Chapter 355: The Dynamics of Attack and Defense Differ

355. Chapter 355: The Dynamics of Attack and Defense Differ

On the way back, Ya She Mao kept thinking about the Wanted Notice.

They felt that these two people should not be the same.

After all, when they learned of Jiang Cheng's existence from Qin Lao, the latter was only a Level 3 Original Force Warrior.

It had only been a few months, and he could already solo‑kill an Eight-level Force Warrior? Yet the details on the Wanted Notice were far too close to Jiang Cheng, especially the defection from the Dawn Society.

When he got Jiang Cheng's call back then, he actually guessed that Jiang Cheng was seeking a way out, intending to leave the Dawn Society, but he didn't mind at the time, thinking that the latter's joining might not be a good thing for him; perhaps it was a spy sent by the Dawn Society?

Not joining, on the contrary, eased his mind.

Ya She Mao walked down the stairs, reached his front door, took out his key, opened the door, and went inside.

He placed his key and phone on the coffee table, sat on the sofa and stared off for a while; then his gaze still fell on the phone in front of him.

If he hadn't seen the Wanted Notice posted in streets and alleys, he wouldn't at all have thought of Jiang Cheng now.

But he had seen it; as a Rebel Army informant, he also had to look.

Doubt grew wildly like weeds.

"Perhaps I could make a call and ask?"

That thought arose in his mind.

Fortunately.

He had only blocked Jiang Cheng's number, not deleted it.

"But is that not a bit improper?"

He hesitated again.

He had clearly blocked the other party, yet after a while, he reached out proactively.

"Better to make a call and ask."

Ya She Mao gritted his teeth; without figuring out what was going on, he estimated that he wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.

He retrieved Jiang Cheng's number, removed it from the blacklist, took a deep breath, and pressed the dial button.

In the Lian Dan Shi, Jiang Cheng was meditating to restore Spiritual Power.

Hearing the phone nearby emit a sound, he opened his eyes, and with a thought, the phone flew to his hand.

Seeing the three characters 'Rebel Army' displayed on it, his face couldn't help but show surprise.

He had thought it was a call from Yang Chun or Gu Zhangkong, but it turned out to be that person? "Why is he calling me?"

Jiang Cheng, with doubt, answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Is this Jiang Cheng?"

A somewhat familiar voice sounded.

It was the person from a while back.

"Hmm, why did you suddenly think of me and call?" Jiang Cheng said bluntly.

"Well..."

Ya She Mao gave an awkward smile, "I just saw a Wanted Notice on the road; the name matched yours, so I was curious and called to ask, is it you?"

"Oh, a Wanted Notice."

Jiang Cheng replied, "It's me."

Several days had passed since the unpleasant fallout with Wang Tong, and even if he didn't want to know, Yang Chun would still proactively inform him of any outside stir.

Of course, there were also repeated admonitions not to go out.

"R-really you?"

Hearing Jiang Cheng's calm tone, Ya She Mao opened his mouth wide.

"Otherwise..."

Jiang Cheng shrugged.

"Could there really be such a coincidence in the world—a person with the same name and the same experiences as me?"

"But..."

Ya She Mao was tongue‑tied, "A few months ago, weren't you only a Level 3 Original Force Warrior? Even two months ago, when you called me, you were a Fifth-level Force Warrior; in two months, you went from Fifth-level to Eight-level?"

Jiang Cheng smiled, "Anything is possible, right?"

Ya She Mao swallowed the words he was about to say.

After a moment, he continued, "So, the Black Market valued your talent, which is why they took you in, right?"

The Wanted Notice didn't state it explicitly, but it hinted that Jiang Cheng was hiding in Dinghu Community.

Dinghu Community—its controlling force is unclear to most, but he knew it well. "Yes, and no."

"What does that mean?"

Ya She Mao was taken aback.

"They mainly value my talent for Refining Alchemy."

Jiang Cheng laughed.

As the saying goes, more friends, more paths.

Don't be fooled by his current thriving in the Black Market; who knows when a sudden disaster might strike?

Thus, showing the other side his strength is also fine.

Of course, now the dynamics of attack and defense differ from before.

"Y-you're still an Alchemist!"

Sure enough, hearing that, Ya She Mao's voice suddenly rose a whole octave.

"Yes."

Jiang Cheng continued: "Just being a Force Warrior, even if my talent is high, after offending the Dawn Society and the Law Enforcement Bureau, the Black Market might not go all out to protect me, but if I were a Refining Alchemist, or a senior Refining Alchemist, it would be different."

"H—senior Refining Alchemist?"

Ya She Mao's eyes widened, breathing rapid.

Senior Spiritual Thought Masters are not scarce at the Base.

Even Spiritual Grandmasters are present.

But senior Refining Alchemists are few enough to count on one's fingers.

After all, their numbers are that small.

The chance of a Spiritual Thought Master appearing is already extremely low, let alone one who also has talent in Refining Alchemy.

"Hmm, senior Refining Alchemist," Jiang Cheng said calmly, "with my current ability I can use a standard portion of herbs to forge a Top Grade An Shen Pill; I should be a Seven-level Alchemist now, right?"

Ya She Mao swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Really?"

In such a short time, the other side leapt from Level Three to Eight-level, which alone was enough to astonish him.

Becoming a Seven-level Alchemist is many times harder than the former.

The numbers of the two already show that.

Yet it cannot be denied that Jiang Cheng's words do make sense.

Seven- or Eight-level Force Warriors might not make the Black Market willing to withstand the pressure.

But a single Seven-level Alchemist is enough.

"Any other questions to ask?"

Jiang Cheng gave a faint smile.

"If there are none, I'll hang up first."

"Alright, alright."

Ya She Mao nodded like a puppet.

Hearing the call end, he jolted awake.

But soon, like a deflated balloon, he slumped on the sofa.

Not to mention anything else, just an Eight-level Force Warrior is worth courting.

Let alone, the other is also an Alchemist, a senior Refining Alchemist!

Of course, whether the latter is true still needs verification, but the former's possibility is probably high, since Wanted Notices are posted outside.

Yet, back then a chance like this lay before me, and I gave it up; now trying to court the other side is probably not easy.

Anyone with eyes can see that Jiang Cheng staying in the Black Market has a brighter future, and can later enter the Inner City District to reach a higher realm.

As for their Rebel Army? They can only hide in deep mountains and forests, in underground Bases; even stepping out to bask in the sun requires caution.

If it were him, he probably wouldn't choose the latter.

"Even so, I still have to report this information upward."

Determination flashed in Ya She Mao's eyes.

If we can invite the other side to join, it would be a great boon for them. (End of chapter)