chapter 510: lies must be exposed
translator: liu_kaixuan editor: valvrave
after returning to the jiangning safety zone, jiang liushi immediately headed to the headquarters. unfortunately, he could not meet with general zhang. all the influential figures of the jiangning safety zone were quite busy, so the reception officer refused to report it.
jiang liushi had no choice but to leave the headquarters. after leaving the building, he encountered a few acquaintances, captain guan, and bai jiayan. they were discussing with some people at the door.
after escaping from the massive mutant birdsâ claws, they had immediately rushed back to the jiangning safety zone. they had arrived earlier than jiang liushi as the latter had taken a detour. naturally, they were there to report what had taken place and inquire about the overall situation. they, as well as other officials, had heard about the honeycombâs appearance, but only the higher-ups were privy to details. although hundreds of thousands of people lived in the safety zone, most of them were in the dark. some of people had heard a few rumors, but they didnât pry further as they knew that the military would act.
as captain guanâs team had just returned from the center of the city, people paid more attention to them.
âcaptain bai, whatâs that indeed?â
âdid you see it at a close range?â
âi heard that you suffered a lot. i also heard that a team was vanquished, and only one member was able to escape, is it true?â
the crowd around them kept bombarding them with similar questions.
âi heard that you headed out with a survivorsâ team, where is that team now?â
âmaybe all the members of that team were killed byâ¦â
in their minds, the strength of survivorsâ teams was inferior to that of the military. even the panther squad had suffered heavy losses, so they found it reasonable that the survivorsâ team would not have made it.
âyouâre wrong. they left before us. i donât know about their current situation,â said captain guan in a sad tone.
âleft early? did they run away?â asked a man in military uniform with a frown.
beside him was a female officer. she smiled coldly and said, âshi ying squad, right? i knew that they would be deserters! i bet that when they encountered the mutant birds, they were scared to death.â naturally, the female officer was wan lan, who had been punished because of jiang liushi back at the safety zone. she had been assigned to an inferior post, so how could she not feel angry and spiteful after hearing about jiang liushiâs team?
âexcuse me, the shi ying squad drives a minibus, right?â asked a younger female officer.
âyes, but why do you ask?â wan lan turned and asked curiously.
the younger officer was suddenly shocked by her question, and then she explained, âi knew them when i was still in shenhai island. however, i donât think they could do that, theyâ¦â
âsh*t up. what do you know? are you familiar with them? facts speak louder than words. that captain, jiang liushi, isnât a kind guy.â wan lan interrupted the younger officerâs words with her cold smile.
âagain with the shenhai islandâ¦â
wan lan didnât care about the matters of shenhai island at all. in fact, she hated anything related to it. although she could only lower her head and listen carefully whenever general zhang talked about it, the young female officer wasnât her equal. how could she let her talk about it and hear out her explanation?
the younger officerâs face turned red as she had been reprimanded before so many people. after hesitating for a while, she asked again, âexcuse me, where is shi ying squad?â
âi donât know,â answered captain guan while shaking his head.
âwhy are you still asking silly questions? maybe they will never come back,â said wan lan with a wide smile. she hoped that jiang liushi and his team were no longer in the world of the living.
however, at that moment, she felt her back was cold. she was frightened and suddenly turned to look back. she was totally shocked after turning back. jiang liushi was standing in front of her!
âsay that again,â said jiang liushi.
wan lan didnât know what to do next. she had never expected that jiang liushi could be here. jiang liushiâs fierce staring eyes made her heart almost jump out of her chest. but, she regained her wits swiftly as she thought that she was safe since they were standing before the headquartersâ entrance.
although general zhang was jiang liushiâs backer, wan lan believed that the military would harshly punish any deserter no matter who they were. in her mind, as long as captain guan reported about the situation, she knew that they would be driven out of the safety zone. at the same time, wan lan was quite delighted as she was under the impression that her previous judgment was spot on; an arrogant team was harmful to others.
âhow can your mouth be so stinky? how long has it been since you last brushed your teeth?â asked jiang zhuying with a frown. she was really annoyed by wan lanâs spiteful remarks. as a result, she walked toward wan lan faster than her brother.
wan lan was startled by the sudden and rude question, but she still smiled. âoh? why did you come back? you were under the protection of our soldiers, but you still chose to run away after facing danger!? if i were you, iâd find a place to hide. what a nerve! shame on you!â
âoh, captain guan, thatâs what you told them?â asked jiang liushi and stared at captain guan and bai jiayan.
captain guan just opened his mouth, but he didnât know what to say next. he didnât expect that shi ying squad would come back so soon.
âyou came backâ¦.â when he saw jiang liushi, captain guan felt nervous and tried his best to explain. actually, he hadnât said that jiang liushi and his team had run away, but he also didnât expect the situation to take such a turn. he knew that if he were, to tell the truth, his team would become a laughingstock.
âactually, shi ying squad didnât run away. they just acted separately from us,â explained captain guan hurriedly.
âat that time, captain jiang sensed that danger in advance and advised us to leave as soon as possible, but i didnât follow his suggestion. as a result, captain jiang decided to leave with his team. but as soon as they left, the catastrophe followedâ¦i should take full responsibility for this loss,â added captain guan sadly.
everyone was astounded when they heard that. then, they started whispering. wan lan felt it was impossible. after being stunned momentarily, she thought of something and immediately asked, âsince they sensed the danger and suffered the attacks of the mutant birds, why are all of their members still okay? why is that minibus still intact? you obviously suffered great losses compared to them.â
many survivors also felt perplexed after listening to her question.
at that moment, bai jiayan sighed. âthatâs because captain jiangâs minibus is outstanding and powerful,â answered bai jiayan to wan lanâs question directly. it was purely a large gap in strength!
wan lan was not only shocked, but she also felt that she was about to have a mental breakdown. jiang liushiâs power had not only convinced captain guan, but also bai jiayan, who had come from the huaxia region!
captain guan had also assumed full responsibility, which meant that jiang liushi would not be punished at all. instead, they should all apologize to jiang liushi!
as expected, captain guan bowed his head to jiang liushi and said gratefully, âiâm truly sorry. i should apologize to all my teammates as well as the shi ying squad. but for now, we need to report as soon as possible.â then, captain guan and bai jiayan left at once, entering the headquarters.
the crowd continued whispering after their departure.
at that moment, jiang liushi stared at wan lan and asked, âdonât you also have to say something to me?â
wan lan was scared, but she also felt very angry. âsay what? since you are powerful enough, why didnât you rescue them? they died because of youâ¦â
âwhat do you want to do?â asked a male officer with a frown after seeing the scene. âthis is the safety zone, do you want to fight?â
âlin yuanâ¦â wan lan stepped back and hid behind lin yuan quickly.
âa little misunderstanding. donât mind,â said lin yuan stiffly.
jiang liushi just looked at them indifferently, and then he smiled. âzhuying, letâs go.â
lin yuan looked at them all the time until they walked far away. he felt jiang liushiâs smile was meaningful.
but after all, this was the safety zone, and jiang liushi couldnât do anything. moreover, this conflict wasnât the trouble for them to fight.
lin yun turned back and said to wan lan, âdonât worry. but remember not to bother him anymore.â
wan lan retorted, âhow could i be afraid of him in the security zone? but i didnât know he was here just now. in any case, i need to thank you, lin yuan.â
âyou donât have to thank me. i just looked out for you because of your sister. if your sister learns that youâre causing trouble, she will scold you.â said lin yuan.
âwhy? am i wrong? even if i misunderstood him, he indeed didnât rescue them,â shouted wan lan.
lin yuan sighed. he didnât have any method to change her mind and was worried about wan lanâs future from his heart. wan lan had a good opinion of herself, but she didnât possess the power to support it. sooner or later, she would do something impulsive.
jiang liushi and jiang zhuying were walking, but they heard fast footsteps coming from behind. without waiting for the other party to call him, jiang liushi stopped and then turned his head: âwho?â