldness and was no longer as shocked as before. He simply closed his eyes and responded to her initiative.

"call--"

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Mian finally pushed him away, slightly out of breath, her cheeks already flushed.

"Strange, I'm becoming more and more sentimental. It's all your fault!"

"Yes, yes, it's my fault, it's my fault."

Ye Chenyang smiled and loosened his embrace, but did not completely let go of her. Instead, he leaned down slightly and pressed his chest against hers.

Jiang Mian was completely bewildered by this turn of events.

She subconsciously raised her hand and gently patted his back, just like he would when he would soothe her to sleep.

Ye Chenyang's lips curled up slightly before he continued:

"If you hadn't fallen for this lucky guy like me, besides that teacher, there probably wouldn't be anyone in this world you'd truly care about, right?"

"Well……"

Jiang Mian pondered for a moment but did not give an answer.

In the past, in order to survive, she had to close herself off and view everything rationally, and she could never truly accept other people's concern for her.

Even Teacher Lin, Jiang Mian tries to avoid her as much as possible, and when necessary, he will even take advantage of her.

By then, she had become accustomed to proactively avoiding or nipping risks in the bud, so as to keep the future in her own hands.

Now, Jiang Mian can let go of her barriers and learn to respond to others' concern for her.

Subtly, her heart has softened considerably.

"Has your mind become clear?"

"Um."

Jiang Mian nodded slightly and said no more.

Her unease stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding that group of degenerates and their underlying motives and actions.

Well then, this is Xu Xiaoan's own choice.

Moreover, Xuanhuang is already in place, so its strength is self-evident. Even if those people really want Xu Xiaoan's life, they can take action in time.

However, if the goal is to trigger a deeper level of "chaos" through Xu Xiaoan, then it's up to Xu Xiaoan himself.

As for Jiang Mian, all that can be done is to provide some necessary guidance, plus a safety net should the situation get out of control.

After figuring these things out, she wasn't so conflicted anymore.

The two, one in front and one behind, transformed into two streaks of light, one black and one gold, and fled into the even more desolate north.

……

Evening, Base City No. 187, light rain.

As the base city on the northernmost edge, it faces the vast northern wilderness and may be exposed to the mist and tides at any time.

However, this place is completely autonomous, with no official troops stationed here.

Perhaps, the only appropriate name for this place is "the land of exile".

It is worth mentioning that despite the many dangers along the way, the city's migrant population continues to grow at a steady pace.

Therefore, Base City No. 187 has undergone multiple expansions.

In less than twenty years, it has become a behemoth with three layers of walls.

"The southern entrance is the only entrance and exit to the entire city, and it is controlled by the two largest forces inside the city in turn."

Jiang Mian listened to Ye Chenyang's introduction and looked around.

The towering city walls, shrouded in rain and mist, appeared and disappeared, like a crouching beast ready to devour its prey.

A long line stretched out at the foot of the city wall.

Most of these people were dressed in light combat gear, but many others looked travel-worn and rather disheveled.

She didn't use her senses, but only made a rough estimate.

This lowest-ranked base city is actually the size of a core base city?

"Brother Ye, didn't the Withering take over quite a few base cities? Why are these peripheral base cities allowed to remain?"

The two had already encountered several dead cities along their journey.

If you go around one more time, you'll probably see even more.

But it was precisely at the edge that things became even more lively.

Ye Chenyang stopped, spread his hands, and used the power of [Radiance] to create a holographic map.

Jiang Mian looked over curiously.

All the base cities in the north were shown as small golden dots on the map, while some base cities were marked with black crosses.

These base cities form an arc, encompassing many base cities, including base city number 187.

And the center of the arc... is clearly visible in the northern fog.

"Wither only needs to create a dividing line to directly devour large areas of base cities."

Ye Chenyang pointed to the part of the "arc" that had not yet connected with the mist and explained:

"Once the separation zone is completed, these base cities will become isolated cities. Without supplies from the Glorious Monument, they will eventually be swallowed by the fog."

"Oh~"

That Withering guy even knows how to cut off supplies?

Jiang Mian seemed to be deep in thought.

Given the precedent of Shura, she strongly suspected that this guy might also be working on the nascent stages of power.

The path of [Silence and Death] is probably similar to that of [Slaughter], requiring the taking of many lives, only the method of killing is different.

"And what about the northern troops? Are they all in the cities outside the encirclement?"

"The military organization here is different from that of the western defense line; they are stationed in various base cities in the form of battle groups."

Having spent several years here in his previous life, Ye Chenyang had long since memorized the defenses of this place.

The core area's main eastern and western defense lines were established at the army group level.

In the north, due to the high degree of autonomy in the base cities outside the circle,

This special organizational structure was chosen for efficient command, and its predecessor was the city defense army of each base city.

"Let's go, let's put on a simple disguise first."

After a brief introduction, Ye Chenyang patted Jiang Mian on the shoulder and made a suggestion.

"Then I'll make some minor changes so it won't be so noticeable?"

Jiang Mian blinked and pointed to her long, silvery-white hair and dazzling golden eyes.

For her, this state is actually the most comfortable.

But considering the objective of this mission and the atmosphere of this city, it's best to keep a low profile.

At least you can't just say it's the "end of the world," right?

"Alright."

Ye Chenyang nodded.

Jiang Mian is actually a sucker for good looks, as evidenced by her previous alter egos.

Instead of keeping her in a low-key human form, let her be herself and retain some of the characteristics of a diseased person. Let's see what kind of new image we can create.

After all, it's not uncommon for people with lesions to be found in this area.

Those afflicted by the "natural disaster" disease are truly "rare species" due to their small number and unique appearance.

"Then I'll go change it."

"Um."

With a slight thought, Jiang Mian vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

When she came out again, she had a different face.

Her long, silver-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, her blue-gray vertical pupils gleamed with a cold light, and the white scales at the corners of her eyes gave her an aura that kept people at a distance.

In addition, Jiang Mian wore a windbreaker on top and cargo pants and ankle boots on the bottom.

This template is based on Yu Xiaoxiao, but it's a more mature version, with a completely reversed temperament.

"Brother Ye, I... huh?"

When Jiang Mian looked at Ye Chenyang's location, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.