Chapter 24: News of Zhou Yiming!

Hearing this, Zhao Kuan’s heart skipped a beat. "Will you spare me?"

Jiang Yi did not answer directly, but said with implication, "Truly intelligent people always have a thousand ways to keep themselves alive."

Zhao Kuan pondered for a moment, his gaze suddenly hardening. He said in a low voice, "I did indeed withhold information when I spoke to that Captain Liao earlier."

"I know where Zhou Yiming is."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi felt a sense of certainty.

Zhao Kuan explained further, "In truth, if your Captain Liao went to find the leader of the Green Bay Group, he would eventually find out where Zhou Yiming is anyway."

"As for why I guided Captain Liao to seek out the Green Bay leader himself..." Zhao Kuan paused, meeting Jiang Yi’s eyes. "You should have already figured out the reason."

Jiang Yi nodded, spitting out four words: "Borrowing a knife to kill."

Zhao Kuan smiled; communication between clever people was always this effortless.

"The leader of that Green Bay Group deeply offended Zhou Yiming some time ago. If he finds out that Captain Liao is coming for Zhou Yiming, conflict is inevitable. Given his foolish, arrogant, and reckless nature, he will certainly come off worse against your Captain Liao."

In this way, Zhao Kuan managed to punish an old enemy without lifting a finger, using Liao Yuanfeng as his blade. Of course, in the end, Liao Yuanfeng would likely still extract the information about Zhou Yiming from that Green Bay leader. However, it would have taken a long, circuitous route, and he would have been used as a tool for someone else’s gain.

Truth be told, that was entirely due to Liao Yuanfeng’s poor handling of the situation. If Jiang Yi had been in charge of finding Zhou Yiming, he would never have laid his cards so openly on the table from the start. That was stupid and made one easily manipulated. If Zhao Kuan hadn't known from the beginning why this group was looking for the owner of the compass, he likely wouldn't have been able to pull off such a scheme. Furthermore, there was Liao Yuanfeng’s attitude—seemingly fierce, but lacking true ruthlessness. Such a person had strength but lacked the intelligence and finesse to wield it. That was why, in his past life, Liao Yuanfeng hadn't even survived the first year of the apocalypse.

Previously, when Zhang Peng was mocking You Yu, he claimed that those with strength were simply lucky.

But Jiang Yi, having lived two lifetimes, knew that while luck was certainly important, intelligence was sometimes even more critical. In his past life, Jiang Yi’s luck wasn't particularly good, yet he survived longer than most. In this life, he was confident he would live even longer than before! He even had the hope of pursuing that ethereal, elusive path to immortality.

Putting his emotions aside, Jiang Yi looked at Zhao Kuan with a calm expression. "So now, you can tell me directly where Zhou Yiming is."

Zhao Kuan paused and said in a low voice, "Unless you agree to..."

However, before he could finish his demand, Jiang Yi interrupted him flatly: "You are not in a position to negotiate with me. After all, the Green Bay leader also knows where Zhou Yiming is."

"..." Zhao Kuan went silent, then muttered, "In truth, it is highly likely that Zhou Yiming is already dead."

"After our leader robbed him of all his items, he was thrown into the Qin Lake at Qin Lake Park. You should know that after the apocalypse, those rivers and lakes became entry points for invading fierce beasts. Being thrown into such a place is essentially being thrown into a world of monsters; he likely didn't survive."

"And the reason I left the Green Bay Group was actually because I was worried this matter might blow back on me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi’s expression darkened instantly!

Based on his memories from his past life, he had assumed Zhou Yiming was trapped in some nearby shop or ruin. He never expected that he had been thrown into a domain battlefield! Those lakes were gateways to other worlds—that was exactly what a domain battlefield was.

This meant that in his past life, Luo Shan had actually retrieved Zhou Yiming from a domain battlefield!

Thinking about it this way, Jiang Yi felt that this mission was a massive loss! If he were searching for someone within Jiang City, with his current +5 attribute boost and the Beast-Repelling Incense, he could play it safe and generally avoid trouble. But if he were to risk his life venturing into a completely unexplored domain battlefield just for a mere pittance of gratitude from Wang Xueyan... that simply wasn't worth it!

The thought of abandoning this "opportunity" flashed through Jiang Yi’s mind.

But he didn't decide immediately. After all, as a member of the club’s suicide squad, he would eventually be assigned to such places sooner or later. Moreover, while domain battlefields were dangerous, they indeed held many opportunities. The fastest way for him to reach Level 1 and become an official player was to enter a domain battlefield.

It was just... *sigh*... it clashed with his current philosophy of "playing it safe."

Jiang Yi couldn't make up his mind for the moment, so he simply stopped thinking about it. He looked at Zhao Kuan and suddenly asked, "I haven't asked yet—what is your name?"

Zhao Kuan’s eyes lit up as he replied directly, "My name is Zhao Kuan."

When Jiang Yi heard the name, his own eyes brightened! He hadn't expected that this random passerby he encountered on the road to find Zhou Yiming would turn out to be someone who had done quite well for himself in his past life!

After Jiang City was developed into the Qingchuan Base in his previous life, seven major factions held power in a delicate balance. These seven were the City Lord’s Mansion, two guilds, and four alliances. And the butler in charge of the City Lord’s Mansion was named Zhao Kuan!

Jiang Yi never had the chance to interact with the butler of the City Lord’s Mansion in his past life, so he naturally didn't know if this Zhao Kuan was the same person. However, he pondered for a moment and then asked, "Do you have any unused prize wheels on you?"

Zhao Kuan instinctively wanted to say no. But he felt that from the moment Jiang Yi heard his name, it was as if he had seen right through him. Recalling the man’s cunning and methods, he didn't dare to lie and confessed, "I do."

"I secretly hid one prize wheel."

As he spoke, he lifted the hem of his shirt. A thick, blood-stained bandage was wrapped around his waist. Zhao Kuan unwound the bandage, revealing a blue prize wheel that was almost half-embedded into his muscle.