On the only route from the Northwest to the Central Plains, Li Shentan, Si Liren, and Hu Shuo were sitting under the shade of trees to avoid getting heatstroke. Leaning against the tree trunk, Li Shentan sighed and said, “The weather is really getting hotter and hotter these days. I wonder when the war in the Northwest will end.”
Little Liren was scooping out a watermelon with a spoon next to him. The huge case she had been carrying was on the ground by her side. Si Liren looked up at Li Shentan. “Didn’t you say that we’re going to the Central Plains? Why’d we end up coming here? We’ve been here for three days already. Big Brother Shentan, what exactly are you waiting for?”
“Well, didn’t Ren Xiaosu join Fortress 178 to fight the Zong Consortium?” Li Shentan said, “He must want to kill everyone from the Zong Consortium, dontcha think?”
“Mhm.” Si Liren nodded.
“Then look at it this way. Since the Zong Consortium has so many people, there’s probably gonna be some of them who’ll go into hiding in the Central Plains to avoid the calamity. So we’re here to help Ren Xiaosu catch the fish that slip through his net.” Li Shentan chuckled and said, “In this way, no one from the Zong Consortium will escape.”
“Are we going to capture them?” Si Liren asked in seriousness, “But where are we gonna lock them up?”
“Uh, that was just an example. We’re actually gonna kill them.” When Li Shentan talked about killing people, it looked like it was nothing to him.
Hu Shuo had been meditating next to them. Li Shentan looked at him and said, “Grandpa, are you sure this is the only route for the Zong Consortium’s people to head to the Central Plains?”
Hu Shuo said with his eyes closed, “No, there’s many other routes leading east. But if they’re driving, this is the only road they can take for now. How can those self-important people who’re used to living comfortably in the strongholds possibly try to pass through the treacherous mountains on foot? If they had the courage, they wouldn’t be fleeing to the Central Plains.”
“That’s true.” Li Shentan nodded.
Hu Shuo’s mental fortitude was excellent. Even in the wilderness, he did not show any signs of being fazed, nor did he feel bored about meditating with his eyes closed.
All of a sudden, the sound of vehicles approaching from afar rumbled. Li Shentan said with a smile, “Here they come!”
These vehicles had traveled here from the Northwest. As Fortress 178 did not have access to this road, so it could only be someone from the Zong Consortium.
Li Shentan and Si Liren started approaching the convoy. They had already decided not to let any surviving members of the Zong Consortium leave here.
Si Liren waved her hand, and the huge chest flew towards her like it was light as a feather, allowing her to carry it on her back at will.
But just as the convoy was turning past a hill, Li Shentan and Si Liren saw a steam locomotive speed out of nowhere in the wilderness and smash ruthlessly into the convoy, flipping over all of the vehicles. The steam locomotive that appeared out of thin air was moving extremely fast. It looked like this was premeditated.
The vehicles that had been hit were sent rolling across the ground. When these vehicles finally came to a stop, the people inside were either dead or injured.
The vehicle at the head of the convoy had even been squashed like a can of sardines.
When the people who were still alive tried their best to climb out of the vehicles, the steam locomotive with four carriages that had just gone past turned around and smashed into them once more. It looked like it was determined to kill everyone in the convoy.
Li Shentan, Si Liren, and Hu Shuo watched, their jaws dropping. They were about to make a move, but little did they expect that someone even more violent than them would appear.
What was going on? Who had such a huge grudge against the Zong Consortium?
“Wh-Who is that?” Li Shentan said in surprise.
“It’s probably someone seeking revenge,” Hu Shuo said. “Let’s watch from the shadows for now.”
Although there were trees around here, the view of the surroundings was relatively clear. The person controlling the steam locomotive should have spotted them, yet they did not attack them.
After all, Si Liren was floating in the sky with a huge chest on her back, so it was obvious that the three of them were not to be trifled with.
The steam locomotive slowly dissipated. It had not killed everyone in the convoy yet, and one of the vehicles even managed to escape nearly unscathed.
Wang Congyang stepped out from behind a hill at this moment. He was the one who had been controlling the steam locomotive.
Wang Congyang glanced at Li Shentan’s group in the distance, then crouched beside the rearmost overturned off-road vehicle of the convoy and sneered, “Don’t go any further. Return and tell that bastard, Zong Cheng, that our score hasn’t been settled yet. I’ll have plenty of time to settle things with you people in the future, but for now, I’ll be happy to get the interest.”
Wang Congyang was someone who would seek revenge over the smallest of grievances. Otherwise, he would not have kept making trouble for Ren Xiaosu.
He not only possessed capability and courage but also a high level of restraint. Although he was from one of the earliest batches of supernatural beings to awaken their powers, he constantly remained under the radar and was willing to suffer the disdain of his superiors in the private troops. That was why Wang Congyang would not foolishly seek an opportunity to kill Zong Cheng after Zong Cheng had plotted against him. However, he definitely wanted to get back at him for it. If he had the chance to get his revenge, he would undoubtedly take it.
Shouldering his backpack, Wang Congyang walked to the other off-road vehicles, acting like no one was around as he pried open one of the trunks and took out the gold in it.
After taking away a portion, he suddenly said to Li Shentan, “It was fate that we met. Thank you for not interfering. Someone from the Zong Consortium is diverting the gold in this vehicle to the Central Plains. I’ve only taken half of it. You guys can have the rest.” As Wang Congyang spoke, he slowly retreated backwards. He was so cautious that he did not even want to approach Li Shentan’s group.
Stunned, Li Shentan watched this play out. To be honest, they had not expected this turn of events. He asked Wang Congyang, “Did you have a grudge against the Zong Consortium?”
“Of course,” Wang Congyang replied. “What’s in that chest you’re carrying?”.
Li Shentan glanced at the case on Si Liren’s back and said, “You talking ’bout this? There’s a statue of a deity inside it.”
Wang Congyang was stunned. He thought the little girl was carrying something valuable, but how could he have known it would turn out to just be a statue? Then he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, we also have a grudge against the Zong Consortium…. Well, I guess it’s considered a grudge.” Li Shentan laughed and said, “Why don’t you stay around? We can kill the Zong Consortium’s people together.”
Wang Congyang smiled. “I appreciate your kind offer, but I’m used to being alone and not making friends with others. So let’s just bid farewell.”
Wang Congyang was a bold but careful person. He had never felt any sense of belonging to any organization or force and would never trust anyone either. He was just pursuing a good life. Yes, it would be fine if he kept living in wealth.
Li Shentan said with a smile, “You said it yourself. It was fate that we met. My name is Li Shentan. What’s yours, brother?”Wang Congyang’s pupils contracted. How could he not have heard of it before? This name had already spread throughout the entire Southwest and Northwest. However, he had not expected to encounter this demon here!
Wang Congyang said cautiously, “I’m just a nobody, so there’s no point mentioning it.”
Li Shentan said with a smile, “It looks like you’ve heard of my name.”
Wang Congyang said with a smile, “How can I not have heard of the Demon Whisperer? I just wonder why you guys are here.”
During their conversation, Wang Congyang retreated backwards quickly and conjured the steam locomotive once more. Then he jumped onto it and fled into the distance.
Li Shentan stroked his face. “Am I that frightening?”
Si Liren giggled and said, “No.”
Li Shentan watched the steam locomotive depart and sighed. “I guess only such emotionless people with no attachments to the world can survive in this chaotic world.”
