Chapter 778

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Bickering with the System is Shen Yao's daily routine; the System has long since grown accustomed to it.

At this moment, the System — having pulled up the target's exact location — was directing the Host throughout the entire process, urging her to seize the time and absolutely not miss this rare opportunity.

Shen Yao: ……

"You worry far too much. Instead of that, you'd do better to spend more time considering how we'll arrange the upcoming task worlds."

The mission in this world was already more or less done (mainly because Aolai's situation was excellent, and safety required zero concern whatsoever; Shen Yao, having achieved the objective, could now simply lie flat), and Shen Yao only wanted to earn a bit of extra reward — otherwise she wouldn't have gone out at all.

"Host, the next task world was settled long ago — where would there be any need for me to arrange it?"

Speaking of the next task world, the System's chatter increased considerably; this was a change brought about by long-term external influence.

After all, the System didn't chat much with the Host on ordinary days, and some of it was just the System making conversation for the sake of it; compared to how other Systems and their Hosts got along, the System felt exceptionally lowly.

Sigh

But being lowly has its perks — at least its Host can persist for a long time, unlike other Systems' Hosts who croak after just a few worlds for all sorts of reasons. The System couldn't accept that; it doesn't have that much energy to let those Hosts go to waste for nothing.

"But Host, rest assured — the next task world is one the System meticulously selected, guaranteed safe and reliable with absolutely no risk."

The System spoke arrogantly, its guarantee thunderous, but Shen Yao didn't believe a single word of it.

Who asked for the System's credibility score to be so low? Right at the end it always managed to produce this or that blunder. Shen Yao still remembered the several mix-ups during transmigrations, and didn't know whether it was the System's own problem or some other influence.

Shaking her head helplessly, Shen Yao was by now almost at the destination.

This was a residential area of varying building heights; from the architecture it looked extremely chaotic and mixed, and the residents inside were of all sorts. Just in the time it took to walk there, Shen Yao had already run into no fewer than several groups of villains sneaking glances at her — perhaps after money, perhaps after lust, or perhaps greed driving them to want both.

Flashing into a deserted alley, surrounded by potholed ground and sewage, Shen Yao unsurprisingly encountered highwaymen who jumped out at her.

These people bore fierce, vicious faces; their bodies gave off a sour, stinking odor, and their words were disgusting to the extreme — especially those eyes sizing her up as if she were valuable goods. Shen Yao wanted nothing more than to gouge those eyes out and crush them underfoot.

A bunch of trash!

Narrowing her eyes to scan the circle, Shen Yao coldly ordered them to clear the way.

"Clear the way?"

"How could that do, Madam?"

"Better obediently cooperate and hand over your valuables, and spare yourself physical suffering."

"……"

Several people surrounded Shen Yao, laughing vilely, causing the space to shrink smaller and smaller.

Shen Yao: ……

Ordinary people are no match for a vampire; vines struck swiftly, and before the other side could react, they had already been turned into giant cocoons one by one.

Shen Yao elegantly smoothed her hair, strolling unconcerned to the side of these cocoons; the vines behaved exceptionally lively, hopping and jumping, constantly waving their rattan strips.

The cocoons shrank from large to small, finally vanishing entirely, but the vines binding them had visibly thickened a ring — only to return to normal in the blink of an eye.

Shen Yao raised her hand to recall the vines into her body; a flash of red light flickered and vanished — the sign that the energy inside the vines had been absorbed by Shen Yao.

Mm

Although these people looked disgusting, the energy they provided was not insignificant; facing the upcoming capture operation, Shen Yao was all the more confident.

Walking out of the alley, the situation outside was still much the same as when she had entered.

Looking up, some bright light filtered in, yet it carried not a trace of warmth.

Shen Yao let out a light breath; just now the vines had handled the entire fight — Shen Yao only stood watching from not far away — so her body had no blood smell at all, still clean and spotless, unlike someone who could survive here.

Passing through alley after alley, passing resident after resident with complex expressions, Shen Yao finally stopped before a dilapidated little house.

Mm

The System's positioning placed the target right here; though Shen Yao found it hard to understand why this King would live here, the System could not be wrong on this point.

"Host, centered on this house, there are no fewer than five dangerous forces gathered in the surroundings.

We should still be cautious; otherwise if something happens, no one can help."

They had gone out alone, and this King was the bait; Shen Yao, as the fish being angled for, though her own probability of mortal danger was low, still couldn't rule it out entirely.

The timid System advised the Host to be careful again and again, absolutely ensuring her own safety.

Of course, ensuring the Host's safety was ensuring its own safety — the two of them were completely inseparable; even in the current situation, the System's little calculations were still many.

"Since we've come, there's no way to withdraw," because those five different forces had already locked onto her; a person who has entered the game has no possibility of retreat — only completing the task is the way out.

Having the System continue monitoring those five forces, Shen Yao took out the vines she had recalled earlier, then hurled them forward violently; in an instant, the vines activated and became long whips, fiercely tearing open the house before her.

Rock fragments and wood blocks flew scattering through the air, among them a soul-shaking shout.

The King hiding inside looked young, and his mental fortitude wasn't great either — perhaps the experiences of this period had left him inexplicably fearful; today, seeing his own room directly torn open, he clearly suffered a mental breakdown.

No one cared about him, leaving him to scream his throat raw with no one paying attention.

Fortunately this King had long since stopped caring about such things; he just covered his ears and crouched on the ground wailing. Until a rumbling sound kept coming from overhead, this King only then snapped back to his senses, twisted his head, and fled into the underground tunnel he had dug out.

The tunnel wasn't large — he had dug it himself out of boredom on his own initiative; normally used as an escape route, he never expected it would actually come in handy today.

Sighing inwardly that opportunity favors the prepared, the King nimbly jumped down the tunnel, intending to leave this environment that looked extremely dangerous.

The System reminded the Host: the prey is about to escape their control — not going after him?

"Wait until I've dealt with the people right in front of me," Shen Yao concentrated fully, locked in battle with the five forces, both sides fighting bitterly with ruthless moves.

In the end it was still Shen Yao who gained the upper hand; the vines she flung out swiftly whipped the people away until they smashed into the ground, life or death unknown.

Not forgetting a finishing blow to ensure they were truly dealt with, Shen Yao looked up at the room already razed flat, as if casually picking a direction, legs tensing, then pushing off violently upward, leaping away directly.

Huff puff

The young king who had run out was a mess from head to toe, crumbs and dust on his clothes burying him; if he hadn't gritted his teeth and forced himself out, he would surely have perished in the Yellow Springs.

After one last glance behind to confirm no one was pursuing, the young king exhaled comfortably, plopped down on the ground, and only after a long while slowly climbed back up.

Of course, getting up wasn't the end of it; perhaps feeling his luck was better than most, having escaped and kept his life, he grew unusually smug and couldn't help but say a few more words, but as he turned at the next Xiang Kou, he ran head-on into Shen Yao waiting there.

King:...

Shen Yao smiled, stepped forward, forcing the young king to keep retreating until he shrank back with a crack and fell to the ground, weeping and begging for mercy.

Shen Yao:...

Tsk tsk tsk.

He really has no resilience, does he? She thought he'd last a bit longer.

"Host, human lives are at stake," at a time like this, still considering resilience? To be honest, few ordinary people could manage it; otherwise this king wouldn't have run out of King City, if not to survive.

"Come with me; I trust you don't want to be tied up all the way."

Shen Yao spoke lightly, but the other dared not ignore her words; previously he could flip a room with a finger, so what couldn't he do now?

Crawling up obediently, not even bothering to tidy his filthy clothes, the young king followed closely behind Shen Yao, not that he hadn't thought of escaping midway, but comparing the gap in their capabilities, he stayed honest.

"He who knows the times is a true hero," this man may have lost his backbone a bit, but in valuing his life he was indeed commendable; along the way she not only had to look after him but also deal with other forces attacking her, the vines Shen Yao threw out grew larger and larger, showing how well he'd been fed along the way.

When they returned to the Toweier Family, this young king looked as if he had aged several years, his condition pitifully poor.

Shen Yao summoned the butler and ordered him to make sure this young king's life was preserved before Weilan returned; this was the core of their transaction.

Upon arriving at the Toweier Family, the young king also understood Shen Yao's identity, both surprised that vampires valued him so highly and fearful that she hadn't attacked on the way, wondering if she was planning something bigger once back on their home turf.

"Sir, please rest well," don't imagine extra things; their Toweier Family acts with its own considerations.

The butler was courteous and aloof; no matter how the young king pleaded, he couldn't get the butler to say another word.

In the end it was the young king who first admitted defeat, honestly being locked up; unless necessary, he wouldn't step out of the room.

Only when Weilan and Aolai returned did the young king meet the Toweier Family's surface Family Head, the person he had made the transaction with.

What exactly Weilan and he had discussed, apart from the two of them, no one knew.

But Shen Yao could tell Weilan was in a good mood, appearing very happy outwardly, especially after the werewolf girl and the young king were each traded away, Weilan's good mood was plain to see.

"Did he pick up money?" The system felt Weilan was breaking character; clearly before he was only gentle on the surface but ruthless inside.

How was he now good-natured inside and out? Even if something happened within the Toweier Family, Weilan could calmly laugh it off.

This was unthinkable before, but now it happened again and again; surely the benefits the Toweier Family received were great enough to let Weilan view some things calmly?

The system's imagination ran wild, and was directly stopped by Shen Yao, who had a face full of black lines.

"Picking up money or such isn't reached; it can only be said that with the current situation developing, the benefits the Toweier Family can get are far more than imagined."

Not perfectly achieving expected results, but surpassing expected results by even more.

When resting, Weilan always couldn't help but say a few words quietly to Shen Yao; not quite boasting but almost, anyway no one could refuse such benefits, not even Weilan, who was always unflappable.

"... This is already good, right? Doesn't this mean we can leave soon?"

The system suddenly felt a willow-dark-flower-bright-again-a-village moment, its tone rising considerably.

Shen Yao hummed, indicating it was indeed so, but as a vampire, long life was standard; unless a suitable way to extricate herself was found, she'd have to honestly live for a thousand years.

Shen Yao couldn't stay in this task world for a thousand years before leaving.

But she hadn't yet figured out how to leave, so she could only leave this problem for later.

Rumble rumble rumble.

This was already the third time this month being hit; outside the Toweier Family fireworks exploded frequently, Shen Yao knew this was the werewolves' unwilling counterattack.

"Tsk tsk tsk, so intense, dead dead..." The system was like a spectator loafer, running around the Toweier Family; wherever there was liveliness, it was there.

Weilan and Aolai were among them; father and son were the main force in the fight, as long as they acted, they were sure to gain the upper hand in this situation.

But Weilan and Aolai were only two; most still relied on other vampires, including other forces that had previously defected or allied, with the determination that both sides would suffer skin and bone injuries, the werewolves' counterattack was repelled again.

One counterattack after another not only consumed the vampires' forces but also pressured the werewolves' foundation; compared to the vampires' years of achievements, the werewolves had always been the suppressed side.

This time they scattered the werewolves' counterattack; even though the vampires suffered heavy losses, Weilan and Aolai still breathed a sigh of relief, feeling there was no problem.

"Soon, they can't hold out much longer; soon we'll achieve our wish; once there are no werewolves causing trouble behind the scenes, the chaotic continent can soon be calmed."

Humans are still too dispensable; the vampires' years of operation have placed many in high positions; as long as those in high positions want peace, the lower-class humans can't stop anything.

This is also the Human Alliance's fragility; human nature is not something to be tested; human society may lack combat power, but to understand things within it and navigate like a fish in water requires no small amount of effort.