Chapter 951: The Cunning Rabbit's Three Burrows |
Strangely, on the way out of the ravine forest, Cheng Shi didn't spot a single animal.
Although most creatures on the Land of Hope were naturally hyper-alert and might have sensed the approaching storm of war, the two sides hadn't even clashed yet. Running off this early seemed a bit excessive, didn't it?
Besides, even if every real animal had fled, what about tamed beasts? Wasn't Xiao Qi, who'd been planning to reap the benefits, going to at least check on how the fight between Cheng Shi and Lin Xi had turned out?
Without knowing the battlefield, how could he seize the right moment? And without the right moment, how could he strike?
Or had Vice President Sun from the History School actually followed through on her idea and already taken Xiao Qi's life, preparing to trade it for the intelligence she wanted?
At this thought, Cheng Shi frowned slightly. Even if Sun Miao wanted to kill, he doubted his childhood acquaintance was easy prey.
Sure enough, barely had the thought crossed his mind when Sun Miao came sprinting toward him from another direction. The Mime Master's face was as expressionless as ever, but the visible displeasure in her eyes made it abundantly clear that her "assassination" plan had failed.
Cheng Shi found this entertaining and asked offhandedly: "What, tough nut to crack?"
Sun Miao didn't answer for a long while. Only when the two of them had returned to the left-flank camp at the Boro Highlands did she silently produce her electronic beeper and type:
Today, a Beast Tamer gave me quite the education."
"Do tell." Cheng Shi stopped in his tracks, a smile of genuine interest crossing his face as he looked at Sun Miao.
Sun Miao's eyelid twitched. Another long silence passed before she finally recounted the "embarrassing" affair.
"Care to guess how many tamed beasts I killed?"
Cheng Shi blinked: "How many?"
"Seventeen. Not counting actual animals, just humans. Seventeen.
This Beast Tamer is an expert. A hidden expert. His vigilance is extremely high, and his control is absolutely superb. I estimate he still has at least five or six humanoid tamed beasts on hand. And when I say humanoid, I don't mean the native races of the Land of Hope. I mean..." Sun Miao paused, pointing at herself and then at Cheng Shi. "People like us."
"Players!" Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Exactly. Players. This old friend of yours seems to enjoy company. He has quite the entourage of 'followers.'
And he loves dressing up his tamed beasts. All of these players have been disguised to look like him, used as decoys and for counter-ambushes.
I tracked a bird from the perimeter of your battle, followed it back the other way, and killed dozens of tamed beasts of all sizes. But I still couldn't find his true body...
Cheng Shi, no wonder you didn't want to make that deal with me. You knew all along he'd be difficult, so you didn't want to pay intelligence proportional to the effort. Am I right?"
"..."
'I didn't know a damn thing. But given that Xiao Qi has been a liar since childhood, it'd be weird if he were easy to handle.'
Cheng Shi smiled awkwardly and offered no response.
He was still processing the revelation that Xiao Qi used players as tamed beasts. A Beast Tamer wasn't the same as a necromancer. Their behavioral logic was closer to a class like Lord of Desire. They had to tame living beings to use them.
And the fact that Xiao Qi had this many "body doubles" meant he'd accumulated who knew how many lives along his journey.
No wonder he'd dared to partner with the ill-reputed Lin Xi. A venomous snake paired with a rat. A perfect match.
But wait. A Beast Tamer who delighted in controlling people... why did that sound like the one Xie Yang had mentioned?
At this thought, Cheng Shi's expression gradually turned cold. He still remembered that the Beast Tamer who'd abducted Xie Yang had once killed Torchbearers.
So... could that person have been Xiao Qi?
It seemed... not quite right, though.
Even if Xiao Qi claimed to have 2,600 points, anyone with eyes could see that at least 800 of those points were inflated.
True, he'd evaded assassination by a History School Vice President, but that might simply mean he had some unique trick for counter-tracking and escape. After all, the skill required for passive survival and active offense were entirely different. The Beast Tamer Xie Yang described was undoubtedly a formidable expert. That image still differed significantly from the Xiao Qi before him now.
Then again, what were the odds of encountering two people-controlling Beast Tamers in such a short span?
For the moment, Cheng Shi couldn't be sure.
Perhaps sensing what was on Cheng Shi's mind, Sun Miao typed another message:
"Oh, and I noticed something else.
I suspect this Beast Tamer is paying some kind of price to amplify his ability to control tamed beasts. Otherwise, someone at his level couldn't possibly manage that many creatures while looking so effortless.
During my pursuit, I noticed that as his tamed beasts died, his combat ability kept rising, his tactical judgment kept improving, and his strategies and counters grew increasingly shrewd. It was like dealing with a completely different person.
If it wasn't a sudden awakening of wisdom or some breakthrough in combat technique mid-hunt, then the only explanation is that his method of taming isn't like other Beast Tamers'.
It seems he distributes his own strength and intelligence across different tamed beasts. So as they die, he reclaims a portion of his true power from each one.
Of course, I don't think he does this voluntarily. There's another reason..."
She suddenly stopped typing. She gave Cheng Shi a meaningful look, as though the switch to continue her analysis was somewhere on his person.
"..."
Cheng Shi blinked, regarding her with a hint of exasperation.
He had to admit: [Folly] believers were genuinely impressive, able to read an opponent seven-tenths through from a single confrontation. That kind of ability wasn't something just anyone had.
But Cheng Shi also knew these observations weren't free. She'd stopped here because she wanted to trade for other intelligence.
Normally, Cheng Shi wouldn't have cared to learn what was wrong with Xiao Qi. But now that a tenuous connection had formed between Xiao Qi and the Beast Tamer from Xie Yang's account...
Cheng Shi deliberated for a moment, then offered a piece of intelligence: "Lid Yara was killed by Keinlaur personally, with a blood-colored giant bow called 'Startled Bow.' And that bow is most likely what my old friend is searching for."
"!!!"
Sun Miao trembled all over and immediately typed: "So you did enter that consciousness exchange inside the dream! I knew you weren't telling the truth earlier!"
'Oh? So she really did have her doubts and hadn't fully bought my lie.'
Perfect. He'd use this intelligence exchange to put that matter to rest once and for all.
Cheng Shi curled the corner of his lips into a coy smirk but said nothing, clearly tossing the ball back to her. The message was clear: my turn is over. Now it's your turn to complete your observations.
Sun Miao took a deep breath, suppressed her curiosity, and divulged the rest of her assessment of Xiao Qi.
"...That's what I mean by 'price.'
Because I noticed that as his combat power rose, his emotions also became visibly more savage and volatile.
By the time I killed the last tamed beast, he was already struggling to control his outbursts. He was spewing profanity, cursing heaven and earth, his fury repeatedly plunging him into danger. If not for his battle instincts keeping him alive that long, what I'd be bringing you right now would be a surprise rather than a warning...
So I suspect he doesn't willingly fragment his true power across his tamed beasts. He does it to suppress emotions he cannot control.
Therefore, the more beasts he tames, the more 'normal' he appears.
Of course, 'normal' is relative. We've both seen his true colors.
Strange, isn't it? And the stranger the player, the more dangerous they are. But I'll say it again: I can take him out for you, as long as you're willing to share more of what interests me."
Sun Miao paused, giving Cheng Shi ample time to think. Then she extended one hand, typing with the other:
"Now, my payment?
Did you enter that consciousness exchange and witness that piece of history?"
Cheng Shi shook his head with a smile: "No. Everything I just told you came from Lin Xi right before he died. As for how he knew... sorry, he's dead. Not even a body left. No one can know now."
"..."
Sun Miao stared at Cheng Shi. Her face was as blank as ever, but the murderous intent in her eyes was barely contained.
She marveled at his shamelessness and was equally stunned by how quickly he'd dealt with Lin Xi. After all, the fact that Lin Xi had survived Chun's relentless pursuit and the entire [Prosperity] faction's encirclement to reach the pinnacle of Chosen proved he was one of the absolute best in this game.
Yet in this short span, she hadn't even managed to finish off Du Qiyu, while Cheng Shi had already eliminated a Chosen. What other trump cards was this Fate Weaver hiding?
Adding in his "track record" of dispatching Zangier, Sun Miao's eyes sharpened as a bold hypothesis formed in her mind.
'Aside from Go Lis, could Cheng Shi have... another Envoy standing behind him?'
...