Chapter 7: The Cliché Hero Rescues the Beauty

"Hey, kid, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and hand over anything valuable," a thug demanded, brandishing a knife as he came over to Ye Feng. Seeing Ye Feng unresponsive, the thug lashed out with a kick.

Ye Feng thought to himself, Well, I wasn't looking for trouble, but here you are handing it to me. Are you just asking for death?

Feigning fear, Ye Feng replied, "Big Brother, do I look like someone with money? I didn't even bring luggage on this train."

The thug eyed him suspiciously, then kicked again, but Ye Feng dodged it. "Don't give me that! Just look at your designer outfit. That's got to be worth thousands at least. Don't think you can fool me—I know a rich kid when I see one!"

The thug waved his knife in front of Ye Feng menacingly.

Ye Feng glanced toward Lin Shiyun, who was being dragged over by two of the thug's cronies to the gang leader. Better not let her get hurt if things get messy, he thought.

Putting on the act of a spoiled rich kid, Ye Feng said, "Big Brother, I've got an eighty-year-old mother at home and a whole crowd of unborn children waiting for me. I'm too young to die! I don't have money on me, but my father does. Just let me call him. He'll pay whatever you ask. Tell your boss to give me his account number, and I'll have the money wired immediately."

Lin Shiyun, meanwhile, kept her gaze on Ye Feng, somehow feeling a faint glimmer of hope that this boy, with his playful, careless demeanor, might actually come to her rescue.

The thug chuckled, amused. "Fine, come on, I'll take you to the boss. But if you're bluffing, it's game over for you."

Ye Feng hid his smirk, casually removing his jacket. No way was he going to let these punks ruin a jacket worth tens of thousands.

Just then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind. "Mission issued: Rescue the endangered young lady. Mission description: Save the girl from the robbers and subdue them all. Mission reward: One ordinary lottery draw; Lin Shiyun's favorability +20. Mission failure penalty: Unknown."

Hearing this, Ye Feng chuckled to himself. A mission, huh? And a lottery reward to boot. Fate just doesn't want you guys to walk away alive today.

Optic Brain, there's a penalty for failure? Ye Feng asked inwardly.

"Of course, Host. Didn't you know? In any game, there's always a penalty for failing a mission," Optic Brain replied, a touch exasperated.

Ye Feng shrugged, realizing the truth of it, while the favorability increase for Lin Shiyun was something he ignored for now.

Following the thug, Ye Feng walked calmly, while the thug, assuming he was just another spoiled rich kid, lowered his guard.

Keeping an eye on his surroundings, Ye Feng swiftly grabbed Lin Shiyun's hand as they walked past her, pulling her from the two thugs holding her. His strength was evident in how easily he overpowered them.

Lin Shiyun gasped as Ye Feng gripped her hand, surprised at his sudden move. She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. Before she could protest, Ye Feng wrapped an arm around her and whispered, "Don't struggle. I'm here to help you."

As he held her hand, Ye Feng couldn't help but marvel, Her hand is so soft… But he knew this wasn't the time to daydream.

"Mantis Kick, Grandmaster-level!" With Lin Shiyun's hand still in his, Ye Feng used his newly acquired skill, sending the three thugs around him flying with powerful kicks.

"Stay close to me and don't wander off," he said gently to the frightened Lin Shiyun.

His sudden outburst drew the attention of the other four thugs who had been collecting valuables from the passengers. They dropped their bags and rushed toward him, while the gang leader fired a shot, wounding two people in the scuffle.

Ye Feng grabbed an empty soda can from a nearby table and, noticing the smug man who had finished drinking it, quipped, "Seriously, couldn't you have left some in here? How am I supposed to throw this with it being so light?"

Without further hesitation, Ye Feng used a Tai Chi move to redirect the force, launching the can straight at the boss's head.

With a resounding "thud," the gang leader crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold.

"Bingo!" Ye Feng snapped his fingers, then quickly finished off the remaining thugs, subduing them in mere moments.

After tying up the robbers, Ye Feng gathered their stolen bags and turned to the dazed passengers, saying, "If anything here belongs to you, come and get it. And no grabbing what isn't yours."

Soon, everyone reclaimed their belongings.

Turning to Lin Shiyun, who blushed with gratitude, Ye Feng shrugged off her thanks, saying, "It was nothing, just a little thing. But, if you're really grateful, you could always repay me by becoming my girlfriend," he added with a playful smirk.

"Girlfriend?" Lin Shiyun replied, flustered, clearly taken aback by his cheeky suggestion. Although inexperienced in such matters, she knew what "girlfriend" meant and couldn't help blushing.

Ye Feng, realizing his slip, corrected himself, "Ah, I mean, a friend—a friend would be fine!" His sheepish grin, paired with his handsome face, had an almost charmingly boyish quality.

At this, Lin Shiyun couldn't hold back a giggle. "I didn't expect the cool, fearless hero who took down those robbers to be so bashful. My name is Lin Shiyun—you can call me Shiyun."

To her surprise, she felt a strange warmth toward Ye Feng, an odd sense of comfort she rarely felt with men. For a girl who had always been reserved, she was astonished that she was even allowing him to call her by her first name.

Lin Shiyun… how funny, thought Ye Feng. Your name is so close to Li Shiyun's.

"Nice to meet you, Shiyun. I'm Ye Feng," he said, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Lin Shiyun replied, taking his hand.

Just then, Optic Brain chimed in, "Mission complete. Host has received one ordinary