Qi Xu happened to overhear A Bian's words and instantly burst out laughing. "You really think you know me well."
A Bian grinned, baring his teeth. "Hehe, because I like you the most."
The biggest lesson Qi Xu had learned from this round of the game was one thing: to express himself, to learn to voice his feelings. It wasn't a sign of weakness or being overly sentimental; it was about cherishing and valuing the companions by his side.
So he gave A Bian a strong hug. "A Bian, your words are getting sweeter and sweeter."
Before leaving, A Bian glanced back at the cat in the alley. "Bye now, and thanks for chatting with me earlier. But your acting needs a bit of work. I could tell which of your sentences were true and which were lies without you even needing any props."
A Bian planned to go find War Wolf 009. Earthquakes and natural disasters were pretty nasty. Right now, it was inconvenient for him to do much, and having someone keep an eye on things would be better.
The other War Wolves had all gone to the Color Secret Realm again, so he, the idle one with nothing to do, had to step up.
The cat in the alley suddenly felt no tension anymore. Instead, she watched A Bian's departing back with a hint of envy. "You all have such good bonds. The whole team's chemistry is great."
Qi Xu acknowledged it directly. "Sincerity begets sincerity, I guess."
The cat in the alley felt a bit regretful but decided to be sincere herself. "I really don't want to die, Whirlwind Boss. Can you show me a way out?"
"Not necessarily. First, tell me clearly what happened between you and 008. Don't give me a single lie, or else... I can only say sorry." Qi Xu's words were ambiguous, but the cat in the alley felt she saw a glimmer of hope for survival.
"Back then, War Wolf 008 was at a disadvantage against the Dark River God. I analyzed the situation and thought War Wolf 008's side was more suitable for me. Even though there were difficulties, at least they were all normal people.
So I contacted her. But anyone who joins War Wolf 008's team gets hunted by the Dark River God. I didn't want to put myself in such a passive position. Plus, I was quite well-off at the time, so I thought about just providing supplies as their logistics support first.
But War Wolf 008 said she had a treasure map that required 20 people to participate together. She didn't have enough people and wanted me to join.
I hesitated but agreed. Originally, I was using a location jammer, so no one could pinpoint me. But the moment I deactivated it, I received a location ping. I thought it was from War Wolf 008, but when people rushed right up to me, I realized it was the Dark River God.
War Wolf 008 definitely wouldn't have sold me out, so that proved her team had a problem, and she hadn't detected it at all. So I gave up on the idea of going to her, planning to use a Zone Transfer Card to leave. I wasn't planning to sell her out or use her either.
But the Dark River God used a special item on me, making it impossible for me to leave. That's why I had to find a way to gain his trust, to replace him in luring War Wolf 008 into a trap.
The item the Dark River God used on me allows him to summon me to his side at any time. You said I'm smart, that there were smarter ways to handle this. I admit that, but... why should I? Why should I take risks for her stupidity?
She's so clueless, doesn't even realize there's a mole right beside her as the leader. She's bound to die sooner or later. And I couldn't be sure someone that foolish would believe me over the mole by her side...
Anyway, that's the truth. Believe it or not, it's up to you."
The cat in the alley spoke casually, but in reality, her heart was practically in her throat.
The Truth Herb in Qi Xu's hand didn't grow warm, and he could sense she was telling the truth. "Who's the mole beside 008?"
"Dream Crystal."
Having learned everything he wanted to know, Qi Xu stated his plan.
"I can give you a way out. But this path might not be any easier. The final outcome might even be more miserable than if I killed you now." Qi Xu answered without any hesitation.
The cat in the alley's eyes lit up. "That's fine! Just not dying now is good. I'm not greedy; I'll take every extra second I can live."
"Go to District 01, Sub-district 01. Once you go to that sub-district, you're not allowed to leave. Some of my old friends are there, and they'll keep an eye on you for me. As long as you don't deliberately seek revenge or pull any malicious stunts, you should live for a long time."
The players in District 01, Sub-district 01 don't kill people. On the contrary, they treasure every newcomer immensely, striving to assimilate them into their own. Plus, with that group of experts helping to watch over things, Qi Xu wasn't worried about the cat in the alley causing trouble. Emotionally speaking, killing her outright felt a bit wrong, but he couldn't condone her actions either.
Letting her go free... that was even worse. What if he ended up nurturing a formidable enemy with his own hands? That would be even more disgusting.
So, this headache of a problem was handed over to the experts in Sub-district 01. Staying there all day, with no fresh people or events, must be pretty boring. They could try to guide and train the cat in the alley specifically; she might even turn into a valuable asset.
This might actually be a pretty good way out.
In the future, when encountering people he didn't really want as teammates, but who had unique strength and personality, and whom he couldn't just kill outright, he could pack them all off to District 01, Sub-district 01.
The cat in the alley was excited. "Okay, don't worry. I mean what I say. I absolutely won't cause trouble on purpose. I just want to survive. Who should I look for when I get there?"
Qi Xu shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Someone will come find you."
The cat in the alley felt Qi Xu was being rather cryptic... but she didn't dwell on it. She directly handed over all the resources she had won by defeating her opponent in the Cross-Zone Arena Challenge.
It's valuable to have self-awareness. Don't lose the big picture for small gains. Being able to leave Zone 666 alive was already pretty good. Invincible Black Whirlwind didn't say... but what if it was a test? Better to think a bit more.
Qi Xu was slightly taken aback but accepted it without hesitation. He had almost forgotten about this rule: killing an opponent grants you all their spoils. The one he killed had pretty average loot, so he hadn't paid much attention.
Qi Xu directly took out a Zone Transfer Card, but the cat in the alley didn't need it. "I have one."
After saying that, without any hesitation, she rushed to District 01, Sub-district 01. At first she was conflicted about how to make contact with the people of the Invincible Black Whirlwind.
Unexpectedly, just one glance at the chat list left her utterly stunned. Almost the entire district had Level 7 vehicles! Good grief, how was this place even fiercer than Zone 666?
Then, the very next second, she received a message.
Divine Calculator: "Hmm? Another new friend? Where'd you come from? So bored. I'll come over to chat with you for a bit."
Meanwhile, on Qi Xu's side, he was already sending a message to Little White and Little Black.
"Sent someone your way. Smart, ruthless enough, average strength. Has a history of betrayal, though there were reasons. Still, I can't keep her here. So, mwah."
.........
