Chapter 65: Schemes and Open Plots
"Kill the Dark King, then kill me—that is my wish."
Upon hearing the wild boar's words, Umbrella Brother let out a cold laugh.
"You don't believe me?"
"I don't believe anyone wants to die."
Umbrella Brother still pinned the wild boar to the ground.
"I died a long time ago. You just pierced my brain and heart, yet I can still speak."
"Nonsense. There are plenty of abilities like that."
Umbrella Brother remained unconvinced.
"Maybe so, but before I met you, I hadn't felt anything for decades."
The wild boar turned to Su Xiao.
"How did you make me feel pain? Do it again!"
Su Xiao ignored the wild boar. He was considering the information in the other's words—some very subtle clues.
"Let me go, dammit. I'm not into that crap. Pinning me down is pointless. Besides, you're surrounded by the undead—tens of thousands of them. Even if you're strong, they'll wear you down."
The wild boar struggled on the ground, clearly annoyed at being held down by Umbrella Brother.
"Let him go."
"Hm?"
Umbrella Brother looked at Su Xiao with confusion.
"We are indeed surrounded by something, but I didn't expect the numbers to be this exaggerated."
After a moment of hesitation, Umbrella Brother released the wild boar.
"You're lucky to have run into me. If you'd met that guy Toma, he'd have found a way to kill you."
The wild boar shook off the leaves on its body and wagged its tail.
"Toma? Someone like you?"
Su Xiao sheathed his Dragon-Slaying Flash. From the looks of it, the other party had no hostile intent. Instead, this was an opportunity—not for the others, but for him.
"Of course. There are five contractors in a similar situation to mine. Three ran into black mist and committed suicide. Only Toma and I are still stubbornly alive, but that idiot is on the verge of breaking down. Lately, he's been trying all sorts of creative ways to kill himself."
The wild boar chuckled as it spoke.
"Can you imagine? A burly man over two meters tall turned into a turtle—a hard-shelled turtle. Ahahaha."
The wild boar laughed for a while, only to find everyone staring at it expressionlessly.
"No sense of humor. To avoid going crazy in this hellhole, you have to find your own fun."
The wild boar sighed and looked at Su Xiao.
"Hey, swordsman. Were you using your full strength just now?"
"No."
"Good. With the strength you showed, you're no match for the Dark King. As for the others... except for that old man, they'll die quickly."
In the wild boar's mind, Umbrella Brother and Little Confused were already marked as dead, and Old Baer was half-dead.
"Give me some food."
The wild boar looked at the pack behind Old Baer. Su Xiao frowned. Since the other party was already dead, it shouldn't need food. Yet when they first met, it was eating.
"Don't look at me like that. My body structure is special now. I survive by eating the undead. As for why I'm asking you for food..."
The wild boar lowered its head and didn't continue.
Old Baer took out some compressed biscuits and handed them to the wild boar. The wild boar crunched down on them, and as it ate, black liquid flowed from its eyes—perhaps its tears.
"This might be what it feels like to be alive. Dark King, I..."
After cursing every female relative of the Dark King, the wild boar spat out the food in its mouth.
"Follow me. If you fall behind, you'll die."
The wild boar broke into a sprint. Su Xiao looked at Old Baer, who understood the Black Forest.
"Our goal isn't the Dark King. It's the Skeleton Cave. There's no need to provoke the Dark King."
Hearing Old Baer's words, Su Xiao narrowed his eyes. He had no intention of going to the so-called Skeleton Cave. The Sun Maiden's goals had nothing to do with him, and he never believed she wanted to save Devour Island. Her many actions proved she was far from selfless.
"So, he really is going after the Dark King?"
"Yes."
Old Baer confirmed, seemingly already guessing Su Xiao's goal and eager to part ways.
Su Xiao mounted Bubu Wang.
"Then we part ways here. Take care."
Su Xiao's goal had always been different from Old Baer's, and Old Baer knew it well.
"Mm. Be careful on the road. They say the Dark King is no pushover. Thanks for escorting me this far."
"Mutual benefit. You helped me enter the Black Forest, and I cleared the obstacles for you."
Su Xiao nodded to Old Baer, who tossed him a large pack of food and fresh water.
"This..."
Little Confused looked at the two in bewilderment.
"Aren't we on the same team?"
Little Confused still hadn't figured out what was happening. She felt hopeless—the powerful ally she'd clung to had mercilessly thrown her against the wall, and she couldn't even pry herself off.
"We never were."
Umbrella Brother patted Little Confused on the head. He had known their goals were different the moment Su Xiao asked about the Dark King.
"Are you coming or not?"
The beast shouted from a distance.
"Let's go."
Bubu Wang quickly followed the wild boar. Old Baer waved at Su Xiao, seemingly pleased to be parting ways.
After Su Xiao left, Little Confused's spirits sank.
"What's wrong? Got a thing for that ruthless guy?"
Umbrella Brother teased, but Little Confused wasn't in the mood.
"What do we do now? Can we really succeed with just the three of us?"
"I don't know. But I do know that relying on others might let you live for a while, but not for a lifetime."
Umbrella Brother wasn't discouraged. As long as he wasn't dead, he wouldn't give up hope.
"Don't lose heart. Bai Ye may be gone, but I've almost fully adapted to my power."
Old Baer spoke, surprising Umbrella Brother and Little Confused.
"Surprised? This is my second cooperation with Bai Ye. If we really fought to the death, I'd die, but he wouldn't survive either."
Old Baer smiled confidently.
"Then why were you..."
"He planted tens of thousands of bombs inside me. It's better to keep a low profile. Let's move!"
Old Baer walked past Umbrella Brother, heat waves rolling off him. The leaves beneath his feet were scorched and blackened.
...
Bubu Wang raced through the Black Forest, closely following the wild boar ahead.
To be honest, Su Xiao was lucky to have encountered this wild boar. Otherwise, he would have had to travel with Old Baer and the others, and whether he could find the Dark King was uncertain.
No, perhaps this wasn't luck. Su Xiao suspected the wild boar had come to him on purpose, waiting for him there.
The wild boar slowed its pace, keeping level with Bubu Wang.
"You agreed to my earlier proposal, didn't you? It was subtle, but you must have understood."
The wild boar spoke.
"Help me find the Dark King, and I'll give you the Reincarnation Mark. A fair trade. But can you still restore your contractor status? Earlier, you revealed information about Reincarnation Paradise to a plot character."
Su Xiao glanced at the wild boar.
"This isn't a derivative world, so it's not a big deal. Besides, that old man has a special identity. He's known about Reincarnation Paradise for a long time. He might have already signed a contract with the Paradise. As long as I can restore my contractor status, I'll do anything. I need at least five Reincarnation Marks. I've been stuck here too long."
The wild boar grinned. Five Reincarnation Marks equaled 5% of World Source, a reasonable trade.
"I like working with smart people. Finally, I can get out of this damn place. As long as I return to Reincarnation Paradise, there must be a way to recover. There must be."
The wild boar laughed, having sensed the aura of the Reincarnation Mark on Su Xiao earlier and had been subtly hinting at information to him.