The moment Xing Yuan spoke, Yu Jiao instinctively clenched her hands, her heart tightening slightly.
Noticing her reaction, Rong Fan's eyes flickered with contemplation.
Why hadn't he heard of her before?
Bai Shaodong reacted similarly. Hearing Xing Yuan casually drop an unfamiliar name, his brows furrowed deeply. "Who? What Yu Li?"
Xing Yuan narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "You don't know? That's strange. Haven't you been keeping close tabs on Yu Li? How could you not know about this woman?" Then he glanced at Yu Jiao with an inscrutable tone. "Seems someone's been withholding information..."
Bai Shaodong's expression darkened. "Yu Jiao, what exactly is going on here?"
First she requested to resign, now this Yu Li person suddenly appears.
Yu Jiao remained silent for a moment before adjusting her glasses and speaking quietly. "Yu Li is Bo Jingmo's girlfriend. She's also a player in the instances."
Yu Jiao replied, "To be honest, I only learned about it recently myself. The previous instance was my first encounter with her."
Bai Shaodong could hardly believe Bo Jingmo had managed to get involved with someone right under their noses and kept it hidden for so long.
This suggested Bo Jingmo had likely known about Deva for a while and deliberately concealed the woman until now.
A flash of malice crossed Bai Shaodong's eyes.
Xing Yuan stroked his chin, observing the scene before speaking leisurely. "Actually, you can't really blame them. That woman is no ordinary person herself. The reason I came here was precisely about this matter—hoping you'd deal with her while eliminating Bo Jingmo."
Hearing this, Bai Shaodong narrowed his eyes and deliberately slowed his pace, casually sitting on the sofa and crossing his legs.
"Some nobody deserves this much attention? Director Xing seems unusually concerned."
Previously when discussing Bo Jingmo's elimination, Xing Yuan had been indifferent, dismissive of Bo Jingmo's capabilities.
But regarding this Yu Li, his entire attitude had shifted.
Was it necessary? Bai Shaodong had never even heard the woman's name before—she didn't seem like a high-level player.
Yet this non-elite woman had Xing Yuan so rattled.
A calculating glint flashed in Bai Shaodong's eyes.
If he could utilize her, perhaps PEACE would fall right into his hands.
Xing Yuan immediately discerned the old man's thoughts. Sitting across from him, he smirked coldly. "Bai Shaodong, do you really think I'm joking right now? That woman is more troublesome than Bo Jingmo. If you don't cooperate with me, Deva will be played to death by her."
Yu Jiao's movements paused as she keenly sensed something amiss.
Why was Xing Yuan so wary of Yu Li?
There was no way Yu Li's identity as Limu had been exposed—her current profile was just a mid-level player. This level of caution made no sense.
This was precisely why Bai Shaodong remained unconvinced. To him, this represented an opportunity—now that Bo Jingmo was becoming unruly, having a girlfriend meant having a weakness.
"Just some girl. If she's really Bo Jingmo's girlfriend, she'll have to call me 'father-in-law' when they marry."
The others who had met Yu Li all averted their gazes simultaneously with complicated expressions.
Even Xing Yuan was momentarily speechless.
Bai Shaodong would change his tune immediately if he actually met Yu Li.
Rubbing his temples, Xing Yuan said, "Bai Shaodong, if she were just some ordinary player, do you think I'd be here talking to you?"
Remembering Yu Li's deeds in the instances, he couldn't help grinding his teeth. "You previously asked me for Jiang Xi and Hou Liang to kill Bo Jingmo, correct?"
Hearing the names, Bai Shaodong glanced over. "Changed your mind? Hand those two over, and I'll naturally have my team assist them."
"Ha." Xing Yuan sneered. "Assist? You actually think your useless subordinates can kill Bo Jingmo?"
Clenching his fist, he continued, "You probably don't know yet—only two people died in the last instance. One was your Deva member. The other was Hou Liang."
"And both were killed by that woman."
Bai Shaodong's body stiffened slightly before he looked up with an inscrutable expression. "She killed Hou Liang?"
Xing Yuan twisted his lips. "Why else would I come to you? Bai Shaodong, that woman knows you want Bo Jingmo dead, so now she's targeting us!"
The spacious office fell completely silent.
Then Rong Fan suddenly asked, "What's her skill?"
Tian Jianmu turned to answer, "Not entirely clear. Something about a little black figure, like a spirit? Its breath has strong corrosive properties."
Hearing this, Bai Shaodong's previously relaxed expression grew solemn as he fell into thought.
Xing Yuan spoke again, "Earlier, Tian Jianmu mentioned seeing Yu Jiao getting along quite well with Yu Li. I found that strange—despite Yu Li killing your member, Miss Yu doesn't seem bothered at all."
The focus returned to Yu Jiao.
Her tone remained unchanged as she responded, "Deaths in instances are normal occurrences. My relationship with Yu Li was simply mutually beneficial."
"Mutually beneficial?" Xing Yuan smiled. "I'm genuinely curious—what kind of benefit? What did you promise her?"
Facing his blatant probing, Yu Jiao showed no unease. "The basic need to complete missions and survive. Is that so strange?"
"Extremely strange." Xing Yuan chuckled. "A high-level player like you seeking help from a mid-level one? Tian Jianmu was there too—wouldn't collaborating with him make more sense?"
Yu Jiao could clearly sense him deliberately directing suspicion toward her, with even Bai Shaodong casting doubtful looks.
In the past, she might have racked her brains to craft a perfect response that offended neither side.
Damn it, she was resigning anyway!
Everyone could get the hell out of her way!
Adjusting her glasses impassively, Yu Jiao swept her gaze across all present before speaking with resounding clarity.
"Why choose Yu Li over PEACE? How dare any of you even ask that?"
"Can Tian Jianmu defeat Bo Jingmo? Could Jiang Xi and Hou Liang outmaneuver Yu Li? Even those new players knew which side to pick—you think I'd get it wrong?"
"As for Deva members dying by Yu Li's hand—what exactly am I supposed to do about that? They lost fair and square. Should I risk death like Hou Liang by opposing Yu Li?"
Tian Jianmu: "......"
Bai Shaodong: "......"
Damn, sis really went scorched earth on everyone.