Chapter 126: Me, Avoid His Edge? |
Retreat for now?
Hearing Nameless's well-intentioned advice, Ming Po merely smiled silently and said nothing.
He had never considered such an option.
After all, the former Ming Po was a powerhouse who had easily stepped into the Time Gold rank. An enemy capable of inflicting a crushing defeat on him back then must have possessed strength far surpassing the Time Gold level.
But now, the enemy was merely one rank stronger than him.
If he had to "retreat for now" when facing a mere Zhou's Azure Lead... if he couldn't even get past an obstacle like Gao Song, then he might as well just give up and rot away.
Before going downstairs with Ai Shiping earlier, he had taken a look at his wine cabinet.
His currently strongest form, Frankenstein, was not fully repaired yet, but it was extremely close. In truth, if he wanted to wait, he could have waited until it was completely fixed.
However, after giving it some serious thought, Ming Po chose to abandon that idea.
Titles from the Domain of Force would somewhat reduce Wisdom; meanwhile, the Madman title was the most comfortable for Ming Po to wear right now, keeping his mental state at its peak. It was precisely because Ming Po respected Gao Song enough that he chose to face him in his absolute best condition.
Nameless felt somewhat helpless regarding Ming Po's decision.
Yet, in response, she made a decision that caught both Ming Po and Gao Fan completely off guard—
"Then I will come too."
After a brief hesitation, Nameless spoke with absolute sincerity, "I can help you."
Ming Po looked at her in sheer surprise.
Truth be told, if Nameless was truly willing to join them, their chances of success would undoubtedly soar.
Although Ming Po still couldn't accurately gauge Nameless's true strength, he was fairly certain she was by no means weak.
After all, her Title's abilities were simply too flashy...
No matter how one looked at it, they didn't seem like the abilities a Day's False Gold title should have. Furthermore, Nameless possessed at least as much experience as Gao Fan, if not more. To have survived in the Game of Deception for so long, her experience was unquestionably vast.
But...
"This matter has nothing to do with you."
Ming Po shook his head, coldly rejecting Nameless's offer of assistance.
While those words sounded a bit hurtful, only Ming Po was in a position to say them and turn Nameless down.
After all, Gao Fan, as the one receiving help, had no ground to refuse her assistance.
And this matter truly had nothing to do with Nameless.
Gao Fan was Ming Po's teammate, and Gao Song's issue was essentially Gao Fan's family affair, while Ming Po was the captain Gao Fan trusted and relied on. Ming Po was willing to help Gao Fan partly because he recognized Gao Fan as a new friend, and partly because Ming Po genuinely did not fear death.
He enjoyed this kind of thrilling challenge.
No matter what kind of relationship Nameless and Ming Po once shared, her causality with this matter could, at best, be considered that of a 'friend of a friend'. If Nameless was truly unfamiliar with him, or if they had past conflicts resulting in a frenemy-like dynamic... then Ming Po could have shamelessly used her to the fullest.
But precisely because Nameless's emotions appeared so genuine, Ming Po could only put on a cold face and drive her away.
To let an 'old friend' risk her life—and potentially pay the ultimate price—for the family affairs of another friend she didn't even know... Ming Po wasn't quite that shameless yet.
Even though he had yet to recover his memories concerning Nameless.
Nameless was obviously unable to sway Ming Po. After her persistence proved futile, she could only leave in quiet disappointment.
However, even though Nameless hadn't actually been of any help, Ming Po still kept her in mind.
'I should treat her a little better the next time we meet,' Ming Po thought to himself.
He followed Gao Fan, walking on foot toward Gao Fan's family company.
It was a rather 'old-school' corporate building.
It wasn't like modern internet companies that rented a floor in an office building, nor did it occupy an entire industrial park or a towering skyscraper.
Instead, it resembled the style of a government administrative building—a relatively low, flat structure, standing only about six or seven stories tall. The main building's facade featured gray walls, adorned with bright red letters that looked awkwardly similar to the word art one might design in a presentation.
Four massive red characters, "Gao Tian Construction," hung right there on the building.
The lettering was clearly quite old; it was now coated in dust, appearing somewhat dim and faded.
Below it hung another sign in a sleek, modern font. In stark contrast to the tacky word art above, it exuded a vigorous sense of power. Written in black cursive calligraphy were the words "Fortune 500 Company." This sign was visibly new and appeared to be handwritten by someone.
"My uncle wrote those words."
Gao Fan pointed at the calligraphy and softly explained, "Because my uncle never went to college... he didn't even attend middle school, so his education level isn't high. Perhaps for that exact reason, he later became the disciple of a calligraphy master and studied the art for a long time. Eventually, he developed beautiful brushwork and even joined the Calligraphers Association. Even Grandpa was full of praise for it.
"Grandpa is quite traditional in this regard. Although he doesn't like my uncle very much, he would still ask him for some calligraphy pieces to give as gifts to clients during business dealings.
"During the first year our company was ranked as a Fortune 500 company, Grandpa specifically asked my uncle to write this, and then had someone craft it into a sign to hang outside."
Hearing this, Ming Po nodded thoughtfully.
Even in the black-and-white vision of a Deceiver of the World, those four massive characters for "Gao Tian Construction" glowed with an unsettling red light, much like a Deceiver.
That was probably the reason Gao Fan could sense the anomaly before even stepping through the front doors.
Ming Po took the lead, striding straight inside.
He chatted casually with Gao Fan as they walked: "Have you never returned here since becoming a Deceiver of the World?"
This was, after all, a company that truly belonged to Gao Fan himself.
His father was once the chairman, and he himself was the vice-chairman. Regardless of whether Paradox technology or the powers of a Deceiver were used, it represented an immense, pride-worthy fortune.
Yet Gao Fan acted as if he were deliberately avoiding it...
Let alone doing something like 'using Time Chips to Manifest and return'—he hadn't even come near it under normal circumstances.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to use any chips to find out that Gao Song was here.
"...I don't know either."
Gao Fan shook his head slightly. "I just felt... a bit afraid. Even just being in the vicinity made my chest tighten. You know me, Captain... I've always trusted my instincts, so I didn't even bother investigating."
Completely opposite to Ming Po—Gao Fan was the type to 'run away first and ask questions later whenever there's danger'.
"I see..."
Ming Po narrowed his eyes. "Then you might be right, Little Fan. If even the instincts of an Escapee tell you this place is dangerous, then it truly might be better for you to stay away."