Yang Jia reluctantly restrained his thoughts.

Although she knew something very important to her, she currently did not have the ability to change it, and it was useless no matter how much she thought about it.

And now that Yang Jia was on guard, she couldn't help but wonder, as a piece of data, would even her thoughts be recorded by the system? If so, if someone analyzed this data, wouldn't everything be exposed?

She tried to get the conversation back on track. "Someone's been monitoring and analyzing the game's data. So, this data has other uses, right? Perhaps they need the game to develop in a certain direction so they can gather data?"

A glint of appreciation flashed in Li Bai's eyes, and she nodded, "Yes."

"And I..." Yang Jia finally understood what Li Bai meant. "Does the direction I chose meet their requirements, or at least is close to it?"

This was the fundamental reason Li Bai stayed by his side. It had nothing to do with feelings or anything else; it was because he met her needs. Since Li Bai knew all this, it must have something to do with those who were keeping tabs on this matter. Yang Jia suspected that only a very small number of people had access to this matter; not even Bai Ting and the others were aware of it.

It is even possible that Li Bai entered the game just for this purpose.

That way, everything could be explained.

Yang Jia felt relieved, and then felt empty again.

Just now, when she almost burst into tears in front of Li Bai, she thought that today the problems between them would be completely cleared up, at least the inexplicable admiration in her heart would no longer be hidden. She was even prepared to confess her feelings, regardless of success or failure. But...

But Li Bai once again exceeded her expectations. Now that the topic had come to this, her thoughts became meaningless.

She is indeed "special" to Li Bai, but this is special because of "usefulness" rather than "feelings".

The courage she had finally mustered was like being pricked by a needle, and it slipped away with a "poof," and she couldn't muster it up again. She felt a little discouraged, but she couldn't help but cheer herself up. "So you'll stay and help me?"

"Yes."

That's all. Yang Jia pretended to be relaxed and said, "Let's discuss what to do next." She pointed at the model in front of her and said, "You can make the decision on this matter, right?"

Yang Jia had always worried that the forces behind Li Bai would attack Phoenix City, but after Li Bai's explanation, she finally understood. As long as her development direction remained correct and met their requirements, they probably wouldn't act rashly. After all, their goal wasn't to build a large influence within the game. For those people, their vision and perspective wouldn't allow them to overlook a small game.

This is good. With this implicit support, Yang Jia can develop more calmly. It is a win-win situation.

Li Bai nodded, and the two left the small square and saw two people waiting outside. One was Qin Yan brought by Yang Jia, and the other one Yang Jia didn't know, but after a little thought he understood that he should be from Bailu City.

It was obvious that the two knew each other. When Li Bai and Yang Jia came out, they were chatting each other. I don’t know if it was Yang Jia’s illusion, but there was a hint of anger in their conversation.

After approaching, Qin Yan took the initiative to introduce Yang Jia, "President, this is Zhou Su."

"Are you Yang Jia?" Zhou Su stared at her rudely.

Yang Jia frowned slightly. She could sense the obvious scrutiny and examination in Zhou Su's eyes. While there wasn't much malice in that look, the condescending attitude inherent in this scrutiny made her feel uncomfortable. Furthermore... Yang Jia immediately noticed something familiar about Zhou Su.

From his dress to his movements, this person vaguely resembles Li Bai.

But she is not Li Bai after all, and her temperament should be very different from Li Bai's, so that these shadows appearing on her seem so disharmonious.

Yang Jia already understood where her attitude towards him came from. Perhaps she was just another fan of Li Bai, so naturally she wouldn't have much good will towards him. Furthermore, Yang Jia keenly noticed that her attitude towards Li Bai was completely different from Bai Ting's, so she was probably more than just a fan.

Of course, Yang Jia expected that Li Bai would have many admirers. After all, she was so good, and he could see it, and so could others. But when he really met one, he still felt a strange feeling.

"I'm Yang Jia." Since she was a love rival, she naturally couldn't show weakness. Yang Jia straightened her back and smiled, "Hello."

"Want to spar?" Zhou Su asked directly.

Yang Jia was startled, and without waiting for Qin Yan, who was standing next to him, to speak, he smiled and said, "Okay."

The word "challenge" is a subtle one. Generally speaking, it's those of lower status who challenge those of higher status, hoping to seize their status and position. Zhou Su's bluntness upon meeting him, and her direct invitation to a sparring match, clearly demonstrates her "importance" for him.

The two were not related and had never met each other. The only thing that could make Zhou Su behave like this was naturally Li Bai's attitude.

This naturally gave Yang Jia the upper hand in their confrontation. Even though he knew that there was nothing between him and Li Bai, Yang Jia couldn't help but feel a little proud at this moment, and then he despised himself.

However, these thoughts only flashed through his mind because Zhou Su had already attacked.

Yang Jia's recent targeted training had finally paid off. Initially, there was a clear gap in strength between her and these well-trained players, but now, she could actually suppress Zhou Su.

Zhou Su was clearly unwilling to accept this, but she gritted her teeth and retreated back to Li Bai without a word. Perhaps because she felt embarrassed, she behaved very well afterwards.

Next, Li Bai gathered everyone around him to discuss the cooperation between the two cities. Qin Yan thought he could show off his skills, but Li Bai and Yang Jia quickly negotiated the deal, leaving him no time to bargain. Not only him, but the others sitting nearby were completely unable to get involved.

However, it is easy to formulate these terms, but it is more troublesome to implement them.

For example, one option is to transport resources from Bailu City to Phoenix City for processing, but this is currently impossible. The only way to travel between the two cities is through underground tunnels. While underground tunnels can be used to transport goods, they charge by weight, just like express delivery, making the prices unaffordable.

At least large numbers of troops and large amounts of supplies cannot be transported in this way.

If this problem isn't solved, everything else will be in vain. So the next step is to build a road between the two cities. With current technology, building a road is easy, but the problem is that the environment outside the city is harsh and dangerous. Therefore, before building the road, players must first clear the area outside the city and connect the two cities. This is an area that we hadn't explored deeply during our previous explorations outside the city.

Li Bai didn't want to discuss anything, so he gave orders directly and quickly formed a team. He then told Zhou Su to lead the team tomorrow and follow the route planned on the map until they met up with the team in Phoenix City.

Zhou Su listened with her head down at first, but after a while, she felt something was wrong. When Li Bai finished speaking, she couldn't help but ask, "I lead the team?"

Li Bai nodded.

Zhou Su hesitated for a while and still asked through gritted teeth, "What about you?" Normally, she couldn't and dared not ask about Li Bai's arrangements, but this time it was too abnormal. She already had a bad premonition in her heart and had to ask.

Li Bai said, "I'm going back to Phoenix."

She used the word "回". Yang Jia, who was standing next to her, suddenly felt cheerful and even ignored Zhou Su's glare.

Zhou Su glared at Yang Jia for a moment, then, seeing she didn't respond, said to Li Bai, "But you're the Lord of Bailu City." This was a bit weak, as she had essentially forced the position onto Li Bai. But for some reason, Li Bai didn't refuse.

She didn't know that Li Bai was just doing an experiment, and now that the experiment was successful, the actual power of the city lord had been transferred to Yang Jia, otherwise she would probably be furious.

Li Bai did not explain the problem, but simply said, "You will be responsible for the affairs of Bailu City from now on."

Yang Jia felt a little sympathetic towards Zhou Su. To be exact, it wasn't sympathy for her, but rather... a feeling of sympathy. After all, Li Bai was that kind of person. Falling in love with her would be like self-torture, and he would never get a response from her.

Originally, Yang Jia planned to stay in Bailu City for two days, but who knew that things would go so smoothly. It was not even afternoon yet after the discussion. So, they decided to go back to Phoenix City directly. This way, they could make arrangements earlier and send people out of the city to open up the road.

On the way back, Qin Yan kept looking at Yang Jia. Yang Jia felt uncomfortable being looked at by him and couldn't help asking, "Why are you looking at me?"

Qin Yan glanced at Li Bai again, perhaps wary of her presence, and remained silent. But Yang Jia already understood his meaning. He probably wanted to ask what she had said to Li Bai, and why things hadn't turned out as planned.

But Yang Jia found that he had no way to answer this question.