Chapter 340: Argument

Faced with Yan Jing's near-extortionate price, Mi Junwei's heart bled, but he could ultimately only agree in despair.

Stepping out of the negotiation area, Zeng Qing quickly caught up to Yan Jing.

"Did you guess earlier that Wen Tian and Li Chengxi would die?"

"How could I?"

Yan Jing smiled.

"Just good luck."

'Pretending again! As if anyone would believe that!'

Zeng Qing grumbled inwardly. Ever since she learned that the Yan Jing standing before her was at the Seventh Rank, she felt every single one of his actions held profound meaning.

And now, the deaths of Wen Tian and Li Chengxi only proved that point once again.

Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to expose his lie. She just nodded.

"That makes sense."

"Where to now?"

"To sleep," Yan Jing said. "I'm taking the rest of the day off. If you have time, look into something for me."

"Go ahead," Zeng Qing said.

"Around Chenghua Road, over by the Anthill, there's a very strange batch of Happy Water. Look into it for me," Yan Jing said.

"You want to dabble in the Happy Water business?" Zeng Qing's expression turned odd before she offered a word of warning.

"That stuff is bad news. Once you touch it, you won't be able to wash your hands of it."

"It's fine. I just want you to take a look first," Yan Jing said.

"That batch of Happy Water is different from the usual illicit stuff. It isn't highly addictive, but it tastes much better than regular Happy Water."

'Such a thing exists?'

Zeng Qing froze, quickly catching the scent of a business opportunity.

'Isn't that just an upgraded version of regular Happy Water? If we can secure it...'

Her eyes flashed.

"Alright, I'll look into it as soon as possible."

"Good. What's the schedule for tomorrow?" Yan Jing asked.

"Tomorrow... let me check."

Zeng Qing lowered her head to consult her Information Component before answering.

"Tomorrow is the scheduled time for Tianwei's second on-camera deployment."

"Alright," Yan Jing nodded. "I want to add a scene."

...

...

The Anthill.

Yan Jing and Qi Ming had abandoned their car just a few minutes prior and ducked into this alleyway.

Qi Ming reached up and wiped his face.

Just a dozen minutes ago, he had witnessed an unprecedented "assassination."

It completely shattered his worldview.

After using scattered seeds to intercept Li Chengxi's car, Yan Jing—armed with a single spear—unleashed a tempestuous assault that completely massacred everyone in the vehicle.

From start to finish, the entire ordeal took less than half a minute.

He hadn't used any flashy skills. Relying purely on his spear and his fists, he forcefully punched right through their defenses. That bulletproof sedan was treated like a piece of paper, casually crumpled into a ball.

It was only after seeing the strength Yan Jing displayed that he realized just how foolish Pan Yue had been to challenge him to a test of strength back then.

He had never seen such terrifying power.

Never.

Not even years ago, back when their Zhoulin became number one in the Third Ring Domain.

"Mr. Yan, I want to apologize to you again. As you could tell, even though I agreed to Shen Youran's request, I subconsciously felt your abilities might not be enough, and I wanted to handle this Dungeon myself."

He caught up to Yan Jing and continued, "Please understand. Years ago, our Zhoulin faced countless geniuses, but without exception, they all lost."

"I thought you were just like them."

Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, "Big Sister Shen was right. You really are... extraordinarily gifted."

That was the only phrase he could think of.

Unlike teasing flattery, offering genuine praise wasn't his strong suit.

Just as he said, their Zhoulin had once reached the Summit of the Third Ring Domain, conquering every other Seed besides themselves.

The fourth member of their team was the number one Seed in the Fourth Ring Domain.

They were shining stars in the truest sense.

As such, that kind of praise was usually offered to them by others.

No matter how agreeable he acted in front of Shen Youran, his inner pride would always...

Yan Jing naturally heard the faint sense of pride in Qi Ming's tone whenever he talked about Zhoulin.

"It's fine."

Yan Jing smiled. "I find you very interesting, Mr. Qi Ming. That's why I kept you around."

"It wasn't just to make a point."

"I'm also very curious why you fell behind during Zhoulin's later stages."

At those words, Qi Ming's expression shifted. He tried his best to force a smile.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm just too lazy."

Hearing this, Yan Jing smiled as well and continued walking forward.

"Your ability is very strong. I don't know how powerful the rest of Zhoulin was, but your ability, at least, shouldn't be limited to what it is now."

Qi Ming's disguise ability shared some similarities with the Life Simulation Game, so Yan Jing understood its true potential better than anyone.

It was safe to say that given enough time, the ability was capable of far more than just gathering intelligence.

For the others to abandon Qi Ming when he possessed such a heaven-defying ability—something must have happened.

Something that was, in all likelihood, quite unpleasant.

Faced with Yan Jing's assessment, Qi Ming subconsciously held his breath.

'Shouldn't be limited to what it is now.'

To him, that phrase was undoubtedly an insult.

But in the end, he swallowed his anger.

After witnessing Yan Jing's strength, he genuinely couldn't find a single reason to vent his frustration.

Soon, the two arrived in front of a self-built house that looked to be in a state of long-term disrepair. After pulling up the rolling metal door at the bottom, they slipped inside and slowly made their way up to the second floor.

"Who is it?"

Zhou Xian's wary voice rang out from the top of the stairs as Weird Energy pervaded the area. Threads manifested in Yan Jing's eyes, instantly scattering the Weird Energy.

"Is everyone still here?"

Yan Jing looked at Zhou Xian with a smile.

Seeing it was Yan Jing, Zhou Xian reined in his Weird Energy and nodded.

"They're all here."

Pan Yue stepped out from the side. Seeing Qi Ming and Yan Jing return safely, she let out a sigh of relief.

"You really did it."

She originally thought the two would come back injured, but looking at them now, neither seemed hurt at all.

"To be precise, Mr. Yan accomplished it entirely on his own."

Qi Ming's voice was calm.

Pan Yue's pupils contracted.

She hadn't expected Yan Jing to pull off the assassination single-handedly, let alone for Qi Ming to willingly admit it.

She knew profoundly just how proud Qi Ming was.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately started lagging behind and skipping the later Dungeons just because he was criticized a few times back then.

Zhoulin was a team that pursued perfection. Anyone who fell behind would be abandoned.

"Heh... Mr. Yan really is amazing."

She smiled, then nudged Qi Ming next to her and chuckled.

"But did you go easy on purpose again, kid?"

Zhou Xian frowned.

This wasn't the first time.

He could sense that this Pan Yue was trying to sow internal division.

She was subconsciously pulling herself and Qi Ming closer together while treating Yan Jing and himself as outsiders.

Qi Ming had a similar problem.

Although he didn't voice it as directly as Pan Yue did, and he appeared to follow Yan Jing's arrangements closely, that was only because he had promised that woman named Shen Youran. Deep down, he still didn't approve.

Perhaps that team had truly been too dazzling back then, leaving them unable to move on from their past glory.

Regardless, it didn't sit well with him.

Voicing his discomfort directly was his life motto, so he spoke up bluntly, "Completing the mission this quickly—even if Qi Ming didn't hold back, he probably couldn't have pulled it off, right?"

"Besides, shouldn't Yan Jing be the one we're thanking the most? The rest of us barely did a thing."

Hearing Zhou Xian's obviously barbed words, Pan Yue furrowed her brow.

"I never said I wasn't grateful to Mr. Yan, did I? And how do you know Qi Ming couldn't do it?"

"While the four of us might not have contributed much effort, we still managed to find a safehouse."

"We're a team—"

"I don't think so," Zhou Xian interrupted coldly.

"I haven't seen any gratitude. All I've seen is you comforting Qi Ming. And this safehouse we found is completely useless. Now that two of them have been eliminated, the other side's location has been forcibly exposed."

"Since we, the assassins, never showed our faces, the outside world will definitely pin the murders on those six. That, too, is a result of the help Yan Jing provided."

"From start to finish, Yan Jing found the intel, Yan Jing killed the targets, and Yan Jing handled the aftermath."

"I don't know why you refuse to acknowledge him, but after seeing your performance in this Dungeon, I'm very disappointed in Zhoulin."

Pan Yue was stunned by the barrage of words. Her expression darkened as she shot back, "I think you're getting a little too emotional. From start to finish, I don't believe I've ever disobeyed Mr. Yan's orders."

"Furthermore, show some respect. When Zhoulin first rose to power, who knows where you even were."

Zhou Xian smiled.

"Perhaps. But I've only heard rumors of Zhoulin's strength. I've actually seen Yan Jing's strength with my own eyes."

"Besides, so what if you were strong? That's all in the past now."

At those words, Pan Yue's demeanor shifted drastically.

"Are you so strong? A Seed who can't even crack the top 50 in the Fifth Ring Domain."

"Do you have any idea how back then—"

"Pan Yue." At the sound of Qi Ming's voice, she fell silent.

Qi Ming then looked at Zhou Xian with a faint smile.

"You are certainly free to mock our Zhoulin. That's fine. But there are certain heights I hope you'll have the chance to witness one day. Furthermore, since you want to see Zhoulin's strength for yourself, I think the perfect opportunity has just arrived."

Saying so, Qi Ming took a step forward.

"Qi Ming."

This time, it was Pan Yue who spoke up. She was worried that Qi Ming was going to start a fight. This had been strictly forbidden by Shen Youran before they entered the Dungeon, and it wasn't something she wanted to see happen.

But Qi Ming kept his eyes fixed on Zhou Xian and said, "The other side's location has been exposed. They will face pursuit from the Inner World and have to hold out for ten hours."

"If I were them, my next step would be to find us—whether to redirect the danger or just to drag someone else down to share the firepower."

"Pan Yue and I will take responsibility for intercepting them. Not only will this contribute to the team, as you suggested, but it will also prove the might of Zhoulin to you."

"Even if a king has fallen, they are still a king."

"Of course..."

He turned his head to look at Yan Jing.

"We need Mr. Yan's approval."

"No problem."

Yan Jing smiled.

"I'd also like to see Zhoulin's true strength."

"Alright." Qi Ming nodded. The next second, he reached into his right eye socket, forcefully plucked out his right eyeball, and set it on a nearby table.

"You can use this eye to share my field of vision."

"Let's go, Pan Yue."

After he spoke, Pan Yue took a deep breath, ultimately nodding before the two of them walked out the door.

Inside the room, the two marginalized players shivered, not daring to make a sound.

Meanwhile, Yan Jing looked at Zhou Xian and smiled.

"Thanks for speaking up for me, Zhou Xian."

"I just stated the facts." Zhou Xian's expression remained indifferent.

"You really seem angry."

Yan Jing smiled. "Mind sharing why?"

Zhou Xian stayed silent for a few seconds. He grabbed an object from his pocket and flipped his palm open.

It was a Badge.

On the painted metal surface, six eye-catching figures were inlaid with six different colored gemstones. And behind them stood six entirely different shadows.

A main team of six, a support team of six—this was the Badge of Zhoulin from back in the day.

There was once a king who desired to rule the world, offering a heart full of burning blood to a Youth.

This was the Youth's ambition back then.

And today's anger was the Youth's disappointment.