Run the Plot Ch.16

Chapter 16: Attraction

The gunshots didn’t come again.

Qi He pressed one hand against the barrel, his lean waist and back bent into a taut arc.

The gun was forced back a full three centimeters.

Yan Chuanbai didn’t let go either, still steady and unwavering as he held his aim. His other hand pinned Qi He’s knee, palm enclosing it, pressed down with no gaps.

The two of them stared at each other, one above and one below.

Qi He’s eyes were bright, a faint flush tinging his cheeks.

The blazing sunlight beat down on the training ground, stirring up golden dust.

His heart was still thundering, boiling blood gradually calming inside him.

Yan Chuanbai looked at him for a few seconds, then his brows eased. “Sneak attack’s over.”

Qi He’s hand on the barrel paused, then released.

His tense body loosened as he rose from Yan Chuanbai. The residual heat of the barrel seeped through his half-finger gloves into his palm, scorching his fingertips red—he flexed them slightly.

Yan Chuanbai’s gaze lingered for a beat, then he too got to his feet.

The vast training ground was utterly silent.

From the moment they suddenly clashed, everyone—newcomers and veterans alike—had been holding their breath. Now, the rookies were as silent as cicadas in winter, struck with the force of what they had just witnessed:

…So this is close combat between S-class?

If it were them, they probably wouldn’t even have time to activate their abilities.

And the instructor before them—Instructor Qi—had actually fought on equal footing with Colonel Yan, the one from the army. He even managed to push back!

Yan Chuanbai holstered his gun at his waist. “I’m heading back.”

Qi He nodded. “I’ll see you off.”

Yan Chuanbai met his eyes. “No need to trouble them.”

With that, he turned and walked back to the neighboring field.

The trainees over there saw Yan Chuanbai return from afar, and their postures instantly tightened—Colonel Yan’s explosive force was terrifying too!

…

Once he was gone, Qi He turned back.

His gaze swept over the group before him.

The few newcomers who had spoken earlier already had their heads ducked deep, terrified of being called on. A few eyes slid toward Ke Yuan in the team, whose face had flushed red.

Oh…

Qi He drew back his gaze—understood.

Then he pointed at the newcomers from earlier. “You, you, you, and you.” The ones singled out all flinched at once. Qi He spoke mildly: “I’ll give you a chance—come challenge me together.”

The four were startled, then glanced at each other.

Together? Alone, they couldn’t beat him. But together… well, four A-ranks weren’t exactly worthless. Who would be humiliated now?

Steeling themselves, the four stepped forward.

Qi He glanced at their positioning, then said: “Begin.”

Boom!!! Four attacks came at once.

Lightning struck down in barely a second, while the earth beneath his feet suddenly split apart! Qi He shifted back half a meter, slammed down with force, and drove the earth ability back underground.

Click. A bullet chambered.

One shot aimed straight at the lightning user five meters away. The latter hadn’t expected to be targeted first at that distance, froze for a split second, pupils contracting. Bang! The bullet swerved slightly, grazing past him before slamming into the ground—one out.

The other two ability users were already upon him.

The strength-type user threw a punch straight at Qi He’s face, while wooden vines tried to coil around his limbs.

Qi He lifted his hand and gave a tug—the vines twisted, then snapped taut, binding the strength-type user fast and dragging him to the ground—two out.

At the same time, the muzzle pressed against the forehead of the wood-type ability user. Click—three out.

Only one earth-type ability user remained. After being suppressed, he seemed at a complete loss. Now that his three teammates had been taken down in seconds, he froze in place for several beats—until Qi He slowly looked his way.

He took half a step back, raised both hands. “…I’ll walk off myself.”

Qi He lowered his gun, declaring: “Finished.”

—

The training ground fell into utter silence.

Building on the fight just now, Qi He began pointing out each flaw to the trainees one by one: “Controllers should not engage in close combat. After being suppressed, your first priority should be to look for a chance to counterattack…”

After going over every issue in detail, Qi He paused again, his gaze sweeping over them.

“And also,” he said, “never stop fighting.”

Everyone felt a simultaneous chill in their hearts.

A faint breeze stirred dust across the training ground. Qi He’s voice carried on, calm and solemn: “And never let down your guard. An ambush may happen at any time. For example…”

Before his words had even faded, there was a sudden thud!

Everyone turned toward the sound—Ke Yuan had collapsed forward in the ranks, both knees on the ground.

Ke Yuan: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

Ke Yuan’s face turned the color of pig liver. “F*ck!”

In front of him, Ji Yan suddenly burst out laughing at the sight, feeling an immense sense of balance. With a mocking grin he teased: “Ooooh—no need for such a grand salute. Let’s see—” He pulled out two crystal cores and flipped them in his hand. “Shall I reward you with these?”

Ke Yuan glared daggers at him. “You son of a—”

Before he could finish, he suddenly knocked his head hard against the ground toward Ji Yan. Bang!

Ji Yan hurriedly stuffed the crystal cores back into his pocket. “…Ugh!”

From the front, Qi He’s voice sounded again: “And don’t let anger blind you, causing you to overlook the same danger again and again.”

Everyone: “…”

He ignored the fire in Ke Yuan’s eyes, clapped his hands lightly. “Alright. Next, groups of three will challenge me. I’ll go over each of your problems one by one.”

…

The training session ended in silence piled upon silence.

Trainees from both sides dispersed.

Qi He was standing by the edge of the field, tugging off his gloves, when a figure came walking toward him from the other side. The sight of tight straps and polished boots came into view. Before he could speak, a voice from above asked:

“Your hand okay?”

He lifted his head to look at Yan Chuanbai, spread out his ten fingers. “All good.”

Yan Chuanbai’s gaze dropped to them. “Mm.”

After a two-second pause, he leaned back against the railing and asked, “‘Sneak attack’—how was it?”

At those two words, Qi He reacted instinctively, a flicker of excitement: “Pretty good.”

Another lazy “Mm” followed from in front of him.

Yan Chuanbai rested an arm on the railing behind him, long fingers hanging down. Qi He glanced over—this was the very hand that had struck at him with ice ability, then pressed a gun to him.

He could still recall that instant when his spiritual power had erupted.

A shiver of pleasure had shot up his spine.

Qi He unconsciously stared for several seconds. The other’s fingers seemed to curl slightly, then release.

When he looked up, Yan Chuanbai was watching him. “Need it again?”

Qi He thought for a moment. “No need.”

Yan Chuanbai’s brow arched faintly.

Qi He explained his conjecture: “Spiritual power above S-rank might be stimulated to grow when facing a threat to survival. Have you ever felt that?”

For a moment, it seemed quiet. Then: “No.”

Qi He studied him. No?

Yan Chuanbai looked toward the base perimeter, his profile calm. “Maybe the sense of crisis hasn’t been strong enough.”

Qi He narrowed his eyes. He’s showing off…

“Then… was there ever a time when your mental fluctuations were at their strongest?”

“There was.” Yan Chuanbai turned back. Under Qi He’s expectant gaze, he said slowly, “Last night, when you were hanging outside my window.”

Qi He: “…”

He muttered to the system: “Why does he keep bringing that up?”

System: [Well, because you’re always haunting him like a ghost.]

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a good while.

In the end, Qi He gently pulled the topic away from that unfavorable ground. “Then maybe we can spar more often in private, see if it helps with spiritual power growth.”

Yan Chuanbai tapped a fingertip. “That works.”

—

It was mealtime by now, and the two of them headed to the cafeteria together.

The base cafeteria offered two kinds of meals:

One was regular food, to satisfy taste and appetite; the other was a specially developed nutrient solution that quickly replenished the body’s energy and nutrition.

Having just finished training, their energy reserves were heavily depleted.

Both Qi He and Yan Chuanbai chose the nutrient solution.

As they came out from the counter, they ran straight into Yu Tianxing. He was carrying a tray of food, and when he saw the two of them: “…You came to the cafeteria together?”

Yan Chuanbai shot him a glance. “What else?”

Yu Tianxing’s gaze flicked back and forth between them.

Yan Chuanbai stared him down, then curved his lips slightly. “What’s wrong? Haven’t managed to join the ranks of the so-called ‘geniuses’ yet?”

The man’s mental state still seemed shaky.

Yu Tianxing: “…”

He reined in his expression. “Sit and eat with me, I’ve got something to say.”

The three of them found an empty table and sat down.

Yan Chuanbai cut straight to the point. “What is it?”

“This is something newly developed at the cultivation base.”

Yu Tianxing pulled out two tubes of dark green nutrient solution. “Ah… it was your teammate, Meng Yan. She studied the evolution of mutated plants, and tried extracting and catalyzing vegetables to see if nutrient solutions could be used to boost an ability user’s spiritual power.”

Qi He took the new nutrient solution and looked it over.

…So Meng Yan was also researching ways to enhance spiritual strength.

He didn’t drink it, instead slipped it into his pocket—to run tests on later.

A long arm reached out from beside him, took the tube. Yan Chuanbai gave him a half-smile, clearly understanding. “Oh? Lab rat?”

Yu Tianxing’s perfect smile didn’t waver.

Yan Chuanbai didn’t care either way. He tipped his head back and drank two mouthfuls. After a pause, he glanced at the remaining liquid in the tube.

Qi He leaned toward him, watching closely. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Yan Chuanbai downed the rest. “Just tastes bad.”

Yu Tianxing said, “If there are any effects, let me know.”

Once the nutrient solution was finished, Qi He was about ready to head back.

But just as he rose, Yu Tianxing suddenly spoke again. He shook his curly hair and narrowed his eyes at them. “By the way, you two… privately, are you…?”

Qi He turned his head: ?

They had just agreed to spar in private—how did Yu Tianxing already know?

Yan Chuanbai looked at him directly and asked, “Got a problem?”

Yu Tianxing seemed momentarily shocked by his candidness. “How could I? It’s none of my business.”

Qi He glanced at the base’s “number one.”

True enough—for Yan Chuanbai, rules might as well not exist. He assured Yu Tianxing, “Don’t worry. We know our limits.”

Yu Tianxing nodded repeatedly. “I was just asking offhand.”

With a dull thunk, he set a regular tube of nutrient solution on the table.

Yan Chuanbai rose to leave, tossing back a light remark: “While you’re busy with research, don’t forget to take care of yourself, too.”

“…”

Qi He also turned to go. ‘System, Yan Chuanbai’s mouth isn’t much better than mine.’

The system instantly caught onto that one word, too:

[So you do know what you’re like.]

—

The day came to an end, and night gradually fell again.

29th floor of the tower.

A discarded uniform and tactical harness were draped over the sofa. From the bathroom shone a strip of light, mingling with the rush of running water. Behind the frosted glass, a figure moved faintly.

Yan Chuanbai stood beneath the shower, water streaming down from above.

Droplets struck the back of his neck, his shoulders, his back—then slid down the ridges and valleys of muscle like a mountain range.

—Spiritual power evolution.

One hand braced on the pipe, Yan Chuanbai lowered his gaze, replaying that moment from earlier in the day.

That close a distance. A bullet grazing out a scorch mark.

His body too slow to keep up, forced down in return—pinned beneath, the oppressive weight pressing into his mind through the barrel of the gun as stark and scorching as sunlight—

The instant he recalled it, his heartbeat jolted faster, harder.

Adrenaline surged to a peak, dredging up a long-buried, long-suppressed sensation.

Exhilarating, sharp, an irresistible pull.

The truth was, he hadn’t been honest earlier.

Because in that brief instant when Qi He had reversed the hold and pressed him down, he had truly felt the threat of death.

…

The temperature in the bathroom gradually dropped.

From the palm braced against the pipe, a thin sheet of frost spread outward, crack… crack…

His spiritual power surged, his ability spilling out uncontrollably.

With cold water pounding down—bang!

Yan Chuanbai snapped back to awareness, only to realize the water tank had split open with a fine crack. From the pipe to the heater, everything was frozen solid.

—

Qi He had picked everyone out during the day.

Back at his quarters, he divided the nutrient solution into five portions and compiled a list of all the trainees’ abilities.

Once that was done, he was ready to rest.

Just as he was about to lie down, there was a sudden knock at the door. Thump, thump—breaking the silence of the night.

…At this hour, who could it be?

Qi He lifted the blanket and got up to answer.

When the door opened, Yan Chuanbai was standing outside.

His tall frame was wrapped in a bathrobe, hair still dripping wet. Water trailed down from the scar that cut through his brow, winding its way past his collarbone, faintly visible at the neckline.

Qi He’s hand, still on the doorknob, stilled. “…It’s late. What do you want?”

Yan Chuanbai stared at him for quite a while.

Until a drop of water fell, plip, into the hollow of his shoulder.

Then, in a very natural tone, he said, “My water heater broke.”

Qi He: “……”

His gaze didn’t waver. ‘System, he doesn’t happen to have some kind of mission to seduce me, does he?’

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