Chapter 667: Two Things

Chapter 667 Two Things

“I believe… … you should no longer have any questions, right?” Lei Hu ignored Chen Xiaolian’s sneer and softly clapped his hands. “If so, why don’t we discuss the conditions.”

“Conditions?” Chen Xiaolian raised his eyebrows. “Speak up, then.”

“Judging by your age and demeanour… … you two should be a couple, right?” Lei Hu’s gaze turned towards Qiao Qiao and Bluesea. “I do not know how you acquired that miraculous prop, which allowed you to come to his damned place. However, your courage and determination amaze me. This must be the power of love. What I do not understand is, this Awakened, what is his relationship with you?”

“Friend,” Chen Xiaolian replied coolly.

“To be able to make an Awakened who has lost his memories to accept you as a friend once more, it would seem you have quite the glib tongue.” Lei Hu chuckled. “It seems you plan on taking him along. If I am not mistaken, the prop that can bring others out from this World’s End has exactly two slots.”

“You are quite knowledgeable.” Chen Xiaolian smiled. However, his heart sank.

He had originally intended to casually promise Lei Hu that he would take him away with him as a method of buying time while he awaited Sister Yun’s arrival.

However, Lei Hu… … he actually knew that the number of slots left on the Lifehymn Music Score was two.

“Don’t put me on the same level as that idiot Sebast. Back then, he was just a minor foot soldier. As for me… … I was Bai Qi’s personal minister.” Lei Hu smiled. “Even when that blond man arrived to find him, I had been beside him all the time. Lifehymn Music Score. Is that the right name?”

Chen Xiaolian was silent.

“Don’t be surprised that I knew about Sebast’s matter. Although it is still far from being omnipotent, I can still deduce out some matters that are related to me.” There was a highly prideful expression on Lei Hu’s face. “Even your other companion… … mm, that woman. I have already made the proper arrangements for her. You can stop waiting for her.”

Chen Xiaolian’s heart sank again.

Looking at Chen Xiaolian’s face, Lei Hu continued calmly.

“I know that she is very strong. The strength that you two possess is far from enough to kill off Sebast, who is an [A] class expert. So… … it would seem that she is also an [S] class?

“However, in the Pantheon Temple, I had arranged for one other [S] class expert, four [A+] class experts, three [A] class experts and… … an [S] class spell array. With such a grand line-up, even if she grows wings, it would be difficult for her to fly away.”

“You haven’t told me your conditions,” said Chen Xiaolian coolly.

“I just wanted to give you a better understanding of the current situation. Young people get anxious too easily.” Lei Hu laughed.

Within this psychological warfare, he appeared to have gained the absolute high ground.

Every arrangements he made had been implemented to perfection. The degree of psychological pressure on his opponents had reached the greatest point as well.

Now was the time for him to reel in this beautifully crafted net of his.

“I believe that for you to obtain such a prop, your guild in the outside world cannot be weak. However… … no matter where or when, obtaining the friendship of an [S] class expert is never a bad thing. By taking me with you, you will obtain my friendship.”

“Friendship? Sound pointless to me,” replied Chen Xiaolian with an indifferent smile.

“You want something more specific and practical?” Lei Hu raised his brows. “It is simple. If you have a guild, I can join your guild and even accept you as the Guild Leader. I believe that having an [S] class in their guild is something that many could only dream of.”

“Those are some generous conditions…” Chen Xiaolian smiled.

“But of course. Like I said, I have always believed that, if we can obtain benefits through negotiations, then we should do our best to avoid the use of violence. When it comes to negotiations, I am never a stingy person.” Lei Hu revealed a dignified smile. “Besides, I have no plans to take anyone else. Given how this friend of yours is an Awakened, I believe that he was not originally part of your plan, right? Bringing me will not be a loss for you. After bringing me back, I’ll keep quiet, you keep quiet, your girlfriend keeps quiet, no one needs to know that you had once given up on a friend in World’s End. No… … truth be told, this cannot even be considered as giving up.”

Lei Hu spread open both hands and stood up. Then, he spoke in an upright manner, “I believe you should already be very familiar with the operating rules of World’s End. As an Awakened, he should have disappeared during one of the predetermined refresh cycles. Were it not for the mishap with World’s End some time ago, there was no way he could survive long enough to even meet you. Such is the laws of Heaven. Death has always been his fate. You are doing him no wrong, you are certainly not betraying him. You are just… … making the right decision!”

There was a gentle smile on Lei Hu’s face as he extended his hand out toward Chen Xiaolian. “Sebast is an old acquaintance of mine, I know his temperament very well. When he first encountered you, he must have immediately chosen to use the hard approach. A pity. For me, however, that is a good thing. He failed to obtain your trust. And yet, I ask that you trust me on this, him and me – we are not the same.”

Lei Hu waited for Chen Xiaolian to accept his hand, but Chen Xiaolian instead gave a faint sigh. He remained seated on the stump, not getting up to accept Lei Hu’s outstretched hand. “I have to say, you are really a top-class persuader. I now understand how you were able to bring those scattered Irregularities together to establish the vast Coalition and become its leader.”

“Thank you for your compliment.” Lei Hu smiled. His extended hand remained outstretched, steady and motionless.

“Do you know? I had once met another [S] class Irregularity. His name is Wu Ya,” Chen Xiaolian said slowly. “He had also tried to recruit me. Naturally, he did not know that I had the means to return and only wanted me to join the Coalition. Back then, I had informed him that I really do not see anything wrong with what you fellows are doing.”

“You met Wu Ya?” Lei Hu’s face revealed a slight look of surprise. However, he was quick to recover his smiling expression. “No matter, please continue.”

However, that instant where his expression flickered was noticed by Chen Xiaolian.

“The way I see it, be it your clearing of Awakened ones or what Sebast and you did in order to return, I feel that it is only right.” There was a sincere look in Chen Xiaolian’s eyes. “Everyone wants to live on. To be willing to die for the sake of those you do not know, those Awakened ones who were fated to be cleared off, I fear only saints could be willing to do something like that. As for me… … I am no saint.

“Thus, if I were in your shoes, or Sebast’s, or Wu Ya’s, there is a 99 per cent chance that I will do the same thing. Be it the clearing operations or doing all that is possible to return to the outside world. It is similar to being in an instance dungeon where the participants are split into two different factions. Even though there is no grudge between us, there is a need to kill each other. All for the chance of living on. The logic here is the same.”

“As expected, you are a smart fellow. I like smart fellows.” Lei Hu nodded his head with satisfaction.

“Thus, I have never thought of myself as the righteous party. Nor consider you, Wu Ya, Sebast and the other Irregularities as the villains. We are all slaves to the system. In this, good or evil, right or wrong, those do not matter. All that matters is where we stand.” Chen Xiaolian then released a lengthy sigh. “If I had never met Mr Bluesea, I believe I would never reject your offer. Unfortunately, in the end, we can only be enemies.”

Lei Hu’s hand remained extended in the air. However, the smile on his face was gradually falling.

“I am sorry. Abandoning my friend, my heart cannot do it.” Chen Xiaolian shook his head. “Unfortunately, I cannot accept your proposal.”

“And I had just praised you for being a smart fellow. Now, I retract my words.” Lei Hu pulled his right hand back. Next, he picked up the bowler hat on the table and placed it on his head once more. With an icy expression, he said, “Valuing friendship is a beautiful virtue. However, to sacrifice your own life and even the life of your loved one for the sake of friendship, that is utter stupidity.”

“Perhaps. However, it may not be a sacrifice.” Chen Xiaolian smiled. “It seems your Foresight skill is not always successful. At the very least, there are two things that you failed to predict.”

“Is that so?” Lei Hu sneered. “Which two things?”

Chen Xiaolian shrugged. “Firstly, you did not know that I had met Wu Ya. That means you did not know that I had seriously injured Wu Ya.”

“Wu Ya, you… … seriously injured him?” Lei Hu raised his head and laughed out. “Young man, you think this lie can scare me?”

“Wu Ya’s Unity of Five Energies skill is not his most powerful skill. His final move is to transform himself into a snake-headed dragon.” Chen Xiaolian smiled. “If you are one of the old guys from Bai Qi’s time, you should know about that, no?”

Lei Hu’s laughter came to a halt.

In World’s End, Wu Ya was something of a rising star among the younger generations. He was not one of the old guys from Bai Qi’s time. Although Lei Hu had not fought him before, through his Foresight skill, he was able to find out about Wu Ya’s power and skill.

Lei Hu also knew that whenever Wu Ya had to use his Magical Dragon Transformation skill to do battle, he would never leave any witnesses.

This young man before him had seen Wu Ya’s Magical Dragon Transformation and was still alive…

Could he had really defeated Wu Ya?

Or… … no, even if he had just managed to escape from Wu Ya’s Jormungandr form, that would mean he was no ordinary character.

Lei Hu was always a cautious person. Hearing Chen Xiaolian’s words, he quickly began re-assessing Chen Xiaolian’s strength.

Ignoring Lei Hu’s state of silence, Chen Xiaolian continued, “However, Wu Ya did not die by my hands. After he was seriously injured, Sebast sucked his dragon blood and his powers away. When he was killed, Sebast was… … 100 per cent an [S] class expert!”

Lei Hu’s gaze darted between Chen Xiaolian, Bluesea and Qiao Qiao. “Those are the two things you mentioned?”

“No.” Chen Xiaolian shook his head with a smile. “That is just the first. The second thing, when Sebast was killed, only one person had fought him. And that person… … is now coming here!”

“You’re bluff…” Lei Hu was in the middle of speaking up when the Sword in the Stone in Chen Xiaolian’s hand shot out, hacking down on his head.

“Go!”

At the same time that he had unleashed his attack, Chen Xiaolian roared out. Using his left hand to pull Bluesea, he then kicked out forcefully, causing a large hole to appear on the wooden wall of the small cabin. He then rushed outside.

…