Chapter 318: Chapter 317: Who is the Prey? (Subscription Request)
"A great opportunity?"
"That’s right!"
The Third Brother’s body was trembling as he pointed to the tens of thousands of people ahead and said, "These ordinary people, if it were any other Awakened, they’d be grateful just to let them stay outside the city, but that Chairman Li is willing to let them move into the city, and for free! What does that tell you?"
"What does it tell us?"
Xie Ming asked instinctively.
"It shows that Chairman Li isn’t as hard to deal with as we thought. In fact, he’s someone who has compassion for the weak."
"Compassion?"
"Yes," the Third Brother looked towards the city wall, his eyes filled with passion, and said, "I always feel that the biggest difference between humans and Fierce Beasts is empathy. We humans always maintain sympathy and compassion for the weak. No matter how strong a person is, if they lose their empathy, even if they become invincible, they are no longer human; they’re just beasts wearing human skin."
The rest of them fell silent all of a sudden.
Because they realized that their experiences over the years seemed to have made them lose their empathy.
When they saw those ordinary people die under the claws of the Fierce Beasts, they felt no emotional ripple at all, and even felt like laughing a bit.
See, that’s the fate of the weak. Blame themselves for being too weak. Just think, if they were strong enough, would they still get killed?
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In the recent past, it was just a moment ago.
When they heard what Hua Jun said, they doubted the sanity of the people in the Anshan City Association.
Why be kind to these ordinary people? What’s in it for them?
But the Third Brother’s words reminded them of something.
Ten years ago, they were no different from those ordinary people, running around day and night for a living.
They were just a bit luckier, waking up to superpowers and becoming Awakened.
Xie Ming took a deep breath and said, "Third Brother, you’re right. Over the years, it seems like I’ve forgotten my roots."
He let out a bitter laugh and said, "Looking at those ordinary people is like looking at ants, but actually, they are just like us; they are people."
"Yes, yes."
The three bearded men blushed as well.
The Third Brother smiled and said, "It’s okay, big brother, it’s not too late. Besides, this makes allying with Chairman Li perhaps the best choice for us."
The few of them exchanged glances and nodded heavily.
That’s right. Chairman Li took such good care of ordinary people that if they could prove their loyalty, he surely wouldn’t treat them poorly.
"Big brother, there’s no time to lose. Let’s call Yan Hao and tell him we’ve arrived," the bearded man said impatiently.
"That’s right. He sold the land for a fair price, but he’s still not satisfied and wants to use us against Chairman Li. He’s really ungrateful. If that’s the case, don’t blame us for being ruthless."
"Hmph, he’s brought this on himself."
"Shh."
Xie Ming took out his phone and made a gesture for silence.
The rest immediately got the message and went silent.
Xie Ming found Yan Ming’s number and dialed it. It only rang once before being picked up.
"Hello? Brother Xie, are you here already?"
Yan Hao’s urgent voice came through.
"Yes."
Xie Ming said in a low voice, "I’m right outside the city. Where are you?"
"I’m still at my usual spot. If you don’t remember, I can come out to get you," Yan Hao said.
"No need, my memory’s not that bad."
"Good, good."
Yan Hao seemed extremely excited, nodding vigorously like a pecking chick. "Brother Xie, be careful coming up. Don’t let anyone see you, or it could easily leak. When you reach the gate, send me a message, and I’ll meet you there."
"Alright."
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Xie Ming’s mouth.
"I’ll hang up now. We’ll talk more when we meet."
"Okay, okay."
Xie Ming hung up the phone.
"Big brother, how did it go?" the woman asked.
"He’ll wait for us at his place. Is the recording equipment ready?"
The Third Brother made an OK gesture.
"Good, let’s get in there right away. Avoiding people is crucial, or all our efforts will be in vain."
"Understood."
Soon, they arrived at Yan Hao’s villa and successfully reunited.
They went up to the second floor and sat down in the room.
"Yan Hao, long time no see. You’ve been doing well these past few years?"
Xie Ming sized him up with a half-smile.
The bearded men also looked at him with amusement.
Yan Hao felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny, hurriedly stood up, and poured them some tea, saying, "It’s been a long time, Brother Xie. You look more spirited than before."
"Really? I should thank your good brother for that, right?"
Xie Ming snorted with a cold laugh.
Thinking of Yan Ming, who blinded him in one eye, and now this guy trying to play both sides for his own gain, he wanted to kill him on the spot.
"Brother Xie, that’s all in the past. My brother is already dead. Let’s not talk about those things, okay?" Yan Hao said awkwardly.
"Alright."
Xie Ming glanced at him, then said, "Let’s talk business."
"Yes!"
Yan Ming perked up immediately and stood by the window, pulling back the curtain and pointing to the people with luggage on the street outside. "Brother Xie, you saw when you came, right? That Li, trying to be a good person, using our land to house those outside city scum. He’s quite the heart-winner."
Little did he know, his words sparked rage in the eyes of those behind him.
"Brother Xie,"
Yan Hao turned around, full of resentment, "As long as we kill that Li and Hua Jun and his accomplices, Anshan City will be yours to command! Even if you turn against me afterward, I won’t regret it!"
"Brother Yan seems genuinely angry."
Xie Ming toyed with his teacup and said, "Fine, since we’re here, we naturally want to lend Brother Yan a hand. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a wasted trip?"
"Big brother is right."
"Brother Yan’s family’s downfall is understandable."
"Just wondering, how does Brother Yan plan to deal with Chairman Li and his henchmen?" The Third Brother smiled.
Everyone exchanged glances, saying everything without a word.
"I’ll explain right now. If you think there are areas for improvement, feel free to suggest, and we’ll figure it out together."
"Alright."
Xie Ming agreed readily.
Yan Hao paced around as he spoke, "If we charge in directly, we might get injured. It’s unnecessary because they are out in the open while we are in the dark. We can completely break them down one by one."
"Oh, how do we do that?"
"I’ll contact Hua Jun and lure them here. Brother Xie, you guys will ambush them. When I excuse myself, that’s your signal to strike. Hua Jun may be a C-level Awakened, but he’s not strong. The remaining three or four are D-level, so you can kill them easily."
"After killing them, we’ll head to the Awakened Association and take out that Li! Even if he’s formidable, how can he handle all of us?
Brother Xie, what do you think of my plan? Is there anything that needs adjusting?" Yan Hao grinned obsequiously.
He had spent a long time crafting this plan and thought it was excellent.
"Brilliant."
Xie Ming gave a thumbs-up and said, "Hua Jun probably never dreamt there’d be an ambush waiting for him here. I just have one question—are you sure you can lure him?"
"Don’t worry about that, Brother Xie."
Yan Hao said smugly, "I have the confidence to lure them here. What happens afterward depends on your performance."
Hearing this, Xie Ming looked at the Third Brother.
The latter nodded.
He initially planned to capture Yan Hao after recording, but now it seemed better to wait for Hua Jun to be tricked first.
"Okay."
Xie Ming slapped his thigh and said, "Brother Yan, if you can lure them here, we’ll take them down without any leaks."
"After killing Hua Jun and the others, we’ll go to the Awakened Association together and settle the score with Li."
"Awesome!"
Yan Hao was ecstatic; he could hardly wait to rush to the Awakened Association.
"By the way, Brother Xie, I have one small request. If it’s possible, I’d be very grateful."
"Go ahead, as long as it’s within our ability, we’ll do it," Xie Ming smiled, thinking it was just an empty promise that wouldn’t cost them anything but would lower Yan Hao’s guard.
"That Li and Hua Jun, I hope you can leave one of them alive, because if they die so easily, it’s too cheap for them."
Yan Ming said through gritted teeth.
The group exchanged glances, inwardly finding it laughable.
Yan Ming really thought highly of them!
Just speaking of leaving someone alive was bold.
If he’d watched any videos of Chairman Li, he wouldn’t have said that, or maybe he would’ve, since he wasn’t the one doing it.
"Brother Xie, I know it’s difficult, so if it can be done, great, if not, it’s okay," Yan Hao hurriedly said, fearing any dissatisfaction or that they wouldn’t cooperate.
"Brother Yan, we’ll do our best."
Xie Ming said reluctantly.
"Okay, okay."
Yan Hao smiled, "Once they’re dead, Anshan City will be Brother Xie’s territory. Let me congratulate you in advance."
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,"
The Third Brother waved his hand, "Get Hua Jun to come first. We don’t want to fight two C-level Awakened and many D-level at the same time."
"Okay, okay, I’ll call Hua Jun now. Don’t worry, he’ll come,"
Yan Hao said proudly.
He imagined Hua Jun kneeling, bruised and swollen, begging for mercy.
Xie Ming and his companions also laughed.
Yan Hao really was like a clown.
Laugh now, he’ll be crying soon enough.