Chapter 39: I Want to Stay With You

Li Xingming, a man of profound learning, excused himself for the moment. Having already pacified Professor Ye, all that remained was to calmly watch Ye Sheng’s performance.

He found a spot on higher ground, raised his phone, and aimed it at the object plummeting from the sky like a shooting star, ready to capture the entire sequence.

It should look quite cool, he thought. After all, this was Sheng-sheng’s meticulously planned runaway; this video was destined to be recorded in the annals of the "North of Dawn" team—a truly precious piece of footage.

The falling craft was now clearly visible to the naked eye. In the city, a few night-owl residents looked through their windows, mistaking the sight for a shooting star, and hurriedly made wishes.

It was a pity that Ye Sheng was no deity; she could not answer the prayers of others, but she would strive to realize the wishes within her own heart.

[Phlogiston remaining: 5%... Phlogiston remaining: 3%...]

Ye Sheng peered through the observation port, casting an occasional glance at the data on the screen. Her hands gripped the control stick, her cool, delicate features—and her inner state—entirely devoid of ripples.

Whenever a critical moment arrived, Ye Sheng would enter an inexplicable state of flow, shedding all distractions and performing with greater strength than usual. She was what they called a "tournament-type player."

Her sea of consciousness was still bound to a Resurrection Crystal, but if she were to die, she would return to the last anchor point used—the public anchor in the Cultural District.

If that happened, her runaway would be a failure. And she wouldn't get to eat Li Xingming’s snail noodles.

At this thought, a rare ripple stirred in the depths of Ye Sheng’s heart, and a trace of confusion flickered in the corners of her eyes. Why was it that whenever she thought of him… her mood felt so strange?

Just then, the phone mounted on the dashboard lit up. A notification popped up on the screen, a fresh message from Li Xingming:

[Li Xingming Official: Make your landing pose look cool; I’m going to post this as a short video.]

Heh.

Ye Sheng pursed her lips and smiled. He hadn't even considered the possibility that she might fail, so what was there to worry about?

Li Xingming was, after all, the man she had met by chance on the internet—the man who could cancel the backswing of a combat technique slash and who was so powerful she couldn't defeat him even with all her might!

With that, all distracting thoughts vanished from Ye Sheng’s mind.

Her world fell into absolute silence, leaving only a single point of focus.

There were less than twenty seconds left until impact.

Both Professor Ye and the team on the ground had been successfully persuaded by Li Xingming not to set up any cushions. Instead, in the spirit of not wasting resources, they had arranged the materials in a ring around the landing site, incidentally setting up an isolation net to block any escaping spiritual power.

It was clear that the team, operating under the guise of a subcontractor for Maple Sugar Heavy Industries, was highly professional.

Li Xingming, squatting on the dirt slope to record, felt quite regretful: "Totally unnecessary. All these protective measures will ruin the shot... Oh wait, no, no. Having all these defenses and then not needing them at all—that’s the kind of 'playing the pig to eat the tiger' contrast that netizens love."

He muttered to himself as he pressed record.

The main body of the craft showed no signs of slowing down. In those final ten-odd seconds, like a missile intended to destroy its target, it fell straight toward the designated coordinates, with an error radius of no more than two meters.

"Magic Shield, activate!"

The members of the construction team who possessed that specific spirit skill simultaneously manifested translucent, cerulean kite-shaped shields in front of them.

Everyone stood on guard, faces grave.

Even Inspector Chu, who had seen his fair share of major events, felt his eyelids twitch uncontrollably. Although Professor Ye had approved Ye Sheng’s landing plan, the scene before him still felt absurd—like a group of people foolishly trying to catch a missile head-on.

BOOM!!!

One’s subconscious mind filled in the blanks, anticipating a deafening roar.

Yet, it did not happen. At the very moment the craft touched down, all media seemed to be stripped of their ability to conduct sound. The world went silent, and ancient hymns echoed in the ears of the onlookers—noble, pure, and mysterious.

The runaway, violent cerulean spiritual power was confined within a spherical boundary, which then rapidly collapsed into a single point, vanishing along with the ancient building materials within a two-meter radius.

A massive, full moon gradually emerged into reality, blooming proudly before the crowd.

Everyone was stunned. That full moon was so beautiful, with its pearly white luster and rich textures just like the real moon, yet far more graceful than the cratered lunar surface. Its resplendent glow did not strain the eyes of those who looked upon it; it only inspired an urge to kneel and worship.

The full moon floated silently. After a time, the lunar surface shattered, turning into stardust that vanished into the air. The tall, slender girl encased within the moon stretched her limbs and touched her toes to the ground. The thick black stockings she wore were a common style for girls in this season, yet on Ye Sheng’s legs, they appeared exceptionally sophisticated.

Sophisticated... too sophisticated!

A landing method never before imagined!

Just as the crowd was left shaken and even worshipping, a passionate voice rang out from the nearby slope:

"Let’s see the judges' scores. Discard the highest and lowest, and for this round, contestant Ye Sheng scores... 99.98! Oh, can she do it? She did it! In the final round of the competition, she has created history, she has created a miracle! There is no longer any suspense. The coaching staff has excitedly rushed onto the field. Let us congratulate contestant Ye Sheng of the Serene Team for successfully defending her title as the champion of the 21xx Olympic Women’s 10-meter Diving Platform!"

Recording complete.

"This voice-over should help me gain some followers, right?" Li Xingming muttered, saving the video. When he looked up again, Ye Sheng had already run over to him.

The others cast their gazes in their direction as well.

Hiss.

Was this the part where the young couple flaunted their affection? This... this wasn't right, was it?

"Not bad," Li Xingming evaluated.

"The optimization of the super-vector elimination had some issues; otherwise, I could have consumed fewer ancient materials."

"Doesn't matter. Ancient materials aren't exactly precious items."

"But I’ve committed the crime of destroying cultural relics. According to the pardon regulations for Tier-2 transcendents, I have to work for the Maple Sugar City authorities to pay for the damages." A sly smile appeared on the corners of Ye Sheng’s lips. "I want to stay here. I want to stay with you."

"...So, you even calculated this far ahead?" Li Xingming couldn't help but smile. He thought to himself that it was no wonder she was the team’s main damage dealer he had set his sights on; she had such an excellent grasp of the big picture.

A heavy-hitter naturally needs to have a sense of the big picture, otherwise, if they only focused on their own flashy maneuvers, they wouldn't get very far.

Just as Li Xingming was about to boast a little, Ye Sheng suddenly swayed, falling straight forward and landing firmly against him.

"You?"

"Stayed in the sky for too long. I’m frozen stiff."

"...Alright, I’ll take you to the hospital. Do you want to say a word to Professor Ye first?"

"No. I don't want to talk to her."

"Understood, meow."

An ambulance had been arranged at the scene in advance, which was perfect for taking Ye Sheng to the hospital.

Li Xingming accompanied her into the vehicle. Before they departed, he took the liberty of sending the short video of Ye Sheng’s landing to Jiang Qianqian.

Let the kid see what the world is really like.