nycdaug Chapter 131 Split up
Chapter 131 Split up
Before returning to the hotel, Li Chenglong patiently scanned the area again with his True Dragon Eye. Just as Xu Qingming had said, all the people watching him were gone. He greeted the shopkeeper who was arranging goods and went upstairs. A while later, Jiang Hui and Wang Shuang came to Li Chenglong's room, and he told them about his conversation with Xu Qingming that evening. After listening, Jiang Hui remarked, "That's a bit strange."
Li Chenglong asked with a smile, "What do you find strange?" Jiang Hui reorganized his thoughts, "Actually, I can't quite put my finger on it. Putting everything else aside for now, their alliance is a bit odd. The Xu and Wei families have always been marginalized, so forming an alliance is understandable. But it's completely unnecessary for the Chen family. Compared to the relatively weak Xu and Wei families, the Nie and Lei families are clearly stronger. For the Chen family to ally with the weaker ones against the significantly stronger ones is a thankless task. Moreover, if they fail, it could be a catastrophe."
Wang Shuang nodded, agreeing with Jiang Hui's idea: "I also think there might be a problem here. Also, according to the captain, their conference will be held in Suqian City in a week. That's their territory. Going to someone else's territory and having to fight against them is quite difficult, even if these three families are truly an unbreakable alliance. Moreover, I've also discovered in the past two days that there are many spies in Xuzhou City. Their actions may have already been discovered."
“Excellent, excellent, you’ve considered everything very thoroughly.” Li Chenglong continued, picking up where they left off, “Actually, I did consider these things when discussing cooperation, but after thinking it over, I decided to cooperate with the Xu family first. Within this organization, only the Xu and Wei families have explicitly stated their unwillingness to conquer the three northern bases. Although Xu Qingming’s own intentions are still for the Xu family’s benefit, this indirectly eliminates our worries. You see, although things are calm lately, with neither zombies nor alien beasts showing any signs of a major offensive, no one wants such a powerful enemy stabbing them in the back should a special situation arise. Therefore, I feel supporting the Xu family is necessary.”
Li Chenglong paused and continued, "The most crucial point is that if this operation succeeds, it will severely damage the core combat power of the Chinese Federation, weaken their strength, and ensure they never have the resources to challenge us again. Currently, we have about ten Level 6 and two Level 7 in Dawn City. I believe that within a month at most, several more Level 7s will appear. Moreover, the cleanup of Linhai City is nearing completion. By then, we will be the strongest force in these provinces and will not fear anyone's invasion. Therefore, this is a very advantageous situation for us."
Li Chenglong stared at the two of them: "To be on the safe side, Wang Shuang, you'll have to work hard. Sneak out of the city tonight, return to Shuguang City, and bring back all the special forces members at level four or above. Then infiltrate Suqian City. This mission is very important. Tell Yang Liu and Zhao Liying to be extremely careful. Also, here are two letters. Give one to Yun Lan and the other to Zheng Yong." After saying this, Li Chenglong took out the detailed map of Suqian City after its modification, which Xu Qingming had given him, and handed it to Wang Shuang along with the letters. Wang Shuang gave Li Chenglong a standard salute: "I guarantee I will complete the mission!" After saying this, she prepared to leave. Li Chenglong took out a bag containing dozens of crimson crystals and handed it to Wang Shuang.
After Wang Shuang left, Jiang Hui stood up and said, "City Lord, is there anything I can do for you?" Li Chenglong considered for a moment, "There's a mission right now, but it's a bit dangerous." Jiang Hui patted his chest, "Just tell me what the mission is. I, Jiang Hui, am no longer the coward I used to be." Li Chenglong said seriously, "Life is only once, so you must cherish it no matter what. I want you to take Li Qiang with you to Suqian City. Once you get there, be extra careful, explore the basics, and ideally find a safe and secluded resting place for the special forces who arrive later. Remember, be extremely cautious." Jiang Hui nodded firmly, "Okay, I'll set off first thing tomorrow morning. Just wait for my good news." Li Chenglong took out a small bag from his storage space, which contained many white and red crystals, and handed it to Jiang Hui.
The next morning, after saying goodbye to Li Chenglong, Jiang Hui set off with Li Qiang. He went downstairs alone, ordered a plate of fried noodles from the owner, quickly finished eating, and then went to the stadium where the martial arts competition was being held; today was the last day.
The third day's arena was quite intense. Besides the four level-five ability users who remained as champions, Li Chenglong and the other level-four users faced numerous challenges, and three champions were replaced. At 7 PM, the martial arts tournament concluded on time. Li Chenglong and the other ten champions went to the main stage to be selected by the Xu and Chen families, receiving substantial rewards of crystals and supplies. The Xu and Chen families had agreed beforehand that each family would select five champions. Xu Qingming first chose two level-five ability users, then selected Li Chenglong and two level-four ability users. After the rewards were distributed, Xu Qingming invited them to a dinner at the largest hotel in Xuzhou City, promising them many benefits. Even Xu Fumin attended.
Over the next few days, Li Chenglong and several other ability users chosen by the Xu family familiarized themselves with the First and Third Armies under Xu Qingming's guidance. The First Army currently had over 8,000 men, and the Third Army over 9,000. Although their individual combat strength was much weaker than that of the Dawn Army soldiers, Li Chenglong had to admit that if a real war broke out, the nearly 80,000 men of the ten armies of the Chinese Federation would still put immense pressure on Dawn City, requiring a bloody battle to win. Li Chenglong also secretly decided that after fully capturing Linhai City, he would begin expanding the army in Dawn City. Currently, the Dawn Army, including the special forces, only had 3550 men, which was indeed far too few.
During this time, Li Chenglong also had two long conversations with Xu Limin, the head of the Xu family and a level 6, level 3 ability user. He had developed some admiration for this man who was approaching 50. Xu Limin offered many constructive suggestions and had his own unique understanding of the causes of the zombie crisis. Most importantly, he wasn't particularly interested in interpersonal combat. If he hadn't been almost driven to the brink of death by the Nie and Lei families, he wouldn't have wanted to unite with others to overthrow their rule.
On August 9th, as soon as Li Chenglong returned to the hotel, the landlady said at the counter, "You're back. Your sister just arrived." Li Chenglong exclaimed with delight, "Really? That's wonderful!" He then went upstairs and opened the door to his room, where Wang Shuang was already waiting.