Chapter 318: Zero

Chapter 318: Zero



Inside the Phoenix Nest Training Ground.

The man on the right, who had been watching the one who suddenly disappeared, looked at the object in his hand with a mocking expression.

He had initially planned to leave the item at the scene.

But after some thought, he decided to keep it for now.

Moments later, the man on the right also left the Phoenix Nest Training Ground and headed to a nearby hotel.

In the hotel, he ordered a drink and stood overlooking the training ground.

Several minutes passed.

A person suddenly appeared out of thin air in the shadows of the hotel room.

The young man was taken aback, "So fast? Did you lose him?"

"Yeah!"

"He's a cunning old fox. By the way, he left something behind; take a look."

As he spoke, the young man casually tossed the item from earlier into the shadows.

"I was going to leave it here to gather more information and use their resources to investigate, but considering Xing Zhan Long's intelligence, it's probably best to forget it.

Besides, with that old man's methods, it's unlikely he'd leave any loose ends."

"No, he did leave something!"

"Oh!" The young man was surprised.

"There's a mark on this item, it belongs to the Fei family!"

The young man's eyes lit up, "The Fei family? Are you saying that old fox is Fei Yinghao, one of the Twelve Elders?"

Without waiting for the person in the shadows to respond, he quickly dismissed the idea, "No, it's impossible for that old fox to leave such an obvious flaw."

The person in the shadows threw the item back, asking, "Did he say anything else besides leaving this behind?"

"He said Lin Jianying might not be dead, and there are two highly suspected individuals: Jiang Yuexing and Zhang Yunyi.

He also mentioned that there might be a connection to that stray dog."

TheWorld behind the shadows scoffed, "He left one name out, his own! And he's clearly trying to kill two birds with one stone.

I've said it before, your cooperation with such an old fox is like skinning a tiger for its fur."

The young man smiled slightly, "It may be so for us, but isn't it the same for him?

He's trying to use us and get rid of us, and we're also thinking of doing the same to him.

Don't you think this mutual understanding and mutual exploitation is a good thing?

At least it's better than our relationship. After all, I clearly understand what he's thinking, but I can't fathom your thoughts at all."

The person in the shadows chose to ignore this.

Changing the subject, he said, "Anyway, you've seen him, and you've set the trap for him. It's about time for you to leave, right?

I don't feel safe with you here."

"I'm about to leave. After this meeting, I'll be on my way. I have some things to take care of, and I also need to make a trip to Jiangnan."

"To find Jiang Yuexing? You know he's plotting against you..."

"He's put in so much effort, I should at least show some support as a partner.

Anyway, I'll be going now. I'll leave the rest to you.

We've caused him enough trouble; keep an eye out and see if you can dig up that old fox and finish him off."

After saying this, the young man drained his drink, and his figure gradually faded away.

Watching the young man disappear, the person in the shadows furrowed their brows, then vanished as well.

...

On the other side, within the Phoenix Nest Training Ground.

Li Wu, who had initially decided not to help Xing Zhan Long, eventually chose to lend a hand.

It wasn't because Old Lu had asked him to.

The old scumbag's words didn't hold much weight with Li Wu.

It was mainly because Yueying had secretly told Li Wu about the relationship between Xing Zhan Long and Lu Hai'kong.

Apparently, they used to be very close brothers.

Until one day, Xing Zhan Long discovered that his sister had a relationship with Lu Hai'kong, and the goddess he pursued was also almost taken by Lu Hai'kong. Although Lu Hai'kong still had some humanity, and in the final moments, he pulled back, but Xing Zhan Long and Lu Hai'kong's friendship ended...

Li Wu's face darkened upon hearing this.

He himself felt that Old Lu was no longer a decent person.

The things he had done made Li Wu feel ashamed just by listening to them.

Knowing what Lu Hai'kong had done to Xing Zhan Long, Li Wu couldn't help but feel that Xing Zhan Long's treatment of him as bait wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Of course, this was from Xing Zhan Long's perspective.

When Li Wu put himself in Xing Zhan Long's shoes, he felt that not skinning and tearing him apart would be the act of a saint.

So, out of sympathy, Li Wu decided to help Xing Zhan Long.

"Old Xing, if you trust me, tell me what happened, and I'll analyze it for you."

Li Wu's sudden change in attitude surprised the wronged and furious Xing Zhan Long, who hadn't understood Li Wu's sudden shift in demeanor. But he quickly composed himself and recounted the entire incident to Li Wu from start to finish.

"It's like this. I had a friend I hadn't seen in years visit me recently.

He brought me a piece of news—a high-ranking member of the Zero Organization has infiltrated the Capital City."

Li Wu noticed that when this guy mentioned his friend, his expression was somewhat unusual.

He made a mental note but didn't ask, instead turning to another key point.

"What is the Zero Organization?"

"The Zero Organization is an evil organization composed of criminal summoners from the League and the most elite summoners from the Five Great Envoys."

"An evil organization? How evil?"

Li Wu was hearing about this organization for the first time and was curious, and Xing Zhan Long satisfied Li Wu's curiosity.

"They once slaughtered a city in Zone 11.

They unleashed a plague, causing the deaths of millions in Zone 5 from the plague, and they terrorized Zone 6 for half a month with bloody horror..."

Even though Li Wu had prepared himself, he was still startled by their achievements.

This was far more terrifying than he had imagined, reminiscent of certain organizations from the past.

"This is an organization that's insanely crazy and evil to the extreme. If any member dares to show dissatisfaction, they'll kill the entire family without hesitation, and the higher up the hierarchy, the crazier they get.

This time, when we arrived in Zone 1 and came to the Capital City, I heard that it's one of the Five Great Envoys of the Zero Organization."

Xing Zhanlong recalled that Li Wu was a naive guy, so he took the opportunity to educate him about the structure of the Zero Organization: "At the top of the Zero Organization is the leader, followed by the Five Great Envoys and the Seventy-Two Apostles.

It's said that even the lowest-ranked Apostle is at the Master Rank.

The Summoner's Association has encountered 17 Apostles, and their strength has already reached the Royal Rank.

Moreover, this was their level from a few years ago."

Xing Zhanlong had clearly said more than he should have.

It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned this, but as soon as he did, Li Wu started to panic.

If even the Apostles are at the Royal Rank, what level are the Envoys?

And what about the leader?

Li Wu suddenly wanted to ask if it was too late for him to quit now.

However, Xing Zhanlong, completely unaware of Li Wu's emotions, continued to enthusiastically explain to him.

From the moment his friend found him, to when his friend helped him identify the suspect, and then when his friend helped him formulate a plan, Li Wu's friend was involved every step of the way.

Li Wu felt that after hearing this, there was no need for him to continue listening.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but I must ask, is your friend a man or a woman?"

"She's a woman!"

Xing Zhanlong answered subconsciously, and his face immediately changed.

Li Wu thought that the other party had finally realized the truth, but Xing Zhanlong, with a face full of vigilance, said, "What are you up to? I don't care if you flirt with others, but if you dare to have any inappropriate thoughts about Miss Duzhou, I'll make sure you're castrated!"

Li Wu was so exasperated that he covered his forehead and said, "Did you say this to our old friend Li?"

"How do you know?"

Hearing the other party's words and seeing the look of surprise and vigilance on his face, Li Wu couldn't understand at all: "I must ask again, how did you compete with other opponents to become the Chairman of the Summoner Profession Center?"

"I didn't have to compete with anyone. The previous chairman passed the position to me."

Li Wu became even more confused: "How did he choose you?"

"Your words are a bit too much," Xing Zhanlong felt offended, but he still honestly replied, "Because he's my dad!"

"Okay, now the logic makes sense!"

Seeing Li Wu nodding, as if he had solved a century-old mystery, Xing Zhanlong didn't need to feel anything anymore. He was certain that Li Wu had offended him.

Just as Xing Zhanlong was considering whether to slap Li Wu to death for his insolence, Li Wu started to get down to business: "The situation is very clear now. Your friend has deceived you.

Also, there might be someone within the Summoner Profession Center who wants to target you..."

"That's impossible!

Miss Duzhou wouldn't deceive me. She said she has let go of the past and is ready to settle down with me. She even gave me an engagement token!"

Xing Zhanlong's intelligence couldn't be described as low; it was just that he was a bit straightforward. He had a somewhat average level of intelligence, but as soon as the topic turned to Duzhou Renzi, his originally normal intelligence instantly dropped to negative levels.

As soon as he heard Li Wu speaking ill of Duzhou Renzi, his trust in Li Wu instantly vanished.

He immediately took out a hairpin and held it in front of Li Wu, desperately trying to prove Duzhou Renzi's innocence.

"This is their family's heirloom hairpin, used for engagement and marriage proposals.

The fact that she gave me this hairpin means that, in a way, she's already my fiancee! Do you think my wife would harm me?"

Across from Xing Zhanlong, Li Wu didn't know what to say when he saw the hairpin and then looked at Xing Zhanlong, who was agitated and angry.

Looking at Xing Zhanlong's face, Li Wu could only feel sympathy and pity.

What's wrong with this world? Is it wrong to be an honest person?

Why is it that no matter which world they go to, honest people always end up being hurt and bullied by deceitful women?

So infuriating!

When will honest people like them finally be able to stand up for themselves?

In the end, although it was hard for him, Li Wu had no choice but to tell Xing Zhanlong the cruel truth.

"First of all, the thing you took out is not a style from Zone 11.

It's a version that's one-six-one-nine-one-bar-one-look-no-mistake!

Instead, it's a traditional style from Zone 1.

Secondly, the item you took out is a device, do you know that? It's a golden device used for listening and surveillance. Unless something unexpected happened, your beloved Miss Duzhou has already escaped. Don't believe me? Try contacting her yourself."

Xing Zhanlong's face changed, and the first thing he did was pick up the phone and call.

But no one answered.

Xing Zhanlong didn't give up and tried another number, and this time, the other party answered.

Xing Zhanlong was both surprised and delighted, and he looked at Li Wu with a triumphant expression. However, before he could say a word, the other party spoke first.

"I heard your entire conversation, and he didn't deceive you; I'm the one who used you!"

These words were like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, striking Xing Zhanlong mercilessly.

Although Li Wu was a bit surprised by Duzhou Renzi's honesty, he thought that Xing Zhanlong should have given up by now. However, something even more jaw-dropping happened.

Xing Zhanlong only stiffened for a minute before quickly recovering and asking with great concern, "Miss Duzhou, have you encountered any difficulties?

Were you forced by them?

Tell me if you have any difficulties. I'll solve them for you. I'm your fiance, after all, so you don't have to bear everything alone."

"There's no hope for this guy; he's completely delusional!"

Li Wu couldn't help but shake his head. He finally understood why deceitful women liked to deceive honest people so much.

It wasn't that they were extremely sinister, but that honest people were too easy to deceive.

This self-inflicted scheme was truly life-threatening.

"Old man, don't you know the consequences of her actions on you?

You've been played by her, and your lair has been raided. Have you thought about the repercussions?

Believe me, your troubles are far from over. It's uncertain if you'll even be able to keep your official rank..."

"I never wanted to be the Chairman in the first place. I'll do anything as long as Miss Duzhou is happy!"

Li Wu had gotten one thing wrong.

He thought that Xing Zhanlong was anxious because of him.

In truth, this guy had been after Duzhou Renzi from the very beginning.

For Xing Zhanlong, he couldn't care less about the so-called 'Zero' organization, and this matter had nothing to do with the Summoner Center from the start.

He took over because of Duzhou Renzi's appearance.

For Duzhou Renzi, he'd even be willing to confront 'Zero' itself.

He even went as far as to play the role of a powerful figure who had everything under control, not because he liked it, but because he knew it pleased Duzhou Renzi.

So, the situation wasn't as Li Wu had imagined.

He thought he needed to help Xing Zhanlong unravel the plot and find the person scheming against him, seeking revenge and protecting his current position.

In reality, what he needed to do was win over Duzhou Renzi's heart.

Li Wu felt that this was a task he couldn't accomplish. He had no choice but to accept the phone: "Let me make this clear, I have no relation to my father whatsoever. In my growth until now, I haven't received any help from him.

I, Li Wu, hereby announce my severance of the father-son relationship with Lu Hai'kong. Any grudges related to him should be taken to the Kunlun Mystic Realm. Thank you!"

Li Wu started by cutting ties with his father and casually threw out a fake address, blocking any potential for revenge.

"My relationship with him is in the past. He's just a stranger to me now. I'm here to give you a message."

"Go on, I'm listening."

Li Wu seemed rather nonchalant, but with one sentence, his attention was piqued.

"You have a friend named Lin Jianying, right?"

Li Wu narrowed his eyes. Hearing the name of Old Lin from Duzhou Renzi's mouth made him extremely cautious.

"He..."

"Slap!"

Duzhou Renzi's words were cut off as Li Wu hung up the phone.

"Why did you hang up? I haven't gotten any clear information about Miss Duzhou yet."

Xing Zhanlong, standing nearby, became anxious at this, looking as if he wanted to strangle Li Wu on the spot.

However, Li Wu paid no attention to Xing Zhanlong at that moment.

His mind was in complete disarray.

Li Wu had initially thought that this matter had little to do with him, but now it seemed that he was indeed the target.

Although the call had ended, Li Wu's mind was in turmoil.

What was she about to say? Was it about Old Lin's corpse, or was Old Lin still alive?

Li Wu felt that both possibilities were equally likely. Old Lin's corpse might hold some secret related to the person at the site of the inheritance.

And from the attitudes of Jiang Yuexing and even Lu Hai'kong, who were very evasive about the topic, it was clear that the secret was significant.

There was even a chance that Old Lin wasn't dead.

Regardless of the possibility, Li Wu felt that the most rational thing to do was to ignore everything and pretend nothing had happened.

This was an ostrich mentality; as long as Li Wu buried his head in the sand, he wouldn't see anything, and nothing would have happened.

This mentality might seem foolish, but it was indeed the most rational thing for Li Wu to do at the moment.

Even Old Lin was avoiding this matter, wasn't he? Old Lu, a powerful existence above the Master Rank, was hiding, so what chance did Li Wu, a Master Rank Summoner, have if he got involved?

Moreover, Li Wu didn't think Duzhou Renzi had good intentions.

A woman who could play with Xing Zhanlong like this couldn't be that kind-hearted.

She was giving him information to lure him into the vortex he was currently unable to handle.

Through him, she wanted to deal with Lu Hai'kong.

Li Wu saw this very clearly, so he wouldn't fall for this trick.

"I won't be led astray. What I need to do now is to survive and develop cautiously!

Although this approach might seem unfair to Old Lin, I have no other choice. After all, I still have Dudu by my side."

Compared to Old Lin, who was most likely already dead, Li Wu was more concerned about Dudu's safety.

As Li Wu hung up the phone, determined not to get involved in matters he couldn't handle, Duzhou Renzi listened to the dead air on the other end with a slight smile.

"Is this man really his father's son?"

Although Li Wu's behavior and Lu Hai'kong's were almost identical, their decision-making in the face of situations was like two extremes.

One was overly cautious, while the other was recklessly bold.

Compared to the latter, the former was slightly more challenging to deal with.

But only slightly; no amount of caution could withstand being bullied right at their doorstep.

Duzhou Renzi suddenly felt a surge of anticipation...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end