Chapter 397 - A Different Outcome

“Snow, what happened?” Zhao Yueru asked. She knew Gentle Snow well enough to notice the change immediately.

Seeing Gentle Snow’s icy expression, Zhao Yueru knew that her friend was furious.

Gentle Snow had always been a very calm person; she was not easily angered. Now, however, a single message had enraged her. Something big must have happened.

Even Shi Feng, who was not particularly familiar with Gentle Snow, could tell that the woman was furious. However, as an outsider, it was not appropriate for him to ask.

After reading the message, Gentle Snow first felt anger, but soon, she seemed to deflate. Seeing this, Shi Feng could tell that Gentle Snow wanted to say something but struggled with how to express her thoughts.

There are many challenges throughout life, and for most, one must face them alone.

In the end, Gentle Snow revealed a faint smile as she forwarded the message to Zhao Yueru.

“Nimble Snake! This inhuman, heartless animal! To think that we took care of him when he was at his lowest, provided him with resources, and even helped him become one of the Twelve Apostles of Ouroboros, yet he actually became someone else’s lap dog! The next time I see him, I will break all three of his legs!” Zhao Yueru bellowed the moment she finished reading the message.

“Big Sis Yueru, maybe this is a misunderstanding? Big Sis Snow taught and nurtured him personally; they’re nearly blood siblings. How could he possibly betray her?” Fierce Snake said, astonished when he heard Zhao Yueru’s words.

Nimble Snake was normally very appealing when in Gentle Snow’s presence. Moreover, he had always been earnest and honest. He was also very loyal; he definitely was not someone who would betray his allies.

“If you don’t believe me, then look at the evidence!” Zhao Yueru made the message visible to everyone.

This message was evidence that Nimble Snake had betrayed Gentle Snow before she even began to make plans. He had been reporting Gentle Snow’s movements to those people, allowing them to take appropriate measures against her. Just an hour ago, Nimble Snake had officially become one of the opposition’s five duelists. This was indisputable proof of Nimble Snake’s treachery.

Fierce Snake was speechless after reading the message, his eyes becoming bloodshot. He tried desperately to contact Nimble Snake. However, no matter how many times he tried, his calls never connected. Right now, Fierce Snake wanted to hunt down Nimble Snake and question him.

However, this revelation hurt Gentle Snow the most.

She had treated Nimble Snake like her own younger brother. Yet, in her hour of need, that “brother” slid his blade between her shoulders, stabbing her in the back.

For the five matches, based on Gentle Snow’s understanding of the opposition’s strength, Nimble Snake, Ye Feng, and herself had the highest chances of victory among her team. As for Zhao Yueru and Fierce Snake, they didn’t even have half a chance. Now that Nimble Snake had defected to their enemy, her side had become the underdog.

“Snow, don’t worry. Even if Nimble Snake has become a turncoat, we still have the Advocators,” Zhao Yueru hurriedly consoled her friend. “Their strength has risen significantly recently, and they’re not completely without a chance of victory. I’ll contact them and have them meet us.”

However, Gentle Snow simply waved off Zhao Yueru’s suggestion.

Since Nimble Snake had betrayed her, other than Ye Feng, her opponent most likely knew all about her other options. Even if she called for the Advocators under her wing, they probably would not heed her summons at all. As the situation had already devolved to this point, she could only look for a random person to fill the empty spot on her team and leave everything else to luck.

Fortunately, she had yet to reach a dead end. If Zhao Yueru or Fierce Snake won their matches, they still might come out on top.

At this moment, Gentle Snow was relieved that she had not revealed the matter regarding Ye Feng. Otherwise, their position might be unsalvageable.

Witnessing this from the side, Shi Feng suddenly thought of Gentle Snow’s sudden departure from both Ouroboros and God’s Domain in the past.

At that time, the Snow Goddess had suddenly disappeared from God’s Domain, creating a commotion throughout the virtual gaming world. Everyone knew of her disappearance in the past.

However, nobody had known what exactly had happened to cause Gentle Snow’s sudden departure.

Now that Shi Feng thought about it, Gentle Snow’s departure might very well have had something to do with strife within Ouroboros.

Meanwhile, considering the situation, something that should not have happened for another two years had arrived ahead of time.

Just what is going on here?

Originally, Shi Feng had avoided obtaining the First Clear of the Land of Death precisely because he was afraid of altering too much of history, making it more difficult for him to control the flow of events. However, the Butterfly Effect had still occurred. Moreover, history was even rapidly evolving in the worst possible way.

If Gentle Snow left the virtual gaming world right now, Zero Wing would lose a reliable ally. Meanwhile, the other Guilds would begin to target Zero Wing.

This was not a future Shi Feng wished to see.

Since history’s development was already out of his control, Shi Feng no longer intended to suppress himself. He might as well alter history further and open a better path for himself in the future.

While Zhao Yueru attempted desperately to contact people and Gentle Snow planned to look for a random substitute, Shi Feng suddenly walked up to them.

“Miss Snow, if you need an expert, I can recommend one,” Shi Feng said.

Gentle Snow’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing Shi Feng’s words.

Zhao Yueru, on the other hand, simply rolled her eyes at Shi Feng, saying, “Ye Feng, stop messing around. What we need right now is not an ordinary expert, but a great expert. We need someone who can face an army of a hundred by themselves. However, they also cannot be too famous, and it would be the best if they were a hidden expert. Although Zero Wing’s Aqua Rose and Fire Dance indeed possess the strength, they are simply too well-known. The opposition definitely will not agree to such powerful reinforcements.”

The competition was an internal matter for Ouroboros. Hence, both parties had agreed to conduct the competition secretly. Although obtaining foreign aid was allowed, the precondition was that said reinforcements could not be well-known experts, allowing them to avoid unwanted attention.

Of course, not attracting attention was simply an excuse.

In reality, the opposition simply wanted to limit Gentle Snow’s options, preventing her from requesting the help of anyone too powerful. Gentle Snow had very little backing in Ouroboros. If both sides faced each other using only their available forces in Ouroboros, Gentle Snow would definitely be at a disadvantage.

As for inviting Aqua Rose, someone who was just as famous as Gentle Snow, or Zero Wing’s number one Assassin expert, Fire Dance, her opponents would never agree to their participation.

And Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, Black Flame...? Unless the opposition had lost their minds and wholeheartedly wanted to lose....

Shi Feng rolled his eyes at Zhao Yueru. He then smiled and said, “The public is definitely not familiar with the person I am recommending. As for how strong that person currently is, I do not know. However, just recently, their strength ranked close to Aqua Rose and Fire Dance in Zero Wing’s rankings.”

Listening to Shi Feng, Zhao Yueru wracked her mind trying to figure out who Shi Feng referred to.

However, based on Shi Feng’s expression, he did not seem to be lying, and this only served to frustrate her even more.

Gentle Snow’s curiosity had also grown as she understood Zero Wing quite well. She had never expected that Zero Wing still hid such a powerful expert. The more she learned, the more she questioned her insight of Zero Wing.

“I’ll have to trouble you, then. As for remuneration, I will similarly pay them twenty million. Will that be alright?” Gentle Snow said as she gazed at Shi Feng gratefully.

“Since Miss Snow has no problems with it, I’ll contact that person immediately.” Shi Feng nodded and called up the system menu.