RITAAB 77.2

The last time Qin Jiulin had seen them sneaking around, he hadn’t forgotten the sight. He was sure this had something to do with Qi Yue as well.

Qin Jiulin said, “In any case, you just need to take care of yourself. They definitely don’t have good intentions for you.”

Qi Yue replied, “I know, Qin-ge.”

Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan were ordinary people, so he didn’t need to pay much attention to them. Especially now, with the beastman core situation still unclear, they wouldn’t make a move.

Even if they did, it wouldn’t be for a few more years.

During this time, nothing major happened. The base had expanded by a few more residential areas and streets due to the increasing population. Many semi-beastman corpses needed to be cleared out.

As a result, more jobs were created, but the number of applicants far exceeded the available positions. In the end, only about a third of the people who applied got jobs.

Meanwhile, due to the influx of people seeking refuge, Gao Siyang decided to recruit a new batch of soldiers to help manage the growing population and patrol the area.

A total of 200 recruits were accepted—not a large number—but they still needed to be carefully selected. After all, once the new recruits were enlisted, they would need to be issued equipment, assigned accommodations, and of course, undergo special training. This would require weapons, ammunition, and other supplies.

After the 200 seemingly reliable recruits were selected, Gao Siyang once again approached them, asking them to transport another batch of munitions from the military base.

Liu Zhongyuan and the others, of course, did not refuse. After all, they didn’t have much to do recently, and the work of reclaiming Modu was progressing rapidly. They weren’t needed for assistance, and the “blood bag” plan was going well. They estimated it could still be used for another month.

So, Liu Zhongyuan and the others decided to take advantage of this month and make a couple more trips to the military base. For Gao Siyang’s army, no matter how much munitions they had, it was never too much. Gao Siyang always managed to keep just enough in stock.

This time, they took Zhang Yuankai and Mo Xinghui along with them. However, Gao Siyang ensured that the other three mutated beastman from the military stayed behind before allowing them to carry out the mission.

The three mutated beastman remained at the base, not to provide 24-hour personal protection for Gao Siyang, but to be sent out to clear the surrounding area of scattered, lone semi-beastman.

Zhang Yuankai exclaimed, “We get to do another mission together! Seriously… doing missions with you guys is really awesome!”

Qin Jiulin asked, “Is that so?”

Mo Xinghui added, “Indeed. After doing a mission with you guys at the military base, going back to work with those three partners feels… off in every way.”

Liu Zhongyuan warned, “You shouldn’t let your three partners hear that, or they’ll definitely give you trouble.”

Mo Xinghui replied, “It’s fine. They’re busy right now. So, when do we depart?”

Qin Jiulin said, “We’re leaving today. We should hurry and transport as much as we can before winter arrives. I have a feeling this winter might be tough to get through.”

Mo Xinghui frowned slightly, “Did you sense something?”

Qin Jiulin asked, “Huh? Why do you ask?”

Mo Xinghui replied, “I kind of feel it too.”

Zhang Yuankai grabbed his arm, “You felt it? What did you feel?”

Mo Xinghui answered, “I just feel like the weather is going to be really cold. Didn’t you guys feel it? Qin Jiulin just said he had a bad feeling.”

Qin Jiulin blinked, “I just think it’s possible, that’s all.”

Zhang Yuankai shrugged, “I didn’t feel anything.”

Liu Zhongyuan added, “Neither did I.”

Qi Yue interjected, “Me neither.”

Zhang Yuankai concluded, “So… you’re the special one!”

Mo Xinghui protested, “No way!”

Zhang Yuankai teased, “Maybe it’s because of your species?”

Mo Xinghui asked, “You mean my snow leopard beast form?”

Qin Jiulin intervened, “Alright, let’s not discuss this right now. Even if we figure something out, we’ll still have to face whatever comes. Are you all ready with the supplies you’re bringing?”

Zhang Yuankai pointed to several bags behind him, “Of course. Everything’s prepared. We can leave anytime.”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “Then let’s not waste time. Let’s go!”

Their departure didn’t go unnoticed by someone covertly watching them from a high vantage point.

Zhou Lie asked, “They’ve left? Five of them? Are they out on a mission?”

Zhou Qiyang answered, “It seems so, Dad. So, what now? If we’re talking about opportunities, this is a good one.”

Zhou Lie scoffed, “Hmph, what good opportunity? Five of them left, but aren’t there still three remaining?”

Zhou Qiyang carefully suggested, “But two of those three are girls. One can’t really fight and can only fly. The other doesn’t get involved in anything. As for Xia Liansheng, he’s still undecided, which means he won’t act against us. So…”

Zhou Lie snapped, “You’re so short-sighted!”

Zhou Qiyang immediately corrected himself, “You’re right, Father.”

Zhou Lie sighed, “I’m not talking about those three. I’m talking about the other three! Didn’t you gather any information earlier? Gao Siyang’s army has five mutated beastman soldiers. Two went out with Liu Zhongyuan’s group, which means three are still here. If Gao Siyang hadn’t confirmed that those three were staying behind, but instead sent all five out on a mission, I’d be as good as dead!”

Zhou Qiyang suddenly realized the crucial point he had overlooked, “I thought… those three were also out on a mission.”

He hadn’t considered that Gao Siyang would definitely be on guard this time, especially since Zhou Lie and his group had arrived and made their intentions to seize power evident.

Given that, Gao Siyang would never put himself in danger, particularly now that Xia Liansheng had already made contact with them and hadn’t immediately refused their offer.

Zhou Qiyang asked, “Dad, what about Liu Zhongyuan’s squad? Liu Zhongyuan is extremely powerful. His beast form is a giant snake, over fifty meters long. And his two teammates—Qin Jiulin… his giant tiger form is massive too. We’ve seen the video of him killing that snake-like semi-beastman. Their teamwork is impeccable.”

“Then there’s Qi Yue… Even though his combat strength isn’t as strong, he can fly and hunt. He’s a well-rounded mutated beastman.”

“If we miss the chance to recruit this squad, it’ll definitely be a loss for our future development.”

At the moment, they only had 86 soldiers, and their military uniforms and weapons were mostly in a state of disrepair. Without military supplies, they couldn’t accomplish much.

All they could do now was barely feed themselves. Anything more was out of reach, and many of their people had to rely on the lowest-level supplies for survival.

They were in a very awkward situation. Gao Siyang didn’t even accept their soldiers. He had even openly recruited new soldiers, but specifically excluded them.

The reason was that they had formed their own faction, which wasn’t allowed to join the army. The reason sounded official, but it was effective. Zhou Lie couldn’t argue against it.

Zhou Lie said, “You think I don’t know that? But what can we do? Put a knife to his throat to force him to agree? If we had that kind of leverage, would we still be begging?”

Zhou Qiyang quickly reassured him, “Dad, don’t be angry. I was just saying. So, what do you suggest we do now?”

Zhou Lie took a deep breath, “There’s no way to recruit Liu Zhongyuan’s squad right now. Gao Siyang has probably already worked on them. Our only hope is Xia Liansheng. Even though his beast form and combat ability are slightly weaker compared to Liu Zhongyuan’s squad, he’s still strong. Our focus now should be on winning him over. That’s our first step.”

Zhou Qiyang agreed, “Got it, Dad. But right now, we don’t have anything to offer him. Otherwise, it would be a lot easier. Xia Liansheng is probably considering our current dire situation.”

Zhou Lie snorted, “So what if he’s considering it? If he wanted to refuse, he would have done so from the start. Why drag it out? He’s clearly thinking it over. You need to push a little harder!”

Zhou Qiyang and Zhou Qishang exchanged glances. Neither of them knew exactly what to do, but they agreed. After all, Zhou Lie was their father, and following his orders had led to their previous success. Unfortunately, this sudden turn of events had knocked them back to square one.

Zhou Qiyang led Zhou Qishang out of the room, and the two began discussing how to approach Xia Liansheng.

Zhou Qishang asked, “Bro, what should we do? I’ve heard of Xia Liansheng before. He’s a well-known figure in the business world. He’s definitely smart. Can we really… persuade him?”

Zhou Qiyang sighed, “It’s hard to say. Like Dad mentioned, if Xia Liansheng really wanted to refuse, he would have done so already. He wouldn’t have had so many conversations with us or dragged it out for this long.”

Zhou Qishang asked, “What do you think his goal is?”

Zhou Qiyang replied, “That’s the issue. We have nothing. What could Xia Liansheng possibly want from us? It’s odd.”

Zhou Qishang shrugged, “Who cares what he wants! The main goal is to get him on our side. We’ve got nothing to lose anyway. It’s not like he’s going to take our lives, right?”

“Whatever he wants, we’ll give it to him! It’s not like we have anything valuable left, so we won’t feel the loss.”

Zhou Qiyang nodded, “You’re right. Let’s go with that. By the way, where is Xia Liansheng now?”

Zhou Qishang replied, “I’ve got someone keeping an eye on him. He’s out clearing semi-beastman from the area. He hasn’t returned yet. I’ll get in touch with them. As soon as Xia Liansheng comes back, we’ll be the first to know.”

Zhou Qiyang nodded, “Good.”

What Zhou Lie and his group didn’t know was that Xia Liansheng had already noticed their intentions. He hadn’t rejected them outright for a reason. The reason was simple: the situation had changed. He wasn’t sure if Modu’s future would still unfold as he had foreseen, and he needed time to observe and think.

After clearing a small area, Xia Liansheng returned, and not long after, he ran into the Zhou brothers, Zhou Qiyang and Zhou Qishang.

“So, it’s you two. What do you need?”

Zhou Qiyang asked, “Do you have time now?”

Xia Liansheng glanced at himself, “Let me go clean up first. We can meet at the cafeteria later.”

Zhou Qiyang replied, “We can’t go into the cafeteria. It’s only for Captain Gao’s soldiers and beastman. We aren’t fortunate enough to have that privilege.”