Chapter 90 : Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Jiang Yunyi remained composed and smiled politely, "Our leader has been feeling unwell recently, so I am temporarily handling affairs on his behalf."
He was lying.
Yuan Lan didn't know, but Bai Xuechao knew very well.
Although their old leader was nearly ninety, thanks to the Dark Organization's long-term investment in longevity and health-preserving drugs, his body was healthy, and his spirit was vigorous. He was even stronger than some frail college students. Moreover, he had seen the old man before he left, and he was in excellent condition. It was impossible for him to be "feeling unwell recently."
So, Jiang Yunyi had suppressed this matter and hadn't told the old leader. Only he had the guts and the power to do so.
The reason was actually easy to analyze.
First, the older the old leader got, the more timid he became—to put it nicely, he was cautious and not reckless; to put it bluntly, he had become a coward.
If he found out that he had been taken away by the leader of the Apocalypse Society, the old leader's first reaction would definitely not be to immediately send people to rescue him. And upon learning that the leader of the Apocalypse Society was a level 9 special ability user, he would choose to give up on rescuing him.
Because among the four cadres of the Dark Organization, only Duan Xingzhi was a level 9 special ability user, so to rescue him, Duan Xingzhi had to be involved. And Duan Xingzhi would have to face the equally level 9 Yuan Lan, and would also have to send other special ability users and the organization's armed forces to deal with the other members of the Apocalypse Society. To be on the safe side, at least one of Jiang Yunyi and Liu Jingchun would also have to be sent.
If the rescue was successful, everyone would be happy, but the process would definitely not be easy. After all, the Apocalypse Society was no pushover. If the rescue failed, the losses would certainly be heavy, and it was possible that many people would be lost.
This was not just about rescuing him alone, but a conflict between two large organizations.
No matter what, the Dark Organization would suffer a great blow to its vitality.
In comparison, sacrificing him alone was the best choice.
Second, along with the old leader's increasing age, his paranoia had also grown.
Even if the old leader rescued him, after a while, he would start to review the incident and become suspicious.
Why was he okay? Why hadn't Yuan Lan tortured him like he did with captives from other organizations? Had he made some secret deal with Yuan Lan? Was he still loyal to the Dark Organization? Had he been turned by the Apocalypse Society?
The old leader would only think more than him, not less.
Therefore, the old leader could not know that he had been taken to the Apocalypse Society by Yuan Lan.
Jiang Yunyi's concealment of this matter was actually for his own good.
But it was hard for Bai Xuechao to believe that Jiang Yunyi was helping him out of personal feelings. He felt that perhaps Jiang Yunyi, after weighing the pros and cons, decided that rescuing him was the better option. He believed that the value he could create was far greater than the loss of rescuing him.
—Just like that time, Jiang Yunyi suppressed the news of his escape.
Escape was a nice way of putting it; it was actually desertion. But Jiang Yunyi took charge, and along with Liu Jingchun and Duan Xingzhi, concealed it from the old leader, helping him cover up his disappearance as being hospitalized. In reality, they searched the whole world for him and eventually captured him.
Jiang Yunyi's explanation to Liu Jingchun was that he was still useful and he didn't want to lose him.
After hearing Jiang Yunyi's explanation, Yuan Lan's lips curved into a meaningful smile as he slowly asked, "Is it 'temporarily' or 'replacing'?"
This was a very bold statement, suggesting that Jiang Yunyi might have treacherous intentions.
"Naturally, it's temporary," Jiang Yunyi was calm and composed, lying with a smile that didn't change at all. Then he said politely, "But this is an internal matter of our Dark Organization. The leader of the Apocalypse Society doesn't need to inquire, does he? You're being a bit too worried."
His tone was polite, but his words were not. The subtext was: You're thinking too much, mind your own business.
"People are always curious. I was just asking casually, don't take it too seriously," Yuan Lan waved his hand casually, as if saying that Jiang Yunyi was too sensitive.
Bai Xuechao found it a little funny watching the two of them engage in a war of words and sarcasm.
He felt that if he put Jiang Yunyi and Yuan Lan together and watched them verbally spar and throw shade at each other, he could watch for a whole day.
Mortar suddenly displayed a line of text on the screen: They are trying to locate us.
Bai Xuechao: "..."
Mortar's special ability was too useful.
To be caught so easily, it inexplicably felt like his own child was being crushed by someone else's child. He was already starting to feel embarrassed for their Dark Organization's intelligence department.
Yuan Lan didn't give him any face either, and just said with a grin, "Stop trying to locate us, you won't find us."
Mortar displayed another line of text: I've traced their location.
Now Xiao 6 was embarrassed too, "Why are the hackers in the Dark Organization so bad! Step it up!"
"Is that so," Jiang Yunyi smiled calmly. No one knew if he was embarrassed at that moment.
He stopped beating around the bush with Yuan Lan and got straight to the point, "The reason I invited you for this meeting is to discuss Xuechao's matter. We'd like you to return Xuechao to us. The terms can be negotiated."
"Oh?" Yuan Lan propped his cheek on one hand, his elbow on the desk, and tilted his head with a smile. "What if I don't want to return him? Are you going to send people to take him?"
"With all due respect, taking back what belongs to you is not called taking," Jiang Yunyi said calmly, subtly implying that they might send people and that Yuan Lan should weigh his options.
"But he doesn't belong to you anymore," Yuan Lan said with a hidden meaning, "He belongs to our Apocalypse Society now."
Jiang Yunyi quietly looked at Yuan Lan, waiting for his next words.
Bai Xuechao had a feeling that Yuan Lan was about to cause trouble.
As expected, Yuan Lan's eyes curved as he said in a show-off tone, "Little Xuechao has already agreed to join the Apocalypse Society. I can have him tell you himself. Do you want to hear it?"
His action was not only poaching, but also making the poached person say, "I've been poached." It was truly vicious.
Jiang Yunyi's brow twitched slightly, but he remained calm and said, "Let him tell me himself."
Yuan Lan extended his arm and pulled Bai Xuechao, who was standing not far away, into the frame, as if displaying an item, "Look, little Xuechao is right here~"
Bai Xuechao stood next to Yuan Lan's chair. Since there was no seat, he bent slightly, supporting himself with one hand on the armrest of Yuan Lan's chair. He looked at Jiang Yunyi on the screen and nodded slightly, "Long time no see."
"Is what he said true?" Jiang Yunyi asked calmly.
Bai Xuechao said, "Yes."
Jiang Yunyi stared at him through the screen for a few seconds and then said, "You know the price of betraying the organization. No matter where you are in the world, the organization's people will not let you go. Are you sure the Apocalypse Society can protect you?"
"Don't worry, you won't find me," Bai Xuechao said as if it were a matter of course. "A wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on. It's not wrong for me to choose a stronger organization, is it?"
"I hope you won't regret it on the day you are executed as a traitor," Jiang Yunyi sneered lightly and continued, "Of course, you can also be a coward for the rest of your life. Don't let us find you. Good luck."
After saying that, he hung up the video call directly.
The next second, the garbled account disappeared from the room list.
Yuan Lan raised his eyebrows, silently "oh"-ed, and then smiled, "As expected, little Xuechao's own words are more lethal. What a 'wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on, choosing a stronger organization.' So little Xuechao's evaluation of the Apocalypse Society is so high?"
Bai Xuechao straightened up and walked to the side, saying nonchalantly, "I was just casually boasting for you to make my choice of joining the Apocalypse Society seem right. You actually believed it?"
"Eh?" Yuan Lan leaned back in his chair and said aggrievedly, "So you didn't mean it?"
Bai Xuechao sat down on the leather sofa in Yuan Lan's room, stretched, and said in a casual tone, "I don't know the Apocalypse Society. When you show me what good things the Apocalypse Society has and show me its strength, I'll find another opportunity to boast for you properly?"
It sounded like a joke.
Yuan Lan didn't say he would show Bai Xuechao anything to prove his strength, but just said, "As long as little Xuechao stays in the Apocalypse Society, you'll find out sooner or later."
Bai Xuechao thought to himself, he didn't fall for it.
Xiao 6 asked weakly, "Host, after what you just said to Jiang Yunyi, how are you going to go back to the Dark Organization... You're not really going to join the Apocalypse Society, are you? Right?"
On the other side, Yuan Lan was looking at the laptop screen and waving at Mortar, "Mortar, see you tonight."
"Mhm," Bai Xuechao, when Yuan Lan wasn't looking at him, curled his lips into a silent smile and replied to Xiao 6 in his mind, "I've already communicated with Jiang Yunyi."
Although he had a good relationship with Duan Xingzhi and had grown distant from Jiang Yunyi, in fact, the person he had a better tacit understanding with was Jiang Yunyi. After all, they had been very close, and he had been personally guided by Jiang Yunyi, who had put a lot of effort into him from a young age.
Xiao 6 was stunned, "Huh? When?"
"Just now," Bai Xuechao said.
From the moment he said "long time no see," Jiang Yunyi probably realized that he had been deliberately brought to the Apocalypse Society. It was simple. He, who had grown distant from Jiang Yunyi, had always been very impolite when speaking to him. Even if he had really betrayed the organization, he would not have changed his nature and greeted Jiang Yunyi. Something unusual must be afoot.
Later, when Jiang Yunyi asked if what he said was true, it was actually a secondary confirmation.
According to his personality and speaking habits, if he had really joined the Apocalypse Society, he would probably have retorted, "What do you think?" or choked him with "Could it be fake?"
His straightforward answer of "yes" was, on the contrary, not the case.
Jiang Yunyi's subsequent words were not a real threat, but rather an inquiry about where he was, the strength of the Apocalypse Society, and whether he could retreat safely.
His answer of "don't worry" meant that he could. Saying "you won't find me" was hinting that he was not in a "corner of the world." With Jiang Yunyi's intelligence, he should be able to guess that he was either at sea or in the sky. The final sentence, "a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on," was also hinting to Jiang Yunyi that the Apocalypse Society's strength was indeed as good as the intelligence they had gathered before, or even better.
Of the six cadres of the Apocalypse Society, Bai Xuechao had already met four: Yu Ruolan, Mu Xinyue, Lin Changqing, and Mortar.
Yu Ruolan's special ability and level were unknown.
Mu Xinyue was a healing-type special ability user. Although her healing methods were hard to look at, Bai Xuechao had noticed her healing speed, which should be at level 8.
Every organization in the underworld raises healing-type special ability users. The Dark Organization had four, with the highest level one being level 7, and the other three being level 6. In fact, this was already very good. High-level special ability users were rare.
Although Mu Xinyue was level 8, they had four healing-type special ability users, which was considered to be on par.
Lin Changqing's special ability could make oaths with people, and he had used it to kill Boss Sun. He was able to escape from Duan Xingzhi, so his strength should be good, but he said he used a "token" to teleport back, which affected the judgment of his true strength.
Bai Xuechao temporarily considered Lin Changqing to be level 8, because Yuan Lan seemed to have a good relationship with Lin Changqing and had even said that Lin Changqing was his former favorite person. He felt that the level of someone who could gain Yuan Lan's favor couldn't be too far from Yuan Lan's. Level 7 was a bit low for a level 9, so level 8 was more likely.
Finally, there was Mortar, whom Bai Xuechao was more concerned about. His special ability was the internet, and their Dark Organization's intelligence department was completely defeated by Mortar.
Bai Xuechao knew very well the level of the hackers in their organization. Each of them was very skilled, but he didn't expect Mortar to be even better than them. He had never encountered a special ability user in this field before, so it was difficult to judge his level, but there was no need to judge it anyway. He was better than the hackers in their organization.
There were still two cadres left, and he would probably meet them tonight.
Among them, he had not yet met Tao Ru, the owner of the Apocalypse Society's base—the Sky Floating Island special ability. He had already learned a lot about his special ability from Yuan Lan.
As expected, this trip to the Apocalypse Society was the right decision. He had obtained a lot of intelligence.
Of course, he would not be satisfied with this and would continue to obtain more.
Xiao 6 was stunned when it heard Bai Xuechao answer "just now." It displayed a dumbfounded doge emoji in front of Bai Xuechao and then silently opened the system playback, trying to figure out how they had just communicated.
Yuan Lan had already closed his laptop, stood up and stretched a few times, and walked towards Bai Xuechao.
"I'm a little hungry, I'm going to get something to eat," he said to Bai Xuechao, "It's still a while before our party. Little Xuechao, would you like to eat something too?"
Bai Xuechao was actually a little hungry too, and asked, "Is there anything ready-made? I don't want to wait."
"There is!" Yuan Lan said like he was reciting a menu, "Butterfly pastries, flower cakes, tiramisu, egg tarts, macarons, matcha cake, strawberry cake, chestnut cakes, mung bean cakes, what do you want to eat?"
Bai Xuechao: "..."
Why are they all desserts?
Could it be that Yuan Lan has a super sweet tooth?
Although Bai Xuechao also liked sweets, it wasn't to the extent of eating them for a meal.
For him, sweets were basically eaten after a meal, not as a main course.
Yuan Lan added, "Oh, and there are crab shell pastries."
Crab shell pastry was a specialty snack from the south. Bai Xuechao had never had it before, but it didn't sound like a dessert.
He asked, "Are crab shell pastries sweet or savory?"
"Of course they're sweet!" Yuan Lan said, "White sugar and mutated rose filling!"
Still a dessert!
Bai Xuechao had no choice but to randomly pick one, "Mung bean cakes, then."
"By the way, I haven't asked you what your food preference is yet," Yuan Lan said, "I'm a carnivore."
Bai Xuechao suddenly thought that if Yuan Lan really liked sweets and ate them for meals like this, it meant that he would consume more mutated plants than mutated animals, because most of the ingredients for making sweets were mutated plants, unless he ate sweet dishes with meat.
Carnivorous special ability users only get a feeling of fullness from eating mutated plants and cannot absorb the special ability molecules within them, which means they cannot increase their special ability power and have a limit on how much they can increase their special ability value.
But Yuan Lan was a level 9 special ability user.
This meant that either Yuan Lan had hunted a large number of mutated animals to level up in the past, or... he had hunted many special ability users.
It was unknown which one it was, or it was possible that Yuan Lan had done both.
Bai Xuechao collected his thoughts and replied, "Omnivorous."
"Wow, that's a very rare food preference," Yuan Lan licked the corner of his lips and asked with a smile, "I wonder if you'll taste delicious?"