For Gorzo, keeping a low profile had been about avoiding unnecessary trouble. Now, displaying his strength served the same purpose.

Suddenly, a somewhat hoarse male voice called out.

"Sir, isn't it a bit inappropriate to bully a junior like this?"

The white-bearded old man, who had been sitting inside the missile truck, was like an old turtle suddenly poking its head out. He softly taunted in Gorzo's direction.

"Oh? What's that, you have a problem with it? How about you come down here and we can have a little spar?" Gorzo's lips curled into a provocative smirk, his eyes flashing with an intense desire for battle.

Faced with Gorzo's enthusiastic "invitation," the white-bearded old man seemed to shrink back in fright, quickly retracting his head into the truck.

A sliver of hope had still flickered in Shi Wuhua's heart. He had never believed the rumors from the religious institution about his second uncle—the whispers that called him a complete failure, a good-for-nothing. In his heart, his uncle was the man entrusted by the Archbishop with the monumental task of slaying the Demon God. He had always assumed his uncle was simply indifferent to fame and fortune, disdaining any public display of his true capabilities.

But now, as the shadow of death crept ever closer, his uncle remained the same stubborn, powerless old man. As his oxygen ran out, Shi Wuhua's vision began to blur. In his daze, he thought he saw the figure of his mother.

At this critical moment, a clear but somewhat immature boy's voice drifted over from nearby. Shi Wuhua summoned all his remaining strength, forcing his gaze toward the source of the sound, where the figure of a boy gradually came into focus.

"Alright, that's enough playing around. Let him down."

Chen Pingchuan's tone was as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple. Yet, to Gorzo's ears, it held a magical power that made his body react involuntarily, causing his hand to release its tight grip on Shi Wuhua.

Gorzo wasn't angry. Instead, he chuckled and said to Shi Wuhua, "Kid, it's your lucky day. My boss has spoken, so I'll spare your life for now!"

With that, he consciously stepped back several paces to clear a path, because Chen Pingchuan was now walking up slowly behind him.

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...

Suddenly freed from the suffocating grip of death, Shi Wuhua greedily gasped for air. His violent coughs were drowned out by the thunder of gunfire and artillery on the battlefield. The feeling of being reborn filled him with a storm of emotions—both the relief of having survived and a deep-seated fear of these mysterious people.

Even so, his inherent stubbornness hadn't vanished. He still forced his head up and yelled, "Kill me if you're going to, but don't you dare humiliate me!"

"Hahaha, who has time to humiliate you?"

Chen Pingchuan gazed at the defiant youth before him. For some reason, he saw a reflection of his past self.

It's only been a few years, so why are the memories of my past life becoming so blurry? he wondered inwardly. On top of that, there's always this mysterious voice in my head, like a call from the depths of my soul, constantly urging me to wake up.

Awake? I'm already wide awake. How can I possibly awaken?

Chen Pingchuan was perplexed, but since there was no answer, he stopped dwelling on it, letting his thoughts drift freely. He gently patted Shi Wuhua's shoulder and continued in a calm voice, "I don't like being indebted to people. I remember your warning to us back in the truck. Whether it had any real effect or not, I appreciate the gesture."

"I just saved your life, so now we're even. Sound good?"

Shi Wuhua's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe such shameless words were coming out of this person's mouth.

Even? How can this possibly be considered even? he grumbled to himself. My warning was just a casual act of kindness, but even if he didn't appreciate it, he shouldn't have had his subordinate attack me, only to then play the hero and 'save' me. What kind of show is this? And now he has the gall to say we're even? He must be insane! To repay my 'favor,' he has his underling attack me, and then he 'saves' me from that same underling. Brilliant!

Shi Wuhua felt a pang of regret. If he'd known this would happen, he would have just stayed quiet. However, while stubborn, Shi Wuhua wasn't stupid. He didn't voice his complaints out loud.

He just wants to have his cake and eat it too. Whatever. I'll play along.

"Alright, just as you say, we're even!" Shi Wuhua shouted, secretly afraid that Chen Pingchuan might suddenly go back on his word. In his eyes, this kind of person was unpredictable, and any decision could be reversed in the next second.

"No. To be precise, you now owe me a favor."

As soon as Chen Pingchuan said this, Shi Wuhua knew it. Of course. This guy's shamelessness knows no bounds. But he didn't want to waste his breath arguing, so he just shouted back, "Fine! I owe you, I owe you!"

Chen Pingchuan could easily tell that while Shi Wuhua agreed out loud, he didn't mean it, but he had no intention of explaining himself. He simply gave an order to Liu Haofeng, who was standing behind him.

"Get a bag ready. You know what I mean."

At first, Liu Haofeng looked completely bewildered. But when he saw Chen Pingchuan slowly raise his arm, palm facing up, he instantly understood. He sprinted back to their vehicle and rummaged through the trunk, emptying a sack of food onto the floor and then grabbing two empty leather bags. He then hurried back to Chen Pingchuan's side.

Gorzo watched from the side, utterly confused, but he didn't ask any questions. He knew his place. Right now, all he needed to do was show off his strength and stay by Chen Pingchuan's side.

"Boss, I'm ready!" Liu Haofeng announced, holding the bags steady. His expression was a mixture of excitement and anticipation.

Earlier, he had been stuck inside the armored vehicle operating the energy shield, so he could only watch through the window as Chen Pingchuan wreaked havoc outside. The sight had been stunning, but watching it through a window just wasn't the same. Now, judging by the looks of it, his new boss was about to repeat his earlier performance.

Chen Pingchuan gave a soft "Mm."

His leg muscles suddenly tensed like a predator about to pounce. With a slight push, he launched himself into the air like an arrow from a bow, landing steadily on the tactical squad's missile truck.

To be honest, Chen Pingchuan wasn't the type to meddle in others' affairs. If the intense fight before him hadn't been severely disrupting his escape plan, he probably wouldn't have bothered at all. But when it came to a matter of life and death, he had no choice but to intervene.

Since he'd decided to wade into these muddy waters, he naturally had to choose the most advantageous and manageable approach for himself. By temporarily joining one side to crush the other, he could resolve the situation perfectly.

Thus, Chen Pingchuan's gaze drifted toward the distant battlefield as his lips moved softly.

"Deft Hands, Empty Pockets!"

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