During the conversation between Ling Mo and the other party, the people around were watching him with shock. However, as bystanders, they couldnât glean much from the limited responses given by Ling Mo. Among them, Zhang Chenghui, who was standing at the back, was especially anxious. He knew this communication was from the Falcons, but he didnât expect Ling Mo to have such connections.
âItâs over, itâs over, he hasnât mentioned the hostage exchange at allâ¦â a sliver of hope in Zhang Chenghuiâs heart was slowly diminishing.
Old Zheng also had a complex expression on his face, feeling quite conflicted about Ling Mo. On one hand, he was always thinking about when he could beat this jerk up, but on the other hand, he hoped Ling Mo would demonstrate more strength and more aces up his sleeve. However, as more hints were revealed by Ling Mo, he couldnât help but feel increasingly uneasyâ¦
âThe correct approach is certainly to distance myself from Ling Mo as soon as possible. With this display of goodwill, at least forming an alliance afterward shouldnât be an issue⦠But what if I help them out? In that case, it definitely wonât just be a simple alliance⦠Although the Central Region Campâs main goal is survival, the more people we support, the more resources we needâ¦â
Old Zheng thought with a conflicted expression, âShould I take the gamble?â
Moments later, Ling Mo put down the communicator and looked up. The complex look in his eyes showed that he had gleaned quite a bit of information from the other side.
âWho was it?â Xia Na was the only one to take the initiative to ask in the silence.
âSu Qianrou,â Ling Mo replied without any intention of hiding.
âItâs herâ¦â Ye Lian and the three girls exchanged glances. With their memory abilities, they could immediately recall her appearance upon hearing her name. However, aside from Xia Na, who seemed contemplative, Ye Lian and Li Yalin quickly lost interest.
âThe Chief of Staffâ¦â Zhang Chenghui was momentarily stunned, forgetting his complaints.
âIt was her!â Old Zheng exclaimed in surprise, a chill running through his heart, âWe had consulted with her about cooperation back then!â
Wang Lin continued, âSpeaking of which, it was also her suggestion for us to head to the Second Camp alone, wasnât it? Judging by her attitude, she seems to have granted the Second Camp considerable autonomyâ¦â
The groupâs reactions varied, and Ling Moâs gaze toward them was equally diverse.
As Ling Mo glanced over, Zhang Chenghui immediately looked down guiltily, while Old Zheng cleared his throat.
âThe Central Region Camp must have a lot of information, but among these two, Old Zheng knows the most, not Wang Lin⦠Unfortunately, now isnât the right time to question them. Heâs probably waiting to see the final outcome before deciding whether to engage in deeper discussions with meâ¦â
Ling Mo thought for a moment, then casually destroyed the communicator and said, âAlthough we got some help from her, our current predicament wonât be resolved that easily. On the contrary, weâll need to hasten our departureâ¦â He nudged the pile of debris with his toe and uncovered a small plastic box. âThis thing might not be so simple; otherwise, she wouldnât have contacted us so quickly⦠Her tone seemed probing, but if she wasnât quite confident, why would she rashly reach outâ¦â
Ling Mo was somewhat wary of Su Qianrou. Her ability to rise to a senior position within the Falcon indicated that she was not of simple mind. Even with the current circumstances, she managed to remain the Chief of Staff, which testifies to her brilliance.
âProbably, her main stakes arenât placed on me, right? This is completely different compared to Yuwen Xuan, that lunatic⦠Iâm just not sure how that lunatic is doing nowâ¦â
As he turned, a glint of coldness flashed through Ling Moâs eyes: âCoveting the Second Camp, targeting me⦠If youâre so confident, why donât you try and catch upâ¦â
â¦
âThis person is still as unwilling as ever to suffer any lossâ¦â
In a high-rise building in A City, Su Qianrou stood on the rooftop, gazing into the distance and murmuring to herself.
Behind her stood a bespectacled girl with a tool chest-like object hanging in front of her. It contained a laptop, and several small devices were placed on either side. As Ling Mo destroyed the communicator, the girl suddenly let out an exclamation, âAh! The light dot disappeared!â
While speaking, the girl raised her hands and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.
âAlright, Li Wei,â Su Qianrou adjusted her hair with a wry smile, âHe probably already noticed, or rather, given his level of caution, itâs only natural that he wouldâ¦â
âWhat a pity, we had already hinted for him to stayâ¦â Li Wei sighed, âIt wouldnât have been detrimental to himâ¦â
âItâs not about whether itâs detrimental; some people just donât like being controlled, even indirectly. Kind gestures like this wonât be accepted by someone like him. But even so, the offer I made was sincere enough. Even if it doesnât move him, he has no other options in his current situationâ¦â Su Qianrou mumbled, âBut I canât invest blindly either, much less place all my bets on him. So consider that Destruction unit an interview⦠If you pass, I might just give you a very important piece of informationâ¦â
As she spoke, she gently flicked her wrist, and a card suddenly appeared between her fingers.
One side of the card was printed with an image, while the other side displayed several lines of text. In the dim light, everything appeared somewhat blurredâ¦
âThis is something youâll definitely find interestingâ¦â
â¦
In the wilderness near the abandoned town.
Tall wild grass, standing over a personâs height, had completely overtaken the once-fertile fields, even burying some of the original roads. Occasionally, one could glimpse a few dilapidated houses amidst it all, but the walls were already covered with tangled vines. Clumps of dark green weeds sprouted from the wall cracks, and whenever the wind blew, they rustled with a âwhimper whimperâ sound.
âItâs surprising how easily we can move through this kind of areaâ¦â Old Zheng looked ahead warily. The three girls were effortlessly clearing a path in the wilderness, and as long as the group followed closely and paid a little attention, they wouldnât be cut by the grass. This level of ability wouldnât have shocked him if it were daytime⦠but it was nighttime!
To avoid revealing their location, they couldnât use flashlights. With everyone surrounded by tall grass, almost all had lost their sense of direction during the march, and even their vision was becoming dull. Yet the three girls seemed completely unaffected, and Ling Mo appeared to have no trouble eitherâ¦
âWill they really chase us in here?â Lan Lan suddenly asked in a low voice.
Since entering this area, she had involuntarily fallen silent. Itâs understandable; traveling through such a terrain could easily foster a deeper sense of fatigue, along with a subtle, pervasive sense of unease that added a psychological burden.
âYes,â Ling Mo nodded confidently.
This much was clear from what Kaili had mentionedâ¦
âIn that case, we canât just keep walking like this, right? We donât even know the current situation at the Second Camp. Itâs not feasible to head straight there, especially with unpredictable encounters along the wayâ¦â Old Zheng said worriedly. âTo be honest, I feel like something around here is watching usâ¦â
âAh! Where, where?!â Zhang Chenghui jumped up nervously, looking around.
Xia Na glanced back at Old Lan and Zhang Chenghui, then pinched her chin thoughtfully, âThatâs definitely not possible⦠These twoâs stamina wonât hold for long⦠No, itâs not just them. If we keep walking in the wilderness, everyone except the three of us will struggle to continue⦠Ling-Ge spreading out his psychic power is also quite a burdenâ¦â
âThatâs why this is just another battlefield,â Ling Mo said.
âWhat?â Wang Lin immediately turned back to ask.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ling Mo smiled slightly and said, âIn a place like this, we actually have the advantage. Sometimes, having more people can become a burden.â