Chapter 98 Deceit and Intrigue (Third Update)
"Damn it!" the motorcyclist muttered. At that moment, he truly hated the hostage from Jin.
"He clearly has so many supplies!"
The officer was a little surprised; the other party was just a lowly Knight Apprentice. "What supplies?"
"It's inconvenient to say," Sister Hua replied vaguely.
The Weird Race is intelligent, and the higher-ranking Weird Race members are quite intelligent.
Of course, she couldn't say that the Jin youth possessed a large quantity of explosives, as well as Weird-Exterminating Grenade.
The Intelligence Agency shouldn't lack these things, but the three of them weren't dispatched this time to investigate the suspicious situation, but to capture the boy.
She never dreamed that Wu Youren would dare to run into the mountains on his own initiative!
Sister Hua vaguely, but the soldier understood—it was something that couldn't be said in front of the Weird Race, right?
Then he frowned, "You didn't bring any with you?"
"I just didn't bring much!" the motorcyclist replied.
Then he swung his knife a few more times, asking impatiently, "Don't you military personnel have any?"
"We are strictly forbidden from using this in the military!" the soldier replied expressionlessly. "Our mission is to control the situation!"
The military has no shortage of powerful weapons like Weird-Exterminating Grenade, but they need to be used where they are needed.
His task here is to observe the strange phenomena and maintain the status quo, ensuring that the Weird Qi no longer seeps outwards.
If large-scale deployment of Weird-Exterminating Grenade, it could easily lead to a loss of control. Who wouldn't want to use something so useful?
This is similar to soldiers guarding the border, who are usually not equipped with weapons that are too lethal; if they have a sharp blade in their chest, they may be tempted to kill.
Am I wronged? Of course, a little, but as a soldier, I must obey the battle situation and military orders.
"This is ridiculous!" the motorcyclist exclaimed, unable to contain himself any longer. "What if the Weird Qi erupts? How are we supposed to suppress it without some deadly move?"
"It's not what you think," the soldier shook his head, "Exterminating the Weird Race might bring extra revenue, so we need to control military funds!"
"Damn," the motorcyclist finally understood, "Anyway, the military funds belong to the military?"
"Otherwise what?" The soldier uttered only three words, saying nothing more.
However, even Wu Youren understood: the military was worried that the soldiers below would cause trouble, so they simply restricted the use of overly powerful weapons.
It sounds unbelievable, but it really shows an amazing understanding of human nature!
But then Wu Youren thought about it again and felt like laughing.
The military did not possess weapons of mass destruction, and when it attempted to capture its own Intelligence Agency officers, it did not bring many such supplies.
So, he, a mere Knight Apprentice and a student of the Martial Academy, actually had the most abundant supplies for killing monsters?
Isn't this a bit ironic?
However, since the other party is so short of supplies, he has a few more options.
The motorcyclist, however, was unimpressed. "If that's the case," he said, "I can only say you're pathetic."
"You should talk like that after you've served in the military," the soldier said, completely ignoring him.
Then he sighed softly, "You'd better shut up now, lest you provoke the Great Knight of the Weird Race!"
The motorcyclist promptly shut his mouth; Great Knight- level Weird Race he couldn't afford to mess with.
"The military is calm enough," Sister Hua said calmly. "I suspect the Great Knight of the Weird Race has already arrived."
"Right, Little Wu?"
As she said before, she wasn't sure what was around her, but she always had to bluff a little; that was her basic strategy.
But the next moment, a voice suddenly rang out, " The Great Knight is right beneath your feet."
The sound was very ethereal and otherworldly, and it was impossible to tell which direction it came from.
"Holy crap—" The usually composed soldier was unusually shocked, "He's still alive?"
He was utterly astonished. The Ability User was dead, but the mere Knight Apprentice was still alive?
"Then what are you waiting for?" the motorcyclist snapped. "If I hadn't forgotten my supplies—"
"I really do have some doubts about how you grew to be so big," Wu Youren, utterly speechless.
He knew that Liang was honest, but honest to this extent—well, the other party wasn't very old, around thirty.
When you're young, nothing is impossible.
"But he's young too, isn't he?" "I'm waiting to see you die. Underground, can you feel the chill?"
" The Great Knight are in position. Feigning weakness won't work; you can't escape."
The motorcyclist immediately fell silent; he sensed that the other person harbored deep malice towards him.
But Sister Hua turned her head and glanced in the direction of Wu Youren.
Veteran Knight and new Knight are ultimately different; she somehow managed to pinpoint the location.
She spoke slowly, "Hmm, it sounds like you can get away?"
"Let me see how you run first," Wu Youren said calmly. "Just follow behind you, isn't that enough?"
"Should we charge into battle?" The soldier frowned; he knew this episode all too well!
Wu Youren did not respond: I don't know you at all!
However, Sister Hua understood even more clearly, "What if we can't break through?"
Wu Youren calmly replied, "Then I'll think of other ways."
"Understood," the soldier truly understood, then glanced at Sister Hua, and with two slashes, killed a shadowy figure. "Very confident."
But Sister Hua was thinking further, "Since you've spoken up—state your demands!"
This is a very simple logic: since the other side has been silent all along, they could have continued to remain silent and waited for them to charge into battle.
Now that they've spoken out, they must have demands.
"There's Great Knight of the Weird Race," Wu Youren said casually, "Who doesn't want you to die too quickly!"
"Whether it's there or not, it's hard to say," Sister Hua smiled.
Although she was making frequent moves, she remained unhurried, as if to say, "You're not quite up to the task of playing mind games with me!"
"Oh," Wu Youren snorted, not bothering to pay any attention to the other party.
You're panicking like this, don't you have any self-awareness?
Half a minute later, the Weird Race launched a fierce attack.
The three of them were a bit flustered, but they managed to hold on. It felt like there was an element of acting involved; they didn't really show their full strength.
This situation was handled rather poorly; throughout the entire process, Wu Youren neither made a move nor uttered a single word.
Sister Hua took a few breaths, and once her breathing had stabilized somewhat, she let out a cold snort and muttered something resentfully.
"So you say you have no interest in wars against humans and prefer fighting the Weird Race? Hah, the people of Jin are truly unreliable!"
Is this... trying to make a recording or something? Wu Youren wasn't sure what kind of equipment the Intelligence Agency would carry.
He had been quietly observing, simply watching the spectacle.
Hearing this, he pondered for a moment, then chuckled, "Heh, they're also testing your weaknesses."
"Damn it!" the soldier roared in anger. "Are you instigating the enemy?"
His reaction was perfectly normal when the other party openly discussed tactics in front of the Weird Race.
"Tch," Wu Youren simply snorted, too lazy to even argue: You think they wouldn't figure it out if I didn't tell them?
With just that one word, and then silence, the three Knight deeply felt his indifference.
Sister Hua's eyes darted around. "You're trying to use us to make a living, aren't you? Don't force me to take action; I'm good at framing people too!"
"Hmph," Wu Youren's mocking voice rang out, "Even at a time like this, all you can do is threaten?"
He simply disdained arguing with the other party and wasn't worried about saying too much and making a mistake.
However, since this person was so eager to chat, he didn't mind exchanging a few words, which would buy him time and allow the Weird Race to make more arrangements.
The motorcyclist, panting heavily, glanced at Sister Hua, his hatred mixed with a growing eagerness. "Let's fight?"
Although he is currently unable to act alone, it wouldn't be difficult for him to launch a long-range attack and lure the Weird Race there.
Sister Hua shook her head slightly, saying that she couldn't say that the other party had already moved.
However, from this perspective, the fact that the young man from Jin was able to escape without alerting the Weird Race demonstrates that he indeed possessed the ability to escape on his own.
So why didn't the opponent take advantage of their own battle against the Weird Race and seize the opportunity to leave?
Most of the Intelligence Agency were still intelligent enough to understand immediately.
The young man from Jin deeply resented his own side and insisted on witnessing the three men die in the Weird Qi before he would leave.
She sighed softly, "Name your conditions. What will it take for you to take action?"
As soon as he said that, the other two Knight both looked at him with surprise: Are you out of your mind?
The other party is not only a hostage from the State of Jin, but also clearly at odds with your side. Under these circumstances, would you ask him for help?
Besides, a mere Knight Apprentice is lucky to even protect himself; do you really expect him to save the three of us?
After a long while, there was no response from the other party.
After waiting for a while, Sister Hua glanced at the soldier again and calmly asked, "Do you have any good escape methods?"
"No," the soldier replied curtly, "My mission is to prevent the secret from leaking out; how I get out—that's another matter."
His expression was cold. In the Liang's army, military orders carried great weight; disobeying them could mean a fate worse than death.
Sister Hua ignored her and spoke again, "Name your terms, I said it!"
"Then I have to believe it," Wu Youren chuckled again, "Do you think the people of Great Liang would believe what the Intelligence Agency says?"
In this line of work, it's incredibly difficult to gain someone's trust without reason.
Behaving inconsistently is not a matter of personal morality, but rather a matter of professional ethics!
Their work mainly relies on scheming and deception; even the Liang might not believe them, let alone the people of Jin.
"Why bother with him?" The motorcyclist's face turned slightly pale. "Just drag him in!"
This time, the soldier couldn't stand it anymore and calmly stated, "He kept changing his position!"
You have to be discerning about the quality of the food; don't offer random suggestions, or you'll ruin everyone's chances!
Sister Hua didn't bother with her companions at all; these young people, new to the Intelligence Agency, had made far too many mistakes today.
She stated calmly, "The three of us came out to arrest you. Do you think our colleagues outside wouldn't know?"
This statement may be true, or it may be false; the ability to blend truth and falsehood is precisely what Intelligence Agency members excel at.
Wu Youren, however, was not buying it and forcefully steered the conversation in his own direction.
"Tsk, here we go again—in your line of work, you can't get anything done without being arrogant?"
Chapter 99 The Pledge of Allegiance (Fourth Update)
"You cunning lad!" Sister Hua sighed inwardly, but she had no choice but to answer, "I've asked you twice already, name your price!"
However, Wu Youren's thinking was leapfrog, or rather, he insisted on controlling the pace of the conversation.
He calmly stated, "No one can deny that you died on the front lines against the Weird Race, and the compensation will be generous."
"I have a good chance of escaping alone now, but I'm afraid I won't be able to handle taking three more with me."
"You have some nerve, kid," the uniformed Knight's expression changed immediately upon hearing this, "Trying to incite infighting among us?"
The military, not the Intelligence Agency, has always been the most sensitive to these kinds of things.
As soldiers, they have long since become indifferent to life and death. In their inherent understanding, sacrificing a portion of the population for victory is normal.
That's why he's quite familiar with instigating internal strife—I've seen this episode too!
"Don't make wild guesses!" Sister Hua rolled her eyes at him. " Little Wu has aristocratic background!"
"You mean, bringing two will increase your chances of success?"
" Sister Hua, you—" The motorcyclist's words trailed off mid-sentence.
He wanted to warn Sister Hua not to fall for his tricks.
If one of the three must die, it can only be the soldier; there is no other option—the two of them are partners!
But could he have imagined it, Knight of the army not?
Therefore, he needs to be careful what he says.
Without realizing it, the three people, who were standing back to back, had actually started to separate from each other!
"Not even two," Wu Youren said casually, "But I'm very disappointed in my senior!"
Of the three Knight, he hated motorcyclists the most.
To prevent the Weird Qi from leaking out, the soldier himself got caught up in it. Regardless of whether he was afraid of severe punishment under military regulations, he felt no ill will.
Twelve years ago, the Jin army lost to the Liang army, but that was war, and he is currently unable to judge it, so he doesn't consider it.
Sister Hua —actually, she didn't really trick him much; they had different stances, and he could understand.
But this senior from Red Pine was the one who bothered him the most: what about trust between people?
Moreover, in the subsequent series of reactions, this person not only acted immaturely, but was also extremely ruthless.
Wu Youren was certain that the first person to shoot at him was the motorcyclist, who fired three shots.
Having lived two lives, he had never been shot at.
How could he possibly tolerate these things, one after another?
The motorcyclist was horrified upon hearing this; he never expected that the other party would directly target him!
" Sister Hua, that's not how it happened! He did it on purpose—you!"
The next moment, he turned his head in astonishment and looked at the woman next to him.
He was stabbed in the ribs, and then the knife was pulled out in an instant!
On the battlefield, puncture wounds are deadly, but if the knife isn't pulled out, he can hold on for a while longer.
As the knife was pulled out, blood spurted out, and what was worse, all the strength in his body was released along with the blood.
The motorcyclist looked on in disbelief; he never imagined he would be betrayed by a senior colleague!
Since he joined the Intelligence Agency, Sister Hua has been the one who taught him to be familiar with many things!
"If you don't die, everyone will die!" Sister Hua said calmly, her face expressionless. "Do you remember what I said when I first took you under my wing?"
"Those of us in this line of work can act on impulse, but we must never act solely on impulse!"
Before the motorcyclist could say anything, he suddenly felt his body sink and his line of sight drop by half.
He looked down, but at that very moment, his vision began to go black.
His last thought was: Have the military Knight made their move too?
The soldier sliced him in half at the waist with a single stroke, then looked at Sister Hua and said expressionlessly, "Now there are only two left!"
As he said this, he was on high alert, clearly prepared for a fight.
He wouldn't trust the people of Jin, nor would he trust the Intelligence Agency, but he wanted to live.
"Don't be so nervous," Sister Hua said with a smile, "You know the rules of the Intelligence Agency, right?"
"I don't know," the soldier shook his head decisively, his face resolute. "What Intelligence Agency? I've heard they exist abroad, but do we in Great Liang have one too?"
"You're sensible," Sister Hua nodded with satisfaction, "So today's matter was handled internally by our Intelligence Agency —understand?"
The soldier looked bewildered. "What Intelligence Agency?"
"Hmm," Sister Hua nodded approvingly, then spoke in a deep voice, "Isn't it all about needing a pledge of loyalty? Now you have it!"
"Hehe, this is interesting," Wu Youren said, though surrounded by Weird Qi, there was not a trace of a smile on his face.
The other party was so ruthless and decisive that it sent chills down his spine.
He was just saying it casually, trying to create some distrust within the opposing team.
Little did he expect that not only did they see through his intentions, but they also went even further and reacted in a more extreme way!
The plan had to be adjusted. After a moment's thought, Wu Youren said, "Hold on for five more minutes—"
The soldier and Sister Hua stood back to back, continuing to resist the Weird Race, but this time, there was a distance between them.
Many things, once they happen, can never be the same again.
Five minutes later, Wu Youren's voice came, "These are two Weird-Exterminating Grenade. Throw them in one direction and then move towards me."
Immediately afterwards, two black dots fell from the sky.
He had no choice but to make a statement first; otherwise, if the other party mistook it for an attack, it would be disastrous.
The Weird Race might overhear? Well, there's really no other choice then. But he hoped the two opposite him were smart enough.
These two reacted quite quickly. After accepting the Weird-Exterminating Grenade, they exchanged a few words, then raised their hands and threw out three black dots.
Sister Hua herself carried Weird-Exterminating Grenade, but she wasn't well-prepared and dared not gamble unless she was desperate.
There's a specific method to throwing three Weird-Exterminating Grenade; Sister Hua can pinpoint Wu Youren's approximate location.
The direction chosen by the two was about sixty degrees different from that of the young man from Jin, and they made their decision in a very short time.
If thrown in the opposite direction, Wu Youren's location will be hit by a large number of fleeing Weird Qi, causing a significant impact.
If the decision-making process takes too long, the Weird Race may make corresponding arrangements.
Their swift reaction indicated that they had decided to gamble that the Jin hostage was not lying.
Three explosions rang out in succession. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Weird Qi, two figures moved swiftly and then appeared before the boy.
Just as the two of them breathed a sigh of relief, Wu Youren turned and left, saying softly, "Come with me."
Weird Qi surged and fled from the surrounding area, yet he walked at a leisurely pace.
However, several powerful Weird Qi bypassed the three of them, narrowly missing them twice.
The two Knight couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing the deep astonishment in each other's eyes: How did he do that?
Sister Hua was somewhat better off; she had high expectations for Wu Youren, knowing that he possessed amazing perception.
Soon, she noticed another strange thing, and muttered to herself, " The Weird Qi doesn't linger around him."
The soldier was silent for two seconds, then rolled his eyes at her, "Can't you just shut up for a bit?"
Even if you understand something, you can't say it out loud. This person, who comes from the Intelligence Agency, doesn't even have this basic sense of crisis?
However, Wu Youren answered on his own initiative, in a very casual tone, "My Weird-Repelling Jue is better."
Sister Hua paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Are you really not afraid we'll rob you?"
The young man from Jin wasn't annoyed; he simply sighed, "Tsk, here we go again. All he can do is threaten; he can't even communicate normally?"
"They seem to have nothing to fear," the soldier thought, having overheard the conversation and grasped the two men's communication skills.
He decided to get involved, saying, "I hope we can get out of here safely!"
Wu Youren didn't answer, but Sister Hua calmly indicated, "The chances are very high."
The two Knight were indeed quite composed, and they obediently followed him without making any sudden moves.
Seven or eight minutes later, Wu Youren led the two men to some huge rocks, pointed to a crevice in the rock, and said, "You two go inside and hide."
This is a gap between two giant rocks, three or four meters high, and less than a meter wide at its widest point.
The two Knight exchanged a glance, both seeing hesitation in each other's eyes.
As always, Sister Hua spoke first, "And you?"
Wu Youren pointed to a rock about ten meters away, "There's a small cave over there."
"Listen to me," the soldier spoke up, "Stones cannot completely block out Weird Qi."
The Weird Qi is invisible and cannot be regarded as ordinary gas. Thick walls can block a large part of it, but not all of it.
The Weird Qi that can penetrate walls is usually quite powerful; those with weaker abilities are really not qualified.
Furthermore—if it's a crack in the rock, there might be gaps on both sides, so what if the Weird Qi enters from the other side?
Wu Youren casually replied, "I sprinkled Weird-Dispelling Powder inside!"
"What?!" the Knight exclaimed in astonishment. "It's that simple?"
Throw a few Weird-Exterminating Grenade, crawl into a cave, and then use Weird-Dispelling Powder; that will keep them alive.
"Simple?" Sister Hua smiled dismissively. "First, you need to have money, right?"
Weird-Dispelling Powder is really not cheap, Weird-Exterminating Grenade are even more expensive. The former costs one hundred silver dollars a pair, while the latter can sell for two hundred silver dollars.
A regular hand grenade costs only a few silver dollars, but Weird-Exterminating Grenade is a different story.
Don't complain about the price; most people can't even buy it. It's only because the military doesn't lack these things, but the military restricts their use here.
Buying them at the Martial Academy is relatively easy, but buying more is difficult.
Wu Youren, a mere Martial Academy student, was able to purchase so many Weird-Exterminating Grenade; some of them must have been bought at high prices.
In addition, there's the Weird-Dispelling Powder, which is quite valuable; most people simply don't have that kind of wealth!
The method is simple, but it's purely a tactic used by players who spend money on the game. Even if others knew the method, could they learn it?
Upon hearing this, the soldier couldn't help but grin, "No wonder he's a hostage, he's really rich."
Upon hearing this, Wu Youren shook his head slightly, speechless. "I'm much poorer than you. I never even dared to dream of such a thing before."
He must have made a lot of money last time, and he really wanted to farm the Weird Race again, otherwise why would he have bought so many?
(4 chapters, 12,000 words. Please subscribe, vote with monthly tickets, and recommend this page.)