Chapter 269: Did I ever agree that Boris died?

There was no time to dodge, not even time to think, and the heavy axe had already struck Bao Li Si's side.

Even though he was a beastman and a warrior profession, his extraordinarily high vital energy and blood gave him remarkably strong physical strength, but being struck suddenly at such close range still sent him flying through the air amidst the splashing blood from his torn flesh.

But the pain in his flesh paled in comparison to the shock in his heart at this moment; the fallen Bao Li Si immediately propped himself up with his blade, covering the terrifying wound where two ribs had been broken, and painfully lifted his head.

He wanted to see clearly, to know, whether there was any possibility that this wasn't what he had thought……

However, his near‑luxurious fantasy remained just a fantasy; as the familiar crimson armor emerged from the darkness, the one who stepped out was the person he knew best and least wanted to see here.

Ge Lei De gave a faint smile.

"Big brother, why do you look so surprised? Isn't today's situation exactly what should be expected?"

Bao Li Si's eyes held anger, doubt, and disbelief, but in the end they all turned into bewilderment.

"Why…… why are you standing together?"

"Why? I also really want to ask, why!!"

Yet hearing his questioning, Ge Lei De's extremely rugged, bristly pig‑like face showed no change in expression, and he spoke even more righteously than Boris.

"Why can you become chief of the three tribes while I cannot! Is it just because your father is the old clan leader? Are you his only son?"

Although Bao Li Si couldn't match his father's methods and prestige, he wasn't a fool; he had heard similar doubts countless times since taking office.

Arguing this was pointless, so he seized the moment to steady his breath while fixing his gaze on Ge Lei De's eyes.

"Ge Lei De, you're choosing to scheme with a tiger; they are greedy and ruthless Deep Forest people, their minds only hold money, following them you cannot possibly have a good outcome……"

Yet this was still ineffective persuasion; instead it evoked Ge Lei De's unrestrained, boisterous laughter.

"Would following you bring a good outcome then? My dear big brother! The money leaking from the mercenaries' fingertips is enough to grind your wealth into dregs!"

After all, it was merely a loose cooperative organization; the association still had to allocate a considerable portion of its earnings as subsidies, fundamentally unable to match the other two groups' profit‑seizing efficiency, only barely maintaining the association's stable operation.

Bao Li Si's usual frugal demeanor wasn't entirely the "fine tradition left by the old clan leader"; it was mostly because he truly had no money—if he were to occasionally host lavish banquets like Suo La does, he'd likely go bankrupt after fewer than three such events.

Thus, within the three tribes, voices occasionally arose wanting to emulate the Business Union's exploitation of adventurers, or to learn from mountain mercenaries taking on dirty work, but these had long been suppressed by Bao Li Si invoking the old clan leader's name—never expecting that this brother of his also thought the same……

Seeing Bao Li Si's face turn deathly pale and silent, feeling he had the upper hand, Ge Lei De even began to coax him in reverse.

"Besides, big brother, Sunlight City will sooner or later become the Deep Forest people's territory; then all who oppose them will be purged, and I am merely going with the tide, planning an early escape for everyone."

"Big brother, you don't want the foundation left by our clan uncle to be destroyed like this, do you? We're a family, after all—someone has to make sacrifices for the family, right? So……"

Bao Li Si lifted his head and suddenly asked a question.

"What about Mi Yang?"

"Mi Yang? Oh, Old Uncle Yang isn't my fault—it's his own greed; he insisted on jumping out to interfere with the group's plans, heh heh……"

Perhaps it was because seeing Ge Lei De's smug, self‑satisfied face was annoying, or perhaps as a soldier he knew delaying time wouldn't bring anything good; in any case, Fei En ended their conversation at this moment.

"Things have come to this—what else is there to talk about between you? Betrayal is betrayal; losers should just get off the stage quickly!"

As one who had endured humiliation and burden for years, finally attaining the Dao in a single moment, the "ill‑fated person" Ge Lei De naturally had countless things he wanted to say, wishing to publicly recite an MVP celebration speech to vent his joy and ecstasy.

But since his newly recognized thigh‑old big brother had said that, he could only obediently lower his head and grip the axe handle tightly.

"Indeed, more talk is useless; please, big brother, hurry on your way!"

Having said that, Fei En and Ge Lei De launched a second wave of attack together, clashing with the spirited Bao Li Si.

Bao Li Si was level thirty‑six, while Fei En was level thirty‑eight, so after the brief standoff he had already gradually fallen to the disadvantage, almost being pressed and beaten.

Now adding a level twenty‑six Ge Lei De wielding an axe to assist on the side makes the already difficult situation even worse—no match for four hands, and no matter how fiercely he swung his big sword, he could not escape their front‑and‑rear pincer attack.

But not being able to escape doesn't mean Bao Li Si will lose quickly; as the sole Inner City high‑ranking figure among the three families developed by Ji Ming in his true circle of friends in Sunlight City, he had been given many potions by Ji Ming, just in case this rare fine leopard died unnoticed outside.

Thus his body constantly carried the Revival Elixir's unique 【Rapid Healing】 and 【Spirited】 effects; although he had already fought dozens of rounds of high‑intensity battle, he could still wield his weapon as quickly as at the start, using the leopard's innate agility to dodge the two's lethal entangling strikes.

"That damned god‑chosen, how can his medicine be so effective?"

"Damn, in just a moment the wound I cleaved is already about to heal!"

The supposedly certain victory arriving so late also made Fei En and Ge Lei Si anxiously impatient, after all this is ultimately inside the city, and dragging it on could bring who knows what mishap.

Unfortunately the potion could ultimately only serve as an auxiliary function; in this situation, merely recovering a few points of blood is useless—since we cannot defeat either of them, Bao Li Si's defeat is merely a matter of time.

Thus, although the potion had not yet been exhausted, Fei En spotted an opportunity, and while Ge Lei De restrained him, he swung a chopping strike to his chest, not satisfied, then lifted a leg and kicked hard into his abdomen.

Bao Li Si's massive body flew out like a kite with its string cut, crashing through four long‑abandoned houses before coming to a stop.

At this moment the guards who had followed him out of the Inner City had all been slain; sitting slumped in the ruins, he discovered that the surroundings had fallen into utter silence at some point.

——Could this possibly be the end of my life?

He still tried to sit up and continue fighting, but his bones throughout his body felt as if they had fallen apart—aside from being unable to move, there was only intense pain.

Through his muffled hearing he could only hear two sets of footsteps gradually approaching—those of Fei En and Ge Lei De coming to enjoy the fruits of victory.

Fei En drew a dagger from his pocket and deftly spun it twice on his fingertips.

Back when he fought in the northern frontier against Beimo Si, he liked to use this to strip beastmen's pelts, process them into fine fur, and sell them at high prices to noble lords for money and drink.

Now he prepares to use it to carve out Bao Li Si's heart, drawing a perfect period on the Adventurers Association's complete exit.

However, just as he was about to bring the blade down, he suddenly heard a voice cry, "Wait a moment!"

He immediately furrowed his brows, looking toward the side at Ge Lei De, who might at any moment change his mind and whom he had long been on guard against.

Who would have thought Ge Lei De's face showed not a trace of sorrow or regret, but rather overflowing excitement.

"Sir, this is my dear big brother; could you let me kill him myself?"

Fei En: "Holy shit?"

He had originally thought this Ge Lei De was merely a fool whose mind had been addled by power, unable to tell superior from inferior, friend from foe—a perfect tool‑person, never expecting him to be this ruthless?

Fei En was even startled into hesitation for a moment before passing the dagger over.

"Then you go ahead."

"Good, good, good, thank you, sir!"

Having excitedly uttered three "goods" in a row, Ge Lei De trembled all over as he took the dagger and walked toward his older brother.

"Big brother, this really can't be blamed on me—just as I said before, the mercenaries will surely take Sunlight City; only by submitting to them can our family and our association survive!"

So for our cause, these are all necessary sacrifices; even if you go down and tell the old clan chief about this, the old clan chief will surely understand me, right?

Bao Li Si was furious beyond measure, but things had come to this point; he no longer had the strength to scold anyone, and could only glare at Ge Lei De's face.

Fei En also shook his head repeatedly behind him; this pig-nosed freak—how inhuman! Totally inhuman—how could he be ashamed to say such things?

Seeing this black bastard eager to launch into a long-winded rant, he, who could no longer listen, immediately cursed under his breath.

"Ge Lei De, you idiot, are you going to make a move or not!"

"Ah, okay, okay, okay, sir, I won't say it, I won't say it..."

The obedient and well-behaved Ge Lei De quickly stopped, but his mouth kept chattering.

"Just hurry up and leave; I was still preparing to quickly experience the chairman's chair—alas, I have never sat upon it openly and aboveboard, and this is truly..."

"Here it comes again!"

Fei En never expected that this hulking, fierce-looking boar-man would be so fussy when handling big matters, and he exploded in anger.

"You fat pig! Say another word and I'll chop you up!"

Ge Lei De was truly frightened now; his wide-eyed stare and upturned mouth corners made him look utterly ridiculous.

There was nothing he could do; he just gripped his knife tighter and let out two grunts as protest.

"Big brother, just go ahead in peace!"

But just then, something flew from nowhere and struck his face, making the already nervous Ge Lei De squeal in panic.

The highly alert Fei En quickly drew his knife and took a close look, only to discover it was just an ordinary stone, and the one who threw the stone—

"You're killing him, right? Did I agree to his death?"

At some point, a person sat atop the nearby ruins, clad head to toe in a black robe, wearing a question-mark mask on his face.

Fei En, furious, wanted to chop Ge Lei De into mincemeat; you could have just hacked that dead leopard to pieces with one blow, but you dragged it out so long—look, something's bound to have gone wrong, huh?

But things had come to this point; he didn't dare act rashly, merely raising his voice and shouting.

"Who are you again? This is none of your business—get out!"

This is a warning, a delaying tactic, and also to let the underlings know something went wrong here, so they can rush over to help.

But the black-clad person seemed not to care at all, and his answer was quite unexpected, spoken with confidence.

"How is this not my concern? Everything you do is related to me—don't you know why?"

His voice was clearly hoarse and low, like that of an old man who had endured much hardship, yet his tone and words carried a heavy sense of contempt and mockery, quite a jarring contrast.

Saying that, he lightly leapt down from the wall, meeting the three men's doubtful and somewhat expectant gazes, and pointed at Fei En's nose.

"Because I'm your father, huh, big son?"

"You..."

Fei En's anger flared instantly; he widened his eyes, realizing he was actually trying to outwit a passing madman.

The dutiful Ge Lei De, seizing the moment, grabbed a dagger and lunged at the black-clad man, hoping to display his loyalty and martial prowess before his new big brother.

But the black-clad man's speed was deadly fast; he not only easily dodged the incoming dagger, but also backhanded him with a powerful slap.

That slap was so forceful it sent Ge Lei De spinning in place, his dagger wobbling as the black-clad man snatched it away.

"What are kids doing playing with swords and spears? Grandpa's confiscating them!"

The newcomer was none other than Ji Ming, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while.

I had thought that if everyone dropped the act, I could reveal my hand, but realizing the matter wasn't over yet, I temporarily assumed the identity of the Mysterious Merchant.

Although he relied on his information advantage, he indeed succeeded in a counterstrike after barehandedly disarming Ge Lei De's weapon.

Thus, all of this, in Fei En's eyes, was...

"There's another expert!?"

This is certainly no random dim-witted ranger; this is clearly reinforcements come to rescue Boris!

His mind racing for a countermeasure, his gaze flickered for an instant, and he keenly made the most correct choice at this moment.

"Coward! Hiding your face, what kind of shameful bandit are you?"

While loudly cursing the black-clad man, he raised his blade, ready to slash.

But as he stepped forward, he suddenly twisted his body and charged at the defenseless Boris.

—You want to save him, huh? I'll kill him first and see how you handle it!

At this point, Boris was already on the verge of unconsciousness, utterly unable to dodge this move; Fei En's sneak attack was nearly unstoppable.

But, since it's qualified with 'almost,' it means this move can still be blocked, for example...

The black-clad man's movement was eerily swift, as if he were flying across the ground; in just a few steps he caught up to Fei En, who thought himself quite swift.

He then reversed the dagger, letting its blade scrape the air to produce fierce, bright flames, aiming at the mercenary leader's exposed neck.

"Damn, that fast!"