176: Chapter 176 Li's Betrayer

Land of Beginning, Central Area.

Inside a shuttle-shaped building constructed entirely of some translucent silver alloy.

A circular meeting room.

Over a dozen floating seats were arranged in a circle.

At this moment, most of these seats were occupied by people of different genders, ages, and appearances.

They had been summoned urgently, and there was more or less impatience on their faces.

"Lin Wei, what is so urgent?"

A burly man with a thick beard tapped the armrest of his floating seat impatiently.

"Exactly, my woman is still waiting for me."

"Lin Wei, you had better have a good enough reason."

The woman known as Lin Wei was the only person standing in the center of the circular meeting room.

She looked to be about thirty, with beautiful features, but her eyes were sharp and stern, and she wore a well-fitted dark blue outfit.

It was not until the complaints subsided slightly that Lin Wei raised her eyelids, her gaze sweeping calmly over everyone present.

"I have detected information from those savage lands on the periphery."

"Savage lands? Why is there any need to pay attention to that garbage dump? Who is fighting over those pathetic resources again?"

The burly man frowned.

The others also showed expressions of confusion.

For those of them in the Central Area, that place was no different from a wasteland.

Lin Wei did not explain, but simply waved her hand, and an image appeared before everyone.

The background of the image was a vast golden beach.

The scene on the beach made the pupils of everyone in the meeting room constrict suddenly!

Nearly two hundred people were kneeling on the beach in a dense mass, their postures humble.

And in front of them, a small group of people stood calmly.

The focus of the image quickly locked onto a tall, cold figure among the standing group.

Jet-black hair, deep purple eyes, an exquisitely beautiful yet ice-cold face.

"This is..."

The blonde woman sat up straight abruptly, the color draining from her face.

"No... impossible..."

"Li...?!"

The entire meeting room was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

All the complaints, impatience, and confusion turned into a dead silence at this moment.

The woman who had led their group of initial survivors to earn a foothold in the Central Area of the Land of Beginning...

That terrifyingly powerful Li!

"Is she really back?"

Lin Wei did not answer, merely controlling the image to continue playing.

In the image, Li seemed to have sensed something; she slowly turned her head, and those purple eyes seemed to pierce through space, looking precisely in the direction of the meeting room.

"!"

The moment they were watched by that gaze, more than half of the people in the meeting room shuddered violently.

Immediately after, the Li in the image parted her red lips:

"I am back."

Although there was no sound, everyone could tell what she was saying.

These words struck everyone's heart heavily!

"Crack!"

The image seemed unable to withstand some invisible pressure, shattering suddenly and dissipating into points of light.

Only heavy, oppressive breathing remained in the meeting room, along with a few faces as pale as paper.

"She... she is still alive... she is really back..." someone muttered to themselves, their eyes unfocused.

"It is over, she will definitely come back for revenge. Back then, we..."

The red-haired burly man slammed his armrest and roared:

"What are you afraid of! Times have changed! We are no longer those rookies! We have also mastered power! Even if she comes back, so what?!"

"Exactly! She is lucky to be alive, but we are no longer people she can push around at will! She is alone, she cannot make waves!"

The sinister man forced himself to calm down, his eyes becoming fierce again.

"Right! We cannot panic! Her existence is a huge threat to all of us." The blonde woman also began to analyze.

"We must eliminate her before she makes contact with other forces in the Central Area!" Lin Wei spoke coldly, voicing everyone's inner thoughts.

"I agree!"

"It must be done as soon as possible!"

"This time, we cannot give her any more chances!"

After the brief fear, everyone present quickly reached a consensus.

"Lin Wei, you are responsible for intelligence tracking; lock down her specific location and movements."

"Black Ghost, gather the strongest combat forces..."

"Ghost Shadow, get your assassination squad on standby."

"Block the news; absolutely do not let other major forces in the Central Area detect her existence!"

Orders were issued one after another.

They intended to nip the threat in the bud.

...

On the outskirts of the Land of Beginning.

A simple, metallic-textured three-story composite building had already risen from the ground.

This was the first stronghold of the Returner Tribe in the Land of Beginning, converted from a cruise ship according to system rules.

It not only provided solid defense and a comfortable living environment but was also a fully functional small base.

On the terrace with the best view on the top floor, Qi Yun stood by the railing.

"Hoo—" Qi Yun exhaled gently. The intense conflict upon arrival had temporarily come to an end; the next phase was time for consolidation and development.

However, he knew that the peace was only temporary.

Whether it was Li, Xia Ran, or Yun Lin, they all had countless grudges in this land.

Before the storm arrived, he had to be prepared.

Just then, a burst of footsteps came from behind him.

Qi Yun rubbed his brow and spoke with some helplessness: "I say, Yun Lin, you are very annoying. Can you stop following me like a ghost?"

There was silence behind him for two seconds, and then, that voice sounded once again:

"Mm, it is fine. I do not mind."

Qi Yun: "..."

He sighed and turned around.

Yun Lin was standing three steps away behind him, her silver hair tied high, with no expression on her beautiful face.

"You do not mind, but I very much mind." Qi Yun tried to reason with her.

"You have your own room; you can go rest, or go chat with Li or Xia Ran, or go help organize supplies... in short, stop following behind my butt, okay?"

"No. I like following you."

Yun Lin shook her head. After knowing that Qi Yun was not Li's real husband, and that Qi Yun had intimate relationships with other girls in the Tribe, Yun Lin had latched onto Qi Yun. She liked Qi Yun's impatient attitude and his eyes full of disdain.

Qi Yun held his forehead.

He decided not to waste any more breath, walked to a nearby lounge chair, and sat down, wanting to have a moment of peace.

As soon as he sat down, Yun Lin immediately walked over and squatted down.

"What are you doing again?" Qi Yun watched her vigilantly.

"Your shoelace is a bit loose. I will tie it for you."

Yun Lin pointed at Qi Yun's shoelace, her tone serious.

As she spoke, without waiting for Qi Yun to react, she had already reached out and, with movements both gentle and swift, untied the shoelace on Qi Yun's shoe, which had been tied perfectly fine, and then re-tied it into a standard and firm knot for him.

Qi Yun: "..."

He looked down at Yun Lin, who was squatting by his feet, looking earnest as she completed her "shoelace tying grand undertaking".

This "Goddess of the World" who had caused bloodbaths in the Land of Beginning and was coveted by countless people?

At this moment, she was squatting down without any regard for her image, willingly tying his shoelaces?

If the "simp Tribes" or faction leaders in the Central Area who had once broken their heads trying to win a smile from her saw this, they would probably collectively vomit three liters of blood, have their Dao hearts shattered, and doubt their lives, right?

After finishing one, Yun Lin moved naturally to the other foot, ready to repeat the operation.

"Wait! Not this one!"

"Symmetry is aesthetic."

After doing all this, Yun Lin stood up, satisfied.

Qi Yun looked at the two shoelaces on his feet that had been tied meticulously, which could be called works of art, and felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart.

This was not some "Goddess of the World" or "troublemaker"...

This was clearly a top-tier "simp"!

And yet, this "simp" had heaven-defying looks, could not be chased away, and was even happy when he scolded her.

Qi Yun sighed. Since you are so clingy, do not blame me.