RITAAB 78.1

Chapter 78: 【o(￣︶￣)o】PART 1

Xia Liansheng blinked. “In that case, wait here for a bit. I’ll head back and tidy up, then come find you.”

Zhou Qiyang smiled and pointed at a nearby pavilion. “We’ll wait for you over there.”

Xia Liansheng nodded. “Alright.”

He hadn’t been gone for long when Xi Sihan and Cheng Tianxiang returned from outside. They had gone hunting and brought back some game, which they dropped off at the cafeteria, planning to eat dinner later.

Cheng Tianxiang’s tasks for the day had finished by the morning, so she didn’t have anything else to do for the rest of the day. However, Xi Sihan still had to go out and clear the surrounding area of the semi-beastman. Given her abilities, there was no way she could slack off.

Zhou Qishang’s eyes lit up when he saw them and hurriedly approached.

Zhou Qiyang turned and saw Zhou Qishang smiling and chatting with the two women. He recognized them as well—they were the other two beastman in Xia Liansheng’s squad.

One was a beastman who could fly, while the other was a gray wolf beastman, whose form was several times larger than Xia Liansheng’s. They were not to be underestimated.

Zhou Qishang greeted them. “Hello, ladies. I’m Zhou Qishang. You’ve probably heard of me, right? Oh, and this is my brother, Zhou Qiyang.”

Xi Sihan positioned herself in front of Cheng Tianxiang and asked calmly, “Your names sound familiar. I think I’ve seen you interacting with Captain Xia recently? What brings you to us?”

Zhou Qishang replied, “Oh, has Captain Xia never mentioned our brothers to you?”

Xi Sihan thought for a moment and then shook her head. “No, Captain Xia has been quite busy. If you have something to say, just get to the point. Otherwise, we’ll be on our way.”

Xi Sihan added, “I still have my daily tasks unfinished. I don’t have time to waste here.”

Zhou Qiyang felt a flash of irritation at her words. Wasting time, was it? Who would have dared talk to him like this back when he was in the military? Even those of higher rank treated him respectfully because of his father.

Xi Sihan noticed Zhou Qiyang staring at her with a less-than-friendly expression but didn’t say anything. “Is there something else?”

Zhou Qiyang snapped back to reality and shook his head. In the past, she’d have been just an ordinary civilian, but now she was a gray wolf beastman, a formidable force in battle. Her status had certainly changed.

“Of course, we have a small matter. It won’t take long. You probably already know about the discussions between Captain Xia and us. We were wondering if, as his squad members, you share the same thoughts?”

Xi Sihan raised an eyebrow. “Same thoughts? Are you suggesting that Captain Xia has already agreed to your recruitment offer? It hasn’t been that long… He’s never mentioned this to us.”

Zhou Qiyang smiled and explained, “We know where Captain Xia stands. He’s just hesitating right now. I’m sure he’ll inform you about this soon. Hopefully, we’ll have the chance to work together in the future.”

Xi Sihan frowned slightly. “If that’s the case, we’ll talk about it later.”

With that, she pulled Cheng Tianxiang along and left. Not long after they had gone, Xia Liansheng appeared in front of Zhou Qiyang and Zhou Qishang.

Xia Liansheng noticed their odd expressions. “What’s going on?”

Zhou Qiyang shook his head. “Nothing. Captain Xia, you got here quickly. Let’s head over to the pavilion and have a chat. I’m sure your time is valuable, so let’s keep this brief.”

Xia Liansheng was of the same mind. “That works for me.”

The three of them sat in the pavilion. Zhou Qiyang and Zhou Qishang’s purpose for being there was clear, and Xia Liansheng knew it well. But he still had to go through the proper motions.

Zhou Qiyang asked, “So, Captain Xia, have you made your decision? The sooner you join, the better. After all, if you come on board now, you’ll be one of the founding members.”

Xia Liansheng stroked his chin. He was indeed hesitating. From what he knew, Zhou Lie would eventually be the one to take control of Modu. Not eventually, actually—Zhou Lie had led the army to reclaim the entire city from the start. But the current situation had changed drastically.

Now, it was Captain Gao Siyang who was leading the army in wiping out the semi-beastman in Modu. All the soldiers under him were loyal to him, and even the non-human beastman and semi-beastman were on his side.

Xia Liansheng had no idea if Zhou Lie’s small force still had any hidden beastman or regular beastman. He was truly at a crossroads.

He couldn’t decide. If he chose to side with Zhou Lie now and Gao Siyang ended up in control of Modu, how would he recover from that?

Zhou Qiyang pressed on, “What’s holding you back, Captain Xia? I can tell you’re interested in joining us. If there’s anything you’re concerned about, feel free to tell us. We’ll address it for you.”

Xia Liansheng knew that these two couldn’t give him the answers he needed. “How about this: give me three days. I’ll have an answer for you then. For now, you should head back.”

With that, Xia Liansheng stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to my tasks.”

Although Zhou Qiyang didn’t get a direct answer this time, Xia Liansheng’s promise to reply in three days was enough. He knew better than to push too hard. “We’ll contact you in three days, then.”

The two watched as Xia Liansheng walked away. Once he was completely out of sight, Zhou Qishang asked, confused, “Why didn’t Xia Liansheng tell us what he’s hesitating about?”

Zhou Qiyang replied, “Whatever his reasons are, we’ll get an answer in three days. If, despite our current disadvantage, he still chooses us, then we can trust that he won’t betray us easily in the future.”

As the two brothers continued their conversation and walked away, Xia Liansheng, while completing his tasks, was still mulling over whether to side with Zhou Lie. He knew that Zhou Lie did indeed hold power over all of Modu.

But with how things had unfolded, there was no guarantee that Zhou Lie could restore order to the city. If Zhou Lie failed, Xia Liansheng would look like a fool for siding with him now.

After clearing out the scattered semi-beastman in the area, Xia Liansheng glanced back, then slowly turned and began walking back. Meanwhile, Qin Jiulin and Liu Zhongyuan had just taken on another secret mission.

Why wouldn’t Gao Siyang assign the mission to him instead of Liu Zhongyuan’s squad? Was it because his squad wasn’t strong enough, or because Gao Siyang didn’t trust him?

It made sense. If Gao Siyang truly trusted him, why would he keep secret missions hidden from him? And then there was that other matter…

Just because he hadn’t said anything didn’t mean he wasn’t aware. He had a vague sense that something was off. Liu Zhongyuan’s squad was out on a mission, and the beastman soldiers from the army were conveniently absent.

Whenever he was around… Gao Siyang would leave his office for an unknown location, somewhere within the base, but Xia Liansheng had no idea where exactly.

Was Gao Siyang setting up some kind of safe house? Who was he trying to guard against?

Xia Liansheng realized that Gao Siyang not only didn’t trust him but was also actively wary of him. If Gao Siyang was already this cautious now, what would happen once Modu was fully under his control? Xia Liansheng figured he might be forced out of the city. Maybe it was time to make a decision now.

When Liu Zhongyuan and Qin Jiulin returned from the military base with the second batch of munitions, the base had expanded by at least twice its original size. Gao Siyang informed them of a major development.

Liu Zhongyuan was shocked. “What? Captain Gao, are you serious? Xia Liansheng has defected to Zhou Lie?”

Wu Feiyang’s expression darkened. Although Xia Liansheng’s actions didn’t pose an immediate threat to them, having him as one of Zhou Lie’s men meant they couldn’t fully trust him around Gao Siyang.

If they weren’t so short on manpower, they wouldn’t even assign him missions anymore.

Qin Jiulin muttered, “Xia Liansheng has become a ticking time bomb.”

Wu Feiyang agreed. “Exactly. We’ve already relocated to a new safe zone to prevent Xia Liansheng from discovering the old one. His wolf form has a keen sense of smell, and if he stays around too long, he might notice something. If he tries anything, we might not react in time.”

Liu Zhongyuan asked, “So, what’s the plan now?”

Gao Siyang replied, “I won’t be meeting with Xia Liansheng in person anymore. If his squad wants to take on missions, they’ll deal with my two vice-captains.”

Not only that, but Gao Siyang decided that Xia Liansheng’s team would no longer receive high-priority missions. From now on, they’d only get ordinary tasks. Xia Liansheng was now nothing more than a tool to Gao Siyang.

Liu Zhongyuan sighed. “How did this happen? Doesn’t Xia Liansheng realize how awkward Zhou Lie’s position is here? What kind of future does he think he’ll have with Zhou Lie?”