Chapter 4723 — If You Go, I Go Too

Seeing that things were going badly, Wei Zhao hastily withdrew a good distance with Huo Yudie, using the cliffs as cover to slip out of the enemy's line of sight for the moment. It was a last resort. That hyper-advanced rig of smart armor plus laser cannon was simply too ferocious. Even if his strength exceeded Kang Jingming's a hundredfold, for the time being there was nothing he could do about the man.

If Wei Zhao had been alone, it would have been one thing. Relying on the jade pendant's warnings, he could at least have circled and probed head-on, and there might even have been a chance to find the man's weak point.

But now he had to consider Huo Yudie's safety. Even if Kang Jingming did not deliberately target her, friendly fire was far too easy with a thing like that. A laser cannon was the sort of weapon that killed on a graze.

After a few turns, Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie had reached the exit. Only when they saw that Kang Jingming had not given chase did they stop and stare at each other.

"What do we do? Just let them dig up the Thunder Mystic Vine roots and all?" Huo Yudie asked, still visibly shaken, looking at Wei Zhao.

What had just happened had shown her how terrifying the other side's equipment was. Even Wei Zhao was helpless against it, let alone her. Basically, even if Kang Jingming stood right in front of her and let her hit him, there would be nothing she could do.

Wei Zhao shook his head unwillingly, but for the moment he could not think of a countermeasure either. He believed that no matter how hyper-advanced a weapon or piece of equipment was, it had to have its weaknesses!

But how to find that weakness—that was a genuine problem.

Just then, Wei Zhao's heart suddenly tightened, and the jade pendant's warning blared wildly in his mind. Without a word he threw himself at Huo Yudie and bore her to the ground.

"Ah!" Huo Yudie let out a startled cry, her pretty face flushing red as she looked at Wei Zhao pressing down on her, feeling his masculine scent so close at hand. In an instant she was so red she looked about to bleed. She could not help scolding him angrily: "What are you doing? Trying to rape me first and kill me after?"

"Pfft!" Wei Zhao had been rather tense, but at her words he burst out laughing. How was this girl's mind wired? Even at a time like this she could think of rape first and kill after?

Wei Zhao said nothing, silently pointing upward. Huo Yudie followed the direction of his finger and gave a great start. Right where the two of them had been standing moments ago there was now a string of large holes—clearly Kang Jingming, unwilling to give up, had blindly fired a shot in the direction of the exit.

The terrifying power of that laser cannon had bored straight through four intervening cliff walls! If Wei Zhao had not thrown her to the ground in time, one of them would surely have died just now—perhaps both of them would already have gone to the underworld together.

"Let's get out first!" Wei Zhao pulled Huo Yudie up, exchanged a long-distance look with Kang Jingming through that string of holes, and at once slipped out of the Five Thunder Tribulation Archway. Staying inside any longer was far too dangerous. A thing like a laser cannon simply defied all reason.

"Hahahaha! The great show-off has turned into a coward! This time I'll make sure you get a proper taste of suffering!" Kang Jingming laughed triumphantly, and on seeing Wei Zhao and his companion flee in such a sorry state he immediately made to give chase and finish them. He had no intention of letting Wei Zhao off so easily. Even if he could not kill him, he would at least bore a hole in Wei Zhao and collect a little interest.

"Forget it, business first. Let's dig out the Thunder Mystic Vine before anything else!" Xu Lingchong stopped him. Though he too hated Wei Zhao to the bone, he still remembered the mysterious man's warning. If Kang Jingming really did blast Wei Zhao dead with one shot, and the higher-ups came down on them for it, there would be no way for him to stay out of it. He did not want any complications.

"Fine then, let's let that show-off off the hook for now. We'll deal with him once we're out!" Kang Jingming reluctantly put away the laser cannon and, eyes shining, began digging for the Thunder Mystic Vine. Once these two vines were in hand, he would not only have completed the task assigned from above, but would also have the Western Island princess, Ning Xuefei, in the bag. Such a two-birds-one-stone stroke of luck was the sort of thing that only happened in dreams.

Inside, the two of them were busily digging for the Thunder Mystic Vine, while outside, Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie were staring at the Five Thunder Tribulation Archway in front of them, at their wits' end. Never mind how Huo Yudie felt—Wei Zhao was certainly not willing to retreat just like that, yet he was helpless against Kang Jingming's hyper-advanced gear. He was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

"You stay out here and find somewhere to hide first. I'll go back in and try again!" Wei Zhao said after some thought. On his own, at least, he could still circle and probe the man. No matter what, even if it was for Ning Xuefei's sake, he absolutely could not retreat now.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Huo Yudie hurriedly caught hold of him and asked.

"To be honest, I'm really not sure at all. But I have to give it a try. If I don't try, I'll never find a way; if I do, there may still be a glimmer of a chance." Wei Zhao smiled faintly.

"All right then. If you're going, I'm going with you!" Huo Yudie said with determination.

"What are you coming with me for?" Wei Zhao was taken aback, then seemed to think of something. From the jade pendant's space he took out a segment of Thunder Mystic Vine and handed it to her. It was a rough estimate, but at least it was considerably more than the two-tenths they had agreed on earlier.

"What are you doing?" Huo Yudie was stunned as well.

"You came here for the Thunder Mystic Vine. Now that your goal is achieved, there's no need to keep following me into danger, is there?" Wei Zhao looked at her. Going back in would mean another hard fight. He himself would be all right, but for Huo Yudie it was a nine-in-ten chance of death. He did not want this girl to get dragged into it because of him.

"Aren't you going back for the Thunder Mystic Vine too? And you still want to go back and risk it?" Huo Yudie pouted.

"I'm going back for Ning Xuefei. Don't tell me you want to compete for Ning Xuefei too—you're a girl..." Wei Zhao could not help laughing at the thought.

"I don't care. This place is somewhere I leave or stay as I please. If you're going in, then I'm going in too!" Huo Yudie said stubbornly, sticking out her neck.

Wei Zhao's head immediately began to ache. Ever since this girl had put on that denim outfit, she had been trending more and more toward becoming a little delinquent girl of the secular world. Even her tone of voice and manner were exactly the same. How was a man supposed to cope?

Seeing that Huo Yudie absolutely refused to let him go in alone, Wei Zhao was helpless, and at the same time could not help being a little moved.

After these ten days together, the two of them could already be considered true friends. Otherwise, if theirs had been a simple alliance of interests, they would have gone their separate ways long ago. Why would she insist on staying to accompany him, when it meant risking her life?