Chapter 149: The Way Out

Seeing both Zhou Yi and Sophia looking at him, the Panther twisted his mouth into a wry smile, striking the exact posture of a crooked-mouthed dragon king.

"Don't look at me like that. The tunnel was dug to draw their attention. My control panel just vibrated—our Number Thirty-Seven is fully restored and we can go back anytime.

I'll take you back. Don't worry, the little fatty and that wood-element kid are coming too. As for those two ditch-diggers, they can stay behind to keep drawing their fire, and I'll avenge them later."

These words directly sealed the fate of those two individuals.

Zhou Yi knew that at their level, whether you were a Chosen One or a slave, you were merely a tool when useful and could be discarded at any moment when useless. That was simply how realistic things were.

Had they not healed it previously, had the fatty not helped it, and had they discussed abandoning them to leave alone just now, the scene playing out right now would undoubtedly have been entirely different.

The Panther waved a paw dismissively, looking completely unconcerned.

"Let's go. Hide your auras and follow me to the backyard. There's an open courtyard there where we can leave directly."

None of them spoke as they headed toward the rear. Along the way, Zhou Yi called Cheng Zhi, who was completely baffled, but his capacity for endurance was remarkable—he didn't make a fuss or ask blind questions like the fatty.

Following the others, they quickly reached the backyard, where a small courtyard indeed awaited them.

It was surrounded by trees, and the tall buildings were completely unlit.

The Panther waved its paw, and a teleportation disc materialized on the ground. Looking at the disc, Zhou Yi clicked his tongue inwardly. The tiers were entirely different; this disc was countless times larger than the ones belonging to him and Sophia. Forget the five of them, another eight or ten could easily fit on it.

Without wasting words, all of them stepped directly onto it. Right at that moment, Zhou Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

The Panther and Sophia sensed it as well. The Panther smiled, raised its wrist to take a look, and sure enough, more than a dozen bright dots appeared on the map, moving at extreme speeds.

"They're coming fast enough. It's time for us to leave!"

With that, it tapped the control plate, causing the shield over the entire teleportation disc to close, followed by a violent vibration. Once the vibration ceased, the shield automatically receded.

A massive, spacious hall materialized before their eyes, and Zhou Yi and the others continuously looked around, taking everything in.

In terms of both size and furnishing, this place looked vastly superior to Number Seventy-Two.

It was like comparing a small-property-rights house in an urban-rural fringe to a high-end duplex apartment within the inner third ring of a tier-one metropolis—the difference was glaringly obvious.

Perhaps because this was someone else's territory, the fatty also knew how to restrain himself, obediently following Zhou Yi and the others down. The Panther wore a relaxed expression and waved at a person in white who was bowing at a ninety-degree angle nearby.

"Has the Lord returned?"

The person in white hurriedly pressed one hand to his chest and said respectfully:

"Replying to the Vice Lord, Lord Leader has not yet returned. The affairs of the Time-Space City have not been fully processed, and he instructed you to take charge of the base's trivial matters first. Besides, you are the first to return from the mission world."

The Panther nodded, looking left and right to see everyone around lowering their heads, and instantly lost interest in conversing.

"Alright, it looks like the base has been upgraded. Maintain it properly. I'll walk around and take a look myself. Also, prepare a table of food for us and have it sent to my room later."

The person in white acknowledged the order, not daring to utter a single extra word. It was easy to tell that this Panther was not an easy person to get along with on ordinary days.

Following the Panther, they began the tour. The entire Number Thirty-Seven base looked more than three times larger than Number Seventy-Two, and the residential areas for the Chosen Ones and slaves were breathtaking—the environment was so nice that even Zhou Yi felt a twinge of envy.

After finishing the tour, the group gathered in the Panther's room. This place was comparable to the grand hall they had seen earlier, making it clear that his status in Avi King's eyes was definitely extraordinary.

Not long after they sat down, various dishes were delivered. On top of the food tray were the exquisitely crafted characters "Flavor." This was by no means the sort of energy drink provided in Number Seventy-Two.

Sophia glanced at it and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Food from the Time-Space City Flavor Workshop?"

The Panther smiled, its expression softening considerably as it looked at Sophia.

"You still know your stuff. Well, regardless of what the food is, it's all to celebrate our escaping that place. Come on, we can have a good drink here. By the way, little fatty, I remember your alcohol tolerance is pretty good. You even got that old blade-wielding geezer dizzy, otherwise he wouldn't have made such poor tactical decisions."

The fatty felt flattered and hurriedly nodded repeatedly.

After all, he was merely a slave. Being able to dine with big shots meant he needed to know his place; he stood up, picked up the wine pitcher, and began pouring drinks for everyone.

Truth be told, this liquor wasn't even as flavorful as the potent homemade brew the fatty used to drink in the stronghold. Still, being able to avoid energy drinks and have a proper meal meant they had no right to be picky.

After three rounds of drinks, Sophia's cheeks bore a faint flush.

"You took twelve people out and not a single one came back. Won't Lord Avi blame you?"

The Panther chuckled, glanced at Zhou Yi and the other two, and finally put down its wine cup.

"Those were just ordinary slaves with no masters. The two Chosen Ones were simply assigned by the Time-Space City and weren't important figures anyway. Originally, they were just assigned to me by the Lord as guards. If even one of them had been like these three here, I would have risked my life to bring them back.

As for you, though, what are your plans for the future? This raid incident can be considered a major cleansing, and some positions in the front sequence have opened up. Staying with Waldner will only keep you at this tier. If you want to take a step up, I can help you figure out a way!"

Zhou Yi and the others quickly averted their gazes.

This was not something they could participate in, but hearing the question asked directly in front of the three of them made it obvious that Sophia viewed them differently—they were practically her inner circle, especially since they were willing to risk their lives for one another.

Sophia let out a long breath and glanced sideways at Zhou Yi.

"I know this is an opportunity, but for now, I don't want to move. If I go to a new base, is it guaranteed that I'll run into a suitable Lord? Besides, Waldner knows my temper and doesn't dare easily provoke me. This current situation suits me better."

The Panther raised an eyebrow, a hint of drunkenness in its demeanor.

"Is he still constantly harassing you?"

Sophia shook her head.

"Ever since that incident was blown out of proportion, he's reined it in. We are just a Lord and his assistant; he likes collecting female slaves, and I don't interfere, while he no longer bothers me. We take what we need from each other."

The Panther slammed its wine cup onto the table. The cup looked like porcelain, but its quality was truly exceptional; it didn't shatter even from such a blow.

"Don't always just endure it. Next time something like this happens, tell me. We don't even need Mr. Avi to step in—I can join forces with several other Vice Lords and take the matter straight to the Time-Space City. After that, he won't have a place to stand."

Sophia shook her head and sighed. It wasn't as if she hadn't considered such a method, but it would only work temporarily. What about afterwards?

"It's impossible to do that. If I did, I wouldn't be able to stay in any base. My next step would only be returning to the orphanage to serve as an instructor or await scrapping."

The Panther frowned.

Clearly, Sophia's assessment was correct. Although such an outcome was not what anyone wished to see, reality was just that harsh: the Time-Space City would not offend influential Lords merely for the sake of a cyborg.

The fatty was quick-witted and hurriedly poured more wine for the Panther.

The Panther downed it in one gulp, discarded the cup, and a helpless expression crept across its face. Only at this moment was it perhaps displaying its true feelings.

"Damn bastards! Even though Waldner is on good terms with Mr. Avi, I really don't think much of his character. Still, you should focus on improving your own abilities and stats for now.

Despite being restricted by Waldner, keep your wits about you, take on more missions, and stockpile whatever you can. If you're really short on spirit stones, you can come to me.

If a new Lord emerges—one whose abilities are comparable and whom you're familiar with—it's not out of the question to leave. But their strength has to be enough to stand up to Waldner."

Sophia smiled and left the remark unanswered. She couldn't very well blurt out that Zhou Yi was the person she had chosen, could she?

"Those are matters for another day. It's true that I need to improve my abilities right now. Although the last mission world was full of perils and left me severely injured, the gains were also immense. I just leveled up three times, which should make things a bit easier going forward."

The Panther smiled and reached up to scratch its hair.

"I could tell long ago, which is why I told you all this. Otherwise, do you think a Level 2 cyborg—even with our bond from the orphanage—would be worth me wasting so many words?"