Chapter 104: Because He Is Strong, He Must Die

Outside.

Amidst a massive pile of chaotic rocks, hundreds of members of the Mad Shark Guild lay in ambush here.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the four young men in the center.

Those four were the third team, the intruding substitutes.

Suddenly.

The captain among the four men's hand trembled violently.

"It's... it's possible to enter..."

Once these words were spoken.

Everyone around felt a jolt in their hearts.

This also meant that the second team had already been wiped out completely.

"This... how could this happen?"

The captain of the third team was a young man with the codename Iron Head.

He instinctively stepped back half a pace.

Those eyes, originally fierce, now held only deep fear.

Not only him, but the three team members standing behind him were also ashen-faced, their bodies trembling all over.

What exactly was inside that Team Fuben?

Why were even the Blade Brother of the first team, who was so strong, and the second team, who were extremely well-prepared, wiped out completely?

The fear of the unknown is the most torturous.

At the same time,

Zhao Tianling, not far away, also noticed the strangeness of the few people.

He understood that the second team had also been wiped out completely.

"There's no logic to this..."

Zhao Tianling frowned, as if talking to himself, "With equipment resisting lightning and fire, plus ice-resistance potions, how could they be wiped out so quickly?"

Shanben Jianyi beside him spoke with a voice terrifyingly calm:

"Lightning and fire were nullified by the equipment, ice was nullified by the potions; the remaining two were a tank and a support."

He turned his head to look at Zhao Tianling, a wise light flickering in his eyes:

"Guild Master Zhao, having eliminated all impossibilities, the remaining one, no matter how absurd, is the only truth."

Zhao Tianling also reacted, saying with some disbelief:

"Are you saying... that Earth element we have always ignored, which we thought was just used by him for survival?"

"Exactly."

Shanben nodded.

Zhao Tianling took a deep breath, a deep shock flashing in the depths of his eyes.

At this stage of over twenty levels, being able to train one set of skills to the extreme already qualifies one as a genius.

To master two sets is to be a monster.

And this Lin Mo...

Lightning, fire, and Earth, mastering all three sets?

Even being able to use each set as a core offensive method?

"Too terrifying..."

Zhao Tianling murmured to himself.

"Guild Master Zhao, now that we know, it will be easy to handle."

Shanben reminded him from the side.

Zhao Tianling looked at him, then had someone bring four bottles of high-grade Earth-resistance potions.

"Iron Head, drink this, go in and kill Lin Mo, and you will be credited with the first merit!"

He looked at the four members of the third team, his tone icy.

Iron Head, the captain among those four, stared at the potion in his hand, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly,

"Thud!"

Iron Head knelt down directly, kowtowing crazily to Zhao Tianling:

"Guild Master! Spare me! I don't want to die!"

"Blade Brother is dead, the second brother is dead too; if we go in, we will die too!"

With the captain leading the way, the psychological defenses of the remaining three team members also collapsed completely.

The three knelt on the ground in unison.

"Guild Master, I beg you, let someone else go!"

"I still have an old mother at home to support; I cannot die!"

"Guild Master, there must be a great terror inside! Going in means death!"

"Long Xu Ban are all devils! If we just go in, it's a death sentence; no amount of resistance will help!"

This scene left the hundreds of Mad Shark Guild members around staring in shock.

Deserting at the critical moment?

And right in front of the Guild Master?

This was something that had never happened in the history of the Mad Shark Guild!

"You... you all..."

Zhao Tianling trembled with rage.

He never imagined his elite troops would be reduced to this state of terror!

"Worthless! A bunch of worthless cowards!"

Zhao Tianling kicked Tie Tou over, furious:

"Maintain soldiers for a thousand days, use them for but one moment!"

"The guild has fed you well and given you fine drinks every day—now we ask you to kill one man, and you pretend to be scared?"

"Get up, all of you! Whoever refuses, I'll kill him right now!"

Tie Tou remained kneeling on the ground, pleading repeatedly:

"Guild Master, I've been in the guild this long—I may not have any achievements to my name, but I've certainly put in the hard work. Let someone else go this time..."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhao Tianling laughed bitterly with fury, "If you all want to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

"Wait."

At that moment,

Shanben Jianyi walked over.

He wore a faint smile as he whispered to Zhao Tianling:

"Guild Master Zhao, don't act rashly."

"Killing them is easy—but if you kill them, who will go in for us?"

Zhao Tianling froze.

He wanted to go in himself.

But the Team Fuben's level restriction is 20–25, and he simply couldn't enter.

"Hmph!"

Zhao Tianling sneered, bitterly resentful:

"These worthless cowards are already broken! Even if I put a knife to their throats, they won't move!"

"That's because your method is wrong."

Shanben Jianyi stepped past him and walked to the four men kneeling on the ground.

He squatted down and gently straightened Tie Tou's disheveled collar.

"Tie Tou-san, correct?"

Shanben Jianyi's voice was soft, as if chatting with an old friend.

Tie Tou looked up at this refined Japanese man, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Shanben Jianyi lightly patted Tie Tou's shoulder, his voice filled with seduction:

"Tie Tou-san, you're a smart man. If you don't go in, and Lin Mo walks out alive—have you thought about the consequences?"

"The Crazy Shark Guild murdering a Long Xu Ban student is treason in your Dragon Country."

"At that point, there will be no place for you in Dragon Country."

"What awaits you is a hundred percent certain death."

Hearing this, Tie Tou and the other three turned ashen white.

They knew Shanben Jianyi spoke the truth.

If they committed this crime, there was truly no escape within Dragon Country.

Shanben Jianyi changed tone, his voice softening:

"But if you go in, there's still a glimmer of hope."

"If you kill Lin Mo—if he dies inside..."

"I promise you, I'll use all my connections to get you out of Dragon Country and to Japan at the earliest possible moment."

"There, you will be heroes of the Great Yamato Empire."

"Money, status—even any female celebrity you desire—I'll make her kneel before you and serve you, if you name her."

"In Japan, you will hold supreme status and enjoy wealth and splendor beyond anything you've ever imagined."

With that, Shanben Jianyi stood up, looking down at the four men:

"One side is certain death—a hell. The other, even if the odds are low, offers everything if you succeed—a paradise."

"This calculation, Tie Tou-san—you can figure it out, right?"

Silence.

Long, heavy silence.

Tie Tou's chest heaved violently.

He struggled desperately between fear and greed.

Fleeing meant certain death—and dragging his family down with him.

Charging in meant nine deaths out of ten—but what if... what if he won?

That would be instant ascension!

After a long while,

Tie Tou suddenly lifted his head. In his eyes, fear had given way to a mad, desperate resolve.

"Fuck it... let's go!"

He gripped his Earth Resistance Potion tightly. "Brothers, we're dead either way! Might as well risk it for fortune!"

Tie Tou gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

"Win and we get the club's hot models, lose… we can't lose!"

The three teammates exchanged a glance, then all stood up.

"Aaaaaaah——!!!"

Ironhead let out a furious roar, using it to drive away the lingering fear in his heart.

He looked at Shanben Jianyi, his voice hoarse:

"Ying countryman, I hope you keep your word!"

Shanben Jianyi smiled and nodded:

"I swear on the honor of the Shanben family."

"Go!!!"

Ironhead violently crushed the intrusion scroll in his hand.

Hum——!!!

Space warped, the pitch-black rift opened once again, instantly swallowing the four of them.

As the rift closed, the rubble-strewn ground fell silent once more.

Zhao Tianling stared at that rift, silent for a long while.

"Lin Mo… mastery of three elements—thunder, fire, and earth—it's absurdly strong."

Shanben Jianyi straightened his collar, a cold killing intent glinting in his eyes.

"Chairman Zhao, precisely because he's strong, he must die."

"There's an old saying in your Dragon Country: when a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will surely break it."

"For the future of the Empire, this kind of monster must be strangled in the cradle."

Zhao Tianling let out a contemptuous snort. "Shanben, stop yammering to me about the grand cause of your Empire—what does it have to do with me?"

"I only care about one thing!"

"Once this job is done, you will honor your promise immediately—use your special channels to get me to Ying Country!"

Shanben Jianyi said with a faint smile:

"Chairman Zhao, please rest assured, I value my credibility above all."

"The moment Lin Mo dies, within three hours, you and your core members will be on a chartered flight bound for Ying Country."

Zhao Tianling snorted coldly, turned his head away, and said nothing.

But his hand had already clenched into a tight fist.

Credibility?

You Ying countrymen and your credibility—my ass!

If it weren't a dead end staying in Dragon Country, I would rather die than stand shoulder to shoulder with you scheming jackals.

Now, there's no choice but to see this road through to the bitter end.