Chapter 110: Entering the Gate of Evolution Once More

“I don’t want to do this anymore, okay? Can I just pay you back? I don’t want to die!” Zhao Xiaoxiao pleaded with Fang Tang, her voice trembling through tears.

Fang Tang could only sigh helplessly and reveal a sliver of Liu Yiran’s plan to her. When he had gone to Liu Yiran to ask for Zhao Xiaoxiao’s whereabouts, the two of them had a brief discussion. Liu Yiran and Leng Shan had come up with a plan to plant an undercover agent inside the human trafficking syndicate operating out of the Abyssal Store. However, they were unable to find a suitable candidate, so the plan had been put on hold for the time being.

Fang Tang hadn’t actually suggested Zhao Xiaoxiao for the job. But Liu Yiran, astute as ever, only needed to hear the name to know it was a woman. After asking a few more questions about their relationship, Liu Yiran decided to come take a look in person.

Whether Zhao Xiaoxiao would actually be chosen as the undercover agent was still uncertain. But seeing her in this state, Fang Tang feared she’d defect at the first opportunity. If that happened, it would be all the more difficult for the Garrison or the Explorers to plant another spy.

Hearing that nothing was finalized yet, Zhao Xiaoxiao breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

“So what are we supposed to do now?” she asked.

“We wait for the Captain and Captain Leng,” Fang Tang replied, leaning on his Great Xia Dragon Sparrow sword and glancing at Zhao Xiaoxiao with a calm expression.

“Oh.” Zhao Xiaoxiao’s response was tinged with resignation. She was entirely at their mercy; she had no choice but to obey.

It wasn’t long before a car pulled up and Liu Yiran and Leng Shan stepped out.

The sight of them made Zhao Xiaoxiao unbearably nervous.

“This is the one?” Liu Yiran asked, looking Zhao Xiaoxiao up and down with a smile. He nodded slightly. “Her looks are on par with Liu Xu—she should be able to get into the Abyss.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao bristled at the comment. “I’m not that pretty! Don’t get any ideas about me. I was just an ordinary person before this.”

Liu Yiran looked inquisitively at Fang Tang, who could only shrug. “I think I scared her. Maybe you should try talking to her?”

Liu Yiran chuckled. “Let’s leave that to Captain Leng. The Garrison is the main force here; we Explorers are just support. Later, we’ll still need to take you all to the Gate of Evolution.”

He waved a hand at Leng Shan. “She’s yours to talk to. Make her comfortable. If she refuses, don’t push her—this is just a collaboration.”

Leng Shan, a man of few words, simply nodded, crouched down beside Zhao Xiaoxiao, and held out his hand.

Zhao Xiaoxiao shrank closer to Fang Tang, clearly terrified. Compared to these two unfamiliar men, Fang Tang still gave her some sense of safety.

She looked at Fang Tang for help. He nodded reassuringly. “Don’t worry. The Garrison is the real deal—they won’t hurt you.”

“I’m more afraid of you than them!” she muttered.

Zhao Xiaoxiao grumbled, but grasped Leng Shan’s hand and used his support to get to her feet.

“You’ll protect me, right?” she asked uncertainly.

Leng Shan nodded gently. “Don’t worry. Our duty is to protect the survivors of the Abyssal world.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao pressed on, “But you won’t force me to do anything I don’t want to do, will you?”

“Never…” Leng Shan shot a curious look at Fang Tang and tried to reassure her. “If anyone tries to force you, we’ll investigate and hold them accountable.”

Fang Tang was speechless. What did she mean by accusing him of coercion?

Zhao Xiaoxiao finally relaxed a little. “So can I go now?”

Leng Shan said nothing, but Liu Yiran smiled, “Why don’t you come with Captain Leng to the Garrison HQ? They’ll give you the full details of the plan and negotiate your reward. You can hear our offer first—there’s no rush to decide.”

“There’s a reward?” Zhao Xiaoxiao perked up instantly. “How do I get to the Garrison?”

The others couldn’t help but laugh.

Fang Tang smacked his forehead. If it was going to be this easy, he wouldn’t have wasted so much effort on her before.

Zhao Xiaoxiao followed Leng Shan into the car and was driven away.

Liu Yiran turned to Fang Tang. “Let’s go as well. Xu Lin and the others are already waiting.”

“Yeah…” Fang Tang nodded, but couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “Why go to all this trouble to save those people?”

After all, these were all strangers from different worlds—no kinship, no bonds, nothing to tie them together. Why did the Garrison bother rescuing them?

This didn’t fit Fang Tang’s personal creed. He was selfish by nature, caring first and foremost about his own safety, then about those he trusted. As for his so-called compatriots, as long as they didn’t threaten his interests, he could turn a blind eye.

That’s why he struggled to understand the Garrison’s motives.

Liu Yiran smiled faintly. “Some things can’t be judged by personal morals. If we want to dispel the twisted rules, we need a large population base. As you guessed, people from different worlds are wary of each other and hard to unite for a common cause. When something like human trafficking happens in the Cradle World, treating lives as worthless, it becomes almost impossible to unite the survivors.

“The Garrison’s mission is to protect people within the Cradle World and, at the same time, break down the barriers between people. That’s what the big shots in Areas A, B, and C are doing as well.”

Fang Tang thought it over and realized it made sense.

The Cradle World was the nexus between the Infinite Abyss and the Gate of Evolution—the most crucial part of the Abyssal worlds.

Whenever people from a new world emerged from the Infinite Abyss and entered the Cradle, if all they encountered was treachery and darkness, who would ever want to return to the Cradle World?

After all, life is precious. Even if becoming an Evolver made you strong, if you had to endure the darkness of the Cradle World just to pass through the Gate of Evolution, wouldn’t it be better to stay in the Infinite Abyss, where there was food, water, and perhaps the chance to meet someone who truly cared?

The Garrison was the bottom line of the Cradle World. Even if that line was weaker now, when it came to what truly mattered, they would never yield. Only by holding firm could the order of the Cradle World remain intact, more people would dare to enter the Gate of Evolution, and more would seek out the source of the twisted rules.

“It’s not easy,” Fang Tang sighed.

He followed Liu Yiran to the Gate of Evolution in one of the sectors.

Ta Meng was impossible to miss—he stood out like a flagpole among the crowd.

Xu Lin leaned against the wall, looking every bit the solitary wanderer.

Su Mang and the other two women were chatting and laughing together. Xie Ling was bouncing around with delight.

In this moment, Fang Tang finally understood the true purpose of the Garrison.

To give meaning to human life.

“Hey, Captain! Tangtang! Over here!” Xie Ling was the first to spot Fang Tang and Liu Yiran. She waved excitedly. “Over here!”

Liu Xu turned and caught sight of Fang Tang, a look of wistful reproach in her eyes.

“Is everyone ready?” Liu Yiran greeted them with a smile.

“Yes! We can’t wait,” Xie Ling replied, her excitement barely contained.

After all, being led by someone powerful, winning effortlessly, and growing stronger all at once—it was intoxicating, even for someone as innocent as Xie Ling.

“All right, let’s head up!” Liu Yiran and Fang Tang checked in, then walked onto the spring, each placing their palm on a suspended glass orb.

A deep blue light burst from within, enveloping the seven of them.

Eight seconds later, they vanished without a trace.