Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 237: A Massive Salon

 

Zhang Lie shrugged.
“What else can we do? This theory currently only works with humans, but I've been thinking about expanding to other races as well.
Didn't the night spirits contact us three days ago?”

“You mean to use them as test subjects to expand the theory?!” Su Feng exclaimed.
He had chalked off Zhang Lie's easy acceptance of cooperation as a delaying measure, but Zhang Lie really seemed poised to act on it!

Yan Long murmured thoughtfully, “That may be, but the night spirits are just an offshoot of the nightdemons.
Shouldn't we aim for a more impactful target?”

“Right, at this point, it looks as though we should choose to work with one of the four prime races instead.
If nothing else, they'll at least temper the stress that we'll have to face.
In that case, Commanders, would you join me in attending a banquet at the Nightdemon Hotel tonight?”

Zhang Lie continued to smile, as though everything was under his control.

“The Nightdemon Hotel? Did you arrange to meet with them there?” Su Feng seemed rather shocked.
“Weren't you battling to the death?”

“No, no—my opponent, Pu Kui, is hosting this banquet as an apology to me,” Zhang Lie corrected. 

It would have been impossible for Zhang Lie to hide the effect of these limit fragments in their entirety.
Given Zhang Lie's acting skills, he might have been able to fool the crowd and the judges, but not the opponents whom he faced.
After all, their opponents would surely be able to sense the discrepancy in strength between the two parties, so exposure was simply a matter of time.
In that case, the timing of that exposure would be of paramount importance, and Zhang Lie had chosen one of the best possible times to do so.

The nightdemons were known to be ferocious and domineering, but they would, without fail, protect their kin.
This was the philosophy that had ultimately led them to strength.
For instance, although Fu Bo was prideful, petty, and arrogant besides, he had stepped forward and admitted his mistakes to save his young mistress's life.

That Zhang Lie had exposed his strength in such a manner shocked Pu Kui enough to convert him into a believer of Zhang Lie's theory, and it also laid the groundwork for future cooperation with the nightdemons.

The nightdemons would also serve as a shield against those enemy factions who were thinking of laying a hand on Zhang Lie, and things would proceed much more smoothly with their support.

“Very well.
I have to admit that you've handled matters excellently!” Yan Long exclaimed.

Su Feng felt the same way.
The two commanders, who had spent much of their life fending off and dealing with aliens, felt as though the hunter standing in front of them wasn't a youthful hunter in his twenties, but rather a scheming old man.

That evening, the Nightdemon Hotel shimmered with light, making it seem like a building that had been transported out of some fantastical land.
Surrounding the hotel were all sorts of lifeforms from the Milky Way, looking around in anticipation of something or someone.

Cordons had already been set up around the hotel, and the Ural guards were standing at attention nearby.
Those who weren't in the know might have thought that some lavish ceremony was about to take place, but in truth, they were simply awaiting Zhang Lie and his team.

“This is an impressive turnout!”

“Right? I could hardly have expected that the foremost black horse of the season would be the humans!”

Two young women from the aquatic race murmured to each other.

“Zhang Lie's simply too strong! After that one punch, I became a fan as well.”

“Heh heh, if Pu Kui wasn't holding back, I don't think there's anyone that will be able to stop Zhang Lie from winning this tournament!”

“Holding back? Would someone like Pu Kui hold back?  Didn't you hear about the bounty that she posted within the forest quadrant? Any other hunter would have been eliminated in that case, any hunter but Zhang Lie! Didn't you hear? The four prime races, along with most of the top hundred teams in the tournament, are sending out representatives to attend the banquet.
Clearly, everyone's paying significant attention to Zhang Lie now!”

“Of course! They have no choice but to—especially after that fight with Pu Kui! What am I going to do? It's the first time that I've been so interested in a member of the opposite sex.
Am I in love?”

“In love?! Don't you dare—Zhang Lie is mine!”

“No, he's mine!”

The two young aquatic women began squabbling with each other, wearing identical expressions to those of Zhang Lie's fans back on Earth.

Zhang Lie's one casual punch had won him the adulation of countless followers, and everyone outside the cordoned area was either a media reporter or one of Zhang Lie's fans.
For the chance to see their idol for themselves, they had gathered outside the hotel in wait long before the banquet was slated to begin.

A loud blaring came from afar; before the crowd could react, two hovercars zoomed toward the main entrance of the hotel.
One hovercar, sleek, black, and mysterious, flew like a whisper in the air, making all who saw it gasp.
This was a limited-edition, top-grade Pegasus, one so rare that it had only ever been seen, let alone ridden, by few of the top figures in Ural.

The door opened up, and Yan Long, Su Feng, the members of Team Zenith, Yun Bing, and Chu Feng walked out of the hovercar.

“Zhang Lie!”

“Dragonwolf Zhang Lie!”

“Ah, my idol!”

“Team Zenith, chasing the zenith!”

The moment Zhang Lie walked off the car, the entire Nightdemon Hotel shook with his fans' agitated shouting.
Zhang Lie turned, smiled, and waved.

The idols of this era were those hunters whose strength was recognized by one and all.
In fact, some measure of fame had even become a requirement for acceptance into the foremost organizations.

Zhang Lie was a little surprised that things had developed to this extent, but he took things in stride.
He made a shushing motion, causing the noise level to instantly drop by quite a few decibels.

From within the lobby of the Nightdemon Hotel, Pu Kui and Fu Bo walked out after seeing Zhang Lie's arrival.

“Mr.
Zhang Lie, Commander Yan Long, Commander Su Feng, competitors and representatives of Earth, welcome,” Pu Kui began formally.

“There's no need for such courtesy.
Let's head inside,” Zhang Lie replied, smiling.

Once they did get inside, Zhang Lie felt as though he had underestimated the impact that Pu Kui had among the nightdemons and the competitors at large.
The private banquet had turned into a salon.
In the grand hall, a few musicians were playing some soothing background music, and large tables in the center of the lobby were heaped with specialty food.

There had to be over a hundred races represented in the banquet, but Zhang Lie's arrival caused it all to come crashing to a halt.
Everyone's gazes turned to him at once.

“Mr.
Zhang Lie, I apologize for the sudden change, but even the nightdemons were unable to resist the simultaneous requests from over a hundred different races—”

Indeed, Pu Kui would have much preferred a private banquet for the nightdemons rather than a rather public salon, but she had no choice owing to the unbelievable pressure to which she succumbed.

“Don't worry, I don't mind.
A banquet, a salon—they both involve eating and talking to people.” From Zhang Lie's perspective, he didn't mind discussing plans for cooperation with one race or with ten.

Currently, his theory on limit fragments was suitable only for humans.
In his past life, some other races had managed to develop something similar, but as a human himself, Zhang Lie hadn't paid particularly close attention to the work on other races.

If these other races wanted to participate in the research, let them.
The growth of the races of the Milky Way would certainly indirectly aid Zhang Lie and Earth's own development, and he simply cared about remaining in control of the core research required for these gene fragments.

“Let us welcome Mr.
Zhang Lie and the Earthling competitors with our warmest applause!” Pu Kui announced, causing the music to be drowned out in a riotous wave of applause.

“Welcome, Mr.
Zhang!”

“Welcome, Team Zenith!”

All sorts of greetings reached their ears.

A waiter walked by with a number of champagne flutes, one of which Zhang Lie took.
“Thank you.
It's a pleasure to see all of you today.
Let's share a toast to celebrate this relaxing night.
A toast to you all!”

The other hunters all blinked in shock.
It was almost time for the individual matches of the second round, so each of the hunters gathered here could well be a competitor.
Who would want to share a toast with someone who could end up as your opponent the next day?

However, the gathered guests only paused for one brief moment before they all raised their glasses as one, so as to show Zhang Lie their courtesy.
Quite a few guests couldn't believe what they were seeing—there were several races known to harbor a deep feud and bitter grudge with others in attendance, and yet they were all sharing a friendly toast!

If they weren't present at the scene themselves, they would have thought it all a dream.