Chapter 276: Xilian Meraphis

"Then these three." Xilian exchanged the menu, and Ma'er, who was standing to the side, took it. There were people following to take over the entire preparation process.

"Do you always live like this?" Li Hao pointed at the people outside. Having a bunch of people following you all day long is not a comfortable life; it depends on the person, too.

"It's fine on the Moon, but this is out here, and besides, I'm looking for you," Xilian said nonchalantly.

"Why look for me? It seems we don't have much to talk about," Li Hao smiled, looking Xilian over. "You've recovered well."

"You've changed quite a bit; you didn't use to be this talkative," Xilian said, also looking interested, showing no signs of resentment.

"Likewise," Li Hao said.

"Do you know, when a person finds even moving to be a luxury, and their soul is squeezed into a shell, their greatest wish is to die. As long as they can end a life of boundless darkness and pain, they are willing to pay anything." As he spoke, Xilian smiled, as if he were not talking about his own affairs.

"After a long time, day after day of torment, he began to feel anger and resentment enough to burn this world. Then, after another period, he gradually calmed down and began to reflect. Thinking is a very interesting thing; for example, what is the meaning of existence?"

"Oh, and what did you think of?" Li Hao was very patient; after all, since the man had flown over, he had to give him some face.

Although the young woman wanted to get closer, she was actually no longer needed. Ma'er poured tea for the two of them, very professionally.

"Try it. The tea is average, but Ma'er's craftsmanship is top-tier."

"The standard of an Artificial Human is naturally not bad." Li Hao smiled and picked up a cup, draining it in one gulp. From beginning to end, Ma'er's expression did not change. Artificial Humans were long ago banned by the Alliance; the craftsmanship for such things is already perfect, but they have no soul and are extremely dangerous.

Xilian smiled slightly. The tea was terrible, but the person was very different.

"Some time ago, I pulled some strings, wanting to cause some trouble for your other identity," Xilian said, "but these actions didn't bring me the joy I expected. Do you know why?"

Li Hao did not speak, just looking at Xilian.

Xilian did not wait for Li Hao's answer and skipped the topic. "Back then, Nanguan Yuhang was keeping it from Chao Qinglong. I was the one who notified Chao Qinglong. This scheme of mine could be called unsolvable. Regardless of whether Chao Qinglong acted or not, or what choice he made, the seeds of suspicion had already been sown. Your outcome was bound to be falling apart."

All this time, no one knew how Chao Qinglong found out about Xilian's launch time, accurately letting Li Hao leave. This was also an important factor in why Aofei and the others misunderstood Chao Qinglong.

At that time, Chao Qinglong did not realize that Nanguan Yuhang's true goal was to eliminate Li Hao as well. But when Xilian laid out his plan and analyzed Nanguan Yuhang's position, Chao Qinglong had to believe it, because whether Nanguan Yuhang truly thought that way or not, if it happened, the result would definitely be Li Hao's ruin.

Xilian's most ruthless point was telling him the time of the move without any scruples; this was an open plot. And in the atmosphere at Tianqi at the time, this battle was already unavoidable.

Standing in Chao Qinglong's position, he either had to betray Nanguan Yuhang or watch Li Hao die or be imprisoned. No matter how he chose, the inside was split, which would simultaneously lead to the division within the Hunters.

Chao Qinglong chose to let Li Hao avoid it and faced the decisive battle with Nanguan Yuhang himself. This result was also acceptable to Xilian, because once Nanguan Yuhang was dealt with, the matter was settled, and the remaining people were not worth fearing. Only Nanguan Yuhang was his equal in strength, status, and resources.

Of course, if Chao Qinglong hadn't believed it and Li Hao had still been present, Xilian also had a Plan B. A fight to the death wouldn't have happened; the initiative was entirely in his hands. He could even have buried the nail deeper, telling Li Hao or Nanguan Yuhang that Chao Qinglong had betrayed them.

For the human species, once suspicion appears, the outcome is already doomed.

What a perfect plan, but in the end, it was the one he couldn't predict—the worst one.

Because Li Hao wasn't there, he launched the attack regardless of everything, staking everything on one throw, but he didn't expect Li Hao to return

so quickly and strike so ruthlessly.

"Too much scheming destroys the overall situation and fortune; small tricks can never make it to the main stage," Xilian laughed. "But people always forget the pain once the wound heals. Seeing you make a comeback in the way of a Puppet, my old bad habits flared up again. This cup is for self-reflection."

This is also why Huonan had no follow-up and just fizzled out.

"You came all this way, surely not just to reminisce with me?" Li Hao asked. "Although you speak nicely and look quite good, you aren't a beautiful woman, so I'm not interested."

"You are still too guarded. Actually, you have many weaknesses, such as the orphanage, or that Zuo Xiaotang. For his growth, you actually went to great lengths to place a Mental Seal on him. Very thoughtful." Xilian's smile was still as gentle as a spring breeze.

Li Hao tapped the table lightly, his eyes looking at Xilian calmly and coldly. "Are you threatening me?"

"Haha, haha, what a familiar look. I miss it so much, Li Hao!" Xilian revealed a heartfelt smile. This brought him a strong sense of reality; this was the feeling of being alive. "Nanguan Yuhang would do such a thing, but I wouldn't. It lacks technical content, and forcing you into a desperate situation is the most disadvantageous. Weaknesses—only when they exist are they weaknesses, right?"

For a person like Li Hao, becoming a madman who disregards everything is the most terrifying thing.

"Aren't you tired of living?" Li Hao said flatly.

Ma'er replaced the tea with a fresh pot.

"During the time I was in a coma, there were over a hundred assassination attempts against me. There were also some people who stood before me with clumsy regret on their faces, while their eyes held undisguised satisfaction. Look, we are all family. For their sake, how could I die?" Xilian said. "Life is just so rich and colorful."

"Tell me, are Artificial Humans more like humans? That's why I envy you."

"You can choose."

"Don't say that. Others might not understand, but you should. I can't choose; it was destined from the moment I was born. What talk of transcendence? It's a game; since I have to play, I'll play big."

Li Hao looked at Xilian flatly. "Speak, what do you want to do?"

Ma'er served the fresh tea. Xilian smiled; Ma'er was already preparing. This wasn't from the shop; in a moment, a refreshing, soul-stirring fragrance wafted over.

"Try it." Xilian pushed a cup in front of Li Hao. "This has to start with the Wormhole. That Wormhole was discovered by us, but it wasn't built by us; it existed on its own. It can be confirmed that it wasn't natural, but left behind by another Advanced civilization."

"You don't seem surprised." Xilian looked at Li Hao; he had been observing him the whole time.

Li Hao smiled. "Our information is asymmetric. That depends on whether your premise is true."

"True enough. From the discovery of the Wormhole to the appearance of the Kepler coordinates, everything was exceptionally coincidental, as if God really favored humanity. But in the process of tracing the origin of the Wormhole, we discovered an unexpected coordinate pointing to Earth. The Meraphis Family used some means to find Earth's coordinates and discovered a surprise," Xilian said. "Once you eliminate all the impossibilities, the remaining result, no matter how incredible, must be the truth."

"Oh, and what does that have to do with me?" Li Hao waved his hand.

Xilian was stunned. "You're not interested?"

"I am interested, it's quite good. Alien civilization, sounds like it could trend on social media. Good luck, I'll wait and see," Li Hao said very seriously. He was truly interested, just not in the same thing.

Xilian laughed, laughing very happily. The two sat face-to-face, sunlight streaming in through the window. One was handsome, the other heroic, and from time to time, they let out hearty laughter. To anyone watching, it looked like two old friends reuniting after many years.

Students would occasionally enter the shop, and upon learning it was booked out, they found it a bit strange, but didn't think much of it, only feeling curious about the lineup at the entrance.

"Fine, I suppose I have to bring something out. Besides performing a Space Jump, the Wormhole can also perform cross-space information transmission. I'm not talking about human information transmission, but something that can influence the human brain." Xilian looked at Li Hao with a half-smile.

"Interested now?"

Li Hao took a sip of tea. "The taste is good. Leave some for me."

"The yield this year isn't high. I'll share half with you."

Li Hao shrugged. "We aren't considering the same direction. I have interest, but no inclination to participate. You know, our Tianjing Team isn't having it easy. I'm different from you; I'm under tremendous pressure. It's tough."

Xilian watched Li Hao's clumsy performance and his expression turned serious. "Speak, what are your conditions?"

He had a certain amount of psychological preparation. He wasn't afraid of Li Hao making demands; he was only afraid of him not speaking. Of course, he still had to remain cautious about the conditions offered by someone at Li Hao's level.

"There's a Tianjing Martial Arts training plan that you need to be responsible for and provide sufficient convenience. Also, the treatment for those injured in the Mid-Season Tournament cannot stop."

"Small matters. The only benefit of having a lot of money is that it saves a lot of trouble," Xilian said self-deprecatingly. He naturally knew the conditions wouldn't be related to money.

He wouldn't even be too surprised if Li Hao had asked for a space exploration warship.

"Since you're so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush either; the appearance fee is 2,020." Student Li was a businessman; when meeting someone straightforward, it would be a waste not to fleece them.

It even had an odd number.

At this moment, a commotion came from the entrance; it was actually Ma Long and the others. That balloon training had nearly made everyone vomit, so Ma Long was treating them to tea to freshen up, but they ended up seeing Li Hao inside, yet the people outside wouldn't let them in.

What kind of international joke was this? In this little patch of land in Tianjing, who didn't know Ma Laoshi, Ma Long!

"Ma'er, let the guests in."

"Yes, Young Master."

Ma Long and the others walked in.

"Damn, Hao Ge, we're training diligently while you're here enjoying yourself, and you even booked the whole place; that's not very loyal of you~"

The moment he saw Xilian, Ma Long was a bit stunned; damn it, where did this handsome guy pop out from? He was stealing his thunder.