"Sigh… He disappeared so fast I couldn't even…"

Jiao didn't finish, not really knowing what she expected. Did she think Xuefeng will spot her within the crowd of hundreds of thousand people? She felt like a single ant in the ant hive, no different than anyone else.

"Hey, at least you met him and saw him for the first time after three years of waiting. I would still say this trip was worth it," Dandan pointed out as she grabbed her hand, heading towards the exit. Since they were standing on the stairs, they would soon be squished by everyone.

"Well, I am happy I could see him once again but it only made me realize how weak I actually am," Jiao muttered with a deep sigh when Dandan wrapped her arms around her neck, almost choking her.

"Who are you and what did you do with my Jiao?"

Jiao naturally couldn't reply till Dandan released her, causing Jiao to push her away.

"Cough! W-what are you doing?" Jiao questioned upset but Dandan only shrugged, pulling her to the exit.

"It's your fault. Where did all your confidence go?" Dandan scolded. "The Jiao I met for the first time was full of determination and resilience. What happened to you?"

"Maybe I just realized the truth…" Jiao muttered sadly. "That the task ahead of me surpasses my capabilities. Maybe we were never meant to be."

"You…" Dandan raised her hand to slap her, but she held back, cursing, "Fuck, you make me so mad."

Dandan grabbed Jiao's hand and stormed out of the Arena.

"Where are we going?" Jiao asked confused, but Dandan stayed silent the whole time till they reached their inn.

Thud!

She pinned Jiao to the wall while staring deeply into her eyes.

"I will help you recover your confidence. You will get this Xuefeng no matter what!" Dandan called out sternly. "You are just lost and it happens to everyone. You are lucky you have a friend who can beat the shit out of you and glue you back to one piece."

"Dandan—" Jiao uttered but Dandan cut her off immediately.

"No, I already decided. I will help you and you are going to win this battle. If you don't, we will fall together," Dandan expressed as she suddenly hugged her. "That's what friends are for."

Jiao couldn't help but tear up at her words, hugging her back tightly.

"You mean best friends…"

They hugged for a good minute when Jiao asked the important question.

"What's your plan then?"

Dandan pulled away with a smile.

"Didn't I say it already? We are going to the Hell Hole."

———

'Nuwa contacted me multiple times already… I'm sure she already met with Xuefeng and he won the tournament… I wish I could see it, sigh.'

Walking through the Trade Union's lobby, Wu thoughts were all over the place but she couldn't break her cover. Their plan wouldn't work if their enemy discovers anything and she was sure the person was watching.

"Miss Wu, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Just as she was signing some papers for deliveries, the Secretary called her from behind.

'That's right… Fall right into my trap,' Wu thought before she turned around casually. "Yes? Is there another person you want to replace or what is it this time?"

The Secretary scratched her head embarrassed, probably expecting such a reaction. The tension between them was quite high for the last two days.

"No, don't worry Miss Wu, that won't happen again. Every change will go through you," the Secretary assured and passed her a notepad with some papers. "This is more of a regular check-up. I'm supposed to visit the Treasury and scan all the contents. We do it every month to know what we need to order and basically analyze the monthly demand."

Wu looked through the papers and it really was the standard procedure that they performed in the Earth Realm as well.

"And what you need me for?" Wu questioned as she passed the notes back. The two guards were on her side the whole time just to show she was on alert.

"Well, since I know Miss Wu is suspicious of me, I wanted you to assist me. I want to regain your trust so we can work well together. It was my fault earlier so I plan to fix it by doing a good job for you," the Secretary explained as she hugged the notepad, showing a genuine smile.

Wu wanted to roll her eyes but she resisted her urge, looking at the Secretary suspiciously.

"Sure, I will go with you. I wanted to check the treasury anyway," Wu agreed calmly but in her mind, she wasn't that kind.

'What a lying bitch, honestly… No wonder my grandpa fell for her,' Wu thought. The Secretary was good at lying and she now faced a master of this craft.

"Great!" the Secretary exclaimed, leading the way for her. "Follow me then."

Snap!

"You two, go with me," Wu ordered the two guards and they quickly agreed. "Yes, Miss."

The Treasury was one of the most protected places in the Trade Union grounds. Not only was it stationed underground but to her there, they had to pass by multiple controls and barriers which only opened for authorized people. Wu and the Secretary were naturally two of them.

'Hmmm? How come she didn't notice?'

Three barriers later, Wu noticed something suspicious. She already exchanged the guards responsible for the Treasury but the Secretary didn't pay it any attention. She would definitely notice this fact if she visited the Treasury even once.

'She is not that stupid… She must be pretending,' Wu figured out and she got on alert, ready to fight at any moment. She already had multiple treasures to protect her life if necessary.

There were tens of top guards surrounding the Treasury which contained the rarest Artefacts and treasures. Every time someone wanted to buy something rare, they had to personally enter the Treasury to take it out for them. Every visit was recorded and controlled, but Wu didn't have to go through those procedures.

She was the one who planned it all.

Click!

A massive door opened with a large crackle, displaying a gigantic room. Wu couldn't help but take a deep breath of the aroma inside. Even though the herbs were locked in safe boxes, she could still smell them.

"After you Miss Wu," the Secretary suggested to which Wu nodded, calling out to the guards outside. "If we don't come out in fifteen minutes, you can enter and check on me."

"Yes, Miss!" the Guards saluted.

They all walked inside and the door to Treasury closed behind them.

"How about you give me half of the list and we split up?" Wu proposed as she looked around but instead of the Secretary's voice, she heard two thuds as her personal guards fell to the ground, fully unconscious.

Wu quickly turned around while jumping away and saw that the Secretary was shivering. Her lips parted and a voice that didn't belong to her spoke for her.

"That won't be necessary…"

Immediately after, a thick black smoke came out of her mouth and formed into a person in front of her. The Secretary staggered, almost falling down but she found the corridor wall to support herself.

"I did what you wanted, now release me," the Secretary called out with a sweaty forehead, but the man ignored her.

"Who are you?" Wu questioned coldly as she pulled out a sword.

It was all staged and she knew she wasn't in any danger but the person in front of her was too creepy. He was hiding his face behind a cloud of black smoke and his whole body was distorted.

"Hehe, you don't need to know that," the man chuckled as he took a step forward. "All you need to know is that I am someone who always gets what he wants."

"Come any closer and I will alarm the whole Trade Union!" Wu shouted, causing the man to laugh.

"Do you think it matters? Once you become my puppet, you will do everything I tell you to," the man echoed as he walked closer when the Secretary cried out again, "Release me now! I know you can't control two people at the same time!"

The man stopped, chuckling again.

"Heh, you are smart, but it seems you forgot who is the boss here."

Cough! Cough!

The man extended his hand backward and the Secretary started to choke, dropping on her knees.

"I hate when my puppets don't listen, but since you were a good puppet so far, I will let it pass," the man muttered and snapped his fingers.

The Secretary recovered her breath and coughed out even more smoke from her lungs.

'So she wasn't evil… It seems like she was controlled by this guy,' Wu figured out when the man turned back to her.

"So now, are you ready to become my new puppet? Don't worry, I will treat you well," the man assured before his body dispersed in all directions, trying to attack her from all sides.

Wu only smiled at that.

"Get him, boys."