110: Chapter 110 Chen Qing's Heart Returns

As Li Yu finished speaking.

The man suddenly lunged, pouncing straight at Li Yu.

His body squeezed past the sword blade, leaving a large, bloody gash, yet he seemed completely oblivious. With a hideous grin on his face, his claws, like daggers, stabbed directly toward Li Yu's head.

If this strike landed, Li Yu's head would have a few more holes to breathe through.

*Puchi!*

The sword pierced through the back of his head and emerged from his forehead, pinning the man in place. The tip of the blade was less than half a foot from Li Yu, and blood splattered across Li Yu's face.

Li Yu: ...

"A Cyborg's weakness is the head. Fatal wounds to other parts will only temporarily incapacitate them; they recover very quickly," Chen Qing said calmly.

"Cyborg?"

"Yes. Produced by the Organization, they fuse human genes with those of Demon Beasts. The survival rate is low, and the side effects are severe."

"Then you..."

"I am not a Cyborg," Chen Qing maintained a calm expression, though her chin unconsciously lifted. "I am naturally gifted."

"Understood. A freak of nature."

Chen Qing glanced at him and turned her head away, but soon, she looked back at Li Yu, her gaze falling on his blood-stained neck.

"I'm sorry." Her voice carried a hint of somberness.

"Hmm?"

"Does it... hurt here?"

Chen Qing pointed at his neck, her voice softening as if speaking too loudly would make the wound ache.

"It's fine, as long as I'm still alive." Li Yu grinned and then asked, "By the way, were you really trying to kill me just now?"

"I... don't know."

After Chen Qing spoke, she fell into silence, her head slightly lowered, her dark hair hanging down. In the dim environment, her expression was unreadable.

When she made that final strike, she had indeed hesitated.

On one hand was her own life, and on the other was Li Yu's. She didn't want to die, nor did she want Li Yu to die. Ultimately, Li Yu's life had value, while her own felt redundant.

But people are selfish, after all.

Someone like her, even though she knew her existence was a curse, still wanted to fight for herself.

It was because of that split-second hesitation.

That sword strike had almost slit Li Yu's throat.

Just then.

A warm, large hand was placed on her head, gently tousling her hair.

An unprecedented, strange feeling welled up in her heart, making her heart race and her breathing quicken. But how should she put it...

This feeling wasn't bad.

Her head lowered further, her eyes shimmering with light. Her hands were clenched tight, and she felt a strange anticipation for whatever Li Yu might say next.

"Oh, right. Where exactly is the toxin located?" Li Yu spoke.

The romantic atmosphere vanished instantly. Chen Qing felt a lump in her chest and gave Li Yu a somewhat resentful look before saying, "In my chest, attached to my heart."

"Oh."

Li Yu responded and then reached out his right hand, gently placing it down.

A soft, warm sensation was felt.

"Is it here? I'll draw the toxin out later, you..." Li Yu's voice grew quieter as he belatedly realized what was happening, staring at where his hand was placed.

What's going on?

Isn't this gro... ah, no, whose hand is this?

Who put my hand there!

Is that my hand?

Li Yu couldn't believe it, thinking it was a hallucination. He gave a slight squeeze, and that unmistakable softness was clearly felt. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, died completely.

Brilliant... it really is my damn hand.

He looked back at Chen Qing. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape, and she was frozen as if her pressure points had been struck. However, Li Yu could feel her temperature rising rapidly.

This is bad!

I'm toast!

To avoid being chopped into mincemeat by a flurry of swords.

Within 0.05 seconds, Li Yu reacted, silently withdrawing his hand and saying with a serious expression, "Hmm... your heartbeat is higher than normal. The toxin is indeed here."

Chen Qing: "..."

Her heart, which had been racing so fast it felt like it might burst, suddenly slowed down. Looking at Li Yu's obvious nervousness despite his attempt to act calm, her own anxiety subsided significantly.

Not only that, but seeing Li Yu's embarrassed reaction, a mischievous thought popped into her head.

She lowered her head and whispered, "Have you confirmed it clearly? Do you want to... try again?"

"Ah, yeah, it wouldn't hurt to try ag— Huh?!"

Li Yu realized halfway through his sentence and snapped his gaze toward Chen Qing, only to see a half-smile on her face. He immediately understood.

Good news: She didn't plan on turning him into mincemeat.

Bad news: He'd been played.

"Cough, cough, let's be serious."

It took Chen Qing only 0.1 seconds to go from smiling to cold indifference. She asked with a serious face, "When you said you could remove the toxin, were you serious?"

"Yes," Li Yu nodded.

"What's the success rate?"

"Eighty percent," Li Yu said. "I can help you remove it now, it's just that the process will be a bit..."

Chen Qing suddenly shook her head. Fearing Li Yu might actually try to remove the toxin right then, she even took a step back and said seriously, "No! Not yet! Now is not the time."

Li Yu gave a sheepish smile, his face filled with awkwardness.

Seeing this, Chen Qing knew Li Yu had misunderstood, so she explained, "The Organization ordered me to kill you. Jin Yulong is just one part of it. Once they discover I've betrayed them, both you and I will face even greater attacks. At that point, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you."

"So that's how it is," Li Yu said. "But the toxin in you..."

"It hurts, but it won't kill me." She didn't want to show too much weakness and said with full seriousness, "Trust me, I can handle it."

As she spoke, she imagined many things Li Yu might say to persuade her and thought about how to refute them.

To her surprise, Li Yu simply smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

Chen Qing was slightly stunned, then nodded heavily.

"If you run into any trouble, you can discuss it with me. If you face difficulties, you can try coming to me. Although I don't have much combat power, I have other tricks up my sleeve."

"Mm-hmm!"

"Let's go. Where's my sister?"

"Inside the house."

Chen Qing led the way while Li Yu followed closely behind. The two walked through the darkness under the moonlight, their steps much lighter than when they had arrived.

After twisting and turning along the path, Chen Qing led Li Yu to a corrugated iron shack hidden among the ruins. It was extremely well-concealed; Li Yu reckoned that if Chen Qing hadn't been leading the way, he might not have spotted the place even if he walked past it seven or eight times.

"This is my Safe House in Ningyang City. No one else knows about it," Chen Qing explained.

Li Yu nodded.

He pushed the door open.

The interior of the iron shack was simply decorated but felt very cozy, with a light green color scheme. There was a soft bed with green fabric, a sofa with plush dolls, and a television.

In the corner, there was a snack and drink cabinet, with a thriving Asparagus Fern sitting on top.

Li Meng, wrapped in bandages, was sitting on the sofa holding a bucket of potato chips. She was laughing heartily at a boring variety show, looking even more uninhibited than she did at home.

Hearing the door open, Li Meng looked back, her large dark eyes wide. With her mouth full, she mumbled, "Eh? It's over already? Who died?"