Chapter 2886 - 1368: Interlude · Review_2

Yi Dong’s expression grew increasingly grim, as he lowered his voice and said, "We originally had a chance to take her down, if you hadn’t suddenly decided to play hero and save the damsel!"

Motan shrugged, noncommittally saying, "Just like you planned to talk to me face-to-face in the Public Space, I also plan to tell you the specific reason for the previous ’heroic rescue’ once the situation is stable."

"Too many prying eyes, let’s go to my private room."

Yi Dong stood up, tersely finished speaking, and disappeared from his spot before Motan could respond, sending him a private room invitation two seconds later.

"Judging by his attitude..."

Motan clicked his tongue, chuckling as he rubbed his forehead, and whispered to himself, "Combining this with Diana’s previous reaction, maybe I’ve really flipped the game, haha, hahaha."

After unleashing a hearty laugh that startled the surrounding pedestrians, Motan accepted the invitation and was instantly transported to Yi Dong’s villa, facing the sea and blooming in spring, appearing beside a beach chair on the balcony.

"Speak, why did you suddenly change your mind and spare her life?"

Yi Dong leaned against the railing, eyeing Motan with hostility, and grunted, "You should know better than I do how important the bet between you and Double Leaf is, right?"

Motan nodded vigorously, "I know."

Yi Dong squinted his eyes further, "Then you should also know these opportunities will become increasingly scarce in the future, right? That woman is unlike us two brothers; her combat prowess is overwhelming, as you’ve seen. If no preparations are made, she could obliterate us with just a glance, leaving no trace behind."

"That’s undeniable."

Motan shrugged, spread his hands, and said, "But I have only a quarter of the game time available for each character compared to everyone else, so it’s reasonable that I can’t beat that woman. You, on the other hand, play for nearly 24 hours every day, yet you still can’t surpass her; doesn’t that betray your identity as a rich second generation?"

Yi Dong smirked, dryly saying, "Either you have misunderstood the game ’The Realm of Innocence,’ or you have misunderstood what it means to be a ’rich second generation,’ but anyway, none of my business."

"Useless."

Motan’s response was succinct.

"Even if I’m useless, I still managed to create an opportunity for you—a perfect chance for a kill!"

Yi Dong did not continue to bicker with Motan, merely exclaiming indignantly, "She was about to perish! She wasn’t even on her last legs! If you hadn’t suddenly gone crazy, making me act all pretentious and self-absorbed, I would have, long ago..."

"You would have been dead long ago."

Motan abruptly interrupted him, speaking solemnly to Yi Dong’s somewhat stunned expression, "She had a hidden trick up her sleeve at the time. Whether it was a tool, skill, talent, or something else, I can’t say, but reliable sources suggest that if anyone landed a lethal blow on her, she would trigger some unknown form of immunity. Not only that, but she’d also imprison you for around two minutes. If I remember correctly, your Super Spirit Body time remaining was less than a hundred seconds; as for the consequences...I don’t need to spell them out, do I?"

Skipping the acceptance phase entirely, Yi Dong immediately nodded, "If that’s the case, I would certainly have died."

"That’s why I risked my life to block a strike for her, intending for Frank Hughes to owe her a favor, but unfortunately, that guy isn’t completely clueless. Since I hadn’t considered what to do after the plan failed, she probably saw through it."

Motan rubbed his nose, his expression devoid of any frustration, and calmly said, "In any case, I did the best I could do at the time, and your cooperation wasn’t bad; we both did our best."

"And yet, despite doing our best, it still wasn’t enough."

Yi Dong scratched his head, remained silent for a long time, then curiously asked, "So, how did you realize she still had something left to play?"

"Intuition."

Motan responded without hesitation, squinting as he said, "If you want some tangible evidence, certain details from that time could be included. You should remember, the moment she fell, she was facing away from all of you, but due to the angle, the only person she was facing directly was Frank Hughes."

Yi Dong nodded slightly, frowning, "So what? She was smiling so happily?"

"Not exactly, that feeling was indescribable; even I couldn’t express it with conventional language. But I was sure of one thing at the time: if Double Leaf were truly driven to despair, she wouldn’t act that way, even if the Fenrir Team’s members seemed to shake her will, she wouldn’t falter so plainly."

While recalling the scene back then, Motan carefully said, "We didn’t have much time; though you managed to buy me a moment to observe, reaching a conclusion in such extreme conditions wasn’t feasible, so I chose the most pragmatic option: fallback and compromise, letting Frank take the hit as a favor. In hindsight...haha, it seems that’s likely failed."

"Are you implying she saw through you? Simply because you didn’t anticipate surviving the post-assassination attempt so you didn’t leave room for contingency?"

Yi Dong gave Motan a sideways glance, asking, "If that’s the case, why is ’Tan Mo’ still alive and well?"

"There are three reasons."

Having expected Yi Dong to ask this question, Motan raised three fingers and calmly replied, "Firstly, she had to consider the relationship between Frank and Diana, which also served as my core reasoning for letting you ramp up to activate that necklace skill and drag Diana into the fray—to create a scenario where if she killed me outright, it would cause substantial difficulties."

Yi Dong nodded, "Okay, I understand. What’s the second reason?"

"Ugh, given your bad mood, likely tied to me, I won’t tease you."

Motan appeared magnanimous, grinning widely, and continued, "Secondly, it’s our Fenrir Team. Double Leaf isn’t foolish; naturally, she could deduce that the reason Ned and the others could stand before her in a state retaining consciousness and memory was undoubtedly due to my machinations, so she would hold back out of consideration for their safety."

Yi Dong nodded again, "Uh-huh, although strictly speaking, that’s my doing. Keep going."

"The last reason is more of a bonus, negligible in terms of impact."

Motan playfully licked his lips, exceedingly pleased, and said, "Although I believe her suspicion is at a peak now, she still lacks concrete proof to conclusively pin Frank Hughes as my alter ego. Her recent interactions with Frank have been quite favorable, so from a human nature perspective, as long as there’s even a slight possibility we’re not the same person, she will subconsciously avoid confronting the issue."

Yi Dong chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "Oh, are you planning to woo her with Frank Hughes’ guise?"

"No, she wouldn’t take to Frank Hughes."

Motan shook his head, smirking mockingly, "If Frank Hughes were really ’Frank Hughes,’ anyway."

At these words, Yi Dong sighed, his previously slightly relaxed expression once again stiffened, "True enough, after all, Double Leaf isn’t Diana; she’s not that naive."

"So, my friend, having answered your questions thoroughly, it’s my turn, right?"

Motan, using the absolute authority granted by Yi Dong, remotely retrieved a canned coffee from the villa’s storage room, casually opened the lid, and took a sip, then—

"Diana didn’t actually chase the four Fenrir Team members, but came straight for you, right?"

Chapter 1368: End