roccoschili Chapter 743: You're Here to Surrender to Me, Right? Right? _1
Chapter 743: You're Here to Surrender to Me, Right? Right? _1
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Yin Lu's keen senses alerted him to something amiss; his control over the surrounding environment was exceptionally precise.Among the three Ancestors of the Human Clan, he was perhaps the least conspicuous. This wasn't a sign of weakness; he simply preferred keeping a low profile. This unassuming nature afforded him a great deal of extra time for cultivation. Furthermore, his detachment from power struggles had made him a well-liked figure within the Human Clan, and he had never been shorted on resources.
"Such sharp perception." Wang Linchi emerged from the shadows. It wasn't his true form, but rather a game avatar. It was to be expected that flaws would appear when the avatar was far from the main body. These game avatars primarily served as human-skin decoys and expendable cannon fodder for his External Incarnations. Their power was inherently far inferior to his true self, their upper limits barely reaching the lower limits of his main body's capabilities.
"Are you... an Outer Demon?" Yin Lu instantly identified from Wang Linchi's aura, so dissonant with the Chaotic God World, that something was wrong.
Hearing this, Wang Linchi couldn't help but chuckle sardonically. "I never thought I'd see the day I'd be called an 'Outer Demon,' and even linked to a Devil."
"I consider myself a Knight-errant of the Righteous Path. Labelling me with the word 'Devil' seems a bit off, doesn't it?" Wang Linchi tried earnestly to correct the other's misconception.
"Righteous Path? True, from the perspective of the world backing you, your actions can indeed be seen as righteous."
"However, to us, you are the Devils." Yin Lu didn't bother arguing whether Wang Linchi was a Knight-errant of the Righteous Path or a fiend from the Demon Path.
What concerned him more was why Wang Linchi hadn't attacked immediately, given they were mortal enemies.
He speculated two possibilities. The first was that Wang Linchi wanted something from him, perhaps to incite his defection or solicit his surrender. The second was some sort of conspiracy, a means to lull him into a false sense of security. Other possibilities might exist, but Yin Lu dismissed them as highly improbable.
"So, why have you sought me out? I doubt you came merely for a casual chat," Yin Lu asked.
If it was a solicitation for surrender, he would readily submit. However, if it involved inciting his defection, then careful consideration was needed. The former meant immediate alignment; the latter would require him to sabotage the internal workings of the Chaotic God World. Moreover, if Wang Linchi turned on him later, a peaceful end would be far from guaranteed.
Loyalty to the Chaotic God World? That wasn't even a consideration. Anyone with eyes could see that the Chaotic God World had virtually no chance of victory. Wang Linchi's appearance, in particular, confirmed that the so-called 'patch' from the higher realms—the seal—was utterly incapable of stopping these Outer Demons. The possibility of outlasting them was slim.
This, however, was merely their own assumption; the true situation remained unclear.
"I need your assistance with a small matter. In exchange, you can make one reasonable request. If it's within my power to grant, I most certainly will."
"But things like demanding our army withdraw or ceding territory for your people to proliferate... let's not even discuss those," Wang Linchi added as a reminder.
If Yin Lu cooperated, that would be ideal. If not, Wang Linchi was prepared to resort to underhanded means. He considered himself a Knight-errant of the Righteous Path; however, since the other party now acknowledged *his* actions as righteous, then behaving a bit wantonly was perfectly normal.
"I want to join you!" Yin Lu declared without a moment's hesitation.
"Huh?" Wang Linchi was utterly astounded. He hadn't expected such a request; this was outright surrender.
Then again, it made sense. With the situation so dire, surrendering was the logical choice to preserve one's life. The notion that the celestial seal was unbreakable might deceive others, but one couldn't fool oneself. Any other expert at the Ancestral God Realm would likely jump at such an opportunity to surrender.
"Is there some difficulty?" Yin Lu countered.
"The difficulty isn't too great," Wang Linchi replied. And this was true. Yin Lu had directly surrendered to the supreme leader of the Outer Demons; as long as Wang Linchi agreed, the rest genuinely wouldn't be a major issue.
But Wang Linchi also added gently, "It's just that life there might be a tad different from what you imagined."
Wang Linchi knew Yin Lu's motivation was the same as his own had been in similar situations: pure survival. However, if Yin Lu truly surrendered to him, he would inevitably be converted into one of Wang Linchi's Family, essentially becoming an extension of Wang Linchi himself. He wasn't sure if Yin Lu could accept such a fate. Judging by the psychological profile derived from Yin Lu's behavior, it was highly unlikely.
"No problem, I can lead the way." Yin Lu misinterpreted this, assuming Wang Linchi required a token of allegiance, a test of sorts. Otherwise, who would readily accept a surrender? What if it were a feint? Only by submitting a pledge of loyalty, burning his bridges, could the other side accept his surrender with peace of mind.
"That won't be necessary. Joining us doesn't involve such formalities." Wang Linchi was quite pleased with Yin Lu's sincerity. At least he hadn't needed to bring it up; Yin Lu had proactively offered a token of allegiance. He was indeed proving to be very cooperative.
"Then what do you need me to do?" Yin Lu was somewhat perplexed. They had discussed so much, yet Wang Linchi was still speaking in riddles.
"Very simple. I just need you to 'disappear' for a few days," Wang Linchi stated.
"You want to use my disappearance to incite chaos?" Yin Lu immediately pieced together Wang Linchi's apparent plan, then continued, "That's certainly a viable method, though not as straightforward as me offering a token of allegiance."
"However, this way, you'll have complete control over the situation. My absence removes my interference and also mitigates the risk of a fake surrender."
Yin Lu laid out a detailed analysis for Wang Linchi, leaving him momentarily stunned. Wang Linchi hadn't actually considered so many complexities. His plan was simply to abduct Yin Lu and use him as an experimental subject.
"Yes, you're absolutely right. You're indeed someone our organization highly values." At this point, Wang Linchi found it rather awkward to reveal his true, much simpler intentions. Yin Lu had presented such an elaborate interpretation that exposing his actual, unsophisticated plan would make him seem rather uncultured.
"It's fortunate I'm planning to join you. Otherwise, facing an opponent with both strength and cunning, our defeat would only be a matter of time," Yin Lu lamented with a sigh.
Wang Linchi could only nod in agreement.
His Family members might think along those strategic lines, but Wang Linchi himself certainly didn't. When faced with a situation, he saw only two choices: beat them or can't beat them. If he could win, he'd charge headfirst. If not, he'd run. As for wisdom, his wisdom only ever presented him with these two options. After all, he only fought battles he was certain to dominate; he even had to carefully consider whether to engage in merely favorable situations.
"In that case, come with me. We'll go to a base we've established in the Chaotic God World." As Wang Linchi said this, he was already mentally configuring an anesthetic potent enough to affect Yin Lu, an expert at the Ancestral God Realm.
One good turn deserves another. Since Yin Lu was being so cooperative, the least Wang Linchi could do was arrange an anesthetic. He couldn't just strong-arm him. He'd just treat it as an instance of 'buying a fine horse's bones for a thousand gold pieces' to set a precedent.
"Alright. How do we get there? If we go with great fanfare..." Yin Lu began to ask.
"No need. I'll take you. I guarantee no one will notice." With that, Wang Linchi and Yin Lu vanished without a sound.
In an instant, they arrived at the underground base Wang Linchi had established within the Chaotic God World.
"What a brilliant Escape Technique! I didn't sense a thing," Yin Lu exclaimed in awe. He had truly never witnessed such a miraculous method of transportation.
"Just a little trick. I'll set you up with one later," Wang Linchi said nonchalantly, already beginning to prepare the anesthetic. He then added, "You'll need to remain in a deep sleep for these next few days. Once the dust settles, I'll arrange for you to leave the Chaotic God World."
This, of course, was merely an excuse. He couldn't very well say, "I'm going to dissect you."
"Understood." Yin Lu raised no objections nor asked for any guarantees from Wang Linchi. The situation was inherently unequal; he was the one surrendering, not the victor, and thus had no standing to make demands. He wasn't worried that Wang Linchi would use this opportunity to harm him. If Wang Linchi had intended to attack, Yin Lu would likely have been dead before he even sensed his presence. There would be no need for such an elaborate charade.
"It's good that you understand, especially since you are one of the leaders of the resistance," Wang Linchi said, handing the prepared anesthetic to Yin Lu. "Drinking this will induce a deep slumber. You should be able to perceive its effects yourself."
Yin Lu nodded, accepted the vial of anesthetic, and drank it down without hesitation. He detected no harmful substances; indeed, just as Wang Linchi had described, its effect was purely to induce a profound sleep.