by <unknown>
"Alright!" Li Yao said with a smile. Carrying the other bucket, he followed Guo Chunfeng. The two of them crawled out of the cave.
While crawling, Li Yao said casually, "Right, Brother Guo, there's something that I want to ask you. Not very serious. You can talk if you are willing to, but it's perfectly okay if you would rather not."
Guo Chunfeng replied without looking back, "Go ahead. You have the highest permissions now and are qualified to know most of the confidential information anyway."
"It's not anything confidential." Li Yao scratched his wet hair to one side of his head and asked at ease, "I'm just curious about one thing. Why didn't you attack when I was crouching next to the spring? It was your only opportunity to kill me!"
Guo Chunfeng's body suddenly froze at the entrance of the cave before he turned around slowly.
Li Yao and Guo Chunfeng, one tall and the other short, confronted each other in the cave where gloomy wind was blowing.
"It appears that we won't be back for the time being," Guo Chunfeng said coldly.
"I don't mind walking while talking, but I'm afraid that you will." Li Yao opened his hands and said, "Although Brother Guo is known as 'the best Core Formation Stage Cultivator of the Heaven's Origin Sector', it only describes the breadth of your talents but not the depth. In terms of absolute combat ability, you are no match for me, Brother Guo.
"Right now, I've just recuperated from heavy wounds, my capability has not fully recovered, and even my crystal suit is not repaired yet. I was not defending myself at all, and I concealed my spiritual energy to the minimum.
"If you mean to kill me, it was your best, and perhaps only, opportunity. Now that you've missed it, after I completely regain the combat ability of the Nascent Soul Stage, few people in the three Sectors will be capable of killing me, and Brother Guo is definitely not one of them!
"I said that I would investigate Abyss until the truth is out. Brother Guo, you must know that I always keep my word!
"Killing me here not only has the highest odds of success but also has no eyewitnesses. You could blame it on the remnants of the Patriots Partnership. Although it is not flawless, you don't really have a better choice.
"You hesitated three times. The fourth time, you almost made up your mind to kill me, but you gave up in the end. Why? Brother Guo, Director Guo, or… Abyss?"
Li Yao was quite relaxed. His voice was not very high, but every word he said stabbed into Guo Chunfeng's body like a flying sword.
Guo Chunfeng was so feeble that he could not keep carrying the bucket of water, which weighed only several kilograms. The bucket turned upside down, and the cold water inside all flowed out.
"The water!" Li Yao said. "The water has gone!"
Guo Chunfeng could not withstand the coldness in the cave any longer. After a moment of rigidness, he crawled out to the brightness on all fours.
After he crawled out of the cave, he collapsed on a giant rock that was covered with moss nearby, allowing the sunlight to warm his frozen body from the gaps of the bare branches.
Li Yao crawled out of the cave, too, and sat next to him, observing him with great interest.
Gudu! Gudu! Gudu! Gudu!
Guo Chunfeng drank up the remaining half bucket of water. Gazing at the high, cloudless sky, he mumbled, "I never knew that, if you drink the water here too fast, it tastes like liquor. The hardest liquor."
"Well, Brother Guo. Can we talk like normal people? Please don't use the lines of cowboys and act as if we are having a duel," Li Yao remarked. "It was just a casual question. Just forget it if you don't want to talk."
"Huh?" Guo Chunfeng was dumbfounded. "Is it forgettable?"
"Of course!" Li Yao nodded. "If you want, you can pretend that I said nothing and go back to fill the bucket. We'll return then. How does it sound?"
Guo Chunfeng stared at Li Yao with his bloodshot eyes as if he were eyeing a monster.
Of course, in a certain sense, Li Yao was an out-and-out monster.
Looking at him for a long time, Guo Chunfeng was frustrated again. He said with a bitter smile, "Fine. Ask whatever is on your mind. I'm too tired to disguise myself any longer. I can tell you everything. But before that, I want to know why you are certain that Abyss is not nonexistent and why Abyss is me."
Li Yao sipped the spring water, too. Clicking his tongue, he observed, "It doesn't taste like liquor at all. It's just water! About Abyss… here, let's have a proper analysis.
"First of all, what baffled me most was Elder Nether Spring's death!
"Let's review the scene for a moment. At that time, I snuck into the base of the Patriots Partnership in the East Ocean alone, released Neltharion to pry into the secrets of the base, and happened to run into the members of the Patriots Partnership who were interrogating Elder Nether Spring with the soul searching technique!
"Then, Elder Nether Spring was dead, right in front of my face. That's too uncanny, isn't it?"
Guo Chunfeng was dazed. "Elder Nether Spring was a powerful man. Is it strange that he kept some of the drugs inside his head and, after condensing enough drugs, killed himself at the critical moment when the base was under attack to avoid further suffering?"
"It's not strange that he killed himself, but why did he choose the time when I snuck into the base, no earlier, no later?" Li Yao gesticulated as he spoke. "If you think about it carefully, Elder Nether Spring's death was the trigger for everything that followed!
"If Elder Nether Spring hadn't died at that time, the Patriots Partnership wouldn't have extracted his memories into the Jade Crystal Disc.
"Without the Jade Crystal Disc, I would've been short of the critical proof to unveil Lu Zui's real face. It would've been possible that the war between the two Sectors was not stopped!
"If that is what happened, maybe, you and I would be in the middle of smoke, bullets, and dead bodies on a battlefield right now!
"We can even say that Elder Nether Spring destroyed the Patriots Partnership with his own death and avenged himself for Lu Zui's capture and torment!
"Is it really a coincidence?"
Guo Chunfeng frowned. "Your words are getting stranger and stranger. What could it have been if not coincidence?"
Li Yao narrowed his eyes as he said, "When I manipulated Neltharion to dive into the undersea base, I was very careful, fearing that I might encounter battle-type Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who were likely to discover Neltharion. Thankfully, there were only three battle-type Core Formation Stage Cultivators and a research-type Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator in the interrogation room. It was almost possible for them to detect Neltharion with their Cultivation.
"I'd always thought that in the past. But during the past month, when I reflected on the whole thing in retrospect and sorted through all the details, it suddenly occurred to me that I overlooked someone very important!
"I was wrong to think that there were no battle-type Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators in the interrogation room!
"There was still Elder Nether Spring! He had been a strong demon emperor in the beginning. Although his strength system had been transformed, and he had been devastatingly tortured, his level was not lowered, and his senses must've been as keen as before. Stimulated by the drugs such as the Brain Exciter, his senses could've been multiplied!
"He was an out-and-out battle-type Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator!
"More importantly, Elder Nether Spring knew of Neltharion's existence because he had been caught out by the device once before!"
Chapter 1160: That Explains Everything! |
Li Yao picked up a twig and wrote Nether World on the moss. He explained, "On the Gloomy Wind Islands at the North Pole of the Blood Demon Sector, in his secret base named Nether World, Elder Nether Spring once caged the experts of both human beings and demons—including Suo Chaolong, Han Tuhu, the Fire Ant King—for the experiments of the Demon God Virus. But I snuck into the base, investigated the surroundings with Neltharion, and planted bombs. In the end, I demolished
the Nether World, which was a major blow for him.
"During the battle, I observed Elder Nether Spring at a close distance through Neltharion multiple times. Although he didn't perceive it on the spot, he must've noticed the existence of such a piece of magical equipment later and remembered the features of Neltharion's spiritual waves!
"Playing the same move on a demon emperor or a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator? It would be committing suicide! Therefore, just because Neltharion escaped everybody else's attention doesn't mean that Elder Nether Spring didn't discover it!"
Guo Chunfeng was deep in thought. "So, you are suggesting that, in the interrogation room, Elder Nether Spring sensed the peeping of Neltharion keenly and inferred that Vulture Li Yao was nearby based on his discovery. So, he killed himself right in front of your eyes intentionally so that the Jade Crystal Disc that his memories would be stored in could be the critical proof for you?
"So, Elder Nether Spring's death was not a coincidence but a great chess move that he calculated carefully? He destroyed the Patriots Partnership at the cost of his life?"
Li Yao nodded. "You could say that, but the reason alone is still not enough.
"It must be noted that, although the Patriots Partnership locked Elder Nether Spring up for three months and tortured him with the soul searching technique, I was also Elder Nether Spring's mortal enemy because I sabotaged his Spore Stratagem!
"Perhaps, Elder Nether Spring hated me more than he hated the Patriots Partnership!
"His death could naturally destroy the Patriots Partnership, but I would be the winner in the end. With Elder Nether Spring's cunningness, would he allow me to take such great advantage?
"I was perplexed by the problem for a long time until I jumped out of everything and made a different assumption! What if Elder Nether Spring killed himself intentionally not just to destroy the Patriots Partnership? Is it possible that he had other chess pieces or backup plans that would be triggered after he was killed and the Patriots Partnership was demolished?"
Guo Chunfeng was silent for a while before he slowly said, "Therefore, you suspected that Abyss did exist and, as Elder Nether Spring's last chess piece, could gain some benefits from the destruction of the Patriots Partnership?"
Li Yao nodded quickly. "Only if Abyss did exist as Elder Nether Spring's last hope would he possibly ignore his grudge for me briefly and kill himself. That way, although I would get things my way, Abyss would have even more benefits.
"If my guess is correct, the one percent of his brain that was sealed contained all the files about Abyss, but it's a pity that all the files are gone with the wind now."
Guo Chunfeng took a long breath. "Fair enough. But even if Abyss does exist, why are you certain that it is me?"
Li Yao smiled and said, "I've been suspicious about you since the very beginning. Before I returned to the Heaven's Origin Sector, Jin Xinyue and I made a list of Abyss suspects, of which your name ranked at the top.
"Less than a hundred years old. Amazing talents in training. Rose to fame decades ago. Orphan without both parents. Working at a certain critical post… Brother Guo, the description of Abyss is like your resume. If you are not Abyss, the real Abyss will be embarrassed when he sees you!
"It is because I was suspicious about you since the beginning that I considered you my greatest enemy on my way to the capital city.
"However, when new evidence presented itself, I thought that I was paranoid again like the old times. Therefore, my suspicions about you disappeared. Later, I was too busy dealing with the Patriots Partnership to think about Abyss!
"When I've been free over the last couple of days and thought of it more carefully, I found that Brother Guo's many reactions in the battle were quite weird!"
Guo Chunfeng raised his eyebrow. "What's weird?"
Staring at him in the eyes, Li Yao said, "The weirdest thing of all is your trust in me for no reason.
"It must be noted that, when I got the Jade Crystal Disc, I was all by myself and far away in the East Ocean. However, you already captured the key people such as Ding Lingdang and Professor Mo Xuan before Lu Zui did! It means that, even before we met or talked, you were already sure that I was innocent, that Lu Zui was the real schemer, and that he had ill intentions by capturing Ding Lingdang and the rest of them.
"Why? Why were you so certain that Ding Lingdang was a good person and not a Child of the Nether World? And on what grounds did you find me trustworthy?
"Ding Lingdang trusted me without reserve because we love each other. Professor Mo Xuan trusted me as best he could because I saved his life before and fought side by side with him in the Flying Star Sector!
"Even so, they were only assured that I was not the Blood Devil after communicating with me!
"What about you? Why did you trust me when you hadn't met me and when you did not have the slightest evidence?
"Not only did you rescue Ding Lingdang, Wu Mayan, Xie Anan, and Professor Mo Xuan in advance, you even reached out to me on your own initiative. You gave me the map of the headquarters of the Secret Sword Bureau and drafted a highly perilous plan together with me. Eventually, the entire Secret Sword Bureau was evacuated, and you even went to Hidden Star to confront Lu Zui by yourself, buying time for me at the risk of your own life!
"That was quite incredible of you, Brother Guo!
"If you were an eighteen-year-old young man, your recklessness would've been understandable.
"But you were the mighty supervisor of the Demon Execution Division of the Secret Sword Bureau and a seasoned warrior of the trade. Your nerves are thicker than the thighs of ordinary people. The future of the federation was on your shoulders. Why did you trust me without any evidence and without meeting me? Why did you help me even if it meant that you might be sacrificed? Why were you so confident that I was definitely not the villain and that Lu Zui was behind the scheme?
"It must be noted that, if your judgement was incorrect, you would've lost the future of the entire federation in the gamble!
"If you are not a prophet, there is only one explanation—you had some critical information in your hands that nobody else knew about, and the critical information was enough to prove that Lu Zui was lying!"
Li Yao had another mouthful of spring water. He wiped his lips and continued. "But then, I was even more confused. Brother Guo, Lu Zui was your boss. You might have been in charge of the field work, but he had the enormous Patriots Partnership under his command, too. What information could possibly have been grasped by you and you alone? With Lu Zui's cleverness, he would've seen through it if you investigated him in secret, in which case you would have been doomed!
"I was confused and couldn't figure out the answer until I had an epiphany and realized that everything would make perfect sense if you were Abyss!
"You are Abyss, and you had a certain mysterious connection with Elder Nether Spring. Therefore, you knew that Lu Zui was lying. Lu Zui killed Elder Nether Spring, which made him your sworn enemy. That is why you helped me deal with him!
"One more reason. Personally speaking, who gets the most benefits from the fall of Lu Zui and the Patriots Partnership?
"Me? Of course not! You know that I'm not interested in politics or power. The fame right now is just amusement for me!
"It is you who has gotten the most benefits, Brother Guo! You have been promoted to the director of the Secret Sword Bureau from the supervisor of the first division. You even have power that is even greater than Lu Zui's for now. You are now the leader on the secret frontline and one of the most influential people in the federation!
"In that case, Elder Nether Spring's death would be perfectly logical! Perhaps he had been waiting for an opportunity to destroy the Patriots Partnership with his death ever since his capture. That is why he persisted for several months against the soul searching technique. Eventually, the unpredictable opportunity finally showed up when he detected Neltharion!
"Therefore, he killed himself and dragged the Patriots P
artnership to hell with him, but he also pushed you—Abyss, his last hope—to the supreme black throne of the secret frontline of the federation!
"With your position and accomplishments today, and your quadruple talents as the strongest Core Formation Stage Cultivator, your future is nothing but promising. Even if the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector do collaborate, Brother Guo will definitely be one of the giants in the new federation!
"Would there be a better ending for Elder Nether Spring?"
Guo Chunfeng raised his head to drink more water, only to discover that the bucket was empty. He grabbed the bucket from Li Yao's hand and said, "Very marvelous deduction. Despite the lack of evidence, everything does make better sense now."
"No, it is not good enough yet. There's a critical point that makes the whole reasoning illogical."
Li Yao stared at him, his eyes shining.
"Before, Lu Zui and his lot made the conclusion that Abyss was nonexistent partly for the reason that such a person was non-manipulable. Why would a human being who did not have any secrets or even memories of the demon race be willing to listen to Elder Nether Spring's command?
"Even the hundred or so Children of the Nether World, whose secrets Elder Nether Spring knew about, had betrayed him. Why wouldn't Abyss?
"I thought so, too, at first. So, I came to the conclusion that 'Abyss does not exist'.
"However, after I inferred that you were Abyss, I discovered, to my surprise, although you were not acting according to Elder Nether Spring's plans, you did not completely 'betray' him, either. The fact that you charged into Hidden Star by yourself even seems to be a gesture of revenge to me.
"Why?
"Why did Elder Nether Spring choose you as Abyss in the beginning? Why did he trust you without reserve to the last moment of his life?
"And why did you not betray him or join Lu Zui and his Patriots Partnership, instead standing against Lu Zui, avenging Elder Nether Spring at the risk of your own life?"
Guo Chunfeng's eyes were somewhat hollow. He seemed to be staring at both a place far, far away and a past long, long ago.
