Chapter 96: Unable to Submit

“I have no interest in your people or your assets.”

Tang Mu maintained a smile, but it was only to preserve basic civility between people.

“Also, do you think I didn’t investigate you and the association behind you beforehand? In 2087, you went so far as to turn on your own brothers to absorb the Guangfeng Association, causing it to collapse due to a lack of leadership. Then, you appeared as a savior, gathering all the scattered members of Guangfeng under your wing.”

“In 2089, to increase the profits of the Aoyu Association by 10%, you carried out massive layoffs. This drove those parasites, who had grown complacent relying on tilted resources, to wreak havoc in other associations, causing them severe losses.”

“You are profit-driven above all else, and utterly disregard feelings. And now you tell me you like me? That you’re willing to give everything for me?”

“Friend, your fundamental logic is flawed. Even if others blindly believe you, it’s hard to trust such a person.”

Hmm.

It seemed this woman made a good point.

So Qiao Yuan switched tactics. “Don’t you want to strike at the Long Association? Its boss is Zi Yushu. I hate him too. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“Besides, my pursuit of you is not purely emotional. I’m also doing it for the association. And while working for the association, I’m hoping to keep you bound to us permanently. But right now, it seems emotion alone can’t tie you down. Luckily, I believe in offense and defense. Even if feelings can’t bind you, we can still have mutual interests, can’t we?”

“To kill him, I don’t need help.” Tang Mu’s tone remained cold. “You just want to drag me into your association to be your living signboard and free labor. Even if you want to involve me through shared interests… has anyone told you that exchanges must be equal? You keep pushing me every day to work for you and the Aoyu Association behind you… do you have anything I want to offer?”

What do you want…

Suddenly, a spark lit up in Qiao Yuan’s mind. “I know you’re looking for Yan Xingwen. Let me show you something.”

He spent another 200,000 points to unlock the videos of “The Bride of the Deceptive King” and “The 1924 Train Murder Case” that Tang Mu had played, then deliberately pointed out the character models of Eli and Xue Fen to her.

“You’ve never joined any association, so you probably don’t know that the brainwave patterns emitted by identical NPCs are consistent. We only need to find similar wave patterns and compare them with the vast number of instances to identify which NPC is the person you want. And this device…”

Qiao Yuan took out an old USB drive and handed it to Tang Mu. “As long as we store the brainwave patterns we obtain into this small USB, we can match it to the instance that contains your target. This is an open secret among major associations, but it only circulates internally. Once it falls into the hands of outsiders, its built-in protection mechanism will destroy it.”

Tang Mu couldn’t hear the rest of Qiao Yuan’s words.

Her mind was fixated only on the first part:

Xue Fen and Eli’s brainwave patterns are the same?

How could they be the same?

She had asked Xue Fen before if he knew Yan Xingwen. He had clearly said no.

Could the Black Spade Q erase a person’s memory and then reconstruct a new one?

As Tang Mu pondered, An Xiaoying stormed over, flanked by Qiao Se, radiating fury.

An Xiaoying dared to act defiantly before Qiao Se, but she wouldn’t dare disrespect Qiao Yuan.

So she suppressed her anger, forcing her voice to sound calm, though it was still sharp as she questioned Qiao Yuan. “Why allow her to join the association? She killed my sister! How can you let a murderer into the association and expect loyalty?”

Moreover… she had liked Qiao Yuan for so long. She had stayed by his side for years and done so much for him. Why could Tang Mu just come and snatch the position that belonged to her? She wouldn’t accept it!

Seeing the extraordinary passion in An Xiaoying’s gaze toward Qiao Yuan,

Tang Mu’s smile deepened.

She hadn’t intended to target An Xiaoying at first.

But An Xiaoying was blocking her from finding the person she sought.

Could she let her stay?

“This world belongs to the strong, doesn’t it? And oh, An Xiaoying, your position in the association is not irreplaceable. Like your sister, you both control puppets. But controlling puppets requires immense mental strength. Yet your mental strength hasn’t even reached level A. Tsk, how much will it cost the association to train you? I feel sorry for the gold coins in Qiao Yuan’s pocket, not to mention for Qiao Yuan himself.”

“You…”

“Enough, An Xiaoying.” Qiao Yuan showed displeasure toward her. “If you have time, why not train more in the arena to strengthen your mental power? Otherwise, you won’t keep up with the association’s instance difficulty.”

Having chastised An Xiaoying for not working hard enough, Qiao Yuan turned his attention back to Tang Mu and pointed to the old iPad in front of them. “The next NPC with a brainwave pattern similar to Eli’s is in this instance. So, how about cooperating? If you join the Aoyu Association, I’ll give you this USB.”

Tang Mu’s gaze never left the USB.

Knowing she was interested, Qiao Yuan sweetened the deal. “There are countless instances in Extreme Escape. If you rely on your own strength to find someone, it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. So I advise you, instead of going solo, why not leverage the team’s power? It will get you to your goal faster.”

“Do I need to help the association by bringing in newcomers when I run instances?” Tang Mu looked bored. “If I have to bring newbies, then forget it. Sheep gather in flocks; beasts roam alone. I’m not used to working with others. More people means more burden.”

“You’re allowed not to bring newcomers.”

Considering Tang Mu’s SS-level mental strength, Qiao Yuan made a special exception for her.

“Fine then.” Tang Mu reluctantly agreed. “But I have conditions. You can only take 10% of the gold I earn. And if I want to leave, I can leave anytime.”

Other associations generally take 20%.

But… whatever. Tang Mu was likely to become their cash cow. Ten percent it is.

As for the condition about leaving anytime… Qiao Yuan had a way to ensure Tang Mu would never reach that point.

Qiao Se, watching the negotiation between Tang Mu and his brother near conclusion, couldn’t help but timidly interject.

His voice was faint but hopeful, “Um, Tang Mu, can I ask you something?”

Tang Mu glanced at him indifferently and said flatly, “Ask.”

“Where exactly did I lose?”

Hearing this, Tang Mu frowned involuntarily.

Still not giving up?

Tang Mu was growing tired of being pursued.

So to resolve the matter quickly, she had to keep delivering harsh words—sometimes so harsh that even she felt a pang of guilt.

“You want to know why? I’ll tell you. Your emotions, weaknesses, and thoughts are transparent to me. If I wanted to manipulate you through emotions, it would be far too easy. Love is a connection between souls of equal standing. I can immediately see the emptiness and lack in your soul.”

“You can’t control me.”

“And I won’t submit to a man who can’t control me.”