Not even if he’s an Evolver!
"Who are you? What kind of cooperation do you want to discuss?" one of the captains asked, sizing him up from head to toe.
"Let me introduce myself. I’m Jing Shu, captain of the Dawn Base," the man replied in an exceptionally relaxed tone.
The captains were all stunned. They never expected the person who had come alone to be the supreme leader of the Dawn Base!
A quick-witted captain suddenly spoke up. "So, if we were to capture you, would the Dawn Base become ours?"
"If they don’t resist, then yes," Jing Shu said with a smile and a nod.
Seeing Jing Shu remain so composed, the captains were surprised. ’Does this guy have nerves of steel?’
"What did you come here to talk to us about?" another captain asked.
"Cooperation, of course. You were able to capture the Han Jin Association Fleet because we provided the coordinates, so we’re entitled to a share, wouldn’t you say? However, since we’re all joining forces, there’s no need to split hairs. We’ll become a single base. At that scale, aside from the Aircraft Carrier Base, no other base in the Dragon Country will be our equal!"
Hearing Jing Shu’s words, all the captains were stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"We have twenty-five large ships here. Even if they’re damaged, you and your one ship can’t just come here and try to muscle in on us!"
"I actually think he has a point. Since their cruise ship delivered itself to our doorstep, I suppose we can ’reluctantly’ accept it!"
"That’s right. I also agree to absorb the Dawn Base. After all, we lost too many people in this battle and need some fresh blood!"
One captain looked at Jing Shu and chuckled. "You heard them. No one objects. You can bring your cruise ship over. However, once you join us, you won’t be a captain anymore. The supplies on your ship will belong to the base as well. Consider it your fee for joining the United Fleet!"
Hearing this, the other captains all nodded and smiled.
Jing Shu smiled as well. "Fine by me. After I join you, I certainly can’t be a captain anymore."
Hearing him say so himself, the captains laughed even harder. They never imagined the captain of the Dawn Base would be so eager to become their subordinate.
"From now on, you will all address me as Fleet Commander," Jing Shu continued with a smile.
"Huh?"
The captains were stunned once more.
"What did you say? You want to be the Fleet Commander?"
"I say, Comrade Jing Shu, have you failed to grasp the current situation?"
"I really have to admire your courage. Coming here all by yourself and still daring to talk so big! Aren’t you afraid we’ll just ’keep’ you here?"
Jing Shu nodded slightly. "I see the situation very clearly. Does anyone have any objections?"
"Damn it, I can’t stand posers!" A captain pulled out his pistol.
But before he could even raise his arm, a ball of fire shot out and struck him, instantly engulfing him in flames.
"AHH!" The captain let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Shit, he’s a Fire-Type Evolver!"
"How dare you! Put out the fire, quickly!"
"Shoot him! Kill him now!"
Some of the men grabbed fire extinguishers and started spraying the burning captain.
The men who had their guns aimed at Jing Shu had just reacted and were about to fire when he vanished from their sight, weaving into the crowd of captains.
He casually grabbed a captain, held a dagger to his throat, and said, "The moment you let me on board, the outcome was sealed. I’ll give you two choices. One, I kill every captain here and take your ships and your crews. Two, you submit to me, and you can remain in your management positions. Don’t pin your hopes on those weapons. They might have been useful at a distance, but they’re useless now."
The flames on the first captain had been extinguished, but he had suffered extensive burns and had already passed out. With their current medical capabilities, his survival was unlikely.
What was worse was that he wouldn’t die right away.
Seeing the captain’s horrifying state, not a single one of the others wanted to experience being burned alive.
Furthermore, Jing Shu’s speed had just proven that an Evolver’s physique was far superior to an ordinary person’s. Once he got close, they might as well give up resisting.
Given the choice, no one would choose death—especially when submitting to Jing Shu meant they could still be part of the management.
For these captains, there was only one real option.
"We... submit!"
"A very wise choice." Jing Shu nodded slightly, then issued a command. "Tell your men to put down their weapons."
"Yes!"
Soon after, the Dawn Cruise pulled alongside. They smoothly took control of all the ships and secured all the weapons.
With the United Fleet disarmed of its firearms, Jing Shu could finally relax.
"Immediately take stock of the Han Jin Association’s supplies. At the same time, confirm whether or not this is Peach Blossom Base," Jing Shu ordered the captains.
"Yes, sir!" the captains responded in unison.
Without their weapons, they had no chance of turning the tables and could only accept their fate.
With plenty of manpower, the inventory was completed quickly, and the captains began to report to Jing Shu.
After listening to their reports, Jing Shu frowned slightly. "So you’re saying this really isn’t Peach Blossom Base?"
The captains nodded.
"This Peach Blossom Base is hidden really well," Jing Shu remarked.
A captain cautiously asked, "Fleet Commander, what should we do with the prisoners?"
Jing Shu replied in a cold voice, "They dared to experiment on our countrymen. We’ll treat them the same way."
"I don’t think we have any research personnel, sir," an adjutant standing nearby whispered. "According to our interrogations, the Han Jin Association’s leader, Park Yiye, took a large number of researchers and all the data when she left."
Jing Shu pondered for a moment before giving his orders. "First, find specialists to recover the data—as much as you can. Then, see if we have anyone with relevant lab experience among our people. We have to at least try. Otherwise, all those prisoners would be a waste."
"Yes, sir!" The captains acknowledged and departed.
"Developing the Evolution Potion is a highly specialized task. Even if we find people with some lab experience, I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to get any results," the adjutant said, worried their efforts would be in vain.
Jing Shu nodded slightly. "I understand. But the research data itself is still useful. We might be able to trade it with the Aircraft Carrier Base for something good."
The adjutant was taken aback for a second, then nodded in sudden understanding.
After a moment of thought, Jing Shu decided to expose what the Han Jin Association Fleet had been doing. This would lay the groundwork for him to sell the research data later on.
Meanwhile, everyone at Peach Blossom Base was already awake. Ren Yuanyang and the others had just finished practicing their Five Animals Qigong when Qin Haonan picked up his phone.
"What’s going on? The Dawn Base was also part of the force that attacked the Magpie Country’s fleet?" Qin Haonan exclaimed in shock.
Ren Yuanyang paused, also opening the regional channel to take a look.
He had to scroll up several pages before he saw the message posted by Jing Shu.
"Greetings, fellow survivors. After a friendly discussion, the Dawn Base and the United Fleet have decided to merge, continuing under the Dawn Base name. Our base has just been through a fierce battle and finally captured the Magpie Country’s Han Jin Association Fleet. However, on their ships, we were furious to discover that they were experimenting on our countrymen. The Dawn Base hereby declares that from now on, any Magpie Country force we encounter will be killed on sight!"
"Damn it, the Magpie Country is also experimenting on our people? Did they learn that from the Lvzhi Country?"
"’Learn from the Lvzhi Country’?! They must have all gotten orders from their master!"
"You mean the Sea Eagle Country is behind it?"
"It’s a no-brainer. Without the Sea Eagle Country’s orders and support, there’s no way the Magpie Country has the technological capability to develop an Evolution Potion!"
"We’re in the middle of this Great Flood, and those two dogs of the Sea Eagle Country are still so loyal?"
"Loyal? I doubt it. Before, they were just afraid of the Sea Eagle Country’s aircraft carrier fleets. After the geomagnetic storm, they’re probably just looking out for themselves."
"Afraid of aircraft carrier fleets? Get real. An aircraft carrier burns a ton of fuel. Even if they knew my location, they wouldn’t necessarily come all this way for me."
"Did you forget about nuclear-powered aircraft carriers? One refueling can keep a nuclear carrier running for about thirty years. You think they’re worried about fuel?"
"True, but that might not be the case after the geomagnetic storm. The more advanced the equipment, the more it’s affected. A nuclear-powered carrier might not even be able to move anymore!"
"Hey, guy above me, stop spouting nonsense. The geomagnetic storm wouldn’t affect a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier!"
"Heh, I’d like to ask Mr. Big Brain up there: does a geomagnetic storm affect electronics? Are there any electronics on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier? Do you even know how strong the recent geomagnetic storm was? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then shut your mouth!"
"This is getting pretty technical. Maybe you guys should discuss it in private messages. I just want to ask, was that Magpie Country fleet really the Peach Blossom Base?"

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