Chapter 369
Chapter 369 The Stage for Two
Just as the two of them were launched away, the remaining few Freeborn immediately dismantled the mecha into scrap metal.
This indirectly proved they indeed had some strength; at least they could frolic around in front of an immobile mecha.
It was just like those mischievous kids from relatives’ houses discovering your models and figurines, and the common point is that they both can raise your blood pressure.
Ling Mo held Xia Xinyan as they landed steadily from the thrust of the battle armor, glancing at the mecha now reduced to a pile of mechanical debris, his brow furrowed slightly: “Tsk, it seems they’re not entirely useless.”
Still cradled in his arms, Xia Xinyan tilted her head and shot him a sidelong glance: “Can… you let me down?”
Ling Mo paused for a moment before gently setting her down.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Xia Xinyan took a few steps back from Ling Mo—she was genuinely afraid of accidentally launching herself back into his arms.
It always made her feel like she was the one throwing herself at him.
With so many villagers around, she wanted to maintain some dignity.
Noticing this, Ling Mo couldn’t help but chuckle.
He just felt a bit regretful that both of them were wearing battle armor. Even if he designed it to be soft, for the sake of defensive capability, it couldn’t feel like regular clothing that posed little hindrance—otherwise, on such a hot day, the experience might have been much nicer.
Hmm…
He wanted to finish the fight quickly.
Raising his hand, he dispersed the mecha that had been ruined into pieces. After losing their toy, the group of dimwitted kids turned their attention to the two of them, roaring like beasts as they charged over.
Ling Mo immediately stood protectively in front of Xia Xinyan, manifesting two lightsabers: “Xinyan, just stay here. I’ll handle them.”
“No, we go together.” This time, Xia Xinyan stood at his side, softly saying, “I can’t just keep hiding behind you.”
She felt like Ling Mo was treating her like a little kid.
While that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, she needed to make him realize that she still had claws.
To put it another way, she didn’t want to be overshadowed by Ling Mo. While it was comfortable to hide behind him, it would inevitably make outsiders think she was just living off him—just like the reputation Ling Mo had online back then. Regardless of whether it’s normal for a young lady to rely on others, her pride wouldn’t allow her to fall into that situation.
Most importantly, the external perception could influence the power dynamics between them. If everyone believed Ling Mo was protecting her, then it might indeed become the case that he was.
This was also her assertion over her own agency.
She was never just a mascot.
And another point—she actually wanted to test this battle armor’s combat capabilities.
Since Ling Mo gave her this armor, it seemed she hadn’t truly fought at all. No matter the task, Ling Mo always protected her and handled it. By now, she had become a bit too comfortable, nearly drowning in Ling Mo’s gentle embrace.
Tsk, she couldn’t continue like this.
Taking a deep breath, Xia Xinyan didn’t wait for Ling Mo to reply and immediately transformed into her catgirl form, charging headfirst into the few Freeborn charging towards them—then taking down two in an instant.
This was her true strength, a combination of speed and explosive power. In terms of instant reaction ability alone, she could even subdue Ling Mo with one move, let alone a group of children with intelligence below average.
Ling Mo hesitated for a second before rushing in with his lightsaber, joining the battle.
While protecting Xinyan gave him a sense of male chauvinism satisfaction, fighting alongside her was an even more wonderful enjoyment for him.
Maybe it was the eyes of a lover making everything seem beautiful; he always felt Xinyan was incredibly charming in every way—and he believed she truly was.
Like right now, with her clean and decisive strikes—who could refuse a beautiful girl with exceptional combat prowess?
And at this moment, the one fighting alongside her was him.
Like a match made in heaven, this was truly a stage for just the two of them.
Perhaps his thoughts were a bit off, but… he was definitely enjoying it.
Most importantly, this battle didn’t pose much of a threat to them.
Even though they lost the mecha—well, actually Ling Mo could manifest another one anytime, but it wasn’t necessary at the moment. Facing someone far more agile and aggressive than a mecha, these monsters were just oversized moving targets, hardly posing any real resistance.
Then… those with a bit of intelligence backed off.
Like that flashy guy, along with four uniquely styled men, they were the ones hiding behind and resorting to dirty tricks during the previous fight. Now that they realized they couldn’t win, they were the first to shrink back behind the suited bald man.
At least they were quick to act.
But those other brainless monsters weren’t so fortunate, as they all ascended to heaven under Xia Xinyan’s tail and Ling Mo’s lightsabers.
After finishing the last one off, Ling Mo took a few steps forward without looking back, raising his lightsaber to point at the suited bald man: “Now, are you convinced?”
He wanted to see what tricks this guy had left.
Xia Xinyan swayed her tail lightly as she stood behind Ling Mo.
She had just tested out the battle armor, and it was pretty good.
The suited bald man’s face darkened; evidently, he hadn’t expected his underlings to be so weak. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: “Who are you here for? I can make concessions and let them go.”
He was looking to compromise.
However, Ling Mo had no intention of cooperating: “What if we’re here for you?”
“Then there’s nothing to talk about,” the suited bald man gritted his teeth. “Kill them.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the group that had already retreated behind the suited bald man charged in once more, led by a few powerful wind blades aimed at the two. The winds whipped up so violently that the surroundings became blurry. Ling Mo immediately shielded Xia Xinyan with a barrier, and the wind blades crashed against the shield, erupting into a whirlwind of dust and debris.
Then came earth and fire attacks, nearly all elemental forms made their rounds—while their strength was decent, they were still insufficient in front of Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo. Thus, virtually all their attacks were easily blocked; even those that slipped through couldn’t breach their armor.
However, those guys didn’t intend to defeat them with these tactics.
Instead, they were setting up for the final attack—after a moment of eerie silence, the flashy guy suddenly appeared right in front of them, letting out a low growl—
Then he was immediately seized by Xia Xinyan’s mental charm control.
And she retaliated with a supercharged move, spinning around to launch a powerful mental shockwave at all his teammates behind him.
Oh no, this was bad.
