"This is what you call enhancement!!!??? Where's my brother!!!"
Su Yueqing's wail made Mo Chuan instinctively cover his ears to avoid the one hundred and twenty seconds of grief-stricken speeches and highly offensive greetings.
To be fair, although Su Yueqing was a cute boy, due to his naturally bestowed "charming bone" and the inheritance from Su Daji, and now with the fatal boost from Ahri's Spirit Bloom skin – pink hair, maximized charm, contrasting sanctity, beast ears…
Mo Chuan: Average (pulls up pants)
"No, System, why did this enhancement result in this situation… Changing gender is a bit much…"
"This system's skins have no issues. It's his own problem. Because he has an extremely high compatibility with the original hero, a partial modification occurred during skin fusion to enhance the power of his exclusive skills…"
"This… indeed."
"This system will undergo an update for three days. I'll give you a final task, and the reward will be automatically distributed. I hope you will have completed the task by the time this system finishes its update."
"Beep! Task issued: [Bashu Relic · One · Beneath the Dust]
Task Description: In the desolate mountains northwest of Badong City, there is a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy, essentially only detectable by insects. Please proceed to the designated location for the second phase of the mission.
Phase One Reward: 1000 Gold Coins"
"Holy crap, this is already a thousand gold coins for the first phase? That's enough for me to buy a small item." Mo Chuan snapped back from the system's temptation and found Tang Jingjing comforting the tragically cleansed Su Yueqing. The latter would occasionally sniffle and then turn back to look at Mo Chuan with an even more resentful gaze.
"Alright, alright, stop being a sissy, you're like a girl." Mo Chuan bent down, patted Su Yueqing on the shoulder, and said, "Normally, I'll help you recall your skins, and when it's time to practice or fight, I'll take them out for you." kuAiδugg
"Is that so… Then do I have to shout 'Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, transform!' every time before I transform?"
"?" "?"
...
Thirty minutes later, Badong Dam.
The guard looked at the Colonel standing respectfully on the fortress bridge and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Old Uncle, why is the Commander acting like this son of a bitch today?" (Please imagine Sichuan and Chongqing dialect for the following dialogue)
"What do you know, you idiot? They sent ten thousand people to reinforce the defenses here yesterday. The new ace who just arrived today is probably going to be here any minute." said a more seasoned guard nearby.
"Ah?" The young guard's eyes widened. "Are we going to fight later? That's not what Uncle Wang said…"
"You ignorant brat, this is called taking precautions. Whether we fight or not, we have to guard against it… Here they come, stop chatting!"
A tall figure descended from the sky, stirring up dust all around. The welcoming Colonel, too preoccupied to dust himself off, immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Second Master Tang, you've finally arrived…"
The person who arrived was none other than Tang Ye's uncle, Tang Jingjing's father, and Ye Ling's husband – Tang Shuntian.
Tang Shuntian wore a military-style trench coat, with a hunched back and stooped posture. A long saber hung at his waist, and he exuded the air of a dejected middle-aged man. He stroked his stubble, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and asked, "Do you have a light?"
"Yes! Yes!" The Colonel quickly handed over his lighter.
After lighting his cigarette, Tang Shuntian walked directly to a sofa in the command room, took out an eye patch from his pocket, and issued his only order:
"Reinforcements will arrive in five days. Increase vigilance these few days. If a battle breaks out, don't call me. Wait for the reinforcements to arrive first; if your reinforcements can't hold until the reinforcements arrive, then wake me up…"
Before he finished speaking, Tang Shuntian began to snore evenly, clearly having fallen asleep.
Damn it all.
What is this nonsense? There's no room to flatter him. I've buttered him up, but the horse has run away. How am I supposed to build a good relationship with him now?
The Colonel smiled outwardly but cursed inwardly. With a fawning expression, he walked out of the command room and then, with a dark expression, gave orders to his deputy and staff: "You heard him. Increase vigilance these few days! Don't let any suspicious ships pass!"
However, neither of them noticed a crow outside the window flap its wings and quietly fly away.
...
The next night.
Badong Dam, being one of the essential routes into Shu, still had a considerable number of ships passing through even at night. Although most of them were small boats transporting seafood and vegetables, the guards still found ways to profit.
"Shine the spotlight over there." The inspecting Lieutenant said into his walkie-talkie. "Ship convoy ahead, proceed to docking area A2!"
Four small transport ships then docked by the shore.
As the Second Lieutenant led a group of soldiers onto the ship, a burly man with a fierce appearance obsequiously approached and said to the Second Lieutenant, "Greetings, Officer, greetings."
"Routine inspection." The Second Lieutenant gestured to the soldiers behind him. A team immediately ran into the cargo hold to check the goods, while the Second Lieutenant, accompanied by the man and a few escorts, slowly headed towards the cargo hold.
"Name."
"Wang Hu."
"What cargo?"
"Grain, Officer."
"Where are you from?"
"Departed from Qingzhou, traveled by land to Wuchang, and then sailed up the Yangtze River to here…"
"Where are you shipping to?"
"Yuzhou."
While undergoing the Second Lieutenant's questioning, Wang Hu handed a pack of cigarettes to the Second Lieutenant and said, "Officer, you've worked hard, you've worked hard."
"Your cargo is from Qingzhou, but it's difficult to enter Bazhou." The Second Lieutenant squinted, tapping the notepad in his hand.
Wang Hu, being smart, switched the pack of cigarettes to his other hand and re-offered it to the Second Lieutenant. "Your honor, it's not easy for us brothers to make a living during these troubled times. We need your honor to show us a way out."
After accepting the cigarettes, the Second Lieutenant found a roll of cash tucked beneath the cigarette pack. He nodded in satisfaction and wrote on his notepad, "It is indeed not easy, but we still have to inspect. Let me take another look at the cargo, and then you can leave."
But just as the Second Lieutenant was about to enter the cargo hold, the two spotlights in Area A simultaneously went out.
The sudden darkness caught all the troops in Area A off guard.
"Enemy attack!" The Second Lieutenant was about to shout when a large hand firmly grabbed his mouth and nose, making it difficult to breathe.
At this moment, Wang Hu had transformed into his Spirit Bloom form. One hand gripped the Second Lieutenant's face, while the other hand surged with purple flames, gradually turning into a ghost-headed saber.
The last thing the Second Lieutenant saw was a flash of purple light.