Chapter 104 Fragile Balance (First Update)
Ordinary soldiers have always kept their distance from the Intelligence Agency, leaving the Military Intelligence Department to deal with them.
However, when it comes to Resentment Qi Crystal, then an exception should be made.
This person had previously expressed some doubt as to why the Intelligence Agency was so fixated on a Knight Apprentice.
If we're talking about hostages from enemy states, the Great Liang has plenty; what's one more?
Now that he understood, he was about to make his stance clear. "I've said before, the military doesn't lack Ability User!"
Sister Hua waved her hand calmly and said, "I'm not interested in military information!"
The soldier ignored her completely and instead looked at Wu Youren, "But we lack resources for training Ability User."
The young man from Jin glanced at him, his eyes filled with confusion: What does this have to do with me?
"You don't need to think about it," Sister Hua said calmly. "Colluding with hostages from an enemy country—what is the military trying to do?"
"It's nothing more than a transaction," the soldier- Knight replied casually. "If it weren't a transaction between you two, I certainly wouldn't interfere."
It's perfectly normal for the Intelligence Agency to have contact with hostages from foreign countries; why would he get involved?
"But since it's a transaction, everyone who sees it gets a share!"
His previous attitude towards the Jin youth was definitely not friendly; the Liang army also suffered heavy losses in the war twelve years ago.
But now it's a battle for resources, which is a different matter. In the military, when it's time to take action, one must not hesitate.
"A share for those who see it?" Sister Hua scoffed. "Don't try to justify your bandit-like ways."
"I'd like to see who dares to lay a finger on our Intelligence Agency!"
"You are a private individual, and so am I," the soldier -Knight said calmly.
He also pointed out the key question, "Who dares to openly admit to your side job?"
Undoubtedly, it's normal for the Intelligence Agency to turn a blind eye to their shady dealings, but they can't be done openly.
Sister Hua gestured with her chin at the boy, "Ask him if he dares to accept."
The military couldn't control the protons, but the Intelligence Agency could easily find hundreds of pretexts to make things difficult for them.
Moreover, she knew that the boy's father had died at the end of that battle, and even if it was a family feud, it was no ordinary one.
The military Knight ignored her and kept looking at Wu Youren. "I advise you to think it over carefully."
"She can't stay here every day, but I'm always here!"
That's typical of military style; coercion and bribery are both blatant.
"It doesn't matter who it's given to," Wu Youren said thoughtfully. "Anyway, it's already agreed that there will be a total of eight coins in the transaction."
"Eight," the military Knight glanced at Sister Hua, "They really dare to ask for such an exorbitant amount. Aren't they afraid this little guy will die in the Weird Qi?"
Crystals are not easy to obtain. The assistant Ability User Ershan, who died earlier, only had two Resentment Qi Crystal with him.
"It saved him a lot of trouble, it was worth it," Sister Hua replied calmly, she really didn't care about the other person's life or death.
She firmly stated, "I promised you eight, and I won't give you a single one less!"
The soldier ignored him, focusing only on the young man from Jin. "Then you should consider your own safety."
After pondering for a long time, Wu Youren finally spoke up, saying, "I sincerely hope that the friendship between Jin and Liang will last forever!"
"Little guy—you really know how to be patient!" Sister Hua's lips twitched slightly. "If your father hadn't died, why would he need you as a hostage?"
To simply say "a builder about to awaken" and send the descendant of such a person to Liang —how utterly neglected and unloved must they be?
Wu Youren paused, then continued, "I don't want any misunderstandings, so let's try again and trade three more coins?"
"Three?" The soldier's face darkened upon hearing this. "They're all Knight, kid. How much do you look down on me?"
"I was going to say two," the boy replied helplessly, "The drop rate for crystals is really low."
Upon hearing this, Sister Hua became even more displeased, "Two of my Intelligence Agency Knight perished in the calamity!"
But the soldiers persisted, and they finally agreed on four, bringing the total to twelve.
Wu Youren also proactively stated that the transaction with the military was also at a 20% discount, and he sincerely hoped that the two countries could maintain their friendly relations for a long time.
"You're quite sensible," the military Knight scoffed. "I originally wanted to buy it at half price!"
"A 50% discount? That's practically robbery, isn't it?" Wu Youren nodded with a smile. "Then I'll have to rely on you for my safety, sir."
Seeing that things had come to this point, Sister Hua had no way to stop it, so she could only snort coldly, "You're in for a lot of work right now."
The boy ignored her and looked at the soldier instead. "What if I could bring out other spoils of war?"
"Half price," the military Knight replied without hesitation. "For melee weapons—one-tenth, twenty percent at most!"
"I'm not trying to bully you, but battlefield spoils are a completely different matter from market value!"
From a soldier's perspective, this statement is absolutely correct.
In fact, after a series of battles, the soldiers were lucky to survive; looting the spoils of war was a piece of cake.
Not to mention cold weapons, they're very expensive for civilians, but would the military lack them?
"I can buy it too, at 10% more," Sister Hua decisively raised the price, "You can consider who to sell it to."
Wu Youren was somewhat speechless. "What I mean is—can I take it with me?"
"We'll see," the soldier said calmly. "By the way, she's already got two; the next one is mine."
"You!" Sister Hua glared at him fiercely, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Wu Youren watched the two argue, but remained silent.
He's at the mercy of others, like a fish on a chopping board. It's already good enough that he managed to get some leverage over himself; going too far is as bad as not going far enough.
Before the two could even finish their discussion, he started renovating his temporary residence.
Sister Hua had already expanded the space, but he wanted to make it even more comfortable and add some more mechanisms.
What's remarkable is that after the two sides reached an agreement, the military Knight actually took the initiative to ask, "You're digging a tunnel, do you need my troops to help?"
Wu Youren was genuinely surprised this time. He had heard that it was common for officers in Liang to assign soldiers to do private work without paying them.
Being given a decent meal is already considered good; don't they have food in the military camp?
How could a hostage from an enemy country like myself receive such treatment?
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "This... thank you, sir, but no need. I don't know how many days I can stay."
He still spends most of his time in the mountains, mainly because he doesn't want outsiders to know about his living conditions.
It would be a miracle if he accepted your help! Sister Hua knew this all too well.
However, she wouldn't reveal this to the military, but instead continued with the same old question, "Why do I have a feeling that you're about to awaken?"
Wu Youren blinked, looking completely bewildered. " Sister Hua means she can provide me with some information about awakening?"
Contrary to his outward confusion, he was inwardly screaming, "Do you have to be so damn observant?"
I've said it again and again, why don't you give me some information?
He really has reached a bottleneck, not in the area of Knight, but in the Daoist system.
The Qi Nourishing is fully replenished; all twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians are open, so full they're almost overflowing.
His plan for this trip was to prepare a large amount of supplies, go into the mountains for two or three months, and then come out after advancing his cultivation level.
Unexpectedly, Sister Hua's insight is exceptionally sharp; she could even see this.
"Awakening data, what are you thinking?" The female Knight looked at him with a half-smile. "Have you forgotten my warning?"
"Besides, even if I dared to give it to you, would you really dare to practice it?"
"Of course I dare to train!" Wu Youren answered without hesitation, "I've had enough of this precarious existence!"
"If it can improve my strength, I will try it without hesitation, at least to have more ability to protect myself."
This is the mindset a young person should have. It doesn't conform to the political correctness of Liang, but it kneels in the face of reality.
"Protons—that's certainly true," the military Knight nodded, setting aside personal likes and dislikes, acknowledging the truth of the matter.
He even teased Sister Hua, saying, "Then why don't you get him some information about awakening?"
"Then why don't you go and do it yourself!" the female Knight glared angrily.
"I don't have any, do I?" The military Knight shrugged, stating quite frankly, "You—don't lack any!"
Sister Hua couldn't help but shake her head, "You soldiers, all you have in your heads is muscle!"
The seriousness of secretly helping a hostage from an enemy country awaken is at least three orders of magnitude different from secretly making a little money!
Things had come to this point, and she had nothing more to say, so she turned around and left.
If the next Resentment Qi Crystal doesn't belong to her, then what's the point of her staying?
Wu Youren rested in the cave for three days before quietly leaving in the middle of the night.
He had obtained a lot of food and water from the Martial Academy last time, and more than twenty days had passed. His stock was running low, so he planned to get another batch.
He also needed to find Cynthia this time, since he didn't want to bother two people at once.
This time, however, the female warrior didn't come with Luo Xi; instead, she brought Liu Jingming with her.
Luo Xi wanted to go to the mountains last time, but was refused. She probably doesn't like pointless socializing, so she's not coming this time.
Cynthia explained that Luo Xi had just accepted a mission from Tianjing and was leaving in a couple of days, so she needed to make preparations.
Wu Youren didn't bother with any of that. He was more curious about how Liu Jingming had managed to leave the Martial Academy.
However, when he asked, he found that this was not surprising at all; the other party had been assigned a task, and it was mandatory.
The hostage He Wenhao, who has already died, perished in such a mission.
But Liu Jingming was indignant about this, "I've only been here a short time, and they're already assigning me mandatory tasks? Someone's sabotaging me!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Youren laughed, "Then your skill in stirring up hatred is far superior to mine. I've never been hated to that extent."
"Isn't this... you know?" Liu Jingming winked at him, the meaning quite clear.
"Stop beating around the bush, it's just some honey!" Cynthia said impatiently. "Why would I care about that?"
"Oh, what honey?" Wu Youren asked, looking surprised.
The female warrior rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention, but she didn't say anything offensive.
"This is really damn true—comparisons are odious!" Liu Jingming gritted his teeth in anger. "I was handsome back in the day too!"
Chapter 105 Attack (Second Update)
Wu Youren ignored Liu Jingming's antics and instead looked behind him, "You got a curved knife?"
"Secondhand goods," Liu Jingming sighed, "Thanks to Cynthia's introduction."
"That's at least two thousand," Wu Youren nodded. "Congratulations, you've made a fortune."
Such spending power would have been unimaginable for the two of them in the past at Jin Garden.
"I'm still borrowing money from Cynthia," Liu Jingming chuckled dryly, "It's Youren has a lot of influence."
"That was a loan from her, it has nothing to do with me," Wu Youren said calmly. "I won't help you pay it back."
Liu Jingming is the only one he is still willing to accept among the hostages, but this trend cannot be allowed to continue!
"What are you saying?" Liu Jingming rolled his eyes. "You'd better take care of yourself."
It might sound like a bickering, but as fellow protons, isn't it also a subtle expression of concern?
They didn't come by car; Cynthia rode her motorcycle, while Liu Jingming walked.
The two of them carried less supplies than they had last time, so they went back a second time to get about half as much again.
Then the two watched as Wu Youren, carrying large and small bags, sped off into the distance.
For a moment, the two were speechless. After a long while, Cynthia finally asked, "Is he about to advance in his cultivation level?"
Such physical strength is difficult for the average Knight Apprentice to achieve.
"Impossible," Liu Jingming answered without hesitation, pausing before adding, "Advancing to the next level before eighteen is certain death."
Only the protons have the right to speak on this topic.
Wu Youren brought nearly 700 jin (350 kg) of food and water this time. Putting aside the issue of transportation, the sheer volume of the supplies was enormous.
It's impossible to move such a large bundle of supplies without attracting attention.
He had all the necessary paperwork, but even so, he couldn't avoid being targeted.
The situation is currently very strange, but in the vast wilderness, it is still rare to see any people around.
However, he was still being watched, and as he stepped over a ridge, a cold glint flashed before him.
They were archers, hiding behind a few trees to their side and slightly in front.
Almost simultaneously, a bright flash of light appeared below the earthen embankment, slicing diagonally upwards towards the boy.
A really tricky angle!
However, Wu Youren suddenly stopped, his body instantly flipped over, and his back faced forward.
This movement is incredibly fast, completely illogical, and seems to defy the laws of physics.
Although he stopped, the heavy bundle on his body still flew forward.
Fortunately, he used a marching knot when he tied the package, which allowed him to quickly untie it in a hurry.
Even so, the three packages flew forward, causing him to stumble slightly.
However, taking advantage of the angle of his body, Wu Youren drew the long sword from his back.
His inner energy instantly flowed into the longsword, and with a flick of his wrist, he slashed diagonally upwards with incredible speed.
The attacker was completely taken aback; he hadn't expected his opponent to be so alert, and even more remarkably, to react so quickly.
His strike was not only concealed and sudden, but also at a tricky angle and with tremendous force.
Not only does it project sword energy outwards, but it also has several unpredictable counter-attacks, making it difficult for an ordinary Knight to escape.
But he never expected that the person he had ambushed was such a freak!
As the enormous package hurtled towards him, he slashed at it with his knife.
The instant he struck the package, he used the force to his advantage, leaping backward and shouting, "Stop!"
Where could he stop? Wu Youren moved like a ghost, following closely behind, his wrist flicking as his long sword swept horizontally.
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere!
"Hmm?" He couldn't help but let out a soft hum. This guy—he's actually a Knight?
If it were Knight Apprentice, even if he wasn't cut in half at the waist, at most his spine would still be connected after taking this blow.
The attacker, however, was only stabbed in the stomach.
The opponent's movement technique wasn't particularly strong; they didn't dodge it. It was purely due to their solidified Battle Qi and thick skin.
"Spare me, this was a mistake—" The knife-wielder was terrified and hurriedly begged for mercy.
However, before he could finish speaking, he felt a tightness around his neck, and the only sound he made was a "whoosh"—
Wu Youren didn't even look at him; his figure flickered and he rushed towards the trees with incredible speed.
The Knight swordsman's fighting ability had already been crippled by him. Even if he gritted his teeth and fought desperately, he could at most fire two more shots.
He quickly scanned the man; he noticed the man carried no long gun.
A pistol posed little threat to him, let alone in the hands of a dying man.
The archers are a significant threat and must be eliminated as a priority.
Unfortunately, he also didn't have a rifle; at such a distance, a pistol would be almost useless.
Just as he charged forward, the archers on the other side fired six or seven arrows in quick succession.
The firing rate was almost comparable to that of a pistol firing in rapid succession.
A barrage of arrows— Wu Youren's movements became increasingly unpredictable.
The opponent's archery was not only fast, but also incredibly accurate; in just a few breaths, he nearly hit him several times.
While nocking an arrow, the archer can also quickly change position to dodge possible ranged attacks.
What's even more remarkable is that he fired without making a sound.
Even after witnessing his companion's gruesome state, the arrows remained steady and swift, without offering any explanation like the swordsman.
Wu Youren had to admire such composure.
However, it was precisely because of this that he made up his mind: absolutely no survivors should be left.
The archer was originally about 150 meters away from him, but he darted around continuously, closing the distance to less than 100 meters.
The enemy was truly composed; even at this distance, they remained calm and continued firing arrows.
Wu Youren had no interest in gambling on when the other party would escape. When they were about eighty meters away, he raised his hand and threw two grenades.
He had already engaged the safety mechanism on the grenade beforehand, calculating the lead time accordingly.
Even if you can't hit anyone with the arrows, you should at least disrupt their movements; otherwise, the closer you get, the greater the threat they pose.
Two muffled thuds rang out one after the other, sending dirt and stones flying. A figure flashed across the way and finally spoke, "Damn it!"
It's not common to throw a grenade from this distance; usually, it's around 50 or 60 meters to ensure maximum accuracy.
But that's not the point. The point is—how did what started as mutual slaughter in the wasteland suddenly turn into a war mode?
The most common understanding is that when facing a monster disaster, warriors might use Weird-Exterminating Grenade, while grenades used in human battles are not commonly seen.
The boy was wearing Red Pine uniform and threw two at once. Could he have connections in the military?
The two grenades did indeed interrupt his movements, and seeing that things were not going well, he chose to turn around and flee.
Since the enemy has grenades, those trees are no longer a reliable support.
There are small groves of trees in the wilderness, but how could an ordinary lone traveler possibly get close to those places? His ambush would be useless.
The archer was running at a speed not much slower than Wu Youren, and it seemed he might be another Knight.
Seeing that the boy was hot on his heels, he turned around abruptly as he ran and fired two more arrows in quick succession.
Wu Youren was on guard against this move; not long ago, he had also been chased by three Knight from the Intelligence Agency.
He understood the mindset of both the pursuer and the pursued.
Now it's his turn to pursue, truly a case of karma coming full circle.
As the other person turned around, he suddenly ducked and threw another grenade.
What a coincidence! The grenade's lead time was perfectly timed at that exact moment.
However, his estimation of the lead time for the throw was not very accurate, and when the archer turned to run again, he actually made a U-turn.
Even so, the grenade exploded with a bang, and the shockwave from the blast made the man stagger.
He slowed down noticeably.
Wu Youren ignored all of that. Since the other party dared to turn around and shoot, he also drew his pistol and loaded it with ordinary ammunition.
Immediately afterwards, he switched to shooting and chasing mode.
Shot after shot, slowly and deliberately, the two pistols took turns firing.
Therefore, the archer no longer dared to turn around and fire, and could only run for his life.
He had some doubts in his mind; weren't there very few Knight among the Red Pine students?
Faced with the current serious and bizarre situation, a large number of Knight Apprentice have already been dispatched. Could this one really be Knight?
However, since they are students, even if they are at the Knight level, their advancement should not have been long.
This guy really didn't believe it; he thought that his years of Knight meant he couldn't possibly be weaker than his opponent in terms of endurance!
Next, he focused solely on escaping, remaining silent and only hoping not to be hit.
Gunshots rang out from behind, bullets whistling past my side and overhead.
Puffs of dirt flew everywhere, and clouds of dust rose up.
Everything was so agonizing, so terrifying.
This man was indeed resolute enough, but even so, he silently prayed that the other side didn't have much ammunition.
The target of this attack was truly elusive.
He was supposed to be Knight Apprentice, but in a single encounter, he took down his partner.
But if that's not the case, why would Knight carry so many ordinary bullets and grenades to deal with a calamity?
This level of weaponry was primarily provided to Knight Apprentice and ordinary people, and the targets were also their own kind.
Knight rely more on melee weapons and various anti-magic weapons!
He truly hadn't expected that the Intelligence Agency had deliberately provided a significant amount of ordinary ammunition during their transaction with Wu Youren.
This type of ammunition wouldn't cause much damage to the Knight.
The hostage princes of Jin had no choice at all!
The archer was running when he suddenly felt a jolt in his back, as if someone had punched him from behind.
He'd been shot! He knew it perfectly well.
Given his Battle Qi prowess, he should have been able to withstand that shot.
Pistol bullets pose little threat to the Knight, especially considering he is dozens of meters away and still has the momentum to run forward.
Even so, his heart sank slightly.
This is not a good sign!