Chapter 436 - New Member?

Shen Mei took the opportunity to retreat and with a deadly backflip quickly moved several meters back. Instead of continuing to attack Evangeline, Shen Mei simply stood and looked at her with surprise shining in her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked unconsciously.

Although there were all sorts of brilliant skills, Evangeline's combat ability clearly did not come from a scroll. Her movements were too fluid to possibly have obtained such a fighting prowess from a scroll since if it had been then it would need to be a really high level skill or else it was impossible to move like that.

In fact, as far as melee combat was concerned and leaving aside all other aspects, Bai Zemin was still a bit behind Evangeline despite having a passive trap skill like his Special Forces Soldier skill.

"Evangeline." The lethal assassin replied.

Her voice was flat without much emotion just like in most cases for unfamiliar people. Even when talking to Bai Zemin it was rare times when Evangeline showed any sign of latent emotion.

Hearing the young woman's reply in front of her, Shen Mei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She only asked that question before purely because of the surprise she felt and honestly didn't expect an answer, but to receive an answer so.... Funny like that, was a bit too much, wasn't it?

All those who saw the confrontation of the two women were dumbfounded. To the eyes of normal humans or most soul evolvers present, Evangeline and Shen Mei's movements were agile and swift like two flickering shadows.

The confrontation between the two women lasted only an instant, two seconds at most. However, the life-threatening situations were several. It was just that it was impossible for the eyes to follow the movements of these powerful women as the Agility they both possessed was simply monstrous.

There were only two people who managed to see with clarity everything the events; these two people were Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue. Even Chen He failed to see precisely everything that happened during that brief but deadly exchange completely, something that surprised him greatly since one of his main stats was specifically Agility.

"This... What happened?" Fu Xuefeng was stupefied. Someone of his level did not have the ability to comprehend Evangeline and Shen Mei's movements unless he activated Lightning Movement; only then could he have a chance to see more than two shadows flitting across the battlefield or hear the sound of metal clashing against metal.

However, Fu Xuefeng did not understand Bai Zemin's thoughts so he hurriedly said anxiously, "Big br- Legion Leader, wait a moment please! This is the person I told you about before! She allowed me to flee alive even though she could have captured me or even killed me if she wanted to!"

Bai Zemin looked at him and almost laughed out loud.

Fu Xuefeng was that kind of person who always felt indebted unless he somehow returned the favor, and since Shen Mei had done him a favor regardless of what her true motives were he naturally wouldn't feel good if he saw her die before his very eyes.

"Don't worry. I have no intention whatsoever of killing this woman." Bai Zemin said indifferently before looking at Shen Mei with a smile that was not a smile as he calmly said, "You are a really smart woman.... I like to be friends with intelligent people rather than having allies with ape-level intelligence."

Shen Mei sighed a sigh of relief in her heart and the weight she felt finally disappeared. When the nervousness suddenly left her body, her legs abruptly felt weak and if not for her willpower she would have collapsed to the ground by now.

Just standing before Bai Zemin was frightening enough, let alone facing his entire faction who were like wild beasts watching her from the side, waiting for the right moment to pounce on her and devour her until they left nothing but her bones. Worse yet, there was even a young woman whose battle prowess surpassed her by a wide margin!

Shen Mei didn't know if the leader of the Transcendent faction would take her act of the night before well. Even if she let Fu Xuefeng go alive, what Shen Mei was doing was a gamble on Bai Zemin's character; a gamble that was indeed very risky as a single misstep would have cost her the life.

Fortunately, she was not wrong. On the contrary, she was right in a big way!

Shen Mei smiled playfully and said quietly, "What can I say.... I will do anything to survive. Without harming you and without harming the Baiquan Camp, I simply stayed out of all the trouble. Is that wrong?"

"No no, not at all." Bai Zemin smiled slightly and shook his head. "As I said, you strike me as a smart woman and that pleases me. There are many remarkable women who fight in one way or another alongside me every day, I'm sure you'll get along well with them if you decide to join us."

Since the other party did not mention anything about Evangeline then Bai Zemin did not say anything either. However, it was clear to those who managed to keep up with the two women that the winner had indisputably been Evangeline and that Fu Xuefeng's judgment really was flawed; probably skewed by nervousness and the lingering fear of potentially having been killed that night.

Shen Mei was undoubtedly strong, but Evangeline was on another level. Just now, Evangeline fought without activating even one of her skills, she only used nothing but her melee experience and Agility but was still able to overcome Shen Mei, who only managed to get out of the confrontation unscathed thanks to the activation of two of her skills.... If Evangeline really wanted her dead, Shen Mei would possibly not last more than a few rounds.

"Join you guys, huh..." Shen Mei looked at the people behind Bai Zemin and couldn't help but feel terrified. 

Leaving aside Bai Zemin himself, there were many existences that could not be ignored such as Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Wu Yijun, Evangeline, Yan Tu, Kang Lan, Fu Xuefeng, Zhong De, Cai Jingyi, Nangong Yi, and a few more.

Even that little girl who rode that huge black cat at the beginning of the battle was terrifying despite her age and cute face!

While there were few who could really present a challenge to Shen Mei, what terrified Shen Mei was not this but the potential of these people! Worse yet, they were all First Order beings whose power would allow them to live as proud leaders of any faction but in reality, they were all willing to follow a single man gladly!

This was something Shen Mei could not understand so she looked at Bai Zemin as if searching for answers. Was this young man in front of her so charismatic? Sure, he was tremendously handsome and terrifyingly powerful.... But this alone was not enough to make such powerful people willing to stand behind you with a smile. He needed more than that.

"If I join your fight, what will I get in return?" Shen Mei asked curiously.

Tactically, both she and Bai Zemin had accepted that the favor of allowing Fu Xuefeng to leave intact had been settled at this point and Bai Zemin would not seek trouble with her for attacking Fu Xuefeng and putting him in danger of being discovered. 

So, since a favor was settled, Shen Mei was not obligated to join Bai Zemin's faction. She could continue to live comfortably within the camp walls as long as it was allowed to her and could even hunt beasts on her own to survive so she didn't need to worry about food either.

Naturally, Bai Zemin was aware that attracting such fighters to his side was important and therefore he could not be stingy. However, he also could not be partial regardless of how strong Shen Mei proved to be or how high her evolutionary talent proved to be. Otherwise, many would complain about this.

Therefore, Bai Zemin put on a serious face and said in a deep voice, "The rules in my establishment are quite lax. If you don't want to join any of the battle legions, then that is also fine. However, as a soul evolver, you will naturally have to fulfill a certain purpose considering the current situation of mankind in general. If you do not want to fight on our side and prefer to fight for yourself, then do not worry as you will not be expelled in any way. In return, however, half of every beast you hunt and half of the number of Soul Stones you obtain must be handed over to the base. This will be strictly checked and if we find that you deceive us then you will be forcibly expelled and all your personal property will be confiscated."

Mankind was in danger of becoming extinct and this was no time to try to current righteousness. If Shen Mei did not want to join them despite the power she had to keep her freedom and avoid future trouble then that was her decision. However, it was impossible for Bai Zemin to allow someone so powerful and dangerous to live under his roof for free.

Bai Zemin had not yet finished and then he continued, "As long as you do not kill for pleasure or just because you feel like killing, as long as you do not rape, as long as you do not steal, as long as you do not try to stab my back or that of my subordinates; you can live a good life. I can guarantee that."

"In return, if you decide to join at this point, you will obtain the title Noble level 5 and immediately join the Blood Spear Legion or otherwise you will receive the title Noble level 7. The members of the Blood Spear Legion are all top-tier soul evolvers and as I assume you have already noticed, they all possess much purer Soul Power than those of the same level so even the weakest can fight two enemies of the same level at the same time."

Shen Mei looked quickly at the people standing behind Bai Zemin.

They were all standing in an orderly fashion, they looked like soldiers who had experienced years of training and this was what surprised Shen Mei a little as she was fully aware that it was impossible for all these people to have been soldiers before the apocalypse. It was hard in itself to gain the loyalty of soldiers unless one proved to be a truly worthy leader, not to mention the difficulty of pushing so many men and women to evolve despite the danger involved regardless of the benefits.

Straight back, firm posture, fierce eyes like those of wolves, bloodlust that oscillated occasionally.... Each and every soul evolver behind Bai Zemin was like a killing machine waiting to be ignited. Even the lowest level, who was currently level 14 after the death of all those at lower levels and evolving after acquiring Soul Power from various enemies, was a being that could definitely do what Bai Zemin said just now.

"Noble of level 5? May I ask what kind of scale is that?" she asked quizzically as it was the first time she heard of such a strange social system.

"My faction has a very simple but definitely effective and organized structure." Bai Zemin explained slowly. 

"From level 1 to level 7, everyone is categorized as Nobles with level 1 being the most privileged and level 7 being the one with the least luxuries and benefits. Regardless of whether it is soul evolver, soldier, police officer, or intelligence personnel; all Nobles within the same level receive the same treatment as this means that the existence of such a person is equally appreciated by me, the highest King and the one who has the most say in making decisions." He culminated and looked at Shen Mei with a strange glint in his eyes.

King? 

Shen Mei thought she had misheard.

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