Chapter 217 - 135: Ulterior Motives
’When did they start following me?’
I was so focused on getting revenge on the Jackal Wolfman Fortress that I didn’t even notice another Mobile Fortress was following me.
After a moment of thought, it dawned on Li Ziyu. A little while ago, the Jackal Wolfman Fortress had been chasing another Mobile Fortress. It was only when Benjamin saw his Undead Fortress that he had turned tail.
’So I accidentally played the hero and saved a City Lord. Hmm, that must be it.’
’But if I already saved you, why aren’t you running? What’s the big idea, getting so close to me?’
After the last battle, the Jackal Wolfman Fortress was basically crippled. Any fortress it was capable of chasing was, in all likelihood, a new player. Li Ziyu wasn’t some saint who felt the need to lend a hand to every newcomer he met. Who knew what this newbie was like? Were they useful? What if they were just dead weight?
He frowned and asked Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing, "How far behind us is that Mobile Fortress?"
Zhang Peng made a clicking sound with his tongue. "It’s pretty much riding our tail."
’Hiss... What the hell are they trying to pull? Are they trying to scam me or something?’
He glanced back at the Jackal Wolfman Fortress. The battle below was completely one-sided and already in its final stages, requiring none of his attention for the moment. He turned to Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing. "Let’s go. We’ll go see what that Mobile Fortress behind us is really up to."
The three of them descended from the top of the main tower and walked to the rear of the fortress. Sure enough, at the very edge of the platform, they saw the other Mobile Fortress. It was so close it was practically touching them.
Its design, its size, the scale of its main tower, and the empty platform with nothing but that single structure—everything confirmed Li Ziyu’s suspicion. This was the fortress of a new Transmigrator.
"Xingxing, send a Catman over there. Tell them to add me as a friend," Li Ziyu said, turning to Liu Xingxing.
"Huh? Why send a Catman?" Liu Xingxing had only come along to watch the show and was surprised to suddenly be given a task.
Li Ziyu waved his hand. A Skeleton Undead rose to its feet beside Liu Xingxing and clattered its jaw at him. Liu Xingxing was completely dumbfounded. ’What’s that supposed to mean?’
"Did you hear what it said?" Li Ziyu asked.
"No," Liu Xingxing said, shaking his head.
"Of course not. The Undead don’t have vocal cords, so you can’t hear them speak. Do you think the City Lord over there will be able to hear one? Now hurry up and send your Catman over!" Li Ziyu said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
Realizing he had a point, Liu Xingxing obediently agreed. He summoned a Catman, explained the task, and the Catman nodded before scurrying off toward the nearby fortress.
The Catman delivered a single message: The City Lord was to add Li Ziyu’s ID.
Soon, Li Ziyu received a friend request. The name was "Tipsy Night Wind."
[Private Chat]
Tipsy Night Wind: Hello.
Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: State your intentions for following my fortress.
Tipsy Night Wind: Please, let me explain. I mean no harm. I’m just a poor soul who was being hunted down. Please help me. If you do, I’ll reward you. How does 100,000 sound?
Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: ...You mean RMB?
Tipsy Night Wind: Yes. I hope you can guarantee my safety and take me somewhere safe.
Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: We need to talk about this. Let’s meet on the ground, below the fortress.
Li Ziyu closed the chat window and rubbed his temples.
"So, what’s the verdict?" Zhang Peng asked, seeing Li Ziyu’s expression.
"A complete newbie, knows absolutely nothing. Uh... or maybe it’s not that they don’t know anything. Maybe they’re trying to bait me?" Li Ziyu said subconsciously, but then immediately felt that wasn’t right. He mulled over the conversation again before speaking hesitantly.
His words left Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing baffled. They looked at each other, wondering what on earth the two had talked about.
"It seems like they still don’t get that they’ve transmigrated. They’re trying to hire me as a bodyguard with RMB to keep them safe," Li Ziyu explained, seeing their bewildered expressions.
"What? That’s ridiculous!" Liu Xingxing said, stunned for a moment before bursting out laughing.
’RMB is worthless in the Otherworld. No amount of money is going to do any good. Now, if they’d offered resources, maybe the boss would have protected them. This person is so naive.’
Zhang Peng, on the other hand, had focused on the second part of Li Ziyu’s comment. He shook his head and said, "Boss, I don’t think it’s bait."
Li Ziyu raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Stroking his chin, Zhang Peng analyzed, "I get the feeling they’re genuinely clueless about the situation. They just transmigrated, after all; their mindset probably hasn’t adjusted. And even if they were a fast learner, they’d still have to consider their own capabilities, right? Given the difference in scale between our two fortresses, anyone who isn’t a complete idiot wouldn’t even think of trying to bait us."
Li Ziyu considered this and nodded. ’He has a point. Compared to that newcomer’s Mobile Fortress, the Undead Fortress is an absolute behemoth. They’re a new player, probably with less than ten units to their name. If they were still thinking about baiting me under these circumstances, that would be a real stretch.’
’Whatever. I’m done thinking about whether it’s bait or not. We’ll find out when we meet. Hmm, I’ll bring the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors. If they are trying to pull something, I’ll just hammer them to death.’
"Let’s go. We’ll find out soon enough if it’s bait. Let’s meet this other City Lord and see what their deal is."
As he spoke, Li Ziyu began organizing his men to descend.
Upon receiving Li Ziyu’s request for a meeting, Liu Ziyue took a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t refuse. If he wanted to meet, she had to meet him. If she angered him, he could crush her in an instant.
’I was worried he was actually a ghost,’ she thought. ’But it seems he’s a Human, just like me, who ended up in this godforsaken place. And if he’s Human, then there’s a way to deal with him!’