Chapter 313: Asking This and That

Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Asking This and That

Fang Ye recognized He Su’s Card at a glance.

On their way here for the bodyguard assignment, the two had briefly discussed their Card designs. He Su had said the hummingbird’s design looked like a moth with a very long mouth.

The design of the Hexagonal Prism Demon was also obvious—a neat geometric shape.

As for the other five Cards, he wasn’t sure of their meaning. The beast designs were the hardest to identify because the art was too abstract. A wolf design could be mistaken for a hyena or a fox; you could even argue it was a badger.

Fang Ye’s gaze swept over each Card, one by one.

He didn’t dare take a risk on the cards with unknown meanings. Between the hummingbird and the Hexagonal Prism Demon, the latter was more tempting. He had personally witnessed Gray Rat use this Card in battle. Before the Pollution Body appeared, Gray Rat had been easily holding his own against ten opponents.

’Could this be a trap set by Xing Guang? Did he deliberately let me see the Hexagonal Prism Demon’s power just to tempt me into choosing it?’

’...But can I resist the temptation?’

A High-level Card... Never mind at Hunting Star International, even at the better-resourced Inspection Bureau, getting one required applications, approvals, and multiple assessments. It also took a bit of luck and a long wait.

But now, a High-level Card was right in front of him, within his grasp.

Fang Ye took a deep breath, opened his hand, and firmly grasped the floating silver Card—

In the end, he chose the Hexagonal Prism Demon.

With another wave of her hand, Bai Mao absorbed the remaining Cards into her body.

Xing Guang smiled. "A good choice. Bai Mao, take him to rest."

Bai Mao gave Fang Ye a sardonic smile. "Follow me."

A mix of emotions churned within Fang Ye as he silently followed Bai Mao.

They crossed the central aisle of the factory floor, went around to the back door, and emerged in front of an old-fashioned tube-shaped apartment building.

It was the lumber mill’s staff dormitory, four stories high. Motion-activated lights were installed in the hallways, but the place looked like it had been vacant for a long time. A thick layer of dust coated the staircase handrails.

As he was walking upstairs, the Hexagonal Prism Demon finished assimilating inside his body—

The Hexagonal Prism Demon’s ability was severely weakened. Its replication ability was reduced from a maximum of six Cards to only one, and his Pollution Value increased by 8%. This indicated poor compatibility between the Hexagonal Prism Demon and the Mermaid.

Fang Ye’s mood sank even lower. He couldn’t help but suspect that Xing Guang had anticipated this outcome, which was why he had so generously allowed him to pick a Card.

"There are more mosquitos and bugs downstairs. It’s a bit cleaner up here," Bai Mao said as she walked. "You can stay in any room. The bathrooms are at the end of the hall on each floor."

Fang Ye pushed open a random door. The furnishings inside were incredibly simple: one table and two bunk beds. There was nothing else—no mattresses or pillows.

But he wasn’t here on vacation. He would live however the Alien Species arranged it.

Bai Mao noticed a scab on his arm and asked curiously, "What happened to your arm?"

Fang Ye pursed his lips and briefly recounted the incident of how his arm had been broken and how he had narrowly survived.

Xing Guang had used an Alien Species’ recovery potion on him, so the wound on his arm was mostly healed.

Bai Mao laughed when she heard the story and teased him, "Keep up the good work."

Fang Ye hung his head and said dejectedly in a low voice, "Why don’t you just kill me..."

Bai Mao grabbed the metal ladder on the side, hopped effortlessly onto the top bunk, and replied with her legs crossed, "There is no why. Xing Guang doesn’t want to kill you, so we don’t kill you."

Fang Ye frowned and looked up to ask Bai Mao again, "Why doesn’t Xing Guang want to kill me? Not only did he spare me, he even gave me a Card. Are you looking down on me? Do you think I won’t fight back no matter what you do to me? Is that it?!"

Bai Mao was speechless at first, then burst out laughing. She sat on the top bunk and roared with laughter!

She laughed so hard she rocked back and forth, making the bedframe CREAK. Fang Ye clenched his fists in humiliation and anger, demanding, "What’s so funny?!"

Bai Mao was laughing so hard she was nearly in tears. "You humans are so interesting, with your wild imaginations. If you want to fight back, then go ahead and fight back. I told you before, nothing escapes Xing Guang. If you really want to resist, he’ll know. You can give it a try."

Fang Ye’s face darkened, and he said nothing.

Seeing his frustrated expression, Bai Mao explained with rare patience, "Giving you a Card is no big deal. If you don’t behave, we can just kill you, right? The Card won’t disappear. It’ll just move from one person’s body to another’s. You saw what happened to Gray Rat, didn’t you?"

She lay down on her side, propping her cheek up with one hand, and said scornfully, "It’s just like keeping a dog. When you’re in a good mood, you can dress it up in pretty clothes and put a fancy collar on it, but a dog is still a dog."

Bai Mao’s words made the indignation in Fang Ye’s heart slowly fade away.

Suddenly, he lost the energy to be angry. His spirits hit rock bottom, and he sat listlessly on the bottom bunk’s bedframe, not saying a word.

Bai Mao watched him for a moment before speaking again. "Xing Guang... he’s an extremely proud person. He always says the mission comes first and that we shouldn’t bother with the hidden Boss, but deep down, he always wants to win. That person, Feng Ling, tamed players and administrators to work for him, so Xing Guang wants to tame a human. He gets a sense of psychological superiority by taming you. If he killed you, it would be the same as admitting defeat. So I don’t think Xing Guang will kill you—at least, not before the hidden Boss is dead."

The scorn in her voice was replaced by a certain seriousness.

Fang Ye looked up at her and said in a low voice, "I understand. Thank you."

"You’re welcome," Bai Mao replied. "Since Xing Guang put you in my care, it’s better to clear some things up early, so you don’t spend all day asking questions."

So Fang Ye really did dare to ask, "What’s the plan now?"

"We’re taking that group of players from earlier to Paradise. Don’t ask me what Paradise is. I’ve never been either. I hear it’s a good place. You’ll know when you get there," Bai Mao replied.

Fang Ye asked hesitantly, "Am I... going with you to this Paradise?"

"I don’t know. Maybe. Xing Guang will arrange it anyway," Bai Mao said nonchalantly, not very concerned with such things. "Once we get the puppet master Card, we’ll leave this place for Paradise."

Fang Ye couldn’t resist pouring cold water on her plans. "After causing such a huge commotion tonight, the Inspection Bureau branches from the nearby cities are bound to send reinforcements to Jinnan City. Plus, that Pollution Body is still out there. You should just give up."

Bai Mao closed her eyes and said, "You don’t need to worry about that. Xing Guang has already made arrangements."

Fang Ye was taken aback. "...Made arrangements? What did he arrange?"

"You don’t know?" Bai Mao cracked open an eyelid and shot him a casual glance. "Don’t be impatient. You’ll find out tomorrow. I’m tired now. I’m going to rest. Good night."

Bai Mao rolled over and fell asleep, lying on her side on the bedframe.

Fang Ye sat stunned for a moment, then turned his head to gaze at the night sky outside the window. Recalling the events of the past few days, he felt completely lost.