Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 41

The mecha fell silent, save for the faint hum of its power consumption and… the grinding of Li Hao’s bones as he desperately fought to keep from collapsing to his knees, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Meng Xuexiao’s mind went blank for a moment. He scrutinized Li Hao from head to toe, then… did it again.

This is too strange, utterly bizarre!

Even though he was trembling like a leaf, terrified to the core, he still dared to threaten those dangerous criminals.

In this situation, any normal person…

wouldn’t risk antagonizing these overwhelmingly powerful thugs for someone whose mecha was already half-destroyed, right?!

“Nice one! Well done! Isn’t this exactly what I’d do if I were there? Li Hao’s got guts! Blow them up! Blow them all to hell! I’ll cover the bomb costs!”

Meanwhile, at the Federation Military Academy, a senior student slammed his fist on his thigh, his blood boiling with excitement.

“Who are these random guys anyway? Interstellar Pirates? Trespassing on our academy’s affiliated planet and bullying our junior? Isn’t that a slap in the face to our entire school?!”

Although the Federation Military Academy valued rank above all else, now that Meng Xuexiao had been admitted, he was part of the school and represented its reputation. For outsiders to bully him was tantamount to trampling the Academy’s flag underfoot.

“Honestly, this junior has had it rough. Dragged into a hellish Duel Arena right after enrollment… I can’t imagine what the challenger was thinking. It’s utterly despicable!”

As he spoke, he moved to check the surveillance room next door for the despicable challenger. But the junior tapped him on the shoulder, “Uh, Senior, you might not be aware since you arrived late, but Li Hao was the one who initiated the duel…”

Huh?

Who?

Li Hao?!

His stand-in and errand boy, Li Hao?!

The senior’s eyes widened in shock as he pointed at Li Hao’s face on the screen, “Him?!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“…And he chose this high-risk arena, too? Just to kill Meng Xuexiao?!”

“Yeah, that’s what it looks like…”

The junior unconsciously glanced back at Li Hao’s face on the screen.

Li Hao’s face filled the surveillance screen, magnified to an absurd degree. He looked like a mouse cornered by a cat, every unshaven stubble on his chin practically standing on end.

Yet his feet seemed rooted to the ground. Though his hunched posture was awkward and unflattering, he stood firmly between Meng Xuexiao and the Captain.

The Junior stared at the screen, “.….”

Damn it, he thought, even I’m not so sure anymore…

He’d been one of the first to follow this duel from start to finish! He’d witnessed Li Hao pointing his finger at Meng Xuexiao in the medical bay, taunting him, and then seen Li Hao’s grim face as he entered the Duel Arena.

So much for a one-sided beatdown of Meng Xuexiao. So much for killing him.

All those grand declarations, and this was the result? This humiliating retreat?

This sudden betrayal was too fast! What was the point of all those threats earlier?!

Is Li Hao insane? Or does he have some kind of masochistic streak?

The Junior spat in disgust, “Poor Meng Xuexiao, stuck with this psycho!”

Meanwhile, Li Hao and the Captain continued their standoff.

It was like a lion facing a trembling coyote.

After a long silence, the Captain smiled, but his expression held no warmth, “So, you have some backbone after all, hmm?”

Not as useless as I thought. But still… not strong.

He still leaned towards throwing Li Hao overboard. With one less person, Meng Xuexiao’s mecha could operate for at least ten more minutes.

He had already formulated a plan. When they reached Yanxing’s border, he and several of his subordinates would summon their mechas to divert the Beast Tide’s attention.

Those ten minutes would be just enough for Meng Xuexiao’s mecha to accelerate and break through Yanxing’s atmosphere, reaching outer space.

Despite the Beast Tide’s ferocious momentum, the Gray Rat Beasts’ influence would weaken drastically in space. The tide would then scatter into disarray, posing little threat.

Meng Xuexiao only needed to drift in space for a few days before the Alliance Military Department would likely detect him.

Therefore, Li Hao was nothing but a deadweight!

The Captain’s gaze towards Li Hao grew even colder, as if he were looking at a pile of trash obstructing Meng Xuexiao’s survival.

Li Hao’s hair stood on end under that stare. While fearing for himself, another possibility struck him, if these men treated even an A-Class like this, what would they do to Meng Xuexiao?

Verbal warnings were clearly useless!

He had to take decisive action!

Trembling, Li Hao pulled out the last-resort bomb he had been saving.

When he chose this Duel Arena, Li Hao knew he’d be facing extreme danger. This bomb was his last resort for survival, and to acquire it, he’d nearly emptied his bank account. He never expected he’d have to use it so soon, and not even for himself!

The thought of it stung Li Hao like a physical blow, but there was no choice. He valued his life far more than money.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and yanked the bomb’s fuse, all while desperately trying to taunt the Captain with feigned bravado, “Come on, if you’ve got the guts!”

This hollow bluff wouldn’t fool the Captain for a second. If it did, hell would freeze over.

The Captain smirked coldly. A former desperado himself, he’d seen dragons kneel and tigers cower before him. What right did this barely grown whelp have to challenge him?

He rotated his wrist, the joints cracking like dry twigs.

Meng Xuexiao glanced sideways at the two men and the Captain’s subordinates, who were subtly forming a cordon around them. He then focused intently on the task at hand.

Even as the two men faced off, Meng Xuexiao had seized the chaos to slip back to the control panel.

When Li Hao had initially spoken up for him, even producing a bomb, Meng Xuexiao had been genuinely shocked and confused. But now, witnessing their relentless, life-or-death struggle, he thought he finally understood—or at least, he thought he might.

Li Hao must have been under immense mental strain when he misspoke earlier. His true intention hadn’t been to protect Meng Xuexiao, but rather to prioritize kicking him out as bait for the Alien Beasts. Then, Li Hao and the Captain could each display their skills, vying for… the sole remaining spot to survive.

That makes sense!

Why would Li Hao help him otherwise? What would he gain?

Meng Xuexiao quickly regained his composure. Without drawing attention, he quietly typed a message into the control panel’s Artificial Intelligence:

[Do you have any special functions to drive these people out?]

[I’m not planning to confront them directly. My earlier attempt to poke them with the wooden pole failed. What I want… uh, is… something like using softness to overcome strength, a clever trick.]

Meng Xuexiao had once watched a promotional video for a “wolf-repelling mecha.” The protagonist in the video used a special ejection technique to swiftly and accurately knock back burly men two to three times his size.

This technique was simple and convenient, even small mecha could easily master it.

When Meng Xuexiao first saw that video, he felt a shameful surge of excitement.

As a guy, admitting he wanted something like that would be embarrassing. But… he had only been in this world for three or four months and had already encountered a group of incredibly troublesome villains.

If he had something that could effortlessly send S-Class and 2S-Class villains flying, his sense of security would skyrocket!

Afraid the Artificial Intelligence wouldn’t understand, Meng Xuexiao even gestured with his hands.

The information Meng Xuexiao provided was exceptionally precise, and the Enforcer quickly located the original video.

The so-called “wolf-repelling” function wasn’t particularly sophisticated or powerful. It simply involved precisely targeting…that vulnerable spot most men share…

[…]

The Enforcer’s gaze lingered for a moment on the spot three inches below the burly man’s navel, where he had been violently struck. Finally, he silently averted his eyes.

Everyone knew that promotional videos were just acting, and much of it wasn’t real. But… the burly man’s subtle, almost unconscious gesture of guarding his “two ounces of flesh” afterward seemed genuine.

The Enforcer couldn’t help but glance again at the pitiful figure:

[Ahem… I don’t think this method suits you.]

“But…” Meng Xuexiao began to protest, knowing full well that the technique had proven undeniably effective.

Before he could finish, the Enforcer displayed a three-dimensional schematic of the Mecha’s exterior.

At that moment, a long string of Alien Beasts dangled from the Mecha’s underside, twisted together like a braided rope.

“They even… do this?” Meng Xuexiao’s eyes widened in disbelief.

They hadn’t even dealt with their internal problems yet, and now external threats were piling up!

Perhaps the anti-pervert ejection system worked against individual attackers, but what about a swarm of Alien Beasts?

Even if his current Mecha had such a function, what good would it do?

[These Alien Beasts charged just as you were preparing to retreat in your mecha. Analysis suggests they retain some rationality, likely due to the S-Class Alien Beast that lured them here.]

The first Alien Beast bit into the mecha’s outer shell, causing minimal damage. But the following beasts latched onto the tails or hind legs of those ahead, gradually forming a long, writhing chain.

The terrifying accumulated weight nearly immobilized the mecha. A few more beasts, and it would likely lose power entirely.

At that point, neither Li Hao nor the Captain would stand a chance, they’d all be doomed!

Meng Xuexiao’s head swam, “What can I do?”

[No need.]

The Enforcer’s words was curt and decisive.

[Let them handle it.]

Hilarious! The Enforcer had no intention of wasting its energy on this mess.

If Li Hao and Chu Sinian’s men hadn’t seized the chaos to disrupt the situation, Meng Xuexiao would probably still be sound asleep in the comfortable bubble Raven and it had created!

Those who make the mess clean it up themselves!

“Uh…” Meng Xuexiao hesitated, a flicker of conflict in his eyes.

He stole another glance at Li Hao and the Captain. They were still standing close, their arms tense and rigid, the tense atmosphere unchanged, as if a violent clash could erupt at any moment.

They don’t look like they’re about to shake hands and work together…

This Artificial Intelligence makes it sound so easy. Who are these two? And who am I?

If I could just tell them to get to work, they would. I wouldn’t be in this mess…

Most importantly, these two were on the verge of a fight. If they accidentally landed a punch on him, he wouldn’t be able to take it!

This is a thankless task!

[They will be willing to handle it.]

In mere seconds, the Enforcer had already completed thousands of simulations. With countless case studies to support its judgment, its prediction was unlikely to fail.

[You could try letting out a scream or pretending to be startled. I recommend using both methods for optimal effect.]