Volume One, Chapter 21: Qin Bao Takes Advantage of the Chaos—Raising the Price!

Looking at Liu Wufeng, once full of vigor, now haggard and troubled, with a perpetual bottle in hand, Liu Wuya couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Liu Wufeng’s story sounded tortuous, but thinking about his temperament, his current predicament was hardly a surprise.

Ye Yunxian began by subtly flattering them, hoping to ease the tension a bit, or else communication would be difficult later.

This time, however, it was Damo, once again stationed in the auxiliary decision-making system of this technical test vehicle.

“Oh, right. I’ll go call Naen and the others,” Park Chorong said, taking her phone and heading to the window to call Son Naeun and the rest.

Time slipped by, and before they realized it, the sky was already pale with the coming dawn. Yuan Fang was still stuck on the same issue, his brows furrowed in worry.

Muzi and I exchanged a smile. Shusuke’s remarks had been brilliant, logical and persuasive—impossible to refute.

Han Xia smiled and helped Zhai Nan carry things into the house. The security guard, more enthusiastic than ever, helped them move everything inside before leaving.

Over a hundred and fifty players’ corpses lay sprawled across the ground. Everyone seemed to have witnessed something terrifying, for even in death, their eyes were wide with fear and horror.

Because there were too many candidates for the interview, all companions had to wait outside the building. With encouragement from Jung Sooyeon’s gaze, Liu Shixin entered the building, embarking on his interview journey.

“This matter has been confirmed. Old Xue, you need not doubt it. In total, these private soldiers number somewhere between forty thousand,” Tang Li’s further explanation dashed Xue Longxiang’s last hopes.

Thus, he stubbornly kept the German equipment in the factory, and even insisted on retaining the compressed team developing new equipment. The pressure was enormous, but no one dared challenge him.

Everyone smiled at Mo Xi, their faces openly expressing their disbelief, as if to say, “We’re not that gullible.”

Three days later, the same words were excitedly uttered by the head of the logistics department upon returning to the capital. Just like the Harbin office staff, upon hearing that Bai Yi had traded Ulach grass for two hundred and twenty Katyusha rocket launchers, the head could hardly believe it was true.

My palm gripped the silver chain on my black shoulder bag tightly, and for a moment, a sense of grievance welled up in me.

The tone was erratic, as if every other sentence belonged to a different world—clearly a result of heavy drinking, with no logic to be found.

Si Junhao said nothing. Ai Mu couldn’t help but shudder, which only made Si Junhao grip her hand more tightly.

Lately, everyone had been busy catching the Crown Prince’s targets, forgetting about those who truly needed to be caught. Yang Fengpeng and Yi Guoru had frequent monetary exchanges; if this was proven, the Crown Prince would have every reason to reclaim the military authority in Yi Guoru’s hands.

The two searched the forest in silence. Yan Nanyan was focused on finding Shangguan Jin, saying nothing along the way. Chen Ke’er followed behind, watching his back, and suddenly recalled that Lantern Festival night, when she’d been knocked down by a passerby, and he had appeared out of nowhere to help her up.

Wearing protective gear hastily fashioned from a raincoat, Bai Yi let out a long breath. He then carefully poured the mixed solution—prepared from chromic acid and sulfuric acid—into the electrolytic cell before him, then added boric acid and magnesium oxide in proportion.

No matter what, she had to make it through the month for the sake of those two hundred and fifty taels of silver. Once she got the money, she could sever all ties with them and go her own way.

So rather than venture to the uncertain future in Zhao, he preferred to stay in Yan, biding his time, like an old horse chewing its oats in the stable, waiting for the day he could gallop across the battlefield once more.

“Teacher, do you remember the matter I spoke with you about last time?” Zhao Mingqing asked softly on the phone.

Chen Feng couldn’t possibly go to every branch to demonstrate his swordsmanship, so the other branches would certainly be different from the Laifu Inn.

Chenfeng didn’t know how much those gifts were worth, but judging from the quantity, it must have been a considerable sum.

Heh, having already come this far, what else was there to guard against? If they wanted to harm her, they’d have done it long ago.

The prime minister’s wife closed the door and walked over to Mo Nishang, carefully studying her exhausted face, her own expression full of concern.

Ximen Changhong no longer tried to persuade him—he’d said all he could, and Sun Renxing’s defeat was none of his business.

That seductive voice sounded again, and Terumi’s mind went blank. No longer hesitating, she leapt in alone!

Jiang Xinyu thought to herself: dress up to receive the emperor? Ha! Since both she and the emperor knew exactly what they wanted, what was the point?

They hadn’t even finished New Year’s Eve dinner before the muffled sounds of fireworks could be heard outside. Multicolored lights blossomed in the sky, painting half the heavens in brilliance.

During her stay in the hospital, her work had already been handed over. Now that she was back, there wasn’t much to do—just the odds and ends left in her absence.

Luo Shuiyi happily stashed away ten thousand taels of gold, while Hua Lingyu and Feng Qingye watched her with gentle, indulgent eyes.

The next morning, she left home at about the same time as Chen Xiao. The old lady was already up, and, seeing it was raining, asked Chen Xiao to drive Gu Shian to the company.

Then, a mischievous, sly smile appeared on her face. Her round eyes gleamed with gossip, and without hesitation, she dashed off toward Luo Shuiyi’s courtyard.

The higher they climbed, the fewer people there were. After walking for some distance, they spotted an octagonal pavilion up ahead. Chen Xiao handed the camera to Gu Shian.

The door was closed. I wasn’t in a hurry to leave, but instead calmed myself and sat by the bed. Not long after, the phone in my room unexpectedly rang.

That whole night, I had kept my eyes closed, not uttering a word. Chun’er and Aunt Gui watched over me until morning; by then, both were almost exhausted, leaning beside my bed and dozing off.

“Sorry, I just can’t stand using things that others have touched. Disgusting!” Yu Wei said with a smile, but her light words landed with the weight of a thousand catties.

Zihan, smiling, pulled Long Yaxin into the house, telling Xin’er to attend to her while she went to wash her face.