The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Lin Xiu's expression turned to utter despair.

All hope was shattered at that moment.

He finally understood that from the very beginning, Sun Ye had never treated him as a friend, or even as an equal.

With Yuanjing, everyone is a good friend; without Yuanjing, he is nothing.

In their eyes, Lin Xiu was nothing more than a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, a tool that could be exploited and discarded at will.

This time, Lin Xiu didn't speak again, nor did he look at Sun Ye's disgusting face.

He simply bent down and silently picked up the scattered source crystals one by one.

These were the results of his desperate efforts, the only outcome of his three days of sleepless nights. Even if he couldn't see Ling'er, he couldn't leave them here.

He picked up the one furthest away first, then the second, the third...

His movements were slow and focused, as if the whole world consisted only of him and the few pitiful source crystals on the ground.

My vision became a little blurry, and before I knew it, my eyes were filled with tears.

"Actually, I already knew the outcome."

And that's how it should be, but Lin Xiu still felt somewhat wronged.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the last source crystal, a mud-covered boot fell from the sky without warning.

"Bang!"

That foot stepped directly on the back of his hand.

And then, it was ground down hard.

"what!"

A sharp pain shot through the back of his hand, and Lin Xiu couldn't help but let out a short cry of pain.

He could clearly feel the treads on the soles of his boots and the sand and gravel embedded within them pressing down on his bones. The hard ground and the brutal force were pressing down on him from above and below, almost crushing his hand bones.

"Pick it up?"

Sun Ye's deep, malicious voice came from above.

"Did I fucking let you pick it up?"

Lin Xiu raised his head, the excruciating pain on the back of his hand contorting his face, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

He stared intently at that condescending face, which no longer held any of its former warmth. Perhaps, Sun Ye had simply given up on pretending.

"These source crystals originally belonged to me." Lin Xiu clenched his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Yours?" Sun Ye's tone was full of sarcasm, and he increased the pressure on his feet. "Then call them and see if they'll answer you."

"You!" Lin Xiu's chest heaved violently, his anger almost burning through his reason.

Sun Ye, however, seemed amused by his anger and burst into laughter: "What did I do? Did I hurt your little heart?"

"Tch, don't you even know your place? You dare look at me like that, you idiot!"

The sound was jarring, echoing in this abandoned corner.

Just then, a soft sound came from not far away, like someone gently tapping a wooden board.

The sound was very soft, but it was unusually clear in this deathly silent standoff.

At almost the same moment, Sun Ye also received a message from a friend.

His laughter stopped abruptly.

"The Heavenly Fox Guild has agreed to let us join, but on the condition that we complete a deal before sunset."

Sun Ye looked at the setting sun and then at Lin Xiu on the ground.

Time is a bit tight, but it's not impossible to finish.

The malice on Sun Ye's face vanished in an instant, replaced by an almost fawning surprise.

Lin Xiu clearly saw this change and his heart tightened.

Then, something unbelievable happened.

Sun Ye moved the foot that was stepping on the back of his hand, and even bent down and squatted down to pick up the source crystal that had been stepped on.

He blew off the dust, carefully wiped it with his fingers, and then placed it next to Lin Xiu's intact hand.

then.

He picked up everything that was scattered, including the few boxes of smashed cigarettes, and piled them up in front of Lin Xiu.

Throughout the entire process, Sun Ye's movements were fluid and natural, with even a gentle smile on his face, as if the guy who had just crushed his hand with his foot had never existed.

Lin Xiu was completely bewildered by this sudden change.

He slowly withdrew his hand, which was already red and swollen and bore a clear shoe print, and looked warily at the person in front of him who was completely different from before.

"What else do you want to do!"

Since the other party had completely abandoned all pretense of civility, Lin Xiu also abandoned his last bit of humility.

His vigilance was at its peak, but he still maintained a final restraint and did not get up immediately.

Sun Ye, however, didn't care about his cold attitude at all. Instead, he flashed a smile, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Brother, I was just joking with you. You're not really angry, are you?"

Lin Xiu's mind went blank; he could hardly believe his ears.

"joke?"

Burning someone with a cigarette butt is a joke? Throwing a Source Crystal at someone's face is a joke? Crushing someone's hand bones with your foot is also a joke?

He stared coldly at Sun Ye without saying a word.

Seeing that he didn't react, Sun Ye's smile widened, and he continued, "Well, I was just joking with you, and you dare not laugh!"

This unreasonable statement, coupled with his "kind" expression at the moment, seemed incredibly bizarre.

Sun Ye seemed a little embarrassed as well. He gave an awkward smile and changed the subject: "After all, we're classmates."

"With so many people in the world, it just so happens that we know each other. Isn't that a special kind of fate?"

As he spoke, he picked up the cigarette pack from the ground, dusted it off, and stuffed it into Lin Xiu's hand.

But at the very end, he skillfully pulled a cigarette from one of the boxes, put it in his mouth, and then took the lighter from Lin Xiu's pocket and lit it himself.

Hiss—whoosh!

The firelight flashed by in an instant.

Lin Xiu neither moved nor spoke.

He just watched Sun Ye silently, as if he were watching a poor actor.

He wanted to see what was really going on behind this facade.

Reason told him he should grab his things and leave immediately, getting as far away from this capricious madman as possible.

But he didn't leave.

Perhaps it was because of that deep-seated longing.

Sun Ye took a deep drag of his cigarette and then slowly exhaled a beautiful smoke ring.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his expression became somewhat inscrutable.

"I can help you one more time."

Lin Xiu's heart skipped a beat.

He raised his head and stared intently at Sun Ye.

"real?"

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

My reaction was too quick, revealing the pitiful expectation deep in my heart.

"But...but why?"

Lin Xiu truly didn't understand.

He couldn't understand what Sun Ye was thinking, or rather, what he wanted to do.

One second she wanted to stomp him into the mud, the next she said she could help her.

The transition was too rapid, and it involved two extreme shifts.

What could possibly cause such a dramatic change in a person's attitude?

Although he was 100% certain that Sun Ye had ill intentions, there must be a bigger trap waiting for him behind the scenes.

But Lin Xiu stayed.

Because the thought of "seeing Ling'er again" was like a poisonous weed, growing wildly in his heart, overwhelming all reason and vigilance.

"Where is what and why?"

Sun Ye tapped his cigarette-holding finger in the air, and ash fell in a flurry.

"If there is any, it's because..."