[You have two choices.
The first choice: turn those two people beside you into our own, and the three of you return to the World Tree on that side together as undercover agents.
The second choice: kill the two of them on the spot.]
She hadnāt expected that this mysterious voice, which hadnāt sounded when they arrived, would suddenly speak up now.
And this mysterious voice actually wanted the three of them to go be moles together?
Hmm...
Was that being too confident in itself, or just too naive...
Still, there was a reason for the other side to be this confident; the gap between the two sides was anything but small.
If there had been no Explorers, if Xu Xin hadnāt told her the truth about this world, Shi Wanyun would probably be loyally following that side right now too.
The terms they offered were simply too tempting.
"Are you worried too? Are we really going to keep going?" Lou FeiāEr suddenly began to hesitate.
"We can only keep going, thereās no other way." Shi Wanyun said.
"...Yeah. But if we go any farther itās way too dangerous. Thereās no cover out here. If anyone up in the World Tree attacks us... going farther means putting our lives directly in their hands."
In Lou FeiāErās mind, the World Tree was also a tree house; it definitely could have external weapons mounted on it.
When she left, sheād heard Ma Hongwei muttering under his breath the whole time about whether they should study the World Treeās external weapon systems.
"They probably wonāt attack us." Shi Wanyun tilted her head back to look at the branches above on the World Tree. "Not with me here."
"Hm...?" Lou FeiāErās eyes flickered, then her expression changed. "What do you mean? Are you saying the enemyās World Tree wonāt attack you?!"
She started acting.
They were already under the shadow of the World Treeās crown; she didnāt believe the people inside the World Tree hadnāt seen them, hadnāt started monitoring them.
And Shi Wanyun saying that now was clearly her cue to start performing.
She didnāt know what exactly Shi Wanyun had in mind, but in any case, act first, figure it out later.
Shi Wanyun glanced sideways at her. "Some things... itās enough if you understand them in your heart."
At the same time, she quietly thought to herself.
"Whatās that supposed to mean?!" Lou FeiāEr stared in shock and suspicion. "You... you...!"
She took two steps back.
Jin Yue gave them a look, then silently continued walking forward.
She knew these two were at it again.
She didnāt want to get involved.
"So, whatās your choice? Are you going to survive with me, or... die a heroic death here?" Shi Wanyun asked with a faint smile.
"..." Lou FeiāEr clenched her fists, her eyes shifting unpredictably.
"In the end, the side that can keep us alive is the side we should throw in with."
Shi Wanyun spoke as she continued walking toward the World Tree.
"This world stopped being a human world a long time ago. Why bother with futile resistance? We canāt change the world. All we can do is adapt to it."
"You... so you really were... right from the start...!" Lou FeiāEr gnashed her teeth.
But she seemed to think what Shi Wanyun said made sense. She stomped her foot and followed after her. "Wait for me!"
"Heh." Shi Wanyun looked back at Jin Yue, whoād been silently following them this whole time. "What about you, what do you think?"
Jin Yueās face was blank. "I donāt have any opinion. I just want to stay alive."
"Hey!" Lou FeiāEr grabbed her arm anxiously. "Xu Xin is your savior. Are you going to betray him?"
Jin Yue still expressionless, gave her a glance. "If Shi Wanyun can keep me alive in this situation, then sheās my savior too."
Well, damn...
That sounded way too real...
"Looks like Jin Yueās on my side now." Shi Wanyun smiled at Lou FeiāEr. "So what about you? Still hesitating?"
"I... I..."
Lou FeiāEr stood there, staring blankly at the ground, both hands clutching tightly at the hem of her clothes, lips pressed together, looking like she was locked in intense inner conflict.
"Heh, since youāre hesitating this much, Iāll tell you one more thing."
Shi Wanyun chuckled softly and pointed at the World Tree.
"As long as you join them, youāll have a chance... to leave this world, go back to our original world, back to Earth, and live a peaceful, stable life again."
Lou FeiāErās head snapped up, her face full of disbelief. "What? Say... say that again!"
At the same time, she quietly let out a tiny breath of relief.
To be honest, before Shi Wanyun said that, Lou FeiāEr had actually started doubting againāwas Shi Wanyun... seriously trying to get them to join the enemy?
What if their fake act turned into the real thing?
But the moment she heard that line, she was sure.
That was obviously a bogus condition. They were already on Earth; how could they "go back" to Earth?
If she was tossing out fake conditions, that meant she was openly asking her to play along.
"I said..." Shi Wanyun repeated what sheād just said.
"Is... is that really true?!" Lou FeiāEr walked up to Shi Wanyun, grabbed her arm, and stared fixedly at her.
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I joined them?"
"This..." Lou FeiāErās lips parted slightly, trembling as she stared blankly at the World Tree. "All we have to do is go over there, and we can go home?"
"Of course itās not that simple." Shi Wanyun shook her head. "You have to make contributions. Like what Iām doing right now."
"...I want to go up the World Tree and see for myself first!" Lou FeiāEr said through clenched teeth. "If what youāre saying is true, Iāll join you! I want to go back to our original world. I donāt want to stay in this messed-up world any longer!"