ASER - Chapter 89
Chapter 89: Target
Although she knew those people were on their way, A'Diao wasn't actually in a hurry.
Thunder Flame was the last and currently most difficult spell Qu Jiangnan had taught A'Diao before allowing her to recuperate from her injuries that day. At the time, she had said—"If you learn it within half a month, come and tell me."
But what Qu Jiangnan didn't know was that four days later, A'Diao used it to kill a person.
After Cui Yong fell, his heart was charred black and hollow, and the rest of his chest emitted the aroma of roasted meat. But fortunately, A'Diao had controlled the dispersal range of the Spirit Power damage.
The corpse was still useful.
After he died, his body returned to normal.
However, A'Diao immediately stepped forward, using "Unrecognizable by Parents" with one hand to scan his corpse, while with the other, she used a spell to retrieve the armed armor and that powerful Forbidden Item ring.
A'Diao was only using the skill to copy his body's internal data; Sparrow had already perfectly replicated his external features and injuries much earlier, without a single strand of hair out of place.
Formed, equipped, bound.
Then, she deactivated 101 and those items, concealed her aura, equipped the ring and other gear, and stepped onto Cui Yong's flyer. Everything flowed smoothly, accomplished in one go.
In mid-air, the armor activated, a light blade swished into existence, and the imposing head of the Cui family flew out at extreme speed from above the forest.
From the moment he chased her to the waterfall cliff to his death, not even 30 seconds had passed.
A person's life and death are, in fact, less than a play, because no play is so short.
The Cui family members had just caught up to the outskirts of the waterfall. They had previously sensed the aura of a blade strike from the waterfall's direction and were collectively rushing that way, not expecting their master to emerge first.
Moreover, his flight speed was extremely fast, and he seemed to be in a great hurry, looking very anxious.
"Lord Cui?"
"She vanished! That aura was completely fake, just some hair, a decoy! Leave this place quickly!!!"
A'Diao feigned a grim expression, didn't stop, but flew out swiftly, and coldly shouted again, "The Song and Chen families must have guessed I was going to hunt Chen A'Diao today! Let's go, quickly!"
Hearing this, everyone recalled the past cunning deeds of Chen Ran and his daughter. After all, Chen A'Diao had indeed been too easy for them to track today, unlike her usual style.
The possibility of an entrapment was almost one hundred percent. How could they dare to delay? They all followed A'Diao, flying towards the airship.
After boarding the airship, A'Diao disguised herself by mimicking Cui Yong's mannerisms and habits, which she had observed from some online videos of Danzhou military exercises. Her expression was currently displeased, but her small gesture of stroking the light blade made it clear to those familiar with him that he was contemplating his next move.
As Cui Yong's most trusted adjutant in the past, Shen Shan said, "Lord Cui, are we heading to Jinxiang Area now?"
If they couldn't kill Chen A'Diao, they could plot slowly in the future. But the opportunity in Jinxiang Area was not small; it concerned their master's rise and the future of these old subordinates.
A'Diao shook her head and said in a deep voice, "It's clear now that Chen Ran and the others used Chen A'Diao to set a trap to eliminate me. Plus, since they could persuade the Grand Commander, it's hard to guarantee they haven't already conspired to lay a trap for me in Jinxiang Area as well. Most importantly, after those videos last time, I'm afraid those wilderness teams also wish they could eat my flesh."
Hearing this, everyone also felt the situation was dire. If the Grand Commander tacitly allowed the Song and Chen families to join forces, and the common people were resentful and hostile...
Then Jinxiang Area was indeed not a place to go.
Before long, they saw their master decisively give an order: "Recall Zhang Que's men. We are going to another place."
Shen Shan saw the hatred and killing intent in his superior's eyes. "Lord Cui, you intend to?"
"Those videos, you think Chen Ran released them? He doesn't have that kind of patience. Think about who is most likely to know about my Cui family's death squad operations..."
Shen Shan was astute, after all, and immediately had a realization: "People from the Fierce Bandit Organization?!"
"Naturally, it's them. I've used confidential connections to find their lair. Thanks to Chen Ran, they've all huddled together in hiding, making it convenient to wipe them out in one go... Let's move out!"
A'Diao stood up, hands clasped behind her back, gazing at the distant clouds. Her figure, seen from behind, was imposing and tall, her voice like the edge of a blade.
"All the losses my Cui family has suffered these days will be recouped from this fat sheep!"
"At that time, you all will naturally receive the benefits you deserve for your loyalty to me."
Shen Shan and the others had always known that these Fierce Bandit Organizations weren't impossible to exterminate, but rather that they were too scattered before. Each member had a mysterious identity, hidden among wilderness teams, and their lairs were secret, completely unknown. If the imperial court didn't make an all-out effort to annihilate them, they were like local tyrants, very difficult to deal with.
But now, if they knew the location of their lair... that would be a gold mine.
How many resources would there be!
Everyone's heart burned with excitement, and they immediately sprang into action. Shen Shan also contacted Zhang Que, telling him to change direction and not go to Jinxiang Area.
They were going to fight another battle!
"The target coordinates Lord Cui gave are..."
After Shen Shan finished making arrangements, he reported to A'Diao.
A'Diao glanced at him and said lightly, "This operation is top secret and must not be leaked. Otherwise, don't blame me, Cui Yong, for being merciless!"
He had always been ruthless, as his subordinates knew, and Shen Shan was also aware. However, a thought turned in his mind, and he asked, "Before Young Master Liang left, he instructed this subordinate that if there were any urgent operations, I must inform him promptly to avoid a lack of information and prevent any major setbacks. So, should I also inform him about this matter?"
A'Diao looked at Shen Shan. It was unknown if Cui Yong had seen through him before, but she saw it now—this man was loyal to the Cui family's "Crown Prince," a member of the "Crown Prince's faction." However, he was also clever, now deliberately asking openly whether to pass the news to Cui Liang.
After all, telling him was perfectly justifiable.
"No need. He is in Kyoto, after all... While they are supposedly a help, when interests are involved, who knows?"
A'Diao feigned dissatisfaction and sneered, "I haven't seen them help much either."
She guessed that Cui Yong wasn't too fond of the Kyoto nobles his son had attached himself to by "selling himself," because they hadn't fully helped dismantle the pressure from the Song and Chen families, plus Cui Yong himself was narrow-minded.
Even from Kyoto's perspective, they were investing in Cui Liang (after all, the family's young lady liked the son, not the father). The returns from investing in the Jinling Cui family weren't significant, and making too big a move would instead harm their own family's interests, making it not worthwhile.
This was an understandable weighing of pros and cons, but with a narrow mind, one would naturally be displeased: Isn't my son's body precious?
These words... Shen Shan probably had gleaned some of this from Cui Yong's words and actions before. He instantly understood Cui Yong's dissatisfaction now, but he didn't dare to agree, so he lowered his head and complied.
Afterwards, A'Diao returned to her private room on the airship. Once the door closed, she leaned against it, raising an eyebrow slightly: Compared to the older Cui Yong with his limited development potential, Cui Liang, who had "sold himself" to attach to nobles on a higher-end platform in Kyoto, was naturally more worthy of reliance. This Shen Shan had always been opportunistic; he would definitely tell Cui Liang this news.
Then, Cui Liang would also pay attention to this operation.
A'Diao's thoughts ran through several scenarios, calculating multiple lines of possibilities. She also calculated the flight time from here to the Fierce Bandit Organization's lair. In her room, she summoned 101, isolated her aura, then took Cui Yong's corpse out from her storage space, transferred all his equipment to herself, and began to unbind and use it.
However, only after actually taking it out and examining it did she realize that Cui Yong's entire set of equipment, from reconnaissance devices to armament and even his flyer, was basically a complete set.
"My god, is this the legendary Dark Gold Wolf Spine Set?"
"It seems to be the set launched by the tech company under Huayao Bank... If I remember correctly, the price should be 3.5 billion for a set."
The reason A'Diao remembered it so clearly was because she had recently browsed their online store to buy weapons. Good heavens, at the time she had cursed these capitalists for their greed, but now it seemed there were simply too many rich people in this world.
"However, the Cui family isn't like the Yuan family, which has been in business for generations, and their business scale is far inferior to the wealth accumulated by the Song and Wang families over generations. Yet they could spend 3.5 billion on a set of armor. It seems they truly exhausted the family's resources..."
A'Diao thought of Cui Liang's equipment on the day he went to Kyoto. At that time, she felt this "Crown Prince" exuded an air of wealth, making her heart fill with jealousy. Now, it was clear his father was too stingy.
So, what would Cui Liang think in his heart?
His own father had equipment worth 3.5 billion, while he only had tens of millions?
Wasn't he the only legitimate eldest son his father could rely on now? Didn't he deserve equipment worth hundreds of millions?
And the Cui family seemed to have a hereditary trait of being petty and calculative, yet they lacked the Chen family's ability to judge the hour and size up the situation. Therefore, there must be irreconcilable conflicts between this father and son.
A'Diao compared the family styles of the two clans. Although both were hypocritical, there were still differences.
Their IQ and EQ were not on the same level (except for Chen Yang).
Therefore, Cui Liang returned from Kyoto, and at the fastest speed.
Regardless, this set of armor was a bargain for A'Diao. She could now face cultivators capable of killing C7-level opponents, and she also had a BUG-like skill like 303 to temporarily avoid fatal damage. However, 303 had a one-hour cooldown and only a 5-minute usage limit, so it still had weaknesses—if she couldn't succeed in a surprise assassination after using 303, she would have to fight the opponent head-on without its protection.
Her weakest point was defense.
The skills given by the "Toilet" didn't enhance this aspect, and neither did the Daoist techniques she had learned so far. That's why she had specifically researched defensive shield talismans some time ago. However, she could currently only use Grade 3 talismans. A Grade 3 talisman could block power between F-grade and D-grade, which was far too weak against Cui Yong. Even throwing ten of them would only offset one-tenth of his attack, temporarily buying her a little time to dodge.
That was all.
If Cui Yong had even a little reaction time, or if he had attacked a bit faster, she might have died.
Although it's said that wealth is sought in danger, this risk was too great. A'Diao, who cherished her life, still felt her heart pounding—her prediction had been off; Cui Yong was much stronger than she had originally judged, which was why she had almost died.
But now, with this armor equipped, she could basically withstand most attacks below B-grade without them being fatal. Even without using 303 and "XXX Turn into a Pig," she could fight Cui Yong head-on.
After all the equipment was bound, A'Diao had Sparrow integrate the data. She raised an eyebrow slightly; this armor was actually a waste on Cui Yong.
But she discovered a little secret.
"Judging by his spending habits, he probably consumes resources like a taotie. No wonder the Cui family was so suppressed by the Song and Wang families that they could barely breathe. It's estimated that all the resources were poured into him. But even if he could obtain a large amount of spirit cores, the energy conversion rate of spirit cores is limited and requires time, and personal aptitude determines absorption efficiency—I've scanned his aptitude; in all aspects, he might not even be as good as Tian Zhongye. How could he have progressed so terrifyingly?"
For most people, the earliest starting line for cultivation was the first day of the Spiritual Energy revival, or a few days apart, plus the time taken to master some Spirit Power cultivation methods... With Cui Yong's aptitude, even if he controlled most of the Spirit Power resources, his Spirit Power intensity wouldn't far exceed that of the geniuses in the academies.
Unless...
"The Cui family probably has far more than just a Small Spirit Gate. This old man must have other trump cards up his sleeve."
A'Diao's thoughts fluctuated as she removed Cui Yong's thumb ring and finger ring.
The ring was a Forbidden Item, and its power still made her shudder with lingering fear. Fortunately, it had only fired once. If Cui Yong had been given a chance to fire it a second time, she would have died.
"Forbidden Item C-38: Particle Ray. Fixed particle energy reserves can launch long-range light ray attacks, but it also has a Spirit Power enhancement mode. By inputting Spirit Power, it can fuse attacks. The specific intensity depends on the inputted Spirit Power. The current Forbidden Item specifications can accommodate a maximum A-grade Spirit Power limit."
A'Diao knew that this type of Forbidden Item, which combined energy sources with Spirit Power and had a Spirit Power limit, was generally a new-type Forbidden Item, not an ancient one.
Ancient powerful items were created for Spirit Power and had higher Spirit Power caps, but new-type Forbidden Items were based on energy sources, with Spirit Power being a newly researched addition, so they naturally had limitations.
However, its power was still terrifying.
A'Diao pondered for a moment and realized that if she inputted the same amount of Spirit Power used to cast Thunder Ray into C-38, the resulting attack would likely have 130% of the Thunder Ray's destructive power.
But the cost was the particle energy plus the capital investment to purchase C-38. Calculating it, it would be around two hundred million.
Toilet: "This old dog relies on 'cash power'."
A'Diao: "Suddenly, I feel I should be nicer to Yuan Shu. This young man has a promising future. I miscalculated; ultimately, my vision limited my prospects."
Although the Yuan family didn't have the Cui family's connections and manpower, they had money! At least they were reliable for buying equipment and armor.
But it also proved that Yuan Shu, this idiot, was truly foolish.
Family assets exceeding a hundred billion, the family's only legitimate eldest son with good aptitude, yet foolish and naive, easy to control. She wondered if he would marry her... After marrying him, she would usurp his power, then control the Yuan family, and thus indirectly control assets worth hundreds of billions.
Good heavens, a small investment for a huge profit!
Much better than that stingy, broke, and hopelessly straight Tuoba!
If he treated her badly, was unfaithful, cheated, or committed domestic violence, that would be even better. She could trick him to a mountaintop and push him off... Or put poison in his tea, trick him into drinking it, "Come, Dalang, drink your tea..."
Then, become fabulously wealthy with hundreds of billions, and have everything she could ever want.
Toilet saw A'Diao's thoughts going astray, as if she had wandered into another terrifying "cesspit" maze, and had completely immersed herself in the role of a materialistic and malicious 'green tea' villainess from a novel about a wealthy heiress... It couldn't help but advise her: "You haven't finished your proper business yet."
Huh? Oh right, the storage space inside the thumb ring hadn't been inventoried yet.
A'Diao immediately reined in her thoughts. Since Cui Yong himself was dead, the thumb ring naturally had no binding. She opened it and looked inside, then frowned.
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