Chapter 100 Each with their own ulterior motives (First update)
Sister Hua was quite familiar with Wu Youren's financial situation, but she had no intention of correcting the military Knight's misconceptions.
She added seriously, "You also need high-quality Weird-Repelling Block!"
"I can't learn it," the military Knight shook his head dejectedly.
It's like someone saying that this area can't contain Great Knight —it certainly can't, but first you have to be Great Knight!
"Alright, you two go into the crevice," Wu Youren said calmly. "Sprinkle some Weird-Dispelling Powder outside the cave."
Sister Hua stated without hesitation, "I want to go into your cave—I have a serious lack of trust with the military!"
The two had previously joined forces to kill the motorcyclist, so they should have been in cahoots.
But the seeds of distrust have already been sown, and neither dares to completely entrust their back to the other.
The young man from Jin made it very clear: it's difficult to leave with three people, but it's much easier with only two.
Wouldn't the probability of leaving safely be higher if you only bring one person?
"Impossible!" Wu Youren shook his head and answered decisively, "You must decide immediately that the Weird Qi surge is about to spread here!"
Sister Hua asked in astonishment, "You won't even give me a reason?"
Wu Youren was equally taken aback. "Do I need a reason?"
"Don't you need it?"
Do you need it?
"Don't you need it?"
Wu Youren finally sighed softly, "Did you give a reason when you fired at me just now?"
"But you are a hostage from Jin, so it's normal for us to treat you this way—who lost the Liang-Jin war?"
The young man from Jin's face darkened upon hearing this. "Then you two can leave based on your own strength. You two each take one of these two places. I'm leaving!"
These two are both counting on him to get out of this mess, and now they want a reason to do it—who spoiled them like this?
"I'll stay here with you!" Sister Hua is really difficult to deal with.
Having worked in intelligence, she wouldn't easily give up on any attempt to probe. "Let him go there—we don't trust each other!"
Wu Youren shook his head and said calmly, "I won't say it a third time!"
"Alright, that's settled then," the soldier said impatiently. "At this point, who's still plotting against whom? Your Intelligence Agency— "
Hey!"
You don't believe me? I don't believe you either!
Having reached an agreement, the three of them entered their respective protective spaces in the next moment.
Leaving aside Wu Youren's situation, the military Knight and Sister Hua were truly wary of each other; mutual trust was extremely difficult to achieve.
The crack in the rock was small and shallow, less than two meters deep.
The fact that the two managed to hide inside and avoid physical contact was already an incredible feat.
The two of them had just worked together to kill a Knight from the Liang, which was not only sensitive in terms of their identities but also somewhat heinous in nature.
This is a pledge of allegiance to the hostage prince of Jin. Wouldn't it be better if fewer people knew about this?
But ironically, the two of them still had to show an attitude of "I believe you"----
The awkwardness was palpable; an embarrassment permeated the very air.
Sister Hua sensed something was wrong and said, "Don't fall for it."
"That little rascal is wicked. He made us both hide here, just waiting for us to kill each other."
"When only one of us is left, he'll be much easier to deal with."
"I won't have any other thoughts," the soldier said calmly as he Weird-Dispelling Powder.
"My mission is to prevent the supernatural from leaking out. Whatever happens to you is none of my business—just don't use me as a scapegoat."
Sister Hua blinked, puzzled, and asked, "But he's a hostage from the State of Jin!"
"How to defeat Jin is a matter for the army," the military Knight said calmly. "The hostage situation in Jin is a matter for the government!"
"Okay," Sister Hua raised her voice slightly, " Little Wu, did you understand?"
"I don't understand anything," Wu Youren said calmly. "I only know that cooperation is the only way to escape."
"That's what I think too," the soldier said calmly. "Once we're out here, we'll go our separate ways and pretend we don't know each other!"
"It seems a consensus has been reached," Wu Youren said softly. "Next, we just need to wait."
He was somewhat disappointed; it seemed unlikely that the two would engage in a fierce battle.
The boy really knew how to deal with the Weird Race; for the next day and night, the three of them were barely affected.
However, one piece of information kept lingering in Sister Hua's mind.
After much thought, she decided to ask, " The Great Knight of the Weird Race you mentioned—the one underground—does it really exist?"
Wu Youren gave a vague reply, "Maybe I was just saying that; it's up to you whether you believe it or not."
At this point, it's best not to say anything more, lest you cause yourself more trouble.
Even the soldier realized this. He looked at Sister Hua, suppressing a laugh, and said, "Looks like you've met your match."
That tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
The following night, a thick fog rolled in again, but the three had already decided to evacuate.
By this time, the unrest had subsided considerably, but the retreat was not an easy one.
The fog was too thick, and it was nighttime, so we had to walk very carefully, keeping a distance of no more than two meters from each other.
Wu Youren appeared very relaxed, but the other two were quite different.
Especially the soldier Knight, whose eyes kept looking around, their muscles tense, their hands hanging down beside their short swords and pistols.
His behavior was practically a direct warning. "Don't mess with me!"
That's right, his obvious wariness was because he didn't want the other two to have any inappropriate thoughts.
There was no other way; what was originally just a potential threat had now become two. As a soldier, he chose to intimidate the other side.
Sister Hua was slightly more relaxed, but she still subtly sensed things from time to time, proving that she wasn't as at ease as she appeared.
At one point, Wu Youren's wrist twitched, and she stopped abruptly, drawing the short knife from her waist. "Hmm?"
"Three Knight Weird," the Jin boy muttered helplessly, "We need to lure them away."
"I saw what you threw," the soldier loosened his grip on the hilt of his knife, "What was that?"
" Resentment Qi Crystal," Wu Youren replied calmly, referring to the spoils he had obtained from the burly man with the cane.
The key is that the movements must not be too large, otherwise it will easily attract the attention of the Weird Qi.
"Damn it!" Even though Sister Hua came from the Intelligence Agency and was a well-informed person, she couldn't help but grin when she heard this.
"You're incredibly wealthy!"
If this doesn't count as a pay-to-win player, then what does? Even exchanging for Great Knight might not be worth it, right?
The soldier remained silent for a moment, then took a few more steps before speaking, " Resentment Qi Crystal might not be effective."
This thing is indeed attractive to some of the Weird Race, but many Weird Race are unaffected.
Some strange creatures can attract all kinds of Weird Race, but Resentment Qi Crystal is not one of them.
"Hmm," Wu Youren hummed softly, too lazy to say more. Even if the effect wasn't good, it was better than nothing.
The soldier also realized this and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he's a hostage, so rich!"
"There are no hostages here," Sister Hua glanced at him coldly, "And no Intelligence Agency either."
"I understand," the soldier muttered, "I definitely won't tell anyone once I get out—I don't want to cause that much trouble."
Although Intelligence Agency agencies are essential to state organs and wield immense power, most people are unwilling to come into contact with them.
Especially for the military, soldiers are supposed to be purely civilians; contact with civilians is taboo, let alone for intelligence agencies.
"The trouble will be bigger than you imagine," Sister Hua scoffed.
The other party remarked that the hostage was wealthy; how could she not know whether Wu Youren was wealthy as well?
When she first encountered the young man from the Jin, he was so poor that he didn't even have a long weapon. She later investigated him as well.
There can only be one explanation for this sudden windfall – the boy made a fortune in the numerous battles with the Weird Race!
Otherwise, would she have so easily believed that this person could take her away?
However, it's best for her to keep this to herself; there's no need to tell anyone.
After a close call, the three of them finally reached the ridge and escaped the white fog.
It was still night, and the two Knight looked back at the white mist in the mountains, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
After a long silence, the military Knight sighed softly, "I'm reporting this. You two—are forbidden from venturing into the mountains again!"
Neither of them paid him any attention. After a while, Sister Hua finally spoke up and asked, "The one who died?"
She wasn't talking about motorcyclists, but rather that the military originally had two, but one of them, Knight Apprentice, died.
Wu Youren missed that scene because he left late.
"Died in some strange calamity," the military Knight replied calmly. "Are life and death such things so rare?"
"Do you two have anything else to say?"
The two remained silent. Seeing this, the man turned and left decisively, saying, "Goodbye—or rather, let's not see each other again."
After he disappeared into the night, Sister Hua spoke again, " Ershan, that Ability User Apprentice, how did he die?"
"Died in a bizarre disaster," Wu Youren replied calmly, the soldier's words providing the answer.
"I really want to arrest you and interrogate you thoroughly," Sister Hua sighed softly, "But I'm worried about making things worse."
Putting aside the question of whether he can win or not, if he turns around and disappears back into the white mist, the past may repeat itself, and trouble will come again.
Wu Youren remained silent for a long time before finally replying, "I really only wanted to eliminate the monsters, otherwise I wouldn't have spent so much money on supplies."
Sister Hua actually believed this, because the amount of Weird-Exterminating Grenade and Weird-Dispelling Powder the other side had prepared far exceeded the quantity they had brought.
The boy was just Knight Apprentice. Even if he had made some money from the war, he couldn't have prepared so much without this intention.
"He's the one who wanted to find you," Sister Hua said quietly, "I don't know why."
"Are you trying to appease me?" Wu Youren asked calmly, now that he had the right to speak like that.
However, he ultimately stated, "That Ability User Apprentice is really strange."
Sister Hua perked up immediately, "What's wrong?"
Wu Youren pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Knowing too much about some things isn't a good thing."
He paused, then added, "I don't know what's going on with Ability User, but I just feel like he's become a bit Weird Transformation."
That illusory figure was truly indescribable.
Chapter 101 A Stick Fights a Wolf (Second Update)
Sister Hua's expression was solemn. After a few breaths, she let out a soft hum, "Hmph, his awakening is a bit strange."
"Awakening to the Knight realm at just over thirty is one thing, but the crucial point is that it happened after the age of thirty."
Ershan's awakening process remains a mystery to the entire Intelligence Agency.
However, the status of Ability User Apprentice is already quite prestigious, and the Intelligence Agency understands the importance of intelligence best.
Someone asked him a couple of questions indirectly, and he flew into a rage. After that, no one asked again, and it became a taboo topic in the department.
"You don't need to tell me this," Wu Youren said, indicating that he didn't want to hear it.
"I'm just telling you that I don't really care about his death," Sister Hua said calmly.
Ershan has become an increasingly uncontrollable factor; if it were another Ability User Apprentice who had died, she would not have let it go so easily.
Since she was willing to make amends, Wu Youren naturally wouldn't refuse. "He heard you say that I have the potential for awakening?"
"That's normal," Sister Hua replied bluntly. "It's not a good thing for a hostage from another country to awaken; at least, the Great Liang wouldn't want to see that."
"It's all just hearsay," Wu Youren said dismissively.
However, he didn't argue with the other party, but instead asked, "Is he trying to study my possible awakening mechanism through dissection?"
He didn't wait for the other person to voice their concerns; he chose to address them directly himself.
If Liang is willing to do this, the methods will only be more ruthless and cruel. What mercy is there in the face of the state apparatus?
"That's really hard to say," Sister Hua nodded without hesitation, clearly having anticipated this possibility.
The Intelligence Agency was not surprised at all by this operation, which shows how they usually operate.
However, this also reveals what kind of image Ershan had in the eyes of his colleagues.
Wu Youren scoffed disdainfully, "This is your Great Liang Intelligence Agency? Heh."
"You don't need to test me," Sister Hua replied expressionlessly; she was truly adept at this kind of rhetoric.
She stated very decisively, " The Intelligence Agency is unlikely to contact you again in the short term—because you are also keeping your distance from the Jin."
That's why she was so polite to the young man from Jin.
Those threatening and intimidating words were just her way of doing things; she knew very well that the other party had no intention of making any trouble in Great Liang.
Past experience has shown that it is very difficult to coerce or entice this person.
The other party has probably already made up their mind to keep their distance from all forces and want to remain uninvolved.
For the hostages of the State of Jin, this was the most difficult path to take, but from a certain perspective, it was also the wisest choice.
In short, the target has no inclinations and no value to her, so she doesn't need to put in too much effort.
Sister Hua knew very well how ruthless and unpredictable those guys in the Foreign Affairs Agency who were in charge of subversion were.
What those people can't do—well, if the Intelligence Agency puts in a little effort, it might be able to do it too.
However, if the investment is large but the results are poor, then it's not worthwhile.
The Intelligence Agency isn't idle; why is it taking over the Foreign Affairs Agency's business?
If the other party is weak or has obvious weaknesses that make them easy to manipulate, she naturally wouldn't mind taking credit for them.
However, when the time came to test the waters, she still had to ask, "What are you planning to do next?"
"Fighting the Weird Race," Wu Youren replied expressionlessly. This trip to the mountains had brought him another wave of experience points.
Whether it was the deaths of the Ability User and motorcyclists, or the elimination of those Weird Race, they all gave him considerable rewards.
Moreover, he could sense that Sister Hua's attitude towards him had changed.
He couldn't be sure if it was a smokescreen with ulterior motives.
Although the reasons they gave seemed plausible, can you really trust an organization like that?
So his current option is to stay by the mountainside – in case of any further trouble, he can just head into the mountains!
In Wu Youren's mind, he might be a little stronger now than before, but he definitely couldn't withstand the Intelligence Agency's mistreatment.
The best way to prevent someone from causing you trouble is to increase the marginal cost of their actions.
If you're willing to do something that's optional, please consider the potential consequences.
People will do business that could cost them their lives, but nobody will do a business that loses money. Even in war, costs and benefits must be considered!
If he could create more obstacles in the cost aspect, the other party would be more likely to back down.
"I'll stay nearby for the time being, waiting for Hong Da to arrive—if your Intelligence Agency isn't satisfied, that's fine too."
"I have no interest in dealing with you anymore," Sister Hua said quietly, "But the people from the Intelligence Agency can't have died in vain."
"What does that have to do with me?" Wu Youren replied nonchalantly, "One died at the Weird Race, and the other was killed by you."
"At worst, I'll just go back into the mountains and die at the hands of the Weird Race. That's better than the human race fighting amongst themselves!"
"Heh," Sister Hua sneered, "How long do you think this Weird Domain can last?"
"I'll live one more day as long as I can," Wu Youren replied unhurriedly.
Talking to someone who's cunning and calculating is risky; the more you say, the more mistakes you're likely to make. So he chose to keep his answers as simple as possible.
You could even be more blunt. "You don't understand protons, so don't bother talking about them."
Sister Hua remained silent. "Not understanding the hostage" sounds like only four words, but why does it feel so heavy?
"Never mind, let's not talk about this—is the Resentment Qi Crystal a result of Ershan?"
"Is this important?" Wu Youren neither denied nor intended to admit it. "It only happens if you kill the Weird Race."
The expression on Sister Hua's face was somewhat strange. "I heard he has more than a dozen crystals."
"He's carrying over ten thousand pills," Wu Youren replied calmly. "You can go in and pick them up now; you might still make it in time!"
"Why get so worked up?" Sister Hua laughed, her face beaming with delight.
Even the tight-fitting Knight attire couldn't withstand the surging waves.
"What I want to ask is, don't you need to replenish Weird-Exterminating Grenade Weird-Dispelling Powder?"
"I definitely need to add something," Wu Youren nodded readily at first, then said somewhat embarrassedly.
"But I'm afraid of the Intelligence Agency, so I dare not go back to Red Pine."
This is the absolute truth, and what's even more remarkable is that he just said it directly.
"You don't need to test me," Sister Hua said with a disdainful smile, indicating that she was immune to such words.
"I'm trying to persuade you to go back to Red Pine now, it seems like I'm setting you up. So, you stay here—what resources do you want?"
"Given away for free?" Wu Youren's face was filled with the words "overwhelmed with gratitude."
"Give it to me for free—that's fine, but I dare to give it to you, do you dare to take it?"
"Let's still make a deal, but I—you know, I'm very poor."
You definitely still Resentment Qi Crystal within you!
Wu Youren sighed, "I may not have that, but it's possible to trade it. However, am I, a mere Martial Academy student, worthy of it?"
"Don't try to fool me," Sister Hua said, indicating she wasn't buying it.
"Whether you get it from Ershan or need to go in and kill more monsters, I will provide the supplies in exchange for your Resentment Qi Crystal."
"I'm keeping this a secret for you, I must be after something, right?"
Wu Youren glanced at her sideways, "Why wasn't it me who kept it a secret for you?"
Please get this straight: it was you, not me, who went so far as to ruthlessly harm your colleagues!
Sister Hua remained unmoved, instead asking with a half-smile, "How come I never noticed before that you could be so petty?"
"If we were to discuss this openly, who do you think would be in a more passive position between us?"
Wu Youren remained silent for a while before speaking, "Does the Intelligence Agency have a death quota?"
"Huh, you even know this?" Sister Hua raised an eyebrow, looking at him with surprise—so precocious at such a young age?
The next moment, she shook her head. "More than that—how do you think the military will quell this scandal?"
She wasn't the only one who offered her blood oath.
"Hmm—" Wu Youren pondered for a moment, then shook his head blankly, "I don't know, what's their relationship with the Intelligence Agency?"
"You don't need to ask around," Sister Hua said, quite sensitive to this kind of topic, and immediately warned the other party sternly.
Then she changed the subject, saying meaningfully, "The military likes things to be simple and brutal, understand?"
Seeing that the other person still looked clueless, she snorted coldly, "Don't play dumb in front of me!"
"I don't believe you didn't anticipate being silenced."
"Silence them?" Wu Youren looked stunned, and after a long while, he muttered in a low voice, "The adult world is so dangerous!"
"Tch," Sister Hua scoffed dismissively, seemingly convinced that he was just putting on an act.
In fact, she was also reminding herself not to be deceived by the other person's naive appearance.
"So, are you still planning to refuse this deal?"
Wu Youren remained silent for a long time before asking, "Can Resentment Qi Crystal really help people awaken?"
The Resentment Qi Crystal was of little help to him, but he had to bring up the issue.
This proves his greed and is tantamount to handing over his weakness to the other party.
"I advise you to give up on it," Sister Hua said slowly. "For you, not awakening is better than awakening. You'd better believe me."
The young man from Jin hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Can I have any supplies I want?"
"What are you thinking?" Sister Hua smiled dismissively. "It's mainly about supplies for the battle against the Weird Race, so the power can't be too great."
"Besides that, I can provide you with some daily necessities."
Wu Youren thought for a moment before replying, "The transaction should be based on the market price."
"That's impossible, 30% off," Sister Hua replied without hesitation.
"This is essentially door-to-door delivery, and many of these items are easily procured by the Intelligence Agency —you simply can't buy them."
I can't possibly trust your supplies without reservation! Wu Youren knew perfectly well what was going on.
Putting aside other considerations, he wouldn't dare gamble on the other party's character, even just regarding food and water.
Just say that it contains some addictive substances; once he consumes it, he will be completely controlled.
If he can swindle others out of food, then the Intelligence Agency's methods will only be even more unscrupulous.
After a long pause, he slowly shook his head. "20% off, or the deal is off—I'm very poor."