The First Order

At this moment, Ren Xiaosu felt that Qing Zhen was just like a shining star in the Northwest and Southwest. He completely overshadowed those from the other consortiums and made them appear dull and gloomy.

It was not that the other consortiums were not smart, but that Qing Zhen’s plans were much more thought out.

The series after series of Qing Zhen’s plans involved both luck and calculation.

From the start, Qing Zhen and Luo Lan had gotten their hands on the Li Consortium’s breakthrough in nanotech, yet they gave it to the Yang Consortium through Yang Xiaojin just like that.

At that time, Qing Zhen asked Yang Xiaojin, “Will the Yang Consortium put the knowledge to military use after acquiring what was originally a technology used for medical treatments?”

Obviously, Qing Zhen already knew the answer. How could the Yang Consortium possibly not put the nanomachines to military use? These were greedy consortiums whose appetites would never be satisfied.

The destruction of Stronghold 109 had a significant impact on the Li Consortium. As a result, several internal factions of the Li Consortium with their own interests were fighting one another to shirk responsibility for the defeat.

At that time, the Li Consortium’s higher-ups also needed a target to vent their anger on and prove they were not weaklings. If they let the matter slide, an even greater disaster might befall the entire organization. Therefore, they needed to take revenge.

The Li Consortium’s decision to start a war with the Yang Consortium was definitely not done out of spite. It was a decision they had to make after considering their political interests.

The Li Consortium wanted to kill Li Shentan, but he had already disappeared.

The Li Consortium also wanted to exterminate the Experimentals. But at the time, the Yang Consortium had already amassed their troops along their shared border, so they couldn’t worry about the Experimentals.

As such, the Li Consortium directed all of their anger at the Yang Consortium.

In fact, the Qing Consortium joined the battlefield much later. It was originally a war between the Yang Consortium and the Li Consortium and had nothing to do with the Qing Consortium.

Qing Zhen had predicted back then that the Board would send him to the front lines, so he waited patiently in his villa.

After he made his comeback, Qing Zhen immediately killed Qing Yun and chose to cooperate with the Yang Consortium.

It looked like he had formed an alliance with the Yang Consortium, but he was actually holding their main forces at the front line of the battlefield in the south.

This was probably one of the most critical portions of Qing Zhen’s plan.

Later on, Qing Zhen deliberately double-crossed the Yang Consortium with his sudden withdrawal of the troops. This led to Luo Lan’s house arrest and caused the Yang Consortium to have to dispatch more troops to fill the gap at the front line.

And currently, the mysterious force that was preparing to rescue Luo Lan, as well as the bandits he had been consolidating in the North, were all capable of troubling the defenseless Yang Consortium to the point they would not sleep well at night.

It seemed Qing Zhen wasn’t planning to swallow the Yang Consortium immediately. He had too much patience for that. Right now, he was only looking to disrupt the Yang Consortium’s well-oiled supply chain. The collapse of the rear logistics might seem to be just an economic setback, but in war, it could mean that the frontline soldiers would not get issued with enough bullets to fight!

It might not be felt too soon since the Yang Consortium’s reserves could still last for a while. But over time, the Qing Consortium would probably be able to pin the Yang Consortium down on the ground and give them a good thrashing!

If the Zong Consortium wanted to head south at this moment, they would be stopped by the arrival of the spring floods.

Although the Zong Consortium could still build pontoon bridges, the intensity of the spring floods in the valley was absolutely not something that could be resolved by just constructing several dozen pontoon bridges. There were thousands of riverbeds, and the ground resembled broken porcelain scattered around in the middle of a river.

Qing Zhen had even calculated the timing perfectly. It would take place ten days later!

But Ren Xiaosu could not understand who could possibly be capable of storming the stronghold to save Luo Lan. The Qing Consortium’s main forces were at the front line in the south as well!

Ren Xiaosu suddenly asked, “But there should also be the Zong Consortium’s people who are part of the northern bandits, right? What if they try to stop you?”

Xu Man smiled and said, “They think our Qing Consortium is trying to compete with them for the valley’s territory, but they’re too shortsighted by thinking that way. We’ve never regarded them as a threat before. We might be in the south for several days before they realize we’re gone.”

The Zong Consortium had always thought the Qing Consortium was trying to seize the valley for themselves. But in reality, that was not the Qing Consortium’s target.

Ren Xiaosu took a deep breath. “I’ll prepare to head south as well and cooperate with your people to save Luo Lan.”

“The ones rescuing Luo Lan are not our people.” Xu Man said, “So you don’t have to treat them as your friends.”

However, Xu Man did not disclose too much information to Ren Xiaosu. That was all he could say.

When they finished talking, Xu Man was about to leave. Off to the side, Jin Lan suddenly said, “Since you’re already here, why don’t you give us some stuff before you leave?”

“Oh.” Xu Man was stunned. He had totally forgotten about giving out firearms and supplies to them. “What do you all need?”

Ren Xiaosu could not be bothered to slowly choose, so he said, “Just leave all of it behind.”

Jin Lan and the others were shocked. Their boss was way too different. By saying it that way, how could the people be willing to give them anything?

Xu Man’s mouth twitched. “Why don’t you ask me to let you keep the resupply vehicles as well?”

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment. “Well, I guess that would work too. After unloading the supplies, you’ll have four empty vehicles. Since there aren’t that many of you, just leave these four vehicles behind for us.”

Off to the side, Xu Jinyuan whispered, “Boss is really different. Usually, we have to wait for the consortium’s people to come with the supplies and accept whatever they offer to us. Then we use the supplies to go and rob others. But, Boss, he just robs them instead.”

Xu Man frowned and considered it for a couple seconds before saying with a sigh, “Alright, you’re so pushy.”

Jin Lan and the others gasped. Who the hell was their boss, really? Never mind the Qing Consortium’s people being so polite with them earlier, they even gave him whatever he wanted and the resupply vehicles as well.

Ren Xiaosu stared at Jin Lan. “What’re you still standing there for? Go and take the stuff.” He turned to Xu Man and said, “I won’t keep y’all for lunch. I still have to hurry up and get ready.”

With that, Ren Xiaosu turned around and left, leaving Xu Man standing there with his eyes twitching. After giving them all that stuff, he was actually chasing them away without offering them a meal? We didn’t even say we’d be staying for lunch, so who are you guarding against!

Ren Xiaosu found Yang Xiaojin and told her, “The Qing Consortium will likely launch an attack on Stronghold 88 soon. What’s your opinion?”

In fact, what worried Ren Xiaosu the most was how Yang Xiaojin was also a member of the Yang Consortium. If the Yang Consortium’s stronghold came under attack, could she possibly stay out of it?

Yang Xiaojin was silent for some time before replying, “I’ll stay here.”

It seemed that the estrangement between Yang Xiaojin and the Yang Consortium was not as simple as their kinship fading. She had never mentioned her parents before. Based on her age, her parents should both be in their prime, so why were they not around?

If Yang Xiaojin did not wish to talk about it, Ren Xiaosu would not ask her either. But he understood there had to be more to this.

But even though Yang Xiaojin could ignore the Yang Consortium, she would not want to harm them. So she decided to stay out of it by remaining here in the settlement.

After all, Ren Xiaosu would inevitably clash with the Yang Consortium if he cooperated with Luo Lan to get Yan Liuyuan and the others out when he went back this time.

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and said, “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“I’ll wait for you here.”