Against the desolate backdrop of ruins, several mechas stood face to face. The air was thick with the lingering smell of recently settled gun smoke, and the atmosphere was as tense as a string. Hakuzo piloted his battered mecha, his cold electronic eyes fixed intently on Team Zero. His voice rang out over the communication channel, a cold question: "Why save me? What do you want?"
Upon hearing this, Shadow Killer nearly spit out the spiritual fruit in his mouth. He slammed his console, stamping his feet in anger. "Hey, can you please understand what's going on? Who was the one who was nearly chased all over the map and killed? We went to great lengths to save you, and not only are you ungrateful, you're even questioning us like this? This is infuriating!"
Bai Zang's mecha remained standing coldly, his voice steady. "No matter why you saved me, I don't need your sympathy, nor do I want to owe you anything. Tell me a price, or just do it."
The Shadow Killer's eyes widened, and he almost rushed forward in his mecha. "Hey! You're so stubborn, how come those people chasing you didn't get scolded to death by you? If you have any guts, don't run away. Stand there and take the beating. How heroic!"
"That's enough, Shadow Killer." Zero raised his hand to signal Shadow Killer to silence him, his tone still calm and composed. "We have no other agenda, and we don't need anything in return. It's just that I've analyzed the rune logic of those poison programs just now. They're completely different from the ones we encountered in the Spirit Realm battlefield before—this wasn't your doing."
Bai Zang's mecha paused slightly, psychic ripples gently vibrating across its surface. He clearly hadn't expected the other party to so directly excuse him. But after a few seconds of silence, he still responded coldly, "Whether I did it or not, I don't need you to prove it. As long as you know, I don't care."
Shadow Killer slammed the control panel and said, "You're really audacious! We worked so hard to save you, and yet you're so arrogant that you don't need it. Don't you think you're being too arrogant?"
"I treat everyone the same." Bai Zang's tone became increasingly cold, like a knife cutting through steel. "This world doesn't welcome me, and I don't need its welcome."
Just as the Shadow Killer was about to continue arguing, Ling Ruoxi's voice interrupted. She said softly but firmly, "Alright, stop arguing. We saved him because we just couldn't stand the methods used to hunt him down. Bai Zang, we have no ill intentions. If you don't want to accept our help, that's fine too, but at least we can keep you safe for now."
Her voice was like a gentle breeze, dispelling the tension. Bai Zang remained silent for a few seconds, his mecha's electronic eyes flashing coldly, as if he were contemplating something, but his posture remained defensive. The brief silence on the communication channel seemed oppressive, and it felt as if everyone's heartbeat could be heard in the air.
"What a troublesome guy." Shadow Killer muttered softly, controlling the mecha to turn around, as if venting his frustration just now.
"Alright, stop arguing." Zero finally broke the deadlock. His voice was casual, seemingly unaffected by the tense atmosphere. "We really didn't want anything from you. We just helped out. Since you don't need it, there's no need to worry about it anymore."
Shadow Killer's eyes widened, clearly dissatisfied with Zero's nonchalant response. "Boss, we just fought tooth and nail to hold off those pursuers, and this guy thinks he's the savior! This is truly a thankless task!"
Bai Zang spoke coldly, his voice low and harsh: "You can say whatever you want, but don't expect to get anything from me."
His words were as hard as iron, and his tone was full of resistance and distrust. He was like a trapped hedgehog, ready to show his thorns at any time to make anyone who approached him retreat.
"Oh, you talk like you're worth a fortune." Shadow Killer folded his arms and leaned on his mecha control console, sneering, "Don't talk about things. What we want is more than a piece of scrap metal like yours can afford."
"Shadow Killer, that's enough." Ling Ruoxi advised calmly. Her tone was still gentle, but with a hint of helplessness. "He doesn't trust us. There's no need to argue like this."
Shadow Killer curled his lips: "Alright, alright, I'll shut up, okay? But to be honest, this guy's attitude is really infuriating. I shouldn't have saved him earlier."
A chilling breeze blew through the ruins, stirring up the surrounding debris and afterimages of virtual data. The entire scene was so quiet that it felt as if time had stopped. Only the subtle confrontation between the few mechas remained.
Standing inside his mech, Hakuzo scanned the display screens of each of Team Zero's mechs. The psychic energy fluctuations displayed on the screens were all stable, without even a hint of hostility. Yet, he remained subconsciously on guard, saying coldly, "Whatever you think, I never rely on anyone, nor do I need to."
"You talk like you're so great." Shadow Killer couldn't help but mutter under his breath, but this time his tone was less angry and more helpless.
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