“Enough.” Ye Lanzhou squeezed this word out, “But, I think I haven’t actually said that I’ve decided to join your team, have I?”
“Of course.” Shen Xuanyi shrugged, his smile deepening. “We will absolutely respect Commander Ye’s personal wishes. April?”
April put down her gun, quietly and swiftly retreating to the side.
Ye Lanzhou glanced at her and forcibly suppressed the impulse to act.
He actually had the thought that he might not be able to beat this woman.
Shen Xuanyi also followed up, “By the way, I forgot to introduce her. This is April, our head sniper. She’s by my side instead of lurking in the shadows. I think this should also be considered a display of sincerity.”
Ye Lanzhou forced out an awkward smile. “Of course.”
“Commander Ye is so understanding, that’s great,” Shen Xuanyi smiled and continued with the previous topic, “If Commander Ye is still unwilling to join the central base, we won’t force it. However, there are a few things we need to make clear in advance—”
“Firstly, Yingchen Base is also our target.”
“Secondly, this is our base’s final invitation to you. If you disagree, we will avoid your base in the future, and our paths won’t cross.”
With these two conditions, Ye Lanzhou knew that he had no choice.
Being incorporated into the Central Base was inevitable, it was just the matter of timing.
A few years ago, Ye Lanzhou might have had some other thoughts. But now, he was well aware that the Central Base, whether in terms of scale, strength, or even the stability of civilian life, was beyond the reach of any independent base.
It’s just that there were still a few other large bases remaining before, which allowed Ye Lanzhou to constantly delay and win more concessions in the meantime.
Because the other side seemed more eager, he felt that he had the upper hand.
But at this moment, their positions seemed to be completely reversed.
Shen Xuanyi said he was willing to let the Southern Base remain independent, but from another perspective, he was also turning this base into an isolated island.
By then, not to mention the ordinary civilians who were just trying to survive, even his teammates who he had been through thick and thin together might blame him.
–How ruthless.
Ye Lanzhou pursed his lips and remained silent.
He felt that this might be Shen Xuanyi’s negotiation tactic, falling into his trap after losing his composure.
Shen Xuanyi continued, “Thirdly, I will be in charge of all affairs related to the special abilities department in the Central Base. I dislike disobedient individuals the most, unfortunately. Fourthly, we will still accept awakened individuals and civilians who leave the base, regardless of their origin. Fifth, we currently don’t lack as much manpower as you think. Sixth, even if you choose to join the Central Base, there are trial conditions…”
He listed the conditions spontaneously, obviously not having prepared a script in advance, as if he was saying whatever came to mind.
It was blatant arrogance.
But Ye Lanzhou had no outlet for his pent-up anger.
If what Shen Xuanyi said was true, then this person would indeed be his immediate superior in the future. Getting into conflicts with him would not only harm himself but also potentially affect his companions too.
If it was false, venting his anger would only play into Shen Xuanyi’s hands.
Even if it was true, Ye Lanzhou couldn’t believe that this person could truly dominate the entire Central Base!
So Ye Lanzhou endured, “What are the conditions?”
Shen Xuanyi paused, glanced at Ye Lanzhou’s face full of rage on the verge of exploding, and decided to ease up, “Complete a mission. You can choose your own team members. Based on the mission’s performance, the base will give you individual ratings, and these ratings will be added to the base’s initial assessment. If you’re lucky, your rating might be doubled.”
The higher the initial rating, the better the treatment.
Having a higher rating could save them years of hardship.
And Ye Lanzhou was also allowed to choose his own teammates.
Ye Lanzhou’s expression eased slightly. “Can I know the details?”
Shen Xuanyi said, “Yingchen Base.”
Rescue the experimental subjects.
However, Ye Lanzhou’s main task was to infiltrate, destroy their energy core, and leave the rest to others.
In short, he was a pawn.
Ye Lanzhou’s expression flickered with uncertainty, and he finally said he needed to consult with someone and would give Shen Xuanyi an answer by evening.
Shen Xuanyi could afford to wait that long, so he made a gesture of “please go ahead.”
When asked if he could wander around the base, Ye Lanzhou dryly responded with a “Please go ahead.” as well.
After that, Ye Lanzhou, in a rage, stormed out of the meeting room.
April pushed Shen Xuanyi away. Upon his request, they headed towards the direction of the medical building.
Initially, April had some doubts.
Shen Xuanyi’s gentleness and refinement wasn’t a feigned facade. His temperament was almost the best in the team, his abilities and intelligence were heavily relied on.
Even when negotiating with people, he remained composed and smiley. He could sell someone out, make them suffer from a big loss and the other wouldn’t even bat an eye and thank him gratefully instead.
No one could tell when he was truly angry.
–Perhaps the only exception is Chu Chenli
The way he had just taunted Ye Lanzhou was rare.
But after taking a walk around the medical building, she vaguely understood why.
The people outside the medical building happened to mention Chu Chenli’s name.
Due to Ye Lanzhou’s previous outburst at the medical building, many people now knew that Chu Chenli had left.
Some expressed slight concern, but upon hearing that he had left with a friend, that trace of concern vanished.
Some said he was heartless for leaving without saying goodbye, while others breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“At least that guy was self aware, he’s finally stopped dragging Commander Ye down.”
“Who knows if this is just another one of his pity ploys.”
“Who cares, it’s best if he doesn’t come back. Commander Ye is so busy, he doesn’t have time to deal with such pretentious nonsense all day.”
“It’s truly a great thing that the troublemaker’s gone. It’s a pity we don’t have any fireworks, otherwise, I’d suggest setting off a few to celebrate!”
“But speaking of which, Commander Ye is really unlucky. Chu Chenli was at most just a burden, but what happened with Lieutenant Xiang is truly…truly disheartening!”
“Hey, what exactly happened with Lieutenant Xiang? Does anyone know?”
When Xiang Renxi’s name was mentioned, the group talking cautiously looked around and, seeing there were outsiders, moved to a more secluded area.
April perked up her ears, wanted to catch the remaining gossip from their conversation.
Suddenly, Shen Xuanyi asked her, “What do you think of Ye Lanzhou?”
After a moment of thought, April succinctly described, “Hypocritical!”
She wanted to say scum, but that term clearly carried a lot of subjective feelings, so she chose to be objective.
“His strength is indeed impressive. He could sense your movement and dodged instinctively, perhaps he’s slightly better than Ziyue.”
Of course, this was also due to April’s restraint.
If she truly wanted Ye Lanzhou dead, there would be no chance of missing.
“But the prestige built solely on strength is just like a castle in the air, unstable and unreliable.”
Shen Xuanyi snapped off a branch hanging in front of him and lowered his gaze slightly. The newly sprouted leaves floated to the ground, leaving behind a bare twig.
“Ah Li was probably taken away by Xiao Mu and the others, and they definitely haven’t been gone long,” Shen Xuanyi continued. “Xiao Mu…has he reached a rebellious phase, not letting me see Ah Li?”
April glanced at him.
…It’s probably because Xiao Mu was worried that if Ah Li stayed here, he might plead for that scumbag.
Or maybe Shen Xuanyi, for Ah Li’s sake, would go easy on the scum.
After all, given Ah Li’s personality, unless it was a matter of principle, he wouldn’t usually hold grudges.
Now that they couldn’t meet, there was no need to be restrained, and Shen Xuanyi could vent his anger freely on the scum.
But even without the issue with Ah Li, the captain probably wouldn’t have liked someone like Ye Lanzhou.
It’s one thing to abandon a “burden” who is unconscious.
But when a conscious comrade and former lifesaver goes missing right under his nose, the fact that his first reaction isn’t to search for them, was concerning.
When Shen Xuanyi first asked him about Chu Chenli’s whereabouts, Ye Lanzhou only showed signs of distress and panic, without much concern.
In the infinite game world, abandoning a comrade was the most despised behaviour.
Once you start, there will be a second time, a third…countless times.
First, you abandon the “weak,” and after a few times, you might end up abandoning everyone except yourself.
You might even become a traitor.
The bottom line is lowered gradually.
Especially in such a cruel life-and-death game, once a crack opens, all moral boundaries will instantly flood away.
In reality, it’s only a matter of time until you abandon your principles.
After all, it’s no longer the peaceful era it once was.
April’s mind was racing, but all she said was, “Probably.”
Shen Xuanyi was used to her brevity. When they reached a nearby building, he told April to stop.
“That knife.” Shen Xuanyi pointed to a knife on the wall.
A short, jet black knife, with at least half of its blade embedded in the wall, securely pinned up high.
It was obviously only left there recently, and no one had noticed yet.
April looked up, then took a few steps back, ran up, and grabbed the knife handle with ease after kicking off the wall.
She had a bit of difficulty pulling the knife out, but after adjusting a little, she succeeded, landing steadily beside Shen Xuanyi and handing him the knife.
“Whose is it?” April asked.
“Now it should be Ah Li’s.” Shen Xuanyi smiled.
Before he could put the knife away, both of them looked up simultaneously in a particular direction.
It was as if they sensed something.
As Xiao Bai turned the corner, he was startled to see two pairs of eyes staring directly at him.
His heart skipped a beat.
“Uh, hello…”
Xiao Bai stammered a greeting, thinking these people were unfamiliar faces, possibly newcomers. He instinctively stuck to the wall, trying to sneak past them.
But when his gaze landed on the knife in Shen Xuanyi’s hand, he froze.
It looked somewhat familiar.
He blinked.
A few seconds later, he remembered–that was Chu Chenli’s knife!
But Chu Chenli had left last night. How could his knife be with these people?
Could it be…
Xiao Bai’s face turned pale.
He glanced at Shen Xuanyi, then at the knife in his hand, and then at April, his lips trembled. He was unable to utter a word, but his feet was rooted to the spot.
Shen Xuanyi sighed softly, speaking in his usual gentle tone, “Are you a friend Ah Li made here?”
Xiaobai nodded instinctively.
Immediately he realised, this person called “Ah Li” so kindly and didn’t seem like someone with who would hold a grudge.
He was more like a friend.
Was he the friend who came to look for him before?
No, hadn’t he already left?
Shen Xuanyi suggested, “Shall we find a place to talk?”
Xiao Bai was still somewhat wary and couldn’t help but ask, “What is your relationship with him?”
“We used to be companions for a long time.” Shen Xuanyi paused, with a slight smile on his face, and continued, “You can also think of me as the person Ah Li trusts the most.”
Without a doubt.
–
Next to an abandoned building in the base.
After topping off the car with the last bit of fuel, Hua Jin couldn’t help but sigh.
“I really miss when Xiyu was around.”
At least there was no need to worry about running out of gas halfway.
“Don’t worry, the next base is around 200 kilometres away and was just abandoned recently. We might find some leftover fuel there.”
He Ziyue said while typing away on her laptop. Lines of data flashed quickly across the screen, translating into meaningful information in her head.
The old laptop was a survivor from the ruins of the last base. Though outdated, it was fortunately still usable after some repairs.
Even though she could directly link to the data stream, using a computer felt more comfortable and secure to her.
Chu Chenli, who knew nothing about electronics, came back carrying a few wild chickens and rabbits for their meal.
Finding a few edible, normal animals amidst the many mutants was no easy task. He Ziyue thought they must have been released from the abandoned bases.
Gathering information didn’t hinder her ability to chat.
“Xiyu’s data was just updated today. Still no signs of waking up, and the medication hasn’t changed. How long does a drug trial cycle take?”
“It varies depending on the type,” Hua Jin replied. “But generally, it takes at least three to five days.”
As he walked back, he saw Chu Chenli squatting by the river, swiftly and efficiently chopping off the heads of three wild chickens and two abbits.
Probably doing this for the first time, his technique was a bit rough, and a chicken head rolled right next to Hua Jin’s feet.
Hua Jin: “…”
His first reaction was to lift his foot up high.
Mu Yanshen, tending the fire nearby, chuckled.
Feeling like he was being mocked, Hua Jin glared at him.
Mu Yanshen remained unfazed, adding more wood to the fire.
From the corner of his eye, Hua Jin saw Chu Chenli draining the blood from their dinner by the creek and asked, “Why is Ah Li doing such a rough job?”
Normally, Mu Yanshen was eager to take on Chu Chenli’s tasks.
Chu Chenli probably thought he had too much time on his hands and never hesitated to give him more to do.
Mu Yanshen sighed deeply, “Li Ge thought my last attempt at killing a chicken was too gruesome.”
Gruesome was an understatement—it left many with long-lasting psychological scars.
Killing a chicken looked like a scene from a cannibalistic butcher’s workshop.
Though he found his teammates’ reactions highly amusing, Chu Chenli banned him from using a knife for their mental well-being.
Mu Yanshen was quite regretful but very obedient.
Hua Jin: “…”
As the only normal person in the team, he felt a lot of pressure.
When Chu Chenli returned with the bodies of the rabbits and chickens, his face and clothes didn’t have a single spot of blood, as if he had bathed in the river.
He casually handed their dinner to Mu Yanshen.
Mu Yanshen happily went to prepare the food, ready to take credit for it later.
Plucking feathers was a simple task even Mu Yanshen could handle, especially when he wasn’t experiencing a sudden onset of sinister tendencies.
—With Ah Li present, such incidents were rare.
Chu Chenli noticed He Ziyue’s unusual expression and asked, “Is there a problem?”
He Ziyue shook her head, but her brows furrowed.
“…The medication shows no anomalies, and similar trials on other subjects showed no reactions. It shouldn’t be a big issue…but the data…”
She focused on her keyboard, trying to analyse the data.
The others knew better than to disturb her.
When He Ziyue fell silent, it usually meant something serious.
Ten minutes later, when Mu Yanshen was roasting the plucked chickens and rabbits, He Ziyue suddenly fell quiet again.
Then she exclaimed in shock and confusion, “These people are trying to hack the Southern Base’s internal system! Why waste effort on that weak ass defence- Ah, no! Why do they want Ah Li’s information?”
The author has something to say:
The main characters will take the stage next~ This chapter ended up being really long, and splitting it would have disrupted the reading experience, so I decided to finish it and post it all at once (I swear I won’t stay up late tomorrow 555).
For some reason, the leave note couldn’t be posted in the back notes section, so I put the leave notice in the synopsis instead. If the update is delayed in the future, you can check the synopsis. If I can’t post a leave note, it will be there.
PS: The captain’s leg issue is somewhat related to the side effects of his ability, but it will get better later on!
