Facing Lawrence's meaningful smile, Qing's brows furrowed, his expression sour.
"You should know, I have no interest in these tricks. If you're trying to use me to embarrass Helena, I advise you to give up. A favor received is a favor remembered for a thousand years. Without Helena, I couldn't have leveled up so quickly fighting alone.
In my eyes, Helena is the captain of this squad. No one has the right to replace her, especially not that clown.
As for you, honestly Lawrence, I still don't understand what you're trying to do."
Qing was well aware of Lawrence and Helena's relationship. Growing up together as childhood friends, shouldn't they support each other?
How could it come to this, with Lawrence now targeting Helena?
"Qing, I think you've misunderstood. I'm not trying to harm Helena. On the contrary, I'm trying to protect her."
"Protect? Are you kidding me?"
"Isn't it true? Helena, a girl in the spotlight, with limited strength. Though she always stays in the top tier, her stats are just average, and her combat power is quite limited.
Otherwise, why does Helena keep Exiled Immortal by her side at all times? She's also trying to protect herself. I want to protect her too. We should have the same goal.
Think about it, if I become the captain of the Pioneer Squad, Helena will no longer be the target. If danger really arises, it will be directed at me, not Helena.
Rather than have Helena sit in that position with constant fear, wouldn't it be better for her to perform her role with peace of mind, without bearing unnecessary risks? Don't you agree?"
It was obvious that Lawrence's words were nothing but twisted logic.
Setting aside whether Helena had enough strength to protect herself, even if she didn't, just her reputation alone would deter anyone from daring to mess with her.
In the end, Lawrence simply thought Qing was easy to fool, hence concocting such a crude lie.
"You, are you sure that's what you think? You really won't harm Helena?"
"Of course! I love her deeply. If it weren't to protect her, I wouldn't want her to be harmed in the slightest! Qing, join me. Once it's done, I promise Helena won't be in any danger."
"...Let me think about it."
Qing's lips twitched, his calloused hands scratching his head, showing his agitation.
He felt there was something wrong with Lawrence's words, but couldn't pinpoint what it was at the moment.
Since his own mind wasn't clear, Qing decided to ask someone smarter, or better yet, ask Helena directly!
With this thought, Qing waved his hand and said, "Give me some more time to think about it. If there's nothing else, I'll leave now."
As he stood up, intending to shoulder his massive halberd, a sudden, piercing pain struck him. Qing's forehead veins bulged as he looked down in disbelief at the blood-stained blade protruding from his chest!
"La... Lawrence?"
"Sorry, Qing. The time left for you and me is running out. Since you won't compromise, I have to send you on your way. After all, the Pioneer Squad is very important to me. I've been planning for so long, I can't let you ruin it."
Lawrence's previously gentle face had turned hideous and terrifying, his complexion reddening as he exerted all his strength, twisting the knife, grinding Qing's internal organs into a mushy pulp!
Watching his HP plummet, Qing could no longer afford to worry about the pain. He grabbed the turning blade, wedging it firmly between his fingers, and gritted his teeth, "I knew it! You scoundrel never had good intentions!"
"You realized it too late. I can't imagine how someone could be as stupid as you. Couldn't you have been just a little more foolish and agreed right away? You would have made an excellent loyal dog. If you were willing to serve me, I could give you everything you desire. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong person."
With a grunt, Lawrence kicked Qing in the waist, sending him sprawling to the ground. The blade in his hand tore through flesh, leaving a gaping wound in Qing's chest.
"Even now, I still find it hard to believe how realistic the sensations in this game are..."
Lawrence rubbed his fingers, feeling the slick blood trickle down, then brought his fingers to his mouth and gently licked them.
"Even the taste is indistinguishable from real blood. Ah! This taste, it drives me mad with desire!
I can finally escape the law's grasp, decide others' fates at will, and pay no price for it. Can you feel my joy? Hahaha! I absolutely love this game!"
Lawrence's mouth twisted into a grin, eyes gleaming with a mad fervor, like a lunatic lost in his own delusions.
But after his manic laughter, Lawrence suddenly bowed his head, looking at Qing with pity, clicking his tongue.
"Look at you now. What good are your talents and strength? Aren't you still kneeling before me?
Or perhaps you could beg me now. Maybe, just maybe, I'll spare your life. Hahahaha!"
Hearing this, Qing laughed bitterly.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he forced himself to stand, brandishing his massive halberd towards Lawrence.
"You think you can kill me?"
"Your HP is now less than four hundred, and you're carrying a [bleeding] debuff. How much longer can you hold on? Three minutes? Five minutes?
If you ask me, you can't last even thirty seconds! I really don't understand, where do you find the confidence?"
"You're right, thirty seconds is probably my limit."
With each passing second, Qing's HP continued to decline, and he had no items like HP potions at hand. Just as Lawrence said, his life was like a candle in the wind.
"But thirty seconds is enough to do a lot of things!"
Qing roared, fully activating his talent [Roar of Ares]. In his severely injured state, his combat power surged to its peak. That terrifying [Attack], with just one step forward, caused the hard bluestone ground to shatter with a loud crash!
"I'll take you down with me before I go!"
Boom!
A dull sound exploded in front of Qing. Just a simple, unadorned straight punch generated a shockwave that even caused a sonic boom!
Seeing this, Lawrence's face changed dramatically.
He instinctively took out his knight's shield and held it in front of him. Still feeling unsafe, he activated the shield's enchantment.
The chant essence embedded in the shield was instantly refined, and an orange-yellow, semi-transparent barrier formed!
However...
Lawrence overestimated the safety of the enchanted knight's shield and underestimated the fury and determination of a dying man!
With just one encounter, the orange magical barrier shattered instantly, dissolving into stardust, and Qing's fist slammed directly onto the knight's shield, causing it to dent!
Then came the second punch, the third punch!
The relentless attacks fell like raindrops. Lawrence could hardly fathom how the monster before him could keep launching such powerful attacks while spewing blood!
He was nothing less than a human-shaped monster!
"Watch me smash your turtle shell!"
The final punch landed, and the knight's shield let out a mournful crack. The successive blows had brought its mission to an end, shattering it like an eggshell.
Yet Qing's onslaught did not cease!
Lawrence stared at the ever-nearing fist, its joints already exposing white bones, and his mind went blank.
But the imagined scenario of his head being smashed and logging out on the spot did not occur.
Lawrence only felt a warm sensation on his cheek. When he came to, Qing had vanished, leaving only the massive halberd standing where he had been.
Lawrence reached out to touch his cheek, and a smear of crimson spread across his fingertips.
He realized that the mere shockwave from the punch had ground the flesh off his cheek, leaving it a mess of blood and gore.
Meanwhile, outside the alchemy materials shop, Helena abruptly stopped in her tracks, her eyes filled with shock.
"Qing... is dead?"