Within the stronghold, Wang Long spoke confidently and loudly.

Compared to two days ago, his muscles were more robust, almost like a bull, and even he seemed a few centimeters taller, giving off a strong sense of pressure.

It was easy to see that killing monsters over the past two days leveled him up again, reaching Mortal Tier Level 4!

The increase in level obviously gave Wang Long strong confidence, making him seem like that school bully relying on his physique, even showing a bit of disdain towards Shen Zhuo.

In his view, Shen Zhuo was just a rich second-generation kid with a good family background but far too weak in management skills, especially in matters concerning Chu Xiu.

It felt like he was being manipulated by others.

Moreover, Shen Zhuo did not hide the fact that he bought his profession.

This made Wang Long feel that apart from being born into a good family, Shen Zhuo was useless, and that if he were the leader of the stronghold, he'd lead the team better.

Regarding Wang Long's proposal, before Shen Zhuo could speak, Yun Lu was the first to object: "How can this be! The price was set a long time ago; you can't change it just like that! Chu Xiu could also change the upgrade fees for equipment!"

Wang Long remained silent, but Wu Xinyi sneered, "What's the difference? Our equipment is basically complete, and we've gotten a lot of good stuff recently. Instead of continuing to rely on him, why not save the Cause and Effect Points to upgrade combat skills."

"I can't stand his smug attitude, as if we need him desperately."

"It's not that exaggerated..." Yun Lu softly defended Chu Xiu.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xinyi got angrier. Unlike Wang Long, she didn't have any grudge against Chu Xiu, her displeasure mostly stemmed from what seemed to her as Yun Lu's inexplicable "favoritism."

"Xiao Lu, do you really like him that much?" Wu Xinyi asked angrily.

"Of course not! We've only known each other for a few days," Yun Lu waved his hands.

"Then why do you always defend him?" Wu Xinyi continued to question.

Yun Lu lowered his head and hesitated for a long time before saying: "Actually...I just think he's strong."

"What?" Wu Xinyi was taken aback, and the others also showed surprised expressions.

Strong? Chu Xiu?

Yun Lu smiled embarrassedly: "I don't really know why, but he has an aura that makes people feel at ease...and I feel he would protect me because I'm useful; maybe this is just the survival instinct of a herbivore?"

Wu Xinyi sighed, "Do you really think you're a deer?"

Li Shan laughed, "Xiao Lu, maybe it's because he was the first person you met here, so it's a subconscious illusion; there seems to be a specific term for this in psychology."

"But realistically speaking, he's a Level 0.8 support profession, how strong could he be?"

Yun Lu said nothing, while Wang Long continued: "Exactly, he's not strong in combat, yet he's cost us so many Cause and Effect Points; can you swallow that?"

"Before, he foolishly missed out on joining us, and now he wants to buy meat at a low price, where's the good deal in that?"

"You better think clearly, once the trial ends and we leave Abyss, we won't get these Cause and Effect Points back!"

Wang Long's voice grew urgent.

Others echoed, mostly support professions who worked hard for a single-digit number of Cause and Effect Points while Chu Xiu earned ten times that! The vast gap made them long resentful of Chu Xiu.

Of course, some disagreed, not out of fondness for Chu Xiu but not wanting any extra trouble just as the trial was ending.

Within the stronghold, everyone split into two factions, arguing with each other.

Guan Ke sat silently in a corner, holding her forehead, looking at them as if they were idiots.

"What a band of rabble." she thought.

Guan Ke suddenly felt that perhaps, like Chu Xiu, staying aloof and using one's advantages to earn Cause and Effect Points was the better choice.

Mingling with these people provided good cover and many conveniences but inevitably consumed a lot of energy.

These people had no crisis awareness, only petty calculations on their minds.

By contrast, Chu Xiu had already boldly made plans, trying night hunting to gain an advantage; the gap was like heaven and earth.

"Alright, stop arguing."

Then, seeing the crowd in debate, Shen Zhuo knocked on the table.

"The price of food was set early on; it's not cheap, but a very reasonable price."

"Rules are rules; there's no need to break them for a bit of profit."

Shen Zhuo's words ended the disputes in the stronghold.

But it was evident that Wang Long was dissatisfied, snorting coldly before walking out of the stronghold.

Li Shan apologetically smiled at the others: "Wang Long is just too impulsive, I'll go talk to him."

Then he followed out the door.

But as the door closed behind him, the apologetic smile on Li Shan's face vanished instantly.

He caught up with Wang Long, the two walking silently in the corridor.

Once they were far from the stronghold, Wang Long finally spoke: "What do you think?"

Li Shan replied without hesitation: "Do it, tonight, it's the last chance."

Upon hearing this, the fierce Wang Long showed a trace of hesitation: "Really going to kill?"

Li Shan sneered: "What, are you scared?"

"How could that be? I just..." Wang Long's face changed constantly, "I just don't feel completely confident."

Li Shan said dismissively: "We're both Level 4, and you know after Level 4, the experience gain from killing Corpse Demons reduces drastically; Chu Xiu absolutely can't reach Level 5."

"Would two Level 4 combat professions fear a same-tier support profession? Not to mention, our equipment is not bad either!"

Li Shan's words seemed to convince Wang Long a bit, but he still hesitated: "We need to do it cleanly and thoroughly. If this gets exposed, we'll be expelled from the stronghold."

Li Shan sneered: "What is there without risk? Fearing this or that, why come to Abyss?"

"If we miss this chance, where will we find another foolish fat sheep like Chu Xiu?"

"You should understand, for Awakened like us without outstanding professions or talents, ruthlessness is necessary to grow; do you want to be Shen Zhuo's dog forever?"

Li Shan's words finally made Wang Long resolute, his hesitation vanished, replaced by intense killing intent. He grinned evilly: "Tell me, what's the plan?"

"Don't worry," Li Shan licked his lips, "I've already made an excellent plan with multiple preparations."

"You remember my [Decoy] skill, right? The one made with Corpse Demon blood, it can attract Corpse Demons, we just need to apply it on..."

"And the [Type 005 Corpse Demon Venom] from this morning, we can mix it into Chu Xiu's food..."

"Using a divisive approach, we might be able to bring Gao Yuan over; that guy just refused us, but he likes Yun Lu, we just need to..."

"We can also borrow Xinyi's gun as a backup measure..."

"Most importantly, a lone wolf like Chu Xiu, if he disappears, others would just think he got into trouble while hunting, he's the perfect target."

The more Li Shan spoke, the more excited he became, laying out multiple plans, each capable of easily taking the life of a Mortal Tier Level 4 Awakened.

Behind him, someone couldn't help but exclaim:

"Great plan indeed."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.