Chapter 583: No Trust

    On his way out, Xu Zhao adamantly refused Captain Chen’s offer to send him back.

    He would rather pluck out his nonexistent eyeballs than to ride in the police car and be escorted like a criminal again— ever! It was fortunate that he had the insight to call for his driver earlier, otherwise in the middle of the night, who knew how long he would need to wait to hail a cab?

    Seeing his employer coming out, the driver perked up and rushed out of the driver’s seat to open the backseat door for him. "After you, Boss Xu."

    Xu Zhao huffed and puffed as he slipped into the car, grumbling about the inhumane treatment he had received inside.

    The driver, feeling concerned and anxious, couldn’t resist asking, "Has the problem been solved, Boss Xu? If you keep coming in and out of the police station, who knows what kind of rumors your competitors will spread! Even tonight, there were a few paparazzi snapping shots of you entering a police car. We spent quite a huge sum to buy the photos and shut their mouths!"

    Xu Zhao’s expression instantly darkened when he heard that. He wanted to sneer, only to wince when the movement tugged on his bruised cheek. In the end, he could only make a weird half-sneer and half-grimace expression, which made his features appear all the more distorted in dim lights. "Hehe, I want to see whether they really dare or not..."

    The driver shuddered upon seeing such an evil and deranged look from his Boss. He shut his mouth, fixed his gaze to the front and quietly stepped on the accelerator, not daring to utter another word.

    Xu Zhao harrumphed quietly and leaned back into his seat, mentally replaying the conversation that had just happened in the meeting room earlier and praising himself for the quick-witted and excellent answers. He was the great and noble Divine Oracle, yet to them he was no different than an answering machine. They really expected him to spit out an answer sheet to whatever questions they asked of him?

    Hmph! Who do they think they are? The least they could do was be polite and respectful!

    The disdain and contempt in Xu Zhao’s heart nearly overflowed the more he dwelled on it.

    Just then, his phone rang, interrupting his musings. Xu Zhao couldn’t see and thus had no idea who was calling him, but he still answered it regardless.

    It could be said that he feared nothing under this realm— very few people could injure or take advantage of him. The only one he was wary of was Qian Hui, the Harbinger of Doom, the sole player ranked above him. But rather than herself, what he feared more was her power which was capable of annihilating everything on her path. Remove that and she would be no different than your average ten-year-old little girl.

    "Hello?" Xu Zhao answered carelessly.

    "Mr. XXX," the voice on the other side greeted, smooth and pleasant to the ears. "This is Nian."

    The corner of Xu Zhao’s lips twitched. He almost instinctively asked where the other person got his number from, but upon second thought, he couldn’t be bothered to do it. Since the police unearthed his identity, he was akin to an onion with all its layers peeled, leaving him utterly bare and exposed.

    He blew out a harsh breath and spoke irritably before the other person could broach the topic,

    "I know what you want to ask. I didn’t reveal your lover’s identity to them. Geez, what a worrywart," he jested.

    He kept his words vague because his driver wasn’t a player, but he believed Shen Nianzu could understand him just fine. After all, didn’t he specifically make a call for this?

    A relationship between a human and a nightmare creature— it was truly an eye-opener, he thought in amusement.

    Truth to be told, Xu Zhao could have informed them of the result of his divination on the Nightmare. He could have told them about the twin stars and this lone nightmare creature that had somehow gotten stranded in their world. It wouldn’t have any backlash on them. But he didn’t— he deliberately scared them instead. It surely wasn’t out of any sense of camaraderie toward JJ, but he was just petty like this.

    Why should he tell them everything he knew just because they asked him? Did they even beg him for it??

    Shen Nianzu paused for a second, seemingly taken aback, before he replied with a sincere, "Thank you."

    All of a sudden, Xu Zhao felt his mood turn for the better.

    He had talked his mouth dry back in the police station, but not only had they only served him a cup of plain water, they didn’t even utter a word of thanks! Like they said, it was only through comparison that one realized who was better. His attitude towards Nian had always been neutral, but now he couldn’t help but develop a positive impression of him.

    "Seems like you don’t trust them that much either, huh?" He chuckled lightly. "That’s right, this is the correct attitude you should have. If they ever found out what your lover really is, what do you think they would do? They would... point the muzzle of their guns on him, used him to appease the masses, persecute him— all in the name of greater good. Do you think they would still spare a thought for the two of you?"

    He clicked his tongue twice, his disdain apparent. "Their so-called self-righteousness and sense of justice is truly disgusting. They are but frogs trapped on the bottom of the well, utterly ignorant of the vast sky above. And they still dream to defeat that invincible entity? Ha! What wishful thinking! I’ve never been so excited to see a bunch of idiots sending themselves to their deaths!"

    He broke out into a maniacal guffaw, only to wince and suck in a sharp breath of pain, causing the driver to sneak a few fearful glances through the rearview mirror before shrinking his shoulders with a shudder.

    Shen Nianzu remained silent on the other end, and the only sign betraying his agitation was his shallow and rapid breaths.

    Xu Zhao soon grew dissatisfied with the lack of response, "What? Do you think I’m exaggerating? That I’m just yapping my mouth off to sow discord? They don’t trust you either, see? They didn’t even allow you to sit on the meeting, and you still want to defend them??" His voice rose in annoyance, hating iron for not becoming steel.

    "...No," Shen Nianzu finally replied, his voice slightly hoarse. "You’re right. I don’t trust them, and they don’t trust me either. They’re different from Sword of Heaven. As soon as they know JJ is a nightmare creature, they will, without a doubt, associate him with the Nightmare and see him as an enemy to be disposed of."

    Xu Zhao harrumphed twice in satisfaction. "It’s good that you’re aware."

    Now that he was in a good mood, he didn’t mind sharing a few more things. "I told them the old man had gone into the ’Battle of the Gods’, but I lied." He snickered without a hint of remorse. "How is it? Are you interested in entering ’House of Evil’ to find out that entity’s weakness rather than lying passively in wait?"