# Chapter 45: Scheming
"Bubu."
Su Xiao spoke, and Bubu Wang's mouthful of sharp white teeth stopped just before Bessie's neck. Bessie's little paws twitched — she had actually already woken up.
Su Xiao grabbed Bessie by the scruff of her neck from the ground, lifting the cat who was playing dead.
Bessie's eyelids were trembling. Although she had long anticipated being captured, she never expected that the owner of that silly dog would have such terrifying aura. Just being near him, she could already smell a faint scent of blood.
"My terms?"
Su Xiao pondered for a moment.
"From now on, you shut up. If you dare sing nursery rhymes again, I'll kill this cat immediately."
The moment Su Xiao finished speaking, the beautiful cat in his hand struggled fiercely.
"Waaah~ Save me, Liuli, hurry and save me! I'm your best friend, you know! I don't want to die! That handsome silly dog, no wait, handsome dog, please plead for me! I was carried in your mouth for so long, I don't know how much of your saliva I swallowed! I was wrong, I shouldn't have taken the chance to spit into your mouth! Save me!!"
Bessie in Su Xiao's hand spoke human language and began crying loudly.
After hearing Bessie's words, Bubu Wang felt terrible all over. He had been wondering why his mouth always tasted sweet when carrying this cat — so that was saliva.
Bubu Wang started dry heaving. Su Xiao held Bessie, while Liuli circled anxiously in midair, not daring to speak.
Su Xiao was deep in thought. He felt this was an opportunity — a 'fishing' opportunity.
"Liuli, you want to save this cat, right?"
"..."
Liuli nodded quickly.
"Very well. First, give me all of Xi's information. I mean everything."
Liuli, floating in midair, stopped. She was already beginning to sense that things were going badly. She started hesitating whether to temporarily 'abandon' Bessie.
Bubu Wang was still dry heaving, his dog face looking awkward. If he could speak, he would definitely roar: "Master, kill this bitch."
"It seems this cat isn't that important to you."
Su Xiao grabbed Bessie's neck. Bessie's crying stopped, and she even sniffled.
"Give me one hour."
Although Liuli knew Xi's information clearly, she needed to go discuss this with Xi.
"You only have ten minutes. After ten minutes, either she dies or you bring Xi's information. Your choice."
Was Su Xiao's goal Xi's information? Of course not. This was just a smoke screen.
Xi's information was classified to the Apocalypse Paradise side. Xi was, after all, the enemy's leader, and her combat power was definitely not weak.
However, what Su Xiao actually wanted was not Xi's information, or rather, he couldn't obtain their real information through extortion. He was just testing how important this cat in his hand was to the enemy.
Judging solely from Liuli's personal emotions was not enough to determine the cat's importance. However, the fact that the Apocalypse Paradise side sent this cat to compete for the [World Core] indicated that this cat had very special abilities.
As for how Su Xiao knew this cat was responsible for competing for the [World Core], that was something easily deduced with a bit of reasoning.
Liuli drifted away, her body disappearing into the Black Soil Fortress.
"This... handsome sir, please don't kill me. I'm very useful. I can do laundry and cook. Please."
For some reason, the beautiful cat Bessie had an extremely strong will to survive, almost a survival conviction without any dignity or principles.
The feeling Bessie gave off at this moment was that she would survive no matter what, by any means necessary.
"Too strong a will to survive."
Su Xiao held the beautiful cat Bessie in front of him, meeting her gaze.
"This kind of survival instinct so strong it raises suspicion, combined with the fact that you're actually not afraid of death... very contradictory..."
Su Xiao's words sounded contradictory, but they weren't. After all, Bessie was part of the team competing for the [World Core].
"Bubu, when competing for the World Core, was she the main force?"
Hearing Su Xiao's question, Bubu Wang nodded without hesitation.
"Main force. Interesting."
The Realm Severing Thread in Su Xiao's hand shot out, wrapping around Bessie's neck. He threw Bessie to the ground.
This cat had a strong will to survive, yet in this situation, she was the main force when competing for the [World Core]. Being the main force basically meant danger.
What did this contradictory personality indicate? It meant this cat wasn't as 'afraid of death' as she appeared, yet she did fear death — or rather, she feared the chain reaction caused by death.
"If I'm not mistaken, you and your master should have some kind of soul binding ability. If you die, your master might die or pay a heavy price."
Su Xiao observed Bessie's reaction. Bessie's fur stood on end under Su Xiao's gaze.
"I'll fight you to the death. Meow!"
The originally trembling Bessie suddenly leaped up, her sharp claws swiping at Su Xiao's face.
However, Bessie couldn't even beat Bubu Wang. Going up against Su Xiao...
A few seconds later, Bessie lay on the ground convulsing, looking half-dead.
"Who is this cat's master? Liuli? Doesn't seem like it."
Su Xiao picked up Bessie from the ground and walked toward the Black Soil Fortress. The prisoner Bubu Wang had accidentally caught had some use. If handled properly, he might obtain some very important intelligence. For the upcoming Contractor Free-for-All, understanding the enemy leader's information was crucial.
Now that the war at the Black Soil Fortress had subsided, it meant the time for the Contractor Free-for-All between both sides was not far off. The Contractor Free-for-All was in some ways more dangerous than war, after all, Contractors had diverse abilities.
But before that, Su Xiao needed to handle three matters.
First, the enemy Hunter, Lan Jue. This guy was too strong. If not dealt with promptly, he would become a big problem sooner or later. Su Xiao already had a solution for this.
Second, their own Legion Commander, Carlos. There was a high-level ability similar to Demon Force in Carlos's blood. If Su Xiao's perception was correct, this ability was more advanced than Demon Force.
Third, the 'transaction' after Liuli returned. Su Xiao actually didn't plan to use this cat in his hand to obtain intelligence and benefits from the enemy. Since both sides weren't in the same Paradise, they couldn't sign a temporary contract. Thus, any intelligence and benefits obtained from the other side would be unreliable. The intelligence could very well be inaccurate. As for benefits, the chances were slim. The other side might tamper with the traded items. Greed had to be timed appropriately, and now was clearly not the time for greed.
Therefore, this cat from the enemy side was doomed. No matter how cute her appearance, an enemy was an enemy. No matter how cute the enemy, once they picked up a butcher knife, they could take a life. Showing mercy because of an enemy's appearance was extremely foolish behavior. No matter how beautiful the enemy's face, the knife they swung at Su Xiao would hurt just the same, be just as lethal, and could just as easily cause his death.
Returning to the room on the 4th floor of the fortress, Su Xiao closed the door tightly and waited silently.
Soon, a semi-transparent phantom passed through the wall and entered Su Xiao's room. It was Liuli, looking anxious.
"The intelligence can be given to you, but you must release her."
Liuli pointed at Bessie, who was lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Repeat what you just said."
Su Xiao had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He sat in the corner of the room, shadows covering most of his body, the cigarette tip flickering between light and dark.
"The intelligence can be given to you..."
Zzzz~
The Realm Severing Thread tightened. Bessie's throat was slit, blood spurting out. Liuli froze in midair.
"Just... release... Bessie..."
Liuli murmured to herself.
"Are all you people from Apocalypse Paradise this naive? Release a captured enemy? In Reincarnation Paradise, this is unheard of. I sensed earlier that Apocalypse Paradise's treatment of you should be on the gentler side."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of blue smoke, took out a white cloth, and wiped the bloodstains from the Realm Severing Thread.