Chapter Sixty-Four: The Plan

The next day, Qin Yu decided to gather Wang Bing and the others together, for the times were about to change swiftly. She instructed Zhao Meng and her companions to go to the mission hall and accept tasks, making sure to do so conspicuously, to show that the Falcon Squad had not harmed them—in fact, to hint that something might have happened to the Falcon Squad.

Meanwhile, Qin Yu went to summon Wang Bing and the rest. After breakfast, she parted ways with Zhao Meng and the others.

Soon, Qin Yu arrived at Wang Bing's residence. Coincidentally, Wang Bing was at home, recuperating from injuries sustained during a mission a few days before.

Wang Bing was visibly moved upon seeing Qin Yu; he quickly sat up and said, "Leader Qin, what brings you here?"

Qin Yu regarded his excitement and soothed him, "Brother Wang Bing, lie back down. You're so badly hurt—careful not to reopen your wounds."

Wang Bing smiled and replied, "It's nothing, Leader Qin. Did you come to ask us to do something?"

"Yes, there is indeed something," Qin Yu answered, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I've already gathered Xia Cheng and Xiao Meng, along with three others you know. I came today to bring you all together as well, because the winds in this base are about to shift."

"Ah? Leader Qin, what could be so urgent as to gather us all at once?" Wang Bing scratched his head.

"It's like this," Qin Yu explained. "Feng Mei'er from the Falcon Squad has died for reasons unknown. Her psychic abilities can no longer control certain squad members, so they may soon become restless. Chaos is inevitable, and that's when we'll seize our opportunity."

A glimmer flashed in Wang Bing's eyes. "So, we—"

Qin Yu nodded, smiling in affirmation. The thought of securing a foothold in the base brought her closer to the hope of seeing her dear brother Li again, and this filled her with happiness.

Noticing the gentle expression on Qin Yu's face, Wang Bing guessed who she must be thinking of, but he dared not ask—he knew provoking her could be dangerous.

Ji Shuo entered just then, witnessing the harmonious scene. He joked, "Hey, what are you two up to?"

Qin Yu snapped out of her reverie, glanced at him, and said, "We're discussing gathering your group together. This time, we're going to pull off something big."

A spark shone in Ji Shuo’s eyes as he walked over. "Really? How big?"

Qin Yu shot him a look. "You'll know soon enough. For now, gather everyone—I have something to say."

Ji Shuo replied enthusiastically, "Got it, Leader Qin. Wait here, I'll call them!"

Qin Yu nodded, then turned to Wang Bing. "Once you see Xia Cheng, let him heal your wounds. It'll be quick."

Wang Bing nodded in delight, grinning.

Soon, everyone arrived.

Qin Yu looked at them and spoke, "It's been a while, hasn't it? This time, we're about to do something major."

Everyone nodded, and someone asked, "Leader Qin, what is it? What do you need us to do?"

"Feng Mei'er from the Falcon Squad is dead," Qin Yu said slowly. "I’ll tell you more later. For now, I want you to spread a message throughout the base."

"What message?" someone asked.

"Spread the news of Feng Mei'er's death. Make sure everyone knows, but don’t let anyone trace it back to you. Can you manage that?" Qin Yu’s tone grew stern.

"We can!" they answered in unison.

Hearing this, Qin Yu smiled.

Wang Bing chimed in, "Don’t worry, Leader Qin—we’ll make sure the task is done!"

Qin Yu made a sound of agreement. "Good. Prepare yourselves. I just remembered something and need to step out. I'll have Xia Cheng come get you shortly."

Everyone nodded. Qin Yu smiled at the scene, then took her leave.

After leaving Wang Bing and the others, Qin Yu went to the trading post. She had suddenly remembered she hadn’t seen Little Flower in days, and recalled Little Flower mentioning it had spotted many shiny things recently. She resolved to retrieve them.

She knew Little Flower would be with Little Green, and by sensing Little Green’s presence, she discovered Little Red was at the trading post. Qin Yu decided to keep Little Red and Little Green close, to prevent anyone from using them for their own purposes.

After all, Little Red’s fondness for shiny objects was a weakness.

Upon arriving at the trading post, Qin Yu’s senses led her to a small stall. To her surprise, there were no shiny items at the stall—just some pre-apocalypse furniture and odds and ends.

She looked at the vendor, discovering a girl—a small girl, her frail frame evidence of long-term malnutrition.

The girl kept her head down, absently stroking Little Red in her hands. Little Red’s once-bright fur had dulled from the girl’s dirty touch.

Qin Yu noticed how unusually docile Little Red was, almost as if it were asleep.

She felt an eerie chill from the girl before her.

"Excuse me, how much for this little table?" Qin Yu pointed at the table.

The girl looked up, her voice raspy, "One bottle of water."

Qin Yu casually produced a cup, used her powers to conjure water, and handed it to the girl. "Here you go."

The girl took the water and drank it immediately. In moments, it was gone.

Qin Yu remarked, "Your cat is beautiful—I like it very much. Would you sell it?"

The girl looked at Little Red, then at Qin Yu, licking her lips as if savoring the taste of water.

She hesitated, then said, "Yes."

"What do you want for it?" Qin Yu asked.

"A bucket of water, and some bread or instant noodles," the girl replied, licking her lips.

"That’s acceptable, but I don’t have those things on me. Would you come home with me?" Qin Yu spoke gently.

The girl nodded almost instantly, her decisiveness surprising Qin Yu.

This made her curious about what the girl had been through, or what skills she possessed to be so fearless.

The girl clutched Little Red tightly, following Qin Yu, occasionally stroking it, while Little Red remained motionless.

All of it struck Qin Yu as unnervingly strange.