"Why waste such a strategic windfall? We have the numbers; can't we just take them out?"
On a ridge overlooking the Liangzhou garrison, a group of men lay belly-down in the dirt, their eyes locked on the heavy RV parked by the river. The wind carried the agonizingly sweet scent of stir-fried pork and peppers directly into their nostrils—a temptation that felt like a physical blow.
These were perimeter patrolmen from the Lotus Terrace Base. In the hierarchy of the new world, they were bottom-feeders, too weak to venture into high-risk zones, forced to scavenge the "low-threat" outskirts for scraps.
"That rig is a floating palace," the leader muttered, his eyes glinting with a mix of hunger and greed. He wore a tattered brown jacket that had seen better decades. "Listen to that sizzle. They aren't just eating—they're eating fresh. That truck must be a rolling warehouse."
Beside him, a man with a nose like a hawk's beak licked his cracked lips. "If we bring that haul back, the higher-ups might actually let us into the Inner Circle."
The leader cut him a sharp look. "Then go on. Be a hero. Take point."
The hawk-nosed man immediately fell silent. Even through his greed, he could tell the RV's owner wasn't some lucky civilian. You didn't drive a fortress like that through the wastes without the teeth to back it up.
The Knockout Blow
Suddenly, the RV door opened.
A Yao stepped out, wearing an oversized white hoodie that barely reached her mid-thigh, her long, bare legs glowing in the twilight. She began skipping stones across the river with an effortless, youthful grace. A moment later, Jiang Chuxue emerged, her white dress fluttering in the breeze, her hair cascading down her back like a silken waterfall.
The men on the hill stopped breathing. In a world of grime, blood, and grey concrete, these two were hallucinations of a forgotten era.
"Forget the supplies," the hawk-nosed man hissed, his voice trembling with a dark heat. "The Boss would give us a seat at his table for beauties like those..." He leaned forward, his eyes roaming over A Yao's waist. "I'd give a year of my life just to—"
"She is a knockout, isn't she?"
The voice was cold, calm, and came from directly between them.
The scouts froze. A man cloaked in obsidian black stood in their midst. He had appeared without a sound, a phantom birthed from the shadows. Their primary scout, Sun Yu'ang, looked like he was about to vomit from sheer terror. His A-rank talent, [Canine Scent], allowed him to detect any living heartbeat within ten meters.
And yet, his senses were screaming that the space between them was empty.
"Who the hell are you?!" the leader scrambled backward, reaching for a rusted blade.
"You the owner of that rig?" the hawk-nosed man barked, trying to mask his fear with bravado.
Chen Xiao offered a faint, predatory smile. "I heard Liangzhou was rich in 'strategic resources.' I came to see for myself."
"You're on Lotus Terrace land!" the leader snarled. "Our Lord is Gu Chu, ranked second on the Sanjiang Power List. Every faction for a hundred miles bows to us. If you know what's good for—"
He didn't finish.
Chen Xiao didn't care about the name; he only cared about the "compensation" he could squeeze from a base wealthy enough to produce such arrogant scouts. His eyes flickered to the hawk-nosed man, who was still staring toward the river.
In a blur of motion, a blade of compressed water whistled through the air. A head thudded onto the dirt, rolling a few feet before stopping. Chen Xiao calmly produced a cigarette and lit it, the orange cherry illuminating the cold void where his face should have been.
The Ultimatum
"Who among you is the fastest?" Chen Xiao asked, his voice echoing through the silence of the dead man's companions.
A scrawny man stepped forward, shaking so hard his teeth rattled. "I... I have an A-level talent. [Agile Rat Speed]."
"Good," Chen Xiao said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Go back to your 'Lotus Terrace.' Tell your superior that I'm waiting. You have exactly one hour to bring someone with the authority to negotiate. For every minute you're late past the hour, I kill one of your friends here."
The scouts looked at him in disbelief. Who would dare challenge a regional powerhouse like Gu Chu? But when they looked at the headless corpse of their comrade, they didn't stay to argue. The "Rat" bolted, disappearing into the brush.
"Anyone else who runs, dies," Chen Xiao noted casually before turning back toward the RV. He had a dinner to finish.
The Legend of Gu Chu
Back inside the luxurious warmth of the RV, Chen Xiao sat down, his hand resting familiarly on Tang Shirou's thigh as she served the food.
"Who were they?" she asked softly.
"Scouts from the Lotus Terrace Base," Chen Xiao replied. "Have you heard of it?"
A Yao paused, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. "Lotus Terrace? We're already in Gu Chu's territory?"
Huang Yiyi's eyes widened. "Gu Chu? The man who killed the Rat King of Daping? He's worshipped in Liangzhou. They say he's top five in the entire Sanjiang ranking."
A Yao let out a dismissive snort. "He's a shapeshifter. Powerful, sure, but the talent has nasty side effects on the mind. He spent months pursuing me back in the Capital. I turned him down three times."
"You turned down a regional Lord?" Huang Yiyi stared at A Yao as if seeing her for the first time.
Jiang Chuxue smiled gently. "A Yao wasn't always just a traveler, Yiyi. She was the Vice-Captain of the Capital Military's Pioneers before she became the Second Executive of Jiangbei."
"Gu Chu is arrogant," A Yao added, picking at her rice. "He once went to the Capital thinking he could claim the title of Huaxia Divine General. Then he met Cao Linxuan. Cao beat him so badly he didn't leave his room for a month. Now, he's 'cautious'—which is just a fancy word for being a coward who only picks fights he knows he can win."
Chen Xiao leaned back, a dark glint in his eyes. "A cautious man with a lot of resources. My favorite kind of target."