In the temporary guild that was converted into an underground warehouse, there was still a breathless depression.
Mirajane brought a glass of warm milk and handed it to Lu Chongwei. His blue eyes were full of worry.
"Zhongwei, let's have something to drink. You haven't said a word since you came back."
Lu Chongwei took the milk and drank it in one gulp. The warm liquid slid into his throat, but it was unable to dispel the chill in his heart. He put down the cup and stood up slowly.
"I'm going to the bathroom." He said calmly, his tone so calm that no emotion could be heard.
After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the corner of the warehouse.
Mirajane looked at his back, opened his mouth, but finally said nothing more. She knew that Lu Chongwei was feeling heavier than anyone else at this moment.
However, Lu Chongwei didn't really go to the toilet. He walked around several shelves filled with miscellaneous items, came to the door of the toilet, leaned against the cold wall, crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and said nothing.
Not long after, the toilet door was pushed open with a creak.
Makarov President walked out with a happy expression on his face, clutching his stomach, and humming a tune out of tune.
When he saw Lu Chongwei at the door, he was stunned for a moment.
"You kid, what are you doing here?"
Lu Chongwei slowly opened his eyes, and those dark eyes looked particularly deep in the dim light.
He didn't beat around the bush and asked straight to the point, "Why do you have to endure it?"
His voice was not loud, but it shocked Makarov's heart.
"We are the victims. The guild was smashed and our companions were laughed at. But we have to hide here like turtles and pretend to turn a blind eye to everything that happens outside?"
Makarov The relaxation and comfort on his face disappeared without a trace in an instant. The look in his cloudy old eyes became complicated. He sighed, took a few steps forward, and lowered his voice.
"Lu Chongwei, I know you are angry. But you must calm down."
He persuaded earnestly, "Those old stubborn Magic Council have long disliked us Fairy Tail. This time Phantom Lord Guild takes the initiative to provoke us. If we dare to fight back, we will play into their hands! Once they catch the handle, the guild will probably be forcibly disbanded!"
"Disbanded?"
Lu Chongwei sneered when he heard these two words, his smile full of sarcasm.
"President, let me ask you a question."
He took a step forward and stared at Makarov.
"When a hungry tiger has its fangs pointed at your head, do you choose to reason with it in the hope that it will be kind enough to let you go?"
"Or are you naively hoping that it won't really dare to speak?"
Lu Chongwei's voice was bone-chilling.
Makarov was shocked and froze in place. He opened his mouth, but found that he could not say a word.
Lu Chongwei didn't give him another chance to speak.
"Principles are meant to be told to others."
"To deal with a beast, you only need to beat it until it gets scared or until it dies!"
After saying that, he stopped looking at Makarov, turned around suddenly, and strode toward the exit of the warehouse.
Makarov stood there in a daze, staring blankly at his leaving figure, his cloudy old eyes filled with shock, helplessness, worry, and the pleasure that he had suppressed for a long time that he had not even noticed.
Night has completely fallen, and the lights on the streets of Magnolia are dim.
Levy, Jet and Droy were walking home together, and the atmosphere was a bit dull.
"Damn it! What on earth is the president thinking! The guild has been bullied like this and yet we are not allowed to fight back!" Jet kicked a stone away from his feet angrily.
"That's right! How can I swallow this breath!" Droy also echoed angrily.
"Okay, you two, stop complaining." Levy sighed and advised softly, "The president must have his reasons for doing this. We... we should trust the president."
Even so, she lowered her head and couldn't hide the loss and unwillingness in her eyes.
The three of them were immersed in their own emotions and did not notice at all that in the shadow of the alley not far behind them, a tall and twisted black figure was quietly following them. A creepy and cruel smile appeared on the corner of the black figure's mouth.
At the same time, in the guild's temporary base.
Mirajane carried a plate of freshly baked cookies and searched around the warehouse, but he never saw Lu Chongwei.
The uneasy feeling in her heart became stronger and stronger, and she hurriedly found Erza who was wiping his armor.
"Erza! Have you seen Zhongwei?" Mirajane asked anxiously, "He just said he was going to the bathroom, but I have been waiting for almost half an hour and I haven't seen him come back! There is no one in his room!"
Erza suddenly stopped wiping his armor.
She raised her head and looked at Mirajane's pretty face full of worry. After thinking for a moment, she guessed it.
"That guy... most likely went to settle the score with the Phantom Lord Guild." Although Erza's tone was calm, the hand holding the wiper tightened unconsciously.
"What?!" Mirajane's face instantly turned pale, "He goes alone? That's too dangerous! The president of Phantom Lord is Ten Wizard Saints!"
"Don't worry, Mira."
Erza stood up, patted Mirajane's shoulder lightly, and comforted, "Have you forgotten his performance at the ruins? With Lu Chongwei's strength, even if Jose is attacked head-on, he will definitely be able to escape unscathed."
An almost blind trust shone in her eyes.
"Let's wait and see. If he hasn't come back tomorrow morning, we'll go find him together!"
Kingdom of Fiore Border city in the north, Ogu City.
This is a chaotic area where dark guilds and regular guild forces intersect. The guild headquarters of the Phantom Lord Guild stands in the center of the city, exuding a chilling evil aura.
Inside the guild, the lights are dim and the atmosphere is strange.
In the corner, a tall man with a sinewy face was making a rattling sound.
He is Phantom Lord Guild's trump card--Iron Dragon Slayer Gajeel·Raite Fox.
At this moment, he was stuffing a large piece of dark pig iron into his mouth like a biscuit, chewing and swallowing it with his steel-like teeth. The sound of the metal being bitten and torn was particularly harsh in the silent hall.
The Phantom Lord Mage people around him all stayed away from him, with awe and fear on their faces.
At this moment, a man in a cloak who didn't know how to live or die, with a flattering smile on his face, came over with a glass of wine.