"Haha, Mr. Ye, I'm well aware of your influence in the task force. This plan has been in the works for a long time, and I've investigated every detail." De laughed out loud. "To put it bluntly, if your voice wasn't powerful enough, I would have already been caught by Tianjing by now."

"Let's keep things separate. I convinced them not to act directly so I could better understand you and the forces behind you. Now that it's clear, you're nothing but a 'street rat' hunted jointly by the National Security Bureau and Boss Xing. We'll catch you first, then crush Boss Xing's forces."

"Mr. Ye, without me, you can't catch him." De said, word by word, firmly.

"You don't trust us." Ye Shikai said blandly.

"Not really, but I know Boss Xing very well. Mr. Ye, your Netherworld Palace has been investigating Boss Xing in Yanjing for at least six months, right?" De continued, "How many clues have you found?" De's words made Ye Shikai a bit embarrassed. Indeed, apart from finding one base, there was no progress. That time, Ye Shikai moved with the four warriors of the Netherworld Palace, but Boss Xing still got away.

Despite De's words seemingly offending Ye Shikai, it was undeniable; this was the fact. It's not that the Netherworld Palace's reconnaissance capabilities were weak, but Boss Xing's group's whereabouts were so unpredictable. If the demon exorcist was a 'street rat,' Boss Xing was a colossal rat hiding in the sewer.

"If we cooperate, then you can immediately find Master Xing's whereabouts. Moreover, they'll definitely keep hunting me, and if necessary, I can serve as bait." De continued, his offer tempting Ye Shikai. A group of people running around like headless chickens were no match for the intel from an 'inside ghost.'

"Since it's cooperation you want, you must have a condition. It can't just be charity." Ye Shikai changed his tone, speaking faintly.

"Haha, Mr. Ye, my condition is simple: give me a way out." De stated firmly. Ye Shikai wasn't surprised; he had expected this. Boss Xing was a tiger, the National Security Bureau another tiger, and De was merely a sheep, prey for both sides. De had no capability to contend with either, so the only way to avoid becoming 'an easy kill' was to join one side against the other, creating an opportunity to slip away. Ye Shikai couldn't call De sly. Anyone in that situation would make the same choice. Compared to Boss Xing, De preferred choosing the National Security Bureau as his ally.

"Do you know the National Security Bureau is after you now? You've killed so many people. Do you think you can get away unscathed?" Ye Shikai said coldly. Indeed, the entire National Security Bureau was so furious with the demon exorcist that it's almost impossible for him to have no consequences.

"That's where I need your help, Mr. Ye. My minimum bottom line is that I won't run, but you can't capture me either."

"I can pass on your message." Ye Shikai couldn't decide and could only appease for now.

"Alright."

"By the way, I've always wanted to ask you something." Ye Shikai suddenly stopped De.

"Go ahead."

"You've escaped, so why did you kill so many people and blatantly post it online?" Ye Shikai asked curiously. It had always been one of his doubts. So, 'a rat everyone wanted dead,' yet De did the opposite, making a grand show of it, as if he really had become the 'hero of justice.'

"Mr. Ye, as I said, although I escaped, my serum is not perfect. Without taking the antidote timely, I will die."

"Then you're just like Xie Dong." Ye Shikai blurted out Xie Dong's name. In some ways, that man's heart was as dark as Boss Xing's. For revenge, he became the first Mothman, even feigning marriage to his enemy's daughter, eventually leading to their family's ruin. But perhaps karma got him; he didn't take the antidote timely and died after the Mothman was over.

"I knew Xie Dong; he was quite candid. He was the first-generation Mothman. As a test subject, he could be 'granted' his wish fulfilled, dying but at peace." De laughed lightly.

"But I'm different from Xie Dong. I only want to take revenge on Boss Xing, but I know I'm no match for him, especially since the antidote is still in his hands. Without the antidote, let alone revenge, I would've died on the outside without him needing to find me." De chuckled bitterly.

"How much antidote do you have left?"

"None left. At the latest, I'll die the day after tomorrow unless I find the antidote from Boss Xing." De sighed deeply. "So, to stay alive, I have to take down Boss Xing to get the antidote, but..."

"But with your skills, you can't beat him, so... you hope to do something to stir public opinion. While the National Security Bureau investigates you, you can use their power to achieve your goal." Before De could finish, Ye Shikai continued.

"You're right."

"Your plan isn't bad." Ye Shikai said calmly, "If according to your plan, seeking our cooperation was something you planned long ago."

"Indeed, that's right. If there was an unexpected element, it was not expecting you, the Netherworld King, to join, which led to me being captured once. That was my mistake." De said lightly.

"But… you still managed to escape, didn't you?" Ye Shikai said in self-mockery.

"Haha, Mr. Ye, even if you escorted me personally, I'm confident I could escape." De continued, "Let's get back on track. To influence public opinion, I must kill."

"However, I don't want to stain my hands with the blood of the innocent, so I specifically kill some social scum who deserve to die."

"I really didn't expect this to be your motive for killing." Ye Shikai said calmly. Things finally became clear. Who would have thought that the demon exorcist, that is, De, committed so many killings just to incite public opinion and get the National Security Bureau to 'focus' on him.

"Mr. Ye, my request isn't very high; I only want to live. I can promise you to completely destroy Boss Xing's lair. I think, the continually emerging Mothmen are far more terrifying than me, the demon exorcist."

Ye Shikai suddenly found himself unable to refute. Indeed, if according to the demon exorcist's words, as long as he did not commit crimes, people would gradually forget him, and Boss Xing, along with the HST project behind him, was the real threat.

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