Chapter Seven: The Red Fire Battle: Confrontation at the Lake
Ji Lin said in a firm, calm tone:"Remember to wash my clothes after I'm done. From now on, the dorm and my clothes are in your hands. Wash them by hand."
Wang Dong'er frowned, her voice tinged with frustration:"Why?"
Ji Lin simply smiled and walked straight into the bathroom:"You're my little brother now. What did you say when you lost to me just now?"
The atmosphere was warm, and the shower made the scene feel more relaxed, but for Wang Dong'er, it was extremely embarrassing.
"Damn it!" she scowled, her cheeks puffed with anger and shame. Not only was she responsible for cleaning the dorm, but now she had to wash Ji Lin's clothes too.
Did this mean she would have to wash all the underwear he had worn? Embarrassment and irritation surged through her at the same time.
She rolled onto the bed, overwhelmed with frustration as she contemplated the sudden weight of this unexpected responsibility.
Calmly and without concern, Ji Lin tossed all the clothes he had removed into the laundry basket by the bathroom door, then left directly for the cafeteria, leaving Wang Dong'er with a scolding, exasperated gaze.
A week had passed since Ji Lin and Wang Dong'er's last confrontation.
"Today's a school day. Hurry, don't be late."
Wang Dong'er's face flushed, and she grabbed Ji Lin's hand, running quickly. Since that battle, she had felt strange emotions toward him that she couldn't quite explain.
Over the past few days, she had noticed how Ji Lin always went out alone, how he occasionally received forced kisses, which stirred both her curiosity and embarrassment.
And every night when Ji Lin returned to the dorm, Wang Dong'er kept a cold expression, yet worked diligently to clean the dorm, wash his clothes, and prepare his meals—trying to show her care in her own way, without revealing any weakness in her feelings.
Wang Dong'er stretched lazily, and after having breakfast with Ji Lin, she headed toward the lake.
She gestured to the water in front of her:"It looks like this is the Sea Lake, right?"
Ji Lin nodded seriously:
"Yes! I've heard that students from the inner campus live near the lake, while the true partner's inner campus belongs entirely to the Partner!"
Ji Lin knew that every student in the inner campus possessed a unique talent, their strength nearly rivaling that of the outer campus instructors. Ma Xiaotao was an excellent example of this.
Suddenly, he paused, a look of surprise crossing his face:"Wait… Ma Xiaotao?"
Ji Lin remembered something all of a sudden. Why did this scene feel somewhat familiar?
The first encounter between Hu Youhao and Ma Xiaotao in the original story had taken place here…
And it had happened right after having breakfast with Wang Dong'er.
As Ji Lin stood in shock, a red shadow suddenly appeared, like a blazing fireball, hurtling toward them.
Oh my god!
It was Ma Xiaotao! Ji Lin hadn't expected events to align with the original story so precisely… this fireball could literally incinerate them all!
Ma Xiaotao was in a frenzy, much like Ma Hongjun's battle spirit in the novel. The difference was that Hongjun had been able to control it around women. Ma Xiaotao, being a girl, couldn't control her combat spirit—it had completely spiraled out of control.
"Run!"
At that moment, Wang Dong'er noticed the chaos above the lake. Without hesitation, she unleashed her battle spirit, the Light Butterfly, taking Ji Lin in an attempt to escape toward the horizon.
But moments later, Ma Xiaotao's shadow appeared beside them.
"Ah~"
Then came a painful roar from the red fireball, and Wang Dong'er was thrown from the sky to the ground, pain etched across her face.
"You… don't chase… us…"
She stood behind Ji Lin, swallowing nervously, while the red ball surged higher into the air.
With a furious scream:"Haaa!"
The fireball trembled again with an unbearable sound, confirming that Ma Xiaotao was completely out of control. No words from anyone could be heard anymore; everything around them had turned chaotic.
"Heh heh… stop first! We have something to discuss!"
Wang Dong'er watched the escalating chaos and felt a surge of anxiety…
Suddenly, a tremendous sound echoed:"Boom!"
With the thunderous roar of another massive explosion, a dazzling mushroom cloud shot into the sky, flattening all the trees within a hundred-meter radius and leaving a deep crater in the ground.
About ten meters from the crater, Hu Youhao and Wang Dong'er struggled desperately to dodge the scattered debris. Even from this distance, Ji Lin could feel the intense heat radiating from the fireball.
"This woman… she's not afraid of death at all!" he muttered to himself.
After narrowly avoiding a wave of flying stones, he glanced at the frenzied Ma Xiaotao, his anger nearly gritting his teeth. She seemed oblivious to everything, fully immersed in controlling her battle spirit.
Her eyes were blood-red, her small face twisted with indescribable fury.
"Die, all of you!" she screamed, her rage blazing.
"Oh my god!"
"Boom!!"
"Bang!!"
Ji Lin rolled swiftly, barely avoiding the molten projectiles Ma Xiaotao hurled.
Wang Dong'er, however, was overwhelmed by the force of Ma Xiaotao's attack and lost consciousness instantly.
"You're truly merciless!" Ji Lin muttered, as if wanting to cry without shedding a tear.
Despite the rising power of his spirit and physical prowess, directly confronting Ma Xiaotao's battle spirit would be catastrophic, possibly ending his life right there. Even using the Wood technique wouldn't help unless he intended to transform the Partner into a forest.
"Ah~"
Ma Xiaotao continued screaming wildly, her body engulfed in flames, eyes glowing fully red. Suddenly, a red fireball shot from her mouth with immense force, forming a wall of flame several tens of meters long and about five meters wide, incinerating every blade of grass and flower within ten meters of its path.
"Oh my god!"
Ji Lin stared at the advancing wall of fire, widening his eyes:"This time… no escape… it's all over!"