Chapter 188 – Someone Has to Make a Sacrifice

Regarding Gao Xu’s appearance, while Su Ming and Duan Xiaofei remained unfazed, the others felt varying degrees of surprise.

“The Xu Family actually sent you?”

Li Jing was the first to voice his skepticism.

It couldn’t be helped.

Just look at the representatives from the other four families—whether it was the Li Family, Duan Family, Lu Family, or Bai Family—they had all dispatched their own Upper-Rank Hunters.

Even Duan Xiaofei, who claimed to be merely a branch family member, still bore the Duan surname.

As for Su Ming, this so-called Yun Family Estate member was shrouded in mystery, leaving everyone uncertain whether he was a core member of the Yun Family or an externally recruited expert.

But Gao Xu was clearly an external recruit by the Xu Family—neither a core member nor bearing the Xu surname. His representation of the Xu Family in this secret mission inevitably gave the impression that the Xu Family might not be taking the task seriously.

To this, Gao Xu responded as follows:

“Sin is about to attack the Xu Family’s estate. Compared to this uncertain secret mission, the core family naturally prioritizes the upcoming major battle.”

Gao Xu’s expressionless explanation wasn’t just a casual excuse.

At the very least, the Xu Family’s core Upper-Rank Professionals would undoubtedly prefer to remain and fight at their estate rather than be dispatched on external missions.

Xu Wen’s decision to straightforwardly assign this task to Gao Xu wasn’t without such considerations.

Of course…

“As compensation, Young Miss Yanyan will also accompany us on this mission.”

Gao Xu pointed to Xu Yanyan beside him.

“I look forward to your guidance, esteemed seniors.”

Xu Yanyan spoke with utmost respect, completely devoid of her usual Young Miss demeanor.

After all, among all present, she was the only Three-Star Hunter—a Lower-Rank Professional.

Upper-Rank Professionals were figures even major Families had to respect, and all the Upper-Rank Professionals present were core members of top-tier Families equivalent to the Xu Family. Here, her status as the Xu Family’s Young Miss carried little weight.

The gathered Upper-Rank Professionals paid little attention to Xu Yanyan, merely glancing at her before accepting this arrangement.

“Never thought I’d be on a mission with you again after all this time.”

Duan Xiaofei familiarly clapped Gao Xu’s shoulder, appearing deeply sentimental.

“The unexpected one here is you, isn’t it?” Gao Xu said without expression. “Haven’t you always resisted any arrangements your main family made for you? Why did you comply so obediently this time?”

“What choice did I have?” Duan Xiaofei spread his hands helplessly. “When the old man himself spoke, even if I wanted to refuse, I couldn’t.”

Gao Xu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Nearby, Su Ming’s eyebrows rose slightly upon seeing this.

Judging by Gao Xu and Duan Xiaofei’s familiar demeanor, these two seemed quite close.

But if Duan Xiaofei and Gao Xu were on good terms, why had he spoken up for Su Ming earlier?

After all, even if Su Ming and Gao Xu couldn’t be said to harbor deep hatred, they certainly had major conflicts between them. For Duan Xiaofei to not add insult to injury was one thing, but to actually speak in Su Ming’s defense?

Could this be a case of the weasel paying respects to the hen—with no good intentions?

It seemed he’d need to be somewhat wary of this guy.

As Su Ming was thinking this, Li Jing unexpectedly began stirring trouble again.”Since everyone is here, shouldn’t we first decide one thing?”

Li Jing’s words drew everyone’s gaze toward him.

“What is it?”

Duan Xiaofei inquired curiously, showing no sign of having just embarrassed Li Jing earlier, acting as if the incident had never occurred.

Li Jing snorted coldly before continuing.

“Even if we’re working together on a mission, there should be a leader, right?” Li Jing stated plainly: “Who will be the captain for this mission?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere among the group shifted.

“Oh?” Duan Xiaofei seemed to relish stirring trouble as he remarked meaningfully: “So according to you, you want to be this captain and give orders to us Upper-Rank Hunters from major families?”

This was purely adding fuel to the fire, intensifying the tension to the extreme.

Yet Li Jing responded as if it were completely natural: “We can’t just be a disorganized mess. If the mission suffers major errors due to someone’s arbitrary decisions, I imagine you’d all find it hard to explain to your family elders, wouldn’t you?”

This was indeed true.

This mission was clearly extraordinary, with pillars from major families personally stepping in to assign it. Failure to complete it would definitely count as a demerit rather than an achievement.

When the family elders eventually held them accountable, even as Upper-Rank Professionals, they would have no choice but to obediently accept punishment.

Li Jing had seized upon this very point to propose his suggestion.

Unfortunately, not everyone could accept someone riding roughshod over them.

“I don’t like being ordered around.”

Lu Yang, who appeared somewhat taciturn, was the first to voice his opinion.

Bai Xuefei, standing some distance from the group, also spoke up.

“There’s no need to forcibly select a leader. We can each manage our own teams properly.”

Bai Xuefei clearly held opposing views as well.

They weren’t solitary individuals. Though unlike the Xu Family, which had sent their Young Miss, their families had still assigned them some followers to command.

Therefore, this wasn’t merely about choosing a captain—it was about selecting an overall commander whose directives all forces dispatched by the various families would have to follow.

Wasn’t this essentially letting one family’s members dominate over the other four?

In any case, neither Lu Yang nor Bai Xuefei were willing to let themselves or their subordinates take orders from someone of another family.

Unless, of course, they could be the one commanding everyone.

They didn’t want to be dominated, but if it meant dominating others, they wouldn’t object.

“I don’t really mind,” Duan Xiaofei said indifferently. “I’m not like the rest of you with large entourages to command. If someone can lead me to complete the mission easily, I’d gladly save some effort.”

Duan Xiaofei had never liked being ordered around by his family clan, nor did he have any interest in ordering them around. Thus, for this mission, he was the only family representative who came alone without any subordinates.

Well, not entirely alone—there was one other person here.

“Same here,” Su Ming shrugged, speaking nonchalantly. “But whether I’ll actually listen if someone tries to command me is hard to guarantee—especially if it’s someone planning to pull rank and assume they’re naturally entitled to be the leader here.”Li Jing was well aware of whom Su Ming was alluding to.

Immediately, Li Jing prepared to flare up.

“Enough,” Gao Xu frowned and said, “Let’s drop the matter of having a team leader. Each of our families has its own circumstances. It’s enough that we can watch out for each other and establish a clear plan for joint action.”

“I think even if we actually elected a leader here, none of you would be convinced, much less follow the other’s instructions.”

“Right?”

Gao Xu’s remarks made both Lu Yang and Bai Xuefei nod in agreement.

“Tch.”

Li Jing was somewhat displeased, but seeing that the general consensus had been reached, he stopped entertaining unrealistic ideas. He merely glared at Su Ming, clearly holding a grudge over the matter.

In response, Su Ming gave Li Jing a broad smile.

Fortunately, the mask concealed Su Ming’s smile, preventing Li Jing from seeing it; otherwise, he might have been provoked again.

As the group finished their discussion, Xu Yanyan cautiously spoke up.

“Then when should we set off?”

This question made everyone exchange glances.

Then, Gao Xu spoke.

“For this secret mission, we need to first ensure that the enemy has emerged from the ruins before seizing the opportunity to enter,” Gao Xu said. “Choosing the right time to depart is indeed a problem.”

“Right,” Duan Xiaofei nodded. “We can’t wait until they’re at our doorstep before leisurely setting off, can we?”

If that were the case, by the time they entered the ruins, the battle here might already be decided.

“But if not then, when should we make our move?”

Facing serious matters, Bai Xuefei joined the discussion, furrowing her delicate brows as she said, “If we don’t know when the people of Sin will attack, how can we prepare in advance?”

The timing of their departure couldn’t be too early or too late.

If too early, they might rush in before Sin’s members had left the ruins, which would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

If too late, as mentioned earlier, by the time they entered the ruins, the opportunity would be long gone.

“Is there no way to confirm Sin’s movements?” Li Jing suggested. “Since we know they’re at the ruins and we know where the ruins are, why not send someone to keep watch?”

It was the usually silent Lu Yang who objected to Li Jing’s proposal.

“No,” Lu Yang said in a monotone. “We’d be discovered instead.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It stood to reason that since Sin’s people had designs on the ruins beneath the Wang Family Tomb, they would surely have lookouts stationed around the area.

Moreover, with Sin’s ritual being disrupted, the Wang Family taking advantage of the chaos to resist, and the ruins collapsing, the situation there was undoubtedly chaotic.

Sin’s members were likely hunting down the Wang Family everywhere, both inside and outside the ruins, with numerous personnel and spies possibly present.

Sending someone to keep watch would not only be ineffective but might also expose the fact that they already knew about Sin’s intentions and the existence of the ruins, thus losing the element of surprise.

“What about using Spirit Art or alchemical devices for remote tracking and reconnaissance?”

Seeing one plan fail, Li Jing came up with another.

“No,” Lu Yang stated bluntly again. “They won’t be unprepared for that.”

If anything, the other side were the experts in that area.As people who have been struggling and crawling in the underground world, if a group of Underground Professionals lacked counter-surveillance methods, they would have long been dead with their bodies nowhere to be found.

“If this won’t work and that won’t work either, what do you suggest we do?”

Having been repeatedly opposed and refuted, Li Jing was getting annoyed.

“Let’s just gather all the combat power of the Six Great Families right now, strike first to gain the upper hand, and directly blockade that Ruins.”

As soon as Li Jing said this, everyone present looked at him with strange expressions.

Their gazes were as if they were looking at a complete fool.

“Strike first to gain the upper hand?” Duan Xiaofei chuckled and said, “Are you sure that wouldn’t end up with us being ambushed and wiped out?”

The power and strength of the Sin faction were already intimidating enough.

With even the Wang Family having been purged, how could the various great families possibly believe they could easily defeat the other side?

Moreover, regarding that Ruins, they were still in the exploratory phase, completely unaware of its details, only knowing that Sin was conducting cruel rituals inside.

So, who could guarantee that if they rushed over recklessly, they wouldn’t be walking into a trap—failing to blockade the enemy but instead getting wiped out in one fell swoop by that unknown ritual?

Considering all this, the various great families were actually hesitant to act for fear of damaging their own interests, not daring to rashly launch an attack against Sin’s Underground Professionals.

They preferred to set up ambushes on their own turf, waiting for Sin’s people to step into them, so that the advantage would be on their side.

Furthermore, if they waited for Sin to take the initiative and attack, Sin would have to split their forces—sending some to fight while leaving a considerable number of people behind at the Ruins, thereby weakening their strength significantly.

This way, Longyao City’s chances of victory would be much higher.

If not for the concern that Sin, after being defeated in an ambush, might burn their bridges—either taking away or destroying the secrets within the Ruins, or even using the mysterious ritual inside to cause severe harm to Longyao City, leading to a major crisis—the Six Great Families wouldn’t have wanted to send anyone on this secret mission at all.

Investigating the Ruins could wait until after they concentrated their forces to eliminate Sin’s members, right?

The real fear was that the enemy, after being defeated, might resort to desperate measures.

Thus, this secret mission came into being.

This also made Su Ming feel that he should stir up some trouble inside that Ruins.

Otherwise, facing the largest mercenary organization in the underground world, a small city like Longyao City truly wouldn’t have much of an advantage.

Currently, there were far too many situations where Longyao City had to hesitate for fear of the consequences.

If things went wrong, Longyao City could truly face irreversible destruction.

Thinking of this, Su Ming felt that he needed to step in again and lend these blockheads a hand.

Right then, while everyone was at a loss for solutions, Su Ming suddenly spoke up.

“I have a way to get close to Sin’s people.”

When these words came from Su Ming’s mouth, everyone present was first stunned, then turned to look at him.

“You?”

Li Jing looked somewhat scornful.

“Is there a problem?” Su Ming met Li Jing’s gaze calmly and said, “Compared to the Li Family who flaunts their seniority, the Yun Family Estate’s inventory still has quite a few good items.”

Hearing this, Li Jing was infuriated for who knows which time.

But the others’ eyes lit up.”Indeed.” Bai Xuefei couldn’t help but remark, “If it’s the Yun Family Estate, it’s quite normal for them to possess some Extraordinary Items with peculiar effects.”

After all, they were one of the twelve high-ranking families of Cloudflow Commerce, and even the leading Yun Family Estate.

With Cloudflow Commerce’s substantial resources, it wouldn’t be difficult to find some useful items.

“I can prevent Sin’s people from detecting our movements and approach the Ruins in secret.”

Under everyone’s gaze, Su Ming made this statement.

“However, someone will need to make a sacrifice and cooperate with me.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Su Ming immediately looked at one person.

The others did the same.

“What?”

Li Jing stood there, stunned.

A wave of malice enveloped him.

(End of Chapter)