Chapter 128: An Exquisite and Devious Trick

Inside the carriage, she picked up a towel and wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead.

This suit of armor made her feel extremely uncomfortable. So, once back inside the vehicle, she removed her winged helmet and loosened her gauntlets (the rest of the armor was too much of a hassle to take off, so she left it on), trying to relax as much as possible.

Maintaining her appearance was still as exhausting as it used to be. It had been a long time since she last did something like this, and she had almost forgotten how. She wondered what kind of evaluation he would give if he saw her like this.

She thought of Wang Luo, but suddenly couldn't recall what he looked like—they had barely met a few times. What she remembered clearly, however, was the white armor he wore during the military parade and the white horse he rode.

With that, she dismissed him and stopped thinking about it. Instead, she closed her eyes, leaned back against the carriage seat, and reviewed the recent battle.

That single throw to kill yet another minor Yellow Turban chieftain had cost her a full ten thousand four hundred and sixty points.

Though she couldn't say it broke her heart, it was... exhausting.

The road was rough, and the violent jolting beneath her made her furrow her brow tightly.

It hadn't gone as smoothly as anticipated. The outpost they had just raided had fewer people than the previous one, with cruder weapons and even simpler equipment.

This meant the probability of a commander dropping a head was even lower.

Even so, they had struck—simply because it was close, for such a trivial reason!

The outcome of the battle was that she killed a minor Yellow Turban chieftain named Liu Gou, acquiring 976 universal points and a piece of vendor trash: a broken short spear (attack 3-6, no special effects, and could only be sold to a shop for a little over a hundred points).

Furthermore, the universal points obtained from her subordinates had also decreased. Because the surrounding Revolutionary Army soldiers hadn't stopped; instead, they began pursuing the remaining Yellow Turbans—and killed most of them.

In doing so, they wasted both stamina and universal points. And at that time, Yang Wentian, who should have kept them in check, had actually joined the pursuit party.

That scoundrel! When the chance arose in the future, she would definitely teach him a lesson.

Just as she made this decision, a melodious chime suddenly rang out.

She sat up and listened carefully; it was the jewelry box. And judging by the frequency...

It was Red Lightning.

"What is it?" She picked up the box from the side, opened it, and said in a caustic tone.

"We've made contact with Getini," Red Lightning's steady voice came from the box. "Are you available right now?"

That scoundrel was still as snide as ever. "Thank you, Deputy Commander Red."

"You're welcome... Ms. Lin."

Shortly after, Getini's long-familiar voice drifted from the jewelry box. "Beauty, long time no see."

Heh, he certainly knew how to talk—she had never been averse to that form of address. "Long time no see. I suppose Red Lightning and Blooming Flower have both filled you in on the situation here."

"Of course, darling," Getini said. "Look, I was clearly serving Wuzhou, doing my utmost and cooperating with you in raiding the Revolutionary Army's camp. But in the end, they pushed all the blame onto me—as if I had done something unforgivable. It's truly unfair."

How touching indeed. "I spoke with Commander Ranke. He expressed understanding regarding battlefield affairs, but he cannot tolerate anyone stabbing him in the back."

"I am so wronged, my love," Getini said. "Then, for the sake of our past alliance, would you be willing to do a little favor?"

"Of course, as long as he is generous enough." Lin Feirui raised her right hand and inspected her fingernails. "My suggestion is: let's set up a place for you to meet Ranke and explain everything clearly."

"You and I both know that's impossible." Inside the jewelry box, Getini's voice suddenly sounded very distant. "My love, if we do that, you could be spared from paying off one debt, maybe even two. Compared to such foolishness, I have a much better idea."

"Go on."

"Sweetheart, you know my innate skill. It can create effects that occasionally mislead people, and even the system itself. Right now, I can transform into one of your subordinates, and I guarantee no one will recognize me. With just a testimony from you, I can easily defect to the Revolutionary Army's side."

Lin Feirui was not entirely familiar with his innate skill. However... judging by his description, it seemed to have a wide variety of uses. "And what's in it for me?"

"Regarding Commander Ranke's inexplicable hatred," Getini continued, "I can have someone else transform into my appearance and let him kill them to vent his spleen. Anyway, that guy just needs to console his troops, so let's give him the chance. I'd be more than happy to comfort a wounded soul."

"Darling, this way, he will be very grateful to you. Aside from trivialities like waiving the interest, surely paying it back after returning to the space is a negotiable condition. Since I will have become your subordinate, and you currently need universal points, our previous business can be wiped clean as well. How about it?"

Meaning, the debt would be waived, and repayment to Ranke could be postponed. "Even on my end, every defector needs to pay fifty thousand."

"My dear, of course I wouldn't let you out of pocket," Getini said. "It's just that I'm a bit strapped for cash right now. I'll still have to trouble you to pay it for me, and I'll compensate you with experience points from the Moon Shadow team, how's that? And I've heard that in this victor's new team, many interesting rules will be implemented. I suppose we'll have plenty of cooperation opportunities by then."

That... wasn't entirely unfeasible.

Lin Feirui remained silent for a moment. "Doing it this way puts you at quite a disadvantage, doesn't it?"

"Of course not. Being able to stay by your side is the greatest happiness for me, darling. Though it breaks my heart to see you marry him, it also means greater opportunities and a better future, doesn't it? Just think: a powerful commander tragically passes away, and his grieving widow endures immense sorrow to inherit a massive fortune. By the way, is he really as excessively naive in certain areas as Blooming Flower says? Does he only hold leadership skills temporarily?"

"Enough!" she reprimanded, though her tone was not stern. "I can save you, but you are forbidden from uttering such insolent remarks ever again!"

"Very well, my love." His voice seemed to grow close again. "Then it's settled."

This man was dangerous. After putting down the jewelry box, Lin Feirui let out a lazy yawn.

Things wouldn't be as simple as he imagined. If Wang Luo's plan proceeded smoothly, the resources of a large team would quickly allow him to grow. Once he possessed high-privilege equipment, the utility of Getini's innate skill would be quite limited.

However, if things didn't pan out that way... having a few extra preparations was always good.

The carriage came to a halt; the third target of attack had arrived.

She stepped out of the carriage and gazed into the distance.

It was already evening, and half the sky was dyed a deep crimson, like a magnificent ocean of red. Bathed in this red glow was a large encampment. It was built on a hillside and held roughly seven or eight hundred people. Much like other Yellow Turban camps, fences had been hastily erected and shallow trenches dug; the defense was lax, and the personnel were in disarray.

Her heart suddenly surged with excitement. It was akin to the feeling she had before acquiring Universe in One Throw, similar to when she obtained Blood Rain. In short, it felt as though something important was drawing closer and closer to her.