Upon reaching the floor and opening one of the room doors, Ling Mo was surprised to find that there were far more inhabitants in the building than just Xia Na and her companion.
A dozen or so young men and women all turned their gaze towards the door at the same time. A quick scan revealed they were all under twenty years old. One of the girls, wearing a high school uniform, excitedly came over as soon as she heard the door open: "Sis, you're back!"
"Eh, you brought back two more people?" The high school girl looked past Xia Na to take a glance at Ye Lian and Ling Mo and casually asked, then her attention drifted to Liu Yuhao's backpack, "How was the haul today?"
"Not bad! Just raided that big supermarket on South Street. There's still plenty of stuff we didn't bring back, but I've hidden it well. We can go and fetch it after we finish eating." Liu Yuhao smiled smugly but completely omitted the part where they were trapped and nearly lost their lives.
"Right, let me introduce two people, this is... sorry, brother, I forgot to ask what your name was..." Liu Yuhao had just started to speak enthusiastically when he suddenly froze, embarrassed.
"Ling Mo. This is my girlfriend, Ye Lian." Sighing inwardly, Ling Mo introduced himself.
"Ahahaha, so it's Ling!" Liu Yuhao's mood quickly changed as he slapped Ling Mo on the shoulder and pushed him to the center of the living room, "Everyone, pay attention, this guy helped us out a lot today, so we've decided to invite him for a meal and drinks!"
The group of young people, each sitting on the sofas or the floor of the living room, didn't pay much heed to the emergence of Ling Mo and his partner, but upon hearing Liu Yuhao's words, they all looked at Ling Mo in surprise.
One of the guys lying on the sofa sat straight up, eyed Ling Mo with suspicion, and said, "How's that possible? With Xia Na here, how could it be his turn to help?"
"Exactly, with Sister Xia Na here, how could we possibly need an outsider to help?" Another person chimed in, emphasizing the word "outsider" with a stronger tone.
The high school girl from before came over, waving her hands and saying, "It's just a meal, no need to be like this."
"Just admit it's freeloading, don't make up excuses. Liu Yuhao, you're too soft-hearted, we barely have enough food for ourselves." The first man to question Ling Mo snorted coldly and added his comment.
Liu Yuhao's face turned awkward again. He sneaked a glance at Ling Mo, only to find that the cold sarcasm didn't seem to affect Ling Mo much.
"What I said is all true, you don't know—when Xia Na starts fighting, she gets carried away and doesn't pay attention to her surroundings..." Clearly not skilled at handling the situation, Liu Yuhao was trying to explain, but the faces of the young men and women showed complete disbelief.
At that moment, Xia Na was pulling Ye Lian over, but she seemed to have no intention of helping to explain the situation. Instead, she looked at Ling Mo with a mocking smile, her eyes clearly saying: Let's see how you deal with this.
Holding a grudge! This girl holds too much of a grudge!
It was clear that although she had relented earlier, she had not forgotten the retort she received from Ling Mo.
But she was obviously wrong. For those who only wanted to reap the benefits and were extremely xenophobic, Ling Mo had no interest in bothering with them. He scoffed and turned around, grabbing Ye Lian's hand, and headed towards the exit: "Sorry, I have no intention of freeloading. Enjoy your meal."
"Wow, look at the attitude!"
Xia Na and Liu Yuhao were both stunned, while the young man who had just spoken had his face turn a bit ugly, feeling like he was being publicly slapped in the face, and said sarcastically, "This guy even brings a woman along, can he even provide for her? You should be grateful we offered you food, yet you dare to act all high and mighty..."
This was intolerable! Assuming I came to mooch off their food, worried that their own supplies might decrease, their sarcastic remarks were one thing—it's another that I've decided to leave and they still hurl insults, as if I'm made of mud!
Ling Mo's pupils contracted, and in almost the blink of an eye, he charged in front of the young man. During this process, Xia Na was the first to notice Ling Mo's intent. But just as she reached out to stop him, Ling Mo had already swept past her, and it was at this moment Xia Na realized that although her own speed was fast, her reflexes were far slower than this seemingly ordinary man in front of her.
As she reached out, Ling Mo seemed to see through her movements, dodging her even while moving at high speed, not only bypassing her but also appearing in front of the young man without pause.
The young man only felt a darkness before his eyes, then suddenly found his collar grabbed and his feet lifted off the ground.
"You motherfu—"
"Slap!"
A crisp and loud slap startled everyone present into silence.
"This is a slap in the face. If you dare to say another word that pisses me off, I'll treat you to another one." Ling Mo's icy gaze made the young man's cheek instantly swell red, and he didn't even dare to utter a sound.
Humiliation, resentment, and yet he dared not even struggle, nor talk back. In Ling Mo's eyes, he could clearly sense the unabashed chill, and with Ling Mo's skills alone, he knew this was no bluff.
"Xia Na!"
The young man called out unclearly, his face tense, trying not to let on his fear of Ling Mo, but his panic-stricken eyes had already betrayed him.
Ling Mo's merciless action shocked everyone, including Xia Na. But upon hearing the young man's call, even though a flash of disgust crossed her eyes, she still stepped forward and said, "Ling Mo, let him go."
"Apologize," Ling Mo said coldly.
Xia Na frowned. "You've hit him already..."
"Two separate matters, apologize."
"Why should I!" As soon as the young man spoke, he was met with a resounding "slap" and took another solid slap to the face.
Xia Na looked at Ling Mo with a complex expression, then turned to glance at the young man with swollen cheeks on both sides, and said, "Lu Xin, apologize. It's your own fault for having a foul mouth."
"I…" He was hoping that Xia Na would stand up for him, but instead, he was met with another slap. Everyone in the room was watching him, and every gaze felt like needles piercing his body. Lu Xin's expression was like he had swallowed a fly, and his heart was filled with anger.
"I only stood up so that everyone could eat a bit more! And now you're blaming me for talking too much, yet no one stands up for me when I'm getting hit!"
But under Ling Mo's gaze, Lu Xin could only swallow his words, barely squeezing out through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry."
The moment the words left his mouth, his face felt burning hot, as if Ling Mo had simultaneously slapped him ten times.
Ling Mo snorted in disdain, and tossed Lu Xin to the ground before pulling Ye Lian to head outside without hesitation.
"Wait a minute!"
It took Liu Yuhao a moment to react, and he quickly chased after them, taking out two cans of beer and a few packets of chocolate from his backpack and forcefully stuffing them into Ling Mo's hands, his face full of apology. "I'm so sorry... Really, I'm very sorry..."
"Who are all these people? It all depends on you and Xia Na to find food?" Although Liu Yuhao had let him down, Ling Mo didn't really have any ill feelings toward him and couldn't help but ask.
"They're all classmates... We're from the same boarding school," Liu Yuhao explained helplessly, shaking his head, "That Lu Xin from earlier, he comes from a wealthy home, and he's used to being arrogant. Just don't take it to heart. Plus, even if we let them go out to find food, they would just be a bother. You've seen it yourself; out of our group, only Xia Na is really capable. Originally, I had hoped you would join us too..."
"I don't foster parasites, I don't have the energy for that," Ling Mo interrupted Liu Yuhao abruptly.
"I see... Anyway, thank you for today..."
Before Liu Yuhao could finish, Xia Na also came over.
She looked deeply at Ling Mo, then cast a sympathetic gaze towards Ye Lian, and finally said in a low voice, "It's getting dark soon. Stay for the night. You might endure it, but can your sister handle it? Don't worry about that Lu Xin, he won't dare to provoke you."
Xia Na's tone was very sincere, but Ling Mo really had no intention of staying with this group: "No need, we can find somewhere to stay in town."
"Don't go!" Just as Ling Mo turned around, he felt someone tug at his sleeve. He looked back and saw it was Xia Na.
Seeing Ling Mo's inquiring gaze, Xia Na suddenly showed a coy expression, and it wasn't until Ling Mo grew a bit impatient that she seemed to make a big decision and finally said, "I think you're pretty capable and not afraid of trouble, I'd like to ask for your help!"