novelraw Chapter 285 - 272
Chapter 285 - 272
Gu Xi felt there was something strange about the way Zhang Wen was looking at her.
But she’d always been a bit slow when it came to social niceties.
"Thanks." After thanking him, Gu Xi thought for a moment before adding, "Actually, the first batch of special ability weapons wasn’t all that amazing..." After all, her own ability had only just broken through to level 7 back then, a far cry from what it would later become.
However, seeing Zhang Wen steal glances at the combat knife in Qi Xiang’s hand, Gu Xi paused, then said, "If you like it, I can give you one."
Back then, after Dr. Qi and his team forged the first batch of special ability weapons, they had presented them to her to choose from.
But she really hadn’t liked them at the time. After casually picking a few, she’d tossed them all into her dimensional space to collect dust.
It wasn’t until she took a liking to that young man who used a scimitar that the research institute’s top minds specially forged the Xidao for her.
Hearing that Gu Xi was going to give him one of the first-ever special ability weapons, Zhang Wen was ecstatic. ’Did I hear that right? Miss Gu is giving me a gift?’
This was a one-of-a-kind gift, something not even his captain had.
Gu Xi didn’t think a single weapon was a big deal, but she didn’t know what kind Zhang Wen would like. Just as she was about to take them out and let him pick one himself, an invisible ripple suddenly disturbed the air.
Gu Xi turned to look behind her, her eyes narrowing slightly.
’Looks like those people still haven’t given up, even after seeing blood...’
Nearby, Wei Heng and the others also sensed the tense atmosphere.
Recalling that Gu Xi had just gone to meet a friend, and considering the fierce, murderous aura clinging to her, Wei Heng gave a hand signal to Zhang Wen and Zhao Li.
The three of them quickly fell into a combat formation, while Qi Xiang, who was a complete weakling, had the self-awareness to hide behind the Qin sisters.
Strangely, however, apart from that odd ripple in the air just now, there was no other movement.
"Gu Xi..." Qi Xiang had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
"It’s nothing," Gu Xi said suddenly. "Wait here for me."
The moment Wei Heng heard this, he started to speak, but his vision blurred as a figure shot past him, as fast as a phantom.
「Twenty-five minutes later.」
The stench of blood in the valley had not yet dissipated, mingling with another peculiar smell in the air to create a nauseating odor.
Li Xiao stared at the young woman standing before him, seemingly suspended in mid-air. For a moment, he was in a daze, as if he had returned to the past.
But he quickly snapped back to his senses.
’So what if she’s back?’
’This isn’t the era of the Blood-colored Asura anymore.’
"I thought Miss Gu had already left without saying goodbye. I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon." Perhaps drawing confidence from the people around him, Li Xiao spoke with forced composure.
Gu Xi sighed softly. She had actually recognized Li Xiao earlier. The reason she hadn’t acted wasn’t out of respect for Li Ming, but because... she wanted to leave this person for Li Ming to deal with personally.
’But it seems... some people lack self-awareness and just have to push their luck with me?’
"You’re Li Ming’s brother." Gu Xi’s tone was very soft.
"Miss Gu has a good memory." What Li Xiao hated most was when people associated him with Li Ming, as if... as if he were merely an accessory to his brother, as if all his success was only because he was Li Ming’s sibling.
But Li Xiao didn’t see it that way.
He had succeeded and climbed to his current position because he was ruthless enough and smart enough.
Take his choice this time, for example.
Through the gas mask, Gu Xi couldn’t see the expression on Li Xiao’s face, nor did she care to waste the effort trying.
"My memory isn’t that good," Gu Xi said honestly. "But thankfully, I haven’t forgotten the art of killing."
Li Xiao: "...You misunderstand. Those people from earlier weren’t with me..."
"Oh." Gu Xi was unconcerned. "Whether they were with you or not doesn’t make much of a difference to me."
’This is definitely a threat.’
The corner of Li Xiao’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, but he quickly moved past the topic as if nothing had happened. He said seriously, "Miss Gu, I know your purpose for coming to City A. In fact, our goals are aligned."
’Aligned?’
"Oh," Gu Xi replied flatly.
She even wondered what gave these people the delusion that she was some simple-minded fool who was easy to trick, someone they could plot against and use time and time again.
’Do they really think I don’t have a temper?!’
Li Xiao felt her reaction was a bit off, but a glance at the people beside him renewed his confidence. He continued, "We’ve already found the location of the remaining Hibernation Chambers. If you’re willing, Miss Gu, we can send people to assist you..."
"Assist me?" Gu Xi fiddled with the small green sprout on her fingertip, looking at Li Xiao with a smirk. "Assist me in getting rid of Yun Ye? You’ve certainly thought this through."
Li Xiao choked. He then heard Gu Xi say in a completely certain tone, "So, you’ve secretly allied with the Gu Family."
’No wonder.’
Li Xiao frowned slightly and said, "Miss Gu, I’m here on behalf of the Central Base, representing Base Leader Gu to..."
"Gu Yumin?" Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. "He and the Gu Family aren’t on the same side anymore, are they?"
Having been interrupted twice in a row, Li Xiao was growing annoyed, but he forced it down, wary of Gu Xi’s Combat Power.
"I’m afraid you don’t know yet, Miss Gu," Li Xiao said, taking a deep breath before abruptly changing the subject. "Just yesterday, the isolation hospital at the Central Base activated its self-destruct mechanism. The entire hospital was leveled in an instant."
Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. ’Why does that sound so similar to what happened at Number 176 in South City back then?’
’So, what is Li Xiao trying to imply?’
Seeing her silence, Li Xiao frowned. "Don’t you want to know who gave the order, Miss Gu?"
"Who was it?" Gu Xi asked, her tone flat, tinged with a faint, almost imperceptible nonchalance.
"You don’t seem surprised at all?" Li Xiao was taken aback. ’Could it be that she already knows what happened at the isolation hospital?’
But he quickly dismissed that idea.
’Impossible. Before it happened, the data center had already completely blocked the Special Service Team’s signal. Gu Xi’s number and the others’ were within the blocked range.’
’Even if Li Ming tipped her off from the Central Base, there’s no way she could know about the hospital.’
Thinking this, Li Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Gu Xi suddenly sighed. "It seems the Gu Family doesn’t trust you that much either..."
Li Xiao frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"After Lu Xiao, a base guard, was sent back to the Central Base, I sent out 10 milliliters of my own blood." Gu Xi looked up at him and offered a kind reminder, "Zhou Jing handled it. Perhaps you can look into it?"
Li Xiao froze, completely baffled. ’What does Gu Xi’s blood have to do with Lu Xiao? Could Gu Xi have been involved in Lu Xiao’s sudden evolution back then?’
’But the isolation hospital has been leveled now, and Lu Xiao, who was once coveted by so many factions, has been blown to smithereens... ’
Gu Xi continued, speaking to herself, "As I thought, you don’t know." ’Then again, why would the Chen sisters and the Gu Family let a pawn in on certain secrets?’
Li Xiao felt something was wrong.
Then he heard Gu Xi say, "Although I had nothing to do with Lu Xiao’s situation initially, I think you know better than I do what kind of people the Chen sisters are. Tell me, what do you think they would do after getting my blood?"
Li Xiao wasn’t a fool. Connecting this with the Chen sisters’ unusually rapid aging over the years, he quickly put two and two together, and his face instantly paled in horror.