Chapter 255: Just one bite

Xu Chuyao pressed the elevator button, watching the display panel as it stayed stuck in the mid-teens. She threw her hands out in a helpless gesture.

“Usually, one is enough, but with so many people staying here lately, it’s not working out so well.”

She had just watched someone go up, and there was no telling how long it would take for the elevator to come back down.

At that moment, an invisible Wind quietly gathered around them. With a gentle lift of the girl’s hand, the two of them slowly floated out the window and drifted toward the upper floors.

Shen Ning had taken action.

“Can you carry people while flying now?”

“Yes.”

“It feels quite comfortable.”

“I added a Soft Property.”

“And it’s completely invisible. It’s a Composite Skill, isn’t it? When did you practice this?”

“I just… practiced whenever I had time.”

Shen Ning was a little nervous.

In truth, she had received this move as a reward just yesterday. As for why she was rewarded, it was likely because she had been forced to “enjoy” herself while lying in bed, unable to move.

Xu Chuyao did not intend to press for details, however. She simply curled her lip.

“So what if it’s a Composite Skill? It’s not like I don’t know how to use them.”

“No, I was just testing it out…”

After being stuck in bed for a few days for no clear reason, it was only natural for Shen Ning to worry about her body and want to test her abilities.

This was the Council Spire, the headquarters of the Council of Pacifiers. Every Councilor possessed at least the strength of the late Four Stages, and more than half of humanity’s top combat power was concentrated here.

Therefore, a Composite Skill was not particularly unusual.

However, Wen Shengqing, who had witnessed the entire process, had his brows furrowed as his temples throbbed with a faint ache.

‘Is she already at the Fourth Tier Peak? How long has it been?’

When he considered the terrifying growth speed of the two girls and combined it with the Old Speaker’s recent attitude, he suddenly realized something.

It was a fact that Xu Chuyao had understood long ago.

A new Controller had already been quietly selected.

And that person was not among them.

During the latter stages of the war, while the two strongest individuals were fighting tooth and nail, the Old Speaker had chosen someone else.

It sounded utterly preposterous.

Unless the chosen person truly could break through to the Fifth Rank within a few short months and reach the limit of what others spent their entire lives trying to achieve.

What was even more ridiculous was that this girl seemed like she actually could.

And even more absurd than that, she had a girl by her side with even higher talent who followed her every word.

Time was running out.

And he was still being pestered by his former friend.

“Marshal? Lord Marshal?”

Without realizing it, he had walked onto the third floor balcony.

Judas was sitting opposite him, a flattering smile plastered on his face.

“Lord Marshal, you know that although I stood on General Chu’s side for a while recently, I used to be your loyal subordinate…”

—

Floating from the outer wall up to the rooftop felt like a reverse base jump.

Xu Chuyao stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down. She found the experience rather novel.

Of course, she couldn’t actually see anything—her White Rabbit blocked her line of sight.

However, her imagination had always been vivid.

“We just flew up like that. If we posted it online, people would think the video was playing in reverse.”

Shen Ning didn’t have such strange trains of thought. She cared more about the flowerbeds on the roof, looking around and touching the sprinkler next to the water tank.

“Who planted these flowers?”

“That old geezer… ah, I mean, the Council Speaker. He’s a kind and amiable elder.” Xu Chuyao walked over to her side. “Do you want to plant flowers too?”

“I like watching them sway in the wind.” Shen Ning raised her hand to gesture at a certain height. “It’s very high here, and the wind is strong.”

It was even higher than the Academy’s Clock Tower, and the wind was much more powerful.

Just as Xu Chuyao was about to say something more, her mobile phone suddenly vibrated.

“We’ve arrived. We just got to the airport, a bit earlier than expected,” Yu Jing’s voice came through the phone.

“Is anyone blocking the way?”

“Yes.”

Xu Chuyao frowned slightly.

The matter of the witness had been stated publicly during the meeting a few days ago in front of so many people. If Wen Shengqing really made a move now, it would be as good as a confession.

Unless he stood to gain something even greater.

She thought for a moment before speaking into the phone.

“Head Teacher, take Morris and take a detour. Use a different route and don’t let them stop you easily. We’ll be there to support you immediately.”

—

On the balcony.

Judas had been talking for over ten minutes. He spoke rapidly and logically, fully demonstrating his linguistic prowess.

He was indeed very capable.

Wen Shengqing had been waiting—waiting for the man to accidentally mention a keyword and trigger a backlash from the rules.

But the man was constantly dancing around the edges. He said things like, ‘I am also loyal to General Chu, but a man always has to leave himself a way out,’ speaking with absolute precision.

After he finished, he even took a sip of tea.

He simply refused to die.

“What do you think, Lord Marshal? If you need me… could you give me some instructions?”

Wen Shengqing was starting to lose interest.

The current situation was that the man wanted to defect, but he was unwilling to make any substantial commitments.

What use was that?

“You’ll work for me?”

“Yes, Lord Marshal. I am willing to work for you, for the sake of—”

“Guh!”

Black Tide Water suddenly surged from Judas’s mouth and nose, instantly drowning his head.

“Mar… shal…”

Those two muffled words were his final testament.

Until the moment of his death, he never understood what had happened.

Wen Shengqing watched coldly. Then, he lightly tapped the table.

Metal grew out from the table and chairs like vines, fixing the corpse in place so it wouldn’t fall over.

It was as if he were making a silent declaration.

‘I am a Metal Elemental.’

‘You died by water.’

‘It has nothing to do with me.’

“Lord Marshal! I’ve finally found you—ah!”

Peter Mo rushed in, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw the corpse.

“What is it?”

“That… the matter you instructed me on. I felt I needed to report to you.”

He took a breath before stammering out his words.

“The plane has arrived, but we didn’t get the person. They took a car down a side road and ran. Our people are in pursuit.”

“Also, Miss Xu and the others have moved as well. They are heading over to provide support.”

“And… someone saw that Chu Cang went there too!”

This was the real reason he had hurried to report.

Xu Chuyao, Shen Ning, Chu Cang, and the now-dead Judas…

A series of names connected rapidly in Wen Shengqing’s mind.

Why would Judas defect?

Because a few days ago, he had heavily injured Chu Cang while remaining unscathed himself.

The balance of power had shifted, and the difference in strength was now apparent.

Now that Judas was dead, Chu Cang’s faction had lost another member.

The next time he activated his ability, the other side’s stakes would be at a disadvantage.

From this moment on—

It was like a snowball effect.

Fewer stakes led to more severe injuries, which led to lower morale, which led to more people wavering, which led to even fewer stakes.

It was a cycle.

He was confident that he could completely deal with Chu Cang in the near future.

After that, he would turn back to handle Xu Chuyao.

Thinking of this, Wen Shengqing felt a sense of clarity.

The only problem was the events of today.

If he allowed Xu Chuyao to successfully bring forth her accusations while the Old Speaker was deliberately trying to maintain a balance, the situation would be stalled.

That would be troublesome.

Therefore, he had to—