Fishing Alone Through a Thousand Rivers of Snow - Chapter 7

Bai Yujing was still puzzling over the mecha.

Then she looked at the mental-power input and placed her hand over it again.

A red bar began covering the blue.

The university administrators hardly dared to breathe.

Bai Yujing was already a top-tier Alpha. How could she raise her mental power by another two ranks in succession?

The red gauge swiftly reached its limit. Indicator tones chimed softly and cheerfully inside the cockpit, as though the mecha were coming alive—and delighted by it.

But Bai Yujing did not stop.

Instead of testing its performance, she continued to pour in mental power.

A purple bar began to overlay the red, though its progress was far slower.

The administrator clutched his head and screamed silently: Stop! Stop now! Stop—!

Forcing one’s mental power to a higher rank carried a significant risk of permanent disability, even sudden death. If an Alpha of Bai Yujing’s caliber died during his tenure, his career would never advance another step.

I watched in silence, my attention drifting once more to her wolf ears.

Those fluffy white points stood proudly upright, without the slightest inclination to retreat.

Her resolve was absolute.

When the purple gauge filled, mesmerizing ribbons of light began to ripple across the mecha’s armor.

Absurd as it sounded, the same four words entered everyone’s mind at once: the machine spirit rejoiced.

Bai Yujing still did not stop.

After the purple bar reached its limit, her red eyes became fathomless. Her hand remained in place. She was still feeding the machine.

Seconds later, a golden gauge appeared.

The administrator could no longer remain standing. He collapsed shakily onto the sofa, his clothes soaked through with cold sweat.

Anyone could see that Bai Yujing was at the end of her strength.

If the purple bar had advanced at a walk, the golden one was now moving at a crawl.

And yet it was rising. That fact was undeniable.

It rose slowly but visibly before their eyes.

At some point, the smile had vanished from my lips. I stared darkly at Bai Yujing on the screen.

Only an SSS-rank Alpha could make the golden gauge move.

So she was SSS-rank.

No wonder she had remained perfectly lucid that night, even with her pheromone gland in turmoil and my scent surrounding her.

Beads of sweat appeared on her brow.

Her crimson pupils deepened until their color resembled the blackish brown of dried blood, yet every time she blinked, a flash of dark red swept through them.

She had to feel as if every ounce of strength had been wrung from her body.

But her hand did not tremble.

Inch by inch, the golden bar climbed.

Under the spectators’ shaken gazes, it finally reached the top.

A cheerful voice rang through the cockpit.

“Master, congratulations on successfully linking with Lumen! From now on, Lumen is at your service!”

Before Bai Yujing could pull her hand away, mental power surged back into her like an endless tide.

Her red eyes gradually regained their brilliant hue. Panting, she closed them in relief.

I watched her snowy lashes tremble and found my own breathing turning shallow.

Only I knew that the heart in my chest was beating a little faster than usual.

The administrator looked at me. “Professor Qian, did it… return her mental power?”

“Mm.” I smiled. “I’m not a villain, you know. A person should receive the reward she’s earned, wouldn’t you agree?”

He opened his mouth, then gave a bitter smile.

“Yes… of course.”

I pointed toward Bai Yujing on the screen. “Have you given her a more detailed ranking assessment?”

“She’s… she’s a first-year student. Not yet.”

“Then may I take her with me?” I asked. “She’s the first person to link with Lumen, and I want more detailed data.”

“Er…”

He glanced at the screen and hesitated for two seconds. “If you can guarantee she won’t be harmed…”

In other words, I was forbidden from forcibly stripping her of her mental power rank.

I smiled. “She linked with Lumen. With current technology, there’s virtually no possibility of damaging her rank now.”

The administrator sighed.

“Then that’s all right.”