“I told you to scram.”
The merciless command instantly ignited Huang Yongjun’s male ego.
He could not tolerate a woman humiliating and disregarding him like this.
“You dare refuse a toast, so now you’ll drink a forfeit!”
A sharp earth spike shot directly toward Su Su’s chest.
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock.
Dear heavens, wasn’t this Huang Yongjun from the Ability Users Guild? He was a Tier 6 earth-ability user!
If the beautiful stall owner faced him, wouldn’t she be torn apart on the spot?!
“Hiss!”
A massive black python shot out from Su Su’s embrace, swinging its tail like a divine dragon, smashing the earth spike into pieces.
To avoid the flying shards of shattered rock, Huang Yongjun stumbled several steps backward, staring at the woman and the snake in front of him with uncertainty.
A Tier 6 battle pet?!
Something was wrong!
Before coming over, he had specifically observed this woman. There was no such person recorded in the Battle Pet Guild.
She hadn’t even entered the Battle Pet Guild, so she was probably just some insignificant Tier 2 or Tier 3 battle pet owner. That was why he had acted so confidently.
Huang Yongjun still wanted to say something, but the enraged python didn’t give him the chance.
“Hiss!”
Scorching blue flames surged toward him in an instant. If even a single spark landed on him, he might just end up with full-body burns.
“Ah!” The woman shrieked in panic, hiding behind Huang Yongjun. “Brother Yongjun, save me!”
With the situation escalating to this point, Huang Yongjun had no choice but to grit his teeth and step forward.
Yellow sand gathered into a wall of earth, blocking the blue flames half a meter away. However, the scorching heat still burned the man’s cheek, fueling his anger even more.
“Xiao Hui, stay back! I’m going to use my ultimate move!”
“Okay! Go, Brother! You can do it!”
The woman had already sensibly retreated more than ten meters away when the blue flames approached, now cheering her god-brother on from a safe distance.
The surrounding crowd, which had gathered to watch the commotion, had already dispersed wisely. Judging by their practiced reaction, this was clearly not the first time they had witnessed such a conflict.
But a fight between two Tier 6s was still quite rare.
People retreated to a safe distance, yet few were willing to actually leave.
Seeing the area around him clear out, Huang Yongjun let out a loud roar.
The wind and sand within a radius of several kilometers instantly gathered around him, forming a small sandstorm that rapidly closed in on Su Su and the black snake.
This move again.
The black snake leaped onto the ground, its body shifting. Amid gasps and exclamations from the crowd, it transformed into a giant python several dozen meters long.
“Hiss!!”
A fireball shot from its mouth, instantly engulfing the small sandstorm. The remaining flames spread rapidly, and just as they were about to reach the hem of Huang Yongjun’s clothes, a deep, authoritative voice rang out from within the crowd.
“Who is causing trouble?!”
Upon hearing this voice, Huang Yongjun’s expression lit up with joy.
He immediately turned his head and shouted, “Brother Lu! This—this person is provoking me!”
Seven or eight ability users pushed through the crowd, their manner suggesting they were quite familiar with Huang Yongjun.
Su Su vaguely caught murmured discussions from the distant crowd.
“Lu Tao actually came too. That makes three Tier 6s gathered here!”
“The trading market is under the jurisdiction of the Ability Users Guild. Since Huang Yongjun is part of the Guild, Lu Tao will definitely side with him. That beauty is in big trouble…”
So they were from the Ability Users Guild.
Su Su’s expression became solemn, and she silently moved closer to the giant python.
Her sharp sixth sense told her that things were about to become far from simple.
Sure enough, as soon as the leading man arrived, his sharp gaze locked onto Su Su, who appeared to be alone and vulnerable.
“The base strictly prohibits ability users from causing trouble. Are you disregarding the base’s rules?”
Su Su raised an eyebrow. “So, when your people make a move, it’s fine, but when someone else fights back, it’s considered causing trouble?”
Lu Tao sneered. “I only saw your battle pet attacking people in public.”
“Even members of the Battle Pet Guild must follow the battle pet regulations and are not allowed to injure others at will. Besides, if I remember correctly, there’s no such person as you in the Battle Pet Guild.”
His unreasonable stance was blatantly obvious, showing no fear of Su Su resisting.
And why would he? On their side, there were two Tier 6 ability users, plus several Tier 5 ability users.
On her side, there was only a single Tier 6 giant python and herself, a “fake” psychic-type ability user.
Su Su’s gaze swept over the people opposite her, and she quickly assessed the situation in her mind—her ability could barely “turn” one or two Tier 5 ability users against them. As for Xiao Hei going up against two Tier 6s… there was no chance of winning.
No wonder. No wonder the three major guilds had monopolized all power in the Northern Base.
Even if they claimed the sky was square, no one would dare refute them.
Seeing that Su Su remained silent, Lu Tao sneered. “Breaking the base’s rules would normally just mean a few days of confinement. But you’ve violated the battle pet regulations—an ordinance personally acknowledged by the Battle Pet Guild. Come with us.”
The trading market was under the jurisdiction of the Ability Users Guild. Causing trouble here would only result in being thrown into their private prison. As for when she would be released…
The murmuring voices from the crowd drifted over again.
“What a pity.”
“Pity for what?”
“The Ability Users Guild’s private prison isn’t a place for humans to survive in. And she offended someone like Huang Yongjun, a ruthless figure with connections. She might be tortured to death before they even consider letting her go.”
“No way? But her battle pet is Tier 6…”
“She must be a new arrival at the base and hasn’t had time to join any guild yet. Lu Tao and his people probably noticed that and are trying to deal with her quickly—crippling this battle pet before it can end up strengthening the Battle Pet Guild later.”
Su Su’s expression grew heavier and heavier.
She had just entered the base and was already caught in a power struggle between multiple guilds.
“Xiao Hei…” She gave the giant python a look.
—Run as soon as possible.
She absolutely could not go with them. If she ended up in their headquarters, her life and death would be in their hands.
The giant python understood the female’s signal.
It wasn’t stupid either—fighting against a single Tier 6 ability user was one thing, but facing two at once…
Just as their escape plan was forming, Lu Tao, standing across from them, seemed to see right through her intentions. He said lightly, “You may be able to run, but can your companions?”
Cancan!
Su Su’s pupils contracted sharply, and the truth suddenly became crystal clear. “You did this on purpose!”
She had originally thought this was just an ordinary conflict, but Lu Tao’s words shattered that illusion—if this was truly just a spur-of-the-moment altercation, how could they have already known that her companion was also in the trading market?
This was obviously premeditated!
Su Su’s chest rose and fell violently. Just as she was about to fight her way out, another commotion erupted in the distance.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
The crowd split into two lines, and a cheetah strode forward along the path that had been cleared, exuding an imposing presence.
When Lu Tao saw the man riding on its back, his previously confident expression finally darkened. “Jiang Hong, you sure got here fast.”
“Not as fast as you.”
The cheetah boldly brushed past the Ability Users Guild members, and Jiang Hong looked down at Lu Tao from his elevated position. His gaze swept over the scene, taking in the troublemaker Huang Yongjun and the woman beside him.
“Lu Tao, does being the Research Guild’s dog make you happy?”
“You!”
Lu Tao gritted his teeth in rage, itching to strike on the spot. But considering that both Jiang Hong and the battle pet beneath him were Tier 6, he forcibly held himself back.
Calming down, he said darkly, “Jiang Hong, it was you people who personally agreed to the battle pet regulations back then, which allowed the entire base to gradually accept the existence of battle pets. And now you want to blatantly violate them?”
The cheetah had already reached the side of the giant python. It raised its head and glanced at the equally fierce and domineering creature, momentarily suppressing its urge to spar.
Jiang Hong ignored Lu Tao and instead turned his gaze toward Su Su.
As if sensing that the height difference made it inconvenient to speak, the snake’s tail took the initiative to lift the female and place her onto its body.
This was their second meeting. Jiang Hong gave her a slight nod before finally responding to Lu Tao. “Your people were the first to break the base’s rules, and yet you have the audacity to bring up the battle pet regulations?”
“Besides, if I insist on violating them, what can you do about it?”
The words were arrogant, but Jiang Hong truly had the qualifications to back them up.
To the three major guilds, those so-called regulations were merely scraps of paper meant to restrain ordinary people and low-tier ability users.
When you held power, no one talked about reason.
Lu Tao sneered. “So you’re dead set on shielding her? Jiang Hong, she’s not even part of your Battle Pet Guild. Is this really necessary?”
“Whether it’s necessary or not isn’t for you to decide.” Jiang Hong’s patience had run out. “Lu Tao, if you still refuse to back down, I don’t mind having a fight.”
A fight?
Now that there were three Tier 6s on the opposing side, the situation had completely reversed. If a battle broke out, they would undoubtedly be the ones at a disadvantage.
Lu Tao could only blame himself for not acting fast enough before the Battle Pet Guild’s people arrived in time.
After a brief standoff, he was the first to turn and leave, his expression as dark as it could possibly get.
And just like that, the conflict dissipated.
The crowd dispersed reluctantly, though a few ability users still lingered, secretly observing the enormous, thick-bodied python.
The Ability Users Guild had failed to get its way. It seemed that another powerful battle pet had just emerged in the base.
This exchange had clearly ended with the Battle Pet Guild in the superior position.
Everyone tacitly assumed that the newly arrived beauty and her Tier 6 python would inevitably join the Battle Pet Guild.
Even Su Su herself, upon meeting Jiang Hong’s gaze, finally understood—whether she chose to or not, she had already been naturally placed on the Battle Pet Guild’s side.
If she insisted on maintaining an independent stance, she would surely become the focus of suppression from the other two guilds.
No one had expected that, in just over a year since the apocalypse began, the power structure of the Northern Base would have already become so stable and entangled.
Su Su took a deep breath.
Logically speaking, Jiang Hong had arrived just in time to resolve the situation for her, and she should be extremely grateful to him.
But deep down, an unsettling thought arose in her mind—
Was Jiang Hong also one of the driving forces behind all this?
His timely appearance… was it really just a coincidence?