Looking sideways at Xia Yu, who had fallen into silence again, Pei Yan didn't inquire further; the result was already clear before him. The battle process was no longer important, and naturally, he'd learn the details from the subsequent combat report. This memory was undoubtedly painful for Xia Yu. The three words suddenly spoken by Xia Yu made Pei Yan, whose mind was in chaos, respond casually, "Mm, I know you mentioned her. You said she was occupied by Little Vlad, right?" Xia Yu nodded and flicked the cigarette butt in her hand into the nearby trash can, then pulled another cigarette from Pei Yan's pack, lit it, and sighed. "Initially, seeing this situation, the team and Old Zheng were prepared to retreat if necessary. For some unknown reason, after scanning the battlefield, the opponent didn't attack but seemed ready to leave!" Upon hearing this, Pei Yan tilted his head back, pondered, and replied, "From Bai Ze's words, they seemed to be looking for Du Guangyuan. Since their target wasn't on the scene, they left, right? But why...?" "It's because of that little girl! Jiumu recognized her!" Xia Yu turned to look at Pei Yan, blowing her nose red from crying, and sorrowfully said, "He couldn't help but shout out the girl's name, and the opponent noticed him. Then, the battle began without any warning; the opponent attacked directly. It was Shangxing who blocked the initial deadly strike for us. Then Old Zheng and Yuan Hu, who was hidden in the shadows, launched a sneak attack, but Yuan Hu was severely injured by the old man in one move. Ye Jiumu and I went up to support Old Zheng but didn't last long either. Until we all fell, the bastard controlling Lei Yunzhu revealed his identity! I should have thought of it earlier! I should have thought of it! He clearly hates Jiumu the most; how could he let him go!" As Xia Yu spoke, she lowered her head and sobbed again. Seeing her , Pei Yan felt a sting in his nose, and his eyes blurred again. He understood what Xia Yu had said; back at the Secret Prison, it was Ye Jiumu who used a technique to sneak attack Little Vlad, severely injuring him and giving Du Guangyuan the chance for a sneak attack. From Xia Yu's description, it seemed the opponent recognized Ye Jiumu and decided to retaliate. "It's not your fault; it's not your fault! If only I had been there, if only I had been there!" With tears dampening the clothes on his chest, Pei Yan hung his head in deep self-blame. "What could you have done if you were there? You'd just be another person sent to their death!" The familiar voice rang out from the hallway. At that moment, the two immersed in grief realized a group of people had walked up to them, and the person speaking was Ye Jiumu's brother, Ye Ruozai. "I-I-I!" Seeing Ye Ruozai, the guilt-ridden Pei Yan and Xia Yu stood up and stammered, unable to speak. Seeing them , Ye Ruozai sighed heavily, shook his head, and placed his hands on their shoulders, speaking in a deep tone, "I've heard everything from Yu Chu. This isn't your fault; it was an enemy you couldn't resist. Even if we were all there, the outcome wouldn't have been better!" Comforted, Pei Yan lifted his head to gaze at Ye Ruozai and saw the other people behind him, all looking exhausted and worn. He was about to ask what mission they had been on when the door to the operating room was suddenly pushed open, drawing everyone's eyes. "Elder Lin, how is my brother?" Ye Ruozai broke away from the group and rushed to Elder Lin, who was exiting the operating room, anxiously inquiring. Elder Lin didn't answer but instead glanced at everyone, focusing on Xia Yu. "Xia Yu, did you see clearly what they did to Jiumu?" Xia Yu responded without hesitation, "It was chaotic at the time. To shield us from the old man's attack, Old Zheng was hit in one side and I was also affected, falling into a coma. Before I was knocked out, I saw Jiumu use the Space Transfer Technique, trying to shift us into his image space to hide, but that old monster casually pointed a red light into Jiumu, and he collapsed, the rest I don't know." After hearing Xia Yu's account, Elder Lin nodded and looked at Ye Ruozai with a sigh, "Jiumu's situation is extremely dire, his body's vital energy is quickly waning. We've tried various ways but cannot stop this decline, only delay it. If this continues, he..." "How could this happen? How could this happen?" Pei Yan slumped into the nearest chair, muttering to himself, wondering if after losing Shangxing he would lose another comrade. Ye Ruozai, holding back grief, asked tremblingly, "Did you find the cause? Is there any way to save him!" Seeing Elder Lin shake his head helplessly, the crowd erupted into chaos, Jiang Feiyang kicked a trash can beside him and shouted angrily, "Damn it! I'll kill them! I'll kill them!" The reprimanding voice of Gu Shenghui, the sound of Wang Wenze punching the wall, the sobs of Liang Qian holding Xia Yu's shoulders, the whispers of Ye Ruozai and Elder Lin, his sister Pei Jin's gentle consolation patting his shoulder—all amplified in Pei Yan's ears until only one thought remained: Ye Jiumu must not die! There has to be a way! There has to be a way! Yes! Yes! Elder Lin might not be able to do it, but those primal entities surely can! They're the peaks of various worlds! There's no reason they can't do it! As this thought arose, the annoying yet fear-inducing voice also emerged simultaneously, "What, do you want my help with something?" Upon hearing this voice, Pei Yan leapt from his seat, roaring, "Yes, you have a way to save him, don't you! You certainly have a way to save him, don't you!" Pei Yan's sudden outburst silenced the whole hallway. Seeing this, Wang Wenze, his eyes red from crying, thought Pei Yan was going mad and moved to comfort him, but was stopped by Gu Shenghui, who seemed to understand the underlying reason and stared hopefully at Pei Yan. Official source ıs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Saving him isn't impossible, but can you afford the price? I'm not a philanthropist. A life for a life—you understand what I mean!" Lin Junzhao's voice, full of smugness, resonated in Pei Yan's mind again. Having anticipated this response, Pei Yan instead calmed down, sat back in his chair, and responded in his mind, "I knew you'd propose this condition. As long as you can save him, this body is yours, but I have one small request, or rather, a plea: don't let my sister notice anything, it would sadden her. Also, whatever you use this body for, I hope you won't hurt my friends and family." At the end of his words, Pei Yan lowered his head, revealing a smile of helplessness and relief at the corner of his mouth. "Tsk tsk tsk, truly noble! I didn't expect that stubborn brat to resign so easily this time! What a pity! What a pity!" Lin Junzhao taunted.