Since Bai Cha had spoken, Mo Ziye had no choice but to remain silent. Michael, watching his usually fearless young master wilt like a frost-bitten eggplant, was trying hard not to laugh, feeling like he might explode.
Bai Cha was truly his buddy's kryptonite. Mo Ziye was notoriously defiant, yet Bai Cha could calm this agitated little chihuahua with a single sentence.
“Then there must be a battle plan, right? There are so many powerful green people, we can’t possibly defeat them all,” someone in the crowd dared to say.
“So you finally realized you’re weak, and you still came here to join the fun,” Su Qing said, rolling her eyes at the speaker.
Su Qing’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was deliberately meant to be overheard. A large portion of the crowd suddenly flushed with embarrassment.
Most of them were here to try their luck, as Dragon Power could indeed be enhanced through external means. However, the world’s beautiful landscapes were largely depleted, and all the rare treasures had been dug up. Scientific advancements in enhancement were limited, so who wouldn’t want to try?
After all, logistics and warriors were not treated the same. Who could have imagined that there would truly be nothing here?
“What are you arguing with them for?” Bai Cha shook her head in exasperation and stood up, addressing the crowd behind her. “Follow me later. When I tell you to run in, just run in.”
“But what if there’s danger?” another person interjected.
“Suit yourselves.” Bai Cha was truly too lazy to deal with ungrateful scum. She turned to the three people beside her and said, “Mo Ziye, you’re responsible for leading them in. Gu Zitang, you’ll lure those green people over, and Su Qing and I will handle them.”
“The two of you will handle them?” Hearing Bai Cha’s words, someone’s expression immediately changed. “What if you get overwhelmed and miss a few? Then we’ll all be…”
A flash of red light, a splash of blood, and the speaker’s throat was pierced before he could finish his sentence. No one had time to react before a bloody hole appeared in his throat.
He desperately clutched his throat, but it was no use. He could only look at Bai Cha, who had turned back and was discussing matters with Su Qing with a look of utter disbelief, his eyes wide with lingering shock.
Everyone around was terrified. They had initially thought Bai Cha was just trying to establish dominance by killing one person, but they hadn’t expected her to kill without a word. Even Mo Ziye was startled.
“Li… Little Bai, you, you can’t do this,” Mo Ziye said, his lips turning pale with shock. Trembling, he grabbed Bai Cha’s arm, his face filled with fear. “You’ve gone too far, Little Bai. They just said some harsh words; it’s not a capital offense!”
“Are you the one to decide what’s a capital offense?” Bai Cha looked coldly at the hands clutching her wrist.
Very white, very clean, so clean it was dazzling.
“Hundreds of thousands die from cyberbullying every year in this country. Are harsh words not a capital offense? So, I have to die before they are guilty?” Bai Cha’s voice was icy. Su Qing was so scared he immediately fell silent.
He knew Bai Cha’s brother, Bai Ze, had been driven to death by others’ words, a topic no one dared to mention. Mo Ziye’s words had clearly touched a nerve.
“But, but these are all students, future soldiers, the hope of the country,” Gu Zitang said, still a little shaken. His personality was as round as his physique. He had never witnessed such a scene of immediate execution. “Their worries are reasonable.”
“Exactly. If anyone can kill you just because they’re unhappy, what will happen to the country in the future?” Mo Ziye agreed.
“So, you’re fine with garbage and scumbags becoming the hope of the nation!” Bai Cha’s voice rose slightly. The evident anger instantly quieted the surroundings.
Su Qing: “……”
If you two want to die, don’t drag me with you. I’m scared!
“Ahem, Boss… Boss… Someone just sent a message. They’ve found Lord Lucifer.” Seeing them dancing on Bai Cha’s last nerve, Su Qing’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He leaned in and whispered in Bai Cha’s ear, like pouring cold water, “Qinghuan has already shattered her world bubble to get the crystal and has met up with Lord Lucifer.”
The best way to calm Bai Cha down was to share good news about the Shadow faction; everyone in the faction knew this.
Everyone knew that when their boss was upset, even mentioning someone’s progress in power or a successful mission could improve Bai Cha’s mood.
As expected, upon hearing this, the murderous intent in Bai Cha’s eyes immediately subsided. Lucifer and Gu Mingze didn’t have communicators, and after they parted, Bai Cha hadn’t been able to contact Lucifer, so she was naturally anxious. Now that he was found, Bai Cha was relieved and her expression softened considerably.
“Have Meng Qinghuan pass a message to Lucifer, telling him not to worry. I’m fine here,” Bai Cha nodded, her tone softening. She then pulled out a cigarette from her inner pocket and placed it in her mouth.
Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He recognized that the cigarette Bai Cha was smoking was not ordinary; it was a special spice meant to calm Bai Cha.
As long as Bai Cha was willing to suppress her anger, there was still room for maneuver. Su Qing was truly afraid that if Bai Cha got angry, she would wipe out the entire group behind them.
After all.
Getting angry was bad for Bai Cha’s health.
Her body and mind were already struggling to contain her power. What if she got sick from anger?
Alright, Su Qing admitted that he had no interest in those annoying people. His main concern was whether Bai Cha would have any problems.
“Alright, stop arguing. I’ve signed the agreement, so Miss Bai is not responsible for anything,” a somewhat reasonable person couldn’t stand it any longer and retorted with a frown. “If you have the guts, go on your own. Don’t waste our time here.”
“Exactly. With the time you’re wasting on complaining, Miss Bai might have already led us out,” many people were dissatisfied with the complainers. “You’re such ingrates.”
Bai Cha took a deep puff of the spice. The coolness shot straight to her forehead, like eating mint candy and then drinking a glass of ice water, making her feel instantly much better.
Sometimes, she was too lazy to explain. For some selfish idiots, any explanation was like casting pearls before swine.
“From now on, my words are orders. If you’re unhappy, leave. Don’t show off in front of me,” Bai Cha said coldly. “Don’t enjoy the benefits I bring you and then speak ill. Ultimately, I could abandon every single one of you. I’m bringing you along for the sake of Junyao as a whole, do you understand?”
Her words silenced both Mo Ziye and Gu Zitang. Bai Cha was right; the lives and deaths of everyone present had nothing to do with her, and she had no obligation.
Ultimately, the only one who truly had the obligation to protect them, the students, was perhaps Gu Zitang. However, Gu Zitang himself was barely able to protect himself. Mo Ziye, with his S-class ancestor dragon Michael, could still exert some power. Gu Zitang’s dragon was only A-class, and in this world, it was heavily suppressed.
As for Mo Ziye, he was simply acting out of a sense of justice.
Seeing everyone bow their heads and no one daring to speak, Bai Cha finally turned back to continue talking with Su Qing. “I’ve heard the data you reported earlier and have roughly calculated the positions of the various world bubbles. I’ll give you Lirong’s coordinates later, and I’ll control the world fragments to take you there.”
“Can’t we just leave directly?” Mo Ziye asked softly.
“No, based on the current data, these world bubbles are like stairs, and we are at the lowest level,” Bai Cha explained. “We must first go to the world bubble at the highest level and use that relatively stable springboard to return.”
“Will someone sabotage us?” Su Qing asked hesitantly, twirling his flute. He didn’t believe the Light faction would do nothing with their spatial cutters.
“Hmm, but we can only take it one step at a time,” Bai Cha shrugged. “After all, we are the black pawns.”
Hearing this, Su Qing also fell silent, with a hint of unwillingness.
It was like a game of chess. The Light faction was like the red pawns, and they were the black pawns. The red pawns always moved first, and when the red pawns attacked, they could only defend passively.
And their position as black pawns was also awkward. It was difficult to turn defense into offense, and they could only passively break the siege. After all, it all came down to one thing: the overall situation.
It was still a matter of identity. Their identities were special, and they couldn’t stand in the open.
“Alright, don’t think about it.” Bai Cha patted Su Qing’s shoulder in a comforting manner. “Let’s deal with the immediate matters first. These are not things you need to consider yet; it’s not too late to think about them later.”
Su Qing felt completely uncomfortated.
As long as Bai Cha was alive, these problems wouldn’t be their concern. What was the difference between “it’s not too late to think about them later” and “think about them after I’m dead”?
If their boss was gone, it would be even more terrifying!
Not comforted, but even more disheartened…
“Alright, Mo Ziye, go mingle with the crowd. Gu Zitang, follow me,” Bai Cha clapped her hands and began assigning tasks loudly.
In the boundless desert.
The scorching sun hung high in the sky. It was a sun that never set. More than a day had passed, yet the sun remained at the same height, bizarre and scorching.
The sky was blue, and the ground was yellow. In this world, besides yellow and blue, not a single other color could be seen, bringing despair.
The sun was high in the sky, and the desert’s heat waves distorted the air. This was Gu Mingze’s first time experiencing the terror of the desert. There wasn't even a single shrub, making everyone feel utterly exhausted.
He was accompanied by dozens of people, all extremely fatigued.
“Brother, are you alright?” Gu Mingze asked with difficulty, looking at Cang Liu, who was wrapped tightly in a black cloak beside him. If ordinary people couldn’t stand this weather, it would be even more deadly for a Merman.
“Mm,” Cang Liu responded in a low voice, his lips cracked. His throat felt dry and painful, as if opening his mouth would cause his lips and throat to shatter like dry leaves.
If it were an ordinary, fragile world bubble, they could have found a weak point to break through. However, it so happened that their location was in the middle to upper stratum, one of the most stable world bubbles. Even more unfortunately, the environment of this world bubble was a complete counter to Cang Liu.
“Hold on. Su Qing sent word that Miss Bai will reach us first.” The voice was gentle and comforting. Lirong, carrying his zither, walked up. His white robe should have looked like a clear breeze and bright moon, but the sweat soaking his clothes added a touch of disarray.
Cang Liu nodded gratefully at Lirong. In the first few days, Lirong’s “Autumn Water Melody” and “Cold River Snow” had helped him cool down and calm his mind. Otherwise, it was uncertain if he could have held on until now.
“Has Xiang Nan returned?” Lirong asked.
“Not yet. According to Master’s speed, he should be here soon.” Gu Mingze bit his tongue, managing to squeeze out a bit of saliva. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, one moment of carelessness and he would collapse in the desert.
Faintly, a figure flickered in the distance. Gu Mingze’s spirits lifted, and he exclaimed with joy, “Master!”
“Call me by my name. This makes me sound old,” Xiang Nan, carried by a group of heat-scorched rats, quickly approached. He impatiently pulled aside his cloak, his sickly face showing a hint of resistance. “I only agreed to train you for Bai Cha, not to take you as a disciple. I’m only in my early twenties.”
“Cough, uh… Then, Brother Nan?” Gu Mingze grinned sheepishly, but found he barely had the strength to smile. He could only ask in a hoarse voice, “Have you found anything?”
“Mm, there’s an oasis… and other findings, but you should rest fully first, and then we’ll discuss it.”