I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 735, Sections 2.7 and 22: La Somésmia: The Crown

Flames raged, turning the place into a living hell, filled with an overwhelming atmosphere of fear and screams that made it hard to breathe.

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a living hell," Shui Qi said softly, her narrow blue eyes sweeping over the surroundings.

Dao Lin was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "A train is traveling on the tracks, and a person is tied to the front. If you change the track, the person can be saved, but the ten people tied to the other track will die. Shui Qi, would you save one and have ten die, or save ten and have one die?"

"This question is meaningless to me?" Shui Qi glanced at Dao Lin and said indifferently.

"Hmm?" Dao Lin raised an eyebrow, signaling Shui Qi to continue.

"Whether there are many or few people, both options will result in casualties. I know you want to ask me if I'm determined to change course, but you might be mistaken about something. When faced with only two choices, I will choose the most valuable one, not quantity." Shui Qi paused, then continued, "For example, if one side of the track is tied to you, who is smart and capable, and the other side is tied to a dozen or even hundreds of ordinary, mediocre players, there's no need to consider either option. I will definitely choose you. Not because I know you well, but because you are smart and can create more value for the future than they do."

“It is indeed something you are capable of doing.” Dao Lin walked forward, speaking softly as he went, “But Shui Qi, life is like opening a blind box. Sometimes you will encounter choices where you cannot know the future. There are no examples or ifs, just a stark reality of saving one and losing ten or saving ten and losing one. When you really come to that, what should you do? Can you really do it without hesitation?”

"Daolin," Shui Qi called out to him.

"What's wrong?" Daolin turned around and asked him.

With his long, narrow blue eyes fixed on Dao Lin, Shui Qi slowly said, "I will not regret it." No matter what choice or decision he made, no matter how much it offended or hurt people, once he made a decision, he would never let himself regret it.

He then added coldly, "Regret is the most cowardly thing to do."

The next second, Shui Qi pointed his pistol at Dao Lin.

With a 'bang', white hair flew up, and the enemy behind him fell to the ground.

The black mist gradually dissipated, the skeleton disintegrated, and its bones scattered on the ground one by one.

"You actually believe me?" Shui Qi snorted coldly, then slowly put away his pistol.

Daolin glanced at the pile of bones, his expression remaining unchanged throughout.

It wasn't that he trusted Shui Qi, but rather that he understood Shui Qi. He knew very well that Shui Qi wouldn't attack him at this time, because killing him now would bring Shui Qi no benefit, so the gun definitely wasn't pointed at him.

If you think about it this way, it's easy to guess Shui Qi's purpose.

"There are so few enemies here..." Dao Lin murmured, hoping he wasn't overthinking it.

"Is it possible that the problem isn't that the number is too small, but that most of them have already been solved?" A gentle, slightly teasing voice came from not far away.

His narrow blue eyes narrowed slightly. He had heard this voice not long ago, before he came to the ruins battlefield.

A handsome man slowly emerged from the house, sheathing his long sword as he tidied his thick, dark green curly hair, which resembled seaweed.

"Hey, we meet again. It's an honor to be your companion this time," Xie Qing said with a smile, waving to the two of them.

Shui Qi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Purpose?"

"I didn't have any particular purpose, I just came to help you. I originally didn't want to take this commission and was planning to go home after finishing it, but he offered so much that the two of us came back to work. You should be your companion, the one surnamed Ming, but I don't know if it's Ming Jin or Ming Xi, since I've only heard of the Ming twins and never actually met them."

Dao Lin didn't answer Xie Qing, but instead praised the longsword in his hand, "Not bad." "Good eye. This is a custom-made longsword of mine, 148cm in length. Such a sword is quite rare, isn't it?" Xie Qing waved the longsword in his hand at Dao Lin and showed it off.

Dao Lin nodded. A sword of this length was indeed rare. Just drawing it from its scabbard required the use of one's entire body strength. It was hard to imagine that Xie Qing, with his slender build, could wield such a powerful weapon.

Even for Ling Tong, who is 191cm tall, his sword is only 119cm long, and Xie Qing's height could not possibly be taller than Ling Tong's.

The fact that Xie Qing chose such a weapon shows that he is very confident in his combat abilities.

Suddenly, a childish voice reached the three of them, "Mommy...where are you?"

Dao Lin turned his head and saw a little girl, about five years old, stumbling through the ruins, with a huge skeleton behind her holding a long spear, aiming at the little girl.

"Shui Qi!" Dao Lin shouted.

With a crisp clang, the two weapons clashed. Xie Qing held his longsword horizontally to block the attack of the skull spear. He glanced behind him and, seeing that the little girl had been rescued by Shui Qi, he felt relieved and launched a counterattack.

Shui Qi rolled the little girl around on the ground twice before standing up, helping her to sit up, and then straightening her clothes.

"Saving a useless child is utterly stupid." Shui Qi pursed her thin lips and snorted coldly.

"But you still instinctively saved him, didn't you?" Dao Lin chuckled.

Although they keep saying they will only choose the most advantageous way, when it comes to actually making a choice, their subconscious honest actions are much more honest than their words.

Perhaps that's why, even though people say they want Shui Qi to crawl away and hate Shui Qi, very few people are actually his enemies.

"What's your name? Shall I take you to find your mother?" Dao Lin squatted down to be at eye level with the little girl and asked.

The little girl shook her head and timidly hid behind Shui Qi, clutching Shui Qi's clothes tightly with one hand, as if this would give her a sense of security.

"Shui Qi, I'm counting on you." Dao Lin said to Shui Qi knowingly.

"I don't want to. Taking care of a child is too much trouble." Shui Qi refused without even thinking. He didn't want to take a child with him.

As soon as she finished speaking, Shui Qi felt her clothes being loosened.

Dao Lin gestured for Shui Qi to glance at the little girl, but he didn't say anything more.

Shui Qi frowned, remained silent for a few seconds, and said in a low voice, "Little friend, stay close to me. If you get lost, I won't look for you, understand?"

The little girl stared blankly at Shui Qi. She was covered in dirt, but her eyes were exceptionally bright, as if he were her great hero.

"Yes!" She nodded emphatically.

I just said in the group that I would update once a day, and I immediately lost all inspiration. I guess I shouldn't set such a goal.

(End of this chapter)