bookbashuk Chapter 18 Breakup! Mo Fan, a man of character and temperament!
Chapter 18 Breakup! Mo Fan, a man of character and temperament!
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In Bocheng, late at night, a food stall with dim yellow lights still on.
"Boss, another twenty skewers of lamb, ten skewers of lamb kidneys, and two bottles of ice-cold beer!"
Su Chen casually slapped a few red banknotes onto the greasy table, then turned to look at Mo Fan, who was sitting opposite him, his face now clean but still somewhat silent.
Two whole weeks have passed since the two first teamed up to hunt monsters at the abandoned water plant.
Over the past two weeks, Su Chen and Mo Fan have practically swept through all the bounty missions around Bo City marked as low-risk and infested with giant-eyed blood rats.
From the water plant in the south district to the chemical plant in the east district, and then to the abandoned air-raid shelter in the north district, the two were like two tireless sewer cleaning machines, frantically harvesting those disgusting rat demons.
Of course, to be precise, it was Su Chen who was reaping the rewards, while Mo Fan... was doing odd jobs like crazy.
"Sizzle~"
Su Chen bit open two bottles of beer with his teeth, handed one to Mo Fan, and tilted his head back to take a big gulp. The icy liquid flowed down his throat, dispelling the stench that had lingered in the sewer all night.
"Fanzi, what are you daydreaming about? After tonight's job, we've taken down another hideout. With the cost of the materials, we'll each get at least another 100,000 yuan. Come on, let's have a toast to celebrate our steadily increasing savings!" Su Chen grinned and raised the bottle.
However, Mo Fan didn't react with the usual sparkle at the mention of money. He stared at the cold beer bottle in his hand, remained silent for a long time, and ultimately didn't clink glasses, but instead slammed it heavily onto the table.
"Old Su." Mo Fan raised his head, his dark eyes flashing with an extremely serious light, even with a hint of struggle.
"Huh? What's wrong? You think you got too little? Didn't we agree to split it 50/50?" Su Chen mumbled, taking a bite of a lamb skewer.
"It's not about the money." Mo Fan took a deep breath, as if he had made a huge decision, and said, word by word, "Old Su, from now on... I don't want to do missions with you anymore."
Upon hearing this, Su Chen abruptly stopped eating his skewers.
He looked up in surprise at Mo Fan's face, his brows furrowing slightly: "What's going on? Why the sudden decision to break up? What trouble have you run into?"
"Nothing." Mo Fan shook his head, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. "Old Su, these past two weeks working for you, I've indeed earned money I never dared to dream of before. I don't need to drive a sports car anymore, Xin Xia's nutrition expenses are covered, and I'm even planning to rent a nicer apartment in the city center. I, Mo Fan, remember all of this. I owe you a huge favor."
"But..." Mo Fan's tone suddenly turned extremely serious, his eyes sharp as knives, "Old Su, ask yourself honestly, have we been fighting side by side for the past two weeks?"
Su Chen fell silent.
Mo Fan stared intently into Su Chen's eyes and continued, "Every time we go on a mission, you're always at the forefront. Your control over lightning magic is perfect; your casting speed is fast, your power is great, and your timing is terrifyingly precise. Those giant-eyed rats are like paper in front of your lightning seal."
"And what about me?" Mo Fan pointed to his nose with a self-deprecating smile. "I stood behind you like an idiot. I had just finished connecting the star trails, and before I could even cast my spell, you had already killed the monsters. All I could do was take my dagger and dig out the alien bones from those charred corpses you had electrocuted to collect materials."
"Old Su, you're not giving me experience, you're letting me win without lifting a finger!"
Mo Fan raised his voice slightly, attracting the attention of diners at several nearby tables who were having a late-night snack, but he didn't care.
"I, Mo Fan, am a poor boy. I love money, but I crave power even more! My teachers at the magic high school said that a mage's growth must be honed in real combat on the brink of life and death, to unleash their potential. If I always hide under your wing, getting used to this life without any danger, where I can make money with my eyes closed, my vigilance will decrease, and my spellcasting speed will forever stagnate!"
"If you're not by my side one day, and I have to face real demons alone, a hothouse flower like me wouldn't survive even a second!"
Mo Fan suddenly grabbed the beer bottle on the table, tilted his head back, and gulped down half of it in one go, then wiped the beer stains from the corner of his mouth heavily.
"So, Old Su, I'm sorry. I'm quitting. I'm going to the Hunter's Alliance Hall to find a new, understaffed demon-hunting team that truly lives on the edge. I want to fight demons as a real battle mage, not as a scavenger!"
"If I develop a habit of relying on you to win all the time, it will only do me harm and no good for my future development! I, Mo Fan, will never be a useless person!"
Listening to Mo Fan's resounding and even somewhat resolute confession, Su Chen put down the lamb skewers in his hand and quietly looked at him.
A night breeze blew by, stirring up a few fallen leaves on the ground.
Su Chen felt a little regretful.
For the past two weeks, Mo Fan has been like a super lucky star. With him around, the probability of the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat dropping essences is ridiculously high. Su Chen had originally planned to grind with Mo Fan for a year or two, and maybe he could get a set of top-tier equipment directly with the system's double rewards.
However, looking at the determined-looking, proud young man in front of him, Su Chen suddenly felt relieved.
Yes, that's the real Mo Fan.
That innate dual-elemental being, unruly and arrogant, who in the original work trampled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood to reach the top of the world, Mo Fan.
If he were truly willing to spend his entire life as a lowly servant for a little comfort and money, then he wouldn't be the charismatic protagonist he is. A true eagle must endure the trials of storms.
"OK."
Su Chen suddenly laughed. He picked up his beer bottle and deliberately bumped it heavily against Mo Fan's bottle.
A crisp clang.
"Fanzi, I knew I hadn't misjudged you if you said that." Su Chen looked at Mo Fan with admiration in his eyes. "Your decision was right. My fighting style is indeed not suitable for leading others. For you, going to those regular demon-hunting teams and experiencing real teamwork and life-or-death crises will be the best way to unleash the full potential of your innate dual-elemental abilities."
Seeing that Su Chen was not angry at all, but instead understood him so well, Mo Fan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and his eyes even reddened slightly.
"Old Su, thanks!" Mo Fan raised the bottle. "If we ever run into trouble in the wild, just say the word, and I'll be there for you, brother, without batting an eye!"
"Alright, alright, stop being so mushy." Su Chen waved his hand dismissively. "When you join another team, be smart. Don't just charge around recklessly because you have lightning and fire magic. Survival is the most important thing. Also, don't forget you still have to take care of your schoolwork. It would be so embarrassing if you failed the magic college entrance exam."
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