Chapter 383: Chapter 383 Negotiation (Seeking Subscription)
"Ugh, ugh!" Though Xia Yu didn’t claim to be a seasoned killer, she had seen her share of bloodshed, yet she couldn’t help but gag at the sight of the writhing, blood-maggot-like Bals.
After steadying her breath, she glanced at Pei Yan beside her and saw that he also looked quite uncomfortable. Knowing he was forcing himself to endure the nausea, Xia Yu asked, "How do we deal with him?"
Unable to stand the bloody smell any longer, Pei Yan put on a face shield and switched to internal breathing. After a few breaths of fresh air, he said agonizingly, "We can’t just put the confinement ring on him. If we do, his self-healing ability will surely slow down, and with such injuries, he won’t last until we reach headquarters."
With that, he bent down next to Bals, placed a hand on his forehead, and asked, "Hey, still alive? Can you hear me?"
When he saw this pile of bloody flesh nodding its head with difficulty, Pei Yan smiled and said, "Now I’m giving you a chance to restore your body. Remember, this is your last chance. If you dare make any move, I’ll blast a hole through your head, giving you no chance to recover again. Understand? Nod if you do."
After getting another nod of acknowledgment, Pei Yan raised his head and signaled to Xia Yu and Zhao Yuanhu. One took out the confinement ring, readying themselves, while the other prepared to fend off any treacherous moves.
Under the watchful eyes of the three, Bals’s body began to heal rapidly. Before long, new, smooth skin grew over the bloodied flesh, and his facial features became distinguishable. Just as his form was about to fully regenerate limbs, Pei Yan placed his hand, now an electromagnetic cannon, on Bals’s forehead and sternly said, "That’s enough, stop here!"
It wasn’t necessary to let him grow new limbs; it was sufficient to keep him alive, as the rest could be dealt with once handed over to the Secret Prison.
Under Pei Yan’s coercion, Bals had no choice but to reluctantly accept the confinement ring being placed on him. Once bound, he looked at the three and sneered, "Catherine advised me not to be your enemy. I didn’t listen, and I lost, but I’m not defeated by my weak strength; it’s by your shamelessness! Shamelessness!"
"It’s ironic to hear a kidnapper call others shameless!" Pei Yan said, gesturing to the sky. Four mechanical robots landed upon his signal. He then looked at Bals and continued, "You should’ve listened to her; she’s the smart one. I have a lot of questions about you, but now’s not the time. Someone will handle you later. Remember, if you move even a bit, these four robots will make you into a sieve. Try it if you’re not afraid of death!"
After speaking, he exchanged glances with the other two, preparing to engage in other battles to expand their victories. Just as the three turned to leave, Bals shouted from the ground, "Hey! The woman controlling gravity, wait a second!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Yu stopped in her tracks and looked back at Bals, who continued to ask, "Why? That man had various strange electronic means to find my location; I accept that. But how did you discover my hidden position? Tell me, so I can die knowing! Don’t give me any bull about intuition."
"The smell!"
Hearing Xia Yu’s answer, Bals froze, puzzled: "The smell?"
"When you transform and strengthen yourself, your body odor becomes intense. Didn’t you smell it yourself? Once anyone gets close, they can notice it. You succeeded in your ambush later because the bloody scent masked your body odor." After saying this, Xia Yu turned away without looking back, leaving Bals in contemplative remorse.
Pei Yan’s first target for assistance was Zheng Jia Ru, who was struggling in a two-against-one fight. Maintaining a 2V1 advantage to quickly end the battle, Pei Yan and Xia Yu joined in Lawrence’s fight, while Zhao Yuanhu assisted Ye Jiumu in battling Hartman.
Just as the Investigation Division prepared to capitalize on their victory and expand their gains, the ground suddenly shook with earth-shattering tremors. Everyone cast their eyes toward Pei Yan. Likewise, Pei Yan, struggling to maintain balance as everything shook, leaped into the sky and shouted urgently, "It wasn’t me!"
The ground continued to tremble as towering icebergs began to collapse. Countless shattered ice columns fell from the sky. Needing to fight and cope with the complex environmental changes, both sides became completely flustered. Seizing the chaos, those from the Divine Will leaped out of the battle zone, retreating to the outskirts.
The Investigation Division wasn’t about to miss the chance to attack a retreating enemy mercilessly. They pursued, ignoring the falling ice columns, but the ground’s tremor hadn’t ceased, and water surged in from every direction.
Gigantic waves quickly separated the two groups. Except for Pei Yan, Zheng Jia Ru, and Shangxing, who flew into the sky, the other three were soon swallowed by the incoming surf. Seeing this, Pei Yan knew it was a dire situation and swiftly activated his robotic avatars to plunge underwater. Before long, all three were pulled out of the water by the mechanical robots.
"Damn it, I need to awaken to the fifth level fast; not being able to fly is too troublesome!" Ye Jiumu, having swallowed quite a bit of water, spat out the bitter water, then looked up irritably at the mechanical robot holding him in a princess carry.
Ignoring Ye Jiumu’s grumbles, Pei Yan shifted his gaze elsewhere. Relief washed over him when he saw Shitang Longsi and Bals being escorted by his robots, flying toward him. His greatest fear was that those from Divine Will would seize the chaos to kidnap these two back, which would render their previous efforts futile.
About five minutes later, the raging waves finally stopped surging. As the water calmed slightly, Pei Yan glanced around to find that what had once been a shantytown under the Defense Array had become a watery wilderness due to the battles. The former senior activity center and shantytown warehouses were entirely submerged, leaving only floating ice chunks and a mess of building debris on the surface.
After conferring with Shangxing, the group landed gracefully on a larger piece of floating ice not far from the Divine Will. Both sides gazed across the murky waters filled with debris, taking this rare opportunity to catch their breath and prepare for the next battle.
"This is all your doing!" Gasping, Zheng Jia Ru straightened his body, massaging his nearly broken waist, as he questioned. In this battle, his efforts were the most draining; it was he who held the enemies at bay, one against two, to secure the current advantage for the Investigation Division.
"Yes, it’s our doing! I think there’s no need for us to keep fighting. It’s time to have a good talk!" Bai Ze stepped out from the crowd to the edge of the ice, waving his hand, causing a bizarre flying fish to leap out of the water and land in his palm. After flapping its tail a few times, it fell back into the pool.
Pei Yan narrowed his eyes, staring at the flying fish in Bai Ze’s hand. After his information database indicated no records of such a fish, he took a step forward and sneered, "Talk? You think there’s still something worth talking about? What right do you have to negotiate now!"