"Oh? Iâm not sure what Brother Wen Yu means. I have always treated Sun Ruixing with courtesy on your account." Li Quanâan felt some uneasiness, fearing that issues with Sun Ruixing might cause Wen Yu to turn on him. After all, everyone knew Wen Yu and Sun Ruixing had a bond.
After some contemplation, Wen Yu responded, "What I mean is, could Sun Ruixingâs temperament and attitude disrupt our plans for tomorrow?"
Upon realizing Wen Yu wasnât accusing him, Li Quanâan heaved a sigh of relief and responded directly, "No, that wonât happen. I took it upon myself yesterday to issue an order. Those who donât leave tomorrow, Iâll kill them all in front of everyone. I donât think Sun Ruixing will dare to say anything."
"But..." Li Quanâan said, still unsure of Wen Yuâs stance, "I might need Brother Wen Yuâs support in enforcing this order."
"Mm." Wen Yu nodded. "Your order is fine; it at least prevents idle gossip. Iâll kill those who donât leave tomorrow. Mayor Li, donât worry about taking the blame."
Li Quanâan responded with a big grin and a nod.
"By the way, assign some people to keep an eye on Sun Ruixing. If he says anything inappropriate, eliminate him. I donât want any complications during tomorrowâs operation. I imagine you donât want any unexpected events either," Wen Yu warned Li Quanâan seriously.
"That wonât be a problem. But Brother Wen Yu, donât you have a good relationship with Sun Ruixing? Why now...?"
Seeing the puzzled look on Li Quanâanâs face, Wen Yu gave a cold laugh, turned around, and walked out of the room. However, his parting words left Li Quanâan with a chill down his spine.
"Friendship? Whatâs that worth? Right now, I need people to share the pressure. If Sun Ruixing disrupts our plans, heâs blocking my path. Anyone who blocks my path is trying to kill me. Anyone trying to kill me is my enemy. When dealing with an enemy, what does friendship matter? Still, I do have a certain appreciation for Sun Ruixing as a person. I just hope he doesnât choose to become my enemy. So, keep a close eye on him. If Sun Ruixing makes any suspicious moves, kill him. If you canât, call me."
Li Quanâan opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Watching Wen Yu turn and leave, he felt the cold sweat on his back soak through his clothes.
The murderous intent in Wen Yuâs words had made his skin prickle.
...
After leaving Li Quanâanâs room, Wen Yu and Cyclops left the camp directly.
The day was still young, and Wen Yu went out to further investigate Hualin Townâs situation.
The air in Hualin Town was tense. Wen Yu even noticed some mutant vines twitching on some walls.
They had begun to spread towards Hualin Town.
Wen Yu drew his steel saber and chopped harshly at one of the mutant vines. It twitched violently and spewed some pale-green juice before swiftly burrowing back into the ground.
He touched the green liquid on the ground. It felt cold and slightly slimy. He tasted it; it wasnât bitter, but instead had a faint, fresh aroma. There were no signs of poisoning, nor any noticeable positive effects.
After a plant mutates, its nature changes. In his past life, some people researched the properties of various mutant plants and developed all sorts of peculiar medicines.
Unfortunately, Wen Yu didnât possess such abilities.
He threw the half-severed mutant vine into his space ring and, with Cyclops, made another wide sweep of the area. The mutant vines hadnât grown much over the day, but Hualin Town was being squeezed smaller. The mutant vinesâ blockade line had already contracted by at least several hundred meters. Not to mention, an occasional few had even sprouted near the town center.
If they didnât leave, as the townâs mutant beasts and zombies died off, the speed at which the vines were shrinking would greatly accelerate. Within a week, aside from creatures capable of flight, there would be no survivors left in Hualin Town.
Right, I could do this...
Just as Wen Yu was contemplating the remaining zombies and mutant beasts in Hualin Town, an idea popped into his head.
Instead of letting the mutant creatures become nourishment for the mutant vines, Iâll kill them myself.
Wen Yu immediately returned to the camp, planning to ask Li Quanâan about items for attracting mutant creatures.
...
An all-camp meeting had just concluded.
This was the lie carefully crafted by Li Quanâan. Of course, the few professionists and their families in the camp knew the real situation.
Li Quanâan silently watched the ordinary people in the camp joyfully packing up, eager to return to civilized society. A flicker of regret passed through his eyes.
Only a small part of that regret was for the hundreds of lives; most of it was because the power he had personally built was about to be destroyed.
"What? Having second thoughts?"
The teasing voice came from behind him. Li Quanâan identified it as Wen Yu, the real instigator behind this plan.
"Iâm alright. Youâre right. Power... it can truly be intoxicating," Li Quanâan sighed as he spoke.
"Nobody saw this coming. Itâs not a man-made disaster; itâs a natural one. Honestly, in this apocalypse, no creature is absolutely safe, and no faction can stand invincible. The loss in manpower is minimal. Once we break free, give it a few days, and your faction will definitely be stronger than it is now."
After a few brief encounters, Wen Yu had a high opinion of Li Quanâanâs abilities. This was a man with ambition, means, and capability.
Regrettably, Wen Yu had him firmly under control simply because Li Quanâan lacked strength.
Upon hearing Wen Yuâs words, Li Quanâan offered a perfunctory smile. He knew that building and developing a faction required too many conditions and was fraught with too many potential accidents; he held no blind expectations for the future.
"Howâs Sun Ruixing doing? He hasnât done anything stupid, has he?"
"That hasnât happened. I assigned Lin Hu and five professionists to monitor Sun Ruixing round the clock. I absolutely guarantee he wonât run his mouth."
Li Quanâanâs surveillance arrangements for Sun Ruixing were top-tier.
"Good." Wen Yu nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Do you still have those items that attracted mutant creatures, the ones you used to trick Sun Ruixing?"
Seeing Li Quanâanâs surprised face, Wen Yu smiled mysteriously, "I know much more than you think..."