Chapter 103: The Heart of the Strong

After dropping Steven and the others off at Cameron’s house, Ou Xiaolu returned to the Stony Brook campus. On the way back, he kept wondering if he was somehow clashing with school—he hadn’t even set foot in a classroom since arriving days ago.

Tomorrow, he definitely wouldn’t run around aimlessly again. But wait, he had a date tomorrow. Fine, he’d go to class the day after.

Lost in thought, Ou Xiaolu pushed open the car door upon arriving at Stony Brook, preparing to head back to his dorm with Arrow.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed between his brows. Something hurtled toward that spot, and his head felt as if it had been struck by a car, forcing him to stagger back several steps.

Gazing down, he saw a sharp bullet lying on the ground. He immediately realized what was happening. At that moment, gunshots rang in his ears. Had it not been for his Purple Sand Robe having reached its highest level, that single shot just now would have killed him.

Fury flared in Ou Xiaolu’s eyes as he scanned the direction from which the bullet had come. There stood three tall buildings. Not a mathematical genius, he couldn’t triangulate the enemy’s precise location based on the bullet’s trajectory.

But he had his own way. The system could mark the location of the attacker. A quick glance revealed a red dot on the rooftop of the westernmost building, faintly radiating a white glow.

“Some ordinary lackey dares to mess with me? I’ll make sure you die without even knowing how,” Ou Xiaolu muttered.

With that, his body transformed into a streak of lightning, hurtling toward the floor where the red dot was.

On that rooftop, Xiao Zhang, assigned to take down Ou Xiaolu, was packing up his rifle with a scowl. Anyone who caught sight of his long gun would be surprised to learn it wasn’t a legendary sniper rifle, but an ordinary rifle with a range just sufficient to reach Ou Xiaolu’s location.

Yet Xiao Zhang was able to mimic sniper-like precision with this gun, thanks to his extraordinary ability. In modern society, this was a rather terrifying talent—his marksmanship was so precise that anywhere he could see and within the gun’s range, he could hit his target flawlessly.

This time was no different. After firing a shot, he didn’t even bother to check the result. Since the range was just right, Ou Xiaolu was as good as dead. Better to pack up and leave quickly—soon the police would seal off these three buildings, and if he didn’t leave now, he’d be trapped.

While tidying his gear, Xiao Zhang dialed a number. “Boss Cheng, it’s me. It’s done…”

Suddenly, he sensed something behind him. As a skilled marksman, Xiao Zhang wasn’t just adept with his long rifle; he was also proficient with handguns. Without turning around, he raised his hand and fired a shot blindly behind him.

But all he saw was a flash of purple lightning streaking past. A figure was suddenly standing before him, holding a long sword dripping with blood.

Before he could react, Xiao Zhang felt a sharp pain in his right hand. His arm was sliced open from the elbow.

Seeing the phone still pressed near Xiao Zhang’s ear, Ou Xiaolu pointed his sword at it. “Talking on the phone, huh? Want to leave a last message?”

Xiao Zhang’s face went pale, sweat pouring down, confusion etched on his features. “How could you be here?”

“Simple,” Ou Xiaolu smiled. “Extraordinary ability—I can teleport.” With a flash, he appeared on Xiao Zhang’s left side, then on his right. “Impressive, isn’t it? Interesting, too. So I won’t bother asking who you are. Time for you to die.”

With that, Ou Xiaolu appeared behind Xiao Zhang and delivered a heavy kick, sending him stumbling forward several steps. Following closely, Ou Xiaolu raised his sword and severed Xiao Zhang’s head in one swift stroke.

Then he used the sword to push aside the bloodied phone on the ground, still in call mode. He was about to say something harsh but thought of his parents back home. With a long sigh, he twisted his wrist and stabbed the phone through.

As if taking a leisurely stroll, Ou Xiaolu reappeared by the car, a trail of purple electricity following him. Arrow had already jumped out and was intently staring at the bullet on the ground.

Seeing Ou Xiaolu return, Arrow looked up at him, eyes full of concern.

“How did it go?”

“They’re from FutureTech. There should have been several of them, but only one took the shot. The others must have been held up. Send the cowards and street informants to gather intel. I want to trap all of them in Xinxiang.”

“Got it.” Arrow didn’t say more and immediately began making arrangements.

Ou Xiaolu waved his hand, instructing the autonomous car to find a parking spot, then headed toward the dormitory.

Arrow hurried after him. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the dorm, of course. Why would I wander around outside?” Ou Xiaolu rolled his eyes.

“But didn’t you say you wanted to level up quickly and take back your left hand?”

“I need a break. If this keeps up, I’ll turn into a maniac killer. You have to understand—it’s me playing the game, not the game playing me.”

“This isn’t just a game. People have already come looking for you. If you don’t deal with this soon, FutureTech will realize your strength has grown. What do you think they’ll do then?”

Ou Xiaolu sighed deeply and sat down on a bench by the roadside, looking defeated. “I don’t know.”

Arrow jumped up beside him and leaned against him. “You should work hard to level up. One more level and you can summon another avatar. Then you can send that avatar to protect your parents. Even if FutureTech discovers you, you won’t have to worry about your family.”

Ou Xiaolu opened the game interface. His experience bar showed he needed 985 more points to level up. He scoffed, “Still 985? At times like this, I’d rather have 211.”

With that, he disdainfully closed the game interface and closed his eyes, lost in thought. After a long moment, he said weakly, “Arrow, I feel so tired.”

“I understand. You’re just an ordinary person. Even with power, your mindset doesn’t change overnight. But some things can’t be avoided. Think of your family, your friends, and how FutureTech has treated you. You need to be strong.”

Ou Xiaolu leaned back on the bench, closed his eyes again, either pondering deeply or falling asleep.

Arrow remained silent, lying on the bench, waiting for Ou Xiaolu’s response. They sat there through the night.

Early the next morning, it was Charles who discovered Ou Xiaolu’s presence.