Chapter 360: The Chain Reaction of the Superhuman's Disappearance

After waiting for more than ten minutes, Xiao Honglian lost her patience and pressed the detonation button in her hand.

Then, Zhuge Qingtian took out his communicator to inquire about the results from the soldiers tracking them.

“One detonated successfully; the other misfired,” the soldier reported truthfully.

He looked at the escaping slave and raised his gun.

“Deputy Commander, should we execute him?”

Zhuge Qingtian turned to Xiao Honglian, “Leader?”

Xiao Honglian narrowed her eyes, “How can the technology developed by the technical department be so poor! When will their technology reach even half of what West Hill Base has? That would be enough for me!”

She waved her hand and said, “I, Xiao Honglian, keep my word; let that slave go! I hope he has good luck and successfully escapes to the territory of the Followers of the Snow God.”

“However, everyone involved in this project at the technical department will be locked in a small black room for three days!”

Zhuge Qingtian nodded, “Understood!”

He issued orders to the tracking soldiers, ultimately allowing the surviving slave to escape.

Xiao Honglian’s beautifully arched eyebrows were raised, clearly in a bad mood.

Zhuge Qingtian comforted her, “Leader, our technicians may not be as good as those at West Hill Base, but that’s unavoidable. The professionals in weapon development are all in the military.”

“When the apocalypse first hit, talents were snatched away by them. We can only select people from nearby universities and research institutes.”

Xiao Honglian shot him a glance, her expression still icy.

“For these damned slaves, we’ve worked ourselves to death!”

“If they weren’t always thinking about escaping, how could I waste so much effort on them?”

“That hypocritical woman from the Followers of the Snow God only uses them as bait. Do they really think there are saints in the apocalypse?”

The Followers of the Snow God were the only organization among the major forces in the West that was not based on an official shelter.

Yet, it was the organization with the largest number of followers.

Unlike other forces that rule through military might, their method was to inspire belief through religion.

Rumor had it that the leader of the Followers possessed miraculous powers.

They could heal all human suffering, both physical and mental.

The most critical part was that everyone was equal there, and everyone could receive food and shelter.

There was no discrimination or oppression.

Such rumors had circulated among the major forces in Tianhai City for an unknown period.

This caused civilians in the Yangsheng base to begin to drift away.

But in the apocalypse, people were also an essential resource.

Without a large population, how could labor be conducted?

How could an army be formed to seize territory and resources from other forces?

So Xiao Honglian could not simply sit back and watch this situation unfold.

Her method was to suppress fiercely!

Every civilian at the Yangsheng base had a mark branded on their faces.

This way, even if they escaped, they could be recognized, making it easier to bring them back.

If the Followers of the Snow God dared to harbor any slaves with a flame mark, they would have to risk going to war with the Yangsheng base!

Even so, openly and secretly, the Followers of the Snow God were still absorbing those runaway slaves.

This led to a very tense relationship between the Yangsheng base and the Followers of the Snow God.

And they were unlike the West Hill Base.

The West Hill Base was entirely underground, with no worries about civilians escaping.

The slaves at the Yangsheng base had to produce in the above-ground oil refinery.

No matter how tightly they sealed it off, there would always be those yearning for freedom who were willing to risk their lives to try.

Xiao Honglian turned and walked toward the factory's exit.

Zhuge Qingtian hurriedly followed her, saying, “As long as we can carve out a chunk of meat from West Hill Base’s territory, we can relieve the current pressure.” Ṛ𝖆

“After all, the root of all problems in the apocalypse is the scarcity of resources.”

Xiao Honglian waved her hand, “But to occupy Lu River District and Xishan District, we must stabilize our rear. Tell the technical department to speed up their research; we must stabilize the functions of these explosive collars.”

“Safety can be set aside for now, but we must ensure they can definitely explode!”

Zhuge Qingtian nodded, mentally noting Xiao Honglian’s instructions.

Suddenly, Xiao Honglian stopped and asked, “In the past few days, how many of the forward units we sent out have returned?”

Zhuge Qingtian replied, “Almost all have returned, and even those who haven’t have sent reports.”

He paused before saying, “Except for the team led by Gaoyuan. They haven’t come back, and there hasn’t been any news.”

Upon hearing Gaoyuan’s name, Xiao Honglian couldn’t help but frown.

Gaoyuan was her cousin and had once been the captain of the Tianhai City armed police.

However, this cousin had a rebellious nature; he wouldn’t listen to anyone in the Yangsheng base except Xiao Honglian.

“That guy is well into adulthood and still going through a rebellious phase!”

At first, Xiao Honglian didn’t take Gaoyuan’s disappearance seriously. Given his personality, it wasn’t surprising for him to act recklessly.

In the apocalypse, countless people had become eccentric; she herself wasn’t doing much better.

But suddenly, a strange feeling flashed through her mind.

She felt that things were not so simple.

Xiao Honglian looked at Zhuge Qingtian, “He shouldn’t be in any danger, right?”

Zhuge Qingtian adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

“Currently, among the five major forces in Tianhai City, if we also consider the unclear remnants of the West Hill Base, the relationships between each are quite delicate.”

“Everyone is afraid to start a conflict; even when facing those bastards from the Followers of the Snow God who are recruiting people everywhere, we don’t want a major clash.”

“So even if Gaoyuan encountered people from other forces, they should give him some face. Unless…”

A cold glint flashed beneath Zhuge Qingtian’s glasses:

“They are competing for some particularly precious resource! That’s when they might break the tacit agreement and attack!”

Xiao Honglian’s gaze sharpened, “All major resource points in Tianhai City have been occupied by our forces. While the remaining resources are undoubtedly important, they aren’t worth starting a full-scale conflict over.”

“I’m relatively at ease with the other forces; Chaoyu Base wouldn’t take action against us, and Qingpu Base operates under a ‘live and let live’ principle.”

“Then, the only unstable ones are those from the Followers of the Snow God.”

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Honglian cautiously told Zhuge Qingtian, “Continue trying to contact Gaoyuan! We must get in touch with him.”

“If we can’t reach him, it’s highly likely that something has happened.”

Zhuge Qingtian’s expression also turned serious.

No force could bear the cost of losing a superhuman.

Thus, if Gaoyuan encountered trouble, it would mean that a force was willing to go to war with them!

This would have a tremendous impact on the entire Yangsheng base and even the overall balance in Tianhai City!

Author's Note