Returning once again to Zero City, Chen Xiaolian sat on the sandy beach of Love Sea, where artificial sand and artificial waves gave the whole Love Sea a touch of exoticism.
This time in Zero City, Chen Xiaolian could clearly feel that there were many more people on the beach of Love Sea than before.
Walking beside Chen Xiaolian was a young man who seemed as composed as if he had traversed mountains and seas, his demeanor serious and reserved — from his countenance, Chen Xiaolian couldn't help but feel that this guy bore some resemblance to the man in the black suit by Qiao Yifeng's side.
This young man introduced himself as Guan Shan and was extremely polite to Chen Xiaolian, almost to the point of deference. At first, Chen Xiaolian was a bit puzzled, but upon second thought, everything became clear — it seemed that this young man named Guan Shan had also witnessed the Blood Verdict.
A few hours ago, Guan Shan had come to Chen Xiaolian and then escorted him back to Zero City.
What surprised Chen Xiaolian was that this time, Bluesea did not invite him directly to the headquarters, the Hive, in the heart of the Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild. Instead, they chose to meet at Love Sea.
The beach was crowded with people, and if it weren't for being in Zero City, Chen Xiaolian might have mistaken it for being in some tropical tourist destination in Southeast Asia, or perhaps in Miami or South America.
"Yesterday marked the beginning of Zero City's Open Day," Guan Shan noticed Chen Xiaolian's confusion and took the initiative to provide an explanation.
Chen Xiaolian was momentarily stunned.
Open Day?
He couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The last time Zero City had an Open Day, he had attended, albeit unintentionally getting involved in the Tokyo Instance.
And this time around, none of the team members had paid attention to the news in the Awakened community. It seemed that the recent unexpected sacrifice of Qiao Qiao in the Instance had dampened morale, causing everyone to overlook major events within this circle.
"Open Day..." Chen Xiaolian glanced at the beach and then at the street behind, noticing an increase in the frequency of patrol by Sentinel Mechas compared to before.
Sitting under a beach umbrella, Chen Xiaolian had a chilled drink by his side. He wasn't sure what it was, but it had a rich fruity aroma and a sweet and sour taste when he drank it.
At this moment, Chen Xiaolian looked no different from the other Awakeneds on the beach. He wore a flowery Hawaiian shirt, sandals, and shorts.
Moreover, before entering Zero City this time, Guan Shan had given him an item, a [B] class appearance modification tool: a seemingly ordinary pair of glasses.
Once worn, it could modify the wearer's appearance by up to twenty percent, including facial features, hair, and even body shape.
At this moment, Chen Xiaolian appeared as a fairly typical Asian with slightly curly hair and a much more muscular physique.
For this change in appearance, Guan Shan had provided an explanation: if you didn't want to attract too much attention upon entering Zero City, it was best to wear it.
Chen Xiaolian understood very well: because of the Blood Verdict incident, he had already become somewhat famous in Zero City.
Sitting on the beach for about twenty minutes, Guan Shan was a sensible guy. He didn't talk much but quietly accompanied Chen Xiaolian. Chen Xiaolian silently watched the flow of people on the beach, observing the Awakeneds of various skin tones from around the world, men and women, frolicking and playing here.
In this absolutely safe place of Zero City, there was no need to worry about the crises in the Instances. Moreover, private fights were strictly prohibited in Zero City, and any violations would be met with severe punishment.
So these Awakeneds rarely had such relaxed moments where they could let down their guard, and the whole beach seemed lively.
As Chen Xiaolian silently observed all of this, he pondered his own questions: why had Bluesea sought him out?
And the answer, it seemed, was quite simple and clear.
Just as Chen Xiaolian was lost in thought, Guan Shan suddenly stood up.
Chen Xiaolian turned to look, only to see a middle-aged stranger who had somehow approached behind him without his notice.
Although the appearance of this middle-aged man seemed unfamiliar, Chen Xiaolian immediately noticed that he was wearing the same style of glasses on his nose as himself. Seeing Guan Shan's respectful expression, a thought crossed his mind: "Bluesea?"
"Long time no see," Bluesea's voice was unmasked, and Chen Xiaolian recognized it instantly.
Chen Xiaolian stood up and shook hands with Bluesea, and the two of them sat down on the beach chairs.
Guan Shan promptly showed understanding and stepped back a few paces, positioning himself several meters away.
The location Bluesea had chosen was well-chosen — not too far from the beach, nor too close, allowing them to observe the crowd without being disturbed.
"How does it feel?" Bluesea also observed the crowd, his tone seemingly casual.
"Everyone seems to be very happy," Chen Xiaolian sighed.
"Indeed," Bluesea agreed sincerely. "In this circle, every Awakened's life is burdened with heaviness. They endure mental pressure, struggle, tests, and hardships almost every moment. Zero City's opening is like providing everyone with an absolute safe haven. During these Open Days, it's like a festival for Awakeneds all over the world."
"Throughout, gaining access to Zero City's Open Day has always been very difficult. It's not just because you can trade for good things here. For Awakeneds, this is the true safe haven for a vacation."
Chen Xiaolian fell silent for a moment, taking a sip of his drink before turning to Bluesea. "Why did you arrange to meet me here instead of at the Hive?"
"Because I need to be cautious," Bluesea's tone was candid as he looked directly into Chen Xiaolian's eyes. "Talking to you, I need to clarify something. I don't want anyone to know we've met until I'm certain about the implications of this matter."
Chen Xiaolian raised an eyebrow. "You mean... Qiao Yifeng?"
"Yes, precisely, Qiao Yifeng."
Since both parties had laid their cards on the table, Bluesea seemed to have no intention of beating around the bush. "I've noticed some unusual circumstances."
"Mm," Chen Xiaolian nodded.
"Qiao Yifeng is one of the founders of the team, and I've always been diligent in protecting him. So, if anything unusual happens around him, it immediately comes to my attention."
Chen Xiaolian still nodded casually.
"In that case, I don't think there's any need to beat around the bush," Bluesea hesitated for a moment. "Qiao Qiao, what happened?"
"You've found out?" Chen Xiaolian frowned.
"Yes," Bluesea nodded. "We have."
Chen Xiaolian fell silent.
"Chen Xiaolian," Bluesea adopted a more patient tone and spoke slowly. "Before we proceed with this conversation, I want you to understand one thing."
"What's that?"
"Our relationship should be quite intimate," Bluesea said slowly. "You helped us through the ordeal of the Blood Verdict, which was almost a test of life and death. Your assistance in that matter was a tremendous favor. And then, there's your relationship with Skyblade. You helped us retrieve Skyblade... even though he's ultimately no longer with us.
But at least in these matters, I, and the entire Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild, owe you a great deal.
There should be a close bond between us."
I hope you can understand this point, and perhaps ease some of your concerns during our conversation."
Chen Xiaolian looked up at Bluesea.
"For now, this conversation exists only between you and me," Bluesea said calmly. "Even my visit to you, aside from Guan Shan, is known to no one else. As for Qiao Qiao's incident... the number of people who know about it within Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild doesn't exceed three. I've handled it very carefully."
"You're very cautious," Chen Xiaolian smiled wryly.
"When something strange happens, it's best to understand what's going on first before making a big fuss. That's my experience from many years of handling things," Bluesea explained.
"It's a good habit," Chen Xiaolian couldn't help but praise.
Bluesea smiled gently, his gaze soft. "So, can we have an open conversation now?"
Chen Xiaolian looked at Bluesea. "What do you think happened to Qiao Qiao?"
"I believe Qiao Qiao, she's likely no longer in this world," Bluesea chose his words carefully and measured his tone.
Chen Xiaolian's gaze flickered!
He keenly noticed that Bluesea hadn't used the word "dead" but rather "no longer in this world."
And undoubtedly, in the context of Qiao Qiao's situation, the latter was more... accurate and meaningful than the former.
"In the last Instance we just participated in," Chen Xiaolian whispered softly, "Qiao Qiao sacrificed herself."
Bluesea raised an eyebrow.
Although he had already guessed the answer, hearing it directly from Chen Xiaolian still stirred something within Bluesea.
He frowned at Chen Xiaolian. "Forgive my bluntness... you don't seem as saddened as I expected."
Chen Xiaolian took a slightly irritated deep breath. "...I don't want to answer that question."
Bluesea silently watched Chen Xiaolian. After a few seconds, just when Chen Xiaolian thought Bluesea was going to press further, the wise leader of the Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild suddenly changed his tone. Instead of pressing for answers, he seemed to embark on a narrative, almost as if lost in his own thoughts.
A peculiar narrative.
"Old Qiao was my good brother, to be precise, the four of us have always been the best of brothers," Bluesea's tone seemed tinged with a hint of nostalgia.
"Old Qiao had two daughters, a fact that we've known for a long time. Qiao Qiao is Old Qiao's daughter, and Yu Jiajia is too.
In his younger days, Old Qiao lived a wild life— even after becoming an Awakened, he didn't stop this recklessness.
And, I believe you can tell, he must have been quite the lady's man in his youth."
Chen Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Qiao Yifeng's looks and charisma were top-notch among men, so it wasn't difficult to understand if he had a bit of a playboy streak in his youth.
"During our days as Awakeneds, everyone lived under a lot of tension. I believe you can understand that. Every Instance was a life-and-death struggle, walking on a tightrope, licking the blade's edge. Everyone was under immense mental pressure.
"So, after each Instance ended, everyone would take advantage of the downtime to go wild and blow off steam."
Chen Xiaolian expressed understanding for this statement.
In his own team, the Lun Tai and Bei Tai were typical examples.
After each Instance, the two brothers would leave for a while to indulge in revelry and debauchery. For example, after one Instance ended, the brothers went to Las Vegas for several days of wild living.
Such phenomena were very common in the circle of Awakeneds.
"So, Yu Jiajia is an unexpected result from Qiao Yifeng's past," Bluesea said slowly.
Chen Xiaolian remained silent.
"Qiao Yifeng's wife died very early, leaving behind Qiao Qiao. How should I put it... I can only say that Qiao Yifeng harbored a great deal of guilt toward his wife, so he vowed never to remarry for the rest of his life. And he also transferred this guilt onto Qiao Qiao. I can only say that Yu Jiajia's appearance was an accident.
"At first, when he found out about his own indulgence outside and ended up with an illegitimate daughter, he was also very surprised.
"I can tell you that Qiao Yifeng didn't really like Yu Jiajia's mother; it was just a moment of indulgence.
"I personally don't judge whether this behavior is good or bad.
"But later, when Qiao Yifeng discovered that he actually had an illegitimate daughter, he still decided to take responsibility for it.
"So, Yu Jiajia has always been secretly taken care of by him in Hang'an City."
"What about Yu Jiajia's mother?" Chen Xiaolian asked curiously.
"She took some money and left, disappeared — voluntarily," Bluesea's tone was very flat. "In fact, she didn't really want the child herself. She was very young back then, and she only gave birth to the child purely to try to get some money from Old Qiao."
Chen Xiaolian fell silent — such similar occurrences, in this world, were probably happening every day.
"As an Awakened, to ordinary people, we're practically like superheroes. We can easily obtain the wealth and status that ordinary people dream of. So, Yu Jiajia was very well taken care of since childhood.
"But later, Qiao Yifeng unexpectedly died in a mission Instance and was respawned as an ordinary person.
"The three of us brothers made a decision to awaken his memories and let him continue to stay within the team. Looking back now, this decision was somewhat selfish.
"Since he had already died once, why not just let him stay away from all this? But back then, we awakened him. This is something that, from my personal perspective, I've always felt guilty about towards Old Qiao.
"Old Qiao became the agent of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild's worldly ventures. We initiated the 'retirement' plan, at least to prevent those brothers who had fought side by side with us, only to die in battle and respawn as ordinary people, from wandering aimlessly in the secular world.
"I think we all couldn't bear to see our once heroic warrior brothers endure hardships in their post-Awakened lives.
"So, we initiated the 'retirement' plan, and after recalling Qiao Yifeng, he took charge of it all.
"And for a permanent team of Zero City, we have enough power to create a vast wealth conglomerate in the secular world."
"I understand," Chen Xiaolian nodded.
"We, actually, never really liked Yu Jiajia."
Bluesea's sudden revelation left Chen Xiaolian stunned.
He looked at Bluesea curiously.
"Because Qiao Yifeng's wife is Thunderflame's sister," Bluesea said lightly, leaving Chen Xiaolian dumbfounded.
This... was indeed a new situation!
"In other words, Thunderflame has a fiery temperament. At the time when Yu Jiajia was born, Qiao Yifeng's wife had already passed away for quite some time. So Thunderflame tolerated Qiao Yifeng's indulgence. Although she might have felt some discomfort in her heart, after all... they were related, and it wasn't an affair within marriage. You can't expect your brother to remain single for the rest of his life. Besides, among the Awakened, there are too many Instances of indulging in personal lives due to excessive pressure, so everyone just turns a blind eye."
"Qiao Qiao grew up under the care of us old guys. Although we tried not to involve her and never brought her into the world of Zero City... after Old Qiao was recalled following his death, we tried even harder to keep Qiao Qiao away from our world.
"You can understand that because of Thunderflame's existence, everyone would pamper Qiao Qiao like a princess. But Yu Jiajia... has always been raised by Qiao Yifeng in Hang'an, without any status."
"I don't know what to say," Chen Xiaolian said with a wry smile.
"You don't need to say anything. After all, this matter didn't have much to do with you before," Bluesea sighed. "But now, it's become quite significant."
Chen Xiaolian frowned.
"Qiao Qiao is dead, and Qiao Yifeng's memory has obviously been reset and modified by the system. I've investigated it, and no ordinary person outside remembers Qiao Qiao's existence... which means all traces of her existence have been completely erased from the world of ordinary people. Qiao Yifeng no longer has this memory... For you, perhaps it's not a bad thing, after all, you don't have to face an angry and grieving father.
"But the problem is... besides Qiao Yifeng, there's someone else who cares deeply about Qiao Qiao's life and death, and that person is..."
"Thunderflame?" Chen Xiaolian frowned.
Speaking of Thunderflame, Chen Xiaolian had always been curious about this person.
The so-called "Blade Mountain Flame Sea" corresponded to four people.
Naturally, the Blade was Skyblade, the Mountain was Qiao Yifeng, and the Sea was Mr. Bluesea.
Chen Xiaolian had naturally interacted with these three individuals.
But this Thunderflame, as one of the four giants of Blade Mountain Flame Sea, had never shown himself.
Even during crucial times like Blood Verdict, which involved life and death for Blade Mountain Flame Sea.
This guy never appeared, as if he were invisible!
When Bluesea had decided to sacrifice himself for the team and entered the Blood Verdict arena alone, ready to fight with a determination to die, Thunderflame still mysteriously failed to appear!
This issue had piqued Chen Xiaolian's curiosity before, but it was the privacy of another team, so he hadn't dared to inquire further.
"Why did you suddenly mention Thunderflame, and what's the purpose behind telling me this?" Chen Xiaolian asked Bluesea.
"Qiao Qiao's cause of death, and why she completely disappeared, Qiao Yifeng no longer has the possibility to ask you. Although I'm very curious, if you're adamant about not telling me, I have no reason to press you. Although I believe this matter must be crucial, out of gratitude for your past kindness to us, I will not press you.
However, there's one person who will not let you off the hook.
That person is Thunderflame."
"Oh?" Chen Xiaolian chuckled bitterly. "He... won't let me off?"
"I know Thunderflame's temperament best. There's a saying, 'there's no mistake in the chosen nickname.' Since his nickname is Thunderflame, there's no need for me to say much about his temperament.
Based on my understanding of Thunderflame, I can describe his temperament in just sixteen words."
Bluesea paused and then continued slowly, "Fiery temperament, unpredictable emotions, unruly and domineering, fierce and tyrannical."
Chen Xiaolian frowned. "Do you think he'll come looking for me?"
"Once he finds out about Qiao Qiao's complete disappearance, he'll definitely come looking for you," Bluesea replied.
Chen Xiaolian fell silent.
Bluesea sighed. "Perhaps you'll think I'm exaggerating, but based on my understanding of Thunderflame's temperament, she never acts rationally. Once she learns that Qiao Qiao is dead, she'll come straight to you, interrogate you for all the details... and most likely, she'll even try to eliminate you."
"Eliminate me?"
"Yes," Bluesea said casually. "Because you were Qiao Qiao's man. She died while she was with you, so it's your responsibility."
Chen Xiaolian paused for a moment before nodding. "I accept. I do deserve punishment for this."
"It's not over," Bluesea frowned. "Killing just you might not be enough. She'll probably move to eliminate everyone in your team who survived the Instances. Because she's done similar things before.
Redirecting anger towards others has always been her biggest flaw."
This sparked discontent in Chen Xiaolian. "Qiao Qiao was my woman. If he wants to punish me, fine, I accept it. But why involve my other team members? What responsibility do they bear? Thunderflame's actions can't be so unreasonable!"
Bluesea's expression turned somewhat strange. "Being unreasonable... is quite normal. In this world, women often act unreasonably."
"Women... Wait a minute!" Chen Xiaolian suddenly widened his eyes. "Women?! Are you saying... Thunderflame is a woman?!"