Cultivation Partner Reborn in the Apocalypse

To be honest, Xu Nuo's condition did strike at Zhu Xiao's core. His creation of a small faction showed his ambition, and although he was willing to join Xu Nuo's team, he had thought it would be temporary, being used rather than a permanent commitment.

Now, according to Xu Nuo, to take the ordinary people away, he must become his subordinate permanently, following his orders.

Zhu Xiao knew he could feign compliance, agree now, and escape later once his strength improved, but something told him Xu Nuo wasn't just talking about the consequences of betrayal. He might never surpass Xu Nuo, but if he didn't agree, he'd lose his utility, and his life might be at risk.

However, if he didn't propose those conditions, would it mean he could join the team without the need for permanent allegiance?

If the members of Xu Nuo's esper team knew he was considering such a thing, they would probably come forward to curse him ten times over. They longed to follow Xu Nuo permanently, yet he hadn't given them that opportunity, and here Zhu Xiao was, hesitating when offered the olive branch. It was almost as if he'd lost his mind.

But Zhu Xiao, though he could abandon the other villagers, couldn't bear to let go of Old Chen. Without his protection, the village would fall to someone else.

While he regretted this, he wasn't overly attached, as losing one power base didn't mean he couldn't establish another.

However, Old Chen, a key figure in technological research, was no longer a secret in the village. Without Zhu Xiao, more people would target him or try to seize him.

Zhu Xiao knew that those with ambitions for Old Chen weren't just one or two, and he understood their nature well; unlike him, they might choose to destroy what they couldn't have.

Old Chen was elderly, and while he appeared healthy, who knew how he'd handle such attacks? At best, Zhu Xiao could assist him by following Xu Nuo.

Considering the blind worship of Xu Nuo by his team members and his previous interactions, Zhu Xiao knew Xu Nuo had real talent. Following him wouldn't disgrace him.

Even if he could never build his own faction again, in this world, there's only one emperor, but many founding ministers. If he wasn't destined to be an emperor, being a meritorious minister wasn't bad. Perhaps being a small local ruler wouldn't have achieved much anyway.

Following someone like Xu Nuo might one day lead to a name in history; after all, someone like him was likely to achieve something much greater than Zhu Xiao could alone.

With these thoughts, Zhu Xiao made up his mind. When he looked up at Xu Nuo again, there was only determination in his eyes. Xu Nuo, seeing this, knew he had understood and casually asked, "Looks like you're ready to agree?"

Zhu Xiao gave a bitter smile, "I do agree, but I hope, Captain, you won't disappoint me by ensuring the safety of those I care about, taking them all to the nearest base.

And I also believe that following you will allow me to improve quickly and become your most capable general!"

In truth, if Zhu Xiao hadn't agreed or if he wanted to negotiate further, Xu Nuo wouldn't have regretted it, nor would he have thought much higher of Zhu Xiao.

Because after all he had said, any hesitation would only show that Xu Nuo had misjudged Zhu Xiao's vision and ambition.

In just a few breaths, Zhu Xiao had weighed the pros and cons, showing he wasn't entirely devoid of sense, and thus proving Xu Nuo's judgment wasn't off.

Xu Nuo extended his hand toward Zhu Xiao, "In that case, a pleasure to work together."

Zhu Xiao glanced at the clean hand, feeling a weight lift from his heart. He reached out to shake it but immediately felt as if his palm had been scorched, instinctively trying to pull back.

However, Xu Nuo held his hand firmly, preventing him from withdrawing. If Zhu Xiao didn't understand at this moment that Xu Nuo had done something, he'd be truly foolish.

Especially seeing the mischievous glint in Xu Nuo's eyes, he was startled, blurting out, "What did you do to me?"

Xu Nuo then casually let go of his hand, "I'm not one to trust easily. You've agreed now, but who knows if you'll betray me for greater gain later?

I don't have the time to constantly guard against you, and if you betray me one day, you'd run faster than a rabbit. I'm too lazy to chase you down.

Rather than spending that effort, I'd rather spend time with my wife. So, I've placed a curse on you. As long as you behave and don't think about betrayal, this curse will be as if it never existed.

But if you do something to betray me, I won't mind making you suffer. The power of this curse will exceed your wildest imagination, ensuring you'd wish for death even if you were thousands of miles away."

Zhu Xiao had never heard of such methods; these were things one might encounter in pre-apocalypse martial arts or fantasy novels, not in real life.

His eyes widened in shock as he stuttered, "What... what kind of person are you?"

Xu Nuo smirked, "Isn't it a bit late to ask that now? But rest assured, as long as you stay loyal, know what to say and what not to, you'll be fine.

As for who I am, you'll figure it out as you spend more time with me. I can't be bothered to explain now. Since you've agreed, get ready; we're going back to your village.

And if you try any tricks once we're back, I won't mind letting you experience the might of this curse."

Zhu Xiao, looking at Xu Nuo's smiling face, felt a shiver run down his spine, then hung his head, not daring to say more. Xu Nuo, seeing him act obediently, didn't feel the need to elaborate further.

He'd said what needed to be said, and Zhu Xiao seemed compliant for now. Whether he was truly clear-headed was up to him to show.

Xu Nuo then took Park Su back to their car, ordering the convoy to head back to the village. If it were any other team leader giving such flip-flopping orders, there would surely be objections.

However, these were Xu Nuo's orders, and they were executed without a single complaint or question.

Clearly, the recent intensive training had fostered a deeper trust in their two leaders among the team members. Park Su had intended to ask Xu Nuo about the squad matter in the car, but he felt the timing was off, deciding to wait until after this issue was resolved to discuss it at night.

Meanwhile, the village was already in chaos. The guards who saw their leader leave with those two individuals were shocked when they noticed the convoy had disappeared not long after.

Recalling the look on their leader's face before he left, they were filled with unease, suspecting that the villager's earlier words might have been true - their leader might have been abducted.

Realizing this possibility, they quickly reported it to the higher-ups. Old Chen nearly fainted upon hearing the news.

Those men had taken Zhu Xiao right in front of him, and although he had doubts, he trusted the two young men to take care of Zhu Xiao. He hadn't anticipated that they had no intention of doing so from the start, which made him feel like he had personally pushed Zhu Xiao into the tiger's den. This realization left him deeply distressed, his only thought being to rescue Zhu Xiao.

However, being nothing more than an elderly researcher, he couldn't even beat an ordinary strong man, let alone expect others to follow his commands.

If it weren't for Zhu Xiao's ardent followers making a fuss to search for him, there might not have been anyone to look for him.

After all, Zhu Xiao's aggressive expansion had brought many with ulterior motives into the village.

Despite their various intentions, one goal was clear to all: they must not let Old Chen come to harm or escape at this critical time.

Thus, the research center was surrounded almost immediately after Chen passed out. Fortunately, a few researchers close to Old Chen had distributed plenty of the drugs to Zhu Xiao's fans, urging them to go rescue him.

Otherwise, when Old Chen woke up to see the current situation with no hope in sight, he might have been truly overwhelmed.

After waking, Old Chen, although somewhat hopeful, could only pace anxiously inside his room, cursing the traitors under his breath and hoping for Zhu Xiao's safe return. His fellow researchers tried to calm him, but their efforts were in vain, offering only hollow comfort.

They all understood internally that once someone was taken by an esper team with their convoy gone, Zhu Xiao, now without any utility, was likely in grave danger.

Yet, they tacitly agreed not to mention this in front of Old Chen, for even a sliver of hope was better than none.

When Zhu Xiao reached the village entrance, he didn't find the usual guards; instead, he encountered a large group of his loyal followers armed and ready to search for him.

Most of these were the very people Zhu Xiao wanted Xu Nuo to take away. Their gathering here saved a lot of effort.

When these people saw the convoy returning, they were initially surprised and prepared to use their drugs, but they were taken aback when the convoy actually stopped before them.

Everyone tensed up, cautiously moving closer, and then they saw one of the car doors open, and their leader, looking completely unharmed, stepped out!

The scene was beyond their expectations, leaving them somewhat bewildered. One of them even shouted skeptically, "Are you really our leader, or are they impersonating you? Speak up, or we'll shoot!"

Zhu Xiao was nearly amused by their words but knew they were concerned for him, so he responded with a relatively calm tone, "Put your guns down, I am your leader, Zhu Xiao. If you don't believe me, feel free to test me with any question you like. But since you're all here, who's protecting Old Chen? How is he doing now?"

Although they were still a bit skeptical of Zhu Xiao, his mention of Old Chen convinced some to share the current situation, as they urgently needed Zhu Xiao to return and stabilize the situation.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiao couldn't help but get angry. He'd only been gone for a short while, and the village was already in disarray. What an irony!