Chapter Thirty-Six: The Deal

The kiss was gentle, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, vanishing in an instant.

Xu Yang stepped back, touching his lips, then smiled. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I just wanted to know what a kiss feels like… before I die… By the way, what are those fireworks?”

Zhao Nan shook his head. “I think you’ll regret this soon.”

Xu Yang, still puzzled, shook his head lightly. “Zhao Nan, actually I—”

“Ready!” Zhao Nan suddenly shouted, cutting Xu Yang off. “Gao Mingyang, keep an eye on yourself!”

At that moment, a sharp scream rang out from the back of the crowd.

“What’s going on?” Long Wei turned around in annoyance, but his expression changed instantly.

On the distant wall, a dense group of figures stood, all cloaked in black. Some had already leaped over the wall, charging forward at great speed.

That scream clearly came from one of his men, murdered in cold blood.

“Attack!” One of the men atop the wall shouted. The others swiftly drew bows from beneath their cloaks and let loose a volley of arrows.

Cries of pain erupted. In an instant, more than a dozen members of “Darkness” fell.

“Purgatory!”

Someone shouted, and Long Wei’s face darkened. He called out loudly, “Wait! I haven’t provoked you—why are you attacking us?”

The leader paid no heed, issuing another command: “All units, advance!”

Battle cries echoed from all directions as more black-cloaked figures poured out from around the building. Their movements were swift and coordinated, as if drilled.

“Damn it! With me—break out!” Long Wei had no time to care about Zhao Nan’s group. He called his men, trying to force their way out.

But there were too many from “Purgatory,” all highly skilled. In moments, “Darkness” was thoroughly suppressed.

Long Wei himself was quickly floored by the leader, his arms wrenched behind his back, unable to move.

“I don’t remember crossing you people. Why attack us?” Long Wei asked, confused.

“Shut him up,” the leader said indifferently.

Instantly, someone shoved a mouthful of mud into Long Wei’s mouth. The battle was over. The dead of “Darkness” lay scattered; the wounded were bound and detained.

Gao Mingyang and the others stared in astonishment, not comprehending what had just occurred. Meanwhile, Cheng Feng, whom they’d beaten earlier, seized the chaos to wriggle free and escape.

“Brother Gang! It’s you!”

Cheng Feng ran to the leader, face filled with excitement. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, Cheng Feng, what a coincidence.” The leader smiled and nodded in greeting.

“We’re screwed… That bastard actually knows someone from ‘Purgatory’!” Gao Mingyang nearly collapsed. "Damn, fortune truly changes fast!"

“But why did ‘Purgatory’ come here? If that bastard brought them, why not storm in directly instead of all these theatrics?” Gao Xiang said hurriedly.

“Let’s just watch and see. If it’s fate, we can’t avoid it,” Xu Fei sighed.

…

“Brother Gang, why are you here?” Cheng Feng asked curiously. “So you really joined ‘Purgatory’? That’s impressive!”

Brother Gang patted his shoulder. “Just made my way up, bit by bit. This time, I’m following orders.”

Cheng Feng frowned. “Is ‘Purgatory’ planning to expand into this area?”

“That’s not for you to know. Don’t speculate,” Brother Gang replied coldly.

“Got it.” Cheng Feng smiled. “I have some issues with ‘Darkness’—I’m not one of them… Can I leave?”

“Of course. I’m still waiting for you to introduce me to a few female students.”

“I promise you, all original! Oh, Brother Gang, could you do me a favor?” Cheng Feng’s eyes glinted as he looked maliciously towards Zhao Nan’s group.

“What is it?” Brother Gang asked.

Clenching his teeth, Cheng Feng said, “That woman over there is my girl—she cheated on me! With that guy next to her! Could you teach them a lesson for me?”

“Alright!” Brother Gang agreed. “You lot, grab the woman and deal with the rest.”

“We’re done for—they really know each other!” Gao Mingyang felt no relief as the black-cloaked group closed in.

Zhao Nan frowned. Cheng Feng’s connection with “Purgatory” was unexpected.

Cheng Feng, standing beside Brother Gang, his bruised, swollen face unable to hide his vicious glare, stared at them like a viper, coldly sneering.

As the group surrounded them, Cheng Feng finally spoke, “Xu Yang, I’ve given you so many chances—why do you never take the hint?”

“Cheng Feng, you really are a petty villain, a hypocrite! I was blind to ever call you a friend,” Xu Yang said, full of regret.

“Hmph!” Cheng Feng sneered. “Brother Gang, I’ll leave the rest to you. That woman’s not bad, still a virgin—why don’t you have some fun first?”

A glint flashed in Brother Gang’s eyes. He lowered his voice, “Isn’t she your girl?”

“Haha, women are just clothes. If you like her, she’s yours! As long as you put in a good word for me in ‘Purgatory,’ help me get a position, I’ll bring you as many women as you want!”

“You really know your way around!” Brother Gang laughed, eyes roaming hungrily over Xu Yang.

“Stop!”

A louder voice suddenly rang out.

In the distance, another man approached quickly, also clad in black, with a group behind him. At his side walked a masked woman.

The masked woman hurried forward, cutting through the crowd to reach Zhao Nan.

Zhao Nan shook his head, signaling her to stay silent, then watched calmly as the man arrived.

“Who told you to act?” the man demanded, his sharp gaze making the others lower their heads.

“Chen Gang, what do you think you’re doing?” he barked.

“Wolf!” Brother Gang’s face changed. A seasoned survivor, he instantly guessed the situation. Seeing the masked woman join Zhao Nan, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

“I’m sorry…” Chen Gang gritted his teeth and slapped himself hard.

“Hmph, I’ll deal with you later!”

Wolf snorted, then stepped past the crowd to Zhao Nan, asking tentatively, “You must be Zhao Nan?”

“I am,” Zhao Nan replied.

“I recognize your voice.” Wolf nodded, then, with extraordinary politeness, said, “Mr. Zhao, my apologies! My men have startled you!”

Was this a joke? One of the four most powerful leaders in “Purgatory” was actually apologizing to a nobody?

Chen Gang felt his world spin. He’d really kicked the hornet’s nest this time! As for Cheng Feng, his legs shook with terror.

“Scum!” Chen Gang suddenly yelled, kicking Cheng Feng to the ground and stomping mercilessly on his face.

After several kicks, Cheng Feng’s face was almost unrecognizable, his breathing labored.

“Wolf! This man is an old acquaintance. He has some grudge with this gentleman, so I was just helping out.” Chen Gang knelt, admitting, “Sorry, I didn’t know this gentleman was your friend!”

Wolf nodded, expressionless. “Mr. Zhao, how do you want him dealt with?”

Zhao Nan met Chen Gang’s pleading gaze and said calmly, “He’s one of yours. Deal with him as you see fit.”

A cold gleam flickered in Wolf’s eyes. He said, “Strip Chen Gang of his gear and throw him into the Level 6 monster zone. Watch him! If he survives the night, let him go.”

“No—!”

Chen Gang’s cries faded as he was dragged away.

“And this one?” Wolf pointed at Cheng Feng, sprawled on the ground.

Zhao Nan frowned, walked over, and sighed, “Be a decent man in your next life.”

With a sweep of his sword, a head rolled several meters, blood pooling on the ground. Just like that, Cheng Feng’s miserable life ended.

A murder mark appeared above Zhao Nan, glaringly obvious. Wolf’s brows rose as he saw the tranquility in Zhao Nan’s eyes.

That was the gaze of someone who truly understood killing, who would not hesitate… what a ruthless man, Wolf mused.

“Mr. Zhao, we’ve done as you asked. What next?” Wolf asked quietly.

Zhao Nan replied indifferently, “I’ll contact Ximen Yu myself… One last thing—I don’t want to hear the name ‘Darkness’ again.”

“Understood.”

…

In the building’s main hall, the members of “Darkness” were bound together, faces full of despair, wailing.

Around them, flames roared, burning fiercely.

Outside the building, the others listened to the screams, glancing at Zhao Nan with a mixture of awe and respect.

Meanwhile, Zhao Nan stood a short distance away with Wolf. He raised a hand to his ear.

On the other end of the mental transmission was Ximen Yu’s voice.

“Are you satisfied, Mr. Zhao?”

“It’s fine,” Zhao Nan replied softly.

“I’ve verified that the zombie rats can drop Lucent Crystal Shards,” Ximen Yu said with a smile. “Now, will you tell me about mass farming methods?”

Zhao Nan nodded. “There’s a large pit at [location hidden]. All you have to do is have people drive zombie rats into it, and station guards around the edge. That way, you can farm monsters in bulk.”

He didn’t reveal the potion recipe. “Purgatory” had plenty of people, well-equipped and organized, so mass farming would be simple. Lucent Crystal Shards were just the lowest grade of enchanting material; the truly precious ones would come later.

Trading this soon-to-be-obsolete information for “Purgatory’s” intervention was a bargain.

“Good!” Ximen Yu’s delight was evident. “Mr. Zhao, would you be interested in joining ‘Purgatory’? I can offer you a good position.”

“No,” Zhao Nan declined. “I prefer to work alone.”

“Is that so… What a pity.” Ximen Yu didn’t mind. “Of course, my door is always open. If you ever wish, you’re welcome to join me…”

Beep—

But Zhao Nan had already ended the call.

On the other end, Ximen Yu put down his hand in mild surprise, muttering, “Is that just his personality, or is it something else…”