Yu Ren, who was guarding the Evolver captives, saw Lu Jiamei approaching. He immediately stood up and greeted her, "Minister Lu, is there something you need?"
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly. "Elder Hua came up with a way to manage these captives. The leader asked me to come and try it out."
"What’s the plan?" Yu Ren asked, curious.
"We’re implementing a system of collective responsibility. They’ll manage themselves," Lu Jiamei explained simply.
Yu Ren was taken aback for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Will that really work?"
"We’ll try it and see," Lu Jiamei said as she pushed open the door to the cabin holding the Evolvers.
James and his group had just finished lunch. When they saw Lu Jiamei and the others arrive, they all stood up.
"Given your recent good behavior, the leader has decided to grant you some freedom. Your range of movement will be limited to this supply ship."
Hearing this, James and Des exchanged a glance, both pleased and surprised.
They hadn’t expected Peach Blossom Base to grant them partial freedom so quickly.
Lu Jiamei continued, "However, you will all be treated as a single group. If any one of you breaks the base’s rules, all of you will receive the same punishment."
Everyone was stunned. Someone couldn’t help but protest, "If someone else breaks the rules, why should I be punished for it?"
"That’s the price of freedom!" Lu Jiamei shot the man a glance, her tone unyielding. "If you’re not willing to pay that price, you can choose to stay in here forever!"
The man shrank back and didn’t dare to say another word.
No one wanted to be locked in a small, dark room forever, never seeing the light of day.
Lu Jiamei continued, "If you can identify those who would break the rules in advance, and report or capture them, you will be rewarded by the base. Rewards include, but are not limited to, greater freedom and a supply of various meats."
At the mention of meat, the eyes of James and the others lit up. They had been eating nothing but vegetables for two or three days straight!
"Is that clear?" Lu Jiamei asked, her gaze sweeping over the group.
"Understood!" James and the others replied at once.
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly and turned to leave.
James suddenly raised his hand. "Ma’am, I have someone to report!"
Lu Jiamei froze for a second, stopping in her tracks. She turned to look at him and asked, "Report what?"
’Has someone already broken the rules before they’ve even gotten out?’
"There are several of Bao Mu’s trusted cronies among us. Their families are still in Xi’an Base, so there’s no way they’ll be loyal to our base!" James replied immediately.
Lu Jiamei was stunned again. Before she could speak, several Evolvers leaped up and attacked both her and James at the same time!
While fending off their attacks, James shouted, "What are you all staring for?! Do you want to be punished along with them? Get them! This is our chance to root out the traitors and prove our loyalty! Do you really want to go back to that hellhole Xi’an Base?"
The others immediately snapped to their senses and charged the attackers.
Two Evolvers rapidly closed in on Lu Jiamei. They could tell she held a relatively high rank and status; if they could just capture her, they might have a chance to escape!
As the two charged, they unleashed their Superpowers. Lu Jiamei was already on her guard. The instant they attacked, she formed a Water Shield in front of herself!
But one of them was a Gold-Type Evolver. He formed several Metal Needles that easily pierced her Water Shield!
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Lu Jiamei—it was Yu Ren, who had been standing to the side all along!
PING PING PING!
The Metal Needles struck Yu Ren’s scales, leaving only white marks without breaking through.
"Minister Lu, it’s dangerous here! Fall back!" Yu Ren said without turning his head, then charged directly at the two Evolvers.
"Be careful!" Lu Jiamei knew her own Mental Energy wasn’t strong, so she retreated from the cabin.
Seeing someone dare to block their path, the two Evolvers shouted in unison, "You’re courting death!"
Then, they attacked together, a barrage of Superpowers and fists.
Yu Ren didn’t dodge or evade. He took their attacks head-on to close the distance, then landed a single punch on each of them. The fight was over in an instant.
Meanwhile, the other three resisting Evolvers had been subdued by James and the others.
Yu Ren stood to the side, watching James and his group. Only after they had the situation completely under control did he call Lu Jiamei back in.
At that moment, James and Des were both utterly shocked and incredibly relieved.
’Thank God we didn’t rashly try to fight back. Never mind the others—this one strange-looking man could have subdued all of us by himself!’
Lu Jiamei walked in, nodded slightly, and gave a cold command: "Kill all five of them. James, you will execute them."
James faltered for a moment, then immediately replied, "Yes!"
’He knew Lu Jiamei was making them do this on purpose. Once they killed Bao Mu’s trusted men, there would be no going back to Xi’an Base. After all, with so many eyes watching, there was no guarantee the information wouldn’t get out.’
’No—Peach Blossom Base would *make sure* the information got out!’
However, James had no intention of returning to Xi’an Base anyway, so he didn’t hesitate for a second. He grabbed a nearby dagger and slit one of the men’s throats.
Then he shoved the dagger at Des. Des froze for a moment, but he instantly understood what James meant. He took the dagger and finished off the second man.
"Who’s next?" Des asked, holding up the bloody dagger and looking at the others.

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