Su Ze thought the matter had passed.
For the past few days, Su Ze had been holed up at home, not going out. When the time came for him to meet Meng Xingyao and head to the Land of the Living Dead, he contacted her to arrange a meeting place, packed his bags, and set off with the sword case that had been gifted to him.
As he walked towards the garage, he was startled to see Su Daqiang standing at the window of the house opposite his villa, waving at him with a bright smile.
Su Daqiang had dressed up a bit and still looked somewhat handsome. He was only forty-one or forty-two, with the maturity of a middle-aged man. After all, to have a son as good-looking as Su Ze, he couldn't be lacking in looks himself.
Su Daqiang had used his appearance to deceive Su Ze's mother, making her support him for over a decade. As a child, he lived off his parents; as an adult, he lived off his wife; and in middle age, he lived off his son.
Wasn't he told to get lost? Why was he still rooted here?
Honestly, Su Ze now wanted to cut this man down with a single stroke; seeing him once was annoying enough.
Su Ze put on a baseball cap, pulled the brim low, and with a cigarette in his mouth, swung his long, straight legs over his motorcycle. The engine roared like a beast as he sped onto the street and raced away.
The steel beast tore through the fierce wind, weaving through the bustling streets. Su Ze's driving skills were top-notch, and at nearly two hundred miles per hour, he maneuvered with ease thanks to his excellent dynamic vision.
With a whoosh, a traffic cop checking for drunk drivers had his hat blown off by the gust of wind from a passing shadow, his hair pointing like an indicator in the direction the shadow had gone.
"What just zipped past?"
The steel beast hit the highway.
Su Ze's driving skills were indeed first-rate, but the reason he hadn't obtained a driver's license as a Pioneer was because he often drove recklessly.
He had once obtained a license early using his Pioneer status, but within days, the police came to revoke it due to his dangerous driving.
This time, he was so bold partly because he was in a bad mood and partly because someone above would handle any punishment.
Soon, he reached a rest area.
Meng Xingyao was straddling a futuristic-looking motorcycle, waving at him with a heroic demeanor. Her long, slightly wavy hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back.
Su Ze parked next to Meng Xingyao, took off his helmet, revealing his handsome silver hair, and smiled, "Sister Xingyao, you look so cool."
Meng Xingyao looked at Su Ze's youthful and fresh appearance and sighed, "If I still liked boys, I'd definitely go after someone like you."
"What about those friends you mentioned? Haven't they arrived yet?" Su Ze smiled, steering the conversation away.
Meng Xingyao's words carried too many untold stories, and Su Ze felt very sympathetic towards her, so he chose not to bring up her scars.
"Not yet."
"Who are they?" Su Ze asked.
At this point, Meng Xingyao realized, kicked Su Ze, and said angrily, "You hung up on me before I finished talking. Are you that bold? Don't you know my fierce reputation at Huaxia University? I, Meng, have never suffered such humiliation!"
Getting more and more upset, Meng Xingyao smacked him on the head a few more times. Su Ze begged for mercy while running off the bike, getting kicked and shoved into the men's restroom by Meng Xingyao.
"Come out if you dare!" Meng Xingyao laughed heartily.
"Come in if you dare!" Su Ze proudly raised his chin.
"Get lost!" Suddenly, Su Ze's butt was bumped, and he stumbled out of the restroom in shock.
Looking up at Meng Xingyao's mischievous smile, he said, "Sister, I was wrong."
Seeing Su Ze's embarrassed look, Shen Qingsheng, who was hiding in the restroom and watching the show, laughed gleefully.
"Alright, I'll spare you." Meng Xingyao's sudden forgiveness left Su Ze momentarily stunned.
Su Ze turned to look, also stunned, at Shen Qingsheng, who had just pushed him out. The mischievous smile that had disappeared from Meng Xingyao's face now appeared on Su Ze's.
"Sister! Sister Xingyao! That's not fair!" Shen Qingsheng, in the restroom, now wore the same humiliated expression Su Ze had just shown.
"Fair, fair." Meng Xingyao, with Shen Qingsheng's earlier gleeful smile, sat on the motorcycle watching the show.
"Brother Ze! Brother Ze! I was wrong!"
"Take this flying kick!"
With a thud, Shen Qingsheng was kicked over ten meters away. Just as he was about to get up, Su Ze was already in front of him, kicking his butt furiously, "You little brat dared to backstab me!"
"Wrong, wrong, Brother Ze! I won't dare again!"
"Tch, little brat." Su Ze grumbled, stepping back a few paces to let him stand up, suddenly curious, "Why are you here?"
"???" Shen Qingsheng was also puzzled, "Didn't Sister Xingyao tell you? I'm going with you guys too."
"...Oh."
Su Ze nodded. He hadn't waited for Meng Xingyao to finish speaking last time before hanging up and didn't bother to ask who was joining the team.
As long as they met the strength requirements, it was fine.
"There are still four people who haven't arrived, right?" Su Ze sat back on the motorcycle.
"Yeah, they're almost here," Meng Xingyao said, looking at her phone.
"Brother Ze, your white hair is so cool. Are you cosplaying as Santa Claus?" Shen Qingsheng rode his motorcycle over, parked beside him, and teased.
Su Ze hadn't told Shen Qingsheng about being eroded by the rules. He smiled and nodded, "Yeah."
"Really! What gift are you planning to give me?"
"I'm planning to send you out of this world."
Shen Qingsheng's mouth twitched, "...If the gift is too precious, I won't accept it."
About a minute later, a motorcycle carrying two people sped over and slowly stopped beside the three of them.
The driver took off her helmet, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing a handsome and dashing face. With a slightly mischievous smile, she squinted at Meng Xingyao.
Meng Xingyao also sized up the other person, and after a moment, they both laughed.
Su Ze observed the two of them and noticed that the sweet-looking girl sitting sideways on the back seat of the motorcycle, wearing a white long dress and holding a paintbrush and sketchbook, had silver hair just like his. However, hers was natural, while his was changed by the erosion of the rules, altering his genes.
"Su Ze, Shen Qingsheng," Meng Xingyao introduced, "Xu Ziyin, and Gu Qingqing."
"Oh! You're Su Ze, the genius Pioneer." The handsome black-haired girl, Xu Ziyin, extended her hand, "Hello, hello, please take care of us in the Land of the Living Dead."
"Hello." Su Ze shook half of her hand.
This small detail caught the attention of the white-haired girl, Gu Qingqing, but she said nothing and continued to focus on her drawing.
An ice-cold beauty! Oh no! It's the feeling of falling in love!
Shen Qingsheng thought after shaking hands with Xu Ziyin.
Suddenly, the white-haired girl, Gu Qingqing, hugged Xu Ziyin's waist from behind and held her sketchbook in front of her, smiling sweetly, "Does it look good?"
The drawing depicted Xu Ziyin's dashing figure riding the motorcycle, with Gu Qingqing sitting sideways on the back seat, leaning against Xu Ziyin's back. It was a scene of speed and passion, beautiful and warm.
"Oh! It's so well-drawn," the black-haired girl, Xu Ziyin, praised, then suddenly turned her head, "It's so good, it deserves a kiss."
"Go away, go away, you big pervert, you big pervert." Gu Qingqing laughed, pushing Xu Ziyin's face away.