Reign of the Hunters
Chapter 445: Reasons

“How did you find me?” Ye Ci smiled at Breeze.

“The cloak.” he pointed at the Secret Cloak, “I’d naturally recognize the special product of my own guild, wouldn’t I?”

Ye Ci chuckled at his response. Oh, silly me. There’s only a hundred of these in the entire game. With his vast intelligence network, of course he’d be able to track a few individuals equipped with the Secret Cloak down easily. And it would be easier to find Gongzi You among the people with Secret Cloaks.

“I bet it’d be hard for you to find me if I’m not wearing this.”

“There’s no if here.” Breeze shook his head, “Aren’t you wearing it right now?”

Ye Ci nodded in agreement. There was no point in wasting time on something so meaningless. She continued staring at the screen, at the fight between Lamb With Fangs and Fleeting Time.

It was an enjoyment to witness a dance between two experts. The two combatants exchanged blows with their swords in a display of skill. She continued observing the fight silently for a few moments before speaking up again, “Come on Breeze. You said that I’m a straightforward person, so please stop beating around the bush.” she continued after a slight pause, “You see, I’m no longer the indomitable Gongzi You anymore. There’s no need to be afraid.”

Breeze chuckled at her words, and that earned him an icy glare from Ye Ci when the two combatants on the screen disengaged briefly from their fight.

But Breeze did not seem to mind. His gaze was fixed on the ongoing duel between Lamb With Fangs and Fleeting Time. It was as if he had completely forgotten what he had originally wanted to say.

Whatever, it’s not like I’m the one who needs a favor from him. Thought Ye Ci as she returned her attention back to the match.

When the two combatants were once again locked in combat with a flurry of movements, Breeze’s voice entered Ye Ci’s ears once again, “Golden Era will be leaving Fate soon.”

Ye Ci immediately tensed up upon hearing his words. While her expression remained unchanged, there was a fierce glint in her amber eyes. Breeze stole a sideway glance at Ye Ci. She appeared to not have heard his words, but he knew that she did.

A sense of loneliness washed over Ye Ci. Golden Era was like a mountain that she must scale no matter what in her last life and her current life. She knew that the guild would eventually leave the game, but she did not expect it to happen so fast.

She could still remember how Golden Era ended up pulling out from Fate three years after the beginning of their sabotage attempt. Fate was crippled in the aftermath, but was able to survive. And the three years in her current life were almost up. It was time for Golden Era to leave. And she felt lonely.

The Golden Era guild had been a threat that was looming ahead, and was something that she had worked very hard to defeat even before they entered the game. Their presence provided her with her daily dose of entertainment, but now they were leaving…

“When?” Ye Ci let out a long sigh.

Breeze stared at Ye Ci’s expression for a long time before letting out a laugh, “Gongzi You, it seems that you do not wish to see us gone.”

“Of course, how am I supposed to get experience points when you leave?” Ye Ci pursed her lips.

Breeze was momentarily stunned before he broke into laughter, as if he had heard the best joke in the world. Even Ye Ci was confused. She stared at Breeze, who was shaking with the laughter that rocked his body, “I’m sorry for your loss then.”

Ye Ci snorted as a response.

“I’m not scheming anything against you today. You don’t have to be guarded.” Breeze sighed.

“Well that’s totally not like you.”

“Hey, I’m a good person alright. I was the guy people hired to have a problem solved. Why do you sound like I’m a villain?”

“Is this what they mean by ‘a man’s words are kind when death is near’?”

“And this is why I don’t like you. Your words are always so hurtful.” Breeze was not angry. He diverted his attention back to the screen and sat in for a long time before once again speaking up, “Can Upwards Ho! take in some of my members?”

Ye Ci almost gagged by her own saliva when she heard his words, “Didn’t you say that Golden Era is leaving Fate?”

“Yes. The guild is.” Breeze nodded, “But that’s limited only to the guild. I did not say that all of my members will be leaving.”

Ye Ci was baffled, “So… Does it mean that your members will remain here while you disband the guild?”

“Yup, you could say that.”

Ye Ci’s voice grew cold, “What are you planning, Breeze? With the numbers you have, there’s no need for you to join a guild. You can simply start a new one. Why are you doing this?”

Breeze’s smile grew empty as he stared at Ye Ci, “I was twenty years old when I took over as the leader of Golden Era. I’ve only wanted to fulfill my own ambitions back then. And that was why Golden Era continued to grow, to the point where we became locusts of the gaming world. We’re strong, but our names were spet upon by many. I’ve visited countless games with my men, and ended up marrying a girl I like along the way. I have a family now. And my ambitions feel so tiny compared to the responsibilities I must shoulder.”

“Fate was supposed to be my last job. I’ve actually planned to retire even before this, but even I could not escape the temptation of greed. My men did not doubt my decision. And even if I made the wrong choice, it would always be the right one to them. But…” Breeze continued after a slight pause, “My luck is at its end.”

There was a strange glint in his eyes as he looked up at Ye Ci, “To be honest with you, I’ve known about you before I came to Fate, Gongzi You. I’ve studied you, and dug up all the information I could about you, but even then I still lost to you.” he grimaced, “Fleeting Time too. The both of you dealt me a crushing blow.”

Things would’ve ended differently for Breeze if I have not reincarnated. Thought Ye Ci. Of course, this was not something that she could say to him. “Yup. What a shame.” were the only words she could say to the man.

“I’ve grown tired now.” Breeze took in a deep breath, “I no longer want to lead a life dictated by money. I want to enjoy my life.” and the smile returned to his face, “My employer has cut off fundings to us. He wants us out of Fate.”