The aide at his side frowned even deeper. "It’s possible, but something feels off!"
Bao Mu paused, asking in confusion, "What feels off?"
"If Peach Blossom Base were really that strong, they should have wiped out our search party when it passed through!" the aide analyzed. "But after our party was ambushed, the enemy fled immediately. They clearly don’t want a direct confrontation! If they won’t even face our speedboats head-on, why would they dare attack our supply ship? Especially since our supply ship was escorted by six speedboats."
Bao Mu nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing as he speculated, "What if it was a sneak attack?"
"A sneak attack? I can’t imagine how they could bypass the six speedboats on the perimeter." The aide shook his head, then had a sudden thought. "Could they have attacked from underwater? No, that’s not right either. An underwater attack couldn’t possibly subdue everyone on the ship at once!"
Bao Mu was silent for a moment before giving his orders. "Immediately dispatch speedboats to the supply team’s last known location. At the same time, hold Dawn Base accountable! No matter what, our supply ship went missing right after trading with them. They can’t claim to have nothing to do with this!"
"Yes, sir!" The aide immediately left to relay Bao Mu’s orders.
Soon, three speedboats departed from Xi’an Base, racing toward Dawn Base.
Meanwhile, Bao Mu sent a direct message to Jing Shu: "Captain Jing Shu, our base’s supply ship lost contact after trading with you. It still hasn’t returned. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"
Jing Shu was stunned. He frowned and shot back, "What are you implying?"
"Hmph. We were kind enough to sell you purified water, and you repay us with dirty tricks?" Bao Mu didn’t care about the details; he was going to pin this on him first.
"Our transaction went very smoothly. Your supply ship left right after we finished. We want to continue doing business with you, so why would we shoot ourselves in the foot like that?" Jing Shu replied in a low voice.
"Our supply ship is missing now. You can say whatever you want, but who knows if it’s true?" The meaning behind Bao Mu’s words was clear: Dawn Base was behind this.
Jing Shu’s brow furrowed. "Captain Bao Mu, our base absolutely did not touch your supply ship. What do we have to do for you to believe us?"
A slight smirk played on Bao Mu’s lips. "It’s simple. If you really didn’t do it, then find out who did! And while you’re at it, compensate us with a population of ten thousand."
"That’s impossible!" Jing Shu refused without hesitation. "There are no traces on this vast ocean. How are we supposed to find anyone? Our base only has twenty thousand people in total. If we gave you ten thousand, we’d be finished!"
"I don’t care how you find them. If you don’t give me an explanation, our base will attack you directly and wipe Dawn Base from the history books!" Bao Mu’s tone was incredibly harsh.
Jing Shu snorted coldly. "Then there’s nothing more to discuss. Bring it on. I’ll be waiting!"
Having just lost a supply ship, Bao Mu was already incredibly frustrated. The fact that Dawn Base dared to challenge him now made him laugh in fury. "Fine. Since your base is looking to die, don’t blame me for what happens next!"
With that, he ended the chat and issued an order to the aide beside him: "Immediately dispatch three battleships and two frigates to take down Dawn Base!"
Hearing this, the aide hurriedly interjected, "My lord, please reconsider! Our energy reserves are low. If we send out these five ships, they might not have enough fuel to return!"
Bao Mu glanced at him and replied, "I never planned on them coming back. Once they capture Dawn Base, it will become our second base. That should compensate for our losses!"
’The supply ship had been carrying a great deal of materiel. Capturing the entire Dawn Base should more than make up for it!’
The aide was momentarily stunned, but then he immediately understood Bao Mu’s intention. "Yes, sir!"
Inside Dawn Base, Jing Shu immediately gave the order to prepare for battle.
"Captain, are we being approached by an enemy?" The aide at Dawn Base rushed over, his face etched with confusion.
"Xi’an Base has found an excuse to declare war on us," Jing Shu explained simply.
The aide was stunned, then cursed, "Those Western barbarians are as unreasonable as they say!"
But he quickly frowned. "Their supply ship was already so heavily armed. Their warships will be even stronger. I don’t think we can win!"
"They must have used up most of their fuel just getting here from the West. They probably can’t send too many ships to attack us. If we can defeat them, we’ll be able to capture more weapons!" Jing Shu analyzed.
The aide paused, then nodded. "I understand, but what if..."
"Don’t worry. There is no ’what if’," Jing Shu replied. "Issue the order!"
"Yes, sir!" The aide turned and left.
Jing Shu mulled it over for a moment, then summoned his trusted confidant. He whispered a few words in the man’s ear. The confidant nodded slightly, stood up, and left.
At that moment, in Peach Blossom Base, Ren Yuanyang was also sending a message to Wang Jun.
"Captain Wang, on our way back, we encountered a supply ship from Xi’an Base. After we captured it, we discovered two hundred of our compatriots on board. Under interrogation, we learned they were sold to Xi’an Base by Dawn Base. Since Dawn Base has committed such an outrageous and infuriating act, don’t you think you should deal with them?"
Seeing this message, Wang Jun paused before replying, "Brother Yang, are you suggesting we take over Dawn Base?"
"No, that’s up to you," Ren Yuanyang replied, shaking his head.
Wang Jun thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Does Peach Blossom Base happen to have abundant fuel reserves?"

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