My Demon Friends

Chapter 719 680 Probability

The mountain road was almost deserted early in the morning, with lush bamboo growing on either side.

Zhou Li was running at high speed.

A vintage motorcycle followed him, ridden by a round-faced young girl whose delicate and cute appearance made her seem as if she had stepped out of an animation. A black cylindrical bag was strapped to her back, from which a fluffy head with light purple ears and bright, big eyes popped out—clearly a little fairy cat.

The round-faced girl glanced down at the speedometer and shouted at him, "Run faster, there's no one ahead! Use your top speed!"

Tuanzi, from her spot on Huai Xu's back, also yelled,

"Zhou Ni, run faster!

"Zhou Ni, you can do it!"

Their voices were mostly drowned out by the wind and the motorcycle's engine.

Zhou Li looked down and sped up.

Limited by my physical structure, at this speed, I feel that rather than running, I'm more like leaping. Each step I take is extremely long, far exceeding the length of my legs, yet my step frequency is also very fast. Perhaps to ordinary people I still appear to be running, but I can clearly feel the distance I cover with each push-off from the ground, giving me a sensation akin to flying. Also limited by my physical build, when my speed surpasses a certain value, the ratio of energy spent with each step to the distance gained rapidly increases.

Huai Xu increased the throttle, continuing to follow behind him. "Alright, alright! You're fast enough for the highway now!"

She then twisted the throttle again—

VROOOM!

The motorcycle quickly overtook Zhou Li. Amidst the increasing roar, a clear yet excited voice floated through the wind:

"Haha, Lord Dumpling has overtaken you!"

It was as if she were the one running so fast.

The motorcycle executed a sharp turn up ahead, pushing its limits, leaving only the sound of its engine. Zhou Li gritted his teeth, pushing harder with each step to increase his speed. In my imagination, my running stance is now somewhat aligning with that of the Hulk from the Avengers, though I'm not jumping as high or as far—just a slight resemblance. It's different from the light-footwork techniques in martial arts films and also not like those anime masters whose speed leaves afterimages, yet it's still a normal running pose.

My legs are too short.

My body is too light.

My posture is upright.

And unlike the Junior Celestial Master, I have no specialized physical cultivation techniques to strengthen my physique.

Even with strong Spiritual Power, as long as I can't fly, I can't catch up with Huai Xu on her motorcycle out on the road. However, I can run for a long time—until I get hungry.

The motorcycle stopped under a tree up ahead.

Huai Xu leaned against the bike, turning her head to look at him. Tuanzi had already jumped out of the bag and stood on the ground waiting for Zhou Li, looking quite happy.

Zhou Li skidded to a halt, still overshooting by several meters. As he turned and walked back, Tuanzi bounced toward him and stopped in front of him, looking up at him with big, bright eyes twinkling like little stars. She said,

"Zhou Ni, you ran so fast!"

Zhou Li caught his breath and murmured quietly, "Not really. Lord Dumpling was faster, overtaking me just like that."

"Because it's Lord Dumpling!"

"Makes sense."

"But Zhou Ni, you're still amazing..." Tuanzi walked beside Zhou Li, tilting her body and looking up at him. "And you ran so far."

"Thank you, Lord Dumpling."

"Where have we run to?"

"I don't know."

"Are we going to get lost, meow?"

"Not likely."

"Lord Dumpling is also amazing! If we get lost, Lord Dumpling will take you back..." Tuanzi seemed a bit regretful, as if wishing she and Zhou Li really had gotten lost. Lord Dumpling could find the way back from anywhere; even though Lord Dumpling didn't know the direction, by wandering around, she could eventually find her way back.

"Lord Dumpling is the most awesome."

"Say a few more words, meow!"

"Lord Dumpling is invincible under the heavens..."

"Haha!"

Zhou Li walked up to Huai Xu, looked down to rub the anti-slip tread on the cement road with the sole of his shoe, and said quietly, "If I keep running like this, my shoes won't make it. I can feel they've gotten a whole size looser than when I left the house."

"How much were these shoes?"

"Over a thousand," Zhou Li said, then paused. "Don't copy Brother Nan, speaking neither proper dialect nor proper Mandarin."

"Add salt!" Tuanzi heard it.

"That expensive..." The Old Monster tugged at the corner of her mouth. Thankfully, her clothes and shoes were all self-provided and infinitely variable; otherwise, how much would it cost? "Next time, just run barefoot. Save the money from shoes to buy me skins; I haven't completed my Light Sentinel collection yet."

"Lord Dumpling can do it too!" Tuanzi lifted her chin.

"Lord Dumpling is the mightiest," Zhou Li squatted down and patted her forehead sincerely.

"Lord Dumpling is the mightiest!" Tuanzi repeated his words, her eyes twinkling with little stars. This wasn't her being proud—no, it was Zhou Ni who said it. Then she shook her head, flicking off the hand that was gently scratching her forehead. "That tickles..."

"Let's take a break, and then we'll head back," Huai Xu yawned. "If we run any further, we'll get close to the territory of someone you have a grudge against. Better not."

"Who?" Zhou Li asked.

"Who?" Tuanzi imitated, simultaneously turning her head to look around and sniffing. "It seems we're about to reach Lin Zhong's place."

"I see."

"Yes, so let's go back," Huai Xu said as she mounted her motorcycle. She glanced again at the shoes on Zhou Li's feet and hesitated. "I was originally going to ask you to run back, since you wanted to. But for now, just ride my motorcycle back. You can transfer me the money for the skins later."

"..."

"Zhou Ni, run back!" Tuanzi hopped onto the motorcycle, turned her head to look at him. "Let's see who runs faster, you or Lord Dumpling!"

"Okay!"

Thus, Zhou Li chose to run back.

He ran to the provincial highway, where his morning run had started, and only then did he sit on the back seat of Huai Xu's motorcycle.

The morning dew was heavy. A few raindrops had fallen last night. The provincial highway, frequented by heavy vehicles, was in poor condition with spots of accumulated water and mud. Zhou Li could only feel mud splattering against his back. SPLATTER! SPLATTER!

When he got home, he took off his quick-dry shirt to look at it; it was dotted with mud spots, leaving him utterly speechless.

The instigator sat on the sofa, peeking at him through her fingers as she spoke first, "Can you be more careful? I'm a girl right now!"

Zhou Li turned his head, speechless.

Is this a classic case of blaming the victim? Or perhaps the offender accusing the victim first, taking a preemptive strike?

Zhou Li, out of the corner of his eye, saw Tuanzi standing on the edge of the sofa, tilting her head up, staring unblinkingly at him. He hurriedly put his shirt back on. "Are you that afraid I'll blame you?"

"I don't understand."

The Old Monster turned her head to look outside.

Zhou Li then headed to the bathroom.

After a shower and dressing in clean clothes, it was still morning. So, he took his keys, picked up Lord Dumpling, and headed out to school.

Today was the end of military training.

The presentation ceremony would likely last until nearly noon. After that, the freshmen would have a break. They would probably take a nap in their dorms after lunch and then likely head out in groups to explore the new campus, which was still a novel and unfamiliar place for them.

However, it wouldn't be until tomorrow that various clubs set up booths for new member recruitment, but Xiao Hua had already placed promotional posters at the entrances of two cafeterias for a long time without anyone stopping her.

「Noon.」

Zhou Li and Brother Nan arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria, unconsciously glancing at the promotional poster again.

A few people stopped to look, but most just glanced and walked past. This was normal, as these were not the new students they were recruiting.

The poster bore several large words:

One in ten thousand? One in a million? Are you different from others? Are you the one who stands out?