Chapter 65: Gulu's Nemesis
About a kilometer away from Su Xiao, on a riverbank overgrown with weeds, Chris lowered the binoculars in her hand and turned her gaze to the Space-Time Core in her palm.
Su Xiao's battle with Sin had ended. In a one-on-one fight, Sin would likely have won, but with the cooperation between Su Xiao and Amu, Sin was dragged down to his death. It wasn't a matter of being underhanded; Sin had previously refused Chris's offer to cooperate simply because he didn't know her and couldn't possibly fight alongside a stranger.
If Sin still had strong subordinates, he would have brought them. That's how battles work—only victory and defeat matter. As for the process, only cowards who can't accept defeat make excuses. Clearly, neither Su Xiao nor Sin were that type of person. Defeat was defeat, with nothing to justify.
Now, Chris faced a difficult choice. Su Xiao was clearly heavily injured, yet for some reason, she felt that even in his wounded state, she might not be able to beat him. And that was indeed the case.
When Su Xiao fought Sin, he hadn't activated Demon Hunting Hour. Rapidly shifting positions couldn't suppress Sin, who was a Spear Grandmaster Lv.27. Making rash movements would only increase the risk of having his head swept off by a single spear strike.
As for dealing with Chris, Demon Hunting Hour equaled an unsolvable problem. Only a small number of contractors developed technical skills, like Stan. He was strong, but far behind Su Xiao in technique.
Just as Chris was caught in an internal struggle, with an angel and demon "fighting" in her mind, Bubu Wang appeared.
Chris wasn't surprised by Bubu Wang's sudden appearance. She knew that the dog was the reason her position had been exposed earlier.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked at Chris, the meaning clear: "Choose for yourself. Hand over the Space-Time Core, or fight us. Note, it's 'us,' not just me."
Chris couldn't understand everything Bubu Wang meant, but she grasped one point: he was demanding the Space-Time Core.
Chris took a deep breath, her expression gradually firming up. Seeing this, Bubu Wang prepared to blend into the environment.
"You win. The Space-Time Core is yours."
Chris tossed the Space-Time Core toward Bubu Wang. Just as Bubu was about to retreat, he stopped and caught the core in his mouth.
With a whoosh, Chris vanished from her spot and appeared right in front of Bubu Wang the next moment, her small fist swinging toward his lower jaw.
Bang!
Bubu Wang staggered from the blow, a bit dazed.
"Grrrrooowl!!"
Bubu Wang, still holding the Space-Time Core in his mouth, let out a long howl, nearly swallowing the core. A kilometer away, Su Xiao, covered in blood, stood up and looked in Bubu Wang's direction.
Chris landed steadily and turned to flee. She had punched Bubu Wang purely out of frustration from being cut down by Su Xiao. Since she couldn't beat him, she took it out on the dog.
Watching Chris quickly escape into the distance, Bubu Wang trembled with anger, his expression clearly saying: "Just you wait, you little b*tch. I've memorized your scent. Jasmine."
Su Xiao soon regrouped with Bubu Wang and successfully obtained the Space-Time Core.
[Hunter has obtained the Space-Time Core. Proceed with the final stage of the promotion mission? Completing this mission will allow return to Reincarnation Paradise.]
Holding the cool Space-Time Core, Su Xiao decided not to complete the mission immediately. He would first recover from his injuries, then try to raise his World Source above 150%. Of course, that would be extremely difficult.
"Oh, if it isn't Bai Ye."
A crisp, childish voice came from the night wilderness. A little girl in a red dress walked over from a distance.
"Gulu."
Su Xiao tightened his grip on his sword hilt. His current condition was terrible.
Gulu had a lollipop in her mouth, walking with cheerful steps like a kid just out of school.
"You look... pretty badly hurt, huh?"
Gulu's fair little face was full of smiles, a bit smug. She stopped a few meters away from Su Xiao.
"..."
Su Xiao narrowed his eyes, a gentle smile gradually forming on his face.
"At least killing you won't be a problem."
"Oh, oh, so fierce. You can't even stand steady, and you want to kill me? Do you think I'm that one who just ran away?"
Gulu crunched the lollipop in her mouth, her gaze shifting to the World Core in Su Xiao's hand.
"I came here for one reason: tell me everything you know about Harold. At least what you've learned."
"That's all?"
"Of course. We cooperated in the last War World, and our stances aren't hostile now. Killing you does me no good."
Gulu wasn't here to kill Su Xiao? It depended on the situation. She had hostility, but not too strong. She was actually here to drive Su Xiao away.
"Fine."
"Now that's a smart choice."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash. Seeing this, Gulu's smile grew brighter.
"Harold, cough, cough, cough..."
As soon as Su Xiao tried to speak, he broke into a fit of coughing. Blood quickly soaked through the bandages on his chest. After taking a few deep breaths, he sat down on the ground.
"Harold spends most of his time..."
Su Xiao's vision spun, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Such a cheap trick. I used it countless times back at First Rank. Don't play dead, hey."
Gulu tilted her head, looking at Su Xiao. Blood slowly spread beneath him.
Gulu flicked her finger, and a long dagger strapped to her thigh under her skirt flew up, splitting into four. One of the thin blades stabbed toward Su Xiao.
With a slash, the dagger pierced Su Xiao's chest. Amu tried to block but was too slow.
"Really this weak, huh? Eww—"
Gulu looked down at her calf. Bubu Wang was biting her there.
"Let go. That hurts. Are you kidding me?"
Gulu shook her leg, but Bubu Wang held on tight. Just then, Gulu heard a sound of wind behind her, and the next moment, she felt someone lunging at her from behind.
"As I thought, you bastard..."
Before Gulu could finish, her pupils rapidly contracted. A sense of crisis appeared behind her, as if she could be reduced to ashes at any moment.
Su Xiao held an Apollo in one hand, the other grabbing Gulu's shoulder. Three thin daggers were pressed against his throat, heart, and wrist. He didn't trust Gulu's words. Her earlier probing was obvious. Even if they were to negotiate, it had to be under mutual restraint; otherwise, it would just be one-sided extortion.
Gulu froze, turning her head stiffly. The Apollo in Su Xiao's hand was radiating intense heat.
"Go ahead and detonate it. If I even blink, I'll be your spawn."
Despite her little girl appearance, Gulu was a member of the Traveling Group. Madmen in the Traveling Group rarely feared death.
"Oh."
Su Xiao tightened his grip on the Apollo. Seeing this, Gulu raised her chin at him. But then, she noticed the dog and the minotaur were quickly running away into the distance.
Pale blue energy enveloped Su Xiao. After being modified once, the Apollo could be detonated instantly, provided Su Xiao held it and pierced it with his mental energy.
Su Xiao didn't intend to die with Gulu. When he detonated the Apollo, he would activate Demon Hunting Hour and try to create distance, at least breaking combat state.
"Wait!"
Gulu was sharp and immediately sensed something wrong. In that moment of distraction, Su Xiao suddenly sidestepped, charging at Gulu while enduring the thin dagger against him.
With a slash, a dagger pierced through Su Xiao's chest. Holding the Apollo, he lunged at Gulu. Just as she prepared to counter, the sense of crisis grew stronger.
With a thud, Su Xiao pressed down on Gulu's shoulders, straddling her.
As soon as he pinned her down, three daggers pressed against his neck from three directions.
"Now it's fair. If I die, you die too."
Gulu, beneath Su Xiao, raised her hand to grab his neck, but her small arms were too short. She just swiped at the air a few times, baring her little fangs in frustration.
"That Spirit Flower you sold me last time was really 'worth every penny.'"
Blood dripped from Su Xiao's chin onto Gulu's delicate cheek.
"Heh."
Gulu let out a cold laugh but clearly felt guilty. She hadn't dared to use that thing herself, so she sold it to Su Xiao.
The sound of wings flapping came. Both Su Xiao and Gulu turned to look. It was a paper crane, folded from a playing card.
Seeing that paper crane, Su Xiao's expression darkened.
Clap, clap, clap...
Sparse applause came. A man in a metal mask and black robe walked over from a distance. It was Mr. J.
"Looks like I'm a bit late. Missed the best part."
Mr. J chuckled, stopping about ten meters from Su Xiao and Gulu.
"Another one? Is this your enemy? Hey, your blood is dripping on my face."
Gulu was quite fierce. Facing a half-activated Apollo, she didn't back down and even had the mood to tease Su Xiao.
Su Xiao glanced at Gulu, then at Mr. J. Clearly, continuing to explore this world was impossible. These people had been suppressed by him as the Execution Agency for too long. The moment an opportunity arose, they showed up. As for Gulu's earlier talk about asking for information, that was just an excuse. She wanted to drive Su Xiao out of this world.
To the contractors in this world, Su Xiao was a super big boss, and one that likely offered no rewards upon defeat. What forced Su Xiao back wasn't Mr. J, but Gulu. She was very clever. She seemed ready to die with Su Xiao at any moment, but that was just an act. Su Xiao could sense she had a way to survive.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Xiao chose to complete the final mission. He stood up. Gulu leaped back like a nimble cat, putting distance between them. That was what Su Xiao needed. He had to temporarily break combat state to return to Reincarnation Paradise.
"See you?"
Gulu smiled sweetly, waving at Su Xiao. But soon, her smile faded.
Su Xiao's body gradually became transparent. The Apollo in his hand fell to the ground. This Apollo was half-damaged. It could still explode, but the activation risk was extremely high. So, he "gifted" it to Gulu and Mr. J.
Without Su Xiao's influence, this Apollo couldn't detonate immediately, but it was over 80% activated. In less than five seconds, it would explode.
Mr. J had made a stylish entrance, but now he was running away in big strides. As for Gulu, she was also fleeing, silently vowing never to cross paths with Su Xiao again. Every time she met him, she ended up unlucky. He was practically her nemesis.
Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu gradually vanished, returning to Reincarnation Paradise. Everything Su Xiao needed to do was done. The only regret was not raising his World Source above 150%.
Just before leaving the Ghost World, Su Xiao saw Gulu in the distance, her mouth opening and closing as she shouted something at Mr. J. From the shape of her lips, Gulu was likely cursing Mr. J's birthplace.
PS: (The original plan was to update early today, but unfortunately, I had some insomnia last night. I lay in bed dazed for a long time before falling asleep. A miscalculation.)