Chapter 336
Seeing that the other party remained silent, Shi Lei continued speaking. He wasn't familiar with the Nightmare Chaser Knight, so he didn't need to worry about saving face:
Challenging the strongest opponent to prove courage sounds inspiring, but it's actually a self-indulgent and foolish act. You look down on ordinary opponents, and those you deem worthy of being opponents are simply too much for you to handle.
If you encounter someone with a good temper like me, I might spare your life. But if you encounter a grumpy or ferocious beast, it will kill you outright. Have you considered the consequences?
The Nightmare Chaser Knight was taken aback by the question; his eyes, hidden behind his mask, were somewhat vacant. He responded in an ancient language:
[What... later?]
Shi Lei wasn't surprised by this answer. If the Nightmare Chaser Knight understood, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
"As expected, you never even considered that. The most important thing for a tribe is survival, not self-indulgent courage. Many of your Tribe Members who trek through mountains and rivers, seeking out powerful enemies to challenge, have probably died out there."
When the truly courageous people of a tribe mostly die far from home, those you call cowards will gradually take over and even lead the tribe. How competitive do you think such a tribe will be compared to other tribes?
"..."
The Nightmare Chaser Knight fell silent; this was a direction he had never considered before. Of those who venture forth with courage, only one in ten survives; a tribe led by cowards is destined for decline.
Those cowards you speak of will influence the subordinates and children they manage. There will be fewer and fewer brave warriors who dare to venture out and challenge powerful enemies.
That's why I said your Heavenly Path is a foolish act of self-indulgence. Having the courage to travel far and gain experience along the way is enough. Forcibly challenging opponents stronger than yourself isn't just overestimating your abilities; it's courting death.
Alright, that's settled. Don't bother coming to tomorrow morning's match; failure to appear by then will be considered an automatic forfeit. I don't want to get serious on the field and disrupt the plans.
After saying that, Shi Lei turned and left the scene, leaving Shi Lei alone, standing there in a daze.
The Nightmare Chaser Knight will not listen to the words of the weak.
But this time, the person who spoke was a powerhouse who completely overwhelmed him. He was the kind of person who, even after decades of further training, might not be able to defeat; he was truly powerful.
The Nightmare Chaser Knight sat on the ground, reflecting deeply on every word the Lucky Knight had said.
The family is indeed in decline. So, was it really a mistake to travel thousands of miles on the Heavenly Path?
After a lengthy six-hour repair, power was finally restored to the four mobile City-State at 4 p. m.
Many people cheered when they learned that the Bright Knight had won and successfully advanced to the semifinals of the Special Tournament.
Six years ago, Margaret Saria was labeled as infected after winning the title and was forced to leave Kazimierz.
After a professional diagnosis by Rhodes Island, it was confirmed that she was not infected. Those fabricated charges were merely a means of political persecution. Currently, the vast majority of Kazimierz believe that the Bright Knight is infected.
This concept is deeply ingrained.
Many infected individuals regard the Bright Knight as a symbol of their spirit. Upon hearing that she had successfully advanced to the semi-finals, some infected individuals threw parties with hundreds of people, reveling day and night. Some infected individuals took to the streets to express their joy. However, some infected individuals vandalized shops and engaged in zero-dollar purchases.
Just as there are good and bad people among normal people, the same is true among those infected. Originium-related illness is just a disease and cannot be used as a linchpin to judge the goodness or evil in people's hearts.
The fact that the Infected Knight revealed his identity had already led to a boycott by many companies and the Knight Order.
The fact that some people are now using the guise of celebration to buy things for free undoubtedly exacerbates the conflict between infected and non-infected individuals.
Perhaps these things weren't all done by the infected individuals. But the truth is no longer important to the public. The media is reporting on them extensively, focusing on portraying the 'evil' nature of the infected.
It seems they want to build a high wall of prejudice and discrimination in the hearts of every viewer.
July 13, 9:22 pm
Roy led a group of the Armored Unarmored Alliance Assassins to an infected settlement on the outskirts of the city.
Under the guise of apprehending suspects, they came to besiege the Pinecone Knights members here.
Before setting off, Iron Great Position set a price: 300 gold coins for ordinary members and 600 gold coins for Infected Knight.
As the saying goes, "Where there's a generous reward, there will be brave men."
With Monique and Platinum captured, Roy had no choice but to take on the task, even if it meant facing difficulties.
While investigating a certain area, he suddenly spotted a figure that shouldn't be there.
Roy told the assassins not to come any closer, and then he went over to greet them.
The dim yellow light of the streetlamp shone on a cold, deserted bench. In the center of the bench sat Kuranta, a middle-aged man with a cold expression.
This man was Margaret and Maria's uncle, the acting head of the Nearl Family — Maena Saria.
Roy approached, still sporting that same playful expression:
"Good evening, Mr. Maena. The moonlight is beautiful tonight, don't you think?"
Maena ignored him and looked at the newspaper in her hand.
"Hey, Cavaleria Evening News. Tonight's reports are all about the Bright Knight. Haven't you noticed something's been a bit unsettling around here?"
Seeing that he still ignored him, Roy awkwardly touched his nose and said seriously:
"This is an area where infected people congregate. You can answer me now, can't you?"
Upon hearing this, Maena put down his newspaper and stared at the Azure Gold Rank of the Armored Unarmored Alliance before him:
"I just finished work and am taking a short break here."
"Hey, you're only getting off work at nine? You must be working really hard. But this area is probably only populated by infected people, illegal immigrants, and black market vendors. You wouldn't be wandering around this far after get off work, would you?"
Maena was very displeased with Roy and didn't even glance at him the entire time.
"I'm here waiting for someone. What, are you going to interrogate me about who I'm waiting for? You're not law enforcement officers, so don't keep using Fowlbeast as tokens."
"Oh, no, no, Mr. Maena, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to interrogate you. We're just on official business, ordered to arrest the infected people who vandalized the shops today. Since swords can't be trusted, I'm afraid you and your friends will have to leave."
Maena unfolded the newspaper again, demonstrating through her actions that she had no intention of leaving:
"It's okay, you go about your business, don't worry about me."
Roy squinted and took two steps back:
"Everyone is working for the company, is it really necessary to take this to this extent?"
Maena wasn't going to back down at all and retorted directly:
"Tell me, what kind of situation is it? I'm just waiting for someone, what's wrong with that?"
"Hehe, waiting for someone is no problem. But if you stay here, my men might make mistakes due to excessive tension. If crossbow bolts or weapons come flying at you, it will be quite dangerous. You may not know how many people we have deployed to clear out the infected."
As Roy raised his right hand, the Armored Unarmored Alliance assassins lurking in the shadows were ready to strike.
However, they knew the ranger's strength. They secretly prayed that Roy wouldn't act impulsively and wouldn't give the order to attack.
Just as the atmosphere at the scene was reaching freezing point, a voice broke the deadlock.
"Mr. Maena, I didn't know you had appointments with other people. Isn't now the wrong time to come?"
Roy turned around at the sound, his pupils suddenly contracting. Looking at the man before him, he felt disbelief.
Lucky Knight!
What is he doing here?
Seeing this, Maena put away her newspaper, put on a professional smile, and greeted him:
"No, you've come at just the right time."
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"Sir, something's happened!"
Roy sat on the right side of the bench, listening to the report from the Armored Unarmored Alliance assassins through his earpiece:
"The White Horned Sarkaz you warned us to be wary of is pushing a Sarkaz in Wheelchair toward you."
The White-Horned Sarkaz belong to Rhodes Island. They defeated numerous assassins and rescued Maria Saria. They were in league with the people who kidnapped Monique.
So...
Roy's gaze fell on the Lucky Knight.
Is he the real culprit who captured Monique that day?
One Maena was already difficult to deal with, and now with the addition of the Lucky Knight and the Confessors, it's like a knife slicing through your crotch—running away is the best option.
Shi Lei sat on the left side of the bench, and the three of them briefly formed a delicate picture. Bathed in the dim light, they looked exceptionally harmonious.
Roy glanced at Lucky Knight, pondering how to slip away without losing too much face:
"It's really cold tonight, and I feel like it's going to rain later in the night. I didn't bring an umbrella, so I'll be leaving now. Since you two have plans, you can chat for a while."
He smiled as he left the bench, like a scumbag who ran away after a date, without a trace of regret.
Shortly after Roy and his men left, Shining pushed Nightingale's Wheelchair to the bench:
"Mr. Lucky Knight, Mr. Maena, thank you very much for coming here to meet. There are many members of the Armored Unarmored Alliance tonight. If we really want to wipe out the infected here, I alone cannot stop it."
Shi Lei didn't seem to care about this.
If necessary, he could take care of all these Armored Unarmored Alliance Assassins right now. But with the finals approaching, doing so would alert them and arouse the suspicion of the Commercial Union.
"Miss Shining, you're joking. I'm just sitting here; I haven't been of any help."
Shining nodded gratefully, knowing that Doctor Zhong never expected anything in return for his good deeds.
She glanced sideways at Bright Knight's uncle, Maena, who was surprisingly engrossed in reading the newspaper.
"Mr. Maena, if you want to know what Margaret has been through these past few years, I'm willing to tell you everything I know."
"I don't care."
Maena put down the newspaper and looked directly at Shining:
"When I saw the look in her eyes after she came home, I understood everything. It was an incredibly firm and unwavering look. Her parents, and even I in the past, had all experienced those years of braving hardship and cold."
You Rhodes Island have been in Cavaleria for almost a month now. If you want to see beyond the city's glamorous exterior and understand just how rotten it truly is, you'd better leave here, leave Kazimierz, as soon as possible.
"Mr. Maena, running away won't solve the problem. The harm done to the infected is happening all the time, and we can't just sit idly by."
After hearing what Shining had said, Nightingale took two printed documents out of her bag and handed one to each of them:
"We obtained core information from the Commercial Union's database, which, in addition to some shady information about tampering with the competition, also contained the truth about Plot Zero."
Shi Lei took it and glanced through it.
As expected, Plot Zero was a prison for the infected. They not only imprisoned and tortured the infected, but also wantonly toyed with and killed them.
For example, they might strip several infected individuals naked and throw them into a room with only a skylight. They would then provide them with very little food each day, forcing them to fight over it like animals.
They treated the infected like livestock, stripping them of their dignity. In the end, they were sent to the chopping block, left to be slaughtered.
Seeing Maena frown, Shining turned her head to look at Doctor Zhong, whose expression was obscured by a mask:
"Amiya has already dispatched Operator to rescue them, and the infected will no longer suffer. Also, the Doctor asked me to ask you a question. Is it absolutely necessary to defeat Margaret to complete the mission you're currently undertaking?"
Without disclosing the details of the commission, Shi Lei can indeed answer this question:
"Yes."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you again for everything you've done for the infected. Goodbye."
Shining didn't linger; after saying goodbye, she pushed Nightingale's Wheelchair away from the scene.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Maena folded the newspaper and politely began to speak:
"Is the request Miss Shining mentioned the same one that Sophia entrusted to you?"
He learned the details of the commission from his employer, and as Maria's guardian, he had the right to know. Shi Lei no longer concealed anything and responded:
"You could say it is, or you could say it isn't."
This puzzled Maena, who was unsure what Lucky Knight meant by those words.
Before he could ask any further questions, Shi Lei explained:
"Just like you said, during my mission, I discovered the city's utter decay. That's when the idea of eradicating it came to me."
"Eliminate? Even if the Commercial Union goes bankrupt, another Commercial Union will emerge."
Maena shook her head, disagreeing.
It wasn't that Maena didn't believe, but rather that he had walked the path of revitalizing Kazimierz. It was precisely because he saw through the essence of the matter that he understood the problem was unsolvable.