Of course, Flores Wanda, the cult leader, wouldn't die. As a cult leader and a core member of a certain secret society, how could he not prepare an escape route for himself? Moreover, he was a Five Rings master, a spiritual energy user of the Pure Star Ring, possessing vast knowledge of the occult regarding life and death transitions, and a top researcher in spiritual energy formations. Even his methods for preparing escape routes were quite mystical.
Since it was mystical, it was difficult for others to detect.
Deep beneath Sero Ancient City, in the center of an untouched darkroom that the Myriad-Headed Beast had not destroyed, a mass of flesh resembling an embryo in a Petri dish emitted a pervasive bloody glow. The flesh mass twisted and convulsed in the crimson halo, undergoing a process of division and expansion that would undoubtedly make anyone watching lose their sanity, finally forming a complete male body.
Who else could this be but Flores Wanda, the cult leader himself?
He finally awoke from a brief and deep slumber.
Wanda blinked, pushed open the hatch of the Petri dish, allowing various nutrient solutions and chemicals to flow onto the floor. He felt the existence and rhythm of his new body, letting the rejection between his soul and body slowly resonate and harmonize, before letting out a long sigh of relief.
“Hmph, this is the third time… Every time, I feel like I'm drifting further and further from humanity! Each time, the adaptation period to a new body gets longer! This parasitic transfer spell should still have room for improvement. If I can completely perfect this technique, wouldn't it be equivalent to eternal life? But, I can't find a way forward in the direction of mysticism. Should I really consider cutting-edge biotechnology? Or, after things settle down, should I go to college and study biology? For this, I really need to consult a professor.”
Thinking of this, he grumbled through gritted teeth, “Yes, the one person I absolutely cannot consult is a lawyer! He’ll definitely incite me to study law! Who studies law if they’re a decent person?!”
Wanda quickly set his next small goal for himself. For a diligent person like him, who wasn't pretentious or overly sentimental, he could always find a direction to strive for.
He casually brought up a projection panel, manipulated it, and a hidden compartment opened in the adjacent wall, revealing a close-fitting power combat suit, low-key and durable clothing, and a protective pistol. He quickly dressed, then took out a briefcase from the innermost part of the compartment, which contained gold coins, silver dollars, various denominations of unsequenced banknotes, and a stack of passports. Alliance, Empire, Minlan, Toss—everything was there.
Wanda finished inspecting, closed and locked it, and with a gentle pat, the box shrank to the size of a cigarette case. He placed the case in his inner pocket, let out a slight sigh of relief, then found a dust-proof and gas-mask and held it in his hand, carrying a kinetic energy rifle, before pushing open the door to the room.
Beyond the door was a lavish and elegant corridor, which at first glance resembled the main hall of a suite in a seven-star Alliance hotel.
Cult Leader Wanda looked at the room directly opposite him with a pang of regret. That was his private treasury, containing not only more gold coins and old banknotes, but also some Zero Element, and a whole cabinet filled with various famous wines.
He had spent a long time collecting these fine wines, and he hadn't even had a chance to drink them.
However, what needed to be given up had to be given up. At Present, he had no energy to concern himself with these external possessions.
Wanda had safe houses on many planets across the All-Galaxy, the nearest one being in the neighboring New Seville, and even the loyal old man Berulf didn't know about it.
Those places were safe and hidden enough, with ample food and living facilities. As long as he could leave here, he could hide until everything calmed down. Perhaps even the organization wouldn't be able to find him.
Wanda sighed again, forcing himself to adopt the resolve of a brave man cutting off his arm, preparing to leave. To avoid too much heartache, he also considered making a different choice.
So, who exactly was that woman in the medical armor?
…Hmph, she must be a master, anyway! Are masters these days all so bored?
Wanda really wanted to say this was too unreasonable, but just thinking about the true big shots in the organization, he seemed to find it quite understandable.
In any case, with such a master stationed here, I cannot be considered out of danger yet. So, I still need to find a place to hide first. But where to hide? The Myriad-Headed Beast is still fighting the Commonwealth fleet, and who knows when the underground structures here will completely collapse.
…And that Yu Lian, where is he now?
As Cult Leader Wanda pondered, he walked to the entrance of the corridor, then heard a “whoosh” of a door opening. His heart skipped a beat, and with a tactical lean back and turn, he saw the door to his private treasury—which he had been prepared to abandon with the resolve of a brave man cutting off his arm—had just been opened, and a person in power armor walked out.
He was holding a bag in one hand, clearly filled with gold coins and Zero Element, and in the other hand, he held a bottle of 782 vintage Amethyst Orticia, which was the king of Cult Leader Wanda's collection.
At this moment, this person's face was naturally filled with a satisfied smile, like a dead otaku who had just drawn an SSR, a socialite who had shared her best friend's original (meow) flavor (ah) silk (woo) stockings, or an LSP who had finally entered sage mode.
If this wasn't Yu Lian, then who was it?
Wanda froze.
Yu Lian, on the opposite side, probably didn't expect to encounter this situation either, and he naturally froze as well.
This silent staring contest between the two lasted for nearly half a minute, and the atmosphere on the scene instantly became heavy.
Presumably, both of them felt that the stalemate would become increasingly awkward if it continued. So, Yu Lian, as the younger man, decided to show some grace and courtesy. He sighed first, then forced a smile: “What a coincidence.”
“Yes, what a coincidence… But I always seem to encounter such things lately,” Wanda replied with a smile.
“You encounter such things often?” Captain Yu Lian asked curiously.
“Hmm, at my age, anything bizarre can happen. This is all the social experience of an elder!”
“Indeed… I still have a lot of knowledge to learn.”
“Ah ha ha ha!” Both of them laughed simultaneously, although they had no idea why they were laughing.
No, I’m completely being led by this guy! Flores Wanda felt he had to take the initiative in the conversation, so he said, “I think, Captain Yu Lian, we actually don’t have much of a grudge. What I did certainly caused you a lot of trouble, but it didn’t actually cause you any substantial harm, did it?”
In a sense, what he said actually made a little sense. The two indeed had no personal grudges. Although Cult Leader Wanda's retaliatory actions almost ruined the Commonwealth's Navy Day and caused hundreds of casualties, Yu Lian and his relatives were not harmed. He himself even gained immense fame throughout the Universe, showing a strong upward trajectory.
A mere Captain was almost treated like an ancestor by a group of high-ranking military officers here, which was a clear illustration.
“Even if you capture me alive and hand me over, it’s only a hundred million credit bounty. The big figures in the Defense Committee will cut a large chunk, the generals will take most of it, and what’s left you’ll have to share with your subordinates. How much will really end up in your hands?”
Seeing that Yu Lian seemed to be starting to think, he was delighted and continued earnestly, “Yes, you might have achieved another great achievement. After becoming the hero of Navy Day, you will become the hero of New Seville. However, you should be a smart person, so young, so excellent, yet repeatedly achieving great achievement… But if you only achieve one great achievement, you are still the darlings of the big figures. But if you frequently achieve great achievement, then you are their trouble. You should understand this principle, right? As an elder, I must tell you, the biggest taboo in the workplace is to cause trouble for your superiors!”
Yu Lian nodded noncommittally, continuing to ponder: “Makes some sense.”
“Right? I will leave here, leave Luminar, no, leave the Far Shore Star Region, leave the Commonwealth. In return, I will provide you with an anonymous secret account with two hundred million letter stars…”
“That’s all? I just dug out more than that from that guy called Lord Yan.” Yu Lian raised an eyebrow: “You’re a cult leader, after all, and you’ve been operating in high society for so long. Are you actually worse than a rural terrorist leader?”
“I, I have to live too! All money has its uses, and this is my absolute bottom line! If you still don’t accept, then we can only talk with guns and knives! I have expressed all my sincerity, now it’s your turn to express yours. As an elder, I still have to remind you, the younger and more promising you are, the more talented you are, the more you need to learn to quit while you’re ahead!”
Cult Leader Wanda spoke pitifully, but he fully expressed a firm attitude. He was well-versed in the art of negotiation, knowing that he could play the victim, feign ignorance, or throw a tantrum, but he absolutely could not casually abandon his bottom line, and he had to show that he had the strength to retaliate and overturn the table.
“I understand… the account and password.”
Cult Leader Wanda quickly recited a rather lengthy string of characters and data, which Yu Lian memorized after hearing it only once.
“Currently, all external communications on the entire planet are cut off, so there’s no way to connect to the Stellar Network and confirm. If you don’t believe me, I can put down all my weapons and take you to a place where there’s a quintessence wave receiver.” Cult Leader Wanda sincerely threw his pistol and rifle onto the ground and raised his hands.
“You can just point a gun at the back of my head and make me walk! I promise not to play any tricks.” He added, his sincerity truly complete.
“No need to worry, I trust you. The esteemed leader of the Wanling Sect, the Five Rings’ Savior, wouldn’t debase himself for a mere two hundred million.” Yu Lian chuckled.
Wanda looked at Yu Lian with a complex gaze and said with emotion, “After this matter, your nobility will be spread among your enemies, even if they do not yet know you.”
…That sounds familiar, where have I heard that before?
The two, radiating business-like smiles of a deal concluded, maintained a distance of at least two meters as they walked one after the other out of the foyer corridor and once again entered the gloomy underground passages of the ancient city.
“I’ll go this way…” Yu Lian pointed in the direction he had come from, which was towards the altar.
“I’ll go this way…” Cult Leader Wanda pointed in the opposite direction, which would lead to the city’s highest observatory. That place was almost certainly destroyed, but it was still a way out, right?
“Well then, have a good journey.”
“And I wish you good health.”
After exchanging impeccable business smiles and routine courtesies, the two turned their heads simultaneously and walked in opposite directions.
However, Yu Lian had only walked a few meters when he suddenly stopped, turned his head, casually threw the bag of gold coins on the ground, and raising his gun, fired a burst of bullets in Wanda’s direction.
And almost at the same instant, Cult Leader Wanda had also turned his head and, without the slightest hesitation, blasted out a spiritual energy pulse.
Yu Lian dodged the direct hit of the spiritual energy pulse, but the famous wine in his hand was knocked to the ground, and the priceless purplish-red liquid directly seeped into the cracks of the damp stone slabs.
Yu Lian was furious. This bottle of 728-vintage Orantia was a limited edition top-tier famous wine, rumored to have had less than ten thousand bottles produced in total, and he had intended to bring it to his uncle and Uncle Wei to taste.
Cult Leader Wanda, on the other hand, was struck directly by a volley of bullets. Due to the short time and close distance, he didn't even have time to deploy his shield. However, even this new body, which he hadn't fully adapted to, had a strength far beyond normal imagination. The bullets striking his body actually produced a metallic clang, then deformed and fell to the ground.
The bullets indeed only pierced a little of his epidermis, and not even a drop of blood flowed out. However, this was enough to enrage Cult Leader Wanda.
“I knew you would do this!” Both shouted simultaneously!
“Despicable and shameless!” Both shouted again simultaneously.
At this moment, they actually had a hint of unspoken understanding, both deeply moved, and then they charged at each other without hesitation. This time, they were truly determined to eliminate each other.