Chapter 25: A Minor Breach of Trust

Qi Yue had not yet completely lost consciousness. He struggled to open his swollen eyes, and after a while, he mumbled incoherently, “It’s you!”

“Yes, it’s me, Qian Ye. You must have been deeply impressed by me, otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to dispatch the expeditionary force to Beacon Town to intercept me.”

A venomous expression appeared on Qi Yue’s face as he said with hatred, “I should have killed you in the underground arena back then!”

Qian Ye smiled and said, “Indeed, it is quite regrettable. But now, you no longer have the opportunity.”

Only then did Qi Yue seem to regain some clarity. He looked at Qian Ye and suddenly showed intense fear, stammering, “You… You are actually a Third Rank soldier!”

“Your eyesight is good, but unfortunately, you discovered it too late.”

Qi Yue’s expression was complex, filled with jealousy, regret, and envy.

Qian Ye, being very young, had already reached the Third Rank. Such talent was rare even within the expeditionary force. Qi Yue himself was already 23 years old, and he would need at least another year of rigorous training and a large amount of medicinal support to reach the Third Rank.

“When you used the military combat techniques, I should have guessed that you were more than just a First Rank,” Qi Yue sighed deeply.

Someone like Qian Ye, if he could be recruited, would be extremely beneficial. Since Qian Ye was willing to fight for Young Master Zhao, he certainly wouldn’t refuse more money and better treatment.

Qi Yue believed that his status and position far exceeded those of Young Master Zhao. The conditions he could offer were beyond what the other party could even dream of. With a little patience and effort, why wouldn’t Qian Ye join him?

In the land of Eternal Night, strength was the only standard.

However, it seemed that it was not too late now.

Qi Yue struggled to lift his upper body and asked, “You came for Young Master Zhao?”

“And Min’er.”

“Min’er… You mean that whore?” Qi Yue gritted his teeth involuntarily when mentioning Min’er.

“Yes.”

“Have you forgotten that she once agreed to sleep with Yan Laohu for a little money, almost causing you to lose the virtual combat!”

Qian Ye calmly replied, “Of course, I haven’t forgotten. But that is in the past. Now, she, like Young Master Zhao, is my friend.”

“Friend? Haha!” Qi Yue laughed wildly, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth, making him look even more terrifying. He mocked, “I never thought I would hear this ancient word again! In this era, in this place, there are still friends?”

But Qian Ye was thinking of others: Colonel Wei Li Shi, the Red Scorpion Captain, and the Black Scorpion veterans. On that bloody night, the Red Scorpion Captain single-handedly pushed back the entire black tide, creating an opportunity for Qian Ye to escape.

That was a miracle, a miracle bought with life.

Qian Ye sighed lightly and said, “Just because your dictionary doesn’t have this word, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. At least I have friends, and both Young Master Zhao and Min’er are my friends.”

Qi Yue’s somewhat crazy laughter subsided, and he said seriously, “Alright, I respect your choice. If possible, I hope you can consider me a friend in the future. Work with me. How about it? I have another identity, one that far exceeds the current scale of the Qi family. I highly acknowledge your strength. By following me, you can get everything you want! My treatment of subordinates is well-known in Blackflow City. You can inquire about it.”

Qian Ye looked at Qi Yue’s face and suddenly smiled, saying, “Very convincing. If it were someone else, they might be tempted. But having talked to you for so long, I am not here to discuss joining anyone.”

Qi Yue’s heart immediately turned cold.

He took a closer look at Qian Ye’s face for the first time. The crude disguise was still present, but the refined contours could still be discerned. This smile was oddly warm, like a neighbor’s boy. Yet, Qi Yue instinctively felt danger.

Suddenly, he found he could not see through Qian Ye. Qian Ye was very young, but his combat and conduct style were completely opposite—experienced and ruthless, always aiming for a fatal blow, leaving no room for the opponent or himself. For some reason, Qi Yue was reminded of the ubiquitous and deadly red scorpions in the Eternal Night continent.

Qian Ye pointed to the briefcase brought by the Blood Clan and said, “Open it, and I’ll let you die quickly. Otherwise, I’ll send you back to Blackflow City alive. I have some good stuff left.”

“Alive… sent back?” It seemed like a better option, but Qi Yue’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. Indeed, he heard the answer he had anticipated from Qian Ye.

“Of course, you will still die, in about seven days. During these seven days, you will experience various agonies, and your senses will become extremely sensitive. Even changing clothes will cause you excruciating pain. However, your injuries can be healed.”

The last sentence was the most devastating.

Qi Yue knew the method Qian Ye was referring to.

It was a biological toxin extracted from the Blood Clan, allegedly possessed only by the elite forces and secret police of the Empire. It would damage the brain and nervous system, causing permanent but reversible injury. To repair it, a large amount of precious medicine and the intervention of a high-ranking warrior were needed, to unblock the meridians and dissolve the drug.

Such expenses were a burden even for the nobility of the upper continent. With the Qi family’s resources and connections, it was impossible even if they were to go bankrupt.

Looking at Qi Yue’s expression, Qian Ye said indifferently, “It seems I don’t need to explain much.”

Sending Qi Yue back, giving him the hope of life, but only in extreme agony, waiting for death to come, was the true torture. The Empire often used such methods against the senior leaders of rebel groups and resistance organizations.

Qi Yue trembled all over, pointing at Qian Ye, “You! Did you come from those places?!”

Qian Ye smiled, “Finally, you guessed it. Very clever. Unfortunately, it’s too late.”

Qi Yue truly regretted it. Those who came from the elite forces and secret police were human monsters, not to be measured by rank. Provoking them meant endless troubles.

“You, you can’t kill me! My real father is Sir Wu Zhengnan, and he is the current division commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Force! If you kill me, he will definitely avenge me!”

Qian Ye still smiled, “I’ve heard this many times. Can’t you say something new?”

“I can give you money! Give you women! Whatever I have, I’ll give it to you! Just let me go, how about it? Don’t kill me…” Qi Yue became increasingly incoherent. In the face of death, his nerves finally broke down, and he collapsed, sobbing.

He suddenly crawled to the briefcase, rapidly entering the password. With a click, the lid opened slightly.

“Look, I opened the case! Don’t kill me, please…”

Qi Yue’s words suddenly cut off. He stared at Qian Ye with his blurring vision, feeling his strength rapidly drain away. Qian Ye’s prong pierced his throat, and the residual poison paralyzed Qi Yue’s nerves, rendering him immobile, yet he could still feel the cold, wet, and slippery sensation of the blood gushing out.

“Good. As I promised, if you opened the case, I’d let you die quickly.”

But Qian Ye suddenly exerted all his strength, slamming a hard punch into Qi Yue’s face, instantly smashing his entire face inward.

Qi Yue fell backward onto the ground, his limbs twitching in the throes of death.

“Sorry, I broke my promise a little,” Qian Ye said apologetically to Qi Yue’s corpse.

Qian Ye took out a ring and a brooch from his pocket and placed them on Qi Yue’s chest. They were the keepsakes of Min’er and Young Master Zhao, a small ceremony.

Qian Ye hoped they could see this from the other side of the star path, by the shores of the Styx, seeing the true murderer brought to justice.

As for the expeditionary soldiers who acted together that day, they were just following orders, mere tools in the hands of their superiors. Qian Ye did not intend to deal with them.

Qian Ye opened the briefcase, and his pupils immediately constricted!

Inside the briefcase was a black handgun, with an extended auxiliary barrel half a meter long. When assembled, it resembled Dawn’s Light, but the craftsmanship was vastly different. The gun was designed luxuriously and smoothly, with a golden rose engraved on its body.

This was a typical Blood Clan-style Origin Gun!

Back then, when the Origin Gun manufacturing technology flowed into the dark races, the wise among them quickly developed a new version powered by dark Origin Power.

Yet, just as there were countless gray areas between Dawn and Eternal Night, it was the same for Origin Power weapons. The dark races’ Origin Guns were not entirely unusable by humans, but the efficiency and power would be reduced, and some racial-specific effects would not activate.

Strangely, although the Blood Clan and humans were irreconcilable enemies, Blood Clan-made Origin Guns were the most compatible with human Origin Power, requiring only minor adjustments to achieve high efficiency. Their fine craftsmanship and opulent style made them highly favored by the upper society of the Empire.

Many nobles preferred Blood Clan-made guns, even over those made by humans. The Origin Gun in the briefcase was a rare, high-end piece, its value evident from the multitude of tactical accessories.

Qian Ye picked up the Origin Gun and gently input some Origin Power. The Origin Power in the gun quickly gathered, and an Origin Bullet formed in an instant!

Qian Ye was pleasantly surprised. This was a rapid-fire weapon, not originally suited to his pursuit of pure power. But he drove the Origin Power matrix in the gun with ease, without the stiffness and delay he usually experienced with Eternal Night Origin Weapons.

Qian Ye immediately realized it was the tri-colored blood power in his Origin Power that was at work.

After testing for a while, Qian Ye obtained the basic data of the gun. Its dark Origin Power conversion rate was 40%, and its dawn Origin Power conversion rate was 30%. The firing rate was one round per second. With Qian Ye’s Third Rank Origin Power and blood energy, he could fire five rounds, each with four times the power of Dawn’s Light.

If this Origin Gun were in the hands of others, its power would be two levels lower than the custom-made Scorpion Needle. But with Qian Ye’s blood power, it could fully unleash its potential, not falling short of the custom-made Scorpion Needle.

Engraved on the handle was a line of small characters: Golden Rose, likely the model name of the Origin Gun. The font was not only ornate and cursive but also decorated with gold powder in the highlights, a true testament to the Blood Clan’s luxurious style.

The value of the Blood Clan’s high-quality Origin Weapons was not just in their power. If choosing a combat weapon, even if the blood power suffered no loss, Qian Ye would definitely choose the custom-made Scorpion Needle. But this Origin Gun’s market price was twice that of the custom-made Scorpion Needle. No noble would carry a rifle to a party, but a Blood Clan Origin Gun was a perfect accessory for status.

Though Qian Ye was increasingly fond of beautiful things, he only played with the Golden Rose for a while before putting it back in the case. He still had many things to do, starting with clearing the battlefield and continuing with his plans.