396: Chapter 396 You Think About the Consequences

“This… I don’t know much,” Ling Luo replied.

“Tell me what you know!” Oriental Chen’s tone was a bit stern.

“From the moment we were born, we were part of the Moni Sect. Our Master is our superior…”

Ling Luo recounted what he knew, which was largely consistent with what Ling Tian and Ling Su had previously revealed.

Overall, there wasn't much substantial information.

“Alright, I’m not interested in wasting any more time with you. You have two choices now: join the Red Lotus Sect or die. Pick one,” Oriental Chen said, seeing that he couldn't get anything useful out of him and preparing to finish up.

“I… choose… to join the Red Lotus Sect!”

Ling Luo had initially thought about resisting, believing that at such close range, he might be able to achieve a swift kill.

But after much hesitation, he ultimately decided against it.

His Master, a Tier 3 expert, hadn't gained any advantage, so his own meager skills likely had a very low chance of success.

“Good, eat this,” Oriental Chen said, seeing that he was sensible, and directly handed him a pill.

“What is this?” Ling Luo asked.

“It’s just a listening device. As long as you do your job well, it will have no effect on you. But if you try to play tricks, you can imagine the consequences,” Oriental Chen said, not mincing words.

Ling Luo had no other choice and swallowed it.

“Leave that box here, and take this,” Oriental Chen handed him a small box.

“What is this…?” Ling Luo asked.

“He will help you build an underground base. You don’t need to worry about anything; just focus on your tasks,” Oriental Chen said.

“Yes!” Ling Luo obeyed.

…

Meanwhile, Putian Xiaoyezi, who had been diligently working in the Northeast Military Region, urgently returned to her country after learning about the ecological crisis.

Since their primary objective was to occupy cities, they hadn't caused much commotion until now.

However, their every move was under the surveillance of Suo Tonghua and Red Lotus Sect Protectors like Qu Zhengping.

Because the Red Lotus Sect's clothing was very similar to the Red Coat Sect's, Suo Tonghua didn't know how to distinguish between the two sects. So, by sheer coincidence, he attributed Que Xin's series of actions entirely to the Red Coat Sect's conspiracy.

Currently, the cities Que Xin had occupied included Andong City, Pingxi City, Fengtian City, Liaodong City, Andong City, and Meidu City. These were all important industrial cities in Liaoshen Province.

Now, essentially the entire upstream and downstream iron and steel industry chain was under his control.

Suo Tonghua felt that this matter was becoming increasingly serious, so he reported the situation to the Council.

The Council replied with eight characters: Strengthen defenses, prevent changes.

November 29, 2055.

A fully automated fishing aircraft dispatched by the Qipanshan Settlement in Fengtian City was attacked while on its way to the Hun River for fishing.

The attackers were the civilian militia stationed nearby.

They wildly fired machine guns at the aircraft, hoping to force it to land.

The staff inside dared not land and had no choice but to retaliate with their onboard laser weapons.

However, the laser weapons on the aircraft were designed to kill mutated animals, and humans could not withstand them. With one shot, a civilian Soldier was directly shattered, his flesh and blood splattering everywhere.

This action completely enraged them.

Thus, more and more people joined the battle.

The staff on the aircraft were all in a panic after seeing a person killed with one shot.

So, they quickly turned around and flew back.

The Citizens, having seen blood, had gone mad and swarmed towards the Settlement.

Originally, Que Xin had intentionally avoided Qipan Mountain.

Because the Settlement there was not to be trifled with, and not far to the north, there was also a Military Sub-district of the Northeast Military Region, making it a hornet's nest.

But now, the Citizens' emotions had erupted, and if he couldn't align with the popular sentiment, his entire force might lose control.

Thus, he was reluctantly swept along to Qipan Mountain.

“Que Xin, you bastard, why aren’t you staying in Andong and instead came to Fengtian? And you brought people to attack us, you’re incredibly bold!” Song Haiquan, the Mayor of Fengtian City, stood on the city wall and shouted loudly.

“Mayor Song, your people shot and killed several of ours. As you can see, the Citizens are very angry, and I can’t control them!” Que Xin replied. This was both an excuse and the truth.

“You’re spewing nonsense! What? Did my people run to your Andong to kill someone?” Song Haiquan cursed.

His meaning was that regardless of whether the killing was real or fake, this was Fengtian City’s territory, and his presence here was his fault.

“Mayor Song, a life for a life, it has always been so. I advise you to quickly hand over the culprit to prevent the situation from escalating,” Que Xin didn’t take his bait.

“Are you afraid of me? If you dare, come! I’m telling you, anyone who approaches within 10 meters of the city wall will be killed without mercy. You’d better think clearly, don’t blame me for not warning you!” Song Haiquan couldn't possibly hand over the person to him.

What about his reputation? What about giving an explanation to the Citizens?

If he handed over the person, how could he lead everyone in the future?