Before Porcupine could continue his rant, he felt a force rapidly coalesce in the air, sealing his mouth shut. He wanted to speak but couldn't open it, no matter how hard he tried. Just as he thought he'd encountered a ghost, his companion Lilia's delicate scolding voice came through.
"Shut up, fool!"
The others could only guess. However, as Spiritual Power users, she and Wei Hao could naturally sense that their boss had indeed brought someone back. If she let their foolish companion speak any longer, he might unknowingly start cursing this capricious new boss. Lilia was rather fond of this endearingly silly man, which was why she had intervened.
Porcupine might have been simple, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He quickly realized his companion Lilia was the one using her power on him. Instantly guessing he had misspoken again, he shut his mouth and stopped resisting the force. Sensing his compliance, Lilia quietly withdrew her Telekinesis.
Only then did Chen Pingchuan begin to speak. "Stop with the 'hey, hey, hey' and 'ah, ah, ah.' I have a name. It's Chen Pingchuan."
"As for the person you're asking about, she is indeed with me."
Upon hearing Chen Pingchuan admit that Li Yan was with him, Ren Fei's rage intensified. He didn't know why his temper was getting progressively worse, but he felt an overwhelming need to vent, even if it meant mutual destruction.
Chen Pingchuan was unaware that it wasn't just his spiritual level being eroded by his divine self; his trait of anger, along with the deep-seated carnal desires hidden in his soul, were also beginning to corrode the spirits of those around him. As for his own fate, his humanity would gradually dissipate, and he would eventually be replaced by another Chen Pingchuan.
"Alright, Chen Pingchuan, what are you really after? Are you planning to break our agreement?"
"Not at all. I just can't stand by and watch a group of you bully a girl who has given so much for you. You don't consider whether she's reached her limit; you just keep pushing her."
"Have you no conscience?"
"Without her, you wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell."
"Without her, you'd all just be a bunch of vermin waiting to die."
"And this is how you treat your benefactor."
"You are truly a pack of heartless bastards."
When it came to insults, whether elegant or crude, Chen Pingchuan had never met his match. He was in a better place now, so he sometimes disdained such displays, feeling they tarnished his image. But if anyone pushed him far enough, cursing them and their eighteen generations of ancestors wasn't out of the question.
Chen Pingchuan's tirade left Ren Fei and his group momentarily speechless. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but seeing everyone else join in, they had blindly followed suit, never once thinking to speak up for Li Yan.
Li Yan felt the man's overwhelming presence beside her, and it gave her an immense sense of security.
Perhaps... perhaps...
"We still need your help, which is also for your own good," Ren Fei said, his voice subdued. He bowed his head in concession once more, wondering when this life of capitulating to villains would ever end. When Chen Pingchuan didn't respond, he asked with weary resignation, "Fine. What do you want?"
This time, Chen Pingchuan's answer was sharp and to the point.
"Simple. I want the weapons inside the protective shield. As soon as Li Yan helps me open it, I'll have Lilia help you explore the ventilation ducts."
"Otherwise, we can just wait it out. I have all the time in the world."
Ren Fei gritted his teeth and retorted coldly, "Dream on. That's the one thing I will never agree to."
Chen Pingchuan crossed his arms, watching with detached amusement. "Oh?"
Ren Fei's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're truly ruthless, aren't you? If we can't find a way out, everyone here will die. You may not be afraid to die, but have you asked your companions if they're willing to die with you?"
Chen Pingchuan shrugged, his expression indifferent. "Every person must die. Some deaths are as weighty as Mount Tai, others as light as a goose feather."
"Mount Tai is too heavy for my small frame to carry. I suppose we'll all just have to be goose feathers together."
He spoke ambiguously, but everyone around him could feel his unwavering resolve.
Just then, Li Yan tugged on Chen Pingchuan's sleeve. He leaned down slightly, bringing his face close to hers. Even through the air, Li Yan could feel the warmth radiating from his skin, and her own face grew scorching hot.
But she couldn't afford to be shy now. Not knowing where she found the courage, she cupped Chen Pingchuan's face with her hands and whispered in his ear, "You don't need their permission. I'm the only one who knows the security password for the shield. I'll open it for you..."
Hearing this, Chen Pingchuan didn't immediately agree. Instead, he gently stroked her soft hair and murmured reassuringly, "A man doesn't need a woman to shield him from the storm. You don't have to worry about this. Just listen to me."
Although he hadn't outright refused, Li Yan understood. He was doing this to protect her, to make it possible for her to one day return to that selfish group. For a moment, she couldn't tell who was truly on her side.
A pitch-black environment, a pitch-black heart. In that moment, Ren Fei's own heart turned completely black. He tilted his head up, glanced at the dark ventilation duct, then lowered his gaze back toward Chen Pingchuan. Finally, he conceded with a sense of helpless defeat.
Forcing down his rage, Ren Fei gritted his teeth and snarled, "Fine! As soon as your person opens the exit on the other side of the metal grille, I'll have Li Yan help you open the weapon shield."
Hearing Ren Fei's shameless words, Li Yan felt her blood boil. It was a task only she could perform, yet it had become his bargaining chip. Unable to speak up and protest, she felt utterly miserable.
"Are you satisfied now, Chen Pingchuan?"
"It'll do," Chen Pingchuan replied coolly. He then turned toward Lilia and instructed softly, "Be careful."
Lilia nodded obediently. Without needing any light, she picked up the dagger and long rod that had been used to pry open the metal grille earlier and drifted lightly toward the entrance of the ventilation duct.
Although the others couldn't see Lilia's figure, they could feel an invisible force pushing them aside. Everyone was now hoping that this group of villains would succeed in breaking through the duct and opening the bank vault's door from the outside.
Lilia used her Telekinesis to levitate. Her two weapons entered the ventilation duct ahead of her, maneuvering nimbly into the endless exploration of the darkness.
The duct was filled with a musty, ancient air, and its silence was unsettling. But Lilia, relying on her formidable Telekinesis, moved through the narrow space as if it were her natural element. Though no one could see anything, they soon heard noises coming from within the duct, letting them know the exploration was underway.
Time seemed to stretch on, each passing second feeling like a heavy drumbeat on their hearts. Chen Pingchuan's expression remained calm, but he had a feeling things wouldn't be this simple.
「Several dozen minutes passed.」