The First Order

Meanwhile, Luo Lan was panting as he sat in the backseat of the off-road vehicle. He was making a call on a satellite phone. “Hey, Zhang Jinglin has appeared!”

The person on the other end of the call fell silent for a moment. “Has it been verified?”

“It’s not verified yet, but if it’s true, should I kill him?” Luo Lan seemed to be seeking the other person’s opinion. “Why does this old boy have to hide in my territory of all places?”

From his tone, it sounded like Luo Lan considered Zhang Jinglin a hot potato of sorts.

Everyone usually felt that Luo Lan was always smiling and easy to approach, but the smart ones all knew that Luo Lan wasn’t that different from his crazy younger brother. They were both thick-skinned and black-hearted murderers.

If Yan Liuyuan heard what Luo Lan asked, he would be extremely worried for Zhang Jinglin. However, the person on the other end of the satellite call asked, “Kill him?”

“That’s right,” Fatty Luo said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

“A lot of people have now heard he’s still alive, right?” The person on the other end said, “Don’t you think that, if you kill him now, that damned group from Stronghold 178 might even abandon their stronghold and come over to kill you?”

Luo Lan actually shivered at the words. “I can get it done without causing a scene.”

“There’s no such thing as an impervious wall in this world.” The other person said, “Send him back to Stronghold 178. Isn’t someone guarding the Northern Frontier for us better? Even if he has to die… it cannot be to the hands of our Qing Consortium, much less by your hand.”

“But what if one day, he…” Luo Lan hesitated.

“It won’t be too late to kill him at that time. For now, we’ll let others get a headache over this.” The person on the other end sounded unquestionably firm. He then seemed to think of something. “By the way, I’m at the Jing Mountains. Is there a refugee from your place named Ren Xiaosu?”

Luo Lan froze: “The one who sells medicine?!”

This time, it was the person on the other end who was surprised. “What about selling medicine? Who’s selling medicine?”

“It’s nothing,” Luo Lan said with some diffidence. “Did you discover anything in the Jing Mountains? I only found out two days ago that Old Liu from our Stronghold 113 secretly sent a squad of private troops to the Jing Mountains. They were even traveling under the pretense of being a band. How childish. I actually quite liked the female singer. It’s such a waste that she’s probably going to die in the Jing Mountains.”

“Oh, the female singer you’re talking about, she’s not dead yet,” the person on the other end said with a laugh. “So Ren Xiaosu is the one who sells medicine and Luo Xinyu is the singer, but who is Yang Xiaojin?”

“Yang Xiaojin? I’ve never even heard of that name before,” Luo Lan muttered. “Discover anything in the Jing Mountains?”

“I’m close to locating the research lab from before The Cataclysm.” The person on the other end said, “But, Bro, you can take a back seat in Stronghold 113. You shouldn’t be questioning me on such matters.”

“Oh.” Luo Lan fell silent for a moment. In a normal family, the elder brother would usually have more say over things. However, Boss Luo had absolutely no authority before his younger brother.

“One more question.” The person on the other end asked, “How long has it been since Luo Xinyu became a singer at your stronghold?”

“About two years?” Luo Lan replied.

“Then does that Ren Xiaosu have any friends or relatives?” the person on the other end asked.

“I think he has a younger brother,” Luo Lan said. Then he turned to Wang Congyang, who was beside him, and asked, “Does that Ren Xiaosu have any friends or relatives?”

Wang Congyang froze. “This Zhang Jinglin is his friend….”

Luo Lan was taken aback. “How coincidental.”

“Then don’t touch his brother. They’re just refugees.” The person on the other end sounded less hostile. “While you’re sending Zhang Jinglin back to the Northern Frontier, ship Old Liu off from your Stronghold 113 as well. He has no place over there anymore.”

Luo Lan muttered, “Why don’t we just kill him? It’s so much more trouble sending him away.”

“Just do as I say.” With a click, the other person hung up.

Wang Congyang, who was sitting next to Luo Lan, did not say a word. He had not expected these two brothers could decide the fate of a stronghold overseer with just a call. So this was what an organization could do.

…

At this time, it had also turned dark in the Jing Mountains. The Qing Consortium troops had erected huge spotlights around the excavation sites, with one shining in each of the four cardinal directions, illuminating the entire city in the valley.

The consortium was very experienced at combat operations, so they were used to treating every mission as a real battle. The only difference was that some battles were more major than others.

And the most important factors in a battle were: intelligence and reconnaissance.

After the young man dressed in a white suit hung up, he looked at Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu, who were in front of him, with a smile. It had been several hours since the battle between the combat troops and the Experimental ended. Only afterwards were Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu taken to this ruined city.

“I forgot to introduce myself earlier.” The young man in the white suit said with a smile, “I am Qing Zhen of the Qing Consortium, also known as Luo Lan’s younger brother. I’m very happy to meet you two, my guests, Mr. Liu Bu and Ms. Luo Xinyu.”

Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu’s hands had been secured behind their backs with plastic ties. This did not make them feel like they were guests at all. Liu Bu suddenly said, “Everything that I said just now is true. I didn’t hide anything. Xu Xianchu is a supernatural being, and Yang Xiaojin is also very likely one. But the person you have to be wariest of is that Ren Xiaosu. I suggest you kill him on the spot if you encounter him! Their motives in coming to the Jing Mountains definitely aren’t innocent. I’m sure they’re trying to infringe on the interests of the Qing Consortium. I’m very familiar with Boss Luo, so you mustn’t kill me!”

Qing Zhen thought for a moment before asking, “Have you two heard about that schoolteacher from town, Zhang Jinglin?”

Liu Bu was startled. “I’ve heard Ren Xiaosu mention him a few times before. But why are you asking about this? Is it Zhang Jinglin who has a problem? That Ren Xiaosu seems to be very close to Zhang Jinglin, so there has to be a problem with him!”

Liu Bu was getting flustered and panicky. He was answering almost every question posed to him. Usually, the members of the consortium were gentlemanly and refined, and there was always a very graceful demeanor about them when they attended galas or parties.

But right now, they were surrounded by countless troops. These soldiers were all standing as still as statues, yet keeping an eye on all that was going on around them.

The gentleman revealed his fangs and muscularity all of a sudden, as his malicious nature that was usually hidden under his elegant exterior reared its head!

Liu Bu had only heard of Qing Zhen because of Boss Luo. Many of Stronghold 113’s residents had secretly talked about this pair of strange brothers. However, Qing Zhen’s reputation was not good because he was always the one handling the Qing Consortium’s assassinations in recent years.

According to what many people say, Qing Zhen was a demon who skinned his dead victims.