Chapter 97: Cowardice

“Ha… haha, the facts prove I’m just a coward, I’m just a weakling, haha…”

He suddenly laughed maniacally, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Su Li and the others listened in silence.

Ding Longyun, sitting wounded on the ground, grew increasingly furious as he listened. He suddenly shouted, “You’re not a damn coward, you’re afraid of death! The woman you love was taken, and all you could do was hide? Bah! If it were me, I’d fight them to the death! Is a man without passion even a man?”

Gong Xiao glanced at Ding Longyun and said, “Brother Ding, you can’t expect every man to have the same passion as you.”

Ding Longyun remained indignant. He spat on the ground and looked at Xu Haishui with disdain.

“Xu Haishui, what are your plans now?” Su Li looked at the tear-streaked man in front of him. Unlike Ding Longyun, he felt no contempt, only a sense of inexpressible pity and oppression.

Having the woman he loved taken and humiliated—most men would find this unbearable. Yet Xu Haishui endured it, seized his opportunity, and killed one of the perpetrators, making Chen Xiangyu pay for his actions.

How should one judge such a man? Was he purely cowardly? Su Li felt that was not entirely accurate.

“I… I saw that you were willing to risk your lives to save your companion, and I understood: you are the people I need. I want to follow you,” Xu Haishui looked up, his face full of longing.

Ding Longyun sneered, “We don’t take cowards. Someone like you might kill Chen Xiangyu today but could easily betray us or attack us tomorrow out of fear.”

Xu Haishui’s expression changed, turning pale, as if his last straw of hope had snapped.

“I understand…” Xu Haishui murmured, lowering his head, his expression becoming lost.

Su Li, who had been observing him, suddenly asked, “How is Zhang Ying now?”

Xu Haishui’s body trembled. “She is still in the Purple Wind Building.”

“And what do you plan to do next?”

Xu Haishui showed a bitter look. “If you are unwilling to let me go, then strike me down now. If you allow me to leave, I must return to the Purple Wind Building. Although I can’t save Zhang Ying yet, I can at least remain by her side and wait, looking for an opportunity like today… I will save her one day. I must.”

As he spoke, a glimmer of unyielding determination flashed in his eyes.

“That’s more like a man,” the last sentence pleased Ding Longyun. He nodded and raised his voice. “But what the hell are you waiting for? If you’re a man, go back now and save the girl you love! That’s what a real man does!”

Xu Haishui glanced at Ding Longyun and smiled miserably. “With just me? Is that any different from suicide? If I die, no one will save her. Only by living do I have a sliver of hope. I cannot die before I save her.”

This statement surprised Ding Longyun, who realized Xu Haishui had a point.

“Interesting. It seems you are not entirely weak. On the contrary, you are surprisingly calm. At least your endurance paid off, and you killed Chen Xiangyu.” Gong Xiao scrutinized Xu Haishui, as if seeing him for the first time.

Su Li said, “You mentioned there are five leaders in the Purple Wind Building. Besides Chen Xiangyu, who are the other four? What are their abilities? Do you know what level Spiritual Source Wielders they are?”

Seeing that they seemed receptive to his presence, Xu Haishui’s face brightened with excitement. He quickly replied, “The other four are Wang Zhensheng, Sun Wenbo, Li Wei, and Tao Bingjun. Including Chen Xiangyu, these five are the most powerful and terrifying people in the Purple Wind Building. From what I know, Wang Zhensheng, Sun Wenbo, and Li Wei are all Level 5, just like Chen Xiangyu. As for Tao Bingjun, he is the strongest among them.”

Ding Longyun was startled. “How did these guys level up so fast? How are they all at Level 5?” He felt he hadn’t been idle these past few days.

Xu Haishui said, “They are all fanatics. They not only kill monsters at night but also form teams to search for monsters during the day. I only managed to reach Level 4 by teaming up with Chen Xiangyu yesterday.”

Su Li and Ding Longyun exchanged glances. They had thought they were diligent, but it turned out there were people even more dedicated than they were.

Su Li pondered. One Chen Xiangyu had been difficult enough. If Xu Haishui hadn’t known his fatal weakness, Su Li would have struggled to kill him due to his “Steel Skin.” Now, the remaining four were all at least Level 5 Spiritual Source Wielders.

Su Li felt the pressure.

“Do you know the abilities of these four? Any weaknesses?” Su Li wondered if Xu Haishui, who knew Chen Xiangyu’s weakness, also knew about the others.

Xu Haishui shook his head. “Because I was always with Chen Xiangyu, I know him best. I discovered his weakness by accident. During a fight with a group of monsters, one of them injured his rear, and that’s how I realized the fatal flaw in his ‘Steel Skin’ was his butt.”

“I haven’t had much contact with the other four, so I don’t know much. Tao Bingjun is the most mysterious; I’ve only seen him once, and I have no idea what his ability is. Sun Wenbo’s ability seems to be related to blood. Wang Zhensheng’s ability seems to be bombs—it looks like he can create them, but I’m not clear on the specifics. I do know a little about Li Wei’s ability. He’s incredibly skilled with a knife; I heard he was trained. I personally saw him kill someone, cutting a disobedient person in half with one swift strike.”

As he spoke, a hint of fear flickered in his eyes. He instinctively feared these men deep down.

Su Li nodded, frowning.

Although he was only Level 4, his extra enhancement made him essentially equal to a Level 5 Spiritual Source Wielder. Coupled with the top-tier “Spider Walk” ability he had mastered, he was confident in a one-on-one fight against any of the men Xu Haishui mentioned. However, a multi-person fight would be impossible to win. Unless… he could advance to Level 5. That would grant him another enhancement opportunity, significantly boosting his strength. Then, he would have nothing to fear, even if Tao Bingjun was stronger than Chen Xiangyu.

The wounded Ding Longyun slowly stood up. He said, “Kid, if you’re a man, go back and save the girl you love. If you do that, I, Old Ding, will respect you as a true man.”

Xu Haishui hesitated. “Just me…”

“Don’t worry, we will help you,” Ding Longyun’s eyes flashed with intensity. He said sternly, “I hate men who bully women more than anything in this life. These guys deserve to die.”

Hearing this, Xu Haishui suddenly dropped to his knees with a “thud.” He violently slammed his head onto the concrete ground, the impacts resounding with “thump-thump” sounds.

(End of Chapter)