Chapter 192 D-rank vs. C-rank

Chen Yu looked at her and nodded.

Liu Manqing lowered her head, looking at her hands on her knees. She slowly curled her fingers into a fist, then released them again.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Yu. She didn't tell me."

Liu Manqing looked up. "I always thought you were still together. She never mentioned it. Even though you didn't say a word to each other in the car, I thought... I thought you were just having a spat and would be fine in a few days."

Chen Yu didn't say anything.

Liu Manqing's eyelashes were trembling slightly. "Xiao Yu, it's Mengyao being immature. You were so good to her, and she..."

"Aunt Liu."

Chen Yu interrupted her. "There's no need to apologize for her. She was the one who brought up the breakup. Neither of us owes the other anything."

The treehouse fell silent for a few seconds.

Liu Manqing asked softly, "Xiao Yu, do you really have no feelings left for Mengyao at all?"

Chen Yu nodded. "Yeah."

Liu Manqing tried to explain, "Actually, Mengyao, that child..."

Chen Yu interrupted again. "Aunt Liu, I was with Li Mengyao for three months. I got her a new computer, a new phone, and even bought her a gold bracelet. And what was the result?"

"She just became more demanding, thinking my efforts were only to be expected. Am I some kind of fucking doormat?"

Liu Manqing opened her mouth as if to say something, but she found herself completely unable to speak.

She suddenly felt that the blushing boy from before had completely vanished. The person sitting in front of her now was a different Chen Yu, a Chen Yu she didn't quite recognize.

Liu Manqing slowly stood up and walked to the door. She placed her hand on the door panel but didn't push it open. She looked back one last time.

"Xiao Yu."

"I will get to the bottom of what happened with Mengyao."

"Regardless of anything else, she is my daughter. I can't just ignore it. When the time comes, I will give you an explanation."

Chen Yu didn't speak. Shui Bobo jumped onto his shoulder, its halo rippling in circles.

The light cast flickering shadows across his profile.

Liu Manqing waited for two seconds, but when no response came, she turned and left the treehouse.

...

...

The next day, at noon.

A light gate flashed, and the people of the Seventh Island were already standing in the square.

The grayish-white stone slabs gleamed with a blinding white light under the midday sun, and a giant light screen hung in mid-air.

The bridge was still the same bridge, its surface empty. Nothing was happening on the central platform at the moment.

The fog had dissipated, and everything on the opposite side was clearly visible.

The Ninth Island.

A dense crowd of heads could be seen; at a rough glance, there were at least a hundred people.

They were also looking over, their gazes sweeping through the crowd of the Seventh Island, observing and evaluating.

[Day 2 · Matched Island: Ninth Island]

[Day 2 · Combat Rules: Each island will send out their three lowest-ranked pet teams for a 3v3 pet duel]

[Victory Conditions: Winner-stays-on format]

[Winning Island Rewards—]

[Daily Points +1, Large amount of building materials, Pet overall attributes +1%, Island-wide resource point production efficiency +50%]

[Losing Island Penalties—]

[Daily Points -1, Pet overall attributes -1%, Island-wide resource point production efficiency -50%, Next day's matching will prioritize facing the previous day's winner]

[Seventh Island Participating Teams:]

[Seed 1: Haicheng Film Academy - Baby Bus (Pet Rating: Water-type, D)]

[Seed 2: Haicheng Minghe Co., Ltd. - Undying Convoy (Pet Rating: Wood-type, C)]

[Seed 3: Haicheng Botanical Garden - Fresh Convoy (Pet Rating: Wood-type, C)]

The text on the light screen surfaced line by line.

The people of the Seventh Island were the first to lose their composure...

"What's going on? The three lowest ranks are actually the ones fighting today?"

"The rules changed? Wasn't it the top three yesterday?"

"Well, it's Baby Bus anyway. They've consumed so many building materials, surely there must be some change?"

"What kind of results could there be? It's a D-rank. No matter how much it eats, it can't beat others. Look at the sky screen!"

Everyone looked up at the same time.

The text on the light screen refreshed.

[Ninth Island Participating Teams:]

[Seed 1: Haicheng Yuanhang Logistics - Expedition Team (Pet Rating: Wood-type, C)]

[Seed 2: Haicheng Dingsheng Group - Dingfeng Racing Team (Pet Rating: Fire-type, B)]

[Seed 3: Haicheng University of Science and Technology - Tech-Innovation Convoy (Pet Rating: Water-type, B)]

"Holy shit! Two B-ranks and one C-rank?!"

"Do they seriously not have any D-ranks! How are we supposed to fight this? The gap is too huge!"

"It's not necessarily a lost cause. Although Baby Bus's D-rank is low level, that Chen Yu guy is freakishly unpredictable..."

"Unpredictable my ass! Do you understand rank suppression? Have you ever played a game!"

The people of the Seventh Island were visibly dejected. They had originally planned to rely on Officer Pei and Captain Zhou Ting, but now, these bullshit rules had directly selected the three lowest-ranked pets!

Over on the Ninth Island, the information on the light screen had clearly refreshed as well.

Unlike the expressions on the Seventh Island, they were letting out sighs of relief.

"C-rank versus D-rank. Even if there's some elemental counter, the rank suppression makes the first match a sure win!"

"Wait! Baby Bus? Isn't this the monster convoy ranked tenth on the Highway Leaderboard?!"

"Whoa! It really is. But why did they choose a D-rank pet? Isn't that just asking for humiliation?"

The car owner of the first team to appear, the Expedition Team, was a two-hundred-pound fat man. He waved his hand!

Beside him was a grayish-green Vine Monster, about half a meter tall, with several thin vines trailing on the ground. It moved sluggishly to the center of the platform, looking somewhat arrogant!

Sometimes, the car owner's emotions would influence the pet's emotions!

Clearly, the car owner of the Expedition Team was disdainful at this moment: "Crushing Baby Bus will count as a glorious battle record!"

Shui Bobo stood in the center of the platform, tilting its head up to look at the Vine Monster opposite it!

In terms of size alone, the C-rank Vine Monster was more than a full circle larger than it. When its vines unfurled, it could cover its entire body!

A burst of laughter erupted from the Ninth Island's side!

"C-rank against D-rank. Isn't this just bullying?"

"That jelly looks so easy to pick on, hahahaha!"

[Duel in Progress]

[Seventh Island · Baby Bus VS Ninth Island · Expedition Team]

The very moment the text on the light screen jumped out!

Bang!

Shui Bobo suddenly bounced up. Receiving Chen Yu's command, it stopped above the Vine Monster and abruptly expanded!

This time, it actually grew larger than a yoga ball!!!

The Vine Monster's vines tensed up simultaneously; it had completely failed to anticipate things developing so rapidly!

The car owner of the Expedition Team was the same, shouting out, "Retreat! Retreat! This is its skill!"

But it was too late!

Shui Bobo slammed down!!!

"Use a skill! Use a skill!"

But it was all too late!

Bang!—

The Vine Monster was instantly smashed into the ground by Water Bubble!!!

The grayish-white stone slabs shook slightly, kicking up a small cloud of dust!

At the same time...

Before anyone could react, the notification had already sounded!

[Duel Over]

[Seventh Island · Baby Bus: Win]

[Ninth Island · Expedition Team: Loss]

"Gulu~"

Water Bubble shrank back from its expanded state, returning to the size of a rubber ball, and hopped back to its original standing position.

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