Lilian stood off to the side, watching Lin Fan interact with Heloi. Her eyes were red, her lips pouting in frustration. She was caught in a strange place—feeling upset but knowing she had no right to be.
After all, she was just a maid. What right did she have to be angry over something like this?
Lin Fan gaining Heloi should have been a good thing, but Lilian couldn't explain why it upset her so much.
And Lin Fan, being the oblivious man he was, didn't notice Lilian's expression at all.
"Let's go. Let's finish searching the rooms on the first floor, then head to the second," Lin Fan said cheerfully. His spirits were high as he led Lilian and Heloi to the next room.
The rewards in the Nine-Story Monster Tower were far better than those in the dungeon. Although he hadn't found any diamonds, after searching through dozens of rooms, Lin Fan had gathered over a stack of iron ingots.
There were also some enchanted books and potions, but since these items took up too much space, Lin Fan only brought along the useful ones.
In addition, he found an enchanted iron sword with the attributes: Knockback II and Sharpness V.
This was a pretty solid enhancement, so Lin Fan replaced his old iron sword with it.
That said, enchantments weren't all that important to him. His innate Nine Nether Buff was already the strongest attribute he could have.
Once he finished looting the first floor, Lin Fan led Lilian and Heloi to the staircase.
They were now preparing to head to the second floor. The monsters on the second floor were much stronger than those on the first, so they needed to be ready for anything.
Lin Fan pulled out his iron sword and cautiously stepped onto the staircase, leading the way upward.
Meanwhile, the forums were abuzz with news about the Nine-Story Monster Tower, with Lin Fan and Li Cheng at the center of attention.
"I thought people were exaggerating about how dangerous the Nine-Story Monster Tower is, but damn, I almost didn't make it out alive."
"Zombies with 40 HP? It takes me eight hits to kill one. Lin Fan can one-shot them?"
"Forget the zombies. The guy one-shotted the boss! That thing had 500 HP!"
"My man is just amazing at everything."
"Bro, stop fantasizing. Someone slap some sense into this dude."
Amid the chatter about Lin Fan's incredible feat of one-shotting the Serpent Lady boss, rumors of Li Cheng's attempted assassination also began spreading across the forums.
"Is Li Cheng still salty about Lin Fan rejecting the recruitment offer last time? Now he's resorting to assassination?"
"Hilarious. If he actually managed to kill Lin Fan, would the government let him off the hook? They're dying to recruit Lin Fan."
"If Lin Fan dies, how will we survive? Who's going to solve the problems we face? Li Cheng? Don't make me laugh."
"Relax. Lin Fan hasn't done anything that special."
"Excuse me? What do you mean he hasn't? Are you out of your mind?"
"But seriously, if Li Cheng's gone this far, why hasn't Lin Fan killed him yet? Is he some kind of bleeding heart?"
"What a good temper. If it were me, I'd have taken him out immediately."
"Hah, he's just scared of trouble."
Most people speculated that Lin Fan was too afraid of the consequences to retaliate against Li Cheng. They believed he didn't dare provoke the government.
But this was precisely the impression Lin Fan wanted to create.
If people thought he wasn't afraid of anything, it would complicate the plans he had in mind.
At the same time, Li Cheng was hiding in a room on the second floor, scrolling through the forum comments.
Although many people were insulting him, some comments still made him feel smug.
"Lin Fan wouldn't dare. Li Cheng is the Director of the Government's Research Division. Lin Fan has to think twice before acting against him."
"Hah, at least Lin Fan has some brains."
"Don't flatter him, you Lin Fan fanboys. He doesn't have the guts to cross Li Cheng."
"Just a coward, scared to make waves."
Looking at the comments, Li Cheng's mood soared with satisfaction.
Lin Fan clearly knew how many times he had been sabotaged in secret, yet today, he still didn't dare kill him. This was proof that Lin Fan was indeed deeply afraid of the government's power.
"People say the Federation is just an empty shell, but doesn't he fear it all the same?" Li Cheng sneered as he scrolled through the comments.
He had just shot an arrow through Lin Fan's chest, and even then, Lin Fan didn't dare kill him.
No matter what he did, Lin Fan wouldn't have the guts to retaliate, Li Cheng thought smugly.
As for Lilian? She was nothing more than a lunatic.
"How dare she cut off my arm? This time, I'm taking down Lin Fan and that blonde woman together!" he snarled viciously.
The man in glasses man standing next to him frowned deeply.
"Director Li, are you really planning to target Lin Fan again?" His expression was uneasy.
He wanted to dissuade Li Cheng but wasn't sure how to approach it.
Li Cheng turned to him, his eyes cold.
"What are you trying to say?"
The man with glasses hesitated, his face visibly conflicted.
"Didn't Lin Fan say… that if there's a third time, he'd—"
"He'd kill me?" Li Cheng sneered with contempt, his face full of disdain.
"He has to dare first. I just shot an arrow through his chest, and he didn't kill me. Do you think he dares now?"
"Those words of his were just meant to scare me, to make me hesitate to target him again. Do you really think he has the guts to kill me?"
"I'm the Director of the Government's Research Division. Even when dealing with a dog, you still need to—" He paused, then corrected himself. "Ahem, whatever. You still need to consider the face of the government."
The man in glasses man's face grew more uncomfortable as he listened to Li Cheng's words.
"But… somehow, I feel like Lin Fan was serious…"
Li Cheng rolled his eyes at him, sneering again.
"Serious? Him? Does he even have the courage?"
Li Cheng's expression darkened.
The humiliation, the loss of his arm—he would repay it all.
Neither Lin Fan nor Lilian would escape his vengeance.
He stared sinisterly at the stairs leading to the second floor. Li Cheng had already set up an ambush at the edge of the staircase.
Before Lin Fan even decided to ascend, quite a few people had already entered the second floor of the Nine-Story Monster Tower.
Using these people, Li Cheng had scouted out the location of the second-floor boss.
According to what he knew, Lin Fan carried a buff that attracted all monsters to target only him.
This had been evident on the first floor. Li Cheng had witnessed it himself.
Although Lin Fan had ultimately defeated the Serpent Lady boss, it was clear to all who saw that the fight had been a struggle.
If the first-floor monsters already gave Lin Fan a hard time, could he really handle the second-floor boss?
Li Cheng had already ordered his people to lure all the monsters toward the staircase.
In such a cramped space, with so many monsters, and with Lin Fan's Nine Nether Buff forcing all the aggro onto him, could he still run? Could he even survive?
Even if Lin Fan managed to hold his ground, Li Cheng could still make things harder for him from the shadows.
Li Cheng crouched silently at the edge of the staircase.
Soon, he saw Lin Fan ascending with two girls following close behind…
The show was about to begin.
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