#329. Have I Worked Too Long in One Place?
Rewind the clock.
23 hours before Thomas arrived at the Shandong Peninsula.
The Dezhou branch of the alliance appeared quiet on the surface, but heated discussions were underway behind closed doors.
"No word from Guan Hong, who was supposed to link up at 05:00. This is turning into a joke. Looks like we got pranked after all."
Despite Wei Xiaoguang's mocking sneer, Li Xian kept his mouth shut. It wasn't silence out of stubbornness—he was deep in thought.
Wei Xiaoguang didn't press further. The two bickered constantly as usual, but they were in the same boat now. To challenge the Huanglong Guild in the alliance's name, they needed to pool their strength. No matter how bad blood ran between them, they couldn't cross that line.
Instead, Wei Xiaoguang rationally challenged Li Xian's judgment.
"You kept going on about expert analysis, but it was bad intel after all, huh?"
"The voice analysis was spot-on. Guan Hong wouldn't pull a stunt like that. Which leaves only one possibility."
"He's dead?"
"If he were that easy to kill, we'd have taken him out long ago."
"So he's already been nabbed by Huanglong."
"According to reports from our Beijing plant we set up, he's still on the run."
"Not caught, not pranking us—so why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"You asking because you don't know? Simple conclusion: he's being pursued so relentlessly he can't make contact."
Li Xian was willing to bet his fortune that Guan Hong's message wasn't a fake.
All intel pointed to his escape.
Wei Xiaoguang shrugged it off with satisfaction.
"He might not even make it here before croaking."
"Guan Hong? That guy's not one to go down easy."
Li Xian shrugged and countered. Wei Xiaoguang scowled, irked by an ally praising the enemy.
"Brother Li Xian, you rate Guan Hong pretty highly, don't you?"
"Aren't you the one underrating him?"
"What's the upside to overhyping him?"
"Better than underestimating and botching the job."
"It's not underrating—I'm worried the hype will lead to bigger disappointment."
"Guan Hong's value is higher than you think; no reason to lowball it. Look at his track record since becoming Huanglong's strategist. He turned Makyung into their front yard. Other guilds can't even wedge in."
"Isn't that because the others aren't greedy enough?"
Wei Xiaoguang tried to downplay Guan Hong any way he could, but Li Xian saw it differently.
"Haven't you heard what happened to Sim Wol's Nakil Guild? The party line from the Party and Huanglong is she died heroically fighting Zmei Gorinich, but her death stinks of foul play. Hell, it makes more sense to say Guan Hong took out a rival guild's pillar."
"What? You think Guan Hong offed Sim Wol?"
"There was intel about Bi Wonjun checking into a Dalian hospital for an extended stay after visiting Dandong. Who could injure an S-rank?"
"Red Gate boss?"
"Or another S-rank."
"Bi Wonjun killed Sim Wol?"
"Can't say for sure. Other reports claim Russia's Tyrant did it, or the Reaper of the Frozen Wastes stirred."
At Li Xian's words, four characters flashed in Wei Xiaoguang's mind.
"You don't mean... Tea Poison Murder?!"
"Just a possibility. Maybe Huanglong's Makyung takeover was a massive trap for Sim Wol. Whatever the truth, only Guan Hong knows."
"......"
"Still see him as some nobody? Nakil crumbled, and Huanglong clinched Hebei's power struggle."
No matter how blinded by revenge Wei Xiaoguang was, he couldn't refute Li Xian. Deep down, he knew how formidable Guan Hong was. He just hated admitting it.
Reading Wei Xiaoguang's mood, Li Xian knew pushing too hard would backfire. Like it or not, they were allies bound together. He decided to stroke his ego just enough.
"I've laid it all out, so feel free to vent. Securing Guan Hong this time doesn't mean forgiveness. We'll keep him alive only as long as he's useful."
"Meaning...?"
"Once a hunting dog outlives its usefulness, you boil it into stew."
Li Xian grinned coldly, invoking the tale of the rabbit hunt.
Only then did Wei Xiaoguang nod in satisfaction.
"When that time comes, I'll light the fire myself."
"I'll stoke the flames too—devour him raw or roast him, your call."
With Li Xian's firm assurance, Wei Xiaoguang committed fully.
"So, what do you need from me now?"
"Guan Hong's probably cornered by Huanglong pursuers. Assemble a unit to handle them. Dezhou may lean neutral, but it's still Shandong soil, our turf. Can't let them rampage."
Wei Xiaoguang bared his teeth and stood.
"Fine. I'll sweep the feral cats before hunting the tiger."
12 hours before Thomas arrived at the Shandong Peninsula.
Guan Hong recalled the contingency he'd set against Huanglong.
'Now that I'm in Dezhou, word will reach the alliance soon. Those guys will move once they realize something's wrong with no contact. Can't die easy till then.'
He glared alternately at Za Qinglin and Liu Xishi swooping in from either side. Judging the situation as they lunged, he decided.
'Liu Xishi first.'
No time for deliberation.
Instinct overrode planning based on experience and intel.
Guan Hong hurled himself toward Liu Xishi. Za Qinglin bellowed.
"Where you going?! Fight me!"
Before Guan Hong could get farther, Za Qinglin unleashed a skill without warning.
Sensing the energy hurtling from behind, Guan Hong dropped flat. Liu Xishi, charging aggressively, recoiled in horror and swung her spear.
"You idiot! Who're you aiming at?!"
Caught off-guard by friendly fire while thrusting at Guan Hong, Liu Xishi couldn't muster full power. Za Qinglin's skill blasted her back.
"Puhahaha! Serves you right!"
Za Qinglin crowed despite striking an ally. Guan Hong sprang up and charged Za Qinglin.
"Oh, playing dirty, huh?!"
Liu Xishi, barely regaining balance, gripped her spiraling spear's shaft like a javelin.
She hurled it loaded with a massive skill, aiming to kill both.
Meteor Spear
Guan Hong didn't glance back at the immense pressure behind him. He met Za Qinglin with his serrated blade.
Za Qinglin didn't dodge. His eyes locked on Guan Hong alone. He summoned his jet-black greatsword anew.
Darkness Claymore
Guan Hong swung with killing intent, resolved to end it in one strike. Za Qinglin met him head-on.
"That's more like it!"
But Guan Hong betrayed his expectations. The spinning mana blade vanished mid-swing, and he body-slammed into Za Qinglin's side.
Za Qinglin, committed to a big move with wide motions, couldn't react. Fury boiled at Guan Hong's "cowardly" dodge of a fair fight.
'Filthy mutt playing dirty...'
Za Qinglin wanted to chase and cave in Guan Hong's skull, but no time—the spiraling spear loomed.
Boom!
A massive explosion engulfed nearby warehouses. Black Hand elites scattered. Liu Xishi's Azure Blade squad wasn't unscathed either. Though distant, they dodged collapsing containers in chaos.
Warehouse ceiling lights shattered, plunging the area into gloom. Dust from years of buildup mixed with explosion smoke, blinding visibility. Edge lights flickered like dying candles.
Guan Hong exploited the pandemonium to sprint for the elevator. No waiting—he vaulted onto the steel frame and climbed the walls.
"Think you can escape?!"
Liu Xishi's icy shout rang out.
She leaped skyward, hand outstretched. Her fallen spiraling spear flew to her grip.
She channeled the same skill again. This throw would critically wound Guan Hong, she figured.
But.
"You think I'll let you?!"
Za Qinglin interfered this time, seething at her.
He sprang from below, yanked her ankle, and slammed her down.
Thud!
"Ugh, you... have you lost your mind?!"
"What? Gonna tattle to mommy? Daddy? Oh, grandpa too?"
Za Qinglin mocked her prestigious family. Liu Xishi snapped back.
"Knew a brute like you would screw up eventually. Root-eater savage doesn't know priorities?!"
"Dumb as I am, not dumb enough for some rich girl's hunter games."
"Don't you get it? Guan Hong first!"
"I'll take him. You butt out."
"Words won't reach a mangy cur—time for the stick."
"Thinks her spiraling spear conquers all? I'll school an unblooded rookie on real combat."
As Guan Hong escaped the basement, he glanced down at the two hunters on the verge of full brawl.
He knew they were oil and water. But this reckless at point-blank range on a target? Unbelievable.
'Not Huanglong's core, but promising future stars. This crop's ruined. Guild's bloated—too many loose cannons.'
Worrying for Huanglong's future startled him.
"None of my business anymore... Guess I've worked too long in one place."
Guan Hong wryly smiled at his ingrained loyalty.
He shook his head and climbed the last structure.
A roar erupted below. The warehouse upper levels collapsed in flames.
Guan Hong emerged outside just in time, bolting without looking back.
The massive warehouse's first floor buckled. Containers tumbled down, pillars plunging underground. Ceiling caved, revealing the sky.
Dusk had fallen, but bright moonlight illuminated everything.
Finally free, Guan Hong faced new guests.
"First time meeting."
"Who're you? Not alliance."
"My lord sent a message."
"Your lord?"
"Stay holed up here like good little Chinese boys. Hands off the peninsula."
Then it clicked for Guan Hong.
"Baek Gwi's forces lingered in China after all."