Chapter 527 - 341: Heart Towards the Light (Part 5)
Chapter 527: Chapter 341: Heart Towards the Light (Part 5)
A hint of anger flashed in Cao Feng’s eyes, followed by a profound sense of sorrow.
He raised his glass, downed it in one gulp, and spat out a single word: "Dead."
Zhao Chi froze, entirely unprepared for this news.
Shi Juan had been one of Cao Feng’s lackeys. However, her appearance was ordinary, and he had never harbored any feelings for her. Even though she didn’t have any matches during the last Rookie Tournament, she had still run over to cheer for him. To think it would end like this.
Cao Feng let out a long sigh and held out his glass. "Yang Xiong."
Yang Xiong poured him a drink. Cao Feng downed it in another single gulp, then slammed his fist heavily against the table.
"It’s those Alien Race bastards, fuck..."
"I’m sorry," Zhao Chi said solemnly. "I didn’t know. Were you two already...?"
Cao Feng offered a bitter smile.
"No. It would have been better if we were actually together.
"To be honest, Shi Juan wasn’t my type.
"I like women who are beautiful and have a good figure. Shi Juan only barely met the mark on her figure.
"But, fuck, how do I say this?
"When she jumped in to take the damage for me and died right in front of my eyes, I still... Fuck... I swear I didn’t have any feelings for her... So why does my heart ache so damn much?
"She’s really something else. She followed me constantly when she was alive, and now that she’s dead, she’s still fucking haunting me. I can’t forget her.
"This is so fucking messed up! Pour me another!"
Yang Xiong filled his glass. Cao Feng raised it toward Zhao Chi, his eyes locked onto him. Zhao Chi clinked his glass against it, and the two downed their drinks.
"Zhao Chi, do you know why I drank this with you?" Cao Feng asked, his expression cold. "Because you were the only one who told me to cherish Shi Juan. Do you remember?"
"I remember," Zhao Chi nodded.
Cao Feng sneered. "Fuck, that’s the most messed-up part. You were actually the one who told me that. For those words alone, I’ll toast you."
Yang Xiong poured the wine, and Cao Feng downed it once again.
"Yang Xiong, stop pouring for him," Lu Yi urged. "He’s going to have too much."
"It’s fine," Yang Xiong replied. "It’s good for him to get drunk. At least he’ll get through tonight. Otherwise, he won’t have a moment of peace."
Lu Yi forcefully changed the subject. Yang Xiong led the group in a few more rounds of drinks, and the atmosphere slowly returned to normal. Zhao Chi noticed a slight shift in the dynamic—Yang Xiong didn’t seem as hostile toward Cao Feng as he used to be.
"Haha, our past issues were just trivial matters, really not worth mentioning," Yang Xiong laughed. "As long as he’s reliable on the battlefield, that’s what counts. He’s at least better than the Alien Race."
"Cao Feng is our Vanguard," Lu Yi explained. "His Shadow Leopard has undergone an improvement. Not only is it fast, but its perception is also incredibly strong. He handles all our reconnaissance."
"Wait a moment," Zhao Chi interrupted, confused. "From what you’re saying... are you all fighting together now? As one team?"
Lu Yi nodded. "Yes, the five of us from Class 4 form a single squad. I’m the Team Leader and provide ranged support. Yang Xiong is the commander and our meat shield. Cao Feng is the Vanguard and handles recon. Wang Lie also provides ranged support, while Li Xun is in charge of flanking assaults."
"I call the shots when it comes to combat," Yang Xiong added. "Lu Yi handles all other communication and liaison duties. Cao Feng gathers battlefield intel and assesses the situation. The remaining two are just tagging along."
"Bullshit!" Wang Lie blurted out. "You’re the one tagging along! My Goblin’s Poisoned Spear is incredibly strong. We’ve won several times entirely thanks to me."
Li Xun was equally displeased. "Are you drunk, Yang Xiong? Every single time we’ve retreated, it was thanks to my Skeletons."
Yang Xiong burst into laughter. "Right, right, right, you’re all strong. I’ll take a penalty drink. Come on, cheers!" With that, he downed another glass.
"Zhao Chi, my Shadow Leopard is much stronger than before," Cao Feng boasted. "When we have the time, let’s spar again. I bet your Female Soldiers will be screaming in terror."
Cao Feng had drank quite a bit and was clearly already intoxicated. Zhao Chi didn’t hold it against him. "Yes, yes, you’re very strong now. I just didn’t expect you all to be in a squad already. Aren’t you fighting alongside your families?"
As soon as the question left his lips, Zhao Chi realized he had misspoken again. This time, even Lu Yi’s expression dimmed, while Cao Feng looked on the verge of tears.
"Sorry," Zhao Chi said. "Let’s change the subject..."
"Cao Feng and Lu Yi both come from prominent, powerful families," Yang Xiong explained. "Because of their strength, they were heavily targeted by the Alien Race. Many of their people perished. My family fared a bit better, but we still lost over forty Lords."
Lu Yi sighed. "Having half the family survive can be considered lucky. We mainly bought our lives with money, and our family still has a massive debt to pay off..."
"Who do you owe money to? The Alien Race?" Zhao Chi asked.
"Of course not. If we owed the Alien Race, would we even bother paying it back? We owe the World-breaking Army. They lent our families money to buy our lives, and later provided protection for our entire clan. Because of that, this is a debt we absolutely must repay."
Zhao Chi nodded in understanding.
Lu Yi offered a small smile. "But it’s fine, we’ll just pay it off slowly. How about your family, Zhao Chi? It looks like you still have quite a few people on your side."
"My family wasn’t purged by the Alien Race," Zhao Chi nodded, "but we were bled dry a few times. Still, our numbers are relatively stable, though we did lose over a dozen Lords."
Yang Xiong agreed. "Your Stream Village is quite remote and small in scale. That essentially offered you a layer of protection."
"The surviving members of their two families have also gathered here," Lu Yi said. "However, since we’ve only recently become Lords, there’s a massive gap between our strength and the rest of our families. We can’t participate in many of the major battles, so the few of us Village Lords grouped up to deal with the weaker enemies."
Li Xun and Wang Lie remained silent. They were both freelancers without any family backing. It was hard to say whether that made them lucky or unlucky.
Having brought up two heavy subjects in a row, Zhao Chi decided it was time to introduce a lighter topic.