Reincarnation Paradise Park

Chapter 800: Chapter 31: Terrifying Intelligence

After Su Xiao slashed a few Beastmen charging at him, he began to retreat into the ranks of the Imperial soldiers behind him. The war had been going on for some time, and the entire battlefield had spread out, no longer packed as it was before.

After two hours of fierce combat, Su Xiao was beginning to feel fatigued. During these two hours, he had fought at the frontline, been knocked aside by the Dwarf Earth Cavalry, and then accidentally flung to the back of the Tribal Army by an old Giant brother, finally fighting his way back to the top of Black Soil Fortress from behind enemy lines.

Such high-intensity combat for merely two hours made him more exhausted than the previous battle, where he fought for a day and a night.

This can’t go on, Su Xiao thought as he surveyed the surroundings. Both the morale and the number of enemies killed by the Imperial Army exceeded those of the Tribal Army, and the battle was beginning to tilt in favor of the Imperial side.

Noticing this, Su Xiao planned to retreat into the ranks of the Imperial soldiers for a brief rest.

After dealing with a few charging enemies, Su Xiao withdrew, even if he couldn’t sleep, a drink of water and a brief respite would suffice.

Just as Su Xiao was about to withdraw into the ranks of the Imperial soldiers, a sense of crisis emerged.

Su Xiao scanned the surroundings but found no particularly strong enemies. Yet, the sense of crisis not only persisted but grew stronger, as if something had locked onto him.

”Sniper?”

Su Xiao carefully sensed the environment and quickly dismissed the possibility of being targeted by a sniper. Since the enemy hadn’t appeared, he decided to continue retreating.

Finally, two hours into the battle, Su Xiao found a moment to catch his breath. Standing amid allies, he took out a bottle of water and drank it in large gulps.

Having drunk some water, Su Xiao felt more spirited and soon began to tend to his wounds.

...

Within the Tribal Army, a bald sturdy man held a semi-transparent tablet in his hand, clearly a high-tech gadget.

The bald man wore a leather jacket with many high-tech gadgets hanging from the belt at his waist, including two energy guns, three plasma grenades, and numerous other unheard-of high-tech devices.

”Xi, I’ve arrived at the Black Soil Battle Zone, surprised?”

The bald man was video calling using the tablet, talking to Queen Xi on the other end, who was the leader of the Apocalypse Paradise, standing before a pile of corpses encased in a layer of transparent crystal.

”You went to the Black Soil Battle Zone? Going there...”

Xi was initially puzzled but then seemed to think of something, showing a hint of displeasure. As her emotions shifted, the transparent crystals floating beside her turned red.

”Are we just going to let the matter with Liuli go? She’s your own sister; do you remember how much she cried during the surgery?”

The bald man chuckled, seemingly unafraid of Xi.

”Duke Lan, are you defying my orders? Don’t forget, this world is not your playing field.”

Before the pile of corpses, Xi’s silver hair fluttered without wind, and the crystals beside her turned ice blue.

”Xi, don’t speak to me in that manner befitting a subordinate. I was forcibly drafted into your team for ’inexplicable’ reasons, and from every angle, I don’t need to follow your orders. Helping that little girl to kill is only because she’s been persistent in asking me; I’m just too soft-hearted.”

The bald man, or Duke Lan, began to take a firmer stance.

Xi, through a crystal in front of her, stared at Duke Lan. After a few seconds, the crystals around her turned back to colorless.

”Liuli.”

Xi turned her head to the side. A gentle breeze blew, slipping a strand of silver hair from her ear to her cheek.

”Come here.”

As soon as Xi finished speaking, a little girl with the same hair color walked over, her steps shaky.

”Sis...”

Liuli had just spoken when she noticed something off in Xi’s eyes.

”My beautiful, generous, pure, powerful Sister Queen Xi, have you summoned me for something?”

Even though Little Liuli had already approached Xi, she looked ready to flee at any moment, her lower body shattered by Su Xiao having already healed.

”What benefits did you give Duke Lan?”

Xi didn’t avoid the question despite Duke Lan maintaining a long-distance video call with her.

”N-nothing really.”

”...”

Xi silently gazed at Liuli, and three seconds later, Liuli swallowed nervously. Ten seconds later, sweat appeared on her cheeks.

”I... I just gave him the Red Crystal.”

Liuli lowered her head.

”You’ve grown up, your wings have hardened.”

Xi barely changed her expression. If it weren’t her sister who did this, the person would already be a corpse.

”I...”

Liuli was about to speak when Xi waved a hand to silence her.

”You’ve done it, don’t regret it, or else I’m not your sister.”

”Hmm.”

Liuli nodded firmly. ”I’m unwilling. Although I’m not that man’s opponent, I have leverage.”

Hearing Liuli’s firm tone, Xi’s lips curved slightly, and then she turned to look at Duke Lan.

”If you take the benefits, you must act. Find him, kill him, bring his head back, and this matter will be settled.”

”Of course.”

Duke Lan knew what it meant when Xi said to settle the matter. It wasn’t Liuli who actively sought him out for this task; rather, he sought out Liuli.

”I’ve already discovered the target’s whereabouts and will solve it soon. As for bringing back the target’s head, it’s challenging. If I fight with full force, either he’ll die, or I will perish.”

Duke Lan hung up the video call and touched his bald head.

”Such a troublesome woman, maybe she’s already figured something out. Her intelligence is monstrous. It’s much easier to fool that little girl.”

Duke Lan pushed aside the beastman next to him and walked toward the direction of Black Soil Fortress.

...

Hill Canyon, amidst a range of mountains.

A small-scale skirmish had just occurred here, another routine battle between the Imperial Army and the Tribal Army. The combat had ended.

The Imperial Soldiers looked unharmed, but their expressions were somewhat vacant. They stared blankly at the numerous bodies frozen by crystal on the hillside. This was all done by one person.

Beside the crystal heap of corpses, dozens of Contractors from Apocalypse Paradise were either chatting or maintaining their weapons.

”That’s how things are~”

In the crowd, Liuli lowered her head like a schoolchild who had done something wrong. She seemed to know she was wrong, but there wasn’t the slightest remorse in her big eyes. It perfectly summed up Liuli: great at admitting mistakes, just never changing.

”You did well.”

Xi, quite uncharacteristically, actually praised Liuli.

”Ah?”

Liuli’s scalp tingled as if shocked, her older sister’s attitude was very wrong, super wrong!

”What kind of person do you think Duke Lan is?”

Xi’s question left Liuli perplexed.

”What kind of person? Um~ cunning? Greedy? A Lone Wanderer?”

Liuli tilted her head; she could never predict what Xi was thinking.

”He’s a very ’abnormal’ person. Since entering War World, he’s been focused on one thing: the whereabouts of the World Core.”

”Isn’t that normal?”

Liuli was puzzled. She also wanted to obtain the World Core. Without it, they would all be punished.

”Of course, it’s not normal. To extract the whereabouts of the World Core from me, he’s even willing to take orders from me. But now he’s suddenly heading to the Black Soil Battle Zone just for a Red Crystal. Not only that, when I tried to make him leave the Black Soil Battle Zone earlier, his attitude surprised me. It was as if he’d rather fall out with me than not accomplish a certain task.”

Xi’s eyes gazed into the distant mountains, as if contemplating something.

”Sis, you think about these things every day, your brain cells must be dying a lot.”

Though Liuli wasn’t dumb, compared to Xi, she seemed like a naive cute girl.

”The one who hurt you earlier was a Lone Wanderer, correct?”

Xi ignored Liuli’s previous comments, seemingly recalling something.

”I think so. Anyway, I didn’t see him with any teammates, and his combat style is more solo-oriented. He has excellent defense, high intelligence, and agility attributes, and formidable long-range attack capabilities. He’s immune to spiritual control. What’s most terrifying is his close combat ability. If he hits me, I might only withstand two strikes, no, I might even be taken out with a single strike. That guy can fight and endure, both at range and up close, immune to control, truly a monster.”

Speaking of Su Xiao, Liuli was clearly a bit shaken.

Xi fell into contemplation again, eventually murmuring quietly.”

”Is it a coincidence? Previously, I merely speculated that Duke Lan was different from us, no, he should be different from all other Lone Wanderers. There are often rumors in Paradise of him and some Contractors becoming enemies for no reason, and each of those Contractors is quite abnormal. It seems he actively seeks out these abnormal Contractors and kills them, solitary, versatile, often hostile to exceptionally capable Contractors.”

Xi’s eyes shone brightly, whereas Liuli completely didn’t grasp what Xi was saying.

”Some taboos shouldn’t be touched. I seem to have reached the edge of something dangerous. Forget Duke Lan’s uniqueness for now. The best option might be not to delve deeper. But what could make him abandon the information about the World Core to find a certain Contractor from Reincarnation Paradise?”

Xi continued to ponder while Liuli yawned beside her, as if she were listening to a heavenly book.

”This issue can also be postponed. No matter the current situation, it’s a win-win for us. Whether Duke Lan loses or that man on the opposing side loses, both scenarios benefit us. Neither side is a pushover. Liuli, I need you to do something.”

Xi looked at Liuli, who was already lost in thought elsewhere, and Liuli felt a bad premonition.

”Sis, I’m your real sister. Don’t set me up; I’m scared~”

Liuli looked pitifully at Xi.

”Relax, there’s no danger; just go do what you’re best at.”

”Really, is it that thing?”

Liuli asked tentatively.

”Yes.”

”Great.”

Liuli’s dejection vanished, replaced by a mischievous smile on her face.

PS: {Requesting more votes, the more the better}