Chapter 226: What Can I Do?
For a moment, the few people who hadn’t yet been affected wore grave expressions. With heavy hearts, they stared at their teammates lying on the ground, having been knocked unconscious by their own side.
They had just entered the dungeon and hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the enemy, yet they had already lost so many members. If this situation continued, it wouldn’t be long before they were all laid out flat.
The members assigned to garrison the 27th District were all relatively experienced. They had all braved their fair share of dungeons, but this current predicament was absolutely the most uncontrollable one they had ever encountered. Everyone’s mood was exceptionally heavy, a dark cloud looming over the entire group.
Sensing the atmosphere, Lu Jingyu hurriedly cleared his throat, forcing himself to rally the remaining members. “At least we now know what we’re facing. As long as we find an opening, we can secure a victory with a single strike. Once we take out the enemy, our teammates will wake up. With so many of us still standing, we can keep moving forward!”
As the captain, besides leading everyone into battle, it was also his job to boost morale. However, despite his pep talk, the team’s spirits remained low.
Lu Jingyu frowned. Seeing that Shen Yan had already woken up nearby, he immediately walked over to him.
“Boss Shen, the enemy is already waiting in ambush all around us. Aside from what you mentioned earlier, is there really no other information? Like, is there any way to lure the mermaid out? If we could drag it out into the open, we wouldn’t be so passive!”
The main reason morale was so low right now was that the mermaid had been hiding in the shadows the entire time, leaving them without even a single opportunity to strike. If they could resolve this dilemma, it would serve as a great morale booster, and everyone’s confidence would surely soar.
Faced with Lu Jingyu’s questioning, Shen Yan dropped the smiling face he had just shown Xu Qingsui. He lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, “There is one way, but I’m not sure if it will actually work!”
Lu Jingyu’s eyes lit up upon hearing there was a method, but his brow twitched fiercely at Shen Yan’s following words. Still, having reached this point, they had to try any glimmer of hope they could grasp. After all, doing something was better than doing nothing.
“What is it?”
Shen Yan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he scanned their surroundings before slowly leaning in close to Lu Jingyu. Out of sheer physical reflex, Lu Jingyu flinched away at first, taking a moment to adjust before leaning back in to receive Shen Yan’s whisper.
Seeing the two men whispering into each other’s ears, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
She wondered, “What is going on? We’re talking business! Why are they whispering secrets like that?”
She watched as Lu Jingyu listened to Shen Yan’s murmurs, his brow twitching violently several times. By the end of it, his expression changed drastically. He forcefully shoved Shen Yan away and shouted agitatedly, “Impossible! I will not let her take that risk.”
Driven by instinct, Lu Jingyu’s gaze subconsciously darted toward Xu Qingsui as he roared those words.
Xu Qingsui caught that very glance. She couldn’t help but frown. Did this have something to do with her?
“I don’t want to either, but it’s the only way I can think of!” Shen Yan wore a bitter expression, helplessly throwing his hands up.
Lu Jingyu’s face was dark. He didn’t reply.
At this moment, Xu Qingsui, who still hadn’t figured out what the two were discussing, walked up to them. “What method? Do you need me to do something?”
Faced with her inquiry, the two men exchanged a glance and silently agreed to keep their mouths shut.
Seeing this, Xu Qingsui crossed her arms and feigned anger. “At a time like this, what is there left to hesitate about? Half of our people have already fallen! If we don’t find a way to solve this, we’ll end up lying down with them! And once we’re down, the rest of the people in the 27th District will be waiting to die right along with us!”
Xu Qingsui laid out the stakes, glaring coldly at the two of them.
They both looked troubled. Shen Yan and Lu Jingyu were already at odds with each other. The only reason Shen Yan had been willing to set aside their past grievances and whisper to Lu Jingyu was that he was afraid of letting Xu Qingsui know his idea. Both of them knew full well that if Xu Qingsui learned of this plan, she would undoubtedly disregard her own safety and insist on trying it—just as she was doing right now.
“Are you two really going to keep wasting time? The longer we drag this out, the worse it gets for us. What on earth are you two waiting for?!” Xu Qingsui showed genuine anger now, her tone much harsher.
Knowing they could no longer hide it, the two men could only compromise. However, Lu Jingyu absolutely refused to be the one to say it. He shot Shen Yan a look, signaling him to speak up himself.
Shen Yan glared right back, feeling that Lu Jingyu was the one to blame for this mess. If the captain hadn’t lost control and shouted earlier, they could have kept it a secret from Xu Qingsui, and they wouldn’t have been pushed into this corner.
Lu Jingyu also knew his reaction just now had been too extreme. Meeting Shen Yan’s gaze, he surprisingly didn’t glare back, instead turning his head to look away.
Shen Yan sighed helplessly and looked at Xu Qingsui again.
“According to our previous investigation results, mermaids prefer to attack when someone is alone—especially when a woman is alone. We have experimental data proving that when a mermaid spots a lone female, the probability of an attack is one hundred percent. For males, the probability is slightly lower, only at seventy percent.”
Hearing Shen Yan’s words, Xu Qingsui subconsciously looked at the team members nearby, even sweeping her gaze over the few lying unconscious on the ground.
She was the only woman present!
So, the plan was to use her as bait to lure the mermaid out.
She finally understood what was going on. Recalling Lu Jingyu’s intense reaction, a few traces of warmth welled up in her heart.
So, Lu Jingyu simply hadn’t wanted to put her in danger.
She felt his good intentions, but…
As things stood, since this was the only way, she had no choice but to give it a try! After all, if they didn’t take out the mermaid hiding in the shadows, none of them would be able to leave the dungeon. Rather than staying on guard here forever, it was better to take a gamble. Furthermore, she believed she still had at least some ability to protect herself.
“I understand. Then leave this matter to me!”
“Qing Sui…” Lu Jingyu grew anxious. Even if they had to be trapped here, he didn’t want Xu Qingsui to take such a risk. He would definitely think of another way.
But before he could finish, Xu Qingsui cut him off with a smile. “Don’t forget, there is a time limit. Even though we were given two days, the ideal scenario is still clearing the dungeon within a single day! I entered this dungeon with you all because I hoped I could contribute something. Since the opportunity is here now, I naturally have no reason to hide from it.”
“It’s too dangerous…” Lu Jingyu muttered, his eyes revealing his heartache.
Xu Qingsui smiled brightly. Her radiant smile was like the warm spring sun, piercing straight through Lu Jingyu’s pupils and spilling into the depths of his heart.