Long Ao: Do I Have to Die Too

[Holy crap, Brother Coffin is ruthless and decisive.]

[This is exactly how you deal with these lunatics. Being a bleeding heart will only get yourself and others killed.]

[Boohoo, he was forced into this. He just wanted to protect himself, what did he do wrong?]

[Cults are truly a plague, especially in a high-martial world like this. The danger is way more terrifying than in reality.]

Chen Guan glanced over these bullet comments, but in his mind, he was pondering the information the bald man had just revealed.

Queen Casino. Three days later. Cult Leader Blood Butcher, Tier Eight. Twenty core cultists Tier Six or above.

This was a terrifying lineup that would be enough to give the official Jiangcheng branch a massive headache.

If even one of these people escaped, it would be a disaster.

One Tier Eight and over twenty Tier Sixes. Charging in directly would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Even though he could resurrect infinitely, the pain brought by each death was very real, and it wouldn't refresh his status. That was a troublesome matter.

Most importantly, his goal wasn't to throw his life away. It was to farm points and solve the problem.

From the corner of his eye, Chen Guan scanned the data stream on his retina. The newly added popularity points made his tense nerves relax a little.

The audience's emotions were perfectly in place.

His performance had achieved a good effect.

Just as he was about to bring down his scythe and completely clean up the scene, the inn's door was smashed open from the inside by a massive force.

Long Ao charged out with an indomitable aura.

He saw Chen Guan at the door, saw the scythe Chen Guan was holding up, and saw the three people lying on the ground.

Long Ao's movements paused for a moment. He remembered what Chen Guan had said before leaving.

"If I don't come back, take my coffin and leave."

This sentence echoed repeatedly in his mind, every word like a heavy hammer smashing against his heart.

He had treated that sentence as a dying wish.

He thought Chen Guan had resolved to die, coming out alone to cover his retreat and buy him time to escape.

But the scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

There was no tragic siege, no desperate struggle.

There was only Chen Guan standing there completely unharmed, while the enemies had all fallen.

"You..." Long Ao's throat went dry. The hot blood and tragic heroism he had prepared all got stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down.

Chen Guan glanced at him, put away his scythe, and said in a flat tone, "Why did you come out?"

"I..." Long Ao looked at Chen Guan's overly calm face, momentarily at a loss for words.

He couldn't exactly say, I thought you were going to die, so I came out to die with you.

That would be too stupid.

"I was worried about you." After holding it in for a long time, Long Ao squeezed a few words through his teeth, his voice muffled.

[Hahahahaha, Long Ao's expression looks like he charged into a burning building to save someone, only to find them inside enjoying the AC.]

[Just looking at this scene, why does it feel like Chen Guan is more like the villain?]

[Long Ao: Am I going to die too?]

[Chen Guan: Yes.]

The tone of the bullet comments instantly shifted from tragic to hilarious.

Chen Guan ignored the teasing of the bullet comments and ignored Long Ao's awkwardness.

"Let's go," Chen Guan said to Long Ao.

"What about... them? Are we just leaving them?" Long Ao pointed at the people on the ground.

"Wait for the officials to handle it. It's too conspicuous for us to stay here." After saying that, Chen Guan turned and walked away. He still had to go back and get his coffin; Long Ao was too unreliable.

He wasn't worried about the scene here at all. He knew someone was watching from behind, and the officials would definitely be keeping a close eye on this place.

Since that was the case, it would be a waste not to use free cleanup tools.

Long Ao looked at Chen Guan's back and followed with complicated feelings.

He found that he was increasingly unable to understand Chen Guan. Unlike An Changqing, he was always full of contradictions.

This person sometimes seemed like an ordinary student who couldn't even truss a chicken, and sometimes like a cold-blooded warrior who had fought countless battles, yet he also gave off a sense of reliability.

The two quickly left the scene and blended into the Jiangcheng night.

Over ten minutes later, several vehicles marked with the Great Wall logo roared over and locked down the entire block.

...

An abandoned underground parking lot.

Under the dim lights, Chen Guan spread out a map of Jiangcheng on the ground that he had conveniently swiped from the inn.

Although he had a phone, Chen Guan had always preferred using a pen to aid his thinking. Using a phone always felt like something was missing.

He used a pen to draw a circle around the location of the Queen Casino.

"Blood Butcher, Tier Eight, and over twenty Tier Sixes." Chen Guan briefly explained the situation.

Long Ao's expression was grave.

Although he was confident, he also knew exactly what a Tier Eight meant.

That was an existence at the top of Jiangcheng's pyramid. His grandfather, Long Ye, could have easily suppressed it in his prime, but now... the old man was getting on in years. Although spiritual energy could prolong his life, it couldn't keep him at his peak forever.

And the remaining Tier Sixes were not to be trifled with either. Jiangcheng wasn't a large city, and the strength of the Great Wall's patrolmen was limited. Transferring personnel from other areas was feasible, but it would cause new troubles.

"Charging in is suicide." Long Ao came to the same conclusion as Chen Guan.

"So we can't charge in." Chen Guan's finger slid across the map. "Lin Jiu said that the cult leader, Blood Butcher, is nearing the end of his lifespan, which is why he is in a rush to hold the ritual. This is key information."

"What do you mean?"

"What kind of mindset would a person about to die of old age have?" Chen Guan looked up at Long Ao.

Long Ao frowned in thought. "Suspicious, cautious, and... not trusting anyone."

He had dealt with a similar incident in high school, only back then, he was just facing a triad boss.

"Exactly." Chen Guan nodded. "Especially when he is about to gain a new life, he absolutely will not allow any accidents to happen. Queen Casino must be an iron fortress right now, guarding against all outsiders."

"Then how are we supposed to get in?" Long Ao was even more confused.

"Who said we were going in?" Chen Guan smiled, a smile that sent a chill down Long Ao's spine.

He picked up the pen and drew a few crosses on several other locations on the map.

"The Flesh Embrace has been entrenched in Jiangcheng for many years. Aside from their headquarters at the Queen Casino, they must have other strongholds."

Chen Guan pointed at the crosses. "These are their branches, responsible for different operations. Some handle intelligence, some handle logistics."

"You want to...?" Long Ao vaguely guessed something.

"Blood Butcher wants to hold his ritual peacefully, so I'm going to make sure he gets no peace."

"He gathered all his elites at the Queen Casino, which means other places will inevitably be empty."

"We don't need to assault the Queen Casino. We just need to stay outside and light a fire."

Chen Guan's finger tapped heavily on one of the crosses.

"West of the city, Blackwater Pier. It's a smuggling stronghold for the Flesh Embrace. The person in charge is named Viper, Tier Five, with a few Tier Three and Four cultists under him."

"Our first stop begins here."

Chen Guan stood up and looked at Long Ao, his tone calm but carrying an irresistible force.

"We're going to go ruin their business."