"Evan, do you think that guy might die?" Rhea Yang whispered.
"No way. He already realizes how serious things are. I bet he'll run for it right now. Explosive Bolts are for long-range attacks—once you're surrounded, they're useless. The kid's not stupid," Evan Chu analyzed, watching Ray Lei from afar.
Sure enough, just as Evan finished speaking, Ray Lei fired off an arrow—"Boom!" A blast echoed out, and one unlucky student was blown away. The outcome was clear: dead, no question.
Ray Lei spun around and bolted for his life. Honestly, his speed was pretty impressive—he was gone in a flash, leaving Gus Bullard and the others, who’d been ready to surround him, totally frustrated.
"Ray Lei, you’d better hope you never fall into my hands, or I’ll make you wish you were dead!" the youth in purple shouted.
"I’ll let you taste my fist next time!" Gus Bullard yelled, furious.
"Next time I’ll chop off your legs and see how you run! I’m so pissed!" Lily Tang grumbled, annoyed that Ray Lei had played them all.
"Now it’s time for us to fight for leadership. This place is packed with danger—only a strong team can finish the mission. Anyone alone is risking their life every minute," said the youth in purple.
Evan Chu and Rhea Yang were pretty far away, so they couldn’t hear exactly what the youth in purple was saying. Still, it was obvious they were plotting something.
"Evan, why don’t we just go out there? I don’t think they’re really fighting for their lives. No point hiding here," Rhea Yang said, unable to hold back.
"Alright, let’s go see what they’re really fighting about. I get the feeling they’re competing for something," Rhea Yang said.
Once Evan Chu finished speaking, he and Rhea Yang stepped out from behind the big boulder. Their sudden appearance instantly caught Gus Bullard and the others’ attention.
Because Rhea Yang had disguised Evan Chu’s face, nobody recognized him. But Rhea was a different story—Lily Tang immediately ran over.
Seeing Rhea Yang with some unfamiliar guy was strange. Based on what she knew, Rhea would never team up with a random boy. But judging by their behavior, they actually seemed pretty close.
"Rhea, how’d you end up here? Did you run into any danger on the way? And who is this?" Lily Tang bombarded her with questions.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this unfamiliar youth seemed awfully familiar—especially his eyes. They reminded her of someone she knew.
Gus Bullard and the youth walked over too. The sudden arrival of these two could change the whole situation. Since Rhea Yang was Lily Tang’s friend, she’d probably take their side, which made the youth feel a vague sense of unease.
Spotting Lily Tang and Gus Bullard, Rhea Yang decided to mess with Evan Chu. She put on a pitiful face and said, "I don’t even know this guy. He’s been threatening me the whole way, forcing me to tag along. If I refused, he’d bully me. He’s way stronger than me, so I’ve been getting pushed around nonstop. Lily, you have to help me!"
"What? There’s someone like that out here? If he dares bully you, then today I have to get justice for you! Since I can’t vent my anger on Ray Lei, I’ll just take it out on him!" Lily Tang fumed.
Evan Chu’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected Rhea Yang to prank him like this. But since he was disguised, they obviously wouldn’t recognize him. Maybe he’d go along with it and surprise them later.
Gus Bullard heard Rhea Yang’s words and got furious too. He shouted, "Hey, kid! Why are you bullying my friend? You’d better explain yourself, or I won’t let you off today!"
Seeing Gus Bullard like that, Evan Chu couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes this big lug was actually pretty lovable—he was a total straight-shooter. If you treated him well, he’d treat you even better.
Evan Chu deliberately lowered his voice: "She’s just a weak girl, so of course I had to look after her. Ask her yourself—did I really bully her? Don’t think I’m scared just because there’s a bunch of you. For your information, I actually know Evan Chu."
"You know Evan Chu? Did you run into him? Where is he now?" Lily Tang rushed forward, showing just how much she cared about Evan Chu.
Evan Chu hadn’t expected this ‘mother tyrannosaurus’ to care so much about him. He felt a little moved, but he still had to keep up the lie. "I met him a little while ago, but he, he..."
Evan Chu deliberately paused, keeping Lily Tang in suspense. Sure enough, she took the bait. "What happened to him? Hurry up and tell me!"
Evan Chu sneaked a glance at Rhea Yang, secretly grinning: "Let’s see who comes out on top this time!"
"He... he saved me, but was killed by this girl. It’s all my fault. We were both poisoned by her and couldn’t move. Evan Chu stayed behind to cover my escape, and she must have killed him. I never saw him again—just this witch. She’s got poison, so I’ve had no choice but to listen to her. It’s been pure suffering the whole way." Evan Chu rambled, making his story sound even more convincing.
Because I never saw him again—only this witch. She’s got poison, so I’ve had no choice but to listen to her. It’s been pure suffering the whole way.” Evan Chu rambled, his words jumbled on purpose to make the story more believable.
Rhea Yang, listening at the side, was so furious she nearly slapped him. This guy could lie without a blush—he really had a knack for it.
Maybe others wouldn’t buy Evan Chu’s story, but Lily Tang believed it completely. Only she knew Rhea Yang really did carry poison—the Ten-Fragrance Tendon-Softening Powder she’d given her. She hadn’t expected her own poison to end up hurting the man she loved.
“Rhea Yang, is what he said true? Did you kill Evan Chu?” Lily Tang’s tone changed. Although Rhea was her close friend, Evan Chu was the man she loved—he mattered more.
Rhea Yang glared furiously at Evan Chu, then said, “Lily, don’t believe him. How could I possibly be a match for Evan Chu? He was killed by this guy. But I do bear a lot of responsibility.”
Since Evan Chu wanted to play, she’d play along and see who they’d attack in the end. A cold smile crept onto her face, making Evan Chu's heart skip a beat.
Lily Tang glanced at the youth, then at Rhea Yang. “You bear a lot of responsibility? What do you mean by that?”
"Not long after I teleported in, I ran into Evan Chu. We teamed up to hunt monsters, but then we ran into people from Sea Dragon Academy. He—he’s from Sea Dragon Academy."
There were too many of them. Even though Evan Chu was strong, he got hurt trying to protect me. I panicked and tossed out a handful of Ten-Fragrance Tendon-Softening Powder, but it hit him too. The ones who weren’t poisoned killed him—and the killer was this guy."
Rhea Yang finished and even pointed at Evan Chu, blinking at him a few times as if to say, "See if you can get out of this one!"
Right then, Evan Chu truly felt what it was like to be totally wronged—there was no way to clear his name, and it sucked.
Before he could even explain, he saw Lily Tang’s murderous glare. "You! Today I’ll make you pay!" With a roar, she lunged at Evan Chu with her sword...
...