“Everyone, quiet down. Look at me, look at me.” Xue Ji spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention over.
She stood right in the middle of the four girls, blocking any possibility of them starting a firefight among themselves.
“You all—stop fighting over me!” The moment those words left Xue Ji’s mouth, four intense gazes locked onto her.
Sha Ya perked up at that and pressed, “So, what are you trying to say?”
The other three looked equally impatient. Since things had already come to a head today, there was no point in dragging this out any longer.
Ling Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes, shooting a disdainful look at these clueless little brats.
‘Try to compete with me? Dream on. Xiao Ji is mine.’
For Ling Xiaoxiao, claiming Xue Ji was a done deal.
After all, she was the one who had allowed them to join the competition in the first place. Right now, she was surprisingly calm—far more than anyone would have expected.
After everything that had happened, she was no longer as obsessive.
From Ling Xiaoxiao’s perspective, Sha Ya using transformation magic to constantly switch between sizes was nothing but a cheap trick—not worth worrying about.
Sha Ya, wrapped head to toe in bandages, suddenly sensed something and whipped her head toward Ling Xiaoxiao.
“Were you just bad-mouthing me?” She glared right back without missing a beat. “Ah Ji, look at her~”
Ling Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at her and didn’t respond.
But that little exchange confirmed one thing for Ling Xiaoxiao.
‘Definitely a fox spirit.’
Fortunately, the remaining two—Lilith and Eva—posed no real threat to Ling Xiaoxiao. Lilith’s background was a mystery, and although she shared a deep soul connection with Xue Ji, she was still just a kid.
As for Eva, she wasn’t even a player in this showdown—she was just a bystander.
With all that sorted out, Ling Xiaoxiao was feeling thoroughly confident, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at Xue Ji.
Everyone was waiting for Xue Ji to speak up.
Xue Ji took a deep breath, and the hospital room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
“I… I…”
The blast door swung open as Xia Jin rushed in. She had just been notified that the room’s explosion-proof measures had been activated and hurried over. A large group of Superpowered Forces soldiers followed behind her, peering anxiously inside.
The five beautiful girls in the room—some confused, some angry, some curious—all turned their eyes toward Xia Jin at the door.
Sensing the eerie, deathly silence, Xia Jin immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
“Accident, totally an accident. You all go on, go on.” She laughed it off, backing away while gesturing for everyone to leave.
She noticed Xue Ji frantically making faces and gestures at her, like she was pleading for help.
But under Ling Xiaoxiao’s ice-cold, murderous glare, Xia Jin could only reluctantly close the door.
“Xiao Ji, you can continue now,” Ling Xiaoxiao prompted.
Xue Ji, who had been running on pure adrenaline a moment ago, now felt reason creeping back in after the interruption.
‘You really want to have them all? That wouldn’t be fair to anyone.’ She had nearly blurted out that infamous “wings” line just now.
Xue Ji’s gaze swept over the girls watching her, and a wave of shame washed over her.
‘I can’t do that.’ She shook her head, trying to clear out all the messy thoughts.
She closed her eyes, and memories with each of the girls flashed through her mind one by one.
The girl in the ru skirt with a flame mark between her brows—the sight of blood tears streaming down her face made Xue Ji’s heart clench painfully.
The wolf-eared girl’s confession under the starry sky, contrasted with their sharp-tongued clashes when they first met—the two images created such a stark difference that it left Xue Ji speechless.
The deep-sea girl in endless darkness—Xue Ji had promised her that she would hold her hand tightly.
And that pure, flawless magic crystal—the blue-haired girl had chosen her, and a father had entrusted his daughter to her.
Xue Ji’s heart was caught in unbearable torment.
This decision couldn’t be made lightly. She had to think it through carefully.
The girls saw her struggle, and for once, the usually warring factions found a rare moment of unity—not a single one of them spoke up to interrupt.
Though the hospital room was calm on the surface, everyone’s hearts were pounding wildly. Even Eva, who typically lacked emotion, felt something unfamiliar stirring within her.
It was a feeling—neither good nor bad—an urgent desire to reach out and touch someone.
Seeing Xue Ji’s expression, Ling Xiaoxiao had already guessed what she was about to say.
‘Xiao Ji, stop running away. Just be yourself.’
Ling Xiaoxiao regretted pushing Xue Ji so hard. In this situation, that idiot Xue Ji would most likely choose to distance herself from everyone.
But Xue Ji always managed to surprise Ling Xiaoxiao.
After a full five minutes of silence, Xue Ji finally spoke again—the very words she had intended to say earlier.
“Every single one of you is someone I can’t afford to lose. If I absolutely have to make a choice…”
“I won’t give up on any of you. I love you all.” Xue Ji’s gaze was firm, as if she were making some kind of vow.
Ling Xiaoxiao was completely stunned. She choked on the fluid in her medical pod and burst into a fit of coughing.
Sha Ya was trembling with some kind of silly delight, looking like a shaking mummy.
Lilith stared at Xue Ji with a look of utter contempt, like she was staring at trash.
“As expected of a small-fry Sage—only a small-fry could say something so shameless.”
“Yes, that’s exactly who I am. It’s all your fault for coming near me for no reason.” Xue Ji had completely let herself go, and her words were getting worse and worse.
Even Xia Jin, eavesdropping outside, began to question if she’d been reading too many novels—Xue Ji’s move was absolutely staggering.
“It’s all your fault—you barged into my life without permission and turned it upside down. Since that’s the case, none of you are getting away.”
A long, heavy silence fell over the hospital room.
Xue Ji could only pray—pray for the girls’ wrath to descend upon her.
Not giving up on anyone was the truth, but everything after that was deliberately meant to provoke them.
Ling Xiaoxiao looked at Xue Ji with a complicated expression and said, “After everything we’ve been through together, do you really think this is enough to make me hate you?”
Lilith caught on immediately—that sly Ling Xiaoxiao had stolen a march on her!
“Small-fry Sage, I’m not falling for that. Nyah nyah~”
Sha Ya was still trembling, and Lilith, annoyed by the sight, used her shadows to freeze her in place.
Mummy Sha Ya, now back in the conversation.
“Sorry about that, I really couldn’t help myself.”
“Couldn’t help what?” Xue Ji shot back.
“I think the way you are right now is kind of funny. I mean, we’re already all tangled up together, and now you want to separate?”
Yes, even Eva, the latest addition, had already had her appearance seen by Xue Ji.
And as for Lilith, Sha Ya, Ling Xiaoxiao, and Xue Ji—everything that should have happened, and even things that shouldn’t have, had already happened.
At this point, there was no room for backing down.
Xue Ji’s clenched hands, hidden beneath her robe sleeves, slowly relaxed.
“So… what are you all saying?”
Ling Xiaoxiao had somehow appeared behind Xue Ji and lifted her out of the wheelchair.
“So you can’t escape anymore.”
With that, Ling Xiaoxiao hoisted Xue Ji onto her shoulder and made a dash for it, kicking the hospital room door wide open.
Xue Ji, dangling over Ling Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, locked eyes with the eavesdropping Xia Jin. Seeing the other woman’s twitching lips, Xue Ji let out a sigh over her lost reputation.
Ling Xiaoxiao hadn’t run far before Sha Ya, hobbling on her crutch, came bouncing after her.
“You stinky bird! Give Ah Ji back!”
Looking like a mummy, she swung her crutch like a whirlwind and gave fierce chase.
It was pure chaos—chickens flying and dogs jumping.
Back in the hospital room, Lilith wanted to hitch a ride, but Eva refused, so the two of them ended up wrestling on the floor.
Xia Jin stared in the direction where Xue Ji had disappeared. After a long pause, she finally muttered one single phrase.
“Damn… that’s badass!”
