After the meeting, Chen Yu returned to his room. It was a small space with a bed, a desk, and even a washroom—suitable for both an office and a long-term stay.
After working for a while, a knock came at the door. Li Mi, wearing a plain jacket, entered and handed him a glass of iced drink.
–Take a seat,– Chen Yu said, pointing at the chair by the wall.
Li Mi placed the drink on the table but didn’t sit down, remaining standing instead.
Chen Yu set down his pen and looked up at him: –What method are you referring to? Speak boldly and freely. You saw it too—those people at the meeting didn’t utter a single worth; just having your own proposal makes you better than all of them. Even if you’re wrong, it doesn’t matter.–
–I’m sorry, Chairman Chen, but I can’t say. However, I want to carry out my plan, and I hope I can have your support.–
–Why?–
Li Mi just smiled.
Chen Yu stared at his face for a moment, then snorted with a laugh: –Do you think I care about all this right now? Speak up. If you don’t, there won’t be anyone to bail you out later if trouble comes. The ones causing trouble will back you into a corner, and you’ll have no choice but to flee to the Shibin Wastes.–
Silence.
Yet within that silence, his gentle eyes radiated an overwhelming confidence.
–You just need to support me, Chairman Chen. Please trust me.–
–Directors– are the title for those in headquarters who handle various affairs; they are the high-ranking members of the monster-hunting faction’s headquarters.
Suddenly, a burst of startled cries came from outside the house.
–How arrogant.–
–He’s utterly inhuman, absolutely infuriating—someone like him is definitely going to hell.–
Just outside this building, the situation had taken a drastic turn, as a beam of heavenly light fell from the sky.
Chen Yu’s expression shifted.
Fang Tian actually dared to directly attack the headquarters’ location.
He listened intently to the chaos outside, a surge of anger stirring within his chest.
–How certain are you?–
Chen Yu’s voice deepened as he looked at the person standing by the table.
–I may not be able to take out the satellite in the sky, but I’m ninety percent sure I can make him dare not act so brazenly.–
–Alright, do as you plan. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll apply for it for you.–
A solemn seriousness appeared on Li Mi’s face.
–Thank you, Director Chen. I want to meet a prisoner—his name is Kuang Yuming.–
At dusk, thick clouds suddenly swept across the sky, taking on the look of an impending storm, which relieved the crowd.
Taking advantage of these thick clouds, many who had dared not go out began to search for food and supplies; some banded together to find quality buildings not yet claimed by the Xiongying Group, while others simply decided to move into the next Crossspace.
Click, clack.
Thunder and lightning crackled across the sky as rain plummeted down in a torrent.
Through the curtain of rain, Li Mi stood beneath a tattered building at the front of the square, holding a black umbrella.
Before him, a man with a stubbled face was wiping a glass photo frame washed by the rain, inside of which was a picture of a woman and two little girls at a fried chicken shop.
–So this is what Yingying looks like now? You actually managed to see her and even took a photo.–
Rainwater drenched the cheeks beneath the man’s eye sockets.
–Ali didn’t remarry after all. She’s still here, and the second kid’s that grown now.–
–You should know that if an apparition appears in one place but not in the corresponding other, there’s a high probability those apparitions will continue to spawn in the next two months.–
–Her shop…–
The man’s heart twisted in agony.
He looked up at the young man beneath the umbrella, whose upright figure stood like a pine in the wind—serene and ethereal.
–Your plan is far too simple. It’ll almost certainly fail.–
Li Mi’s gaze shifted downward, landing on Kuang Yuming’s face.
–The essence of anything is very simple. Lyu Bu might have prepared for it, but one or two incidents he might brush off; ten or twenty, now that should give him pause.–
–Ten or twenty?–
Kuang Yuming’s eyes widened as he stared at the man holding the umbrella before him.
Such words actually came out of the calm face of this young man. He just opened his mouth and said ten or twenty.
Is he a devil?
–Can you convince ten or twenty people like me?–
The man burst into laughter.
–How could you possibly convince twenty people like me to go die? No one is that selfless, let alone a murderer like me—and especially not for those bastards sitting in there.–
A flash of lightning arced across the sky. Li Mi said calmly, –I don’t need to convince that many people. I only need to convince you.–
Doubt flickered in the man’s eyes.
–Once you succeed, naturally, people will be eager to carry out the same plan.–
A thunderous roar finally reached the ground with a deafening rumble.
The man gripping the photograph stumbled back a step.
Then he laughed heartily, laughing so hard that he bent over.
–Ha ha ha.–
The man straightened up and pointed a finger at Li Mi: –So this is what you people are like. This is… well, I’ll be damned. Come to think of it, that plan is actually worth a try!–
Kuang Yuming glanced at the building looming behind the gray curtain of rain—a place he had once yearned to enter.
–I really want to see whether you self-righteous bastards, after you turn into executioners one step at a time, will end up in the same place as me.–
–Then our cooperation is settled. Next year, I’ll write down everything that happened this year and burn it to you. Leave all your remaining Chronos to that person behind you—don’t keep a single second.–
Li Mi turned sideways, revealing a guard in the square behind them. The guard tasked with watching the prisoner inexplicably received an Invest of over forty years’ worth of Chronos.
–Now, please accept the Invest we bestow upon you.–
The aged Kuang Yuming waited quietly, a flicker of tension in his heart. A folded line sliced through the curtain of rain, striking the silver-white ring on his chest.
[An anonymous user Granted me full Chronos9999N.]
He lifted his eyes.
It really was that much Chronos—the one opposite had truly given him this much.
–Don’t you… fear I might run?–
–No.–
A ring materialized on Li Mi’s chest. One corner of the triangle quickly twisted into a sharp point, darting toward its target.
[Li Mi wishes to Pro-Invest me.]
–From now on, take no life.–
[Li Mi Invests me with 11Y.]
–And accept no more gifts.–
[Li Mi Invests me with 29R.]
–No amplifications, no spending Chronos, no shielding yourself whatsoever.–
One by one, these commands poured forth from the man’s lips.
–As for the rest, do as you please—go and savor what’s left of your life.–
On the other end of the plaza, within a fortress of a building carved into the rockface’s recess, behind the glass windows of a long corridor, two figures stood by Chen Yu’s left and right, gazing outward.
–What’s that young man’s plan?–
–I’m not sure. But I think I can probably guess it.–
The other person pondered for a moment, his gaze trembling slightly. He looked at Chen Yu and the stern-faced man to his right and said, –Could it be… a bitter sacrifice?–
Chen Yu’s gaze pierced toward the firmament, toward the thunder and the dark clouds, as if he could see right through them, staring straight into the cosmos’s dominion:
–At a time like this, I’m afraid this is the only threat the weak can bring to Lyu Bu.–
–This? He… he is brazenly defying the world’s moral order!–
This man shuddered all over; he thought thankfully that at least he wasn’t a director directly under this guy.
On Chen Yu’s right side, a middle-aged man with a straight back turned and walked away.
–Tell the First Security Team to fully cooperate with any actions Li Mi takes—any actions at all.–
–Understood, Director Yu.–
……
Over a day had passed, and Ning Yang and his group felt as though their entire bodies had been shaken apart.
–Captain Zhao, how much longer until we get there?–
–Soon, very soon.–
The few people around Ning Yang suddenly grew somewhat irritated: _-**You’ve been saying that since half a day ago, but even now we can’t see a single shadow of the curtain scene that has fallen this way.
–Yeah, Zhao Qi, you said you’d get there in a day, but we didn’t bring that much food, and we still have a long way back.–
The marching procession slowly came to a halt. Zhao Qi, riding on a creature that looked like a hippopotamus but had ox horns, turned his head and fixed his gaze on Ning Yang and his companions.
Ning Yang’s heart suddenly tightened. He realized that the entire Cargo Crew had subtly surrounded them.
The Moxel on his chest flickered into sight, but the next second, two cries of agony rang out beside him, and blood splattered.
–You guys!– Ning Yang roared in fury, rising to his feet and drawing his blade. Golden virtual flames began to lick around his body.
But a dozen long blades—Lances—were instantly aimed at him, among them two pitch-black barrels of crude muskets.
–Zhao Qi, what’s the meaning of this? Didn’t you want to invest in my Peng Zone?–
Zhao Qi wagged his head with a sneer: –Your Peng Zone right now—it’s not even worth one of my carts?–
Several nearby carts were piled high with heaps of clothes and daily necessities. In the ShibinWastes, that truly was a small fortune.
–We only lost an engine. As long as we have a craftsman around, we can make another one.–
Ning Yang forced his voice to stay calm as he spoke.
One of the Cargo Crew hoisted a knife, circling the group, and spat at their feet: –Bullshit, the Maker’s over at Wuu You’s place now. Don’t think we don’t know—that’s the Jiazi Term you bastards drove out.–
–HAHAHAHA!–
The Cargo Crew erupted in relentless, mocking laughter.
The four survivors beside Ning Yang were seething with anger and indignation, yet dared not make a move—for distinctive crimson feyne flames were flickering on Zhao Qi and the two at his sides.
Once, they hadn’t known what that red meant, but now they did.
–Is it true, Ning-ge?– Niuwa, who had tagged along, asked in a pale, trembling voice, looking at Penglord.
Ning Yang felt his face burning, unsure if from fury or shame. Among the four beside him, three were hearing this for the first time, staring aghast at him.
Seeing Liu? no, wait, witnessing Penglord’s very expression, anyone would know Zhao Qi wasn’t lying.
–So… so those Lyu Zhi bastards weren’t feeding us lies?–
In the minds of four all flashed the memory of the day they had driven away Jiazi Term and his crew.
–Calm down, everyone. Squad leader Zhao—since it’s like this—surely we can talk it out.–
At this moment, Ning Penglord felt his life hanging in the balance, bitterly regretting why he had been so impulsive and failed to recognize the reality—he had lost the formula and the engine, yet still harbored illusions of turning things around based on the words of this unfamiliar Cargo Crew.
–Good, good, we were just waiting for those words. Brother Ning, have your tenants prepare Chronos—eight thousand for one person’s release, or they’ll become materials for our Shin Engine.–
Eight thousand! They felt dizzy and disoriented.
The entire Peng Zone, with all its dozens of people, might not scrap together eight thousand in total, never mind eight thousand per person.
–Go and prepare. You have until tonight at the latest. Otherwise, heh heh, we still have a road to travel.–
Even as he spoke, the sound of hooves and shouts came from the air. Ning Yang saw several squads of Cargo Crew appearing on the horizon from afar, all flying the same cargo flags as Zhao Qi’s convoy.
–You, you are… r-Rover Cargo Crew?–
Realizing this was some outlaw group, a deep sense of despair welled up in Ning Yang’s eyes.
–Mm-hah, we’ve been recognized after all.–
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