The words Bai Cha spoke were like a bolt from the blue. For Mo Ziye, who considered light his faith, it was a shattering blow to his worldview.
His initial encounter with Bai Cha, discovering that Yingzi's faction were not villains, had already overturned his perceptions. Now, hearing that those who represented light were engaging in internal strife and manipulation, Mo Ziye found it genuinely hard to believe.
“Don’t rush to refute. I’m not asking you to believe it necessarily.” Seeing Mo Ziye about to leap up, Bai Cha reached out and pressed him down. “You’re going to take over your father’s position in the future. How can you be so impetuous and unable to keep things to yourself?”
“I… I…” Mo Ziye rubbed his face vigorously, trying to calm himself. He could feel his heartbeat, which made his head spin, and even his voice trembled slightly. “Could it be a mistake? I mean, could it be a misunderstanding?”
His face was pale, and his voice was almost on the verge of tears. Seeing his pitiable appearance, even Su Qing, who had been ready to strike him with his flute, gritted his teeth and held back.
Mo Ziye’s face was too pure, truly the embodiment of an innocent angel. Faced with those pure eyes, even Su Qing, who wasn't familiar with Mo Ziye, felt reluctant to scold him.
Su Qing really wanted to say that it was more plausible for Bai Cha to be an alien than for Bai Cha to be mistaken. The possibility was less than ten percent. After all, experts had calculated Bai Cha’s accuracy and success rate to be as high as ninety-nine percent, with the remaining one percent deducted to prevent Yingzi’s faction from becoming arrogant.
He didn’t like people who were too simple, finding them tiring to communicate with. However, since Bai Cha hadn’t spoken, it wasn’t his turn to interject.
“Let’s proceed as usual,” Bai Cha pressed a few buttons on his waistband, taking out a miniature computer and looking at Su Qing. “Play a slower melody.”
Su Qing thought for a moment, then stood up and took two steps forward. He grasped the jade flute in his hand, pressed it to his chest, and closed his eyes, as if silently sensing everything around him.
The breath of the wind, the dance of the leaves, and… the murmur of the water.
Gradually, as if his heart had merged with the rhythm of nature.
The melody swirled, visible waves of azure sound overlapping and rotating upwards, like the breath of a dream rippling through nature, crisp yet gentle, graceful yet clear, drifting and echoing.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Qing finally stopped. He was so thirsty that his mouth felt dry. Even though he was a professional, it didn’t mean his throat and mouth were invincible. His mouth was already starting to ache from playing.
“Wow, Su Qing, your playing… it’s amazing,” it wasn't until Su Qing sat down beside him that Mo Ziye finally came back to his senses. His large eyes were filled with admiration. “I’ve heard many old artists play the flute, but none as good as yours. How did you do it! Your partner must be incredibly skilled to be able to cooperate with you.”
“Cough, well! Of course,” Su Qing swayed the flute in his hand, smiling brilliantly. “This is how I make a living.”
Bai Cha looked up and silently glanced at Su Qing, who was quickly closing the distance with Mo Ziye, and said nothing.
Mo Ziye had hit the nail on the head. If Su Qing were praised for his flute playing, he would be happy. But if Li Rong were also praised along with it, Su Qing would be even happier.
Clearly, Mo Ziye had unintentionally pleased Su Qing, making Su Qing find him much more likable.
“You really play very well, and… powerfully,” Gu Zitang’s expression was not only one of admiration but also of lingering disbelief. Mo Ziye, with his carefree nature, hadn’t noticed, but Gu Zitang had.
Those ripples weren't just sound waves, but also energy, stable and powerful.
Gu Zitang didn’t know Su Qing’s ranking within Yingzi’s faction, but if Su Qing were in the Neutral faction, he would definitely be in the top three, perhaps even vying for first place.
Considering Bai Cha, Meng Qinghuan, and Xiang Nan already made three, and now adding Su Qing, whom Gu Zitang didn’t understand, Gu Zitang truly had no idea how many powerhouses Yingzi’s faction possessed.
Su Qing was indeed a top musician. Just as Mo Ziye was about to share his thoughts with Bai Cha, he turned around and found Bai Cha gone. Su Qing had been so engrossed in Su Qing’s playing that he hadn’t noticed Bai Cha’s departure. Just as he was about to get up and look for her, he saw Bai Cha returning from the woods.
“Boss, how was it?” As soon as Su Qing saw Bai Cha return, he scurried over. “My mouth hurts from playing.”
He had indeed played for quite some time, estimating an hour in one continuous breath, switching through different pieces, almost causing his brain to become oxygen-deprived.
However, this statement clearly carried a hint of feigned suffering. Bai Cha glanced at the dejected-looking Su Qing and said helplessly, “Let’s go find Li Rong first.”
“Eh! Understood!” Su Qing immediately cheered up, no longer feeling tired, and sat obediently beside Bai Cha, as if he had a tail wagging behind him.
Bai Cha knew that Su Qing, apart from playing the flute, was only interested in eating and drinking. For meticulous tasks that required thinking, it was always Li Rong’s job. This pair, one meticulous and serious, the other carefree, was quite complementary.
“To invent a machine that can cut through space in such a short time is indeed remarkable. However, their understanding of space is very shallow, so we can exploit that.” Bai Cha said this to Su Qing and Gu Zitang, knowing that Mo Ziye definitely wouldn’t understand and not intending to trouble him. She continued, “As it stands, there are likely three possibilities, all of which are somewhat troublesome.”
“What about Ming Ze? Is he with your people now?” Gu Zitang patted the fat on his belly, feeling awkward about asking about his younger brother in front of Bai Cha.
“Yes, someone is protecting him,” Bai Cha nodded, knowing that Gu Zitang did care about Gu Ming Ze, even if he was reluctant to show it. She added casually, “If you care, just say it. Don’t act like you dislike him all the time.”
Gu Zitang lowered his head and remained silent, it was unclear if he had understood. Bai Cha couldn’t be bothered to manage it; whether he changed was his own business. Once the word "family" ceased to have meaning, it was difficult to mend it. However, this was Gu Zitang’s own affair. Gu Zitang was, after all, an adult, and Bai Cha wouldn’t overstep her bounds to lecture him.
“Firstly, the best-case scenario is that this machine merely separates us, preventing us from gathering and dispersing our combat strength. This is easily resolved.” Bai Cha drew in the ground with a small twig. “The second scenario is slightly more troublesome: we directly seize the goods during the crisis, using the spatial rifts to steal the crystals.”
“Of course, there’s the last one.” Bai Cha paused. “When most people have exited, they use spatial cutting to disconnect and lock the vortex gate, ensuring some people can never leave.”
“Ah? Why?” Mo Ziye didn’t understand. “I can understand the second one, which is just stealing things. But why would they want to prevent some people from leaving?”
They all fell silent. Faced with this innocent youth, none of them knew how to explain it.
Should they say that this was a common tactic in factional struggles?
But Mo Ziye hadn’t experienced factional struggles, thinking that everyone was friendly and cooperative. This explanation would be too complicated.
Should they say, because we blocked their path?
This was even harder to explain. Once said, it would likely lead to a flood of questions about why they blocked the path. These situations could only be deeply understood through personal experience; there were too many reasons, and neither Bai Cha nor Gu Zitang knew where to begin explaining.
“Um… perhaps because they dislike us.” Bai Cha pondered for a long time, choosing a somewhat plausible reason. “For example, before you met me, you also thought Yingzi’s faction was a big criminal organization that did all sorts of evil things, right?”
Even Mo Ziye only later understood how upright Yingzi’s faction truly was.
“But, if it’s explained clearly, wouldn’t that solve the problem? You are good people.” Mo Ziye still didn’t understand.
“…We are not good people.” Bai Cha sighed helplessly, resting her chin on her hand. For the first time in her life, she felt somewhat at a loss for words. “Ziye, many things in the world have no right or wrong. It’s just that standpoints differ, and each party acts for their own interests.”
“Ah?” Mo Ziye still didn’t understand.
“Uh… for instance, prioritizing national interests above all else is our mission objective.” Bai Cha attempted to explain in simple terms. “For me, no one can infringe upon the interests of Z Country. However, for the shadows of other countries, I am infringing upon their interests. There are no absolute good people in this world; it’s only a matter of whether one goes too far.”
Moreover, frankly speaking, Bai Cha disliked being described as a good person, as if she would be morally blackmailed at any moment.
Mo Ziye lowered his head silently. He seemed to understand, but also not entirely.
He didn’t understand why, even though they were all from the same country, their interests were so significant that they would draw swords against each other. Perhaps, in reality, no one could answer his question. Everyone didn’t know why, but human nature drove them to do so.
“Never mind, let’s get back to the main topic. I’ve carefully observed the spatial fluctuations caused by Su Qing’s melody. Preliminary judgment is that the crystal I saw is the pivot of this space.” Bai Cha returned to the topic. “That platform is the only stable point, so you need to gather there, and then I’ll take you away after I get the crystal.”
“Of course, if you’re not afraid of dying, you can choose not to listen to me.” Bai Cha’s sentence cornered those who wanted to interject. She continued, “There are about sixty-odd green people around. Let’s lure them out and then capture them all in one fell swoop.”
“Do we have to kill them?” Mo Ziye frowned, feeling a bit reluctant. “They are the original inhabitants here, aren’t they? They are also innocent.”
And after all, they were the ones who offended first.
“…This is like a pig on a chopping block talking to a companion about to rebel, saying ‘that butcher is so pitiful.’ What is this nonsense?” Su Qing finally couldn’t hold back and retorted directly, “Did they show any mercy when they killed you?”
Uh, perhaps not.
“But we trespassed into their world without reason, didn’t we? Aren’t we disturbing them?” Mo Ziye argued, but before he could finish, Bai Cha interrupted him.
“I am giving orders, not seeking your opinion. You can choose not to participate, but you must shut up.” Bai Cha tapped the ground with a twig, clearly showing some impatience. “This world or our world, destroy one, which one do you choose?”
“…Is there no other way?” Mo Ziye asked weakly.
“Then I’ll give you ten minutes. Think of a better way?” Bai Cha threw the twig in her hand and clicked her tongue impatiently. “You’re too idealistic. Be realistic. I am neither good nor kind. I only prioritize national interests. I only know that if we don’t get the crystal, Earth will be destroyed, and if Earth is destroyed, Z Country will cease to exist. Aren’t the pigs, cattle, and sheep you eat pitiable? Did you eat them?”
Hearing this, Mo Ziye obediently shut his mouth. He indeed wanted to save the green people as well, but let alone ten minutes, he might not have a solution even if given ten days. Even if he had a solution, he wouldn’t have the power.
Gu Zitang smiled helplessly beside him. He was a smart person and knew that a team could only have one brain and one mouth, so he hadn’t said much throughout.
Moreover, he could also tell that Bai Cha didn’t seem as cold as she appeared on the surface. While telling Mo Ziye not to talk too much, she was actually explaining her actions.
“If there are no objections, I will proceed. Until you give me a better suggestion, do not interrupt.”