Book 9: Chapter 69: Sudden Realization

“You look pretty relaxed, like you’re not worried about the crisis ahead at all?” Seeing Kelly’s demeanor, Qin Lun felt a bit surprised.

“Heh, what’s there to worry about? Aren’t all Apostles walking the line between life and death? Fighting Plot Characters or fighting other Apostles—it’s all the same in the end, right?” Kelly scratched her messy hair and took a big gulp from the bottle in her hand. Qin Lun found the sight a bit hard to watch.

After dealing with this woman so much, Qin Lun sometimes truly wondered why she didn’t learn from Lili and change her gender. With her personality and combat profession, she’d probably be more popular as a man.

“Hey, why did you come find Sis? Spit it out! Sis is busy right now!” Kelly pulled out a towel from somewhere and wiped her face, seeming a little more alert.

Busy drinking, more like! Qin Lun muttered inwardly. However, he knew Kelly’s personality. This woman’s intuition was beast-like. Trying to play mind games with her was basically useless; it was better to be straightforward.

“I discussed it with my teammates. If the Lost Team needs help, we’re willing to accept a certain degree of employment!” Qin Lun said calmly, deliberately emphasizing the word “employment.”

“You’re willing to help?” Kelly’s willow-like eyebrows shot up, and she straightened. Though she’d expected it, hearing it directly still surprised her. “Heh, you don’t seem the sentimental type. Don’t tell me you’ve really fallen for Sis!”

“If you keep this attitude, don’t blame me for turning hostile!” Qin Lun stared at Kelly impassively.

“Alright, alright, Sis was wrong!” Kelly put down the bottle and raised both hands with a grin.

“Let’s talk business!” Qin Lun sighed helplessly. “News about Team Light must have leaked. What I saw at the trading grounds doesn’t look good. Have you figured out how to deal with it?”

“How to deal with it?” Kelly’s eyes flashed slyly as she blinked. “Do you have any good suggestions, then?”

“Yes! But… you probably won’t accept it. The solution we came up with would inevitably trigger a long and fierce clash among the three major alliances. Half of the six thousand Professional Apostles in Devil’s Horn might die.” A faint smile touched Qin Lun’s lips.

In truth, after the five Serial Killers voted to help Lost, they’d discussed many strategies amongst themselves. Of course, they hadn’t approached it from Lost’s perspective, or that of the Order Front, but purely from their own angle.

Helping Lost was one thing, but the five Serial Killers knew one thing very clearly: they would absolutely not become cannon fodder for others. If the Lost Team wanted them to directly fight High-Rank Apostles? Sorry—they’d gladly ditch the Order Alliance entirely, or maybe even sell Lost out afterward.

Qin Lun and the others knew that even if they helped Lost, it could only be through indirect actions. They absolutely could not participate in any form in High-Rank Apostle melees. Of course, even indirect action carried high risks, which was why Qin Lun had framed it as “employment” to Kelly. They weren’t helping for free; they demanded proper payment.

“I understand.” Kelly suddenly sighed, seeming a bit dispirited. “You’re right, we wouldn’t accept that method. To be honest, large-scale Apostle civil wars have happened several times before in Devil’s Horn. Those wars had no victors!”

“So what’s your plan? Challenge the Chaos Alliance and Apostle Monument to an arranged duel?” Qin Lun asked curiously.

“Yes. Set a time and Quest World, then let each side rely on their own skills!” Kelly shook her head with a bitter smile. “Sounds stupid, right? But it’s the best way. Do you think we wouldn’t prefer guerrilla warfare, picking them off bit by bit?”

Before Qin Lun could answer, Kelly immediately answered herself, “That wouldn’t work. If we dared try that, it would force them to do the same. The result? Just a heap of dead bodies, for nothing. No matter what method is used, six thousand Professional Apostles cannot die—not half of them!”

Kelly held up one finger, shaking it seriously. “Apostles aren’t incapable of handling death. The problem is, no one wants to die for nothing. One-tenth—if just six hundred Professional Apostles die in this civil war, others will immediately flee this city. Devil’s Horn would become a ghost town.”

“If that’s the case… what do you want our help with?” Qin Lun frowned slightly. He and the other Serial Killers honestly hadn’t thought this deeply; their discussions had revolved solely around winning the war.

“You should know that each rank an Apostle climbs represents a qualitative leap. You are outstanding and reached Second Order, but you cannot help against High-Rank Apostles. Lost wouldn’t even let you participate in those fights!” Kelly chuckled. “What we need your help with… is something else entirely…”

As Kelly explained, Qin Lun gradually understood. An Apostle City housing three opposing factions naturally saw constant friction. High-rank teams like Lost were familiar with internal conflict.

High-Rank Apostles differed from lower-ranked ones. At their level, very few possessed glaring weaknesses. Just like Kelly’s Martial Artist class—she could play the attacker or the team’s main tank. Of course, in areas she wasn’t skilled in, she’d just serve as a backup.

The high-rank teams in Devil’s Horn knew each other well. Plus, most High-Rank Apostles had hidden escape cards. Unless cornered and surrounded, very few would actually die.

Although Lost, Chaos, and Apostle Monument all sought a quick end to this, it wouldn’t necessarily mean heavy losses among their high-rank members. For Lost and the mercenary team they brought in, succeeding depended on whether they could withstand the combined assault from the other high-rank factions in the first battle or two.

In other words, this was another form of trial! Lost themselves were just supporting actors in this war. The ones truly targeted by Chaos and Apostle Monument… were their mercenary high-rank team.

Furthermore, another critical aspect existed, which was why Lost wanted Qin Lun’s help in the first place. Chaos Alliance and Apostle Monument simply possessed more high-rank members. While sending their ten-man teams to battle Lost, they could also freely raid the Order Front without fear of retaliation.

Their raiding was highly targeted: specifically aimed at mid- to low-rank elites on the Order Front and their small teams. The method was simple: track them to their Quest Worlds using items, then intimidate or recruit them. If Team Lost failed to counter this, winning the war would mean nothing—the Order Front would collapse regardless.

High-Rank Apostles were the alliance’s leaders. Mid- to low-rank elites and their small teams were its skeleton. The numerous ordinary Apostles were its flesh and blood. These three parts formed the complete Apostle Alliance—and none were expendable.

If the Order Front lost too many elite skeleton members and couldn’t replenish the blood and flesh, the alliance would shatter anyway. Then Lost’s entire war effort would have been wasted. Someone needed to step in during the conflict to resist the poaching attempts of the other two alliances.

“You want my team to protect the others?” Qin Lun’s expression turned strange. “Everyone besides me in my team is only low-rank. Even if high-rank Apostles are scarce, the Order Front can’t possibly lack elite Second Order teams, right? Wouldn’t finding them be better?”

“You don’t get it. Ranks don’t matter. Most elite Apostles are stubbornly rebellious. Just like you! If High-Rank Apostles pressured you, would you submit?” Kelly rolled her eyes at Qin Lun, looking annoyed.

“You mean… Chaos and Apostle Monument won’t bully them outright? The teams they send for poaching would be near our strength level?” Qin Lun’s eyes flashed as he caught her meaning.

“They’ll be stronger, sure, but not overwhelmingly so,” Kelly replied with a light laugh. “For instance, against a team mostly of Second-Order elites, they’d probably send a team led by one High-Rank Apostle, backed by Second-Order members. Enough to guarantee an advantage, but not enough to make you feel utterly helpless.”

“I see.” Qin Lun nodded slowly. Given the situation, this mix of pressure and lure was indeed likely to sway many. And those who got poached wouldn’t worry about the Order Front holding them accountable afterwards.

“Now you understand! That’s why we need some incredibly cunning Apostles to join those elite teams—to thwart the other two alliances’ poaching, or even win over their people!” Kelly grinned mischievously.

“And ‘incredibly cunning’ means…?” Qin Lun clicked his tongue, dissatisfied. “Does this mean, besides us, Lost found others?”

“Don’t get hung up on the details!” Kelly replied, squinting with amusement. “Of course we didn’t just find you! People like that are rare, which makes your team valuable. Suddenly adding five elites means you can each lead multiple Second-Order teams!”

“Five?!” Qin Lun’s face darkened, his eyes turning icy. “Did Lost investigate us?”

“Investigate you? Your group needs investigating?!” Kelly scoffed with a smile. “With how long it’s been, other high-rank teams have probably noticed you already!”

“Really?” Qin Lun eyed Kelly suspiciously. “I know I attracted Chaos Alliance’s attention… but my companions…”

“Pfft!” Kelly burst out laughing, clutching her chest. “Haven’t you ever noticed what your little buddies have been up to?”

“Let me think! Out of your group of five, besides you, there’s that assassin nicknamed ‘Student’. In his half-year at Devil’s Horn, he practically cleared out all the hit contracts posted at the Mercenary Guild. He even snagged an Apostle Monument wildcard and joined the Metropolis Domination War. Did he think the Apostle Monument folks are all slow?! Of course they noticed!” Kelly doubled over with laughter.

“It’s ‘Disciple’, not ‘Student’…”

“Then there’s the guy using Morning Star’s spare card who joined the Metropolis Domination War. He didn’t gain as much as you, but he scored big too. And this time, he entered the Divine Comedy World with you and Lace. Even though he’s low-rank, Lace said this Grant is powerful enough to fight Second-Order Apostles! Do you have any idea how many Apostles in Star Void can fight above their rank?” she continued teasing.

“And the others?” A dark cloud hung over Qin Lun’s head. He was finally realizing Kelly wasn’t lying—his group really had stood out like fireflies in the night.

“Those last two… we don’t know much. We just know they caught the attention of other high-rank teams. Both seem connected to you,” Kelly shrugged. “The Moonlit Elf is tight-lipped. Would love to know where you guys actually came from!”