​​Chapter 180: Making an Example​

​Yan Feishu was utterly shameless. The moment he saw Li Zhi put down her bowl, he completely disregarded their well-being!

Owen Dong choked on a steamed bun, his eyes rolling back, while You Jingmeng hurriedly poured him a cup of soy milk to wash it down. The shock left them all gasping for a long while before they finally recovered.

Li Zhi was also surprised, but she merely raised an eyebrow before quickly piecing it together: “Is it because of the item from clearing the dungeon this time?”

Yan Feishu snapped his fingers. “Bingo!”

Even Qing Lin’s jaw nearly dropped. “I thought he took that item to screw us over. Turns out, he screwed himself instead?”

“My people aren’t entirely clear on the specifics yet,” Yan Feishu said, stirring a spoonful of sugar into his soy milk. “All we know is that after he came out of the dungeon, he locked himself in his room, ordered no disturbances, and never came out again.”

Hearing this, the others couldn’t help but recall how Li Zhi had also secluded herself for a long time after exiting a dungeon. She later explained that she had been using an item to enhance her mental strength, enduring a life-and-death trial. Hou Shao’s situation sounded eerily similar.

Qing Lin asked, “Are you sure he’s dead? Could it be a trick? Lower our guard, then ambush us later?”

Wasn’t that how villains operated in dramas?

But Yan Feishu was certain. “I’m positive he’s dead. His body’s probably already cremated by now. Tianwen descended into chaos last night.”

Li Zhi’s eyes flickered.

Yan Feishu leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, spinning his spoon with delight. “Tianwen was founded by Hou Shao and his inner circle. Later, to expand, they brought in Shu Xinglan as their second-in-command. Her inclusion elevated Tianwen’s scale and strength by several levels. Without her, Tianwen wouldn’t even be worthy of being Peacock’s rival.”

Li Zhi said slowly, “But now Hou Shao is dead.”

Yan Feishu nodded. “Now that Hou Shao’s dead, leadership should naturally fall to Shu Xinglan—and she’s capable. But the original founders of Tianwen refuse to be led by a woman.”

Shu Xinglan had joined Tianwen later. She was an outsider. While Hou Shao was alive, it was manageable, but with him gone, the old guard wouldn’t submit to her.

The others grew excited at the gossip. Owen Dong grinned eagerly. “So, it’s like if you invited Sister Zhi to join Peacock as your equal, then you died, and Sister Zhi tried to take over, but your people refused to accept her, leading to an internal power struggle?”

Yan Feishu shot him a sidelong glance. “...That’s one way to put it. After joining, Shu Xinglan also cultivated her own faction. Now, Tianwen is split—one side supports her, the other backs Hou Shao’s right-hand man, Wang Dai.”

The simple-minded White Hair blurted out, “Easy solution—just split into two and go their separate ways!”

Li Zhi chuckled. “If it were that simple, Yan Feishu would be thrilled.”

“Absolutely,” Yan Feishu mused happily. “I could wipe them out within a month.”

White Hair: “……”

“Unfortunately, neither Shu Xinglan nor Wang Dai is stupid enough to let that happen.” Yan Feishu glanced at Li Zhi, sympathy in his eyes. “And you’ve been dragged into it.”

Li Zhi was taken aback. “How does this involve me?”

Yan Feishu explained, “They believe Hou Shao died because losing to you drove him to desperation. So now, whoever kills you to avenge Hou Shao will become Tianwen’s next leader.”

Li Zhi: “……?”

What kind of logic was this? Sitting at home, and suddenly she’s the scapegoat for Hou Shao’s death?

Yan Feishu couldn’t hold back anymore, slamming the table with laughter. “Now you understand how I felt when that foreign big shot put a bounty on my head!”

It was indeed absurd.

Owen Dong and You Jingmeng erupted in fury. “Are these Tianwen people insane? We’ve never seen sore losers this delusional!”

Li Zhi sighed. “I’m just a means for them to assert dominance. They’d do the same to anyone else.”

Yan Feishu added, “Exactly. You beat Hou Shao by just ten votes—how humiliating! Hahahaha!”

His glee was too much. The Pink Trio glared at him fiercely.

“Of course, I’m also their number one enemy,” Yan Feishu reassured Li Zhi. “They probably want me dead even more than you. Since our alliance will come out eventually, you’re not entirely innocent in their eyes.”

Li Zhi smiled. “Thanks for that.” After a pause, she asked, “With Hou Shao gone and Tianwen in chaos, they’re no match for Peacock now, right? Do we still need to collaborate?”

Their initial alliance was to counter Tianwen, but with Tianwen weakened, was it still necessary?

Yan Feishu tapped the table. “Do I strike you as the backstabbing type? You helped me take down Hou Shao—that makes you Peacock’s ally. How could I abandon you now?”

Qing Lin protested, “Hey, watch your words! Sister Zhi didn’t kill Hou Shao! She’s never killed anyone!”

Owen Dong muttered, “I didn’t kill the man, but the man died because of me…”

You Jingmeng smacked him hard. “Learn your idioms! This has nothing to do with Sister Zhi! That Hou guy brought it on himself! Tianwen is crossing the line! I support Sister Zhi and Boss Yan teaming up to crush them!”

Yan Feishu gave You Jingmeng an approving look. “Well said! Regardless of how Hou Shao died, the blame’s on us now. Let’s just finish this!”

He slid a team card across the table to Li Zhi. “This card’s already bound to our people. There are two slots left—you can bring one more player. We enter the dungeon tomorrow afternoon. The client this time is surnamed Lu. You’ve probably heard of him.”

Lu—a surname associated with one of the country’s richest families. The youngest son of the Lu conglomerate, a notorious playboy whose scandals with celebrities made him far more infamous than Li Zhi ever was. After barely surviving his first dungeon, Young Master Lu embraced the pay-to-win lifestyle, never entering a dungeon without at least four elite bodyguards.

Li Zhi toyed with the card. “Tianwen wants to make an example of me. Bringing such a high-profile client into the dungeon—isn’t that painting a target on our backs?”

Yan Feishu raised an eyebrow. “Scared?”

Li Zhi smirked. “You know I prefer caution.”

“Relax,” Yan Feishu said. “Besides you, Peacock is sending four more. Five elites should be enough to protect one spoiled brat, no?” He rubbed his temple, exasperated. “The problem is, his entry window is closing soon. If I don’t arrange this fast, we’ll lose a major client.”

Li Zhi pocketed the card. “Got it.”

Owen Dong couldn’t resist jabbing, “After all that, you’re not even going in with Sister Zhi?”

Yan Feishu scoffed. “Ever heard of not putting all your eggs in one basket? If something goes wrong, I can’t afford to lose both of us at once. Understand?”

Owen Dong: “?”

Why did that sound so wrong?

Yan Feishu quickly turned to Li Zhi with a grin. “But of course, I have full confidence in you. Right?”

Li Zhi smiled. “Right.”

Yan Feishu gave her a thumbs-up. “That’s the spirit!”

Eager to twist the knife in Tianwen’s wound, Yan Feishu didn’t linger long after wrapping up business.

Li Zhi returned to her bedroom and called Yao Mingfeng, briefing him on tomorrow’s dungeon and the heightened risks. If the authorities had reservations, it might be best not to send new recruits this time.

After a thoughtful pause, Yao Mingfeng replied, “Understood. I’ll discuss it with the team and give you an answer by tomorrow morning.”

From his tone, Li Zhi guessed they’d likely hold back this time. Training official players wasn’t easy, after all.

Yet, the next morning, the familiar military green truck appeared outside the villa.

Mid-bite into a fried dough stick, Li Zhi opened the door in surprise—then broke into a grin. “Brother? What are you doing here?”

Li Feng’s expression was icy. “I heard someone wants to kill my little sister to prove a point. Thought I’d see for myself who it is.”