Li Xiaofei hadn’t expected that the person who came would actually be Lin Yi, the most luxurious ‘public transport’ magnate of Chongque City.
This woman was stunning beyond imagination. It was as if every pore on her body exuded an irresistible allure. Just one glance at her was enough to stir a powerful urge to kneel beneath her skirt in submission.
“I didn’t expect our second meeting would be under such circumstances. Are you alright?”
Lin Yi crouched beside Li Xiaofei, fed him some healing medicine, and removed a few of the restraints on his body. Li Xiaofei’s injuries began to heal rapidly as he slowly sat up.
“You’re not afraid of me?” His aggressive and probing gaze swept up and down this famously beautiful woman of Chongque City.
Lin Yi replied, “Why should I be afraid of you?”
Li Xiaofei said, “I’ve already killed two Directors of the Dark Division.”
Lin Yi laughed. She wore a simple and elegant white dress, long boots, and her long hair was casually tied up with a jade hairpin. A small, plump braid was combed neatly at her temple, looping the hair behind her head. She looked graceful and fresh.
Li Xiaofei remembered the last time he had seen her. She had stood beside Zhou Chenglong, the Head of the Commerce Division. She had been incomparably regal and cold, like an untouchable noblewoman.
Perhaps temperament was something a peerless beauty like her could change at will.
“I’m just a frail little lady, not some grand division chief. Why would you want to kill me, Student Li?” Lin Yi said with a smile as radiant as a blooming flower.
As she spoke, she opened a box of food she had brought with her, took out a small table and some delicate snacks, and said, “Shall we chat over food?”
She lifted a celadon wine pot and poured wine, the emerald liquid flowing in a thin stream to fill the small cup.
Li Xiaofei leaned against the wall and said, “Let’s get to the point. What kind of deal do you want to discuss?”
Lin Yi said, “I want to meet Chang’e[1]. Can you introduce me?”
Li Xiaofei was momentarily stunned.
Isn’t that something that’s better brought to Wu Gang[2] instead?
He looked at Lin Yi’s expression and realized she didn’t seem to be joking. After thinking for a moment about what Han Sui had revealed during his interrogation, Li Xiaofei vaguely pieced together a few clues.
His expression returned to calm as he asked, “Why do you want to meet her?”
Lin Yi smiled, raised her wine cup, and remained silent, clearly not considering Li Xiaofei qualified to be part of that conversation.
Li Xiaofei wasn’t angered. He continued, “Why should I help you?”
Lin Yi, seeing that he wasn’t drinking, didn’t press him. She took a small sip herself and said, “I can help get all the charges against you in Chongque City dropped. I can also help you secure Earth No. 1818. Do you know why the City Lord’s Office and the Council are so determined to take it this time?”
“I don’t,” Li Xiaofei replied.
Lin Yi said, “Because someone discovered a path to godhood on Earth No. 1818.”
“A path to godhood?” Li Xiaofei was both curious and surprised. That was something he truly didn’t know.
“Yes. That base star gave rise to the embryonic form of a Primordial God. Someone cultivated and managed to produce a trace of divine power. Once the news got out, it shocked many powerful figures. So, regardless of the merits you’ve earned or the price you’ve paid, you could never hold on to that base star. Its value far exceeds you.”
Lin Yi generously shared this information without reservation.
Li Xiaofei suddenly understood.
Primordial God?! Ishihara Masami! It had to be her.
Only Ishihara Masami, during her cultivation at the brink of death, had unintentionally achieved a balance at the threshold of a Black Hole level and produced a faint trace of Immortal Force. Or perhaps, it should be called divine power.
So, the so-called path to godhood... was actually Ishihara Masami herself.
The big figures of Chongque City were after the secret hidden within Ishihara Masami’s body. Tōan Ritsu’s backers from beyond the stars must have leaked the information.
At last, Li Xiaofei fully understood the entire chain of cause and effect. He then realized what Earth No. 1818 truly meant to Chongque City, to the powers of the City Lord’s Office and the Council.
Thankfully, he had reacted quickly. When he noticed something was wrong, he immediately mimicked his aunt’s method to hide Earth No. 1818. Otherwise, Earth No. 1818 might have already become a pile of ruins.
He had no doubt what kind of monstrous things those powerful people would do once they went mad. At the same time, this also meant there was no longer even the slightest chance of reconciliation between himself and the two major forces of Chongque City.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but Li Xiaofei’s expression remained unchanged.
“The City Lord and the High Chancellors... they want to become gods?” Li Xiaofei continued asking.
Lin Yi replied, “If it were possible, who wouldn’t want that?”
“What happens after becoming a god?”
“A god is eternal and indestructible.”
“But Black Hole level cosmic lifeforms also possess long lifespans and immense power...”
“Wrong. In this universe, planets, stars, even black holes, all eventually die. Only a true god is eternal and indestructible.”
“There’s no other path to godhood?”
“Perhaps there is, but Chongque City doesn’t know of it.”
“Alright then... does Eden know?”
“Aren’t you from Eden?”
“The power of Eden is beyond anything you could ever imagine. Chongque City has marked Eden as a forbidden organization that must be hunted down with full force, yet even after all these years, they still don’t know where Eden’s branch nests are located.”
When he saw a faint trace of pride flash between Lin Yi’s brows, Li Xiaofei didn’t refute her. It was the truth. At this point, he had no choice but to admit that Chongque City had indeed failed completely.
This institution, once established by Heaven to govern over one hundred thousand base planets and provide an endless supply of troops for the front-line battles across the galactic warfront, had, over the course of endless years, become thoroughly corrupted. It was no different from the festering mire that was Eden.
“I’ve already shared a great deal of information,” Lin Yi said at last, then pressed him, “Now, can we finalize our deal?”
Li Xiaofei thought for a moment and replied, “I still want to know, what is your purpose? You, or rather, your Eden. Why are you looking for Chang’e?”
Lin Yi frowned. She was a little disappointed by Li Xiaofei’s response. After saying so much, the fact that he still remained so firm surprised her.
“Some questions... knowing the answer isn’t necessarily a good thing.” She once again refused to answer.
Li Xiaofei smiled faintly and said, “Then we have nothing more to discuss.”
“You’re not satisfied with my offer?” Lin Yi was caught off guard. The conditions she had laid out should have struck right at his sore spots.
She slowly set down her wine cup and said, “Young man, you know a great deal. Then you should understand the consequences of refusing to cooperate with Eden.”
Li Xiaofei only smiled calmly. But traces of killing intent began to flicker in his eyes.
Yet Lin Yi showed no fear and said, “I didn’t want to fall out with you, but there’s something you may not know. In fact, we’ve known from the very beginning... where your two daughters are hiding.”
In that instant, a sharp, icy gleam condensed in Li Xiaofei’s star-like eyes.
1. Chang'e originally known as Heng'e (姮娥; Héng'é), is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Hou Yi, the great archer. ☜
2. Wu Gang (born 9 December 1962) is a Chinese actor. He is known for his roles in Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker (1994), and Iron Man (2009) for which he won both Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor and Shanghai Film Critics Award for Best Actor. ☜