132: Those scumbags from the Lingyuan Association, they should all be fed to the fish!

The cafeteria lights were somewhat dim, the old incandescent bulbs flickering from time to time.

After a few cups of strong liquor, a flush appeared on Zhang Yi's weather-beaten face.

He unbuttoned his collar, revealing a hideous scar that extended from his collarbone to his chest.

"Senior Brother, to speak from the heart, before I saw you, I really felt like I couldn't hold on any longer."

Zhang Yi picked up his wine bowl, his hand trembling slightly.

He gulped down a large mouthful, the pungent liquid choking him until tears streamed down his face, though it was unclear whether it was from the alcohol or his grievances.

"Hanwu City... is finished."

Zhang Yi put down the bowl, his voice choked with sobs: "On the day the flood came, the Chief, in order to cover the civilians' retreat, personally drove a truck loaded with stones to block the breach. In the end, even his remains were not recovered. I was ordered to take command in a crisis, leading the remaining brothers to retreat to hold Shuangjian Peak. At that time, I swore that even if only one person was left, I would hold this ground."

Chen Yan silently patted his back, poured himself a full bowl of wine, and downed it in one gulp.

"Originally, we all huddled together for warmth, and although life was bitter, we could still get by." Zhang Yi's eyes suddenly turned venomous, and he gripped the wine bowl so hard his knuckles turned white. "Until that bastard Lei Lie created some Lingyuan Association!"

"Lei Lie?" Lu Sheng picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth, asking nonchalantly, "That so-called Spirit Source User President?"

"That's him!" Zhang Yi gritted his teeth. "At first, they were just a mutual aid organization, helping to clean up the surrounding sea beasts and Floating Corpses. Later, after Lei Lie reached a Breakthrough to become a Level 6 Spirit Source User, his ambition began to swell. He absorbed all the wild Spirit Source Users and even incited several experts from our military to defect."

"They style themselves as the New Humanity, saying that ordinary people are the burden of the old era, that they are slaves!"

Zhang Yi slammed his fist onto the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump: "Do you know what they did? To save ammunition, they forced refugees into the water to lure away sea beasts! They tied living people to buoys as bait! When the sea beasts gathered to eat the people, they would then pick off the stragglers from behind!"

"Crack!" A crisp sound.

The ceramic wine cup in Chen Yan's hand was crushed into powder.

This usually steady general now had blue veins bulging on his forehead, and his iron-blooded Killing Intent instantly dropped the temperature of the cafeteria to freezing point.

"Animals!" Chen Yan squeezed the two words through his teeth. "How is this any different from the traitors of the past? Zhang Yi, why didn't you eradicate such a tumor earlier?!"

Zhang Yi gave a bitter smile and dejectedly loosened his fist: "Senior Brother, do you think I don't want to?"

"The military has heavy weapons, but those are our trump cards for defending the mountain; every shot fired is one less we have. The Association has over a dozen or twenty Level 5 Spirit Source Users, and Lei Lie is even a Level 6. If we were to really fight, before a winner could be decided, the Corpse Tide outside would have already swallowed us up."

Speaking of the Corpse Tide, a flash of deep fear crossed Zhang Yi's eyes.

"The current Corpse Tide's frequency is getting higher and higher, from once a month initially to once every seven days now. Each time, the scale is larger than the last. The defense line at Shuangjian Peak is too long, and we can't hold it with just our people; we must rely on the Lingyuan Association's Spirit Source Users to assist in the defense."

"That is why Wang Qiang dares to shit on my head, and I can only endure it." Zhang Yi lowered his head, his voice hoarse. "For the sake of those refugees still struggling to survive, this military uniform of mine... it's so stifling to wear!"

The cafeteria fell into a deathly silence.

Zhou Hai and Zhao Ze exchanged glances, both seeing the fury in each other's eyes.

Using living people as bait had already crossed the bottom line of humanity.

Lu Sheng, who had been silently eating meat, suddenly put down his chopsticks.

"How big do you estimate this Floating Corpse Tide will be?"

Lu Sheng's voice was very calm, revealing no joy or anger.

He looked up, and in his golden pupils, there was no fear as Zhang Yi had expected, but instead, a kind of... excited gleam like a hunter seeing prey.

Zhang Yi was stunned for a moment and subconsciously replied: "This... this time it is expected to be an ordinary Corpse Tide, about 500,000 Floating Corpses, with a large number of Level 4 and Level 5 Elite Floating Corpses mixed in."

"500,000, huh..." Lu Sheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. This was a rich haul of energy points and spirit source crystal cores.

His gaze swept over Chen Yan and Zhang Yi: "For this Corpse Tide, the Blazing Flame Fleet will participate in full force. As for that so-called Lingyuan Association..."

He paused, his eyes as cold as knives: "Since they like using people as bait, when the next Corpse Tide comes, I'll let them taste what it's like to be bait."

Chen Yan took a deep breath, stood up, his gaze firm: "The Jinling army will also be fully committed! We will never let Shuangjian Peak fall!"

Zhang Yi looked at the two men in front of him, his lips trembling with excitement.

He suddenly stood straight, snapped a standard military salute, and tears finally couldn't help but stream down.

"Thank you! Thank you!!"

The banquet did not break up until late at night.

Zhang Yi arranged an independent courtyard near the mountainside for Lu Sheng and his party; the environment was quiet and far from the noise over there.

On the way back, moonlight spilled onto the mountain path.

Although Zhou Hai had drunk quite a lot, his steps were very steady.

He walked behind Lu Sheng and suddenly chuckled: "Little Lu, when I heard Old Zhang talking about those things earlier, I really wanted to rush straight to that so-called Paradise District and set it on fire."

"No rush." Lu Sheng didn't even turn his head. "The fire will definitely be set."

Zhao Ze glanced at Zhou Hai and teased: "Old Zhou, why didn't you drink yourself under the table today? With this amount of alcohol, you would have already crawled under the table before."

Zhou Hai grinned, looking at the straight back in front of him, his voice rare and serious: "Following Little Lu, I don't dare to get drunk. In case I fall behind, where would I find such an awesome boss?"

Lu Sheng shook his head—this stubborn fool never had a serious moment—and then continued walking, though the coldness at the corner of his mouth dissipated a little.

Returning to his room, Lu Sheng did not rest immediately.

He stood in front of the window, overlooking the area below.

Above was the brightly lit Paradise District, and below was the pitch-black refugee camp.

"There is one day left before the Floating Corpse Tide erupts; tomorrow is the rest period." Lu Sheng calculated in his heart, "A highland where spirit source gathers like this can't just grow weeds. I need to go deep into Shuangjian Peak to take a look; maybe I can find some spiritual plants and give my body another strengthening."

He pulled the curtains, shutting out the chaotic world, sat cross-legged on the bed, opened his body's pores, and slowly absorbed the subtle spirit source particles in the air to strengthen his internal organs.

PS: Today's update (2/5).