Chapter 152: Level Up!

"Oh, my, oh, my! Stop daydreaming, the person is already gone!"

Seeing Chu Xiao staring foolishly at Wang Lulu's retreating figure with a lustful look in his eyes, Irwin started mocking him. This remark made Chu Xiao feel a bit embarrassed, but ignoring them completely, he simply resumed his training!

By evening, when Chu Xiao returned to the villa, he found that Wang Lulu had already prepared dinner and was just waiting for him to come back. However, Wang Lulu had fallen asleep, slumped over the table. Chu Xiao glanced at the clock; it was already midnight. No wonder Lulu had dozed off from exhaustion!

Taking off his outer jacket, Chu Xiao draped it over Wang Lulu's shoulders for fear she might catch a cold. Looking at the appetizing dishes on the table, Chu Xiao suddenly felt his appetite surge. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks, ready to eat, just as Wang Lulu woke up and spotted him!

"Brother Xiao, when did you get back? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Wang Lulu blinked her eyes, still looking half-asleep, and stared blankly at Chu Xiao as he ate with great relish. Seeing how much Chu Xiao enjoyed the food she had made filled her heart with satisfaction.

"I just got back and saw you sleeping. I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

Wang Lulu caught a whiff of a sour, sweaty scent that seemed to be coming from Chu Xiao. Looking at his exhausted appearance—he had clearly just finished training, and his clothes were still damp—she urged him to hurry and take a shower as soon as he finished eating.

Chu Xiao smiled and nodded at Wang Lulu with squinted eyes. After wolfing down his meal, he went upstairs to take a shower. Once she had cleared the table, Wang Lulu went to fetch a change of clothes for Chu Xiao, a sense of unease settling into her heart.

She had a lingering feeling that Chu Xiao was about to encounter danger. Perhaps this was a woman's sixth sense—she felt that Chu Xiao would get hurt in this upcoming battle against the Pluto King. When Chu Xiao came back downstairs, Lulu tried to persuade him not to go to the front lines this time.

However, Chu Xiao flatly refused her. Looking at his leveling meter, which was on the verge of upgrading, how could he possibly give up this opportunity? He had long wanted to see what new skills would appear upon leveling up; it was something he had been looking forward to for a long time!

Seeing how resolute Chu Xiao was, Wang Lulu knew that further talk was useless. She told him to get some rest early and went back to her own room to sleep as well. Yet, she still could not set her mind at ease, and resolved to sneak into the fray when Pluto's forces attacked!

Early the next morning, Chu Xiao got up, went to the military camp, and led the soldiers in continued training. Meanwhile, Ren Boyuan called Chu Xiao to inform him that the device for freely choosing skills had been successfully developed, and asked him to come over and take a look.

Chu Xiao was thrilled and quickly arrived at Ren Boyuan's laboratory. He saw Ren Boyuan intently holding a small machine, making final adjustments. Seeing Chu Xiao approach, Ren Boyuan stopped what he was doing and walked up to him.

"General Chu, this skill selector is still in the debugging phase. Among all of us, you are the closest to leveling up, so we decided to let you try it out first. If it proves practical, we can begin mass production!"

With that, Ren Boyuan strapped the skill selector onto Chu Xiao's wrist, telling him that it would notify him the moment he leveled up and prompt him to choose a skill. Looking at the tiny gadget, Chu Xiao felt a bit skeptical. Could something so small really allow one to choose skills?

Just as he was harboring doubts, an alarm suddenly blared. Pluto's robots were attacking Kyushu once again! Chu Xiao gave a faint smile; he had been fretting over where to test his abilities, and now they had delivered themselves right to his doorstep. He stood up and strode out the door!

The soldiers had already gathered on the city walls, waiting for Chu Xiao to lead them into battle. Yuan Rui was also impatient, eager to see what skills he would acquire upon leveling up. Chu Xiao led Yuan Rui and the others out of the city to meet Pluto's forces head-on!

"Pluto, I didn't expect you to have the nerve to come back. Today, I'll let you experience my new skill!"

"Chu Xiao, I see you're tired of living. Today I'll show you a thing or two! Attack!"

At Pluto's command, all the robots swarmed toward Chu Xiao and his men. Chu Xiao and his team were no pushovers either. Amidst the battle cries of the soldiers, one could sense their absolute fearlessness toward Pluto as they charged straight at the enemy robots.

A robot raised its hand slightly toward Chu Xiao, and a beam of light shot toward him. Although Chu Xiao sidestepped and managed to dodge the initial attack, the shockwave from the explosion blew him backward, causing him to crash heavily onto the ground.

"Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Seeing Chu Xiao fall to the ground, Wang Lulu ran over at top speed, lifting his head. Her heart was filled with intense worry. Indeed, her premonition had been right; Pluto's forces were coming with overwhelming ferocity this time, and she feared Chu Xiao and his men would suffer losses.

"Lulu, why are you here? Go back quickly, this place is too dangerous! This is no place for you to throw tantrums, hurry back into the city!"

Seeing that Wang Lulu was actually here, and wearing a soldier's uniform to boot—she must have sneaked in—Chu Xiao frowned. At that moment, Pluto's robot waved its hand again, sending an even larger energy wave toward them.

Chu Xiao sprang up, threw himself over Wang Lulu, and shielded her beneath him. Another deafening explosion rang out, but this time Chu Xiao was not so fortunate. Although he managed to dodge the direct hit, his back was already a bloody mess, instantly soaking through his clothes!

Seeing Chu Xiao injured, tears welled up in Wang Lulu's eyes, and a bitter ache pierced her heart. Had she not acted on her own and snuck out, Chu Xiao would not have been injured while trying to save her. But Chu Xiao had no time to dwell on the pain; he got back to his feet, shielding Wang Lulu behind him.

He instructed Yuan Rui to look after Wang Lulu and escort her back to the city. A towering rage instantly surged within Chu Xiao's chest. They could target Chu Xiao himself, but attacking Wang Lulu was something he would never tolerate! Just as his anger peaked, the leveling meter on his wrist suddenly maxed out.

The skill selector also responded, displaying three options: [Junior Alchemy Crafting, Junior Energy Wave, Junior Lightness Skill]. Only one of these three skills could be chosen. Seeing that there were descriptions below, Chu Xiao tapped to read them!

Junior Alchemy Crafting: This skill can heal minor injuries within twenty-four hours, but the wounds must not come into contact with water during that period, or all previous efforts will be wasted. It cannot be used more than once within fifteen days!

Junior Energy Wave: This skill can release a powerful energy blast of immense destructive force. Its power increases with the user's level, but it consumes a vast amount of stamina, so use with caution!

Junior Lightness Skill: This technique allows the user to scale walls and vault over roofs, but there must be solid objects as stepping points beneath the feet. The flight range is one thousand meters at a height of thirty meters. This skill places high demands on lung capacity!

After skimming through the manuals, Chu Xiao realized that given the current situation, he had no choice other than the energy wave. He decisively made his selection, and immediately felt a tremendously powerful surge of energy pouring into his body!

However, the manual only explained the purpose of the skills without teaching him how to use them. A robot threw a punch straight at Chu Xiao. Sidestepping with supreme ease, Chu Xiao dodged it effortlessly!

Taking advantage of the robot's delayed reaction, he clenched his fist and struck the robot squarely in the abdomen. This time, however, the robot was not knocked down; it merely took a few steps back. Pluto's robots had become much stronger than before!