Chapter 55 The Cost of Ability-Gao Wu: Um Pouquinho Investido, Dez Mil Vezes o Retorno(Montado em um cavalo furioso, vestido com roupas frescas, a contemplar as flores.)

After listening to Ouyang Lin’s words, Shen Xing fell into silence.

It was not that he could not understand why those higher up had come up with such a plan, but understanding did not mean he had no resentment.

Anyone who had just narrowly escaped death only to find themselves trapped in a desperate abyss once again would naturally feel a sense of grievance.

After a long moment, Shen Xing asked, "What are your thoughts on this?"

Ouyang Lin smiled faintly, "Naturally, I want to save myself. If others give up on us, we cannot give up on ourselves."

Shen Xing shook his head.

"My point is that you could actually leave, isn't that right? Your roots are not here; you merely happened to be staying here when this sudden disaster struck. This is not your responsibility, and you don't need to carry it all on your own shoulders."

Ouyang Lin frowned and asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"To be frank, yes. For some reason, I have a rather ominous premonition. No matter who is orchestrating such a massive upheaval behind the scenes, theoretically, they would never let it end so casually. They must have even bigger moves in store for the future. I am not optimistic about the destiny of Tianhe City."

Shen Xing already regarded Ouyang Lin as one of his own, which was why he spoke with complete candor.

"Song Yuanqing has already left. If I were to leave now as well, all ties between this place and Kyoto would be completely severed. Relying solely on the local military commanders, the supplies and reinforcements they could mobilize would become extremely limited. Tianhe City would truly be left without any hope."

Hearing Shen Xing's suggestion, Ouyang Lin felt a brief flash of displeasure, but upon second thought, realized that his words proved he was looking out for her best interests, and her mood brightened instantly.

"I know this is the situation, so you don't have to leave right this second, but you must make preparations to evacuate at any moment. We will face the crisis in Tianhe City together. However, should things truly degenerate beyond control, compared to the safety of others, I care far more about yours."

Shen Xing pondered for a moment and said earnestly.

This sudden expression of affection caught Ouyang Lin off guard.

A blush crept uncontrollably up her cheeks.

"Very well, I promise you. The moment all hope is completely extinguished, I will immediately contact my family in Kyoto and have them send a helicopter to pick me up. When that time comes, I will take you with me as well."

Shen Xing smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing.

After chatting for a while, Ouyang Lin glanced at the darkening sky outside and said, "It's getting dark. Let's get something to eat first. These monsters that have broken out do have one redeeming quality: they dislike moving around at night. Therefore, whenever this time arrives, everyone can finally take a proper rest."

Shen Xing asked in surprise, "Oh? Is that so? Wouldn't launching a surprise attack against them at night be as easy as turning over one's hand?"

"No, we've already tried. Although they rest at night, if they are disturbed, they enter a frenzied state. Trading injuries for injuries puts us at too great a disadvantage." Ouyang Lin shook her head.

"I see. Then maintaining peace for now is certainly for the best."

The two of them shared a simple meal together.

Thanks to Ouyang Lin's arrangements, the camp was now able to function smoothly.

Having extricated herself from her duties, Ouyang Lin sat down with Shen Xing in front of a map of Tianhe City to discuss their next possible course of action.

"The situation has reached a state of extreme equilibrium. The monsters cannot break through the defensive line formed by the martial artists in the short term, but this balance cannot be sustained for too long. The undestroyed dimensional gates continuously replenish their losses. As time wears on, there will inevitably come a day when the martial artists can no longer hold them back.

Therefore, if we want to completely control the situation, two things must be accomplished. First, we must form an elite squad and find a way to launch a surprise raid into the monster-occupied territory to destroy the dimensional gates and cut off their reinforcements at the root.

As for the second point, it depends on me. Ouyang, the situation is special now, so I will no longer keep it from you. I am going to share my most vital secret with you, and I hope my judgment of character is not wrong."

Having grasped the full scope of the situation, Shen Xing quickly voiced his own insights.

Ouyang Lin nodded repeatedly. Shen Xing's train of thought was remarkably similar to hers—both were fiercely aggressive.

During the strategy meeting earlier in the day, Ouyang Lin had also proposed a preemptive strike, but she had encountered a chorus of opposition.

The reason was simple: many worried that if the elite squad suffered any mishaps, the hard-won equilibrium would rapidly collapse.

Rather than taking risks, most people preferred to maintain the status quo and seek a turning point amidst the stability.

Thus, upon hearing that Shen Xing's strategy coincided with her own, Ouyang Lin felt a deep sense of gratification.

Hearing that Shen Xing had finally decided to completely bare his heart to her, Ouyang Lin turned serious as well.

She took two steps forward, closing the distance to Shen Xing, and stared directly into his eyes at close range.

Then she whispered softly:

"You can trust me completely. In return, I will also tell you a very important secret. The martial arts technique I practice has a fatal flaw, also known as a vulnerability. I am terrified of snake venom. Knowing this weakness, you can kill me at any time. In this entire world, you are the only person other than me who knows this."

Shen Xing looked at her quietly. At this point, he had no way to verify the truth of her words.

Just as he had thought before, if he wanted to turn the tide, he had to be completely honest with Ouyang Lin. Therefore, he could only walk this path to the end, choosing to place his absolute trust in her.

"My secret is that I can duplicate any material goods—a ten-thousand-fold duplication. However, it requires me to first gift the item to a woman under the guise of a present in order to trigger the ability. Furthermore, if I give gifts to the same person, the cooldown period is relatively long, taking about five days or so. If I give gifts to different people, the cooldown is only about a day."

Ouyang Lin's eyes widened in astonishment. Having witnessed it previously, she had prepared herself mentally.

Even so, she never could have imagined that Shen Xing was capable of a ten-thousand-fold duplication!

And most importantly, this duplication was not affected by the intrinsic value of the target.

Even extremely rare and precious items were subject to the exact same rule.

"This is astonishing! Shen Xing, I... I am so fortunate. If the two of us cooperate, let alone becoming overlords of a region, we can even aspire to the throne of the Heavenly Kings! Even the position of supreme ruler is not entirely out of reach! Shen Xing, you have astounded me once again. With such a miraculous ability, how are you able to remain so calm? Do you have any idea how excited I am right now?"

For the first time, Ouyang Lin completely lost her composure, excitedly shaking Shen Xing's shoulders as if she could already envision herself standing at the very pinnacle of the world.

"Hmm. At first, I rejoiced for a while as well, but later on, I gradually began to feel that this ability is not without its price..."

Shen Xing, however, remained entirely unaffected by Ouyang Lin's excitement, letting out a faint sigh instead.

"A price? Could it harm your body?" Ouyang Lin asked, frowning.

"No, I believe it affects luck. In short, it impacts certain ethereal, intangible things. I didn't think in this direction at first, even when I happened to save Yang Qing and got dragged into the subsequent chain of events.

Yet this time, facing mortal danger at the dimensional gate and seeing the outside world reduced to this state, I instinctively realized that this is the price. While easily acquiring massive amounts of supplies, the probability of deadly perils occurring around me has simultaneously escalated to a terrifying degree."