Wen Shangsheng, with a lollipop in his mouth, looked at Sun Sui with a rather flippant air, his confidence absolute. "If you lose, then we'll go on a killing spree and raze your city. We'll inflict upon you the pain you've inflicted on others."
The lollipop he was sucking was one he'd gotten from Su Ling.
Sun Sui had spoken out in anger, only stepping forward then.
Now, having calmed down, he looked at the provocatively smiling Wen Shangsheng, lacking the courage to respond.
How could he have courage?
Xu Du, whom he considered incredibly formidable, had been utterly outmatched by Shang Qi and reduced to a charred corpse.
Facing Wen Shangsheng, Sun Sui cowered like a grandson, daring not to reply.
Seeing Sun Sui's silence, Wen Shangsheng looked down on him and continued to provoke. "What, intimidated by my third brother's might? Just want to talk a big game but don't dare to step out and fight?"
Wen Shangsheng's words were met with silence from Shang Qi, Su Ling, and the others; they let him have his way.
Sun Sui remained silent, offering no response.
Wen Shangsheng, meanwhile, continued to incite him. "What cowards. If I were you, with death being the only outcome either way, I might as well fight. Perhaps, through this risky gamble, you could snatch victory, save your own life, and protect the others and your prison sector's safety."
Sun Sui heard Wen Shangsheng's reasoning and found it made sense.
Their leader, Xu Du, was dead. They had lost their leader and instantly became headless.
Moreover, Shang Qi and his group were determined to kill them and raze their city.
With death being the inevitable outcome, wasn't it better to take a chance? What if they won?
If he won, he could become the leader. Sun Sui was clearly tempted.
It would be impossible not to be tempted; this was an invaluable opportunity, hard-won.
Wen Shangsheng saw that Sun Sui had been tempted and knew the man was wavering. He pressed his advantage, continuing, "Time is precious, and we still need to pass through the city. If you're a coward, just say so and don't waste our time."
"You're upset about your leader's death, so we'll do you a favor and send you to reunite with him. You—"
"We'll fight!" Sun Sui, unable to let Wen Shangsheng finish, stepped over Xu Du's charred, roasted corpse. He stood at the front of the crowd, pointed at Wen Shangsheng, and declared, "You come out, I'll fight you."
The reason Sun Sui dared was because Wen Shangsheng gave the impression of being unreliable, like an unlearned rich second-generation heir.
He believed Wen Shangsheng's arrogance was built on the deterrence of Shang Qi's power.
Wen Shangsheng had succeeded. With a cunning smile, he looked at Shang Qi and Su Ling. "Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, I'm going."
Sun Sui's ability was speed, focusing on quickness.
Wen Shangsheng's ability, however, was water, considered rather weak in the early stages.
With the two pitted against each other, once their abilities were unleashed, everyone on Sun Sui's side assumed Wen Shangsheng was doomed to lose, and Sun Sui was bound to win.
With this thought, Sun Sui's people believed their lives were safe.
With Shang Qi's previous display of power, they were genuinely terrified of Shang Qi torturing them in the same manner.
Wen Shangsheng facing Sun Sui was not favored by Sun Sui or his men at the outset.
It was simply that the water ability was too weak, while the speed ability could catch them off guard and dismantle them one by one.
But after they began to fight, Sun Sui realized he had been careless.
On the surface, Wen Shangsheng's water ability seemed weak and posed no damage or threat when it landed on him, but in reality, only he knew how much pain Wen Shangsheng's water ability inflicted upon him.
The water, which seemed to lack any offensive power, landed on him like it had a corrosive effect, burning his skin.