Chapter 67: Who? Me?

“A prophecy-type talent?!”

Song Qi was utterly astonished.

“So, does that mean she’s already seen through our every move?”

“It’s not as impressive as you think.” The City Lord shook his head, then suddenly grew agitated, as if reminded of something unpleasant. “Her talent only allows her to roughly predict whether something will turn out well or ill. And the cost of using it is enormous. With her aptitude, even after receiving the Demon Cult Leader’s blessing, she can probably use it just once a day at most. Prophecy talents are powerful, yes, but their limitations are many. If you ignore the cost and force its use, it might even cause permanent damage to the soul!”

“Oh?” Song Qi sensed something was amiss. The City Lord seemed very familiar with this woman—and perhaps had some history with her?

“City Lord, do you know her?”

“How could I not recognize a human traitor from the Seventh District?” The City Lord spoke, barely containing his anger. “She was an ultra S-class talent from the Seventh District thirty years ago. Back then, she was just like you—a key figure under our city’s careful nurturing. But barely two years passed before she turned her back on humanity and joined the Demon Cult.”

Hearing this, Song Qi’s curiosity was piqued. Could it be that this group leader, Xin Xiaona, suffered grievances when she was on the human side? Was she persecuted by her own people early on? Or oppressed by powerful families? Did these things lead to her complete disillusionment with humanity?

“Why did she join the Demon Cult? Was she oppressed in the past?”

“Oppressed? Are you joking?” The City Lord scoffed. “Once she revealed her prophecy talent, the entire human race took notice! Not just the Seventh District—even across all of humanity, those who would dare oppress her could be counted on one hand! It was fortunate enough that she didn’t bully others—who would dare lay a finger on her? As for her betrayal? She’s simply a cowardly, self-serving rat! In her prophecies, the fate of humanity didn’t look promising; so she chose to betray us. That’s all there is to it.”

Song Qi scratched his head awkwardly. That answer was unexpected.

The two Demon Cult followers behind him were also lost in thought.

So their group leader’s talent was prophecy? No wonder… No wonder her attitude took a complete turn yesterday. She abandoned the mission to establish a branch, shifted from cautious action to sudden aggression, and sent someone overnight with the treasure deep into the snowy wilderness. Truly worthy of being their leader—her decisiveness was remarkable!

Wait! Something wasn’t right.

The two exchanged glances.

If the group leader had already foreseen that further contact with Liu Renfu was risky… then, being assigned to keep meeting with Liu Renfu meant they were being used as sacrificial pawns?

Their pupils widened in realization.

No wonder! No wonder their usually prudent leader hadn’t arranged any backup or warning mechanisms for them. They were simply meant to be sacrificed—to buy time!

“What now, big brother?” The one on the left was on the verge of tears, looking helplessly to the man in the middle.

The middle man wore a face of despair. “What can I do? I’ve tried everything to keep us out of danger, but who would have thought we three brothers were abandoned from the very start?” He sighed deeply. “Perhaps… this is the fate of small people. No matter how careful we are, a single thought from those in power can send us inexorably toward our destined end.”

The man on the left panicked. “Big brother… maybe we could surrender? I remember when we were children, our teacher told us that even if we rebelled, as long as we sincerely repented, humanity would still accept us. The textbooks even gave examples—several who returned after betrayal were well taken care of.”

The middle man closed his eyes, resigned. “Don’t be foolish, little brother. How can you prove your sincerity? Where is your worth? Sincere repentance isn’t about how earnest you are—it’s about how much value you hold. And we… we’re just insignificant pawns who don’t even qualify to repent.”

With those words, the man on the left finally fell silent.

The City Lord stepped before them and clapped gently twice. “Well said. Your self-awareness is clear. So… farewell.”

With that, he flicked his finger. The three men’s heads exploded instantly. Their deaths were painless.

Song Qi stepped forward. With experience from last time, he deftly removed three storage rings, three weapons, and several pieces of equipment. His skill was so practiced that the City Lord’s face twitched, beginning to wonder what exactly Song Qi had been up to in the wild. Surely he wasn’t always killing and looting, was he?

Song Qi cheerfully finished gathering the items, oblivious to the City Lord’s expression, and stood up to ask, “City Lord, what should we do next? Shall we head deeper into the snowy wilderness, or go to the temporary outpost to capture the group leader?”

According to the route on the parchment, the hidden dungeon was to the west of the gathering place, while the Demon Cult’s outpost was to the east. The directions were completely opposite. If the two of them went together, once they chose one location, they’d have to abandon the other.

“I think we should head west and stop them from obtaining the Abyss Key. After all, the opposing leader’s talent is prophecy; she’s most likely already fled, and even if we pursue her, we might not gain anything. Compared to that, the dungeon seems a more attainable goal.” Song Qi analyzed calmly.

But the City Lord shook his head. “No, I don’t want to give up either. I want to deal with Xin Xiaona, the human traitor, myself! And I want to seize the Abyss Key from the Demon Cult!”

He smiled slightly, patting Song Qi’s shoulder. “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll pursue Xin Xiaona, the traitor. As for the five level-seventy professionals at the dungeon… you take care of them.”

Song Qi froze, incredulously pointing at himself. “Who?”

“Me?”