The scene grew ever more absurd. Little Zeus had been struck down in the final instant before he could exit the game.
Lightning cracked and fire seeds scattered through the air. A dark figure flashed past, clutching one seed in his hand; for a heartbeat his gaze locked on Chen Xiao, as if to speak, then he swallowed whatever words he had and vanished in a burst of flame.
"What the hell just happened?!" someone screamed. "Lord Little Zeus and Colonel John—ambushed out of nowhere!"
"They planned for this," another voice hissed. "Those Huaxia bastards even prepared for an ambush. Strip, strip now!"
At the cave mouth, the Huaxia group's expressions were priceless — stunned, delighted, incredulous all at once.
"Was that Captain Cao? I thought he was dead!" Zhang Longqi muttered, eyes wide.
Jiang Ling let out a helpless laugh. "He didn't ambush Little Zeus. He was probably just too scared to show himself."
Zhang Longqi shot a sidelong look at Chen Xiao and, grudgingly, nodded toward Jiang Ling. "You're right."
A Yao raced over and grabbed Chen Xiao's sleeve. "Brother Chen Xiao, can we clear the stage now?"
Chen Xiao nodded. "Of course. But first — I'm collecting points."
"Points?" A Yao blinked, then realized: many awakeners were still trapped below. Her face went pale as she glanced toward the cave mouth and squeezed Chen Xiao's clothes, hiding behind him. Inside the cave men were stripping; the women below clenched their teeth and held out as long as they could.
"We surrender, Huaxia elders! We'll give you our fire seeds! Please—let us out! We'll die down here otherwise!" cries rose up from the depths.
The main force below consisted of the Euro Alliance, the Free Nation and the Combat Nation — fourteen people in all. Chen Xiao didn't waste time. "Which of them attacked us?" he asked coldly.
Zhang Longqi pointed to four naked men, who now realized the game was up and bolted for the surface. Chen Xiao would not let them escape. A cyan-blue water blade streaked across the cave mouth like a meteor; none who tried to flee survived. More than twenty fire seeds vanished into the Mountain and River Map.
The slaughter shattered the will of the others. This man killed with no mercy: fast, precise, brutal.
"There was a long-range attacker earlier," A Yao said softly. "I don't know which one it was…"
At her words, the remaining ten men stiffened, but none stepped forward.
Chen Xiao's gaze cut across them like winter light. "No one's going to speak? I meant to be merciful, but you won't stop…" His voice carried a tired disappointment.
Then he vanished. Only a pale afterimage remained before he shot forward with blinding speed. A suffocating killing aura poured around him, driving the men to pale panic.
"Huaxia man! I'll talk! Spare me! It was—" they begged, but the water blade did not pause. One by one they dropped; when the blade dissipated, blood flowed down the molten rock. All ten were dead.
Chen Xiao never learned which of them had fired the long-range strike. It no longer mattered: whoever it had been was dead.
By now nearly two hundred fire seeds sat in Chen Xiao's possession. The gap between him and everyone else was astronomical.
Zhang Longqi swallowed hard. Zhao Yuanhang looked utterly shell-shocked. How could one man slaughter so many so quickly?
Jiang Ling was not surprised — those at the bottom had lingered, waiting to align with Little Zeus. Backing the wrong horse had predictable consequences.
A Yao flashed to his side. "You were amazing, Brother Chen Xiao!"
He smiled faintly and pinched her cheek, then beckoned the group closer. Zhang Longqi and the others gathered at the cave mouth.
"Chen Xiao," Jiang Ling said earnestly, "if not for you, Huaxia would have suffered a catastrophic loss in this National Fortune Game."
"Even if you aren't military, Mad Ghost Boss, we'll report everything truthfully. You saved Huaxia." Zhang Longqi's praise was wholehearted.
Zhao Yuanhang, picking up the cue, tried too: "Yeah, Mad Ghost Boss! We followed the whole way — we did nothing. Don't ask me for a seed!"
Chen Xiao nodded coolly. "Then I won't give you one."
Zhao Yuanhang's face fell. A Yao and Jiang Ling laughed at his expression.
Chen Xiao's tone turned businesslike. "I appreciate that none of you fled. But fire seeds are priceless. I'm giving you two choices."
They leaned in.
"Choice one," he said slowly, "I'll give each of you one fire seed — but you must trade me one Opportunity in return. You don't have to hand it over immediately. You can owe me. Given your status as awakened seconds, obtaining an Opportunity should be within reach."
He let that sink in, then continued.
"Choice two: I give each of you three fire seeds, but from this moment on you serve me. Not just verbally — you will request transfers to the Jiangbei Military Region and swear allegiance. Those are my terms. Decide now."
Chen Xiao never gave anything for free. The third-stage seeds were the key to awakening a second animal — currency and leverage beyond measure. He'd already been generous simply by offering options; what he required in exchange was not unreasonable. Better they be his men than a latent threat.
The Huaxia survivors exchanged glances. They knew the stakes. In this game, everything had a price — and Chen Xiao's price was the kind of security no one else could match.