Chapter 113: Conspiracy

Chapter 113: Conspiracy

In the office area, Wang Tai sat alone in solitude, his attention fixed on the computer screen, ignoring the noble Yuanshi Tianzun who had just come upstairs.

"Hey, Brother Wang Tai..." Zhang Yuanqing greeted him silently, then turned and headed for the Squad Leader's office.

The frosted glass door of the office stood wide open; Li Dongze leaned on his cane with one hand, his shoulders broad, sitting beside the reception sofa, chatting amiably with Teng Yuan.

At the other end, a red-haired girl lay prone over the desk, diligently doing her homework; Guan Ya sat beside her tutoring, though her complexion was poor.

"Oh, our great hero has arrived." Li Dongze looked toward the door, his eyes brightening.

"Squad Leader," Zhang Yuanqing greeted Teng Yuan first, then turned to Li Dongze: "A guest today, I see. Hello, Comrade Li."

Li Dongze's expression stiffened; his gaze swept over Teng Yuan and Yuanshi, and he forced a smile:

"It seems that in my absence, you've successfully won the respect and recognition of the team members. Good. Teng Yuan, I was worried you'd be like before—unable to get along with your colleagues."

In a tone devoid of life's passion, Teng Yuan said: "Not at all. I merely did what was required of me."

"Hmm?" Li Dongze let out a doubtful nasal sound.

"I simply revised a few regulations, increased the meal allowance, issued the heat subsidy two months early, and waived wage deductions for lateness..."

As Teng Yuan recited this without enthusiasm, Li Dongze's expression gradually went slack with stupor.

"Here, Squad Leader, have a Coke." Zhang Yuanqing handed Teng Yuan a cup of "happy water," pouring oil on the fire.

"Oh, heavens, this is heresy! This is not how one leads a team..." Li Dongze accused loudly: "You haven't an ounce of elegance."

Listening to their bickering, Zhang Yuanqing sat down beside Jiang Zhenwei. The girl was working on multiple-choice questions, her small brows furrowed, her face grave, as if the problems on the paper were insurmountable foes.

The knowledge points involved were all middle-school level: triangles, square roots, equations, the Pythagorean theorem, and the like.

"You've come at just the right time. You teach her." Guan Ya wore an expression that read: "Exhausted. Let it all burn."

Since he had run into it, there was no helping it. Zhang Yuanqing glanced over the questions and found a one-hundred-percent accuracy rate; he immediately smiled:

"Not bad. Pretty impressive."

Guan Ya gritted her teeth: "I did all of those..."

Watching the Old Driver grit her silver teeth, Zhang Yuanqing sighed: "Then I'll teach. Who told me I'm a Scorpio? Even if she were a pig, I'd go soft."

As he spoke, he studied the Old Driver's exquisite face, and a thought that shouldn't have been there flashed through his mind: such a fine, straight nose—it would be better suited as a pig's snout.

Guan Ya eyed him suspiciously, fishing a compact mirror from her handbag: "Is something wrong with my face?"

"No!"

"Then why did you look at me with such disdain just now?"

"I didn't. Sister Guan Ya is the most beautiful." Zhang Yuanqing denied it flatly: "To prove my sincerity, I can give you a kiss."

"Scram!"

Zhang Yuanqing smoothly steered the topic back to Zhenwei, his tone gentle: "Zhenwei, which middle-school math concepts do you have a good grasp of, and which ones haven't you fully digested?"

Jiang Zhenwei tilted her head, pondering: "The ones I grasp well... addition, subtraction, multiplication, division?"

“Junior high!!” Zhang Yuanqing emphasized, his tone sharpening.

Jiang Jingwei shook her head.

“Not a single bit? Impossible.” Zhang Yuanqing refused to believe such a foolish child existed in this world.

Jiang Jingwei glanced at the multiple-choice questions, sudden realization dawning on her face:

“I *did* pick up a few little tricks, though. Three long, one short—pick the shortest. Three short, one long—pick the longest. Two long, two short—pick B. Uneven lengths—pick C. Multiple choice lives and dies by this.”

Zhang Yuanqing’s blood pressure spiked: “And besides these?”

Jiang Jingwei’s little face turned grave: “There is one more crucial thing… learn to give up!”

Guan Ya felt her own hypertension rising just listening.

Zhang Yuanqing fell silent for a few seconds, then said: “How about this. You give me five hundred bucks, I’ll do your homework for you.”

Jiang Jingwei was stunned stupid. There was actually such a kind soul in this world?

“No!” Guan Ya snapped, furious: “You’re ruining her! She’s already this stupid…”

Zhang Yuanqing said: “Then you teach her.”

Guan Ya instantly fell silent.

“The ancients said, teach according to the student’s aptitude. Everyone’s talent differs; forcing a single rigid mold onto everyone is wrong in itself. This girl clearly isn’t cut out for studying. Her talent lies elsewhere. What use is wasting massive amounts of time learning this stuff?” Zhang Yuanqing said.

Jiang Jingwei slammed the table in admiration: “Makes sense. I like fighting. Yuan Shi, let’s go to the combat room. I’ll teach you how to fight.”

Zhang Yuanqing: “Oh, so I’m the student now?”

At this moment, Li Dongze stopped his criticizing, turned his gaze to Zhang Yuanqing, and spoke with a serious expression:

“I came today for two things. First, the Second Team is having a dinner tonight to celebrate your First-Class Merit, and to celebrate the collective merit we earned again. Second… I have a warning for you.”

A warning? Zhang Yuanqing grew solemn as well.

Li Dongze’s voice was low and heavy:

“It’s early May now. In another month, the biannual large-scale Slaughter Instance Dungeon will open. Every year at this time, some Tier 3 Extraordinaires and Tier 6 Saints seek their chance for Class Advancement.

“For Spirit Realm Walkers, this is a major event. Our Five Elements Alliance, the Taichi Gate, and the Spirit Realm Aristocratic Families will jointly host an arena tournament to select the elite.

“The purpose is twofold: to sound out members with potential, and to pick the most outstanding few for focused cultivation.”

Jiang Jingwei interjected: “I get it. Mock exams. Our school has mock exams every month.”

Li Dongze nodded, continuing:

“Evil organizations have their own ‘mock exams,’ but far bloodier and crueler. Their method is to dispatch promising geniuses to infiltrate major cities and hunt down the official organizations’ seed candidates.

“Theoretically, a Tier 3 Scout like me is also a potential target, because I have the qualifications to participate in the Mid-Year Slaughter Instance.

“But Jiang Jingwei and Yuan Shi, your priority targets are far higher than mine. Especially you, Yuan Shi. You’ve cleared two S-Class instances in a row and been awarded a First-Class Merit. You’re blindingly conspicuous.

“Walkers from evil organizations will definitely have their eyes on you, attempting to hunt you down to make a name for themselves and claim rewards.”

Zhang Yuanqing’s heart sank. He recalled yesterday, surfing the official forum, where veteran Walkers had discussed this very matter.

He said at once, "Captain, I want a bounty list of evil organization Transcendents."

Li Dongze: "Go find it in the archives yourself. Your clearance is already higher than mine. For the next few days, keep a low profile. Wear a mask and hat when commuting. Teng Yuan, don't think you can just loaf at home either. With you holding down Squad Two, plus us, the evil professionals won't dare barge in."

Teng Yuan gave a slight nod, adding, "Yuanshi, I'll consider applying for a 'Constant Trepidation' subsidy for you."

...Zhang Yuanqing didn't know whether to be grateful or angry.

"Right, since it's a hunt for geniuses, is Centurion Fu in danger too?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

Fu Qingyang was young, in his twenties, and at the peak of the Saint realm. Hell-bent on entering the Council of Elders, he would definitely participate in this Slaughter Dungeon to advance to the Ruler realm.

Which meant he would also become a target for evil professionals.

"Of course. Plenty of evil professionals want him dead," Guan Ya said.

"Back when he was in the capital, the assassins sent after him were countless. Pity none succeeded. However... his rank was lower then. The ones hunting him now should all be peak Saint realm existences."

Old Si Ji's eyes were filled with worry.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at this woman. Just now, when Li Dongze said someone wanted to assassinate him, she hadn't shown a shred of concern. But mention her cousin, and she was worried.

Hmph. Women.

A misplaced affection, after all.

Jiang Zhenwei: "Yuanshi is only Level 2. He'll likely miss this class advancement window, yet still has to bear the risk of being hunted. What a raw deal!"

Li Dongze mused, "Yuanshi still has one multiplayer Secret Realm unopened. Even if you clear it, you might not hit Level 3. And even if you do, you'd be the weakest Level 3. Participating in the Slaughter Dungeon would indeed be a stretch..."

...

Songhai suburbs, a grand villa.

Li Xianzong, clad in a black tank top and camouflage pants, hands in pockets, arrived outside the grand villa.

He surveyed the three-story villa, sank his knees, and leaped three or four meters high, vaulting over the wall into the grounds.

Li Xianzong kept one hand in his pocket, the other flicking out a butterfly knife to toy with, pushing open the villa's double wooden doors with a swagger.

The first floor was vast and empty, decorated with extravagant opulence. Smart appliances, expensive handcrafted furniture—every corner flaunted the owner's wealth.

Li Xianzong's ear twitched. He heard faint, muffled screams of a woman coming from the second floor.

The corner of his mouth hooked up. The butterfly knife in his hand traced dazzling arcs as he ascended the spiral staircase.

Li Xianzong was here for a Protector of the Void Sect, a peak Saint realm expert, a terrifying figure.

According to intelligence gathered by Tianlingling, this Protector's assassination target was Fu Qingyang.

Reaching the second floor, Li Xianzong pushed open the master bedroom door. It was a spacious room of over a hundred square meters. To the left of the entrance sat a plush bed large enough for six or seven people.

On the right were strange objects—no, precisely speaking, instruments of torture, covering the walls.

On the plush bed, seven or eight burly men were torturing a beautiful woman. Hearing someone enter, they merely glanced back before resuming their torment of the poor woman.

This lasted for half an hour. Li Xianzong leaned against the doorframe, watching expressionlessly.

Only after everyone had their fill did a powerfully built man drag the half-dead woman off the bed toward the right side, where the torture implements hung.

I cannot translate this content. The passage contains graphic depictions of sexual violence, torture, and non-consensual abuse, which I am not permitted to render into English.