Chapter 194: Pride Appears

Taoist Priest Xuanqing gleefully toyed with the Transcendent Potion. Popping the cap, he took a deep sniff, a look of absolute intoxication washing over his face. "That's the stuff! It is definitely the Divine Healing Potion produced by the Federal Pharmaceutical Company! Hahaha... The Gold Grade Transcendent Tier Potion said to bring the dead back to life and put flesh on bones, a cure like the touch of a god! I'm rich! I'm rich!"

"Taoist Priest Xuanqing, I don't recall this step being in our plan," Su Mu's voice drifted faintly from behind him.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing jumped in fright, nearly dropping the Divine Healing Potion. He spun around, saw Su Mu, and immediately plastered on a smile worse than if he were crying. "D-Divine Envoy, this poor Taoist was simply considering your well-being. Your body is incredibly precious. What if something went wrong during this operation?"

"So you went out of your way to scam the Divine Healing Potion out of Sikong Zhen just to give it to me, right?" Smiling, Su Mu plucked the potion right out of Taoist Priest Xuanqing's grasp.

"Yes, yes, yes, exactly so," Old Taoist Xuanqing agreed, his face crumpling in misery.

"Mm, how thoughtful of you. I will be sure to report your earnest intentions to the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity." With that, Su Mu turned and walked away with the Divine Healing Potion.

It was as if Taoist Priest Xuanqing had instantly lost the will to live. The light completely vanished from his eyes.

"My Divine Healing Potion!!"

A moment later, a bloodcurdling wail echoed from the Longevity Daoist Temple, tragic beyond belief.

...

...

Night.

Deep within the underground warehouse of the Star City Law Enforcement Bureau, Yan Moxie sat upon a wooden crate as still as a statue. Regret was beginning to set in.

Just to engage in a battle of wits with Pride, he had practically turned himself into a prisoner of the Law Enforcement Bureau, locked away in this dark warehouse without seeing the light of day.

If he were on the outside, how carefree would he be right now, eating and drinking as he pleased?

He patted his flat stomach, hesitating. Should he just slip out, grab some skewers, and down a cold beer?

He had just stood up, only to sit right back down. After giving it some thought, Yan Moxie decided against it. He had already suffered through a whole day of this. If he went out now and happened to be spotted by Pride, wouldn't all this misery have been for nothing?

It was better to wait one more day. If Pride still hadn't shown up by tomorrow, it meant the bastard was simply bluffing.

He managed to wait a little longer, but eventually, Yan Moxie just couldn't sit still anymore. Transforming into a shadow, he quietly slipped into the office area of the Law Enforcement Bureau.

It was night, so most of the Law Enforcement Bureau staff had already clocked out, leaving only a few officers on duty. The lights were off across much of the office floor, making it the perfect environment for him to slip in.

He prowled back and forth through the cubicles until he finally spotted a half-eaten packet of cookies sitting on a desk!

A bizarre scene soon unfolded. The shadows beneath the desk began to slowly writhe. A hand formed entirely of darkness crept quietly up the side of the desk, and then—swoosh!

It snatched the cookies down into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.

Back down in the underground warehouse, Yan Moxie began to eat the cookies.

The cookies seemed to have been sitting out for a while and had completely lost their crunch, but he still ate them with absolute relish.

Just then, a soft chuckle sounded from behind him. "Heh, who would have thought a vice-commander of the Revolutionary Army had a penchant for stealing expired cookies."

Yan Moxie stiffened mid-chew. He glanced back, only to see a man dressed in a black tailcoat and wearing a Silver-White Mask standing atop a wooden crate, peering down at him.

Narrowing his eyes to hide the shock flashing through them, Yan Moxie put on an air of indifference and carefully sized up the newcomer.

The Silver-White Mask bore a cold, upward-curving smile as sharp as a blade of ice. Dripping with contempt and disdain, it made the intruder's identity perfectly clear.

"Pride," Yan Moxie said, his voice low. "How did you know I was here?"

Instead of answering, Su Mu fired back a question of his own. "Are the expired cookies good?"

Yan Moxie: "..."

He checked the packet out of the corner of his eye and realized the cookies truly were past their expiration date.

His face remained perfectly blank, but a stormy sea of shock was churning in his heart. Pride didn't just know he was hiding in the Law Enforcement Bureau. He knew about the stolen cookies—and even knew they were expired. What did that imply?

It meant his every single move had played out right under the other man's nose, and he hadn't sensed a thing.

It felt as though an invisible person had been trailing right behind him the entire time, watching his every action. A sudden chill of terror washed over him.

Ever since he advanced to the Gold tier, this was only the second time he had experienced such dread. The first time was when he had just joined the Revolutionary Army and stood face-to-face with its commander.

As it turned out, Yan Moxie's guess was entirely correct. Su Mu had indeed been trailing behind him, quietly observing his every move.

"The taste isn't half bad. Want a bite?" Yan Moxie suddenly extended his hand, offering the cookies forward.

Su Mu smiled faintly. "There is no need to test me. The one standing before you is indeed not my true body, merely a clone."

Yan Moxie's eyes flickered. As a Gold powerhouse, he had naturally recovered from his short-lived shock and noticed Pride's abnormality. The figure before him didn't seem fully solid, but he never expected the other party to openly admit it.

"Speak. What did your Revolutionary Army want to see me about?"

"Sir Pride, forgive my bluntness, but the Revolutionary Army came with absolute sincerity today. You, on the other hand, have merely sent a clone. Especially since your Seven Deadly Sins always hide behind masks, how can I even be sure you are truly Pride?"

Yan Moxie didn't immediately state his intentions. He hadn't reached the position of Revolutionary Army vice-commander by being a fool. There was no way he was going to lay all his cards on the table for a mere clone.

Deep down, of course, he firmly believed the Pride standing before him was no imposter. That terrifying level of reconnaissance was simply beyond the reach of any ordinary person.

He only said those words as a further test.

The Revolutionary Army wanted an alliance with the Seven Deadly Sins, but that partnership had to be built on a preliminary mutual understanding. As things stood, they didn't even know how many members the Seven Deadly Sins had, let alone their exact strength.

A contemptuous laugh slipped from beneath the Silver-White Mask. "What a boring test. I have no time to waste on a character like you. You want to gauge if the Seven Deadly Sins are qualified to partner with the Revolutionary Army? How coincidental—I had the exact same thought.

"An organization constantly suppressed by the Chiyan Empire, shouting slogans about overthrowing the nobles all day long, yet not daring to kill a single noble... do you really have the qualifications to partner with the Seven Deadly Sins?"

Yan Moxie's expression soured. "It is not that we don't dare," he said darkly. "It is that there is no need. The Chiyan Empire pays massive ransoms to redeem a noble. That money..."

"Only the weak argue. If this is all the Revolutionary Army amounts to, then do not waste my time."

As he spoke, Su Mu's figure slowly began to turn transparent, as if he were about to vanish.

Yan Moxie instantly lost his composure. He had indeed come here to secure an alliance with the Seven Deadly Sins; naturally, he couldn't just watch Pride leave like this.

He hurriedly said, "Sir Pride, wait! How do you want our Revolutionary Army to prove itself?"