Yang Xiaolong's Chinese wasn't very good, and he'd said the wrong thing, sending the scene into chaos for a while. It took everyone ages to figure out what he meant: they would work for Liu Yun to pay off their debts.
It wasn't a bad idea. There was no way Liu Yun could just let these people go. If he did, who would fear him in the future?
"Fine. Since that's what you want, I don't mind! You can work for me to pay off your debts. Get ready to spend the rest of your lives as my servants."
He was finally willing to take them in. He was also thinking of hunting monsters in various places and further honing his martial arts.
At those words, Glinda finally breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Yun didn't seem to be planning to leave the HR Alliance after all. He had surely had some sort of fortuitous encounter, and they couldn't let him go until they uncovered what it was.
"War God Liu Yun, don't be too hard on these girls. They're about your age, and this is a chance for you to build a social circle of your own!"
Glinda's gentle, calculating smile returned. Her meaning was clear: Ruby, Yang Xiaolong, Xueni, and Blacka were all young prodigies. They just seemed a little clumsy compared to Liu Yun.
If Liu Yun wanted reliable people around him, he had to start by building his own team. After all, teammates went through life and death together, so trust came quickly. Especially with four lovely young women, each with her own charm—plenty of people would want to befriend them.
Liu Yun fell silent for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't understand how to get along with people; it was just that he couldn't come to terms with Little Red's death.
"Will you really take us in?"
Ruby stepped forward, uncertainty on her face. They had behaved terribly so far—absolutely terribly, in fact—so it was hard to believe Liu Yun was willing to accept them.
"Hmph. I'm making you pay off your debts, that's all. Take you in? Don't get ahead of yourself. You're not going anywhere until you've paid them off!"
Liu Yun rebuked them without a trace of courtesy. The four of them looked dejected, but just then, he quietly added a couple of words.
"But... it's not as if I've always had it in for you! Besides, haven't you been trying to uncover the secret of my strength? That proves you admire me. We can work together."
He was telling the truth. He had been monitoring the HR Alliance's every move the whole time. Green Tea Ancestor was starting to lose her composure again. Ever since meeting Liu Yun, she'd felt that her own skills still needed work.
Ruby smiled, no longer awkward. Once they could be honest with each other, things became easier for everyone.
"I think you got a magical Crystal Ball, and that's how you grew so strong, just like Cinderella..."
Her voice was clear and sweet, each word like a carefully chosen note, making people want to listen. Even Green Tea Ancestor couldn't manage such a fresh, refined charm.
But her words nearly made Liu Yun lose his composure. He forced down his anger and smiled as he explained.
"Little girl, maybe you're right! But my success wasn't something as childish as magic. It was a little more complicated than that. We usually call it hard training."
Liu Yun had actually given up on revenge. He had come to Jiangnan Base to recruit some followers, and although these four might not have been the easiest people to start with, he had to begin somewhere.
Just as he resolved to build up his forces, several men in black crept around Little Red's grave. They dug it open, took a bloodstained feather from her, then quickly put the grave back the way it had been.
Before long, the feather reached the hands of Li Yao, who was consumed with the desire for revenge. He and his wife, Venina, were both intensely interested in every possible clue.
"Venina, we have to use this feather to find the murderer who killed our son." Li Yao's voice was low and resolute, every word brimming with absolute determination.
Venina clenched her fists, tears glimmering in her eyes, but she didn't back down either. "No matter the cost, I'll avenge Wei'er."
They quickly contacted the HR Alliance's top team of scientists and used the most advanced DNA analysis technology to study the feather in detail. Just as they'd suspected, the results confirmed that the feather belonged to a rare descendant of the Undying Bird, a species native to that volcanic region.
In the hands of someone who knew how to use it, a single feather could decide life or death! Li Yao recalled all the incredible rumors about Liu Yun circulating in the HR Alliance lately, and rage surged in his heart.
"How could there be that many coincidences in the world? It has to be him! We tracked his location to Yingzhou and Xianbeiliya—that is, Siberia, though Xianbeiliya is actually a more suitable translation—but he still completed the Undying Bird mission. He even got his hands on a descendant of the Undying Bird."
Li Yao was boiling with rage, determined to fight the real culprit. Venina was just as furious, though she had some misgivings.
"But we don't have enough evidence, and the usual methods won't work well against someone inside the HR Alliance. Liu Yun is also a mid-level War God now. He won't be easy to deal with!"
Li Yao's wife Venina had analyzed the situation thoroughly. They had no legitimate way to resolve this, while illegitimate methods often came at too great a cost.
"Forget about that! At worst, we'll call in a Councilor from our family. Are we really incapable of dealing with a little War God? I can kill Liu Yun myself."
Li Yao wouldn't listen to such discouraging talk. Blinded by hatred, he could think only of revenge.
Venina sighed deeply and buried her face against Li Yao's chest. When she lifted her delicate face again, her eyes were bloodshot.
"I tried to kidnap that bastard Liu Yun's sister, but the Military got to her first. We can't infiltrate the Military! Maybe you're the only one who can hunt him down and avenge Wei'er. I have a feeling too—the murderer has to be him!"
Venina agreed with Li Yao. How could there be that many coincidences in the world? It would have been better if Little Red hadn't been killed; it would have been difficult to obtain her DNA without anyone noticing. Now that she had been killed, everything was exposed.
They had wanted to make Liu Yun suffer the pain of losing a loved one too, but the Military had stopped them. Liu Ling wouldn't be showing herself again anytime soon. Now Li Yao would have to do everything himself. And if he found that he couldn't handle Liu Yun, Venina would be in even greater danger. She might actually be able to persuade a Planetary Stage expert to act. If they struck when Liu Yun was unprepared, even if Liu Yun survived, the people around him would be in grave danger.
Meanwhile, Liu Yun had already made plans for his next move. His destination was Australia, where the Spirit of Vegetation could be found.
Once you reached the Planetary Stage, Cell Evolution Fluid became much less effective. In fact, once you were past the apprentice stage, taking drugs was harmless and guaranteed to work—there was no doubt about it. If his Machine Race Clone couldn't even concoct medicine of that level, it might as well self-destruct.
Making Cell Evolution Fluid for those beyond the Planetary Stage required extremely precious materials. The Spirit of Vegetation was essential, and Liu Yun had wanted to go to Australia for a long time.
"I've prepared battle suits for you. They'll greatly improve your strength. Come on! You're coming with me to Australia."
Liu Yun was genuinely treating the women as teammates. He even gave them Nano Battle Suits. They were remarkably versatile: they looked just like ordinary clothes, yet still enhanced the wearer's abilities and provided protection.
"What? You've been fighting in something like this all along? Where can I buy one? I want one too!"
After putting it on, Yang Xiaolong felt her strength make a huge leap, bringing her up to the level of a quasi-War God. She was thrilled.
Nearby, Blacka held a Straight Blade and tested its edge with her Nano Battle Suit. She felt as strong as a War God.
"These aren't for sale. They can only come from ancient ruins..."
Blacka spoke softly. Her words made the others' expressions shift. Treasures like these were priceless; even War Gods might not have more than a few. The fact that Liu Yun had given them away showed how generous he was.
But to Liu Yun, these were merely secondary battle suits, nothing like the Venom Battle Suit he wore himself. That thing seemed to live on its wearer. It could even control the minds of ordinary people with weak wills, while also giving them an enormous boost in combat power.
"This is amazing! It's unbelievable!"
They all exclaimed as much. That was how things made by the Machine Race worked: powerful effects with a low barrier to use, and an enormous impact on human society. Once mass-produced in industrial facilities, these suits would change the fate of all humanity.
"Hahaha! Pretty useful, huh? But first, you have to keep them secret. Second, I'm not giving you these suits for free! You're renting them. Ten million a day, and the price is final!"
Liu Yun laughed, prompting a chorus of "Holy crap!" The others had even learned Chinese swear words now. They were adapting fast.
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