Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 8

Night fell, signaling bedtime.

Although neither of the two ladies brought up the fact that Cheng Jinyang had booked a single large bed, they both knew it well. One lay down on the left, the other on the right, leaving him squeezed in the middle with nothing to do.

Cheng Jinyang: ???
Where’s my promised left-and-right embrace?

Feeling a bit indignant, he smiled and said:
“Wanrou, you seem a little cold, don’t you?”

Sure enough, the princess on his left couldn’t resist and moved closer to hug him. As soon as her hand touched him, she realized he wasn’t cuddling Wang Wanrou at all. Realizing she’d been tricked, she softly scolded him as a “trickster” but didn’t let go, choosing to keep hugging him.

On the other side, Wang Wanrou remained silent… until about ten minutes later, when she suddenly leaned into Cheng Jinyang’s arms.

The princess noticed and was tempted to say something but ultimately decided against it.
Forget it, she thought. She’s already lying there. If I make a fuss, no one’s going to sleep well.

With that, she slowly closed her eyes.

—

Meanwhile, on the eastern side of Jiankang City, the battle had reached a critical moment.

Zuo Shishao, forced to withdraw across the Yangtze River after demons attacked his hometown of Shouchun, left Su Zigao in charge of defending Jiankang. That night, Su Zigao launched a rapid strike against the mechanized forces of the Shenwu Army.

After a prolonged and bloody fight, both sides sustained heavy losses, and Liyang’s forces failed to gain the upper hand. Su Zigao then led his troops northward in a flanking maneuver.

Despite being outnumbered by the Loyalist Army, Su Zigao remained calm. Jiankang was well-stocked with supplies, and Liyang continuously sent reinforcements, with clones being nearly cost-free to produce.

As long as Liyang remained secure, even if Jiankang couldn’t be held, retreating south of the Yangtze to regroup in Liyang was always an option.

Sitting in his armored command vehicle, Su Zigao was discussing the next tactical plan with his advisors when he suddenly noticed the vehicle stop.

“What’s going on?” he asked with a frown, just as a burst of gunfire erupted outside.

His bodyguards quickly surrounded him, preparing to fight their way out. However, when they emerged, there wasn’t an enemy in sight.

On this tightly entangled battlefield, where troop formations were so intricate that only AI could manage them, Su Zigao’s exact location was a closely guarded secret. If the enemy had located him, they would have simply overwhelmed the area with long-range artillery rather than a direct assault. Initially, the gunfire seemed like a random skirmish, but the eerie emptiness outside made it clear something was amiss, sending chills down everyone’s spines.

“Commander!” One of the advisors opened the vehicle door and reported solemnly, “Something’s wrong—it looks like a suicide!”

Su Zigao looked over and saw the clone driver slumped backward in his seat, a bullet hole in his temple. A handgun dangled from his limp hand, blood splattered everywhere, but the surrounding windows were intact.

“It’s the same in the other vehicles,” his bodyguards confirmed after checking.

All the clone drivers had committed suicide.

Fortunately, Su Zigao had always been cautious, using clones only for tasks like driving and maintenance. Their deaths were unfortunate but didn’t cripple the unit—his guards could take over and keep the convoy moving.

Still, the eerie nature of the incident left him uneasy. He immediately ordered the guards to discard the bodies and press on without delay.

Seconds later, a massive explosion erupted from the center of the mechanized convoy, followed by a towering inferno that illuminated the night sky.

…..

“He actually died in an accident?” At the temporary residence of the Taiyuan Wang clan, Wang Maohong frowned as he read the military intelligence report from the frontlines.

“The wreckage of the vehicles on site was almost completely melted by missile strikes, leaving no traces behind,” Xie Anshi remarked calmly. “As for Su Zigao and his men, their bodies were never found.”

“And the ones who launched the missiles?” Wang Maohong asked gravely.

“A missile detachment from the Shenwu Army,” Xie Anshi replied. “The missiles were launched following instructions from battlefield AI. Reportedly, the target convoy had suddenly halted for over a minute and a half during its movement. The AI, suspecting the convoy to be disguised as a land-based missile unit preparing to launch, requested immediate priority strikes.”

“Of course, the real oddity lies in the rebel army’s anti-missile units. They failed to respond in time, which, even if chalked up to an error, is highly unusual.”

“We still need to investigate,” Wang Maohong sighed.

“Indeed,” Xie Anshi replied with a casual smile. “But given this overwhelming victory, we must tread carefully to avoid overreaching and damaging the fragile trust the central command has only recently begun to rebuild.”

“Then let my Taiyuan Wang clan handle the investigation,” Wang Maohong said firmly.

The Taiyuan Wang clan, with its mastery of Thought Seals, was particularly suited for interrogations and investigations.

Unspoken between the two men, however, was another matter: the possibility of a psychic ability at play on the opposing side, making it unwise to investigate too openly.

—

Soon, the news of the rebel commander’s death spread rapidly across the internet, sparking celebrations and joy among all factions.

In Jingkou, Cui Xiaoniang had packed her belongings and was attempting to sneak away in the dead of night, only to be intercepted at the clan gates by Xing Yuanzhi and Chu Qingqing.

“I…” Cui Xiaoniang stammered, trying to make up an excuse. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m just planning to visit the Cui clan estate in Lin’an…”

“Do you need to use a fake name to buy tickets for that?” Xing Yuanzhi said coldly. “Did you forget who manages the ground network?”

“Yuanzhi, Qingqing…” Cui Jinqi’s face crumpled as she pleaded, “Just let me go! These past few days, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. All I can think about is Jinyang…”

“I, Cui Jinqi, am neither as beautiful nor as clever as Wanrou. I only managed to gain an edge by falling for him earlier. But who could’ve expected Wanrou to be so shameless…”

She sobbed and whimpered, “If they come back with a child together, I’ll have no chance at all… Please, just let me go find him…”

Xing Yuanzhi and Chu Qingqing exchanged a glance, each seeing the helplessness in the other’s eyes.

“Jinqi, we know how uneasy you feel. Do you think we don’t feel the same?” Miss Qingqing gritted her teeth. “But you, going north alone without a clear goal—are you searching for him, or offering yourself up to the demons for dinner?”

“But I… I don’t have any other choice…” Cui Xiaoniang wailed, throwing herself into Qingqing’s arms as they both burst into tears.

“Enough with the crying!” Xing Yuanzhi snapped irritably. “Jinqi, don’t act impulsively. Even if you want to go north, you need to know where he is first. Otherwise, in the vast Central Plains, where would you even begin to look?”

“Yuanzhi…” Cui Jinqi stopped sobbing and looked at her with tear-filled eyes.

“If he’s traveling north for business, he’s bound to leave traces on the ground network,” Xing Yuanzhi said coldly. “Wait for him to slip up and reveal his whereabouts.”

“Exactly!” Miss Qingqing said with determination. “Our Yangdi Chu clan has plenty of members serving in the cavalry’s mechanized units. Once we know where that scoundrel is, the three of us will go and catch him ourselves!”