Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 2286: Agreement

If it had been the Ye Zhongming of before, even as a nine-star evolved, his body would not have been able to withstand the extreme cold at high altitudes in the polar regions. But now, standing atop Superior Dragon, he faced the biting wind and freezing temperatures with complete composure.

'Do you have something to say?'

Despite not being able to see Superior Dragon's head or face, Ye Zhongming could tell from its repeated hesitation.

Superior Dragon began to descend, and the mountains below began to show colors other than white.

The temperature rose slightly, making both Superior Dragon and Ye Zhongming more comfortable. There was also less wind here, making conversation less strenuous.

"Your force is called Cloud Peak Villa, right?" Superior Dragon's voice echoed in the air.

"Your Chinese is pretty good."

Ye Zhongming's gaze continuously swept across the ground below, using the terrain to determine their approximate location.

"They've been fighting Whale recently."

Ye Zhongming withdrew his gaze and focused his attention on Superior Dragon's words.

Whale... who was that? Ye Zhongming asked.

"The King of the Sea."

Superior Dragon's tone was somewhat complex as it spoke of this, and even Ye Zhongming, who was concerned about Cloud Peak, noticed.

The Cloud Peak King frowned. Earlier, on his way here, he had encountered a survivor camp of modest size. They had built themselves underground, relying on a former military shelter from a northern superpower during peacetime, struggling to survive. Their leader was an eight-star evolver—the only one among the several hundred people. Given their location and numbers, it was almost impossible for them to become nine-star evolvers on their own anytime soon.

During that encounter, Ye Zhongming had learned that Cloud Peak had unified the national region, and its sphere of influence had even begun to extend toward the far north.

From their words, Cloud Peak was at the height of its power—even people from such a "small place" knew of it and held it in sincere awe.

But now... there was a King of the Sea fighting Cloud Peak?

What kind of fight? How serious was it? How far had it progressed?

Ye Zhongming now began to focus on this.

"The King of the Sea wants to conquer the land—no, to turn the land into ocean, to turn the entire planet into one vast sea. The chinese country is the first step of that conquest, so it has come into fierce conflict with your force. This situation has been going on for nearly a year."

Nearly a year? That meant not long after he left, the conflict with this Whale had begun?

And Cloud Peak had been fighting for nearly a year without resolution?

Ye Zhongming suddenly realized that his villa was not as smooth-sailing as he had imagined.

"Tell me in detail."

So, during the flight, Superior Dragon began to tell Ye Zhongming everything about the Demon Whale.

"There are too many kinds of life in the sea—so many that even those who live within it cannot know the full count. There are even strange, complex, and ubiquitous parasitic relationships, with countless evolved forms within a single body."

"But no matter what kind of life, there is always a distinction between strong and weak. The Demon Whale is like that. It is not a solitary evolved lifeform; at least three other lifeforms are attached to its body, which made it extraordinarily powerful after becoming level nine. As the other lifeforms also evolved to top-tier, its strength is no longer comparable to its peers."

"You know, I used to be the king of that sea region. But Whale came—not for my territory, but because that place was chosen as the starting point for the global ocean plan."

"I... was defeated and fled."

"My subordinates scattered in all directions. Those still following me now are less than one percent of what they were."

"Every sea has its own king. I was injured at the time, so I kept fleeing until I reached the place where you encountered me. Because the environment there was harsh and food scarce, competition was low, and my injuries had mostly healed, so I settled there."

"But I heard that Whale's progress has not been fast—it has been held back by your force along the coast, only advancing a short distance. Both sides seem to be building up strength, planning a decisive battle."

Superior Dragon poured out everything it knew to Ye Zhongming, then added somewhat reluctantly, "We dragons..."

Smack! Superior Dragon's head got a slap.

"You're just a snake—don't pretend to be a dragon!"

"I... I... I evolved!"

"Then you're a jumping snake."

Ye Zhongming said dismissively.

Superior Dragon could not compare to true dragons like Yangos or White Dragon Horse—even its wings had only evolved after reaching level nine. No wonder Ye Zhongming did not acknowledge it.

"I know what you mean—you're bitter about it. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend. You want me to help you take back your territory?"

Ye Zhongming rubbed his nose, not waiting for Superior Dragon to answer, and continued, "But your idea isn't bad."

After that, Ye Zhongming fell silent, and Superior Dragon dared not speak, only flying quietly according to Ye Zhongming's directions.

"Turn around—head west!" After a few minutes, Ye Zhongming suddenly said.

"I can help you take back your territory, but you must agree to a few conditions."

Superior Dragon quickly turned and changed course to the west.

"First, I'll help you take two sea regions. You take your people there to take over, consolidate, and then position yourselves behind Whale's lines. Once you detect Whale attacking Cloud Peak, choose your timing to attack them from the rear."

"Second, you must sign a contract with someone from Cloud Peak—a partnership contract will do. That way, I can support you without worry."

"Third, from now on, you will need to do certain things for Cloud Peak, including providing various intelligence, monitoring movements in the sea, guarding the coastal waters of the national region, supplying materials to Cloud Peak, establishing sea outposts for Cloud Peak, and ensuring safe shipping routes."

Ye Zhongming did not choose to make Superior Dragon his own war beast.

One thing he was absolutely certain of: Superior Dragon itself did not want to become anyone's war beast and lose its freedom. If Ye Zhongming had remained on Earth, that would have been one thing—he could have kept it in check permanently. But he would eventually leave Earth, and once he left, the contract's binding power over Superior Dragon would disappear, and he would lose control over this half-dragon.

Ye Zhongming had already confirmed this. When he had left Earth, the connection with his war beasts had vanished, and upon his return, it had not immediately recovered—it was vague at best. If he had not been close to the great-expert realm, he might not even have sensed it.

Perhaps only by being physically close to his war beasts could that connection be restored.

Have Superior Dragon sign a war-beast contract with someone else? Setting aside the fact that the signatory would need to be the same level and would also leave in the future, the much faster evolution rate of sea life compared to land life would mean Superior Dragon would soon surpass Cloud Peak's people in strength. A weak master with a strong pet would create many problems.

Now, with his experience from the universe, Ye Zhongming no longer believed in any contract that would never break.

So he chose a more equal approach.

"You will be the king of the sea, and Cloud Peak will be the king of the land. You support each other. If you break the agreement, I will return and kill you, and your descendants and kin. Agreed?"

"Deal." Superior Dragon agreed without any hesitation.

Ahead, the coast came into view.