Kurusu Kunoichi's words immediately made the surrounding warriors' gazes turn dangerous again.
Clearly, most of them still feared Mumei and Ikoma and were utterly unwilling to travel with the two of them.
And since Fang Li had always stood on Mumei and Ikoma's side, the warriors had long regarded him as an enemy as well.
Thus, apart from Kurusu Kunoichi and Kibito Aragane, the warriors slowly raised their guns one after another.
"Damn it..." Ikoma gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with hesitation as he looked at Fang Li.
Seeing the situation becoming irreparable once more, Ikoma no longer wanted to drag Fang Li into this.
So, the only thing Ikoma wanted to do now was send Fang Li over there and stop him from making enemies of the warriors for their sake.
That way, Fang Li could at least stay alive.
Unfortunately, Ikoma did not know that, to Fang Li, staying alive was absolutely not the most important thing.
If one did not even fear death, then being alive was not all that important.
However, even if living was not the most important thing, that did not mean Fang Li did not want to live.
Thus, as he watched the warriors slowly raise their guns one by one, Fang Li silently thought to himself.
It's about time something appeared to turn this situation around.
The duel between Fang Li and Kurusu Kunoichi had triggered a Side Mission.
The Side Mission stated that only if he failed would Fang Li be shot to death by the warriors.
In other words, according to the Space's judgment, if Fang Li won, an event that changed this outcome should occur.
The facts proved that Fang Li's guess was correct.
Just as the warriors prepared to shoot Fang Li and the others, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Stop at once!"
That pleasant, clear voice immediately drew everyone's attention.
The next second, everyone saw it.
Yomogawa Ayame entered through the door leading to the carriage ahead, accompanied by two attendants.
"Lady Ayame!"
The warriors all cried out in astonishment.
"Lady Ayame!"
Kurusu Kunoichi and Kibito Aragane were equally startled. They hurried forward and shielded Yomogawa Ayame.
"Lady Ayame, why have you come here?" Kurusu Kunoichi's expression was extremely stern as he said to Yomogawa Ayame, "It's too dangerous here. Please return to the front!"
Although the duel with Fang Li had ended in Kurusu Kunoichi's defeat, causing him to decide not to interfere in this matter any further, there were still two non-humans here after all. If Yomogawa Ayame came here, the possibility of her encountering danger could not be ruled out.
Yomogawa Ayame naturally understood this, but she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Kurusu. Let me make the decision this time."
Yomogawa Ayame looked at Fang Li. The trace of girlish delicacy she had shown a few days ago was gone from her exquisite, lovely face, replaced only by a sense of duty.
The sense of duty borne by the Yotsuyu Clan's sole survivor.
"Aragane Station has fallen, and Father's death has been confirmed. Now, I am the only one left of the Yotsuyu Clan. For the people aboard this Iron Fortress, I will shoulder the responsibility of a leader."
Yomogawa Ayame looked somewhat sorrowful, yet she still fixed her eyes on Fang Li and said, "Personally, I am willing to believe that you are not the kind of people who would harm others. But for the people aboard the Iron Fortress, I must ensure that you are harmless."
"...I understand." Fang Li met Yomogawa Ayame's gaze and asked directly, "What do you intend to do?"
Yomogawa Ayame did not answer immediately. She glanced at Ikoma, whose expression kept changing, then at Mumei, who was sleeping against the wall. After a while, she came to a decision.
Then, Yomogawa Ayame spoke.
"I can allow you to remain aboard the Iron Fortress."
These words made Ikoma's eyes light up, while the corners of Fang Li's mouth lifted slightly.
But the warriors cried out anxiously.
"No, Lady Ayame!"
"We can't let those two monsters stay aboard the Iron Fortress!"
"That's too dangerous!"
Faced with the warriors' protests, Yomogawa Ayame could not help saying, "These three have all fought the Kabane. Without them, we might not have escaped. Are you all going to ignore that debt of gratitude?"
The warriors immediately fell silent.
The warriors present who had personally witnessed Fang Li's group in action understood this even more clearly.
"But they aren't human, after all. They could very well endanger us..."
No matter how they put it, the warriors still circled back to the root of the issue.
Simply put, it was a matter of safety.
Fear of death.
Fear of monsters.
Fear of the future.
Fear of the current situation.
All kinds of fear had already worn away these warriors' lofty ambitions.
In Ikoma's words...
"They're all a bunch of cowards..." Ikoma muttered.
Fortunately, the warriors did not hear those words.
Otherwise, their reaction would probably have become even more intense.
Seeing that Yomogawa Ayame's appearance had somewhat eased the atmosphere, Fang Li immediately struck while the iron was hot.
"Aren't you just worried that Mumei and Ikoma will attack you?" Fang Li said. "In that case, I'll keep an eye on them."
"You'll keep an eye on them?" Yomogawa Ayame and the others all turned to Fang Li, looking somewhat stunned.
"On the Iron Fortress, Mumei and Ikoma will only remain in this last carriage and will not enter the carriages ahead." Fang Li looked at Yomogawa Ayame and said, "I'll stay here too and watch over them. If they try to enter the carriages ahead, I'll stop them. That should put you at ease, right?"
Kurusu Kunoichi and Kibito Aragane immediately frowned.
The warriors, meanwhile, clearly did not want to trust Fang Li and continued trying to persuade Yomogawa Ayame.
However, Yomogawa Ayame accepted Fang Li's proposal.
"I understand. We'll lend you this carriage." Yomogawa Ayame said to Fang Li, "I hope you will keep your promise."
Thus, Fang Li and the others successfully remained aboard the Iron Fortress.
And so, the Iron Fortress slowly departed Aragane Station and escaped safely.
At that moment, the system's notification sounded in Fang Li's mind once again.
Number 11273 has completed all Main Quests and may choose to return to the Main God Space at any time, or choose to remain in the Instance World. If you choose to return, your mission will be evaluated and you will receive your rewards. If you choose to remain, you may stay in the Instance World for another three days.
Without much hesitation, Fang Li chose to remain.
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