CHAPTER 123: CHAPTER 123: APOCALYPSE, I AM NOT THE HOLY MOTHER 29

Because neither side was willing to back down, the argument between the two groups grew increasingly heated, with everyone looking as if they were about to start fighting.

On Li Man’s side, Yang Ziqi, Yang Duo, Liu Ze, and Fang Lei, for various reasons, all believed that their side had such high combat power that one person could easily defeat a whole group and disregarded the crowd on Lin Shuangshuang’s side.

As for Lin Shuangshuang chopping off Li Man’s hair with a sword, they all thought it was due to Lin Shuangshuang’s speed and an ambush, that any of them could achieve with just a quick move.

On Lin Shuangshuang’s side, those soldiers disdained fighting ordinary people and only planned to maintain order, while those who actually wanted to fight were Li Wenxuan, Li Wenbo, Mi Lu, Ma Ying, and Liu Song.

With her temper flaring, Mi Lu looked at the four men opposite her, showing not a trace of fear but rather brimming with eagerness to try.

Lately, it had been either fighting bugs or being thrashed by Lin Shuangshuang. Later, there was a group of soldiers whose physical ability was infuriatingly strong—after just two days of training, they could easily defeat her. Mi Lu didn’t really know how her combat power stood anymore.

Now suddenly there was a group of fellows who could serve as sparring partners, and seeing that the other side also seemed keen to start a fight, Mi Lu became excited at once!

Just as everyone was about to roll up their sleeves with tensions high, Li Man, who had been crying on the ground, suddenly appeared in the middle of the two groups, shouting, "Stop fighting!"

Li Man pulled out a hat from who knows where and placed it on her head, covering her unsightly hairstyle. With her messy hair hidden, her original vigor and beauty resurfaced. The tears on her face had been wiped away, only her red eyes betraying the fact she had just been crying.

After stopping the impending fight, Li Man immediately turned to angrily rebuke her own side, "You guys stop messing around. This was a misunderstanding to begin with, yet you go off without explaining and just get angry. Behave yourselves!"

After scolding her own people, Li Man turned around, smiling heartily, "I’m really sorry, they were just worried about me and spoke carelessly. Please forgive them, it’s my own fault for being too sensitive, their panic led to this. I apologize on their behalf to everyone."

Li Man then turned to look at Red Jade, who was eating bugs, and Lin Shuangshuang, who stood in front of Red Jade holding the Qingque Sword, her expression calm and emotionless as she looked at her. Li Man’s gaze fell on Lin Shuangshuang, clear and without any other emotions, she still smiled boldly.

Lin Shuangshuang’s eyes were just as calm and unwavering as she looked at her, but her heart sank. This side of Li Man was one Lin Shuangshuang was familiar with and wary of, and it sent a shiver down her spine! Because Lin Shuangshuang knew deeply just how adept Li Man was at disguising herself!

In her past life, Li Man had approached her with that harmless, cheerful face, always treating her well. Until, with her own hands, she sent Lin Shuangshuang to her death without ever removing that harmless facade.

Even though she did not deny Lin Shuangshuang’s doubts before her death, she still watched her with that same smile, offering no explanation or excuse, watching as Lin Shuangshuang looked at her in disbelief, hysterical, exhausted from the battle, abandoned in a heap of mutated ants!

Emotions churned within her, but Lin Shuangshuang’s face remained devoid of any emotion, cold and indifferent. She couldn’t let Li Man see any genuine feelings from her, only showing a face neither hateful nor fond, nor murderous—just peaceful.

Li Man’s face was full of smiles, her eyes clear and pure, her tone unbelievably sincere as she apologized to Lin Shuangshuang, "This spider is your pet, right? I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to attack it, it’s just that its appearance and size were so frightening. When I came over, I didn’t even notice if it was carrying anything or if it had an owner. I attacked it out of instinct as soon as I saw it."

While saying this, a somewhat embarrassed smile appeared on her face, "I might have overreacted and scared it, which led it to instinctively fight back. The more it moved, the more scared I was of it, and the more I attacked. My friends joined in because they feared I’d suffer. I really meant no harm, and I hope you can forgive any trouble I’ve caused! If you feel I’ve harmed your pet, I can offer compensation, and I hope you won’t hold my friends’ previous rudeness against them."

Li Man’s words were poised, and her manner comprehensive, instantly winning over a wave of goodwill. Even the once-angry Ma Ying and Mi Lu showed signs of calming down. Many felt that although her teammates were a bit unreasonable, the girl herself was indeed nice.

Lin Shuangshuang casually uttered a "hmm" to indicate she didn’t mind, but her mood was rather sour. It had been the same in her past life; Li Man, with her exquisite adaptability and skillful diplomacy, could win over anyone, never breaking with anyone—not even enemies!

With Li Man showing goodwill and Yang Duo and the others being restrained by Li Man into apologizing, Lin Shuangshuang’s group were not unreasonable people. They were soon won over by Li Man’s exuberantly open and friendly personality. Yang Duo and the others sincerely apologized after being rebuked by Li Man, explaining they acted out of concern for their companion.

While everyone originally held grievances against them, their sincere apologies quickly dissipated those feelings as everyone realized it was just a mere misunderstanding with no deep-seated resentment. Soon the two sides put down their swords and laughed together.

Only Lin Shuangshuang remained detached, showing no signs of happiness or anger on her face, expressing neither acceptance nor rejection towards Li Man and her team. She maintained her usual calm, introverted demeanor, which was not surprising to those familiar with her character.

Little did they know that although Lin Shuangshuang appeared calm on the outside, her heart was in turmoil. Looking at Li Man, who mingled effortlessly, she felt as if she was seeing the same Li Man from her past—making friends all over the world, yet secretly ruthless and bloodless in her betrayals.

Lin Shuangshuang wasn’t worried that Li Man would win people over to her side. Having spent so much time together, she had confidence in her comrades. What she was concerned about was whether Li Man would target members of her group, who were completely unguarded towards her, possibly suffering losses as a result.

Not to mention, in her past life, before Li Man planned to strangle Li Wenxuan out of his base, she had skillfully built up a lot of popularity there. Even a somber Li Wenxuan considered Li Man a friend back then, or he wouldn’t have been so easily encircled by her. At that time, as a base owner, Li Wenxuan had many capable people under him! If they had fully mobilized against Li Man, she would not have had such an easy time.

Yet, Li Man succeeded, taking a daring and unconventional path to do so. She was bold and cunning enough to take risks, a woman with the potential to be a heroic figure!