Chapter 199: Chapter 180: Public Search for a Suitor (Part 2)

"Meow!" Gao Xiaomeng meowed in protest.

"The time is right. We’re leaving now!" Fang Tangtang paid no mind to Gao Xiaomeng’s complaints. She had already changed into an outfit designed for moving at night.

Gao Neng glanced over and sighed with genuine emotion. ’It really is nice to be rich.’

Fang Tangtang was wearing a black, form-fitting Battle Garment. Even though she was flat-chested, the tailored cut of the garment made her look fantastic.

It truly brought to mind the phrase: light and lithe.

"This outfit is for you. Get changed, quickly." Fang Tangtang tossed him a Battle Garment made of the same material. It was black, but completely non-reflective.

Gao Neng felt the material. It was soft, light, and breathable. Plus, critical areas like the vitals, groin, and throat had special reinforcement.

’Nice outfit.’

And it was a perfect fit, too.

’If I’m not mistaken,’ he thought, ’Fang Tangtang must have started preparing this a few days ago. It was probably a rush job to get it finished just in time.’

"Sure enough, going to the battlefield with a rich person means getting special treatment." Gao Neng didn’t stand on ceremony. He first shooed Fang Tangtang out of the room, then started to change.

First, he put on his inner armor.

Then he pulled the black Battle Garment on over it.

Next, he slung the sheathed Horse-Cutting Saber across his back. Finally, he shouldered a large backpack filled with food and medical supplies.

Of course, just in case, he had already taken out some of the medical supplies and a few compressed ration bars, carefully stuffing them into his pockets.

That way, even if he lost his backpack...

...surviving for five or six days wouldn’t be a major issue.

With everything ready, Gao Neng didn’t forget to rinse his mouth and wash his face. It was a habit, and just because he was about to do something big didn’t mean he should neglect the small details of life.

"Did you wash your face?" was the first thing Gao Neng asked when he walked out of the room.

"What do you take me for? I, Fang Tangtang, care about my appearance!" Fang Tangtang patted her own soft, delicate cheek and added, "I even did a face mask."

"Nice."

"Let’s go. I’ve timed it out perfectly. It’ll take us four hours to get to the battlefield. If we leave now, we can get there by four o’clock. The people from the four major military academies leave at five and will arrive at nine. That gives us a five-hour window. Once we get to the battlefield, we’ll find a place to hide, get some sleep, and then everything will be golden," Fang Tangtang said, patting her chest in assurance.

"Mm," Gao Neng nodded.

Arriving five hours early was something he and Fang Tangtang had planned from the start. After all, it was easier to operate under the cover of darkness. Moving between six and nine o’clock would be a bad idea.

During that time frame, patrols would already be active on the battlefield.

Arrive at the battlefield before four, then spend an hour finding a hiding spot. That was their plan.

"I got two copies of the map, one for each of us. If something goes wrong and we get separated, we’re on our own," Fang Tangtang said, handing a map to Gao Neng.

"Alright." Gao Neng accepted it without hesitation.

He took the map and glanced at it. It showed the territories of the various races. A red dot had been specially marked on it, with four words written above:

Dark Night Elf City!

The distance from the edge of the battlefield to the Dark Night Elf City was 800 kilometers in total.

Along the way, they would have to pass through three defensive lines.

The first was the main defensive line between the Human Alliance and the Alien Race Alliance Army on the battlefield’s perimeter. Then came the outer defensive lines built by the individual races. Finally, there was the inner defensive line of the Dark Night Elf Clan.

Passing through all three defensive lines would allow them to successfully enter the Dark Night Elf City.

It sounded simple enough.

But in reality, the journey from passing the first defensive line to entering the Dark Night Elf City was a continuous stretch of over 600 kilometers, and no one knew what lay within.

"Here are your Seed Burst Pills and Life-saving Pills." Fang Tangtang produced the pills, then continued, "The Military Department’s plan is to tear open the first two defensive lines and push straight to the Dark Night Elf Clan’s inner line. Even so, we’ll still be entering the core zone. As long as we can get inside the second defensive line, we’ll find all sorts of good stuff. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to get an Elf Fruit!"

"So we just need to get inside the second defensive line?"

"Of course. You’re not thinking of trying for the third defensive line, are you? Don’t even consider it. The third inner line is guarded by High-tier Elves, people like Gui Zian. One of them could kill us with a single slap. We’ll just hang back behind the second defensive line and pick up some scraps. We’ll wait for them to break through the first line, then we’ll make our appearance!"

"I thought we were showing up from the start?"

"I’ve thought it over. If we show our faces before they attack the first defensive line, a commander like Gui Zian might just send us packing. But once they’ve taken the first line, he won’t have the manpower to spare to chase us off even if he wanted to."

"Doesn’t that increase the danger?"

"I think it actually lowers it. Think about it: they’ll be fighting on the front lines. If we were up there with them, we’d definitely have to get involved, right? But we’ll be hiding far behind them, in a spot so remote a ghost couldn’t find it. Who’s going to randomly run our way? See?"

"Classmate Fang Tangtang, you can save that sweet talk. I think this new development calls for a price increase!" Gao Neng was no fool.

This was clearly just another trap she’d laid for him.

’Leading me this far...’

’...and only now telling me the plan has changed?’

Gao Neng didn’t believe for a second that this was a spur-of-the-moment idea from Fang Tangtang.

She must have planned it this way from the start.

She was just banking on the fact that, having come this far, Gao Neng wouldn’t back out now. That’s why she chose this moment to reveal it.

"A price increase? We made a deal! Gao Neng, you can’t do this! I even lent you an outfit... After I, Fang Tangtang, have been so sincere with you, how can you let me down?" Fang Tangtang immediately protested.

"But you changed the plan. You broke the agreement first, so our deal is off..." Gao Neng tilted his head back, then made a show of starting to take off the Battle Garment. "I think it would be better to just go back to the academy."

"Wait! What do you want? Name your price!"

"First, this outfit isn’t a loan, it’s a gift. Second, since you broke our agreement, the ten million deposit is forfeit," Gao Neng stated his terms.

"Fine! You’re ruthless!" Fang Tangtang gritted her teeth.

Gao Neng didn’t immediately get dressed again.

Instead, he thought it over carefully.

’I’ve wrangled the money out of her...’

’...but this new plan means we have to wait until the first defensive line falls before we can even show ourselves. The danger level has clearly gone up by a lot.’

’What should I do? Should I back out?’

’But I’ve come all this way. It would be a shame not to at least see the battlefield for myself.’

"So? You’re not getting scared, are you? With an old pro like me, Death God Fang Tangtang, leading the way, what have you got to be afraid of?" Fang Tangtang coaxed when she saw Gao Neng remain silent.

"If there’s danger, I’m running. We clear on that?" Gao Neng finally said after a moment’s thought.

"Not from a Tier-Four. Well, not from up to three Tier-Fours. If there are more than three, or if we run into a Tier-Five, then you can run!" Fang Tangtang added.

"Fine. Let’s go." Gao Neng nodded.

’Three Tier-Fours?’

’Not a huge problem.’

’And if we really run into a Tier-Five, I’m not so sure I’d be any slower at running away than she is.’

With the decision happily made once again, the two of them left the room, one after the other.

A black, heavily armored mecha-motorcycle was parked silently at the hotel entrance.

"You driving or me?" Fang Tangtang asked, pointing to the mecha-cycle.

"You’re the old pro, you drive." Gao Neng was too embarrassed to admit he didn’t know how. This thing was no electric scooter; it was ridiculously fast.

"Heh, just remember to hold on tight!" A smile played on Fang Tangtang’s lips as she swung a leg over the seat. Her small frame was in command of the massive, heavily armored machine.

Gao Neng immediately got on the back.

The moment he was settled...

...the heavy mecha-cycle let out a roar and—WHOOSH—shot forward.

With no time to think...

...Gao Neng instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

’Yep...’

’...she’s more than I can handle.’

(My head was splitting last night. Let’s see if I can make up for it today!)