Everyone has desires — the only difference is that so people's desires are for themselves, while others' desires are for... other people, once their own cravings have been satisfied.
Among the countless streaks of light racing toward the control center, the most blazing belonged to Hu Wei, and at his side flickered a symbiotic glow — none other than Da Yi, who had hidden within Mo Li's team from start to finish without ever revealing his identity!
These two Chaos followers had finally reunited. Hu Wei didn't ask what Da Yi had found, and Da Yi didn't ask why Hu Wei had co. The two simply fell into step with instinctive coordination, then began combing through the ruins for whatever secrets might remain.
Da Yi was a practical man. When he saw that the experintal equipnt and panels had been ground to powder, he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it all, there's nothing left to find. Lao Hu, quit wasting your ti."
Hu Wei snorted a laugh, ignored him, and kept searching. Da Yi had been bottling everything up through the entire ordeal, and now that the lid was finally off, he was desperate to pour out every thought that had been fernting inside.
He ranted about 0221, then pivoted to Zangier, then unleashed a tirade against the Tower of Logic and the Erudition Presidium. By the end he'd even spat a few choice words at Truth itself before reluctantly circling back to the matter at hand.
"What exactly are you looking for, Lao Hu? Wouldn't it be better to spend that energy figuring out what snatched Zangier away?
I assud the Fate Weaver who led us out was the big boss pulling strings again, but turns out it really was that Cheng Shi?
What the hell did he summon?
I've seen Hu Xuan before, but that tentacle thing that looked like 0221's appendages — what was that?"
"Birth's Envoy — the Sin Brood Mother, Go Lis. First ti I've seen her too. Forget about all that and co help."
"The Birth Envoy?
A Fate follower managed to get a Birth Envoy to help?
Void is that powerful?
Damn, no wonder Lord Ultraman was impersonating him — turns out the guy's the real deal."
"..." Hu Wei sighed, straightened up, and looked Da Yi squarely in the eye. "This Fate Weaver is no ordinary man. While you were away, I went to see the boss. He said Cheng Shi is already one of us."
"???" Da Yi froze, eyes going wide. "He fused with Chaos?"
"No, but close enough. Point is, Cheng Shi isn't just a brother to
now — he's our ally. And regardless of what he did at the end, just rember that he played his part in getting us out of this ss.
So drop the complaints and help
search. If we find anything useful, we'll set a portion aside for him."
"But 0221 already got dragged off by the Envoy Cheng Shi summoned. Anything we find can't possibly match what he's getting."
"This isn't about who gets more. I know you took a lot of grief in there, but rein it in. There's still work ahead."
That shut Da Yi up. He spat viciously on the ground and bent down to search in earnest.
Before long, he actually unearthed so tattered manuscripts in the rubble. But just as he reached to pocket them, a shadow materialized before him, snatched the manuscripts in an instant, and lted back into the darkness.
"Son of a — you dare snatch food from a tiger's jaws?!"
Da Yi was furious. His expression darkened and he gave chase, but he'd barely moved a step when an attack ca from the flank. His forward montum died instantly, and three Iron Thorns from his right hand scread toward the assailant's position.
The three thorns hurtled outward, weaving into a lethal net — but three sharp clinks rang out, and all three were deflected straight back. The thing that deflected them... was also Iron Thorns!
Gap Light Iron Thorns!
His opponent also wielded Gap Light Iron Thorns — and was a master at it!
Da Yi's gaze sharpened. He erged slowly from the shadows, six Iron Thorns dancing between his fingers, his expression grim as he studied the man across from him — another practitioner casually juggling six thorns of his own.
The other combatant had retreated the instant he struck, already putting distance between them. Only a handful of War assassins could pull off a move like that, and as it happened, Da Yi recognized this one.
"Doomsday Crucible?
Well damn, you got captured too? Funny — I didn't see you in the Premier's team. So you've been...
bred by 0221, have you?"
"..."
The one who had stolen Da Yi's find was Xie Yang, and Doomsday Crucible was his player ID.
The remark sent a wave of nausea through him. His eyelid twitched hard, but he said nothing. Instead, he directed the War Puppet behind him to tuck the manuscripts into his coat and spoke in a grave tone. "My apologies. I need these."
"And I'm sorry too — what you need happens to be mine!"
Da Yi smirked coldly, raising his hand to charge — but Hu Wei had materialized behind him at so point and clamped a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
"Da Yi, don't be rash."
Da Yi faltered, glanced at Hu Wei, then at Xie Yang, and held his tongue.
Seeing the Grand Marshal arrive, Xie Yang's expression shifted. But he didn't retreat. Instead, he drew four more Iron Thorns, sending ten thorns shuttling between his hands and his puppet like threads on a loom.
At the sight, Hu Wei laughed. "You want to fight ? What — interested in my Grand Marshal title?"
"Maybe soday, but not now. I've got a long way to go before I reach your level. But today, no matter who shows up, these manuscripts are mine."
Xie Yang showed no fear, though his stance leaned conspicuously more toward defense than offense — a clear sign he wasn't confident he could beat both of them.
The standoff quickly drew the attention of other Players, but the mont they spotted the Grand Marshal on one side, they wisely backed away.
They did spare a few appraising glances at Xie Yang before leaving, silently marveling at War followers' sheer audacity — the man was actually tweaking the Grand Marshal's whiskers.
Hu Wei frowned, planting his greatsword in the ground before him.
"Brother, there's no need for this. These manuscripts are just a couple of scraps of paper. We each copy one, share the contents, and call it even.
Besides, Da Yi found them first. You can't seriously expect to hog everything right under our noses."
Xie Yang's expression shifted, as though he might relent — but then he shook his head and said in a low voice, "Even if I could agree, I'd still need to ask my neighbor first."
"???"
The answer left both Hu Wei and Da Yi completely baffled.
Neighbor? What neighbor?
So this peak-level War assassin had snatched loot from Da Yi... for the sake of his neighbor?
Word had it that "Doomsday Crucible" was an emotional deviant who liked forging whoever he called his "beloved" into War Puppets. Looking at it that way...
Hu Wei cast an idle glance at the puppet behind Xie Yang, wondering if the man had found a new target and was looking for a change of flavor.
And that target was his neighbor?
But wasn't that a bit too absurd?
Whatever your relationship with your neighbor, that's enough justification to snatch manuscripts from under our noses?
Perhaps he'd been spending too much ti scheming and too little fighting, causing the Grand Marshal title to lose its bite among sa-faith Players. Apparently anyone felt bold enough to provoke him now.
Hu Wei sneered inwardly, but he didn't make a move. A thought had suddenly struck him — Cheng Shi had co here for his neighbor too. Since when had this "neighbor trend" beco the craze in the ga?
When exactly had this strange wind started blowing?
Da Yi's thought process was considerably less nuanced. When he heard the absurd excuse, he burst into an incredulous laugh.
"Damn, you think you're so kind of—"
He'd barely gotten half the insult out before Hu Wei grabbed his shoulder again, brow furrowed, and asked with so uncertainty:
"Hold on — your neighbor wouldn't happen to be Cheng Shi, would it?"
"?" Xie Yang froze. He'd never imagined anyone could guess that. "You know him?"
"..."
It really was?
Hu Wei laughed — a deep, hearty laugh. He nodded, then clapped Da Yi on the shoulder, and dragged his greatsword behind him as he walked away without looking back.
"It's yours. Let's go, Da Yi. Next ti, be quicker on the draw."
"Damn it all..." Da Yi shot Xie Yang a strange look, then cast a covetous glance at the War Puppet behind him. "The guy's nothing special, but his taste in neighbors isn't bad."
With that, he fell in behind the Grand Marshal and left.
Xie Yang watched their retreating figures with a complicated expression. His neighbor really commanded that kind of respect?
Enough for the Grand Marshal himself to swallow the "humiliation" of having spoils stolen right from under him?
Then had he repaid the favor he owed... or just dug himself deeper into debt?
Clutching the manuscripts he'd secured, Xie Yang furrowed his brow and sank into an agonizing spiral of thought.
Could this debt ever truly be repaid?
...
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