Bai Guang

Ancient Splendor Base was, of course, different from Iron Rain Base.

A base existed because of its powerful experts, and everything in it served them.

Naturally, a base's character varied with the personality of its expert.

Iron Rain Base was fairly conventional. Li Peipei was reasonably cautious and had a rigid side to her personality, so Iron Rain Base felt rather dull.

Gu Hua, on the other hand, was carefree and unwilling to do tedious administrative work.

As he put it, he was a wayward soul, a playboy who lived wildly and freely.

As a result, Ancient Splendor Base was managed quite loosely.

Its population registry was rudimentary.

So rudimentary that Xia Lin only had to disguise his face a little, shave his head, and make up a fake name to obtain identification from Ancient Splendor Base.

Now, he belonged to both Iron Rain Base and Ancient Splendor Base, and he was also a member of the human race.

"That's good, isn't it?"

He pulled up his hood and walked into Ancient Splendor Base with a smile. The streets were sparsely populated, with few survivors in sight.

But judging by their bearing and the way they moved, most of the people here were Ash Zone Walkers.

Because of its lax management, Ancient Splendor Base naturally attracted many Ash Zone Walkers who didn't want to be controlled.

They could remain free while enjoying some of the conveniences of a base. Why not?

This also meant Ancient Splendor Base was full of hidden talents. For all anyone knew, someone running a cake shop by the roadside might be a low-ranked Sequence.

And that made Ancient Splendor Base even harder to manage.

If someone happened to anger a powerful expert who killed Gu Hua outright, wouldn't Gu Hua have died unjustly?

So Li Peipei was probably asking too much if she wanted to find someone in Ancient Splendor Base. She could only hope her bounty of 10,000 Ash Zone Points would do the job.

"Forget it. I know what things are like at your base. If it's difficult, then never mind."

Li Peipei waved a hand, understanding Gu Hua's predicament.

One of them was Sequence 43, the other Sequence 56. Though their rankings differed by more than ten places, their strength was still on the same level.

On top of that, Li Peipei's looks had indeed declined considerably, and her obesity also affected her strength. She had suddenly become understanding.

"But you have to help me with something else."

"I need you to use your Sequence authority to help me locate a martial arts-type Ash Zone..."

Gu Hua said awkwardly, "I haven't used my authority this month, but you can do it yourself."

Li Peipei said, "I need to use my authority to extend my time in the Ash Zone."

Gu Hua was still reluctant.

As Sequences, they enjoyed many privileges.

They could even influence the Ash Zones!

If used well, that privilege could bring unimaginable returns.

Now that Li Peipei no longer had her stunning beauty, Gu Hua felt it was somewhat unwise to keep wasting time and affection on her...

Yes, he was a sucker for good looks, and he wasn't even faithful.

Then Li Peipei's next words made Gu Hua let out a heavy sigh.

"Brother Gu, I'll owe you a personal favor for this. I'll be sure to repay you generously in the future."

"For the sake of our shared membership in the City of Immortality."

With that said, Gu Hua had no reason not to help her.

The main entrance to the Ash Zones at Ancient Splendor Base opened onto the central plaza.

Naturally, the area had also become the busiest commercial district in Ancient Splendor Base.

Bars lined the plaza, and pounding music blared around the clock.

Dancers of all styles either took to the stages or lingered at the bar entrances, their dazzling variety a feast for the eyes.

As Ash Zone Walkers faced life and death at every turn, their personalities were bound to become warped.

More than ninety percent of Ash Zone Walkers needed an outlet and spent extremely generously, causing service businesses catering to them to flourish.

A bar called Ashes Bar stood at the northeast corner of the central plaza. It was also the biggest money pit in Ancient Splendor Base.

Fortunately, Ash Zone Points had tremendous purchasing power. A single point was enough for Xia Lin to spend several hours there and fill his empty stomach.

Fierce heavy metal music drilled into his ears, but after listening for a while, Xia Lin found it had a certain appeal.

Xia Lin put down his bowl and chopsticks and patted his belly. He was full.

He looked up and found a figure standing in front of him. He didn't know when the man had appeared.

The man was about Xia Lin's age and no less handsome.

But Xia Lin was tall, lean, and handsome, whereas the man before him was strong, imposing, and handsome.

Unfortunately, his facial expression ruined his bearing.

"Buddy, want some information?" He waggled his eyebrows...

Bars attracted all sorts, and Ash Zone Walkers needed vast amounts of information to venture into the Ash Zones.

Thus, the old profession of information dealing had found a new lease on life.

Xia Lin thought it over, then nodded as he picked his teeth.

"Let's hear a few. We can talk price."

A hundred Ash Zone Points didn't sound like much, but it was more than enough for everyday expenses. Buying some simple information wouldn't cost nearly that much, and Xia Lin wanted to give it a try.

Unexpectedly, the man's first words made Xia Lin frown.

"Information on Xia Lin. Interested, buddy?"

The man wore a strange smile. Xia Lin smoothed out his frown and waved at him.

"See-"

"Wait, buddy, I mean no harm, no harm. I was just joking. No need to react like that."

The burly man hurriedly grabbed Xia Lin's hand, moving too fast for Xia Lin to react.

His agility and strength were both at least above 40 points.

The man's movement also drew the attention of the bar's security. Only after Xia Lin gave a slight nod did they look away.

Looking back at the man, Xia Lin chuckled.

"Got you."

A Thousand Li Apart at Parting was still on cooldown.

But he wasn't worried about his safety either.

After all...

"I'm only worth 10,000 alive. Dead, I'm not worth a penny."

The man chuckled. "I know, of course I know. I never intended to hand you over to that bitch Li Peipei."

"The main thing is, I heard you screwed Li Peipei over good. I figured you were somebody, buddy, and since I happened to run into you at Ashes today, I wanted to come over and get acquainted."

With that, the man introduced himself.

"Bai Guang, level-five Ash Zone Walker."

Xia Lin turned to look at the whiteboard on the wall of Ashes Bar and quickly found Bai Guang's name on it.

Bai Guang, human Sequence 73, class: Ghost Warrior.

"I've got a grudge against Li Peipei too, buddy."

"That bitch pulled a dirty trick on me before the last Sequence Hegemony Battle, so I entered the fight badly injured. My Sequence ranking ended up at least thirty places lower than it should've been. Wouldn't you say that's a serious grudge, buddy?"

Xia Lin nodded. "It is!"

Then he looked at Bai Guang again. "So? I got payback for you. Shouldn't you thank me? I'm not asking for much. A thousand or so Ash Zone Points will do."

"Hey..." Bai Guang waved a large hand. "Wouldn't talking about money spoil our friendship?"

He crossed his legs and smiled at Xia Lin.

"Let's not talk about money."

"Then what?"

"Let's talk about how to kill Li Peipei."

Whoa.

He was pretty murderous...

Xia Lin could see it now. Although these Sequences were all human, they weren't all on the same side.

That made talk of the greater good of the human race rather meaningless.

Still, Xia Lin was interested in killing Li Peipei.

Revenge?

Definitely.

He also needed to farm Backstab.

Stirring the ice in his drink, Xia Lin slowly asked, "How are you planning to do it?"

Bai Guang grinned, baring a mouthful of white teeth.

"I know which Ash Zone she's planning to enter."

"I also know why she wants to capture you alive."

"She wants to change her class to martial artist, and she has you to thank for all of it."