Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1155 - 562:
Previously on Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups...
Encircled by expansive fields of crops, this spot lies far from the city, and since it's no vacation day, visitors are few and far between, lending an air of profound peacefulness.
Within a room on the upper level of the inn, the midday sunlight filters in via the antique wooden window frame, throwing slanted patterns across the gleaming hardwood planks.
The interior setup remains basic: a classic wooden desk, a pair of rattan seats, and a couple of narrow beds positioned along the side wall.
Nearby in one nook, atop a compact stand, stand two vases in blue-and-white china, filled with newly gathered field blooms, their petals glistening with morning moisture.
Silence envelops the space, broken only by the faint whisper of breeze rustling the branches beyond the window.
A young pair occupies the bed on the left side.
The fellow sports a worn-out azure top, sleeves pushed up unevenly, exposing arms that appear calloused.
Traces of recent, not fully mended cuts mark those limbs.
His face shows a blank look, his posture stiff and unyielding, fingers clutching the material over his legs with force.
Beside him, the lady nestles close, clad in a soft tan pullover, her lengthy tresses loosely bound.
Without any cosmetics, her face holds refined contours, yet her gaze carries redness, evidence of recent tears.
In the dimmest shadows of the chamber, a tiny form huddles.
This is a kid around twelve or thirteen years old, draped in an oversized grown-up jacket, hems of the pants folded up multiple times.
The locks resemble a messy tangle, the cheeks smeared with grime, hiding the actual appearance and sex.
Just those eyes, sharp and vigilant like a cornered animal, stare intently toward the entrance.
These are the trio of mutants saved by the Illuminati from the grip of the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps: Xu Kuan, Jiang Yun, and Bean.
Right now, the group acts like frightened creatures, staying on edge even within this secure haven.
"Brother Kuan..."
Jiang Yun pressed her face into Zhang Kuan’s shoulder, her words quivering:
"Do you think... the Illuminati will treat us like the monsters from Bloodthorn did, and hand us over as test subjects to those twisted folks?"
Zhang Kuan tensed up, his limb wrapping around her back, giving clumsy taps:
"Don’t... don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe."
"Keep me safe?"
Jiang Yun raised her head, her puffy eyes flashing a hint of bitterness:
"If you could truly keep me safe, then that evening we wouldn’t have been captured by those thugs..."
Mid-thought, she caught herself and halted abruptly.
Zhang Kuan’s face fell at once, his mouth opened, yet no sounds came out.
Watching her partner frozen in shame and regret, Jiang Yun’s resolve melted, sorrow filling her for those sharp remarks.
"Sorry... I didn’t mean to say that."
"No, it’s entirely my blame."
Zhang Kuan inhaled deeply, his voice turning resolute:
"This occasion differs, Xiao Yun, I promise, this time if somebody aims to harm you, they must step over my corpse first!"
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Jiang Yun swiftly placed her hand over his lips, jesting:
"Avoid those kinds of vows, the positive ones fail while the dire ones succeed! Let’s just aim to thrive side by side."
Zhang Kuan stayed silent, merely hugging tighter, drawing Jiang Yun nearer.
The diversion lightened the heavy mood hanging between them a touch.
Yet before long, the wave of dread called "uncertainty" crashed upon them anew.
"What do you reckon... the Illuminati’s origins are?"
Jiang Yun rested in Zhang Kuan’s arms, her stare vacant:
"Even that savage Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps, ignoring all armed forces, got crushed by them as if mere insects."
"What reason do you suppose they keep us confined here?"
Zhang Kuan shook his head, bewilderment clouding his eyes as well.
Should the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps count as a horde of feral wolves, the Illuminati from the previous night resembled abyssal serpents.
Last night’s horrific clash replayed uninvited in their thoughts.
Flames engulfed the pinnacle of the Silver Wing Building.
Armed choppers swarmed like furious hornets, guns thundering, missiles launching wildly.
Thanks to their wariness of these vital "assets," steering clear of the strike zones on purpose, they escaped incineration.
A pair of the usually haughty Bloodthorn operatives wailed like stray pups amid the deadly barrage.
However, that figure held steady without fear.
Resembling a mythical fiend, enveloped in blazing gold, he clashed against choppers using only his form, shattering one metal monster.
That kind of unimaginable ferocity, both stunning and horrifying, still stirs terror in the spirit when remembered.
"That chairman... exceeds any monster."
Jiang Yun whispered, shuddering again without control.
Zhang Kuan sensed his partner’s terror, clasping her cold fingers tighter to share some heat.
Drawing in a breath, he tried to soothe:
"Stop overthinking. No matter what, the glasses-wearing scholar showed some courtesy toward us yesterday evening."
Jiang Yun managed a grin at that:
"True, my instinct says they lack obvious ill intent for us."
"With such might in that chairman, he likely won’t waste effort on us minor mutants, right?"
Even with this inner pep talk, the shadow over their looks didn’t lift.
Endowed with extraordinary abilities, they once viewed it as divine blessing, dreaming of superiority over the masses.
But harsh truth struck them hard in return.