Chapter 383 - 382: I’ll Also Give You a Chance
Of course, Aaron couldn’t hear their discussion. He just stared at Gu Zhao with an aggressive, confident smile, holding up one finger in front of him.
"You have one minute to think it over." Aaron felt he was being merciful; usually, in Huaqi Country, he only gave people ten seconds.
But Gu Zhao did him the courtesy of not taking much time to decide. "I’ve thought it over."
"A wise choice." Aaron nodded knowingly.
Then, he saw Gu Zhao also hold up one finger. "I’ll take you somewhere. If you can make it out alive, I’ll give you a chance to compete with me fairly."
Aaron was stunned. "What did you say?"
The words had barely left his mouth when he watched, wide-eyed, as Gu Zhao reached out and grabbed him by the collar.
’Get your filthy hands off me!’
Aaron tried to shout, but he found he suddenly couldn’t make a sound. A blockage was stuck in his throat. He could feel his mouth and tongue moving, but it was as if he were performing in a silent play.
Then he tried to pry Gu Zhao’s hand away, but he found he couldn’t move at all. His entire body was bound by something invisible. Even when he tensed every muscle, he couldn’t lift a single finger.
A look of terror finally appeared in Aaron’s eyes. He could only watch helplessly as Gu Zhao’s hand seized his collar.
Gripping Aaron’s collar with one hand, Gu Zhao turned and waved to Xiao Ya. "You all go get a late-night snack. I’ll come get you when you’re done."
The next moment, before the eyes of Xiao Ya, Jiang Shishi, and Erin, Gu Zhao finished speaking, yanked Aaron into the air, and vanished when they were less than two or three meters off the ground.
Jiang Shishi wore an "I knew it" expression, and there was no sympathy in Xiao Ya’s eyes.
Only Erin’s eyes went wide as saucers, and she couldn’t help but swear, "WTF?"
Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi looked at Erin.
Erin looked at Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi.
"Your boyfriend is a Superpower User?" Erin blurted out her assumption about their relationship.
Xiao Ya pressed her lips together and didn’t speak.
Jiang Shishi, however, raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"
"I am," Erin said honestly. "Who wouldn’t be jealous of Lois Lane!"
At this, Erin suddenly realized something and looked at Xiao Ya. "So you’re being protected by a special agency from Celestial Xia not because of Taoist Yi Hong, but because of your boyfriend?"
Xiao Ya just smiled without saying a word, while Jiang Shishi took Erin’s hand. "Let’s go get some hot pot!"
A few moments later, a Luxeed drove away from the concert hall, and a BYD silently followed.
"Do you think there was a reason Mr. Gu revealed his identity in front of Erin?" the woman asked.
"Maybe he’s got a thing for foreign girls?" the man joked.
"Can’t you think about something serious for once?" the woman said irritably.
"The serious thing is that Mr. Gu is obviously making an example of Aaron. To avoid trouble for his girlfriends and us, he’s letting Erin report the real situation back to draw their fire," the man said, seeing the truth in an instant.
"Huh? That makes sense!" The woman thought for a moment. "I really thought he had a thing for foreign girls."
"Can’t you think about something serious for once?" the man retorted. "Taoist Yan Song already showed his face directly in Kabia. It’s obvious the Research Institute doesn’t want to hide anymore."
The woman turned back. "You know, your wife and I are best friends."
"I was wrong," the man immediately conceded.
...
While the group back in Yangcheng was feeling happy, shocked, or bored, all Aaron wanted was to stay alive.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn’t make a sound.
He tried to signal with his eyes, but unfortunately, Gu Zhao wasn’t even looking at him.
Then he found himself being dragged by the collar, suddenly lifting off the ground and flying higher and higher. Soon, he could see the myriad lights of the city below, the sun slowly rising in the west, and the vast horizon of Blue Star.
The next moment, they burst forward at an extreme speed, streaking toward the West.
There was no sonic boom, no biting cold, no harsh wind.
If it weren’t for the sun in the West growing brighter and the mountains, rivers, and seas on the ground rushing backward, he wouldn’t even have felt like he was moving. It was as if he were sitting on the large sofa in his own living room.
Soon, they caught up with the westward-moving sunlight. Aaron, who was decent at geography, could even tell that they had left Celestial Xia’s airspace. They flew over deserts, plateaus, the Caspian Sea, crossed the great plains of the Two River Basin, and arrived somewhere near the Mediterranean Sea.
Aaron recognized where they were, but he didn’t understand why Gu Zhao had brought him here.
Gu Zhao smiled faintly, took the phone from Aaron’s hand, and saw that the translation app was still open.
"I’m a cultivator. Cultivation is about refining the heart. Your hands aren’t stained with blood, so I won’t kill you myself."
"You offered me ten million, so I’ll also give you a chance."
"I imagine you recognize this place. A slum of less than four hundred square kilometers, crammed with two million people. Well, it’s mostly ruins now."
"I’m going to seal your ability to speak, take your personal belongings, and leave you here."
Seeing the terror in Aaron’s eyes, Gu Zhao said calmly, "I keep my promises. If you can make it back to Celestial Xia from here alive, I will give you a chance to compete with me fairly."
’I don’t want to compete with you! I just want to go home!’ Aaron screamed in his mind, but he couldn’t utter a single syllable.
The next moment, he saw Gu Zhao release his grip on his collar. His body felt weightless, and then he was plummeting downward.
"AHHH—"
Gu Zhao watched calmly from above. As Aaron fell, in a clearing below, several people in military uniforms were smirking as they watched a group of raggedly dressed people fighting over flour.
They raised their guns.
Then, thunder rumbled in the sky.
BOOM!
A handsome, blond man who couldn’t speak landed in the middle of the ruins.
In another clearing, the people in military uniforms were struck by a bolt from the blue and turned to charcoal.
Gu Zhao glanced down below, then at the surrounding situation. He had acted on a whim, but he had no intention of playing the savior. People must unite and save themselves to have a future and hope.
Take him, for example. If the Divine Land had fallen back then, it wouldn’t have been his turn to activate the Five Thunders Order.
SWOOSH—
A streak of light once again shot eastward.
...
On a spring or summer night in Yangcheng, the city was brightly lit and bustling with pedestrians—a picture of a peaceful and prosperous era.
"This tripe is so tender!"
"The beef balls are delicious too."
Xiao Ya, Jiang Shishi, and Erin were eating hot pot at an old restaurant in the city when a figure appeared beside them, pulled out the last chair, and sat down. "Order me two more portions of beef and fish fillets."