Chapter 382: Dancing on the Edge

“No need; let’s just dance.”

“I love watching you dance.”

Listening as Tang Hai mistakenly equated his own criticism for lacking excitement with monotony, Yenir couldn’t help but feel resigned and spoke up awkwardly.

To be honest, if he had enough time—or if this operation went smoothly—maybe he could still enjoy the show…

But right now, every moment since his rebirth has had his nerves stretched to the limit; he wished even a minute could count as two.

At this point, whether it was the materials needed for the Sword God System or the matter of the instance, he hadn’t found a good solution. He simply didn’t have the heart for such matters…

Every minute wasted now will cost him dearly when disaster strikes. How could he ever afford to slack off?

Frankly, why is it that after the apocalypse and decades of steady development, humanity’s power isn’t as explosively rising as it did before? The answer is simple: without crisis, too many Awakeners drown in indulgence while valuable resources are squandered on trivialities.

For Yenir, he knew well that it was far from time to relax.

Meanwhile, as Tang Hai listened to Yenir’s renewed refusal, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

“Young Master Yenir, are you not satisfied with my arrangements?”

“Or do you think I, Tang Hai, simply don’t meet your expectations?”

His tone carried a hint of displeasure.

In Tang Hai’s mind, he had already shown enough deference. He refused to believe that Yenir wasn’t intrigued—after all, this was the age of raw passion. He had seen plenty of high-profile heirs, but never someone quite like Yenir.

In his view, it was more likely that Yenir was upset over his earlier ‘demeaning’ remarks about the Military, and was now saving face.

Even if he dialed back a bit, with Tang Hai bending over backwards in deference, Young Master Yenir should at least return some courtesy. Isn’t these repeated rejections just slapping his face?

Catching the discontent in Tang Hai’s tone, Yenir pushed aside the little girl clinging to him and furrowed his brow slightly.

Of course, he could guess exactly what Tang Hai was thinking.

Some things are like unspoken rules—if you don’t play by them, you’re automatically an outsider. Besides, Tang Hai had always harbored a dislike for the Military, constantly testing Yenir’s true intentions.

It’s a bit… troublesome…

Yenir let out a bitter laugh. He knew that even if he admitted he wasn’t interested, given the urgency, Tang Hai probably wouldn’t believe him.

For most Third-Stage fighters at this point, boosting their strength was the last thing on their minds; reveling in the power that came after the apocalypse was the norm.

Continuing to reject outright would only be like slapping himself in the face. If his overzealous concern over the materials was exposed, Tang Hai might well suspect that he was ready to do something drastic—if Tang Hai thought Yenir was about to forcibly seize the Renmane using Xueying’s lieutenant, he’d immediately distance himself, terrified of attracting trouble.

He needed to think up an excuse…

With that thought, Yenir decided to feign interest in the girls present and spoke up directly:

“Uncle Tang, I prefer taking things slowly—too direct is just no fun. But I am curious: these girls, all Awakeners, are of such high caliber that I’ve never seen quality like this before. With their status, isn’t it unnecessary for them to be doing this kind of work?”

“A Second-Stage Awakened out in the wild would, by any measure, be considered a powerhouse even in a small settlement.”

Speaking rhetorically, Yenir raised his wine cup, taking a small sip while his mind raced for an excuse to end the discussion and have Tang Hai do the work.

He could tell that Tang Hai, too, was a man of indulgence—but extremely cautious at that.

“Not too fond of being so direct?”

Hearing Yenir’s question, Tang Hai’s expression softened slightly, a look of understanding crossing his eyes.

“So you like playing up the mood, huh? After all, top-tier heirs from major factions do have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. I’m just worried that you might be carrying Military orders, hence your extra caution.”

If that were the case, no matter Fang Hao’s goodwill, he wouldn’t dare associate with Yenir.

“Young Master Yenir, you might not be aware of the situation in the Far Frontier. Over there, still under official orders, many things have to adhere to strict rules and cannot go too far.”

“But here, we’re all part of private factions—some things are much easier to do.”

Tang Hai pointed to his head ambiguously and said with a laugh:

“These girls are mostly acquired from bottom-tier survivors. As soon as we detect any potential for awakening, we pour resources into elevating them to Second-Stage—even if, in truth, they’re barely Second-Stage at all!”

“Forget following our orders—they’re ours even in life and death.”

“Moreover, you might be too used to the Military’s safe zones to fully grasp what’s happening out here.”

“So what if they’re Awakeners? And what of Second-Stage?”

“Out here, do they dare to venture out to hunt mutants? Or to face the instances?”

“There are no laws here—only the strong prevail. Being attractive and an Awakener is actually a liability! Unless they’re Third-Stage—if they dare to fend for themselves, they’ll soon be captured and enslaved!”

“Here, food and safety are never in doubt. If a big shot takes notice, it’s an instant breakthrough. They might not even want to leave!”

“Working here is the dream job for survivors across the entire Canglang Region!”

With that, Tang Hai chuckled softly, thinking Yenir was too young—like a delicate flower nurtured in a greenhouse.

He was well aware of the state of the official safe zones, especially around the Capital.

He had heard that even top Third-Stage fighters must follow orders—quite literally, even a minor committee member could impeach a commander. Here in the Far Frontier, that was simply unthinkable.

This is raw survival of the fittest—where strength rules! Legal safe zone systems? Utter nonsense!

Even in the Military’s safe zones, no matter how dominant a force may be over the survivors, they still had to sign contracts and couldn’t just kill at will. It was much like before the apocalypse, when even if things went too far, the enforcers were always around.

Take the slums where Yenir once lived, for example—the local ‘gangs’ only dared to extort the lower tiers, always needing an excuse. And that middle-aged man Yenir encountered at Hell’s Gate? Despite having signed a contract of servitude, he was forced to work in a safe zone until his dying day.

Yet the former wouldn’t risk a murder, and the latter wouldn’t push too far—allowing that middle-aged man to eventually break free and join an instance.

Here? Beyond the safe zones, life and death mean nothing! With power and money, one can do as they please!

Listening to Tang Hai’s explanation, Yenir fell silent for a moment.

He was aware of all this, having witnessed a world crumbling into chaos under collapsed order. But that was during the disaster—and by the end, the Military had imposed draconian measures and much harsher rules.

He hadn’t expected that the Far Frontier would now be in such a raw, unfiltered state—almost identical to the disaster era.

It had even become somewhat twisted.

A mere glimpse can hint at the whole beast.

Top-tier powerhouses hoarding vast resources in the early days have effectively blocked any path to advancement; any newly awakened or surviving souls have no choice but to become their playthings or subordinates.

Under such extreme authority, the various private factions can draft laws on a whim, controlling everything like emperors.

Thus, these unruly private factions naturally harbor deep enmity towards the Military and refuse any merger.

As if having thought of an excuse, Yenir suppressed his true thoughts and feigned discontent as he asked:

“Are these girls’ strengths just piled on? Isn’t that completely uninteresting?”

Yenir let out a light laugh and shook his head lazily, as if unimpressed:

“What’s the difference between this and a fake? I’m just afraid that if I push too hard, they’ll fall apart… and that would be a massive letdown.”

With that, Yenir put on the airs of a particularly finicky second-generation rich kid, planning to call an end to the banquet.

To his surprise, after hearing his words, Tang Hai’s eyes lit up with sudden realization.

After a brief hesitation, Tang Hai fixed Yenir with a deep gaze—as if making up his mind—and waved for Hana to come over.

“Young Master Yenir, if only you had spoken up sooner.”

“In that case, today I, Tang Hai, will make sure you’re satisfied!”

“Someone, fetch Miss Xueying right away!”

At his command, Tang Hai looked at Yenir meaningfully and slowly said:

“Young Master Yenir, I wonder if you can handle the Third-Stage beauty?”

Yenir raised his wine cup; at those words, his whole body stiffened and the color beneath his mask changed instantly.

“WTF!?”

“Enough already!?”