Chapter 828: A Straw Full of Thorns

Headquarters, water park, Zone C.

A barbecue stall.

Ye Qiyan looked at the young man sitting across from him, someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

Earlier, when they were too far apart, he hadn't felt much. But now, he could sense the abundant, genuine divinity surging within the other's body.

"Bro! Long time no see! Why didn't you contact me before coming back? I would've loved to introduce you properly to everyone."

Russell's face was full of joy. Seeing Ye Qiyan was like seeing a respected elder.

"Heh, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to come back to the company. Anyway, you look like you're doing well. I saw your fight just now. The way you commanded had a real boss's flair. I even felt like you're close to becoming a god."

Ye Qiyan asked the question casually while munching on his barbecue.

In the depths of his eyes, the shadow of the Defiance's black cross flickered silently.

A voiceless whisper echoed in Russell's ears, causing a flicker of confusion to surface in his gaze.

Russell shook his head, chalking it up to fatigue. Then, with immense pride, he replied:

"So you noticed too, bro! Haha, that's right, I'm working hard toward godhood right now. I've still got a long way to go, but once I succeed, I'll be able to walk the Divine Sequence Path and become a powerful god.

When that day comes, I'll kill every single one of those Outsiders one by one and make them taste what it's like to be slaves!"

"Oh? Becoming a god?"

Ye Qiyan's brow arched slightly.

A Nano Giant Sting Bee quietly landed on top of Russell's head.

[Name: Russell]

[Race: Human / Demigod?]

So that's how it was.

He was no longer purely human.

A demigod.

Just like the Ninja Demigod Ye Qiyan had taken down in the previous station.

Stuck hovering between god and man.

"Yeah, that's right, becoming a god! Bro, take a look at this. This is a treasure bestowed upon me by a powerful being I encountered in the Wasteland. With it, I can walk the Divine Sequence Path."

Russell pressed his hand against his chest, then extracted a mass of gray rings from within and presented it before Ye Qiyan.

Ye Qiyan didn't reach out to touch it. Instead, he sent the Nano Giant Sting Bee flying up to let the system appraise it.

[Seed of Divinity]

[Status: Used]

[Upon use, grants immediate access to the Divine Sequence Path]

[User: Russell]

[Divine Concept Granted: Native]

[Miatira's Special Note: This was forged by [Insufficient Authority] in the Wasteland. It exists to ensure that even after gods are slain, new ones can be born swiftly, thereby maintaining the integrity of the Divine Sequence Path.]

[You may devour this seed through the Divine Core Coordinator, preventing the concept of "Native" from ever treading the Divine Sequence Path again]

If even Miatira couldn't freely speak its name, then it was most likely one of the apex beings in the Wasteland.

And if that apex of the Wasteland was deeply connected to those god-like Divine Monsters who called themselves gods...

Water Ice? Or, the Void? Or perhaps some other existence Ye Qiyan had never heard of.

But regardless, one thing was certain.

Russell, or rather, RUN Company, had been discovered, watched, and targeted by those False Gods. They wanted to use them to do something to the train system and the Train Conductors.

They chose their target well.

RUN Company now had branches in every human city. Even many cities lacking the ability to traverse worlds on a large scale had to rely on RUN Company's Substitute Rights Cubes to transport items that couldn't be stored in compressed space, routing them through Low-Level Station Worlds.

If this company wanted to make a move on certain cities...

Just like Suoluo City back then.

It would likely cause quite a mess.

Not to mention, the concept Russell had chosen was "Native."

This kind of concept was most effective at influencing weaker beings who shared the same concept.

There were plenty of natives in the cities maintaining the daily operations everywhere.

If chaos truly broke out...

What would the final outcome be?

Slaughter.

The Train Conductors would brutally suppress and slaughter these natives.

Yes, there was no other possibility.

Because how many Train Conductors were truly good people?

To grow stronger, to survive in the Wasteland, whose hands weren't stained with blood?

Even the Celestial Realm, Ye Qiyan didn't believe they'd be foolish enough to fall to such depths.

Kindness was for allies, not enemies.

But did Russell do anything wrong?

Matters weren't about right or wrong.

With Russell's understanding, with his knowledge of the Wasteland, with his hatred for Train Conductors...

This native youth, manipulated and toyed with by many powerful beings behind the scenes, was simply trying to break free from those shackles, marching forward on what he believed was the righteous path.

So what if the path he chose was the Divine Sequence Path?

Even if the system despised this path, it was still a path. He was like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline. Besides grabbing onto this straw filled with poisonous thorns, did he really have any other choice?

"Bro?"

Ye Qiyan snapped out of his thoughts, looked at Russell, and continued his performance.

"Who would've thought that in the blink of an eye, you'd be on the verge of becoming a god. It seems handing RUN Company to you was truly the right call. Russell, you've become a real boss now."

His words were filled with acknowledgment.

His whisper was steeped in Bewitchment~

Russell was excited, pouring out his plans in one breath.

He knew there were plenty of spies and moles from other factions within the company. So after becoming a demigod, he had used his acquired "Native" concept divinity.

He carefully selected many native humans who, like him, harbored a deep, blood-soaked hatred for Train Conductors.

By infusing them with divinity and purchasing large quantities of items and consumables, caring little whether he was forcing their growth prematurely,

he had forcibly raised a batch of Demigod Apostles capable of dealing with ordinary Train Conductors at Train Level 20 to 30.

These Apostles were publicly referred to as Senior Couriers.

Because of their hatred and the divine infusion, Russell could trust those people absolutely.

"Bro, you saw those Troll airships earlier, right? They didn't exist before. I made a deal with a Troll God to have his people settle in this Level 10 Station World, building airships for my army.

That said, I'm not sure why they suddenly chased after us today. They even used RUN Company's radar permissions to lock onto some strange bird. The bird disappeared after entering the company's territory.

But the Troll airships had already made it here. I was planning to put on a show and send them back, but then..."

Hatred burned in Russell's eyes.

"Those meddling Train Conductors! They went on a slaughter so recklessly! Those madmen! They deserve to die!"

Ye Qiyan silently took a sip of juice. Once Russell had calmed down a little, he finally asked:

"So, why did you bring that famous superstar Alice and Stacia to the company?"

Hearing this question, a smile reappeared on Russell's face.

"Precisely because that woman named Alice is so famous, I intend to use her life and blood to forge my Crown of Divinity. Add that Stacia from the Imperial Sequence Organization and the other Outsider Train Conductors.

As long as I kill them all, I'll earn the recognition of the Divine Sequence Path, leap past C-grade, and become one of the top existences among B-grade Gods!

Bro, you'll help me, right?!"

Russell's expression was somewhat unhinged.

Ye Qiyan set down his cup, a smile on his face.

"Of course, I'll help you."