MCL CH13

Chapter 13: “If you want to kill me… I’ll help…”

Wanyuan Corporation Headquarters, Top Floor.

The once spacious corridor was now flanked by fully armed United Administration ability users, their neat ranks surrounding the CEO’s office so tightly it was airtight.

Inside, on the other side of the door, Qi Xian, in the suffocating atmosphere, hazily reviewed his short life. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had inadvertently committed some sin to make his otherwise ordinary life so perilous.

On the sofa usually used for guests sat a man in a United Administration uniform.

His slightly long hair was tied back, and his deep-set eyelids made his expression even more somber. The man exuded a dangerous aura that kept everyone at a distance. It was a completely different temperament from the oppressive feeling Yan Xingzhou gave off. With just one glance, the bone-chilling coldness could make one imagine the thick blood that had once stained his hands.

The tense atmosphere made Qi Xian’s throat tighten, and it was surprisingly dry.

When he first received the news that headquarters was sending support to N City, he had been moved to tears. But he never expected them to directly send five complete action teams, and the leader was the head of the Third Administration—Su Qiuyin.

The twelve departments under the United Administration each had their own duties. Everyone knew that the Third Administration, the strongest combat force, had always only dealt with the highest-level fissure crises.

And now, he had actually led a team to be stationed in N City?

Qi Xian stared intently at the floor, wishing he could completely erase his own existence.

He felt like a storm was brewing.

Taking a light sip of coffee, the cup made a soft clinking sound when placed back on the table. Yan Xingzhou lifted his eyelids slightly. “The regards you conveyed on behalf of Gu Beiqiu, I have received them. Also, tell him for me when you go back, there’s no need for him to perform his hypocritical act on my end.”

“I will relay it exactly as you said,” Su Qiuyin’s reply was also direct. “Of course, if I find you doing anything inappropriate during my time in N City, I will report it as well.”

Yan Xingzhou was noncommittal. “Sometimes I really envy you.”

Su Qiuyin’s already drooping eyelids drooped even further.

As expected, Yan Xingzhou’s next sentence was not a kind one. “From a long time ago, you’ve always been obedient to all commands. Now that you have a new master, if he tells you to go east, you will definitely not go west. If I were the one in power, I would probably also like a ‘mad dog’ like you, who has no emotions and no self-respect.”

Su Qiuyin’s voice was low and hoarse. “If you like, you can also use some means to sit in the position of Executor. At that time, even if you want me to commit suicide, I will satisfy your request on the spot.”

Yan Xingzhou: “To take your life, there’s no need to go to such lengths.”

After a few sentences, the already chilly atmosphere in the office instantly dropped to its lowest point.

Just as Qi Xian felt his heart was about to stop at any moment, a sudden knock on the door abruptly interrupted the stalemate in the air.

Feeling the gazes of the two men in the room fall on him, Qi Xian felt a chill run through him. He braced himself and opened the office door, gritting his teeth. “Can’t you see we’re discussing things inside? Whatever it is, we’ll talk about it later.”

The action team member shivered subconsciously the moment the door opened. He stammered a little when he spoke, “But this matter… I’m afraid it can’t wait. Captain… an urgent report from the main control room. Over at Luoshan… a fissure has had a major incident!”

Qi Xian was slightly stunned. “What happened?”

The action team member opened his mouth, his tone tinged with despair. “The fissure—it’s upgraded again!”

Qi Xian: “…………”

These days, can things like upgrading be mass-produced in bulk?!

“Not bad. I’m finally starting to believe the United Administration’s foolish decision to send you over was also a form of foresight.” Yan Xingzhou had naturally heard the conversation and smiled silently at Su Qiuyin. “Congratulations, you have a work assignment as soon as you take office. No matter how you look at it, it’s at least better than having nothing to do and coming to my office to ask for trouble.”

Su Qiuyin seemed to not hear the direct taunt. “Explain the situation.”

“When this fissure was first discovered, it was a D-class dormant fissure. It was successfully outsourced before. Because it entered the pre-activation stage these few days, the team that accepted the commission just went in today. Unexpectedly, they happened to encounter the equipment detecting an energy fluctuation of an upgrade.”

The action team member explained everything in one go, pulling out a stack of documents from his backpack and handing them to Qi Xian. “This is the detailed list of personnel who entered the fissure today. It meets the minimum personnel standard for a D-class fissure, a total of 8 people. Although the time flow inside and outside the fissure is different, fortunately, it was discovered in time. There should still be time to provide support to the people inside.”

Su Qiuyin had already stood up from the sofa and draped the coat that had been resting on the side over his shoulders. “Let’s go.”

However, when he reached the door, he saw Qi Xian still staring blankly at the documents, as if petrified and unresponsive.

Su Qiuyin frowned. “Captain Qi?”

The sudden drop in the surrounding temperature pulled Qi Xian back from his daze.

He stared blankly at Su Qiuyin’s usual dead-man-like gaze, opened his mouth numbly, and finally turned stiffly to look at Yan Xingzhou. “…In this list of people who entered the fissure, there is an ability user named ‘Lin Ni’.”

Yan Xingzhou also looked over.

Under these two gazes that could be described as a death stare, the corner of Qi Xian’s mouth twitched slightly. “However, Mr. Lin is just an ordinary person. It’s impossible for him to casually enter a fissure. It should just be a coincidence of the same name, haha… ha… it should be… right?”

As his voice fell, a brief silence fell over the surroundings.

A moment later, Yan Xingzhou also stood up. “I’m free anyway. I’ll go take a look too.”

Just after entering the fissure, Lin Xi vaguely sensed something and suddenly stopped to look back.

Behind them, the “door” connecting the two independent worlds flowed with a gentle light.

Lei Gang noticed his action. “What’s wrong?”

As he spoke, the others also looked back in confusion.

Lin Xi faintly withdrew his gaze and shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Yo, is this your first time in the inner world, little brother? Feeling nervous?” The buzz-cut man’s sticky gaze was fixed on Lin Xi, his smile lewd. “Why don’t you follow big brother? I can protect you if you encounter any danger.”

The inside of the fissure and the outside were two completely different worlds, as if one had leaped to another time and space. Not only was there no communication with the outside, but even the flow of time was different, commonly known as the “inner world.”

Lin Xi, of course, would not feel unfamiliar, especially in the inner world of such a low-level fissure.

In comparison, he only found the buzz-cut man’s address more interesting.

Little brother? Big brother?

He had already forgotten how high the grass on the grave of the last person who had addressed him like that was.

Slowly lifting his eyes, Lin Xi smiled humbly. “No need, I’ll just follow Brother Gang.”

This smile, in the buzz-cut man’s eyes, only made his heart feel as if it had been fiercely scratched by something, itching unbearably. “Don’t say that. If something really happens later, Old Lei might not be able to take care of you. In terms of strength, our team as a whole is much stronger than theirs. Come, come, trust big brother. It’s safer to follow me.”

Lin Xi lowered his eyes and looked at the hand reaching towards him, the smile on his face still intact.

Just as it was about to touch the skin of his upper arm, and the surrounding wind seemed to stop with it, a figure stepped forward and stood between them.

Lei Gang’s brow was tightly furrowed. “I said, we will be responsible for the person we brought. You just mind your own business. We’re already inside. Don’t waste time, let’s hurry and find the contaminant’s location. As we agreed before, the communication will be handled by A-Wei from our team. No matter which side finds it, inform the others to meet up as soon as possible. No problem, right?”

“Of course, no problem.” Being blocked one after another, the buzz-cut man’s face also felt a little embarrassed. He glanced at Lei Gang unhappily, but also beckoned to the other two members of his team. “Brothers, let’s go. Time to work!”

Watching the group leave, Lei Gang then turned to look at Lin Xi. “It’s not safe for you to act alone. You don’t need to worry about anything later. Just follow me.”

The coldness that had just appeared in Lin Xi’s eyes was once again replaced by a gentle smile. “Okay.”

[Tsk tsk tsk, what a good man, truly a good man.]

[This Brother Lei just saved that buzz-cut man’s life.]

“You can’t say that,” Lin Xi followed obediently behind Lei Gang, step by step, and said faintly in his mind. “I’m just a weak fire-type with no strength to even truss a chicken. If that ‘big brother’ really wanted to do something, what could I do?”

[Oh~ is that so?]

To this obviously skeptical tone, Lin Xi turned a deaf ear and changed the subject. “When we came in just now, did you feel any change?”

The voice in his mind paused subtly: [Hmm? Was there?]

Lin Xi lowered his eyes. “Then there wasn’t.”

Not far behind, several gazes were fixed in this direction. It wasn’t until Lei Gang and their backs disappeared from view that they emerged from the shadows.

The buzz-cut man and his group, who should have been exploring in another direction, stood there with indifferent expressions.

One of them asked, “So what’s the plan, boss? Are we still doing it?”

Buzz-cut: “Isn’t that obvious? Why else would we be here?”

The person who asked chuckled. “I thought you had taken a liking to that pretty boy, seeing how you were staring at him. I thought you were going to show him some mercy.”

“Don’t even mention it, he’s really a looker. Especially those eyes, like a Persian cat’s.” Recalling that face, a lewd expression appeared in the buzz-cut man’s eyes. He rubbed his hands together with a smile. “Anyway, same old rules. We’ll make our move after they find the contaminant’s location. We’ll take care of the others first. As for that little brother, if we can spare him, we’ll let him live a little longer. After all, a living person is always more exciting than a corpse. I’m not a selfish person either. It’s not easy to come across such a good one. We brothers will all have some fun together.”

As he spoke, the others exchanged a look, their eyes full of greed. “That sounds great!”

This cave in the inner world was dark and windless. The deeper they went, the more it felt like they were sinking into a thicker darkness. But fortunately, the seemingly enclosed environment at the top was shrouded in a layer of mist, gray and hazy, which became the only source of light to barely see the surroundings.

Every inner world was a monster’s lair, and what they needed to do now was to find the master of this lair as soon as possible.

And now, this seemingly endless lair was undoubtedly a bit too deep.

Lei Gang arranged for the other two to split up, leaving Lin Xi to follow by his side.

In the independent space where one could not feel the flow of time at all, even though ability users would not be polluted by contaminants, it was enough to keep their spirits in a state of extreme tension, which made Lin Xi’s “lighter” lighting function fully utilized.

Click, clack. Click, clack.

For a long time, the only sound around was their footsteps.

After going deep inside, they finally reached the last entrance.

The cave opening in front of them was so deep it seemed to have absorbed all the darkness.

Unlike the other forks outside, all the gray mist floating at the top seemed to be sucked in by this cave opening. Vaguely, they could hear a “gurgling” sound from inside that made one’s stomach churn.

Gurgle gurgle—!

Gurgle gurgle gurgle gurgle—!

The sound seemed to be in the distance, yet it also seemed to be right next to their eardrums.

Intertwined cobwebs were densely spread all around. Through the faint light, they could vaguely make out the round, protruding outlines inside the cave.

Pupae.

Insect-type contaminant.

Lin Xi frowned slightly.

He hated insects.

“Location confirmed. We can notify the others to come over now.” After confirming the location, Lei Gang was about to skillfully transmit the information when his back suddenly stiffened. A moment later, he turned to look at Lin Xi with a grim expression. “The link is broken.”

There was no communication within the inner world. To communicate information, a mind-type ability user was the only medium.

And now, the link was broken.

Here, this situation often meant that the mind-type ability user had already…

The monster’s lair is right in front of us. How could the others still be attacked?

Could it be that there’s more than one passage?

But even so, it was just a D-class contaminant. For experienced workers like them, it shouldn’t have reached the point where they couldn’t even send out a distress signal.

“I’ll go find them,” Lei Gang gritted his teeth. “You…”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve said it before, I can take care of myself,” Lin Xi said. “But, it might not be necessary to go looking for them anymore.”

A hint of confusion flashed in Lei Gang’s expression. “Not necessary, what do you mean?”

Just as his voice fell, something suddenly shot out from the darkness.

Lei Gang reacted quickly and dodged. The spot where he had just been standing instantly exploded in a cloud of thick smoke.

Looking up again, he saw several figures walking out from the darkness.

Something was being carried on the shoulder of the person who came. When it was casually thrown to the ground, a cloud of dust rose.

Lei Gang glanced over, and his face changed dramatically. “What are you doing?”

The buzz-cut man and his group walked out from the shadows, a roguish smile on their faces. “What are we doing? We’re risking our lives to enter this fissure. Of course, we’re here to make money.”

His gaze swept over, and finally, he let it linger on Lin Xi’s face for a moment before smiling. “If we just rely on the government’s commissions, we won’t make much money even if we work for a lifetime. Smuggling crystal cores is too easy to get caught. Rather than taking that risk, the other thing is much more profitable. After all, in a dangerous place like the inner world, death is a perfectly normal thing, right?”

As his voice fell, the person behind him casually threw the thing he was carrying on his shoulder to the ground.

When the heavy object hit the ground, a cloud of dust splashed up. When he saw it clearly, Lei Gang’s pupils suddenly constricted.

Corpses.

Thrown to the ground were the corpses of the other two members of their team.

Lei Gang glared at them angrily. “You… it was you!”

The buzz-cut man seemed very satisfied with this reaction. “That’s right, we did it. Remember I told you before that we also lost a lot of people the last time we entered a fissure? That was also us. Sorry, the bodies of ability users sell really well on the black market. The price is so good it’s hard not to be tempted. If you can still walk out of here alive, go to the management Administration and report us.”

At this point, he paused. “But unfortunately, when we chose you back then, you already lost that chance.”

Lei Gang’s face was already devoid of blood.

Lin Xi looked down. He could vaguely make out the bulging veins on the back of his gradually tightening fists. He glanced up at the two lifeless corpses on the ground and felt a little sad.

Not long ago, these two teammates of Lei Gang had been very considerate to him. In the blink of an eye, they were already dead.

From a certain perspective, humans were indeed a very fragile species.

The atmosphere at the scene was on the verge of exploding.

Lin Xi had thought that Lei Gang, in his anger, would directly rush up to avenge his teammates. But he just gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, saying in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Do you remember the way back?”

Lin Xi glanced at the man with some surprise. “I remember.”

The anger in Lei Gang’s eyes was about to burst forth. Vaguely, lightning flashed around his muscles. “I’ll try to hold them off later. You find a chance to escape. Don’t look back no matter what happens.”

Lin Xi slowly blinked his eyes. “You alone can fight the four of them?”

Lei Gang: “I can’t.”

The overly direct answer made Lin Xi laugh. “So you’re doing this just to save me? Actually, I can stay. Maybe I can help you.”

“…” For a moment, a trace of complexity flashed across Lei Gang’s face, which had been filled with nothing but anger. He paused for a moment and said, “I’m their captain. It’s my duty to avenge them. But you’re different. You’re just here to make up the numbers today. If it weren’t for someone in the team being sick, you wouldn’t have been unlucky enough to be dragged into this. There’s no need for you to get involved.”

“I see,” Lin Xi nodded. Looking up again, there was something else in the faint expression in his eyes. “But, what if I’m already involved?”

This expression, combined with this tone, made Lei Gang slightly stunned. “What?”

“Alright, enough with the whispers. It’s not good to talk so much in front of us,” the buzz-cut man said, looking at the two of them confronting each other for a long time. A hint of impatience appeared in his eyes, and a trace of killing intent gradually emerged. “Don’t worry, neither of you will be able to escape.”

As his voice fell, three rapidly approaching figures rushed directly at Lei Gang.

In an instant, they were engaged in a chaotic battle.

[Oh my, three against one right from the start. They really don’t take you seriously at all~!]

Lin Xi’s eyebrow raised slightly. “Isn’t that right?”

A huge thunderclap exploded, and the entire cave shook violently.

Under the explosive power of Lei Gang, he was directly dragged into a bitter battle with the three of them. In the midst of the fight, he was distracted and looked in Lin Xi’s direction. Seeing that he was still standing there without moving, he was also frustrated. “Run—!”

But he really didn’t want to run…

Lin Xi was feeling helpless when the light suddenly dimmed, and a figure blocked his way.

The buzz-cut man approached with a dagger in his hand. The whole process was extremely swift. Before he could react, he had already pressed Lin Xi’s shoulder, and the backward force slammed him directly into the wall behind him.

Under the violent impact, the cracking sound of bones could be vaguely heard. The cold blade was thus pressed menacingly against Lin Xi’s chest.

The tip pierced the upper layer of his skin, and a striking trace of blood seeped out.

The clear pain made Lin Xi look down at the bloodstain spreading on his chest. Then, he slowly raised his eyes and met the other’s eager, greedy gaze. He blinked his eyes with a half-smile. “Do you want to kill me?”

This reaction was obviously completely different from what the buzz-cut man had imagined. He was slightly stunned for a moment, then also revealed a smile. “Don’t be afraid, little brother. As long as you cooperate and let us brothers have some fun, if we’re happy, maybe we’ll even…”

Before he could finish, the smile in Lin Xi’s eyes had already grown stronger.

This smile, in the buzz-cut man’s eyes, made his breath subconsciously hitch, and the rest of his words came to an abrupt halt.

Then, he saw Lin Xi slowly stand up straight. Not only did he not dodge, but he also slowly approached him a bit closer.

His voice was like a whisper. “If you want to kill me… I’ll help you.”

“Help me, with what…”

Before the buzz-cut man could react, Lin Xi had suddenly grabbed the blade of the dagger and pulled it forward. The blade, which had only scraped the surface of his skin, thus pierced sharply into the flesh of his chest.

The overly sudden development made the buzz-cut man unable to pull back the dagger in time. It was obviously also the first time he had seen someone so ruthless to themselves. He forced himself to suppress his outward fear. “Are you trying to seek death? Do you think you can escape just by seeking death? To us, it makes no difference whether you’re alive or a corpse. Cooperateobediently, and maybe we’ll even leave you with a whole corpse!”

“A whole corpse? The thing I’m least afraid of is not having a whole corpse.”

As if hearing the funniest joke, the sound of flesh being torn apart was accompanied by a strong, bloody smell. The smile in Lin Xi’s eyes grew even more gentle, but his tone suddenly changed, flat as if he were talking to the air. “Oh, by the way, why have you been so quiet since just now?”

The buzz-cut man’s expression was already a little numb. “What do you mean, quiet? Haven’t I been talking…”

However, Lin Xi seemed not to have heard the buzz-cut man’s words and continued to talk to himself, “Suddenly so well-behaved. Are you worried about exposing something?”

The atmosphere was once again overly strange. The buzz-cut man’s throat tightened and he swallowed hard. “Who the hell are you talking to!?”

Lin Xi ignored him, just reached out and stroked the blood on the dagger. As if admiring it, he brought the fingertip covered in his own blood to his lips and, as if savoring a delicious delicacy, licked it clean, bit by bit.

The fishy taste spread in his mouth. Although he could have asked in his mind, as if out of some wicked pleasure, his tone, along with his increasingly good mood, actually rose a bit, teasing him even more openly. “The taste of blood is really not bad. I feel like it’s particularly appealing to certain things. You were deliberately hiding something in the quarantine zone before. Since you’re not willing to tell me, I can only find the answer in my own way. Don’t you think so, Calamity?”

What answered him was an even longer silence in his mind.

[…………]

You crazy bastard, stop asking. I really can’t answer at all!

The buzz-cut man’s pupils slightly dilated. Under Lin Xi’s monologue, the hand on the dagger subconsciously loosened a bit.

Calamity? What Calamity? This person in front of him is probably a madman!

However, Lin Xi seemed not to have noticed the dagger that had fallen to the ground. His blue and gold eyes slowly lifted, his gaze calm.

After a while, the buzz-cut man realized that the person in front of him was not looking at him.

This gaze passed over him, staring intently at a place further away.

And the direction behind him seemed to be—that monster’s lair.

The buzz-cut man suddenly came to his senses.

As the smell of blood spread, the originally silent inner world, as if summoned by something, gradually began to stir and boil.

Lin Xi felt the gradually crazed, wild restlessness in the air. The depths of his mismatched eyes were filled with a look of pleasure. “I guessed right. It seems this blood is really fragrant…”