"You shouldn't ask me what I need you to do, but rather what I can help you with," Bai Ye said. "You must understand that not everyone is qualified to do things for me."
Yimi remained silent. He admitted that Bai Ye was strong, stronger than him, but his tone was far too arrogant.
"Then what can you help me with?" Yimi challenged.
Bai Ye leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs on the table, and looked at Yimi. "William Macbeth, the Despair King!"
Yimi was stunned and exclaimed, "How do you know about the Despair King?"
"I know a lot more," Bai Ye said. "Blood Combat Flow and Blood Freezing techniques. You're a member of the secret society Libra, aren't you?"
This time, Yimi was utterly shocked. His abilities were no ordinary matter; they were also products of the advanced zones, and Yimi was confident that not many people knew about the existence of the Blood Realm zone. Yet, Bai Ye not only knew about it but had also accurately identified the origin of his abilities.
"Do you want the Despair King's abilities?" Bai Ye asked.
Yimi immediately stepped forward and slammed his palms on the table. "Yes!"
As the table vibrated, Bai Ye let out a low curse. His legs, which had been resting on the table, slipped, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward.
*Bang!*
The next moment, Bai Ye lay sprawled on the floor, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The owner, carrying dishes, walked by and glanced down at Bai Ye. "The chair is broken. You'll have to pay for it."
Yimi: "..."
Bai Ye: "..."
Yimi felt like he had caused trouble. Bai Ye, on the other hand, felt embarrassed, a perfect demonstration of "looking cool for less than three seconds."
After getting a new chair, Bai Ye no longer dared to cross his legs. He sat properly and said, "William Macbeth is not the Despair King. He's a fake. No, that's not quite right. The Despair King is possessing him."
Yimi gasped, "Ah?"
"I'll tell you how to find the Despair King and obtain his abilities," Bai Ye said.
Yimi pondered for a moment. "The same question again: what do you need me to do? I don't believe in free lunches."
"Nothing for now," Bai Ye replied. "I'll help you become stronger and improve your standing in the Hidden Dragon Society, but not needing you now doesn't mean I'll never need you."
"So, when you need me to do something, I must do it without the right to refuse, is that it?" Yimi asked.
"No, you have the right to refuse," Bai Ye suddenly leaned closer to Yimi and whispered in his ear, "as long as you're not afraid of death."
"Since I'm giving you something, I should naturally expect something in return," Bai Ye said, sitting back in his chair. "I'm feeding you because I want you to be a loyal dog, not a traitor."
"Understood, or not understood, I need an answer from you."
Yimi was silent for a moment. "Understood!"
"Excellent. I'll tell you how to find the Despair King, and this is just the beginning," Bai Ye said. "When do you plan to leave the Ruined City?"
"I have no particular needs here. I was just passing through the Ruined City anyway. Since the matters at hand are concluded, I'll leave now."
"Stay for two more days," Bai Ye said. "The Ruined City is about to get very lively."
"Oh? The crystal people?" Yimi asked.
Bai Ye smiled. "Yes."
Yimi didn't think there was much to see, but since Bai Ye had said so, he didn't mind staying for an extra two days.
"Meet me by the wall two days from now."
Bai Ye was so certain that the Ruined City would descend into chaos in two days because...
Allen had failed to negotiate with the Rhine Corporation!
Although Allen was not one of the leaders of the androids, he had a good relationship with the owner of the hunting ground. The owner, despite his low profile, was one of the current leaders of the androids in the slums, just like Li Chengjie. He also had connections with some androids in the affluent district. Furthermore, while Li Chengjie was more renowned, the owner held more practical power.
Besides that, Allen also commanded considerable respect among the androids. His great-grandfather was one of the earliest androids to break away from the Rhine Corporation and was their leader at the time.
This time, Allen had uncovered another plot by the Rhine Corporation. With the owner's support, Allen had negotiated with the Rhine Corporation on behalf of the androids. Unfortunately, the negotiations broke down immediately.
Allen's demands were simple: the continued equal dialogue and coexistence between androids and humans. Of course, the Rhine Corporation could not agree to this. They had grown accustomed to enslaving androids. If they were to live as equals, wouldn't the Rhine Corporation have to venture out and hunt themselves? Moreover, this issue had been debated for years with no resolution, so Allen wasn't too insistent.
As a compromise, Allen hoped to maintain the current status quo. However, the Rhine Corporation refused again. Life crystals were crucial to the Rhine Corporation, containing immense energy. They were the key to ending the wasteland era, and they would never allow them to fall into other hands. Thus, they publicly agreed to Allen's demands but also requested that Allen hand over the life crystals.
Allen naturally refused. Without the life crystals, the Rhine Corporation could not conduct their crystal person experiments. While the Rhine Corporation claimed they would only extract energy, everyone knew that was a lie.
So, the negotiations devolved into a full-blown breakdown. And after the breakdown, war was inevitable.
It's worth noting that in Bai Ye's previous life memories, the Rhine Corporation had initiated the war. Discovering that their plot was exposed, the Rhine Corporation decided to go all out, ordering their crystal person army to suppress the androids directly. Those who complied would be imprisoned, and those who resisted would be expelled from the affluent district.
However, this time, due to the loss of the life crystals, the Rhine Corporation was hesitant to make a move. Their accustomed arrogance, however, led them to maintain a hostile attitude towards Allen, but they hadn't truly intended to act.
But after the exposure of the crystal person project, not only the androids in the slums but also those in the affluent district were dissatisfied. They had fought and toiled for the Rhine Corporation, only for them to develop such a creation to replace them.
As a result, the leaders of the androids in the affluent district secretly contacted the owner, who then contacted other leaders in the slums. A consensus was reached to attack the affluent district and overthrow the Rhine Corporation.
The process had deviated slightly, but Bai Ye didn't mind much, as the outcome was largely the same as he remembered. The Rhine Corporation initiating the attack had changed to the androids launching a preemptive strike, but the core objective remained the same: overthrowing the Rhine Corporation. Based on Bai Ye's memories, the Rhine Corporation would then completely withdraw from the Ruined City.
Of course, this all depended on the androids winning the war. And this was exactly what Bai Ye needed to do!
Bai Ye had to help Allen win this war!
...