Inside the room, the lightbulb glowed.
He Tangtang, Yang Qingbai, and Wen Jifei sat huddled around the table, chatting as they played a childish game to see who could secretly chew a piece of bubble gum first.
"Let's park it here. You two head out tomorrow evening. Once you arrive, find a good vantage point in this area to conceal yourselves and get ready for extraction."
Wen Jifei reached across the table and pointed to a rough location on the sketch Zhu Jiaming had left behind.
The spot was naturally quite far from the Qu clan. After all, if a helicopter was to avoid detection, keeping too close was out of the question. Still, it lay directly along the forward route, diametrically opposite the optimal position Zhu Jiaming had previously recommended.
"All right." Yang Qingbai nodded and blew a bubble with a smug expression, winning this round.
Beside him, He Tangtang rubbed his nose. "Last time, when I brought up the rear in that canyon, I cut down thirty or forty of them single-handedly. I—"
"And stabbed that top combat power until both his kidneys were gone."
Having heard those words countless times, Wen Jifei rattled off the second half from memory before adding seriously, "Except a Near-Death Surge isn't something you can survive every time. Besides, Qingbai needs someone with him."
Evidently, there was no room for negotiation. He Tangtang gave a resentful sigh. "*Hah!*"
He had learned about Stream Vanguard the moment he woke up, yet now, when Qingzi and the others were sneaking into the joint assembly, they were leaving him behind again.
"Why are you guys always so terrified that I'll die?! I'm the one who isn't scared of dying at all."
With a flick of his wrist, he slammed the passing tin of bubble gum onto the tabletop with a sharp *clatter*. He Tangtang was genuinely a bit angry. He had pushed himself so hard—even relentlessly boasting about his rear-guard stand—precisely so he wouldn't be reduced to a mere bystander whenever this group faced another battle to the death.
Now look at them. Young Master Shiheng had left, Wen Jifei had managed to get his hands on a fine gun, Yang Qingbai flew the chopper, and out of everyone, only he felt completely superfluous.
"Don't say that!" Sucking his bubble gum back in, Yang Qingbai nearly choked on it in his agitation. "If you're not there, wouldn't I be flying out to die alone? I'm an F-grade..."
"Qingbai has a point." Wen Jifei leaned awkwardly across the table and patted He Tangtang on the shoulder. "Besides, how can anyone not fear death? It's something you *should* fear."
Sitting back, Wen Jifei smiled and continued, "Speaking of which, do you two know who among us fears death the most, and who fears it the least?"
As for who feared death the most... now that Young Master Shiheng had vacated his throne, it was honestly hard to tell.
*The one left who fears death the most has to be me, right? Everyone else licks blood from blade edges... Cough, I'm not taking that bait,*
Yang Qingbai thought to himself.
As for who feared death the least?
He Tangtang instinctively glanced toward the bed at Wu Xu, who was sleeping like a corpse, and conceded, "If we're talking about not fearing death, it's got to be him, right? Wu Xu's practically on first-name terms with King Yan."
"Yeah." Yang Qingbai nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Though honestly, I think it might also be Rusty Sister—especially the old Rusty Sister you guys talk about."
For the Shen Yixiu of the past, death might truly have held no terror. When her agonizing struggle could no longer be endured, death would have been a release. Back then, she had said, *"If the day comes when I'm about to die, please open my armor. I want to see what I look like all grown up."*
Her little hand mirror was still with Han Qingyu right now.
"Oh, right, what about Qingzi? Leaving him out doesn't seem right. He's fought through so many brutal battles..." Yang Qingbai suddenly added.
"Qingzi is the one who fears death the most," Wen Jifei said with a laugh. "Of course, I'm probably neck and neck with him, maybe just a hair better."
Both He Tangtang and Yang Qingbai froze in astonishment, staring at Wen Jifei in bewilderment.
"Think about it. First off, what was your earliest impression of what Qingzi did best?" Wen Jifei asked.
"Running fast, probably. I still remember the time we scrambled for meat," Yang Qingbai said.
"Flattening himself in a crater. He could bury himself so flat he practically disappeared."
He Tangtang spoke with utter conviction. The first time he had any close interaction with Han Qingyu was when they encountered a Great Spike during recruit field training—right inside a pit.
Of course, there had been another person in that pit, someone called Yaoyao-huanghuang.
"So you see, it's glaringly obvious. It's him."
Wen Jifei made a shrugging gesture with both hands, smiling as he went on, "Later on, he grew strong very quickly, and he's still growing stronger by the day. But if you ask why he gets stronger, aside from his natural talent, the answer remains the same: because of fear. Because he fears death."
Because of fear, he had to be powerful. He hungered desperately and did whatever it took to make himself strong, greedy and penny-pinching to the bone.
Because he feared death, he pulled through one desperate strait after another, braving death just to survive. That was essentially it.
By now, it was nearing three in the morning.
Footsteps echoed from the main hall.
Shang Nianhua's group had already set out ahead of time; it wouldn't be her or her subordinates. Pang Jinghe was paralyzed by anxiety and wouldn't dare wander around. And it certainly wasn't the metal armor—the armor only had two modes: "clanking racket" and "mute."
That left the one who had gone to gather the laundry. He Tangtang got up and slipped behind the door. The moment Han Qingyu stepped inside, He Tangtang lunged out with bared fangs and claws, shouting, "*Aargh!*"
Han Qingyu gave him a deadpan look, brushed past him, and walked over to the bed on the far side.
"Wu Xu. Wu Xu, get up. Wake up. Eat something and get ready to move. Wu Xu!"
Wu Xu didn't stir.
Han Qingyu turned around, glaring at Wen Jifei and the other two with a mixture of exasperation and helplessness.
"When it comes to drinking, he really needs practice," Yang Qingbai argued in defense.
"Yeah! Otherwise, how humiliating would it be if a guy who can't even be knocked out by surgical anesthesia gets taken down by alcohol someday? Not to mention how dangerous it'd be!" He Tangtang chimed in.
Wen Jifei gave a smug grin. "Speaking of which, I was just thinking back on it. I don't think Wu Xu is actually immune to anesthesia. He's just hypersensitive to unfamiliar environments, threats, and pain. Combined with his iron willpower, he constantly forces himself to stay conscious."
Looking at it the other way around, it basically meant Wu Xu had gotten drunk earlier because he had felt safe.
Of course, the reason Wu Xu had slept until now wasn't merely that those initial two glasses of beer had knocked him out for a day and a night—even if it had been his very first time drinking.
Around nine this morning, he had actually stirred in a daze once.
At the time, Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and Yang Qingbai were playing cards in the room. Seeing Wu Xu wake up, they had immediately clustered around with warm concern, saying, "Dizzy, huh? Here, quick, drink some water. Poured it for you already."
And just like that, Wu Xu had downed another cup of strong baijiu...
"Wu Xu!"
Han Qingyu grabbed his arm and hauled him sideways across the bed.
Wu Xu's head drooped, then lifted as his eyes cracked open. It was said that the eyes were the foremost of the six sensory roots; even waking from a drunken stupor, Wu Xu's eyes remained clear and untroubled. He muttered, "Mm."
Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up and took a step, swaying slightly.
He still seemed a bit intoxicated.
Yet with his next stride, his footing was perfectly steady.
"I'll go brush my teeth and wash my face first." Wu Xu walked out the door.
Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and Yang Qingbai watched his retreating figure, then exchanged glances.
"He's improved."
"Mm."
"Might turn into a god of wine someday."
***
After eating, leaving He Tangtang and Yang Qingbai behind, Han Qingyu's party of four took Pang Jinghe with them and set out. It was roughly twenty to four in the morning.
Chapter 383