Chapter 391: Crossroads of Desperation

He furrowed his brow.

After listening to Blood Nightingale’s report, Yenir’s heart sank instantly.

As for Blood Nightingale throwing a tantrum—he couldn’t be bothered. Clearly, this woman had reached a point of no return. If there weren’t any reasons keeping her alive, she’d have likely taken her own life long ago.

“Isn’t it rumored outside that Yinglong is chasing you? How come you can’t even ask him for a favor?”

Suspicious, Yenir shot back with a question of his own.

Looking at Tang Hai, it was obvious that the Blood Wolf Leader had managed to captivate those Third-Stage enthusiasts—how could he possibly come up empty-handed?

Seeing Yenir’s disbelief, Blood Nightingale snorted coldly, as if his words were outrageously off the mark.

“Favor? Chasing?”

“You think the end of the world is near? Are there really that many bootlickers?”

“Yinglong claims he’s pursuing me, but in reality, he just wants a free ride. For these Third-Stage types, a few dozen thousand Credit Points might be worth it, yet at heart, they’re stingy to the extreme when it comes to their own resources.”

“For them, any resource is a mighty asset. If you expect to extract something meaningful from them, what do you think you’re willing to give in return?”

“For beings of their caliber, every person is just an extravagant toy to show off. Even if they really wanted a partner, it would be a calculated decision.”

With that, Blood Nightingale’s expression remained devoid of any self-pity—as if she were merely stating a fact.

It was true; she was extremely popular. Many Third-Stage individuals were willing to spend tens of thousands of Credit Points just to catch a glimpse of her. Some even lower-tiered ones were surprisingly generous, offering several pieces of Blue-Grade Gear just for a night with her.

But that was all.

Tens of thousands might seem a lot to ordinary survivors or even low-tier Awakeners, but for her, it was never enough. A good set of Blue-Grade Gear often cost seventy to eighty thousand, even over a hundred thousand—priceless by her standards.

After Yenir had taken everything from her, she couldn’t even bring herself to enter a dungeon; a Third-Stage without proper gear was simply too vulnerable.

Even if she wanted to steadily accumulate resources, she couldn’t afford that risk.

Contrary to Yenir’s assumption, her maneuvering among the upper echelons of the Far Frontier wasn’t just for resource-gathering—it was also a means to survive under the protective shadow of these powerful figures.

One Third-Stage tailing her was dangerous, but a group could keep each other in check.

To be honest, despite her strenuous efforts and scheming to amass resources, the Credit Points she managed to earn were scant. A single appearance brought in only a few tens of thousands; too frequent an appearance would devalue her entirely.

She knew all too well about the despicable nature of men.

As for trading her body for gear? That was nothing more than a case of killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Once she lost her most precious virtue, no one would care about her. To these high-tier individuals, her worth would plummet dramatically.

Thus, she had no choice but to protect herself while gradually building up resources—perhaps, with some luck, she’d stumble upon a gullible second-generation powerhouse to exploit and turn things around quickly.

And it was precisely because of this that she ran into Yenir.

Maybe feeling the weight of her own fragile existence, Blood Nightingale managed a wry smile, then crossed her arms around her legs, gently resting her head on them while her eyes glazed over in a daze.

It hurt so much. It was exhausting.

The wound on her forehead—delivered by Yenir—constantly oozed blood. With her right hand nearly useless, every part of her body throbbed with pain.

Had she not been Third-Stage, accustomed as she was to injuries, this resilient constitution would have collapsed long ago.

Still, the physical pain paled in comparison to the bitterness in her heart.

Now, everything she had worked for was in vain.

Yenir, who had already taken everything from her once, was here to do it again. Worse, she might end up with nothing at all—with her life entirely in his hands.

In the silence,

upon hearing Blood Nightingale’s plainspoken words without any concealment, Yenir was rendered speechless.

According to her, it was practically impossible to directly snatch the Renmane from Yinglong. So the only glimmer of hope was…

“Can you still get close to Yinglong?”

“Can you find out his schedule and route? I heard he’s about to enter a dungeon. Do you know how many people he’ll bring along? Or in other words, can you get that information?”

Without a trace of dejection, Yenir’s voice grew low as he asked. Since there was no other way to get the info—neither buying it nor trading for it—this was his last gamble.

He would only give up once he confirmed there was absolutely no way.

Lifting her gaze, Blood Nightingale looked at him deeply, a hint of incredulity flashing in her eyes:

“So you really want the Renmane that badly?”

“Are you planning to take down Yinglong?”

Regaining her composure, she didn’t miss the subtext in Yenir’s words. It only confirmed for her that Yenir was out of his mind.

Daring to make a scheme even at Peak Third-Stage was tantamount to courting death.

With that thought, Blood Nightingale let out a light laugh and spoke directly:

“So by ‘cooperation’ you mean I help you get this information? You heard about my connection with Yinglong?”

“No wonder… now I see why you came here.”

“Alright, I can get you Yinglong’s intel—I could even take you to him tomorrow. But the moment you see him, you’ll realize how laughable your idea really is.”

“That man is terrifying. He’s not someone you can outsmart easily. Trying to take him down by force is utterly futile.”

As she spoke, a deep look of apprehension flickered across Blood Nightingale’s eyes.

From her perspective, if Yenir was determined to court disaster, she didn’t mind doing him this ‘favor.’ Perhaps after meeting Yinglong, she could even turn the tables…

With Yinglong’s power, he could easily obliterate that bastard in a heartbeat. Even his aura was no match—it wasn’t even his, but at least a Third-Stage Advanced. Given such strength, she’d rather believe he was one of the hidden titans in the Canglang Safe Zone!

It was as if Yenir read her mind. He knew that though this woman now seemed resigned and self-destructive, she was simply backed into a corner. If given a chance to turn things around, she wouldn’t hesitate.

“Then take me to him. Get his schedule and movements.”

“And as for your plan to turn things around with Yinglong? I suggest you drop that idea.”

“Your identity must be fake, right? The Farming Team’s name is on every kill list in the Safe Zones. Besides, the aura that tracked you before was one of my own. If I die, you die too.”

Coolly issuing a threat, Yenir ordered Liang Lie to lock onto her signal once more.

Sure enough, as the prior aura of death surged back, a glimmer of hope that had once shone in Blood Nightingale’s eyes vanished as she trembled, hugging herself tightly.

Who the hell is this kid, anyway!?

Why would someone like him listen to her so completely!?

Before she could ponder further, she felt herself abruptly lifted and enveloped in an embrace.

“Long nights, Miss Blood Nightingale. You don’t think I’d let you leave my side, do you?”

“I know you’re still holding a grudge over what happened. How about this—I take a hit so you won’t hate me so much?”

“Ugh…”

With a cry of pain, Blood Nightingale stared dumbfounded at the Youth who clutched her in a tight embrace, still struggling to process it.

The posture, the setting—it was all the same, only this time Yenir was without any gear.

“No… I won’t allow it!”

………………..

Downstairs on the top floor, Tang Hai silently observed the cracking walls and the emerging fissures in the ceiling, his heart filled with conflicted emotions.

He managed a bitter smile, shook his head, and then turned away in sorrow.

Damn it—it’s always this noisy.

Do young people these days really have that kind of stamina?

Is this supposed to be a human jackhammer?