Bai Cha did not understand, did not comprehend, why everyone was desperately trying to save her.
If she had wanted to live, if she had regrets, then it would have been understandable, but when she had already made sufficient psychological preparations for her own death and settled all her affairs, this group of people desperately pulled her back from the shore.
Their sacrifices and deaths were precisely what caught her most off guard and pained her the most. Their actions only made her question the meaning of existence.
"What is your value? Chacha, you don't even like it."
Bai Shu's words still left Bai Cha unable to refute. Or rather, Bai Cha wanted to refute very much, but a strange feeling always prevented her from saying anything.
"You don't like guarding, you don't like to be tired, you don't like being treated as a weapon, you don't like fighting day and night, and you don't like those ugly monsters."
"From childhood, you were a weapon, merely mechanically carrying out your mother's duty. When you went into the forest, you would take deep breaths and feel the plants and trees; by the river, you would feel the kiss of the flowing water. Your eyes enjoyed lingering in the glow of flames. Perhaps you should have been a poet, Bai Cha."
"No, I don't resent my work. I am willing to stand in this position not as a mechanical and emotionless inheritance!" Bai Cha shouted, her chest heaving.
She felt… a little guilty, actually.
"Because we need your protection, you are willing," Bai Shu gently finished Bai Cha's sentence. "Have you ever done anything for yourself?"
Bai Cha: "..."
"Because of the lack of emotion from childhood, it's easy to develop a giving personality. Even if you make excuses in various ways to regain your rationality, you can't deny that while becoming everyone's reliance, you also rely on everyone," Bai Shu said softly. "Life is a bridge, and its greatness lies not in its destination."
"You haven't grown up yet. Although I don't know why your emotions are slower and more indifferent than normal people, you, who only know to move forward carrying an inexplicable responsibility, are not truly grown up. All of us just want to delay time."
"At least sacrifice yourself after you've become an adult, right? How can you let naive children participate in this? That's right."
"Your father said that the most terrifying thing in life is to sacrifice yourself without even knowing what you want, just going with the flow of time. At least none of us have regrets, but if you were to die directly now, truly, would you have no regrets?"
Bai Cha: "..."
The wind was strong, passing through the broken window and softly embracing the thin curtains, fluttering them in the air. The dawn finally climbed onto the windowsill, peeking into the cold room.
When Lucifer arrived, Bai Shu was pinned to the wall, his limbs transformed into bright, fine powder, and the process was continuously intensifying. As for Bai Cha, she lay on a floor of shattered glass, quietly sleeping.
Her long, satin-like hair was spread across the floor, mixed with glass shards and the wind-eroded bodies of fallen ability users, creating a layer of shimmering color, like a starry night.
Hearing the sound, Bai Cha slowly woke up, propping herself up on the ground, letting the glass fragments pierce her palms.
"Master!" Lucifer hurried forward, waving his hand to dispel the glass shards on the ground and holding Bai Cha in his arms. He carefully removed the glass fragments embedded in Bai Cha's palms and began to treat her wounds.
Bai Cha was somewhat dazed. She seemed to see anxiety and worry on Lucifer's face, a feeling both strange and familiar. Bai Cha suddenly remembered that when she was injured, Lucifer always had this expression. Bai Cha seemed to vaguely perceive Lucifer's heartache, anxiety, and perhaps even self-blame.
The hazy emotions became a little clearer, familiar yet strange. Bai Cha swallowed and placed her hand on the near-fatal wound on her chest, her weak heart pounding uncontrollably.
"Lucifer, you're anxious, aren't you?" Bai Cha suddenly grasped Lucifer's hand as he treated her wound, her face flushing slightly with excitement. "Are you anxious? You're worried about me."
Lucifer was taken aback, not understanding why Bai Cha would suddenly say such a thing. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. He felt Bai Cha's excitement, which made him confused and perplexed.
Looking at Lucifer's expression, Bai Cha knew she was right. This time, she hadn't judged based on others' micro-expressions; she had felt it directly.
"Master, you're injured, let's go back first." Lucifer helped Bai Cha up, his worry intensifying as he sensed Bai Cha's depleted vital energy. "So, should we announce to the outside..."
At this point, Lucifer hesitated, glancing behind him at the wall where only a spear remained. He then noticed that even that spear had begun to fade and disappear.
"Announce it, he's dead," Bai Cha said, clutching her chest, where a wound had slashed from her left chest, across her heart, and straight to her lower back on the right, injuring her heart and nearly splitting her in half, costing her life.
"He pursued ultimate strength his entire life, and he achieved it," Bai Cha hummed softly, suddenly laughing. "I climbed to the divine throne with everyone's strength, yet he nearly killed a god without even burning himself up. In the final moment, he surpassed everyone, including my father and me, just as he wished."
Although this god had only just brushed the threshold of demigod status, he had reached this height purely on his own.
He had almost killed her outright.
He had held nothing back, just as Bai Cha had said at the beginning, the pride in the bloodline that remained in the Bai family.
The world was shaken.
The news of Miss Bai Cha killing the world's number one, Asteria, instantly surged across various networks. The second headline was that out of China's eleven shadow participants, all except the two from the neutral faction and the light faction had entered the top twenty. China alone occupied three of the top ten spots.
As everyone received rare ores according to their rankings, the quantity of ores received by one person from China was more than double that of the second-place recipient. China had to send people multiple times to transport it all back.
In a dark corner, a group of people were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
"Didn't you say you could target Bai Cha? How did she still become number one!" someone roared, venting their anger in the confined space. "Is this what you call targeting?"
"How was I supposed to know this woman was so heartless? Even though the person she loved most is dead, she still had the mood to compete," another person said lazily.
"Nonsense, this is revenge, for crying out loud! What do we do now? She got revenge on all those people, will we be next?"
"...I, I didn't make a move," a slightly shorter person mumbled.
"Forget it, we're all in the same boat. Don't think you can escape," the languid person snorted, showing disdain for the cowardly. "At worst, we'll stop for a while. We control several important technologies in China. If she dares to turn against us..."
"Knock, knock."
A gentle knock at the door brought the discussion inside to an abrupt halt. The languid leader shot upright, looking incredulous. The air in the room froze; everyone remained motionless as if petrified.
"Could it be, she's here?"
"No way, this place is truly hidden. How could she..."
There was a rustling inside, and everyone desperately debated the object of their fear, like dark mold suddenly exposed to scorching sunlight, filling them with dread.
"Knock, knock."
The knocking was soft and clear. The people inside exchanged glances and quickly hid, leaving only the languid leader to regain his usual solemn and proper demeanor to open the door.
As the door opened, the leader's fingers trembled. He did his utmost to control his composure and naturalness, but his entire body stiffened uncontrollably.
They dared not confront Bai Cha head-on; otherwise, they wouldn't have resorted to sneak attacks from behind. This group of people, after exhausting all their schemes, never expected the protagonist they had calculated against to suddenly appear before them.
"Aren't you going to invite me in for a cup of tea, General?" the beautiful young girl stood alone at the door of the suburban shack, with a shallow smile, her arms crossed, mockery in her eyes. "Ah, or should I call you Uncle?"
"Don't be so nervous, Gong Tingjian. Since I'm here, you should understand that I've already figured out your background. And the fact that only I am appearing here means I harbor no ill will."
Bai Cha's tone carried arrogance, her steps light. It hadn't even been a week since the World Competition, yet Gong Tingjian felt a strange sensation; he felt as if something about Bai Cha had changed.
Before, she was indifferently proud yet gentle towards others, with a lazy demeanor and great patience. But now, there was coldness, arrogance, disdain, and mockery, as if she were looking down on a clown, making Gong Tingjian feel like a puppet on strings, held in Bai Cha's hands.
Gong Tingjian smiled. Although he was Ye Feng's cousin, he still fell short compared to Ye Feng. Even so, he pretended to be calm and brewed a cup of tea. He glanced at Bai Cha, who had casually sat on the sofa without moving, and then he felt a slight sense of relief.
"Chevrolet is like a very strong green tea. My father and I have light tastes, usually three leaves per cup," Bai Cha said, picking up the strong tea in front of her and sniffing it lightly. She smiled and put it back down. "But Xue Di is like white tea, delicately fragrant, with a lasting aroma that lingers on the palate and even leaves a sweet aftertaste. How about we switch?"
Gong Tingjian did not speak, or rather, he was unable to resist as Bai Cha took his teacup and replaced it with her green tea. He remained stiff, unsure of how to react.
"Hmph, a General who has climbed mountains of knives and seas of fire is afraid of me? Did I scare you when I publicly executed Mo Han, a traitorous General like myself?" Bai Cha chuckled. "Don't be nervous, General. At least your son knows nothing about you for now."
Gong Tingjian wanted to retort, but he didn't know how much Bai Cha knew.
At every meeting, no matter how much evidence people prepared against Bai Cha, she would casually refute it with a few words. Bai Cha always managed to prepare all the evidence in advance, waiting for the opportune moment to slap it onto the faces of all those who had ill intentions. Over time, no one dared to trouble Bai Cha openly.
Gong Tingjian didn't know how much Bai Cha had discovered. Just as Bai Cha had said at the beginning, her ability to suddenly find this place or her thorough knowledge of his background were real possibilities.
"What do you want to say," Gong Tingjian gritted his teeth, finally breaking the silence. He had no intention of beating around the bush; being circuitous in front of a smart person would only lead to self-humiliation.
"A wise choice. You are my father's relative, which is why I've kept you until now. And now, I'll give you two opportunities, how about it," Bai Cha curled her lips, arrogant and disdainful. "And you will make two deals with me."
"Why should I make a deal with you?" Gong Tingjian instinctively wanted to refuse. No one could get the better of Bai Cha. He didn't know how much she knew, and every bargaining chip was precious now.
"Simply because all the rare ores are in my hands," Bai Cha said, lifting her water cup somewhat carelessly. "These rare ores were previously managed by the neutral faction and distributed to you for experiments, and you urgently need them... Hey, don't get agitated, my General. You should know that no one can stop me from doing what I want."
Gong Tingjian's expression immediately turned grim, and he began to hesitate. The people hiding around also felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing Bai Cha's words.
"You should know, if I wished, I could control all of China's national defense and resources within three days. No one can stop me now, but I can give these to you. So, now..."
"Let's make a deal."