52: System Spirit, Ling'er

The steep slopes on both sides of this road were undeveloped small hills, extremely steep. The hummer vehicle charged up at an angle and at an extremely high speed. The moment it rushed up the dirt slope, the hummer vehicle completely lost its balance. The car body swayed violently, then flipped over directly, crashing heavily onto the ground with a loud "boom."

"Damn it! At critical moments, I really have to rely on myself! Women are indeed unreliable!"

Qin Shou cursed angrily. The moment the hummer vehicle overturned, he instinctively pulled Zhu Xinyao tightly into his arms, intending to use his body to shield Zhu Xinyao from the impact that might be caused by the hummer vehicle's rollover.

Just as Zhu Xinyao was utterly terrified by the sudden rollover, she suddenly felt her body being held tightly in a warm, soft, yet powerful embrace.

"Why did he rush over to protect me at this moment? He could have prioritized protecting himself..."

"Could it be... could it be that he actually still likes me in his heart? And hasn't become indifferent to me, as he said?"

"Did I really misunderstand him? He's actually a very good person, and I was too shallow and snobbish, which is why I missed out on him..."

"If I had chosen him back then, instead of that playboy, what kind of life would I have now? Perhaps I would be much happier than I am now..."

At this moment, various complex and chaotic thoughts flooded into Zhu Xinyao's mind like a tide, leaving her momentarily at a loss.

In truth, Zhu Xinyao was overthinking. Qin Shou protected her purely out of instinct. Although Qin Shou had sworn in this life to only engage with women physically, not emotionally, he was not a villain. He disliked owing favors, especially to a woman.

In Qin Shou's view, Zhu Xinyao's perilous situation today was more or less related to him; he felt he had a certain responsibility. Moreover, he was a man, and protecting the weak in times of crisis was his bounden duty, which is why he instinctively shielded Zhu Xinyao.

"Ding! The system has detected that the host, at the cost of his own life, protected his first love goddess, successfully achieving the hidden system achievement 'Lover Boy' and successfully activating the system spirit—Ling'er."

"Hello, Master!"

At that very moment, everything around them seemed to freeze, and time itself appeared to stop flowing. Qin Shou and Zhu Xinyao's bodies remained tightly embraced, suspended inside the overturned hummer vehicle.

A stunningly beautiful young girl, dressed in a snow-white gauze gown, radiating a faint halo and an ethereal aura, suddenly appeared in Qin Shou's mind.

The girl had an innocent, exquisitely flawless smiling face. She bowed deeply to Qin Shou, exuding an indescribable elegance and nimbleness in every gesture.

It was a beauty that Qin Shou, with all his imagination, could not have conceived. The moment this girl appeared, Qin Shou felt that all the women he had ever seen instantly lost their luster and became dim in comparison.

Even Xu Sishi, the national goddess who enjoyed immense popularity in Dragon Country and was praised for her "ethereal beauty," appeared overshadowed and paled in comparison to this young girl.

Qin Shou felt as if, the moment this girl appeared, his heart was tightly clutched by an invisible hand, and an indescribable emotion surged within him.

"To thank Master for successfully activating me from the Yin Qi, Ling'er will present Master with a small gift to express Ling'er's gratitude."

The girl's voice was as melodious as an oriole. Ling'er lightly blew a breath, and then a golden circular bracelet suddenly appeared in her hand. The bracelet was carved with ancient and mysterious patterns, radiating a faint golden light.

"Master, this is a treasure beyond the Heavenly Rank—the ring of fortune. After wearing this ring, you will be able to subtly, slowly, and continuously steal the luck of those with great fortune, converting it into your own luck, making you more fortunate.

And any misfortune you might originally have will be invisibly transferred to your opponents or enemies, to be borne by others on your behalf. Simply put, wearing this ring of fortune will make you increasingly lucky, your endeavors will be smooth, and you will turn misfortune into good fortune. Conversely, anyone who becomes your enemy will become increasingly unlucky, plagued by ill fate.

Of course, this ring of fortune also has many limitations in its use. It can only transfer misfortune a maximum of three times a day. And the act of stealing others' luck also has many restrictions, which Master will naturally come to understand gradually during future use."

Ling'er explained to Qin Shou in her clear voice.

As soon as she finished speaking, the young girl Ling'er in Qin Shou's mind vanished into thin air. Everything that had been still around them began to move again, and time resumed its normal flow.

Qin Shou didn't know whether the girl who had appeared in his mind a moment ago was an illusion or real. He just instinctively held Zhu Xinyao tightly in his arms, shielding her with his body.

The hummer vehicle rolled three or four times on the uneven ground, emitting loud crashing sounds and the piercing screech of twisting metal.

But miraculously, during the rolling, Qin Shou felt as if he was protected by an invisible force. He and Zhu Xinyao's bodies rolled several times inside the vehicle, yet he didn't suffer any substantial harm. Each time a vital part of his body was about to hit the car, it coincidentally struck a soft seat or other cushioning object, absorbing most of the impact.

Qin Shou himself was largely unharmed, and Zhu Xinyao, whom he had held tightly in his arms, was naturally even safer.

Finally, after rolling three or four times, the hummer vehicle's body settled on its side, crashing heavily onto the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Both Qin Shou and Zhu Xinyao's heads were spinning from the continuous rolling, and they saw stars. Although they hadn't sustained any serious physical injuries, they were still dazed and slow to react for a moment.

"You two, go check the situation! If the man is still alive, kill him directly. Try to capture the woman alive; Lord Cult Master wants her alive."

A cold voice came from nearby. It was the Man in Black who had been holding the pistol earlier. He was staring with icy eyes at the overturned hummer vehicle.

"Yes, Brother Li!" Hearing the Man in Black's command, the two Men in Black beside him immediately responded and then cautiously walked towards the hummer vehicle.

The Man in Black holding the pistol was named Li Zhengxi. He was an original member of the Blood God Cult from Goryeo, its place of origin, and a key figure specially dispatched by the cult to Dragon Country to spread its teachings.

He was considered a small leader in the City. The Blood God Cult was a cult organization that worshipped an evil god, and their primary source of power came from the evil god they worshipped.

As one of the core members from the country of origin, Li Zhengxi naturally received more power than other members. Therefore, his intuition was extremely keen, and his ability to perceive danger far exceeded that of ordinary people. This was also why he was able to anticipate Qin Shou's shooting trajectory earlier and dodge in time.

The reason he sent two of the people accompanying him to check the situation first was that he vaguely sensed a hint of danger and thus dared not approach the overturned hummer vehicle rashly.