Liu Yao immediately felt the weight lift from her body.
The sensation of her power being eroded and slowly vanishing finally disappeared, but it was replaced by the gaze of Shen Ji’s eerie blue eyes.
Although the history Liu Yao knew contained no records regarding the appearance of a King Seed, the faint, lingering sense of oppression emanating from Shen Ji was very real.
“Oh, Shen Ji. Now that the bad cop is finished, is it the good cop’s turn?”
Seeing that he had been seen through, Shen Ji didn’t get angry.
Instead, he deliberately put on an expression of fear and trepidation, saying, “Sister Liu, I was only trying to prove my value to you.”
It was only now that Liu Yao truly saw the youth for who he was.
Not only was he quick-witted enough to deliberately elicit sympathy, but he also knew how to judge the situation to ensure he never remained at a disadvantage.
‘In hindsight, it was lucky she hadn’t invited him to join the Twilight Inspection Team; someone so calculating was definitely beyond her control.’
Liu Yao sighed and got straight to the point.
“I need you to get detailed information about the Midnight Society within three days. The prerequisite is that you don’t alert them.”
“Three days? But the Midnight Society’s initiation ceremony doesn’t start for seven days!”
“You must have noticed as well that a large number of foreign Blood Race members have been pouring into Nanjiang City recently. The Official will be putting pressure on us next. I need to resolve the Midnight Society matter as quickly as possible so I can free up my hands to deal with these other troubles.”
While Shen Ji hesitated, Yun Xiaotao, whom no one was paying attention to, began jumping up and down in place.
She raised her hand as if she had something to say.
Liu Yao shifted her gaze toward Yun Xiaotao, pointed in her direction, and said, “She looks like she wants to say something.”
“King, I know! I know!”
“What do you know?”
Shen Ji arched an eyebrow and looked at Yun Xiaotao in confusion.
Yun Xiaotao pulled a crumpled, folded piece of letter paper from her clothes.
She used both hands to smooth it out as best she could before handing it to Shen Ji.
“Midnight is approaching, the Blood Race is immortal. The Nanjiang City Midnight Society hereby sincerely invites you all to witness history. Not only will we provide you with fresh Blood Plasma, but we will also light the most brilliant fireworks.”
“Signature: When the Blood Moon descends, we will meet at Nanjiang Square. Be there or be square.”
Shen Ji handed the letter to Liu Yao, his expression turning solemn.
“It looks like you can handle both matters at once.”
“Have they gone mad? The situation for the Blood Race is already dire, and now they want to expose themselves in front of everyone? Do they really think the higher-ups will let them go?”
Liu Yao punched the wall, leaving a deep dent in its surface.
“Are you saying this will affect the future situation of the Blood Race?” Shen Ji asked thoughtfully.
Liu Yao took a deep breath and said frankly, “There are things you don’t know. The higher-ups have two main plans for managing the Blood Race. The first plan is centered on intimidation, supplemented by crackdowns, and followed by protection. On this basis, they continuously compress the living space of the Blood Race to reduce their numbers.”
Ye Xi rested her hand on Shen Ji’s shoulder and said calmly, “So, it’s a boiling the frog strategy?”
Liu Yao nodded.
Although the two of them had been at odds earlier, they both tacitly understood that the battle had merely been a way to prove their respective value.
After all, the Blood Race was a species that naturally revered the strong.
Only those with equal strength could become partners.
“What about the second plan?”
“If the Blood Race gathers to start an uprising and causes widespread social panic… leave none alive. Total extermination.”
“Including you?”
A flash of disappointment crossed Liu Yao’s eyes.
She gave an indirect answer.
“We in the Twilight Inspection Team are just people seeking shelter from the rain under the umbrella, not the ones holding the umbrella. The initiative has never been in our hands.”
“I originally thought you were just a loyal lapdog. I didn’t expect you to have this kind of awareness,” Ye Xi said nonchalantly, spreading her hands.
Liu Yao gave a bitter smile.
“It’s just the truth; there’s no ‘awareness’ to speak of. All I can do now is try my best to keep this from spreading, but I’m not sure how long I can keep it hidden.”
Shen Ji frowned.
The development of events had far exceeded his expectations.
From a Human perspective, those who were not of their kind would always have different hearts.
Even with the existence of Half-breeds like them, the exclusionary nature of humanity had never disappeared.
The ultimate goal of both plans was to make the Blood Race vanish into the long river of history.
The blade wasn’t just hanging over his head; it was hanging over everyone present.
Yet, what he could do now was pitifully little.
As if seeing through Shen Ji’s worries, Ye Xi comforted him, “The worst-case scenario is that we just wander the world.”
“King, take me with you! I want to follow you forever!”
Yun Xiaotao raised her hand, her face full of excitement.
Looking at the scene before her, Liu Yao’s eyes lowered slightly. Indeed, what could they really change on their own?
“No, we won’t leave. At least, not yet.”
“Sister Liu, our cooperation will proceed as planned, but from now on, you have to follow my arrangements.”
Shen Ji’s tone was certain, and his steady gaze remained fixed on Liu Yao.
The corners of Liu Yao’s mouth twitched into a forced smile as she shook her head.
“Shen Ji, I know what you want to say, but…”
“There are no ‘buts.’
This is no longer just a trade of interests.
None of us want to see the second plan implemented.
What we need to do now is survive together.”
Shen Ji was the first to extend his hand toward the group, saying firmly, “For the sake of living.”
Yun Xiaotao reacted immediately and placed her hand on top.
“For the King!”
Liu Yao looked at Shen Ji with a complicated expression.
The gloom in her heart still existed, but her hand moved involuntarily to join them.
Perhaps it was because this was the only light behind the haze?
“For the sake of living…”
Among the four people present, only Ye Xi’s hand had yet to descend.
The three of them looked toward her simultaneously.
Ye Xi kept her hands behind her back, her lips pursing slightly.
Her eyes seemed to see only Shen Ji as she said unexpectedly, “Shen Ji, I love you.”
Shen Ji was stunned for a moment, but then he seemed to understand something and chuckled.
“I know.”
Liu Yao looked at the two of them in confusion but didn’t say anything more.
At that moment, only one thought occupied her mind.
‘Am I getting old? Do I not understand young people anymore? But I’m only twenty-two!’
—
“Master, a large number of the invited have been arrested. Do we need to move the plan forward?”
Ye Hai unhurriedly took a sip of his coffee and said calmly, “A Ran, do you think anyone in the Twilight Inspection Team would let the higher-ups know about this?”
A Ran pondered for a moment before asking in confusion, “Why wouldn’t they?”
“There are two reasons. First, they don’t dare to, because it would lead to the Official pulling them up by the roots. Second, the Captain of the Twilight Inspection Team is one of our people.”
“You mean Mu Qingxin?! How could he…?”
Ye Hai shook his head without explaining.
He spoke as if talking to himself, “Little Xi, your father made a whole plate of dumplings just for this bit of vinegar. You and that boy better not disappoint me.”
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