Ne Wants to See You

Young Master Shiheng drained the red wine in his glass in one gulp. "Hoo!" he exhaled in high spirits, turned around to set down his goblet, and walked over to snatch the intelligence report from Ye Jian's hands to read. The floor he walked across was a continuous stretch of crystal-blue glass. This thick, resilient glass was everywhere, covering nearly every corner of this place, clear and dazzling under the lamplight or "sunlight." Liu Shiheng didn't know whether that light was special artificial lighting or actual sunlight, because it came from high overhead and was practically omnipresent, yet the physical light source had never once been seen. This was Ne's lair. It might be beneath land or somewhere on the seabed; its exact location was unknown. On that point, Ye Jian said even he didn't know. Earlier, on the final stretch of their journey here, they had been locked inside a pitch-black, hermetically sealed, bizarre apparatus that gave no sensation of external movement. That apparatus traveled for seven days before delivering them here. This was a realm belonging to Ne: a strange city ruled under a sort of hands-off sovereignty, steeped in high technology and an otherworldly atmosphere founded upon source energy. From what Liu Shiheng had observed and gathered so far, the city's population was roughly between twenty and thirty thousand. The people living here knew of the human world outside, but didn't know much about it. They lived in an Eden-like state, not permitted to leave. Of course, Ye Jian could leave; in fact, he had only just returned. As for Liu Shiheng, he had already stayed here for a long time. Life was effortless—meals served to his mouth, clothes brought to his hands. Driven by desire or curiosity, he could flirt with women or be flirted with. At first, Young Master Shiheng felt pretty good about it, but after staying longer, he began to feel bored. Life felt numb, devoid of any fresh excitement, like living among the walking dead. The women here didn't even have personal style, alluring charm, or any initiative in their poses; Ne's education in this regard had serious issues... Liu Shiheng sat down on the sofa, carefully finished reading the two-month-old intelligence report, and looked up at Ye Jian. "To be honest, Brother Ye, from now on you'd better watch your attitude toward me," Liu Shiheng said. "That way, when my Qingzi and Xu'er come to chop you up, I can put in a good word and say, 'Brother Ye is actually a decent guy.'" "Piss off! I don't need your charity," Ye Jian cursed with a laugh. Then he added, "Ne says he wants to see you." "..." The expression on Liu Shiheng's face froze abruptly. His body began to tremble, and his voice trembled along with it. "Can the plot twist like that?" Before this, the fish they had brought from the sea had not been presented to Ne. Liu Shiheng had never seen Ne, nor had he been interrogated about anything. "Haha, do you want to see him?" Ye Jian asked with a laugh. Liu Shiheng froze again, looking at him. "Do I even get a choice in this?" "Of course. If you really don't want to see him, I can just go turn him down," Ye Jian said. "You're being that nice?" "Yep. Touched?" "A tiny bit." Liu Shiheng pinched his fingertips together to demonstrate, then began to hesitate. He hesitated for a long time—probably half an hour. Half an hour later, Liu Shiheng said something that even he found unbelievable: "I... would like to see him." That was Ne, after all! Had he truly attained immortality? What did he look like now? What would he ask me? What would he say to me? Could I offer him some suggestions? What would the conversation be about? Young Master Shiheng was afraid—terrified, even—yet at the same time, an insatiable curiosity clawed at his heart like a restless rat. *** The weather that October was pleasant. Under normal circumstances, the grandfather and granddaughter would keep their stall open until a bit later, then make their way home in the twilight and autumn breeze. Yet today, before it was even three o'clock in the afternoon, Grandfather got up and began packing away their things. Yuan Xiaoxin also put away the handy twig she had been using, wiped away the words written on the ground with the sole of her shoe, and stood waiting. Once Grandfather returned after storing the table and chairs, she widened her round eyes and asked, "Grandpa, are we going to watch Brother Wu Xu fight?" Grandfather pointed to his ear and said, "We're going to listen." The Hall of Definitive Kills was not an arena for performances. It had no spectator stands open to the public, nor did it need an audience. If they went, all they could do was listen from outside. Yuan Youque figured he could still pick out a few details; at the very least, he would learn the outcome of the challenge sooner. "With the Azure Dragon Gang having at least two Supers under one roof, even if Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet wins, she probably won't go in for the kill, right?" Thinking this along the way, he crossed two blocks and reached the north of the city. When the grandfather and granddaughter arrived outside the Hall of Definitive Kills, crowds already completely encircled the towering stone walls of the massive colosseum-like venue. Of course, the vast majority of people on the scene didn't dare stand too close to the wall, fearing the stone walls might collapse if the battle spiraled out of control. Amid the hustle and bustle, discussions buzzed continuously. This battle drew even more enthusiasm and attention than Han Qingyu's streak of challenges back then, because nearly everyone here was thinking: "If Wu Xu wins today, the Azure Dragon Gang's dual-Super lineup might really have a shot at challenging Shu You's throne." "After all, it's long been made clear between them that a fight is inevitable. In a city that never speaks of fairness or morality, there's no reason Major Qing would insist on fighting Shu You one-on-one." "..." Holding his granddaughter's hand, Yuan Youque squeezed through with great difficulty to the very front of the crowd and found a spot to stand. The granddaughter, however, stood on tiptoe the whole time, craning her neck to look toward the entrance. "Iron armor! Grandpa, look, Major Qing and the others are going inside," she said. *** Although the Hall of Definitive Kills had no spectator stands and barred ordinary folk from entering, there were always exceptions—namely, those with status and standing. In this city, being able to enter the Hall of Definitive Kills was a symbol of status in its own right. Inside, there were fewer than fifty people in total, and everyone stood. They stood because a challenge was no mere performance; those taking the field held considerable standing, and sitting to watch would seem like a sign of disrespect. Because there were so few people, Han Qingyu spotted Shu You immediately. Accompanied by two men, Shu You stood with wide spaces left open on either side of him. "Boss Shu You." "Brother Shu You, long time no see! What've you been busy with?" Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei greeted him in turn, then led Rusty Sister and the others over to stand beside him. Shu You turned to look at them, hesitated for an instant, and nodded. Recently, for the first time in over six months, Shu You had seen a quality in Han Qingyu worthy of admiration and respect. Since he hadn't hidden Wu Xu's breakthrough to Super combat power, then at least regarding their upcoming battle, his attitude was open, candid, and full of courage... Shu You reflected inwardly. "It has been a long time since a Super-level challenge took place in the City of Iniquity..." Shu You took the initiative to speak. "By the way, you don't seem worried at all, do you? If you think you can rescue Wu Xu at any moment, don't forget I'm here too. By all rights, I ought to be hoping Wu Xu dies right here." "Is Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet very strong?" Han Qingyu turned his head and asked in reply. "...Much stronger than Theodore," Shu You said. "Oh. Is she very pretty, then? Why is she called the Alluring Catwoman, and how old is she?" Han Qingyu had never seen the number three on the assassin rankings before, who was also the only woman among the city's Supers. Last time, he originally had a chance to meet her, but he skipped the scheduled negotiation and missed out. Faced with this string of questions, Shu You pondered for a moment and said with some awkwardness, "See for yourself in a moment." As the words left his mouth, Wu Xu was already standing in the arena. Clad in a black combat uniform, holding the black Binggu Spear, with a greatsword strapped across his back, Wu Xu stood silently in the massive, pitted arena. Opposite him, a woman who appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, carrying a device on her back and completely barehanded, was walking slowly toward him. In reality, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet had to be at least thirty or so, though in the source energy world that didn't matter much. She had classic Eastern features, her black hair tied back in a simple ponytail that was neither long nor short. Bare-faced, completely unadorned. She was indeed quite good-looking, but she wore an off-white shirt and loose trousers... "Isn't she just a pure, innocent village girl? Where's the alluring part? And whose cat is she supposed to be?" Wen Jifei muttered. "Exactly!" He Tangtang and the Little Prince chimed in, a tinge of disappointment in their voices. The woman came to a halt not far before Wu Xu—barefoot.