บท 14: Chapter 12 A Death Warrant in the Worldly Society
Xiao Jie was not surprised, since Liu Qiang had set a trap, he would inevitably need to confirm whether the trap was successful.
The simplest way to confirm, naturally, was to give him a call.
Xiao Jie pulled out two black cards from his pocket, according to what the Black Windbreaker had said, these cards were the carriers of the activation codes; only the person holding the cards could use the activation codes.
Furthermore, according to the Black Windbreaker, the activation codes were incredibly valuable; if both he and Han Luo died, Liu Qiang would surely try to recover these two activation codes.
Therefore, for this situation, he had already prepared a plan on how to respond—becoming powerless and furious would only make Liu Qiang smug; the more indifferent he behaved, the less confident the other party would be.
He silently pressed the record button.
"Hehe, is that Liu Qiang? Of course, I played, I have to say, you really gave me a huge gift, this 'Old Soil' game is indeed as you said, a game that could change my destiny. It's so fun it's killing me, I should thank you. You set me up once before, and now you have returned such a favor, we are even now."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone; Liu Qiang was somewhat baffled. He had predicted several of the other party's possible reactions—cursing, feigning calm, grinding teeth in rage, or simply not answering the phone—but he hadn't expected this attitude.
"Hehe, there's no need to be polite; as long as you like it. This game is definitely going to be hot for grinding. By the way, where's Han Luo? I tried calling him, but no one answered."
"Why play dumb, Liu Qiang? Han Luo is already dead. How else could I have discovered the true nature of this game? Tsk tsk tsk, you're really ruthless; to get at me, you spent so much, gave away two activation codes, and intentionally didn't tell Han Luo the truth about this game, wasn't it just to make both of us die in the game?
Unfortunately, my luck is better, Han Luo took the fall for me, and I bet you're very disappointed, aren't you?"
"Uh, I really have no idea what you're talking about—what! Han Luo is dead, oh dear, such a talent gone too soon. I was so close to Han Luo, I never thought he would die so young. Speaking of which, aren't you sad or angry about Han Luo's death?"
Liu Qiang's tone was excessively exaggerated, but his reaction made Xiao Jie sigh; this guy was really cunning, not taking the bait at all.
While the recording wasn't strong evidence, having it was better than nothing. Yet, unexpected to him, Liu Qiang was also guarding against even this.
"Angry? Why should I be angry? Compared to the benefits you've brought me, what does this little risk matter? Besides, I'm not the one who's dead; it's Han Luo, that unlucky guy. Why should I be angry? In fact, I should thank you; with Han Luo dead, it saved me a lot of trouble.
Otherwise, for such a magical game, hiding such immense value, it would take some effort to enjoy these two activation codes alone.
But now I can fully enjoy this opportunity alone; when I think about it, I should thank you. If you hadn't set Han Luo up, I would have needed to put in a little more effort."
Xiao Jie's tone was unusually calm, leaving Liu Qiang momentarily stunned.
This result completely frustrated him; no, this guy's reaction was too calm, which precisely indicated there was a problem.
"Hahahaha, don't play it up, Boss Xiao. You were so close to Han Luo, you must be furious by now. Don't you really want to kill me? It's no big deal; we're all old acquaintances. If you really feel that way, just say it, I'm listening."
"Hehe, only someone with zero cognitive ability like you would think that. Compared to real strength, what's a little brother? Everything in this world is an illusion; only absolute strength has real meaning. Pava, do you understand? Pava!
With these two activation codes, I now have the opportunity to pursue that absolute strength. Becoming a god, becoming a saint, with my gaming skills, it's just within reach. That's what truly matters. Compared to such power, the petty entanglements and vendettas amongst mortals seem so laughable.
But you did remind me of something; I indeed will kill you. Once I obtain sufficient strength, I will destroy you as easily as stepping on an ant, not because you killed Han Luo, but because your hostility towards me feels like an affront.
Do you know that feeling? It's like a mouse nibbling on the surface of your shoe, trying to bite you; ludicrous yet pitiable, but also slightly nauseating. What kind of thing are you, to dare to harm me? Do you qualify?
So, it's really easier just to get rid of you."
Liu Qiang didn't quite know how to respond for a moment; Boss Xiao was quite a serious person, so why the sudden mania?
Strength? Pava? Well, truly, appearances can be deceiving.
However, that last sentence did sting him a bit; the thing Liu Qiang hated most in life was being looked down upon.
"Crushing an ant? Hehe, do you know, right now, killing you would be as easy as crushing an ant."
"Then come find me, you know where I live. Try and see who will be crushed. Even though I've only played for one day and haven't unlocked much content, with what I've gained so far, it won't be hard to take you down."
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"You think you're strong? Give me a break, with that level of skill, no matter how long you play, you're just trash. My gaming skill is beyond your imagination."
"Why are you breathing so heavily? Can't accept it? Then come and try, how about it, do you dare? Or should I say I was right all along about your true nature—an absolute coward?"
"Beep—Beep—Beep."
The call was hung up.
——————
After hanging up, Liu Qiang's face twisted with anger.
He had thought that rat was certainly dead, but not only was he alive, he was also so arrogant.
He squeezed his phone hard, wanting to use overwhelming Inner Strength to crush it and vent the anger in his heart, but looking at the latest Orange 18 model in his hand, he restrained himself.
With a lift of his hand, he smashed the desk before him into smithereens.
"Damn—Damn—Damn!!!"
Liu Qiang roared in fury.
He was definitely the one who had succeeded in his scheming. So why did it feel like he was the one being mocked?
"What's wrong, Brother Liu, why are you so worked up?" A subordinate hurriedly tried to calm him down.
Liu Qiang struggled to compose himself, "It's nothing, just provoked a madman, that's all. Is everyone gathered already?"
"Almost, but there's been a lot of news from up north lately, and many are wary about going abroad to work. Ah, we are also affected by association."
"Doesn't matter, just throw money at them, pay a resettlement fee, make a formal contract, as long as they follow along."
After arranging the work, Liu Qiang couldn't help picking up his phone again.
Just thinking about Xiao Jie's words from earlier made his blood boil. Should he take some time to take him down? The kid had only been playing for a day. What could he possibly do?
But an innate caution made him hesitate.
"Ah Hu, kill someone for me."
The summoned Ah Hu, startled, quickly waved his hands, "Brother Liu, we shouldn't be talking about this sort of thing. This is inside the country, killing people is illegal. Have you forgotten about the Blade Society incident?"
Liu Qiang immediately became more composed.
This was indeed not something to be rash about. Forget about it, he was after all a high-ranking guild member. Why lower himself to the level of a newbie? The death game was so difficult, that guy would end up dead sooner or later all by himself.
He pondered for a moment, then a vicious smile crept onto his lips.
If he couldn't act in reality, he'd settle it in the game instead.
"Put out a bounty of one hundred taels in the assassin alliance!"
Ah Hu was shocked, one hundred taels! That's one million!
"Boss, who are we taking out?"
"Wu Jike, Heavenly Dao Fengliu, and... Hidden Moon Following Wind," Liu Qiang listed three names in one breath, all previous character names commonly used by Xiao Jie. He was unsure if Xiao Jie would use a new name, but after all, he wouldn't have to pay the full amount unless the job was done, so he wasn't worried about wasting money.
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