Chapter 270 - 243: Setting the Strategy

Gasping heavily, he clutched his chest, a sense of relief washing over him. "This Card treats the most severe internal injuries. Thank goodness cancer counts as an internal injury."

Qin Ziwen teased, "I thought you were about to make a heroic sacrifice."

Luo Gang pushed himself into a sitting position. "What, am I crazy? I haven’t had enough of living yet."

As he spoke, he pressed on his chest. The pain that had constantly plagued him was now receding like the tide.

"Alright, good to see you’re alive." Qin Ziwen patted his knees and stood up, preparing to leave with Black. Luo Gang called out to him, "You’re leaving just like that?"

"Is there something else?"

"How about a big gift?"

Qin Ziwen stopped in his tracks, saying half-jokingly, "You’re not planning to hand the entire Student Union over to me, are you?"

Luo Gang gave a bitter smile. "You’re no fun to talk to. Can’t you just play dumb for a second?"

"Haha, you said it was a big gift, so of course I had to think big." Qin Ziwen laughed, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected Luo Gang to actually go this big.

Luo Gang collected himself and said calmly, "That’s right. The Student Union. Do you want it?"

"Of course I want it. Why wouldn’t I?" ’Although the Student Union has lost many members, it still has over two hundred people, and they’re all young and strong. Prime labor. Why would I refuse?’

"That’s good." Luo Gang’s shoulders relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart.

"I won’t take your Healing Card for free." He reached into his robes, pulled out a black Card, and handed it to Qin Ziwen.

Qin Ziwen looked at the black Upgrade Card he was being offered.

’This must be the reward Luo Gang got from the map completion.’

Qin Ziwen said, "Trading an Upgrade Card for a Healing Card... you probably took a loss."

Luo Gang replied, "To a man in the desert, a bottle of water is what matters most. With Cards, it’s only about whether they’re suitable or not. Value is secondary."

Since Luo Gang put it that way, Qin Ziwen accepted the black Upgrade Card.

[Upgrade Card] Ordinary Resource Upgrade Card

Upgrades an Ordinary Resource Point to an Advanced Resource Point. The upgraded point’s Level is reduced by 1.

Staring at the Ordinary Resource Upgrade Card in his hand, a thought surfaced in Qin Ziwen’s mind.

’Which resource point should I use this Card on?’

’The coal mine? For Advanced-Level Energy Resources?’

’The iron mine? For Advanced-level Core Minerals?’

’The spring? To get another special spring, something like the Healing Spring?’

There were so many options he was momentarily unsure which to choose.

Luo Gang’s voice cut in. "I suggest upgrading the iron mine. I have a Level 1 Iron Ore Card here to help you out. I think iron is what we use most at this stage. If we can upgrade it to an advanced-grade metal, it would be extremely important, whether for making weapons or anything else."

Qin Ziwen nodded. "Alright. In that case, you can coordinate with Jia Liangcai."

"Okay," Luo Gang agreed. He was familiar with Jia Liangcai. He was the one who had been handling contact between the Student Union and the Qin Alliance.

The man was highly capable. Initially, he had been a bit awkward when dealing with modern people, but once he learned the ropes, he developed a shrewd and steady style.

Especially when trading with the merchants from Great Yong, Jia Liangcai handled things with ease. He seemed to understand those people very well.

They hadn’t come out on the losing end of several consecutive trades, though of course, the other side had also profited handsomely.

In the end, trading was all about each party getting what they needed.

"I took a trip to the opposite island today. They’re building ships—large ones, at that."

Luo Gang wasn’t surprised that Qin Ziwen could get to the other island. It was no longer a secret that his pet could fly and carry a passenger.

"You want to attack?"

"We have to. There’s bound to be a war between us sooner or later. That being the case, I’d rather be the one to decide when it begins."

Luo Gang looked at Qin Ziwen. "What’s your plan?"

"A night raid. Tonight. I’ll ride the Beaked Eagle over and open a Node."

"Alright. I’ll get the men and equipment ready on my end." Luo Gang didn’t ask any further questions, immediately showing his support.

Back at the Home, Qin Ziwen summoned his core members to discuss the night’s raid.

"This is the layout over there." Qin Ziwen gathered some stones and arranged them on the sand to map out the terrain of the opposing island and its buildings.

The group of them squatted or stood, forming a circle around the makeshift map.

"They have superior numbers. And while the mansion and the Urban Village are close, they’re separate entities. If we attack the mansion directly and the people from the Urban Village come to reinforce them, we’ll be caught between two forces." Qin Ziwen drew a circle in the sand with a stick.

Yuan Ming suggested, "What if we split our forces into two groups?"

Qin Ziwen shook his head, rejecting the idea. "You generally only split your forces when you have a numerical advantage. We’re outnumbered. Splitting up would be too dangerous."

"Is that tower really Hongding Mansion?" Jin Hao asked.

"Yes, it really is Hongding Mansion."

Jin Hao said, "Then we have a problem. I used to work in Hongding Mansion. The layout inside is a maze, and the corridors are narrow. If they have people defending the stairwells, it’ll be incredibly difficult to push our way up."

Qin Ziwen nodded. "That’s exactly what I’m worried about. If we all enter the building and the people from the Urban Village arrive as backup, we’ll be trapped and surrounded. But if only some of us go in and the rest wait downstairs... well, you all know the danger of falling objects. If they start throwing things or using Bows and Arrows from above, our men below will be sitting ducks."

Cao Biansheng said, "But we should have the advantage in terms of weapons, right? Add to that the element of surprise from a raid, and it shouldn’t be that difficult, should it?"

A vicious glint flashed in Jia Liangcai’s eyes. "My lord, since ancient times, sieges have always cost the attackers several times the casualties of the defenders. If this were open ground, we could break their main camp and claim victory. But if this tower is built like the apartment buildings in our Gated Community, it will be incredibly difficult to punch through quickly. Why don’t we just burn it down? Its atrium-like layout is perfect for spreading a fire."

"I’ve tried that. Maybe it’s a feature of the Home, but fire doesn’t seem to spread or cause much damage to the structures themselves." Qin Ziwen shook his head in rejection.

Hearing that fire was out, Jia Liangcai considered using water, but after a moment’s thought, flooding didn’t seem practical either.

Qin Ziwu suggested, "Why don’t we hit the Urban Village first, then?"

Qin Ziwen replied, "The Urban Village’s terrain is also complex. Most of the buildings have their own courtyards, and it’s a maze of small alleys and narrow paths. You could call each one a small, separate fortress. It’s easy to defend and hard to attack. If we get bogged down in there, the two thousand people in the office tower could flank us from behind. The danger would be immense. Besides, I saw a Heavy Crossbow inside the Urban Village."

Hearing Qin Ziwen’s explanation, the others all frowned.

This was starting to sound like a real problem.

Seeing the oppressive atmosphere, Yuan Dajun spoke up with a smile. "Actually, it’s the same for both sides. Just as it’s hard for us to attack them, it’s hard for them to attack us. We have the home-field advantage on defense. Plus, with our leader’s Node, we can launch a surprise attack at any time. The advantage is still with us."

Yang Cunshen suddenly spoke up. "My lord, since deploying a large force is difficult, why don’t we form an elite unit for a night raid? They’re building ships, so let’s destroy their shipyard. As long as they can’t access the sea and lose their naval capabilities, they’ll be trapped on their island. Then we can deal with them at our leisure."

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