CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 137 INTENSE BATTLE! A MYSTERIOUS VISITOR ARRIVES

[To ensure that there wouldn’t be a significant disparity in combat power between the two factions, you revealed to Feng Jiaqi that Li Laoqi was planning to take action.]

[Just as you predicted, upon hearing that Li Laoqi was going after Sister Nightingale, Feng Jiaqi didn’t even pause to think about how you could have so casually overheard such crucial information. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.]

[After seeing Feng Jiaqi run off, Ye Luo hesitated for a moment before turning to follow her. As for Liu Haofeng, he intended to step forward but froze mid-stride under your gaze. He sighed, walking toward you with a face full of despair.]

"Huh? So my Divine Self has gained some insight and is starting to consider my best interests. A pity. What it doesn’t know is that if I were to act personally, I could absorb all these Energy Crystals in a very short time, with no need to move them at all."

He recalled his Divine Self’s usual tactics in past simulations: a violent, bulldozing advance. It would expand the swarm through parasitism, propagation, and diffusion, then concentrate all resources on promotions. It must be truly difficult for a being that fancies itself a god to stoop to playing tricks and schemes.

"But why do I get the feeling it’s even more adept at these sinister plots than I am?"

Chen Pingchuan’s mind was constantly working. Unable to take notes, he had no choice but to resort to enhanced memory, which was quite exhausting.

"Continue the simulation. I need to find out who those mysterious people are. Celestial Palace One? The Blood Beast Ban? Or is it a new faction?"

"And what’s the deal with Liu Haofeng? Why is he hiding from my simulated self?"

[You patted Liu Haofeng’s face. Just as he was on the brink of collapsing under the pressure, you gave him an option: if he could divulge a secret you could use against him, he could save his own skin.]

[Liu Haofeng revealed that he was an illegitimate child. You were not satisfied with this answer, as it was common knowledge. He then divulged a second secret: he was not the biological son of his current father.]

[Intrigued by Liu Haofeng’s secrets, you urged him to continue. He confessed that he was the illegitimate child of the butler and his mother. Though his father had personally conducted a paternity test, the samples had been switched en route...]

[You clapped your hands, expressing how fascinating you found his story. Then, you casually asked Liu Haofeng why he was so afraid of you. You were just joking around, so why would he spill his guts so easily?]

[Liu Haofeng naturally didn’t believe your nonsense, but he didn’t dare refuse to answer. He could only recount what he had witnessed in the washroom, where he saw you coldly washing your hands, which were drenched in blood.]

[You waved him away, motioning for Liu Haofeng to leave. You had an exciting performance to watch.]

Chen Pingchuan scoffed internally. As expected of you, my Divine Self. The same old twisted sense of humor. I knew you weren’t simply trying to do something constructive.

Chen Pingchuan sat up from his reclining position. Since the dormitory beds were loft-style, with the mattress on top and a desk below, this posture allowed Chen Pingchuan to look down on Liu Haofeng as he stared.

Liu Haofeng, who was busy checking account ledgers, suddenly felt a profound malice, a feeling like a bone-corroding toxin that made his entire body go stiff. He discreetly scanned his surroundings.

Sure enough, he looked up and saw Chen Pingchuan on the top bunk, gazing down at him with a faint, cold smile.

In an instant, the hair on Liu Haofeng’s arms stood on end. Pretending nothing was wrong, he faced Chen Pingchuan and forced open his trembling mouth.

"Chen... Chen Tongxue, do... you need... something?"

"Not at all. I just felt like looking at you." Chen Pingchuan’s lips curled into a slight smile.

The other two roommates also sensed the strange atmosphere, but true to their uninvolved nature, they all pretended to be busy with their own things.

"If there’s nothing, then that’s good. That’s good." Liu Haofeng also forced a smile in response.

"How dull."

Honestly, Chen Pingchuan was finding Liu Haofeng to be an increasingly uninteresting villain. What happened to the satisfying trope of putting an arrogant antagonist in his place? A low-level villain like him—incompetent yet always looking for trouble—was the perfect target for a proper beatdown, but he was no fun anymore. Ever since being forced into the mining cave mission, Liu Haofeng was like a different person, dodging him at every turn. It robbed Chen Pingchuan of the simple pleasure of tormenting him.

"The simulation is much more interesting."

[Feng Jiaqi’s warning ultimately came a step too late. Some of Nightingale’s combat members had already been eating in the canteen for quite some time. This was where the benefit of sleeping in became apparent, as those who arrived late didn’t consume the laced breakfast.]

[The changes in the canteen did not escape Li Laoqi’s network of spies. Although he didn’t understand how such a covert operation had been exposed, it didn’t hinder his decisiveness. He immediately ordered all of his subordinates to attack.]

[The combat members who ate breakfast were already showing the effects of the poison, collapsing weak and paralyzed. Meanwhile, the others who were lucky enough to have avoided it began readying their weapons. Seeing the miserable state of her squad members, Nightingale’s fury was completely ignited.]

[Unfortunately, before Nightingale could demand an explanation from Li Laoqi, the attacks from within the mine began.]

[Despite being on the defensive, the Nightingale Squad displayed astonishing prowess. The few dozen members they had left were able to hold their own against hundreds of mine guards. Nevertheless, for the time being, they were pinned down inside the mine.]

The scales of victory aren’t always tipped by on-paper strength alone. Logically, the armed forces inside the mine were too limited to go head-to-head with a professional combat squad. Yet, through underhanded tactics like poisoning, sabotage, and surprise attacks, combined with the advantage of their home turf, the enemy managed to pin down the Nightingale Squad. It had to be said that Li Laoqi was quite capable.

Chen Pingchuan made a mental note about Li Laoqi. It’s true. Anyone who can occupy and hold territory in the apocalypse is not to be trifled with. If he were to make a move against him in the real world, he would have to be decisive, crushing him with overwhelming, thunderous force.

[During the fierce firefight between the two sides, you quietly made your way to the Energy Crystal Warehouse alone.]

[No one could have foreseen someone daring to target the Energy Crystal Warehouse. It was common knowledge that the warehouse was heavily guarded with layered security. Furthermore, due to transportation issues, it would be challenging to pack and carry away all the Energy Crystals in a short time, even if the defenses were breached.]

[You stood silently before the deserted Energy Crystal Warehouse, quietly counting down the time. As for the guards you had parasitized, you were consuming them as nutrients for your talent’s evolution.]

[Just as you were idly staring at the blue sky, a familiar figure suddenly appeared not far away.]