Chapter Seventeen: The Same Old Tricks

The bright moonlight spilled across the earth, brightening the deep night sky. Banner walked into the bathroom without hesitation, shedding her clothes to reveal her snow-white body. Her figure was graceful, without a single ounce of excess flesh, as if God had bestowed upon her His most precious gift. She was well aware of the allure her body held for men—it surpassed even her face. No man could possibly resist her.

If she wanted to complete the mission, then only one method remained.

Even if she herself would be consigned to hell, so what? Her loyalty had always come first. For the sake of her lord, even if she lost everything, endured endless humiliation, and died bearing the infamy of a thousand generations, she did not care—not in the slightest.

As droplets of water fell from her body, she took a bath towel and wrapped it around herself, walking step by step toward the bathroom door. Her footsteps trembled slightly, but her gaze was utterly resolute.

This was a mission she had to accomplish. For her lord, to offer up her loyalty, she had no choice but to do this!

She was the finest, most loyal pawn. She would never betray, would always consider the optimal outcome, and would pay any price without hesitation.

Since she could not kill Xia Yan and still needed to deliver the Chain of Purity perfectly, only this outcome remained. Her lord would see clearly what kind of trash this man she pitied truly was.

There he lay on the bed, greedily demanding her body, again and again, endlessly!

How filthy this despicable human was, how cowardly and contemptible.

As long as she could make her lord see all of this, it didn't matter what punishment she received, or how miserably she died.

Yes—if she were disloyal, she would surely kill this filthy man. Kill him ten thousand times, a hundred million times, blast his corpse into dust!

Therefore, she was the one most loyal to her lord in all the world.

What Emilia had said about never betraying—at this moment, it crumbled effortlessly!

Xia Yan had a terrible headache, utterly speechless, because the Banner before him was wearing a bathrobe and, in a moment of "carelessness," had revealed parts of her body that ought not to be exposed. It seemed like a coincidence, but was it really?

Xia Yan had encountered the seduction of two women before. One was Qingxia, whose acting was superb, leaving no trace of artifice whatsoever—like a chance encounter, leaving both parties with fond memories.

But even more terrifying than Qingxia was Nangong Yong. That woman was a complete madwoman. She wasn't acting at all; she was playing a game of mutual destruction driven by her own frenzy and obsession!

She could cast aside everything about herself—even her life and her very identity—and that was why Nangong Yong was the most dangerous of all.

The Banner before him was no match for Qingxia, not even close, and she wasn't fit to shine Nangong Yong's shoes. In Xia Yan's view, if you had no talent for acting, you simply shouldn't put on a performance, lest you make a fool of yourself.

Banner walked up beside Xia Yan. There was nothing left on her body to conceal. She spoke in a gentle voice, "Xia Yan, am I beautiful?"

At the same time, her eyes brimmed with boundless allure as she gazed at him, carrying what seemed to be a craving for his desire.

Xia Yan's head ached, and he wanted to vomit blood, but the first thing he did was open his optical computer and, with an imperceptible motion, activate the recording function.

Something was wrong with Banner. Xia Yan was certain—there was a good chance she would betray him. As for the degree, the worst-case scenario was being hunted by the entire Free Zone, which would mean he had no path to survival.

"Xia Yan..." Banner's lotus-root-like arm had already wrapped around Xia Yan's neck. The situation was different from what she had anticipated—Xia Yan had not pounced on her like a wild beast, pressing her onto the bed and desperately demanding her.

This baffled her. Did she have no appeal as a woman? Hadn't this man tried to take liberties with her during the day?

Xia Yan remained motionless, deeply troubled, unsure what attitude to use to refuse her. The woman's eyes were nearly crazed, and Xia Yan even worried she might resort to reckless measures, rendering the situation uncontrollable.

"Actually, I have someone I like." Xia Yan said quietly.

Xia Yan immediately saw the woman's eyes turn cold, a flash of killing intent flickering through them, frightening him to the point that his scalp went numb. If the two of them came to blows here, Xia Yan's troubles would be endless.

Once subjected to investigation and his identity exposed, Xia Yan would have no path other than death.

"Who is it that you like?" Banner's face was incomparably dark.

"A human." Xia Yan could read the look in Banner's eyes.

Banner's furrowed brow relaxed. She let out a coy, playful sound, her body going limp as she leaned toward Xia Yan's chest. She breathed softly by his ear, "Xia Yan, don't worry. No one will know. She won't either."

Xia Yan was deeply exasperated. Could your acting be a little better? It was really hard for him to play along like this!

Since he couldn't alert her before making his move, he immediately switched to a different plan. This was the first time Xia Yan realized that maneuvering around a woman could be so exhausting.

If this nearly deranged Banner turned against him, even if he could kill her, he would die too.

She didn't care about her life, but he cared about his own! So he had to play the part thoroughly!

"To be precise—not she, but he!" Xia Yan said with utmost seriousness.

Banner's eyes sharpened, disbelief appearing on her face.

"Even more precisely, this is information your lord already knows!" Xia Yan added another line, silently praying in his heart that this crazy woman wouldn't make a move right now, or immediately betray him.

For someone as cold as Xia Yan to be pushed to this extent, one had to admit—Banner was quite formidable already.

Banner's expression grew even more subtle, but she didn't fully believe Xia Yan's words. She vaguely suspected he was playing tricks on her.

"Even if you lie on top of me, it's useless. I'm simply not interested in—ahem—women." Xia Yan winked at Banner. "You understand!"

Banner froze for a moment, then a look of disgust and revulsion crossed her face. She clambered off him with obvious disdain, quickly covering her body with the bath towel, then returned to her own bedroom without looking back. The heavy slam of the door echoed through the room.

The next day, her expression was as cold as ice. She didn't mention the previous night at all, as if it had never happened. Xia Yan was more than happy to let it lie.

But Xia Yan absolutely did not dare let down his guard. He knew this woman could betray him at any moment.

At any time, he might be buried in this deadly place known as the Free Zone.

This time, it wasn't as simple as a one-on-one fight with Ai You. The worst-case scenario was all the humanoid mutants attacking at once—even including the leader of the Free Zone, a nine-star ability user only a hair's breadth away from absolute development.