IABI -Chapter 115 Humanity’s Counterattack (16)

Chi Xin caught that slipping hand with perfect accuracy, twisted it around in a smooth motion, and very carefully controlled her strength.

After all, she still remembered that this was Yu Xiang’s body.

Even so, Chi Xin’s grip was strong enough to make a person’s face contort, pain clearly showing.

“So this is…” Lou Chen’s voice trembled, “…pain that comes from the body.”

The corner of Chi Xin’s mouth twitched. She released his hand and lowered her gun at the same time. “I worried about you all night, and this is what you were doing?”

Perhaps because he sensed that she wasn’t truly angry, even after taking that hit, Lou Chen quickly adjusted his mood and stuck close to her again, all clingy. “Wasn’t I just trying to give you a surprise?”

Chi Xin kept a cold expression and didn’t move. Lou Chen lifted his eyes to look at her, joy overflowing unmistakably in them. “Chi Xin, you came to see me yesterday like we agreed. I hadn’t completely dissipated at that time—I saw it all. You really do still care about me. You’re the only person in this world who cares about me.”

Chi Xin turned her head to look at him. Even wrapped in Yu Xiang’s shell, Lou Chen’s unique mannerisms were more than enough for her to recognize who he was. She pressed her lips together, looking slightly helpless. “Yes, I do care about you. I want you to come back to our side.”

Hearing that, Lou Chen’s smile bloomed dazzlingly bright.

“I knew you’d be happy!” His voice lifted as he grabbed Chi Xin’s hand. “I haven’t appeared with a physical body in a long time. It’s really hot in this weather… Come on, let’s go out and have some fun!”

He excitedly tried to pull Chi Xin along, but she didn’t budge.

Chi Xin stood where she was, looking steadily at him. “Come out of Yu Xiang’s body first. Then we’ll go out and have fun.”

Lou Chen’s body stiffened for a moment. He turned back to look at her, puzzled. “Isn’t this fine as it is? You wanted me to come back, so I did. I even brought a body with me. Didn’t this Yu Xiang like you a lot too? If I use his body to be with you, he should be very happy, right? Why give it back?”

He said it with great conviction, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Chi Xin asked, “When you borrowed Yu Xiang’s body, did you ever get his consent?”

“He would definitely agree,” Lou Chen said confidently. “Come on, let’s go. Once the sun comes out, it’ll be unbearably hot.”

He tried again to drag Chi Xin away, but she was like a stabilizing pillar. No matter how much force he used, he couldn’t move her an inch.

Lou Chen grew a little angry. He frowned and turned back, but still didn’t let go of her hand.

“What’s wrong with you? If we don’t hurry, once they all wake up you’ll have to go take care of them again. How will you have time to go out and play then?”

“Lou Chen,” Chi Xin said, “give Yu Xiang’s body back.”

“Don’t joke around.” Lou Chen turned his head away in displeasure.

A vein popped at Chi Xin’s temple.

Her tone suddenly turned stern. “Taking without asking is theft. That applies even to ordinary objects, let alone the body of a living person. You used Yu Xiang’s body—then what about Yu Xiang? What did you do to him?”

Lou Chen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly flung her hand away and shouted at her, “Yu Xiang, Yu Xiang—why do you keep asking about Yu Xiang? I finally managed to get a body to come see you, and all you care about is what happened to Yu Xiang!”

“I’ll ask you one last time,” Chi Xin said. “Where is Yu Xiang’s consciousness?”

Lou Chen opened his mouth, his gaze fixed tightly on Chi Xin. Perhaps he sensed the danger hidden beneath her seemingly calm exterior; his tone turned reluctant. “…In his consciousness sea. I didn’t do anything to him—just locked him up.”

A trace of barely perceptible relief flashed through Chi Xin’s eyes.

“That’s good,” she said, her voice easing as well. “Before a real mistake is made, hurry and give his body back. Then I’ll go play with you. You can still use your mental form, can’t you? Wherever you want to go.”

Lou Chen didn’t move.

“Lou Chen.” Chi Xin’s voice carried more weight.

Lou Chen sneered. The youthful sweetness between his brows vanished, replaced by deep malice and world-weariness—the same as when she had first met him.

“I won’t,” he said. “This is something I seized. It’s already mine.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Chi Xin almost laughed in anger. “You have your own body. I’ll help you take it back. You come out of here and use someone else’s body—doesn’t that feel awkward at all?”

“You’ll help me take my body back?” Clear astonishment appeared on Lou Chen’s face.

“I know your body is with Raphael,” Chi Xin seized the opening and pressed on. “We’re fully preparing to go find him now. When the time comes, we’ll take your body back, and you’ll be able to live openly and properly again.”

Lou Chen’s eyes fluctuated violently. His expression struggled. Just as Chi Xin was about to say more, his face suddenly darkened.

“No,” he said. “You don’t understand. I don’t just possess anyone at random. This body’s compatibility with me is over eighty percent. I discovered it back when we ran into you outside Base L.”

Outside Base L? That was the first place they’d met Lou Chen.

He had been coveting Yu Xiang’s body from that early on…?

Chi Xin’s expression subtly changed.

“So you don’t need to take such a huge risk going up against Raphael for me,” Lou Chen’s voice softened. “Using this body doesn’t feel that awkward. Sure, he’s a bit taller and a bit sturdier, but I’ll get used to it.”

Chi Xin fell silent, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists again.

“I know you were thinking of me. That was my fault just now—I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Lou Chen smiled brightly again, like a puppy that had found a bone. “Now there’s no misunderstanding, right? Let’s go.”

He happily reached out to grab Chi Xin’s hand.

But this time, it wasn’t a matter of not being able to pull her. He felt his wrist tighten sharply. When he turned to look, he saw Chi Xin had reverse-locked his wrist. There was a look of exasperated disappointment between the girl’s brows. The instant her eyes met his, she yanked him toward her.

Bang!

With a thunderous slam as the door shut, Chi Xin wrenched his arms behind his back and pressed his entire body hard against the door.

In the stillness of the early morning, the sound of the door closing was especially loud. The people living nearby were no ordinary residents—rustling noises immediately followed, and several of them rushed out without even properly dressing.

“Master! What’s—”

Han Zimo was the first to come out. Seeing the bizarre posture of the two before him, his eyes went wide in shock.

“—going on…” he muttered, finishing the sentence weakly.

Right behind him, Zheng Junzhi, Yong Ning, and the others also rushed out. Jiang Congyun was a bit slower, but she too witnessed the shocking scene.

The expressions on everyone’s faces were uncannily identical—astonishment mixed with fear.

“I told you already, Lou Chen.” Ignoring the sharp intakes of breath behind her, Chi Xin stared into the man’s pain-filled eyes. “Give Yu Xiang’s body back.”

“Th-this… isn’t Yu Xiang?” Yong Ning’s tone was strange.

“Obviously not.” Han Zimo had worked in Hughes’s lab for a time and knew Lou Chen fairly well. “Looks like he’s possessed Yu Xiang’s body. Damn it—guarded against everything, but not this.”

With his explanation, everyone finally understood the situation.

Lou Chen’s voice turned icy. “So this is it—you’re turning against me for this man?”

“Who this body belongs to is irrelevant.” Chi Xin said quietly. “This farce has gone on long enough. Let Yu Xiang go. I’ll help you take back your own body. I can pretend nothing that happened today ever happened.”

Lou Chen struggled, but was met with an even stronger restraint. Whether it was him or the body’s original owner, Yu Xiang, neither could possibly escape Chi Xin’s grip.

“Do you really not understand what I’m saying?” Lou Chen ignored everyone else and looked at Chi Xin with a wounded expression. “I wanted you to take the risk—even if there was only a ten percent chance. I didn’t want you to face that terrifying demon directly. Why won’t you understand…?”

“The one who doesn’t understand is you.” Chi Xin clenched her grip. “Can avoiding it and blocking me really kill Raphael? Even if you run as far as you can, as long as Raphael is alive, won’t he still find you? Stop deceiving yourself, Lou Chen. From the very beginning, I’ve been telling you—I’m not afraid of him, and I will destroy him. What exactly are you afraid of? Did I ever force you onto the battlefield? Everything I ever asked of you—wasn’t it just for you to come back?”

Her voice spread through the morning mist, filled with a heartbreaking sorrow and disappointment.

At this moment, she was no invincible war goddess, but an ordinary person rendered helpless because someone she cared about had gone astray.

She had never shown such emotion in front of others. For a moment, not only the people behind her, but even Lou Chen stood stunned.

Chi Xin’s eyes reddened slightly. She stared at Lou Chen, trying to convey her emotions through Yu Xiang’s eyes to the soul within.

What Lou Chen had done had already crossed her bottom line.

Lou Chen’s struggling stopped. He lowered his gaze. “You’ve always been like this—no matter what I do, you never agree with me.”

Chi Xin looked at him.

“After all, you’ve always been with Jing Xiubai. How could you possibly agree with me?” His tone was flat, yet a deep, desolate grief emanated from him, almost self-mocking. “We were both controlled by demons. I was crushed at the bottom of the abyss, never able to turn things around. He was rescued by his father and grew up safely as an ordinary person. I was filled with hatred and rage, wanting revenge; he was upright and noble, caring only for humanity’s future… He’s like another version of me. Being with him—doesn’t that make you much happier than facing me?”

Chi Xin froze for a moment. “This has nothing to do with Jing Xiubai.”

“You’re still lying to me.” Lou Chen gave a dry laugh. “I thought you’d prefer someone with a body to love you. I thought you were the only one who truly wanted me to come back…”

“I do want you to come back—as yourself.” Chi Xin cut him off. “You have a self, Lou Chen. You’re not anyone’s experiment, and you’re not a thief who can only survive by stealing someone else’s body. You are you. What I care about is that one-of-a-kind soul—not whether you have a body or not!”

“Without a body, what do I use to love you?!”

Lou Chen shouted back at her.

“Chi Xin, I admit it—I’m stupid. I’m not as smart as Jing Xiubai, nor as thick-skinned as Yu Xiang. They can stand openly by your side; I can’t. I’m just a monster who can’t even control his own body. You were the first person I ever… wanted to get close to, wanted to like, wanted to make satisfied—yet I was always being scolded and beaten by you.” His voice choked. “I just wanted to take you away from all this. You’re not humanity’s savior—why do you have to risk your life for them? Are they really worth it? I can take you away. With this body, whether it’s hordes of corpses or crowds of people, we could move freely. This is the only thing I can do for you—and you won’t even look at it.”

“What… are you saying?” Chi Xin was so shocked her grip loosened. She stepped back twice, looking at him as if he were a stranger, unfamiliarity in her eyes. “You… you like me? What kind of liking is that?”

“Do you think someone like me even dares to like you?” Lou Chen looked at her quietly. “I didn’t grow up like a normal person. I don’t know how to like someone. But liking is something carved into the bones. This is the first time I’ve felt it—and it will be the last. I’ll just ask you one thing, Chi Xin. Will you come with me, or not?”

Chi Xin felt as if her throat were stuffed with cotton—she couldn’t swallow it down or spit it out. A suffocating sensation rose with her breath, which grew rapid.

“Lou Chen! Give my brother back to me!”

A furious roar shattered the stiff atmosphere. Yu Shizhao arrived upon hearing the news, eyes bloodshot as he lunged forward, only to be firmly restrained by Jing Xiubai.

Lou Chen glanced at them indifferently, a trace of mockery curling at his lips, which only fueled Yu Shizhao’s rage.

“We followed Miss Chi’s advice, treated you as one of our own, and tried our best to save you. Turns out it was all good intentions fed to a dog.” Yu Shizhao enunciated every word. “A monster is a monster—never turning back into a human.”

“What do you know?” Lou Chen snapped. “No matter how loudly you shout, you still won’t get your brother back.” Something flashed through his eyes before he sneered coldly. “Shut up. This isn’t your turn to speak.”

Yu Shizhao panted like a bellows. Jing Xiubai glanced at the stunned Chi Xin, then at Lou Chen, and struck straight at the heart of the matter. “Lou Chen, by doing this, the one you hurt most isn’t anyone else—it’s Chi Xin. Are you really going to keep going down the wrong path, mistake after mistake?”

Sure enough, Lou Chen’s arrogant expression faltered. He shot a quick glance at Chi Xin.

“This has nothing to do with you.” He said stiffly, then looked seriously at Chi Xin again. “I don’t care about anything anymore. Chi Xin, as long as you come with me, I’ll stop meddling in all this. For these people, isn’t it already the biggest benefit that I’m not standing on the zombies’ side?”

Eagerness filled his eyes as he stepped closer, opening his arms toward her. “Look—I have warmth now. I have hands. I can finally truly hold you. Didn’t you ask what kind of liking this is? This is the kind of liking that wants to hold you!”

Chi Xin slowly turned her dry eyes, looking at his expectant expression, and shook her head—slowly, firmly.

“I won’t go with you, and I won’t let you steal Yu Xiang’s body.” She said softly. “If you don’t stop now, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

Lou Chen’s pupils shrank violently. “You’re going to hit me? You’re going to hit me again?”

Chi Xin answered by loosening her limbs.

At her signal, the others silently raised their weapons, all aimed at Lou Chen.

“It’s still Yu Xiang’s body—don’t hurt him. I’ll handle this myself.” Chi Xin ordered without turning back.

“So even now, you only care about this body…” Lou Chen stepped back, his face suddenly pale. He laughed twice. “So you never cared about me at all, did you? All those nice words before were just to bait me, to make me listen to you and not cause trouble for humans.”

Chi Xin gazed at him heavily. “You’ve lived in your own world for too long, Lou Chen. You’re used to talking to yourself and blocking out other voices. You ignore my wishes, force what you want to give me onto me, and once I don’t accept it, you deny all my past feelings. Liking someone shouldn’t be like this—you’re using the softest thing to attack me.”

“You’re lying.” A vicious glint flashed in Lou Chen’s eyes. “Say whatever you want. I’m sick of it. You never wanted me to come back. To you, maybe it’d be more convenient if I just died outside the city walls. You’re just saying pretty things. How could I ever hope that someone would love me, care about me?”

Chi Xin let out a deep sigh and didn’t want to say another word.

But Lou Chen sank into a kind of obsession, staring fixedly at her. “But it doesn’t matter. I don’t care whether you like me or not. I already like you.”

Chi Xin instinctively sensed danger. She didn’t give Lou Chen any more time, lunging forward to subdue him, deliberately avoiding vital points.

Lou Chen looked up at her and smiled.

The next second, a heavy blow struck deep into the mind. An invisible ripple spread out from Lou Chen, sweeping across the entire area.

No one—including Jiang Congyun—had time to react before collapsing to the ground in pain and dizziness.

Chi Xin let out a muffled groan. Her body went limp, about to fall.

Lou Chen showed a triumphant expression and moved to catch her—but a surge of ferocity rose within Chi Xin. She clenched her teeth and, against pain enough to knock an ordinary person unconscious, forced herself to lift her head, gritting through it as she seized Lou Chen’s arm.

Lou Chen’s expression changed. Chi Xin lifted her leg high and drove a heavy kick straight into his temple.

Lou Chen screamed. If Chi Xin hadn’t been holding onto him, he would have been sent flying by that blow.

Chi Xin was just about to push herself up when another violent strike came—far more brutal than the last, as if it were going to grind her brain to pieces.

“You’re mine, Chi Xin… don’t abandon me…”

Accompanied by Lou Chen’s sob-like whisper, Chi Xin’s vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.