novelraw Chapter 525: Did I Ever Say Something Like That?
Chapter 525: Did I Ever Say Something Like That?
In an instant.
Accompanied by the sound of massive electrical currents, streams of purple-glowing electricity surged from that severed arm straight into Lynn's body.
Before Lynn could even react, he was instantly crackling and sizzling with electricity, so intensely that one could vaguely see his skeleton flickering within the electric arcs.
"Zzzt-zzzt-zzzzzzt—ahhhhh—"
The next moment, Lynn's agonized scream instantly echoed throughout the entire Night Doctor outpost.
[Ding! You are being struck by 5,000 volts of electric current. Your HP is draining!]
[Ding! You are being struck by 10,000 volts of electric current. Your HP is draining!]
...
Over ten minutes later.
Inside the ward, Lynn sat in his wheelchair, his entire body frizzy-haired and his clothes tattered, his face dark. Wisps of smoke rose from his body, and stray currents still crackled from the tips of his hair all the way down to the floor where the wheelchair made contact.[Ding! Your single-person combat support wheelchair is charging. Current charge: 91%]
[Ding! Your single-person combat support wheelchair continues charging. Current charge: 92%]
Across from him, Hei Xianyue, now dressed in a white-striped hospital gown, sat with her long legs drawn up. Her long hair cascaded casually over her shoulders. Compared to her previous gothic dress attire, she looked completely different, yet the hospital gown gave her an even more uniquely ethereal and refreshing impression.
It seemed that no matter the setting.
She was always extremely mindful of her appearance. Her elegant demeanor seemed almost etched onto a circuit board. From any angle, every single frame could serve as a background illustration.
The only discordant element.
Was her severed arm, reminiscent of the armless Venus de Milo.
"So, was that a normal electrical leakage reaction, or an intentional one..."
Lynn asked with a dark expression.
Hei Xianyue glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her gaze still that utterly unreadable, mechanical stare devoid of any emotional reaction.
"Intentional."
She replied to Lynn's question with an unusually calm tone.
Lynn: "..."
Lynn wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling rather embarrassed. He took out a comb, trying to press down his frizzed-up hair, but it was utterly useless.
Originally, Lynn had intended to visit with the tragic expression of a sorrowful male lead, but who knew he'd end up "flying" in through such a wicked method.
Although he got electrocuted pretty badly.
Lynn quickly noticed a rather peculiar point.
Because this time, after barging in on Miss Puppet in such a wicked manner, flying in and even catching glimpses of places children shouldn't see, the System actually didn't issue any notification about Miss Puppet's Affinity decreasing.
This was undeniably a rather astonishing thing.
Because he was so used to it before.
Every time he tried to flirt with this icy Miss Puppet, his ears would ring with those -1, -1 Affinity prompts. Suddenly not having it decrease really felt a bit uncomfortable.
The surroundings fell into an awkward silence once more.
She didn't mention the incident in the Cursed City where she shielded him from that fatal bombardment at all. Her sidelong glance merely swept over his body up and down, seemingly to confirm he was unharmed, before calmly looking away again, reverting to her previous Three-Noes Girl demeanor.
Even though the injuries she herself sustained were far more severe than Lynn's.
"Thank you."
Lynn's expression turned serious. He solemnly spoke those two words to Hei Xianyue, breaking the icy silence.
"Thank you for saving me. Whether it was because of the contract, or for some other reason, you are indeed the first girl who would desperately try to save me at a critical moment. I am deeply moved."
Hei Xianyue's body stiffened slightly, but her face still showed no fluctuation. Her gaze remained calm as she said:
"Oh."
"..."
Lynn's carefully brewed expression, ready to well up with tears and wail dramatically, was instantly derailed by this single "Oh."
"Just an 'Oh'?"
Lynn coughed, leaning forward, earnestly encouraging:
"Don't you think you should take this chance to make some excessive demands of me or something? For example, asking me to pledge myself to you, to serve you like an ox or a horse for life, to dedicate my body to you, conditions like that? If you proposed them, I'd actually be quite willing to do them."
"..."
There was no feedback whatsoever.
No engagement.
Hei Xianyue held the book in her hands, reading quietly, as if she completely regarded the young man in the wheelchair beside her as a non-existent creature.
Lynn: "..."
Without a doubt, this was the difficulty in communicating with those aloof girls. They naturally possessed a passive ability to create awkward silences. Even with people they were already quite familiar with, it was hard not to fall into this awkward atmosphere of dead air.
At times like these, if it were anyone else, they'd probably be so embarrassed and flustered they could only retreat tremblingly, wounded by the chill emanating from them.
But Lynn, after all, was no ordinary person.
He subconsciously pressed that button.
*Bzzzt—*
As if a current flashed.
Hei Xianyue's body instantly stiffened.
Lynn's ears immediately rang with the long-awaited System prompt.
[Ding! Hei Xianyue's Affinity towards you -1]
Then he saw Hei Xianyue's chilling gaze turn towards him. She closed the book in her hands, and just as Lynn was about to speak, the book in her hand was thrown with a *thump*, hitting him square in the face.
[Ding! Your HP -1]
"That's more like it. At least give some feedback, right?"
Lynn calmly pulled the book off his face, then stuffed it behind his back, confiscating it.
He adjusted his monocle, ╮(╯▽╰)╭ and said:
"Besides, we still have a contract in effect right now. You're my bodyguard Miss. Where's the bodyguard who gives their patient the cold shoulder? Don't you think that's reasonable?"
Hei Xianyue stared at the book he had shamelessly hidden behind his back and said:
"The Employment Agreement is terminated. You said that."
Lynn was taken aback, looking left and right (O_O)? "Did I? Did I say something like that? How come I don't know? I didn't, right? The thirty days aren't up yet, Miss Puppet, you can't welch on the deal! That's very immoral!"
Lynn sternly poked a finger to express his accusation.
"..."
Hei Xianyue looked at the expression he was putting on—"I don't understand," "I don't know," "I didn't say that"—the expression of someone trying to renege. A trace of annoyance surfaced in her calm eyes.
Because he clearly said loudly on the way that their employment contract was terminated. Now that he's recovered, he's acting like he doesn't acknowledge it.
She took a deep breath with effort, closed her eyes, clenched her fists, preventing her systems from malfunctioning and accidentally turning this patient into an accident.
"And since I never said anything like that,"
Lynn acted as if he completely didn't notice her emotional fluctuations, raised a finger with a (*￣︶￣) expression, and said:
"Then, as your lawful patient, as Miss Hei Xianyue's thirty-day contractor and owner for the duration of the contract, according to the contract's stipulations, any injuries Miss Hei Xianyue sustains during the employment period due to missions will be treated as work-related injuries! And the employer will conduct comprehensive inspection, maintenance, and repairs for Miss Hei Xianyue."
"Miss Puppet, do you accept this stipulation?"
Hei Xianyue forcefully opened her eyes, glaring at him coldly. "We only have a verbal employment relationship. There's no such stipulation. I don't accept it."
"Non-acceptance is invalid."
Lynn adjusted his monocle, crossed his arms with a wise air, and said: "As Miss Hei Xianyue's patient, Mr. Lynn possesses the ultimate right of interpretation over the verbal contract. Therefore, after Mr. Lynn's repeated consideration, he will permanently reject Miss Hei Xianyue's such an unreasonable refusal, and prohibit rebuttal. Miss Hei Xianyue, do you have anything else to say?"
Hei Xianyue looked at him with anger, her fists already trembling.
Then she picked up a pillow.
And threw it with a *thump* at his face.
[Ding! Your HP -1]