"Letâs go find them. Wang Fucai and Yang Hong are already at the Red Stone Grand Canyon. Weâre not sure where Arthur and your sister are, and they havenât found their way back, but thatâs not important anymore."
"Weâre going to find them?" Qin Tian asked.
"No, weâll meet up directly at Eternal Sky City!"
With that, Wen Yu immediately established a psychic link with several of his soul pets. Sensing their approximate locations, his mouth twitched.
These three rascals have run off too far...
Activating his second, third, and fifth Soul Realms, Wen Yu recalled the three roaming soul pets into his Soul Realm space, then gestured to Qin Tian. "Letâs go."
A cold, chilling wind swept into the Red Stone Grand Canyon, carrying with it a rank, fishy stenchâthe smell of Demonic Qi and rotting corpses. By the time Wen Yu and Qin Tian rode Cyclops to the Red Stone Grand Canyon, Wang Fucai and Yang Hong had been waiting for some time.
Jumping down from Cyclopsâs head, Wen Yu first examined Wang Fucai and Yang Hong. Their clothes were unchanged, indicating they hadnât encountered significant danger, though Yang Hong had a somewhat lost look in his eyes.
Wen Yu knew the reason but chose to ignore it.
He casually walked to the bonfire Yang Hong had lit. Distributing food to everyone, he said, "Letâs rest for a bit, then weâll discuss what to do next."
The four of them remained silent for a while before Wen Yu finally spoke.
"Let me share my thoughts. We failed to hold Las Vegas this time for various reasons, but letâs not dwell on that. However, this incident has undoubtedly served as a wake-up call: after the demon plague descends, while our individual strength makes it easy to save ourselves, saving others is incredibly difficult..."
Wen Yu paused for a moment.
"Moreover, a settlement might become a form of confinement for us, a cage."
Hearing this, both Wang Fucai and Qin Tian remained silent. In truth, this matter didnât affect them much; the main concern was Yang Hong.
Yang Hong remained silent for a while before slowly nodding.
"How about we go to Eternal Sky City?" he suggested.
"Hmm." Wen Yu nodded. "Thatâs what I was thinking too."
A base is necessary; itâs essentially a home. A home provides an inexplicable sense of security and belonging. This isnât about strength but a deep-seated human desire.
Originally, Wen Yu had wanted to turn Las Vegas into this home, which would have been beneficial for both Victor and Yang Hong. However, with things as they were, establishing their own settlement had become an unaffordable luxury.
The demon plague rages on. Without a large number of combat-ready personnel and sufficient weaponry and equipment, defending a fixed location means passively taking a beatingâa dead end.
Therefore, Wen Yu couldnât willingly build a cage for himself. After all, the original purpose of forming this small group was freedom. What freedom was there in being confined to one place?
Considering this, asking Tang Haofei for a plot of land in Eternal Sky City to use as a base now seemed the best option.
"You all agree with this, right?"
The three opposite him all nodded.
Using Eternal Sky City as their base offered many advantages. At least Qin Tian wouldnât have to worry about his sisterâs safety. Furthermore, Eternal Sky City was connected to the Yanjing Assembly Site below. From every perspective, Eternal Sky City was currently the sanctuary all surviving humans yearned forâand that included Qin Tian and the others.
The discussion concludedâthough, in reality, it was mostly Wen Yu talking and the others listening. Still, the team currently lacked a clear hierarchy, so some formalities were necessary.
Wen Yu took out his communicator and first dialed Arthurâs number.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP... A busy tone. Then, the call quickly connected.
A childish voice came from the communicator. "Hello?"
"Uh... whereâs Arthur?" Wen Yu asked, only then remembering Arthur had rescued a girl from the Red Stone Hotel.
"Arthur is taking a shower. Is that Uncle Wen Yu?"
These terms of address are all mixed up... I donât think Iâm older than Arthur... But still, thereâs no point arguing with a child.
"Pass the communicator to Arthur; we need to discuss some things."
"Oh..." a clear childâs voice responded, followed by the pitter-patter of footsteps. "Brother, itâs Uncle Wen Yu."
After a moment, Arthurâs voice came through. "Whatâs wrong?"
"Weâve decided to go to Eternal Sky City. What do you think?"
"I have no objections."
"Good. Wait for my signal."
Finished, Wen Yu ignored Qin Tianâs somewhat wistful gaze, directly ended the call, and then picked up Lin Haifengâs dedicated communicator again.
This time, Lin Haifeng didnât keep Wen Yu waiting for long. Just three seconds later, Lin Haifengâs voice came from the communicator. "Wen Yu, whatâs up?"
Wen Yu paused for a moment. "I need your help."
In this world, there are no eternal enemies. Although Lin Haifeng and Wen Yu had been at odds for some time, when mutual interests were at stake, Wen Yu easily set aside their past troubles.
Lin Haifeng, for his part, was even more decisive. "If I can help, I definitely will."
He casually brushed aside the grudge of his sonâs death.
Wen Yu paused for a moment, then decisively explained his situation. "Las Vegas was destroyed by the demon plague. That means Iâm a homeless wanderer again..."
"Youâve always been a wanderer," Lin Haifeng stated bluntly.
"Alright, regardless of that, I now want a plot of land in Eternal Sky City to serve as a base for our Independents Mutual Aid Society and as a home for my personal team."
"Thatâs a small matter," Lin Haifeng readily agreed.
"Whatâs the price?" Wen Yu knew Lin Haifengâs way of operating. If he didnât ask for compensation now, he would later. In short, one couldnât expect a favor from Lin Haifeng without paying a price.
"Hmm... you know, there really isnât much I want. How about this: in exchange, you grant me access rights to one of the Demon Realmâs Gates in your large treasure land within Eternal Sky City?"
"Just the access rights?" Wen Yu was somewhat surprised. These access rights seemed rather useless on their own; he had no idea what Lin Haifeng intended to do with them.
"Yes, that. You wouldnât know, but the distribution of Demon Realmâs Gates around the Yanjing Assembly Site is very problematic. I need those rights to open a new passage."
"Deal," Wen Yu said decisively.
Once the negotiation was settled, Lin Haifeng acted swiftly, directly opening Eternal Sky Cityâs teleportation passage to the personnel list Wen Yu provided.
After briefly contacting Arthur, Wen Yu led the other three to a nearby Exchange Stone Pillar and selected the teleportation option.
As the teleportation light flashed, Wen Yuâs group of four, along with Arthurâs distant group of three, vanished instantly.
A familiar wave of dizziness washed over him. The next moment, a massive wave of sound assaulted Wen Yuâs ears.
A cacophony of languages from all over the world intertwined, the chaotic noise making Wen Yuâs scalp tingle.
Looking around, Wen Yu saw the central square of Eternal Sky City crammed with a chaotic mass of people of all ethnicities; screams and cries were incessant.
These were refugees from all corners of the globe, teleported to Eternal Sky City when their homelands could no longer be defended. Lin Haifeng would then arrange for them to be assigned to various posts.
This was the crucial resource Lin Haifeng coveted: population!
Wen Yu stood to one side, frowning and waiting. Soon, a large group of soldiers in Cathay military uniforms pushed their way in from the outside.