Chapter 1567: Choice
Tolu slowly picked up the roasted leg of lamb from the table and began to eat it.
He didn't seem to have any intention of speaking immediately.
(՞┏～┓՞) "Before I tell you the content of the meeting, shouldn't you fulfill the promise you made earlier?"
Ruiya let out a disdainful laugh: "Get this straight—you don't have the leverage to negotiate with me."
"If Saint Star hadn't infused you with Bose particles to help you break through your realm, with your talent and age, do you think you'd have any chance of progressing further?"
"Who do you think gave you that Dao Heaven Five Star rank?"
Tolu's face darkened: "I took such a huge risk cooperating with you. If you don't give me what was promised, don't expect a single word from me!"
Ruiya narrowed her eyes: "You took the risk willingly. Do you really think Saint Star has no one else but you? If I can't get it from you,
I can get it from someone else just as easily. Opportunities don't come around all the time—it's up to you whether you seize them."
Tolu was startled: "There are more of your people in the Council of Deliberation? Who?"
Ruiya said expressionlessly: "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Knowing too much might cost you your life."
"As long as you cooperate, Dao Heaven Six Star, Eight Star, Peak, or even surpassing Dao Heaven aren't just dreams."
"Stay in step with Saint Star, and Saint Star won't treat you poorly. You know we have that ability."
"When Blue Star becomes Xing Xu, you could become a Human King as a reward for your contributions. But that person could be you—or someone else. Understand?"
Tolu swallowed, his eyes brighter than ever before. Surpass Dao Heaven? Human King?
This was something Tolu had never dared to imagine before. His potential had long been exhausted, stuck at Dao Heaven Four for who knows how many years.
Even if humanity ignited the Moon and broke the shackles of humanity under the radiation, what did it matter? Tolu couldn't afford to wait any longer.
He couldn't even touch that door—what good would it do if it opened? He couldn't climb through it anyway.
But with Saint Star's help, he could!
Tolu's expression hardened: "Fine! I'll tell you everything from the meeting!"
In the empty hall, Tolu laid out every detail he had heard during the roundtable meeting.
Ruiya listened intently. Guerilla tactics, Matrix Alliance, resource sharing—he told her everything.
When she heard the plan to try to sway the Pupil Race, Ruiya almost burst out laughing.
What wishful thinking! Those mere slaves would never dare defy the orders of the Bose Clan?
Even if you gave them a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare!
Tolu's mouth went dry from all the talking, and he took a drink of wine.
Ruiya raised an eyebrow: (✡◔～◔ิ✡) "Go on? Why did you stop?"
Tolu was stunned: (꒪┏_┓꒪) "That's everything! I told you all the content of the meeting!"
Ruiya glared: (✡ﾟ皿ﾟ)!! "That's it? Are you hiding something from me? Where's the substance? The specific action plan?"
"I sat here listening to you ramble for half an hour, and besides the general direction of action, I didn't hear anything useful at all!"
Tolu swallowed: "I swear I didn't hide anything! That's how the meeting went. I've told you everything! You promised to help me increase my star rank—you can't go back on it!"
Ruiya slammed the table in anger.
(ꐦ°᷄口°᷅) "Increase your star rank my ass! You think you can trade that useless information for my Bose particles? Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
"Worthless waste! How did you even attend the meeting? Were you sleeping or not paying attention?"
With that, Ruiya stood up to leave.
But Tolu panicked—how was it useless? He had listened carefully, even taken notes!
At this moment, Tolu suddenly froze.
(ﾟ┏口┓ﾟ)ﾂ "Wait… wait! There's a group! You can definitely use this group!"
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and showed Ruiya the group chat Jiangnan had created.
Ruiya looked at him suspiciously: (✡•̌.•̑)ˀ̣ˀ̣ "What the hell is 'All of the Village's Hope'? Are you trying to fool me again? Do you take me for a fool?"
The aura around Ruiya was already becoming dangerous.
Tolu quickly explained: "It's real! It's real! This group is how we communicate with each other, share progress on actions, and exchange information!"
Ruiya frowned, leaned in, and scrolled through the chat. She was stunned.
It was true? Hiding in plain sight? They actually chose to use a group chat for communication?
Hah~ That was something she hadn't thought of.
If she had access to this, she could know all kinds of information about the human faction at any time. It would be incredibly useful!
Ruiya's joy was obvious: "Not bad, not bad! Give me the account and password for a copy. If you get any useful information, you can use this to communicate with me anytime."
With that, she handed Tolu a colorful snail shell.
Tolu breathed a sigh of relief, glad he had come up with something valuable.
"What about the benefits you promised me…?"
Ruiya let out a scornful laugh and directly charged into Tolu's body.
Tolu's face turned red, a white frost spreading over his body as he couldn't help trembling.
When Ruiya emerged again, her body had become somewhat transparent, appearing weakened.
"Be smart. If you do well, you'll get what you want. All of it."
With that, Ruiya vanished into the void.
Tolu sat back down on the stool. He could clearly feel that, under the infusion of Bose particles, the barrier to Dao Heaven Six Star had been weakened significantly.
As long as he worked hard, breaking through the barrier would allow him to advance further.
But after the excitement faded, Tolu felt a sense of melancholy. However, that melancholy soon turned into ruthlessness.
"Sorry about this. My fate is in my own hands."
He might become a sinner of all humanity,
cursed and reviled by everyone. But so what?
He would eventually become an immortal, a Human King. By then, all criticism would be silenced.
He just had to shape a world that belonged to him!
Otherwise, even if they won this counteroffensive war, what then? He'd still be stuck at Dao Heaven Four, with no hope of reaching the peak, no path forward, constantly suppressed by others.
In the end, he would die of old age, ending an unremarkable life.
Tolu didn't want that.
Life was made up of choices, and Tolu had made his.
But Ruiya's actions didn't stop there. She instinctively smelled danger in this human counteroffensive.
Lord Igor wasn't around—there couldn't be any chaos. Not knowing the specific plan made her uneasy.
If that was the case, she had to take some risks and activate her hidden agents.
Late at night, at the underground base of the International Spirit Martial Alliance on the Sun Islands.
After most of the buildings had collapsed, this place served as a temporary headquarters.
Even late at night, Quinn was still processing documents sent back from all directions.
As a Disciplinary Officer and member of the Sun Peace Force in a monitoring capacity, all the information collected eventually reached Quinn for unified processing.
Quinn took off his glasses, rubbed his sore brow, his eyes full of fatigue.
Just then, Bose light gathered, and Ruiya's figure materialized, as naturally as if she were coming home. She plopped down on the sofa.
Quinn looked up at Ruiya, cracked his neck, and organized the paperwork on his desk.
Before he could speak, Ruiya said casually, "Don't worry. There are no space-types on Blue Star nearby. No one will detect my whereabouts."
Quinn wasn't surprised. He pulled a cigarette out of the drawer, snapped his fingers to light the tip with a small flame, and took a puff.
(͡°_͡°)⋋︴
"Long time no see, huh? Why come looking for me now? What, is Saint Star getting impatient?"
He blew out a puff of smoke, blurring the lamplight.
Ruiya crossed her legs, her tone a bit sarcastic.
(✡￢～￢) "I was worried you'd gotten too deep into your role and forgotten who you really are. What, working so late?"
"Are you that concerned about humanity's current situation?"
A smile tugged at the corner of Quinn's mouth: "Of course. Isn't that what I, as the president of the International Spirit Martial Alliance, should be doing?"
Ruiya narrowed her eyes: "Don't forget how you got where you are today. Without Saint Star, there would be no undying Holy Flame."
"You'd just be a small spark, ready to be extinguished at any moment. Without Saint Star clearing away obstacles, manipulating things behind the scenes, and paving the way, you would never have become the president of the International Spirit Martial Alliance."
"Don't harbor any petty thoughts, any wishful thinking that you can use the power, connections, and influence you've accumulated to threaten the organization or play the bargaining chip game."
"Saint Star was the one who pushed you to the summit, and Saint Star can just as easily cast you into the eternal abyss."
Quinn smiled and exhaled another puff of smoke.
"Why are you so nervous? Did I say something? I'm just doing my job wholeheartestly, thinking about humanity."
"Putting myself in their shoes, trying every way to help humanity win this war—that's what fits my current identity, isn't it? It keeps me from being suspected."
"After all these years of scheming, you don't want it to all fall apart because of a moment's carelessness, right?"
"Of course, I know the power of Saint Star. I know what the Bose Clan really is. I also know that no matter how hard humanity tries, even if they create miracles, they can never win this completely unequal war."
"After all, I've already seen the world beyond, haven't I?"
Hearing this, Ruiya's expression softened.
"Good. I hope so. Human hearts are complicated. I'm afraid that if you stay among them too long, you might develop some useless bullshit like empathy, righteousness, responsibility, or bonds."
"Then do something stupid and disrupt Saint Star's great plan."
Quinn laughed: "Impossible. People make irrational decisions often because they can't see the big picture."
"But I've already seen the high mountains, and I'm very rational."
"Speaking of which, how's Vivian? I haven't seen her in years."
Ruiya shrugged: "She's fine. She's been handling things over in the Maya Rainforest."
The two chatted casually like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.
Quinn stubbed out his cigarette butt: "Anyway, what's the real reason for this visit? Are you going to activate me? Isn't the timing wrong?"
"With Lord Igor's arrangements, taking the Moon and extinguishing the Origin Spark shouldn't be a problem, right?"