"Old Long, be careful leading the team this time. After you take Dawn Base, hold your position there. It’s very likely that future trades between Peach Blossom Base and us will take place near Dawn Base," Wang Jun continued.
Long Zhan nodded. "Yes, sir. I’ll guard the area well!"
The survivors at the Aircraft Carrier Base were stunned to see so many ships being deployed at once.
"What’s happening? Why are so many ships going out at once? Is an enemy approaching?"
"I’m not sure. But if an enemy really is coming, we have to drive them off! We finally have a base where we can survive. We can’t let the enemy destroy it!"
"That’s right. Everyone, make sure not to leak any information about our fleet’s movements. This counts as a military secret!"
"If you didn’t say anything, the spies might not have even realized it. Now that you’ve mentioned it, you’ve just reminded them!"
"Do we really have spies in our base?"
"Damn it, if there are spies, just drag them out and beat them to death!"
"Exactly. Everyone, keep an eye on those around you for any suspicious individuals! Check with each other to see who’s been posting in the regional channel!"
"Why do we have to check that? My posts are my own private matter; no one has the right to see them!"
"If you won’t let us see, it means you’re guilty! Leader, I want to file a report!"
While the members of the Aircraft Carrier Base began to spontaneously investigate one another, Long Zhan had already led the fleet away.
The straight-line distance to Dawn Base’s last known location was over 2,000 kilometers. However, they had to navigate around some areas with high winds, so the total journey would be at least 2,400 kilometers.
Given the speed of these large vessels, the trip was estimated to take two days.
Meanwhile, at Peach Blossom Base, Xin Wan had finished gathering information on everyone from the supply ship.
The two hundred people didn’t have any specialized professional skills, but they were, at the very least, extra hands.
Xin Wan reported her findings, and Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Alright, put them to work. Have Si Youqin and the others switch to supervisory roles, mainly to keep an eye on them."
"Okay!" Xin Wan replied.
Even though the group of two hundred was mostly men, Si Youqin and the others were all Evolvers. They weren’t worried about being unable to manage them.
During lunch, Ren Yuanyang told everyone that the Aircraft Carrier Base was going to attack Dawn Base.
Qin Haonan immediately grew excited. "Chief, we can’t just sit back and watch, can we? What if I head over too?"
Ren Yuanyang immediately shook his head. "Absolutely not. Their battle will likely start with them trading artillery fire from several kilometers away. What are you going to do? Go be cannon fodder in the middle?"
Qin Haonan froze for a second, then quickly backed down. "On second thought, never mind!"
"Why else do you think I’ve left Dawn Base alone all this time? If it were really that easy to take down, I would have made it my own long ago!" Ren Yuanyang replied irritably.
Qin Haonan chuckled and then asked, "What if we have Yu Ren throw some more Confusing Fragrance?"
"Dawn Base has more than one large ship," Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head again. "We can’t guarantee we could get the Confusing Fragrance onto all of them simultaneously. Yu Ren can’t be in two places at once. And for anyone else, getting into the water and under their ships requires more than just being a good swimmer—they’d have to deal with attacks from aquatic creatures."
Being a Mutant, Yu Ren is rarely attacked by aquatic creatures as long as they don’t initiate an attack themselves.
The aquatic creatures seem to regard Yu Ren as one of their own.
"That’s a good point," Qin Haonan nodded. "So, could we release the Confusing Fragrance from a distance?"
"From too far away, the Confusing Fragrance would be diluted by the air, and we couldn’t guarantee its effectiveness," Ren Yuanyang replied. "If we get too close, they’ll just greet us with cannon fire. The risk is too high."
’If we really forced the issue, it’s not like we couldn’t win. But why go to all that trouble? Isn’t it better to let an ally deal with the enemy?’
"Alright, that does sound like a hassle. We should just sit back and enjoy the show!" Qin Haonan nodded. "When the Aircraft Carrier Base takes down Dawn Base, are they going to haul all those ships away?"
"What do you think? That they’d expend all that manpower and resources just to hand the ships over to us?" Lu Jiamei asked with a laugh.
"But we have a good relationship, don’t we? Maybe Captain Wang will decide to give us all those ships!" Qin Haonan replied with a grin.
Ren Yuanyang shook his head. "I suggested they establish a second base in the area after they capture it. I just don’t know if they’ll take my advice."
"That’s actually a good idea. Hauling everything back would use up a ton of fuel," Qin Haonan agreed.
But Hua Lingfang, who was sitting nearby, frowned. "Chief, by suggesting that, I’m afraid you’ve revealed that our base is in the vicinity."
The others paused, their brows furrowing in concern.
Ren Yuanyang replied with a smile, "From our past few interactions, the Aircraft Carrier Base seems decent. We can treat them as allies, and they’re unlikely to move against us for the time being. Plus, bringing them over here helps create a buffer against Xi’an Base’s forces. Remember, Xi’an Base has already guessed we’re in this area—that’s why they sent out all those speedboats to find us."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Lu Jiamei frowned. "But what if the Aircraft Carrier Base does find us and decides to attack?"
"Then they’ll never be able to buy Evolution Potions, fuel, or any of the various foods that will likely become scarce in the future," Ren Yuanyang said with a faint smile. "And we can just find a new location for our base and continue living our carefree lives."
’The Aircraft Carrier Base has immense firepower, but I can simply choose not to fight them. Given the speed at which they grow crops, a food crisis is inevitable for them! And even if they occupied Peach Blossom Base, it would be useless to them. After I became an Evolver, the system unlocked a ’de-enhancement’ function. It allows me to revert enhanced plants and animals to their normal state. The process is instantaneous and consumes very little Mental Energy. Before they could even break in, I could turn everything back to normal. They would learn the hard way what a fool’s errand it was.’
Lu Jiamei nodded. "I see. It looks like our perimeter patrols will have to be extra careful."
"There’s no need to be so tense," Ren Yuanyang said reassuringly. "From what I know of Wang Jun and his people, the chances of them attacking us are almost zero. Still, the patrols do need to be thorough. We can’t let our guard down. Just handle the arrangements as you see fit."
"Understood," Lu Jiamei replied.
"I wonder if the Aircraft Carrier Base will actually send an aircraft carrier," Qin Haonan mused.
Ren Yuanyang shook his head slightly. "Unlikely. Just converging their three carrier fleets must have used up a massive amount of fuel. They shouldn’t need to deploy an actual carrier just to fight an irregular group like Dawn Base."
Qin Haonan nodded, then said with a grin, "Chief, how about I head out and help the Aircraft Carrier Base keep an eye on things? You know, to make sure Dawn Base doesn’t slip away?"
"Hmm, that’s worth considering," Ren Yuanyang nodded slowly. "But while you’re surveilling Dawn Base, you have to finish reading the first e-book of the Daoist Scriptures."
"Huh?" Qin Haonan’s face fell. "How am I supposed to keep an eye on Dawn Base if I have to read a book?!"
"You’re not going alone. You can read when you’re off-shift. When you get back, I’m going to test you on what you’ve read. If you do poorly, you’re off mission duty from now on. You can stay here at the base and read," Ren Yuanyang said in a stern voice.
"Chief, don’t be so cruel, okay?" Qin Haonan tried to bargain.
"That’s non-negotiable." Ren Yuanyang shook his head firmly, cutting off any path of retreat for Qin Haonan.
"Fine, I’ll read it. I’ll read it carefully," Qin Haonan agreed, his face a mask of misery.
"Haonan, the Chief just wants you to increase your Mental Energy more quickly so you can protect yourself," Lu Jiamei chimed in. "After all, he can’t be with us all the time. This is especially true for you, since you often go on solo missions. It’s incredibly important for you to improve your own strength."
Qin Haonan paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. "I understand."
"Has anyone else tried to practice Cultivation?" Ren Yuanyang asked, looking toward Hua Lingfang and the others.
"I feel like I still need more time to understand it," Hua Lingfang said, shaking her head in resignation. "There’s a lot I don’t quite get. I need to mull it over slowly."
Ren Yuanyang was taken aback. ’But it seems so easy to understand,’ he thought.
Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan nodded in agreement.
"Even someone like Elder Hua, who’s used to reading ancient medical texts, needs to take her time with it, to say nothing of the rest of us," Lu Jiamei said with a helpless sigh. "We practically have to brush up on our classical literature just to read it!"
Although the Daoist Scriptures came with modern translations, people still wanted to read the original text and try to understand it themselves. Without a solid foundation in classical texts, it was indeed quite difficult.
"It seems I was too optimistic," Ren Yuanyang said after a moment of thought. "In that case, you all can take your time. Once I’ve gone through the process myself and confirmed there are no issues, I’ll come back and guide you."
"In that case, can I just wait for you to guide me directly? I never studied any of that classical stuff!" Qin Haonan, who had dropped out of school early, immediately found another excuse.

Comments

Loading...