Chapter 34: A Drastic Shift in Tone!
Su Xiao did not interrupt Zuiyasi's words. Even if the other party talked for an entire day, he would not interrupt; instead, he would patiently "listen."
This was not because Su Xiao's personality had drastically changed or become merciful, but because his health was below 30%, and his recovery items had been exhausted while dealing with One-Way Passage. In his current state, if a fight broke out, he had over a 90% chance of dying.
As for a sudden power-up, Su Xiao simply did not believe in such things. Since entering Reincarnation Paradise, he had never experienced a power-up—not because he didn't want to, but because it was impossible. If both sides' combat power and condition differed significantly, Su Xiao would still die.
Fearlessness and recklessness were two different concepts. Su Xiao was not ready to die yet, so he would continue listening to the other party's nonsense. With Bubu Wang's aura active, he would recover his condition soon, and then he would have the strength to fight.
"This kind of talk seems insincere."
Zuiyasi spoke angrily. As he spoke, the seven people in the laboratory walked deeper into the facility. Just as they left, a man in a black robe and hood emerged.
The man pulled down his hood, revealing a face full of cracks.
"This damn appearance can't even get a girl. The women I charm with my ability are completely mindless—no interest at all. Besides, I'm not that kind of person."
The man was Zuiyasi. He smiled at Su Xiao, then sat cross-legged on a broken alloy pillar. Seeing this, Su Xiao felt a bit puzzled. The two were in a standoff, and the other party's sitting posture suggested either absolute confidence in victory or a lack of combat experience.
"I tested you once before, with the Seven Desires Scythe. That wasn't to kill you, just to see if you were a lunatic who couldn't reason with. Luckily, you're not. 'I' have encountered six Hunters before, and one of them was a madman. That guy completely… ah, forget it. He almost blasted me to death."
Zuiyasi wiped his face with his hand, and when he touched the cracks, his eyes narrowed.
"I was originally just a Worker, an intelligence merchant, somewhat famous in the Paradise. In a certain derivative world, I was parasitized by a Void creature. That bastard was the idiot I mentioned earlier—didn't even know his own limits. While using Reincarnation Paradise's resources to grow stronger, he scoffed at its warnings. After three warnings, he and I became Violators together. At that time, I was just a newcomer among Violators."
Zuiyasi let out a long sigh, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"During a fight with a Hunter, the Void creature parasitizing me died, and I regained control of my will. That was in the derivative world just before the War World. I have to say, I was pretty lucky."
At this point, Zuiyasi laughed, a hearty laugh.
"Honestly, I'm very afraid of you. That's why I only showed up after your fight with One-Way Passage. Because of that Void creature, my originally mediocre talent became very strong—three attributes reached 80 points. In short, it's like winning 500 billion in the lottery. But…"
Zuiyasi's tone shifted.
"My combat experience is too little, and I don't have much time. Right now, I'm a paper tiger. Without that Void creature, I wouldn't last long, especially facing the pursuit of you madmen. Though it's rude to say, in my eyes, Hunters are a group even crazier than the Traveling Group members—professional executioners. Each individual combat strength is freakishly strong, monster-level."
To be fair, Zuiyasi was very clever. From the initial mystery to pouring out his grievances, and now to flattery?!
This kind of "giant panda" among Violators was indeed the first Su Xiao had encountered.
"Your goal."
Su Xiao spoke, and Zuiyasi looked surprised.
"I thought you deducted Paradise Coins every time you spoke. Does the Hunter identity come with a cold demeanor skill?"
The shift in tone was too fast. Zuiyasi's aura was eerie and mysterious, but his personality was different—he seemed like a newcomer who had just entered Reincarnation Paradise, speaking like a Worker.
"My goal is simple: get rid of my Violator status. This is practically suicide. I was just an ordinary person before entering Reincarnation Paradise. This awesome identity—please take it away immediately. I just want to keep selling intelligence. Combat is bloody and brutal; I don't want to fight enemies at all. Give me a chance to sell intelligence! I've been caught in the crossfire all along."
Zuiyasi stared intently at Su Xiao. Su Xiao was a bit speechless at this bizarre "anomalous" Violator. Had the other party been seeking peace all along?
Of course, Su Xiao wouldn't fully believe Zuiyasi's words. Until the threat from the other party was eliminated, Su Xiao wouldn't let his guard down.
"Paradise, anomalous Violator action… anomalous…"
Su Xiao tried to contact Reincarnation Paradise. Regarding information about Violators, most of the time, Reincarnation Paradise would give a response.
[Evaluating…]
As Reincarnation Paradise's prompt appeared, Zuiyasi seemed to receive some kind of notification, his expression changing rapidly.
"Erase all memories related to Violators and Hunters, replace with other memories…"
Zuiyasi lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.
"I… refuse…"
Zuiyasi clenched his fists, his eyelids drooping. He indeed didn't want to be a Violator, but his personal hobby was somewhat special. He loved collecting intelligence—the feeling of knowing everything fascinated him. This hobby was similar to Su Xiao's passion for growing stronger.
Information related to Hunters and Violators was a treasure to Zuiyasi. Even if someone offered to trade a Gold-quality equipment for it, he wouldn't exchange.
Now, he had a choice: permanently erase all memories related to Hunters and Violators, a process that was irreversible. He would become a Contractor, and in subsequent derivative worlds, he would receive two main quests per world, with rewards reduced by one-third, World Source acquisition halved, Paradise Coin acquisition halved, and attribute point acquisition halved, until he completed four derivative worlds with an A-rank evaluation.
"I… agree."
Zuiyasi leaned back, falling to the ground with a thud. Although he would lose a lot, he would also gain many things, such as various Contractor permissions, Reincarnation Paradise's treatment permissions, and most importantly, he wouldn't have to be chased by a group of madmen anymore. That was the key. Even though Zuiyasi's attributes and skills were powerful, after being parasitized by the Void creature, his consciousness had been hazy, and he could see little. It wasn't until the Void creature died that he recovered. Thus, his mental state remained that of a Worker. After close contact with Su Xiao, his legs uncontrollably trembled, solidifying his decision.
"Farewell. Next time we meet, I might have to reintroduce myself."
Zuiyasi lay on the ground, his body gradually becoming transparent as he was forcibly teleported back to Reincarnation Paradise. His experience was unique, and since it wasn't his subjective will that ignored the three warnings, coupled with his "combat power" being decent, he was given a chance. For a new Contractor to grow to his level, they would need to go through many derivative worlds, with the risk of dying halfway.
Based on Su Xiao's known information, one of Reincarnation Paradise's purposes in cultivating Contractors to grow stronger was to seize worlds during War Worlds.
For example, in the previous War World, Su Xiao, Yan Chen, and others helped Reincarnation Paradise capture a wild world.
Of course, Reincarnation Paradise likely had other purposes for cultivating Contractors, but that was beyond Su Xiao's current authority to know.