Chapter 574: The Challenge

Chapter 574: The Challenge

Zhang Yi listened to Baili Changqing’s explanation, feeling that the whole situation was utterly ridiculous.

So he had ended up shouldering a disaster for no reason.

“Heh.”

He let out a faint chuckle, speechless but unwilling to stoop to the level of such a childish man.

“As long as he doesn’t come looking for trouble, that’s enough for me. How he sees me is his own problem.”

Baili Changqing shrugged, but he still wanted to clear up the misunderstanding between Zhang Yi and Wu Di.

“I think you two should talk more. Maybe you’ll realize he’s actually a decent guy—just a little too simple-minded sometimes!”

As he spoke, he signaled the waitress to bring Wu Di in.

The female server went ahead and opened the private room’s door.

Soon, Wu Di walked in.

He was dressed in casual black clothes, hands tucked into his back pockets, exuding a rebellious, ghostfire punk aura.

However, the once-dashing black hair he had was now a shade of gray-white—

a lingering aftereffect from the battle against Yuan Kongye.

Surprisingly, this change only made him look even more striking, with a mix of charm and dangerous allure.

When he saw Zhang Yi, there wasn’t the slightest trace of surprise in his eyes. Instead, his gaze was sharp and intense as he strode directly toward him.

“Zhang Yi, I knew you’d come looking for Captain Baili!”

“I’ve been waiting for you for so long!”

At this point, both Zhang Yi and Baili Changqing felt something was off.

Wu Di had clearly come for Zhang Yi!

Baili Changqing quickly asked, “Wu, what are you trying to do? You should understand that the captain’s death had little to do with Zhang Yi. If it weren’t for him, we might all have died in Tianhai City!”

Zhang Yi’s gaze turned slightly cold, his eyes never leaving Wu Di, in case this brat suddenly attacked.

Wu Di bared his teeth in a grin, his expression eerily sinister as he looked at Zhang Yi.

“Who said the captain’s death had nothing to do with him?”

“If he hadn’t persuaded the captain to use Ice Soul, the captain would have had at least a few more months to live. That time would have been enough for him to return home, to see his wife and children one last time, to spend some final moments with them.”

“And that happiness was taken away by him!”

Zhang Yi didn’t argue.

He admitted that when it came to this matter, the only person he felt he had wronged was Bian Junwu.

But as compensation, he had given Bian Junwu the majority of the credit for Tianhai City’s victory, ensuring his family would live the rest of their lives in comfort and security.

Exchanging a few months of Bian Junwu’s life for military merits that could protect his family for decades—it was a fair deal, even if he hadn’t asked Bian Junwu for his opinion.

But as for Wu Di, Baili Changqing, and the others, Zhang Yi felt no guilt at all.

Because they were all beneficiaries of the victory, just like him.

“If you’re just here to pick a fight, I’m not interested.”

Zhang Yi stood up from the couch, turning to leave and head back to his apartment for some rest.

But just as he took a step, Wu Di suddenly stretched out his arm, blocking Zhang Yi’s path.

“Hold on, I finally get to see you today—I’m not letting you off so easily!”

Zhang Yi glanced at the arm blocking his way, a glint of killing intent slowly emerging in his eyes.

“You want to fight me?”

Baili Changqing was also getting anxious. Even he wasn’t sure how strong Zhang Yi was now.

Wu Di was a genius, but he wasn’t on Zhang Yi’s level.

“Wu Di, don’t be reckless! Captain Bian chose to use Ice Soul himself. You can’t blame Zhang Yi for that.”

Wu Di grinned, but his gaze remained ice-cold as he stared at Zhang Yi.

“I know. But just thinking about how the boss died in Tianhai City makes me unwilling to accept it!”

“Zhang Yi, before he died, the boss kept saying he admired your abilities and wanted to recruit you to join us.”

“That’s why I’ve always wanted to fight you—to see just how strong you really are.”

“I never had the chance before, but now we’re both free. So let’s have a match!”

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but press his fingers against his forehead.

“You already know that Bian Junwu’s death wasn’t my fault, so why are you still trying to fight me?”

Wu Di grinned. “I just want to prove that I’m stronger than you—that I was more worthy of the boss’s expectations!”

Cold sweat started forming on Baili Changqing’s forehead.

“Wu Di, don’t be reckless! You’re no match for him right now.”

Wu Di just chuckled. “We won’t know until we fight!”

He turned to Zhang Yi.

“I already figured out your abilities back in Tianhai City. And you know mine. So this fight will be completely fair.”

Besides, he was sure of one thing—

Zhang Yi wouldn’t reveal his full power in Blizzard City.

At most, he would use the strength he had before absorbing Yuan Kongye’s abilities.

“So fight me with the power you had back then!”

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. “What’s the point of such a fight? I can’t think of any reason to accept.”

Zhang Yi only fought when it was necessary for survival.

He wasn’t someone who enjoyed meaningless battles.

Fighting Wu Di in Blizzard City just because of his obsession? That was definitely not Zhang Yi’s style.

“No reason.”

Wu Di’s smile widened as he stared at Zhang Yi.

“Except this is Blizzard City—my turf. If you don’t accept my challenge, I’ll just use my local advantage to make things difficult for you!”

His tone carried an unmistakable hint of threat.

As an investigator, creating trouble for Zhang Yi would be all too easy.

He was clearly banking on the fact that Zhang Yi wouldn’t want to stir up trouble in Blizzard City.

Sure enough, Zhang Yi’s expression darkened, his gaze turning sharp.

“You’re playing with fire.”

Baili Changqing also tried to stop him. “Wu, enough is enough!”

But Wu Di shook his head firmly.

“Captain Baili, you can only command me during missions. This is something I have to do. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to let it go. So please, stay out of this today!”

He bared his teeth in a grin, eyes locked onto Zhang Yi’s.

“So? Do you accept my challenge or not?”

Zhang Yi narrowed his eyes. He could see the madness and burning determination in Wu Di’s gaze.

This guy was a lunatic.

Zhang Yi understood that if he didn’t accept this fight today, Wu Di might go to even greater extremes.

So, Zhang Yi’s lips curled up slightly.

“Fine. If you want to play, I’ll fight you.”

Then, he held up a finger.

“But you don’t get to call all the shots. I get to set a condition too. At the very least, we need to make this fight worthwhile.”

It had been a while since he’d met such an oblivious fool.

But if he had to fight, he wasn’t going to do it for free. He was definitely going to squeeze some benefits out of Wu Di.

Author's Note