71: Chapter 71 Expansion of Power

The other end of the communicator fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint static of the current and the other party's suddenly heavy breathing.

Lin Chen's words, "light my soul like a sky lantern," carried an unquestionable cold killing intent that pierced through the signal like an invisible ice pick, stabbing deep into the other party's heart. This was completely different from the script he had envisioned! Shouldn't the other party be panicking, bargaining, and finally obediently handing over the money to ransom the person? Why was he instead threatening to light him like a sky lantern?!

"You... are you crazy?!" that hoarse voice shouted with a trace of imperceptible trembling, putting on a brave front. "Lin Chen! Don't be too arrogant! I know you have some skill, but this world is bigger than you imagine! Offending people you shouldn't offend, you..."

"Noisy."

Lin Chen directly interrupted the other party's nonsense, his tone carrying obvious impatience.

"It seems you don't plan on speaking."

"It doesn't matter."

He spoke to the air, or rather, to his ubiquitous system, giving a faint command:

"System, lock onto this communication signal source and perform a deep trace. I want to know who this guy is, where he is, and how much his bones weigh."

[Command received. Initiating long-range communication tracing. Involves cross-regional rule penetration, requiring a consumption of 2,000,000 nether talismans.]

Two million nether talismans!

This number made Zhang Hao, who had just regained consciousness, twitch his eyelid again. To drag out this rat, the Master was truly spending a fortune!

Lin Chen didn't even blink.

"Confirm payment."

[Payment successful! Tracing in progress... Detected multiple signal disguises and rule interference... Forcibly cracking...]

The guy on the other end of the communicator seemed to sense something was wrong, his voice carrying a hint of panic: "Lin Chen! What do you want to do?! I'm warning you..."

His warning came to an abrupt halt.

Because the system notification sounded again:

[Trace successful!]

[Target identity confirmed: Black Snake, former military electronic warfare expert, became an intelligence broker and raider active between several large bases after the apocalypse.]

[Current location: Has fled the "Silent Ridge" area, located eighty kilometers southwest of the "Steel Fortress" base, inside the "Vulture Canyon" secret stronghold.]

[Associated information: His personal account received an anonymous transfer from Director Zhao Yongfu, the head of the "Steel Fortress" base, three hours ago. Amount: 500,000 nether talismans. Memo (encrypted): "Deal with the tail, do it cleanly."]

Steel Fortress! Director Zhao Yongfu!

As expected, it was him!

Although he had guessed it long ago, having it confirmed by the system made the chill in Lin Chen's eyes almost materialize. Old grudges from his previous life, and in this life he still dared to secretly trip him up, hijack his goods, and harm his people!

"Director Zhao Yongfu... it seems one million nether talismans still wasn't enough to make you learn your lesson." Lin Chen murmured to himself, the killing intent in his voice making Su Qingyu beside him feel a pang of heart palpitations.

On the other end of the communicator, the guy codenamed "Black Snake" obviously didn't know he had already been stripped bare. He was still trying to threaten: "Lin Chen! I don't care what tricks you're playing! I'll count to three. If you don't send the money, I'll destroy this batch of Energy Cores! We'll all go down together! One..."

Lin Chen directly shut off the communication, too lazy to listen to any more nonsense.

He looked at Zhang Hao and Su Qingyu and ordered:

"Zhang Hao, take two teams of elite Yin Soldiers, board the soul ferry boat, and go to 'Vulture Canyon.' Bring back that rat called 'Black Snake' along with my goods. Remember, I want him alive."

"Yes! Master!" Zhang Hao's spirits were greatly lifted. The anger and humiliation he had been suppressing finally found an outlet. He rubbed his hands together, a fierce light glinting in his eyes.

"Su Qingyu."

"Present."

"In the name of Netherworld Express, send an ultimatum to the 'Steel Fortress' base." Lin Chen's tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable decisiveness. "Inform Director Zhao Yongfu that he is suspected of plotting the robbery of our important supplies and endangering our personnel's safety. He is given three hours to make a public apology and compensate for our losses—ten million nether talismans, plus fifty percent of all Energy Cores and rare metal reserves in his base. If he fails to comply within the time limit..."

Lin Chen paused and spat out four cold words:

"Consequences at your own risk."

Su Qingyu felt a sense of awe, knowing Lin Chen was going to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys and completely establish his prestige! Ten million nether talismans, plus half of the energy and rare metal reserves—this was almost emptying most of the Steel Fortress's family fortune! How could Director Zhao Yongfu possibly agree?

But she didn't hesitate at all, immediately responding, "Yes! I will draft the ultimatum right away!"

...

Netherworld Express's ultimatum was spread across all surrounding survivor bases through public communication channels in an extremely high-profile manner!

The content was simple, crude, and merciless!

It directly made public the dirty deeds of Director Zhao Yongfu and the Steel Fortress, and issued a sky-high fine!

For a moment, all the bases were in an uproar!

They were shocked by Director Zhao Yongfu's audacity to actually dare to provoke the tiger's whiskers of that behemoth, Lin Chen! They were even more shocked by Lin Chen's toughness and dominance! This wasn't a negotiation at all; this was an ultimatum! It was a naked display of military deterrence!

Almost everyone thought that Director Zhao Yongfu would never agree to such humiliating conditions, and a great war seemed inevitable.

However, the development of events exceeded everyone's expectations.

Less than two hours after the ultimatum was issued.

The Yin Soldier squad led by Zhang Hao had already arrived at Vulture Canyon with thunderous momentum aboard the soul ferry boat. The electronic interference and physical traps set up by that guy codenamed "Black Snake" were useless in the face of absolute power and the ghost-like appearance of the soul ferry boat. He didn't even have time to organize resistance before he was dragged out of his hiding cave by the wolf-like Yin Soldiers and escorted onto the boat along with the stolen batch of Energy Cores.

Over at the Steel Fortress base, Director Zhao Yongfu completely lost his nerve after receiving the ultimatum, especially after learning that "Black Snake" had been caught! He had originally hoped "Black Snake" would have some backbone or simply be killed by Lin Chen to leave no evidence, but he didn't expect him to be captured alive so quickly! This meant that the evidence of his secret instructions could be grasped and made public by Lin Chen at any time!

By then, he would not only face Lin Chen's wrath but also become an object of scorn for all survivor bases! Who would dare to trade with him? Who would dare to trust him?

Under extreme fear and immense pressure, Director Zhao Yongfu collapsed.

He couldn't hold out until the three-hour time limit.

Two hours and forty-five minutes after the ultimatum was issued, Director Zhao Yongfu's figure appeared on the Steel Fortress base's public channel.

His face was deathly pale, his hair disheveled. Facing the camera, with a voice full of sobbing and extreme humiliation, he publicly admitted his crimes of being "blinded by greed" and "obsessed with profit," instructing others to loot Netherworld Express supplies, and expressed his "sincerest apologies" to Lin Chen and Netherworld Express.

At the same time, he announced that he was willing to accept all the compensation conditions proposed by Lin Chen!

Ten million nether talismans, as well as fifty percent of the Steel Fortress base's Energy Cores and rare metal reserves, would be shipped immediately to the Underworld Fortress!

At this moment, all the survivor bases following this matter fell silent collectively.

They looked at the bowing and scraping Director Zhao Yongfu on the screen, who was almost about to kneel, and then thought of his former prestige as a regional leader. The intense contrast made them feel a chill all over.

They realized once again, with utmost clarity, what kind of terrifying power and influence that man named Lin Chen possessed! To be his enemy, the end would be even more miserable than Director Zhao Yongfu's!

After this incident, the reputation and deterrence of Netherworld Express reached an unprecedented height!

No one dared to question its authority anymore, and no one dared to target its goods!

Some bases that were still waiting and seeing, or trying to bargain, quickly paid their backlogged shipping fees and sent various "gifts" to show friendship and submission.

Lin Chen's nether talisman reserves once again experienced a wave of explosive growth!

At the same time, his sphere of influence also expanded several times over silently with the expansion of Netherworld Express's business and this display of power! In the surrounding areas, almost all survivor bases, to some extent, tacitly accepted the new order centered around the Underworld Fortress.

Standing in the now clean and tidy command room, Lin Chen looked at the points of light on the system map, each lit up to represent a "friendly" or "submissive" base, his gaze deep.

Expansion of power was only the first step.

He brought up the system interface, looking at the nether talisman balance that had been replenished due to Director Zhao Yongfu's "compensation" and the subsequent continuous stream of shipping income, breaking through the eight-digit mark.

It was time to go meet that Greedy Ghost again.

He was determined to obtain the weakness of the Lord of the Ultimate End.