121: Chapter 121 Shifting the Blame East

Gu Nanzhi's cheerful voice came through the communicator. Fang Che put the communicator away, feeling assured.

He was absolutely confident in leaving the task of causing trouble for the enemy to Gu Nanzhi.

Just then, Mu Waner, who had been staring at the military tablet, looked up and drew a circle around an area on the screen with her finger.

"Fang Che, there are high-level energy fluctuations at the old supply market in the west of the city."

"It's the same level as the military crate that contained the high-explosive crossbow bolts earlier. The density of monsters around it is also abnormal; there should be a big guy guarding it."

Jiang Ning's eyes lit up when she heard this. She clenched her fists, her knuckles popping audibly.

"The bigger the guy, the better! It means the stuff inside is more valuable. Shall we hit them?"

Fang Che did not answer immediately; he looked at Su Qingxue and Teacher Qin Bing.

Su Qingxue nodded, crossing her arms.

"We are currently most in need of high-level supplies, especially equipment that can improve our overall defense. It's worth a trip."

Teacher Qin Bing was more direct.

"Go. Black Shark is definitely eyeing this place too. If we don't go, we're just letting them have it for free."

Fang Che made his decision and immediately gave the order over the communicator.

"Alright, let's go check it out. All members of Combat Groups One and Two, depart in five minutes. Target: the old supply market in the west of the city. Logistics Group, stay at the base and increase vigilance!"

...

More than ten minutes later, Fang Che arrived at the edge of the old supply market with over twenty young women.

Everywhere here were collapsed shelves, torn iron roofs, and rusted parts scattered across the ground. Debris piled up, blocking the view, and the air was filled with a strange smell of rust mixed with decay.

Lin Xinyi frowned and scanned her surroundings vigilantly.

"This place is too chaotic. It's very easy to get ambushed in this kind of terrain."

Fang Che lowered his body and made a gesture to stop.

"Qingxue, it's your turn."

Su Qingxue walked to the front of the team and extended her right hand, palm facing the complex alleyways ahead. She didn't say a word, focusing only on activating her Talent.

A thin layer of white mist spread out from her palm, silently filling the intersecting passages ahead.

The mist wasn't thick, just enough to blur the vision. However, on Mu Waner's thermal imaging device, the outlines of their own members were incredibly clear, while enemies potentially hiding in the dark would become especially conspicuous because their body heat would be affected by the ice mist.

These passages covered by the Ice Wall mist instantly became concealed routes that only they were familiar with.

Fang Che issued the order.

"Group One, follow me to the left. Group Two, follow Xinyi to the right. Keep communication open for support at any time."

The team immediately split up, dispersing into the various passages under the cover of the mist and ruins.

Not long after they entered, a team of people appeared at the other end of the market.

At the head was a burly man with a scar on his face—a small leader of Black Shark. He brought over a dozen elite subordinates, and their goal was also this supply market.

The scarred man spat and waved his hand, signaling his men to disperse.

"Damn it, why are the roads in this hellhole so winding? Everyone, be sharp! Move forward in pairs. If you spot those women from 774 or any supply crates, send a signal immediately!"

The Black Shark members were experienced and did not rush in blindly. They advanced by alternating between covers using shelves and ruins, cautiously testing each other.

The entire supply market quieted down, with the wind whistling through the broken tin sheets.

The air was filled with vigilance and tension.

Jiang Ning crouched behind an overturned container, already growing impatient.

Jiang Ning's voice, suppressed with excitement, came through the communicator.

"Fang Che, just waiting around like this isn't a solution. How about I go out for a stroll and lure them out?"

Fang Che glanced at the distribution of red dots on Mu Waner's tablet. The Black Shark personnel were very dispersed and were gradually tightening their encirclement.

The corners of his mouth curled up.

"Sure, make a big scene and draw their attention. Lin Xinyi, you take the people from Group Two, seize the opportunity to flank them, and collect all those scattered low-level supply crates for me. Take them and run; don't get bogged down in a fight."

Lin Xinyi's voice rang out.

"Received!"

Jiang Ning followed up immediately.

"Got it!"

The next second, Jiang Ning darted out from behind the container and deliberately kicked a piece of sheet metal, creating a loud clanging sound.

"Grandsons of Black Shark! Your grandma is right here! If you have the guts, come and chase me!"

She yelled at the top of her lungs and turned to run toward an open area. This arrogant move instantly attracted the attention of several nearby Black Shark members.

"Damn, it's that woman from 774! Don't let her get away!"

"Chase her! Catch her!"

Seven or eight Black Shark members from two directions immediately chased after Jiang Ning.

On the other side, Lin Xinyi and several newcomers passed through the ice mist passage created by Su Qingxue, moving very lightly as they approached several corners overlooked by Black Shark.

They pried open several wooden crates, stuffed the compressed biscuits and drinking water inside into their backpacks, and quickly withdrew, keeping their voices as low as possible throughout the process.

Fang Che ignored the chaos on the periphery; his gaze was locked firmly on the central area of the market.

There was a unique silver metal box placed in a nest made of abandoned vehicles and shipping containers.

Around the nest were over a dozen huge mutant cockroaches, their limbs rubbing against each other, making a rustling sound.

A direct assault would certainly come at a significant cost.

Fang Che's mind raced.

Since the Black Shark people wanted to be hunters so badly, let them do the dirtiest and most exhausting work first.

He reconnected to Gu Nanzhi's encrypted channel.

"Nanzhi, do it. Release the Gray Pigeon signal for me. Say that Gray Pigeon has discovered a large batch of supplies in the warehouse in the north district of the market."

Gu Nanzhi's voice carried a smile.

"Understood, Brother Fang Che. Just watch."

A few seconds later, a flurry of urgent messages suddenly rang out in the communicators of the Black Shark squad that was chasing Jiang Ning.

A Black Shark subordinate shouted.

"Captain, Gray Pigeon has also come to the warehouse in the north district to pick up scraps!"

The scarred man who was directing the encirclement of Jiang Ning was taken aback.

"Gray Pigeon? This bunch of scavengers dares to snatch things from me!"

He glanced at Jiang Ning, who was still jumping around in the distance, then looked at the location of the north district warehouse on the map; it was indeed another large supply point.

"Damn it! Split half the men and come with me to the north district. We can't let those cowards from Gray Pigeon get there first!"

The scarred man issued the order. The team that was originally chasing Jiang Ning immediately split in half and rushed toward the north district warehouse.

The pressure on Jiang Ning's side suddenly decreased.

Fang Che watched the departing Black Shark squad, a smile of success on his face.

"They've taken the bait. Now is the time—get ready to act!"

He gestured to Su Qingxue and Teacher Qin Bing beside him.

Taking advantage of the gap where Black Shark's peripheral defense had weakened due to splitting their forces, Fang Che was the first to rush out.

Su Qingxue and Teacher Qin Bing followed closely behind.

The dozen or so mutant cockroaches were immediately alerted, waving their antennae as they swarmed toward the three of them.

"Ice Wall!"

Su Qingxue pressed her hands onto the ground, and a thick Ice Wall rose from the ground, blocking most of the monsters outside.

Two or three exceptionally huge mutant cockroaches smashed directly through the Ice Wall, opening their slime-covered mouthparts to pounce on Fang Che.

Fang Che didn't dodge at all.

A-rank skill Size Manipulation activated.

The muscles in his right arm instantly bulged and knotted, his entire arm thickened by a circle, and his veins stood out.

He met those monsters head-on and slammed a punch fiercely at them.

With a dull, explosive bang.

The shell of the mutant cockroach at the very front shattered upon impact, and it was blasted into a shower of fragments and foul-smelling green fluid by the punch.

The other two were also sent flying by this force, crashing heavily into the shipping container and falling into a pile of mush.

The mutant monsters were cleared instantly; this was the crushing power of strength.

Fang Che shook the fluid off his hand and walked straight to the silver resource box, placing his hand on it.

[Talent activated successfully. Target object: Silver resource box. Critical Hit multiplier: 50x!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained: Portable Energy Shield Module (B-Rank) x30, Military-Grade Compressed Nutrient Paste x100, Concentrated Mental Recovery Potion (C-Rank) x50!]

The prompt for the generous rewards popped up.

Fang Che shoved everything into his backpack all at once.

From the distance came the furious cursing of the Black Shark gang.

"Where are they? Damn it, where are the people from Gray Pigeon!"

"Captain, there's nothing here! Just a few empty, broken boxes!"

The scarred man who rushed to the north district warehouse arrived to find nothing, quickly realizing he had been played.

He led his men back to the market center in a rage, only to see the ground covered in monster corpses and an empty silver box.

Next to the empty box lay a gray button with a special pattern.

A Black Shark member picked up the button and handed it to the scarred man.

"Captain, look at this! It's the emblem of those people from Gray Pigeon!"

The scarred man looked at the button in his hand and then at the empty box, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably with rage.

He directed all his fury at Gray Pigeon, which hadn't even appeared.

"Gray Pigeon... I'll f*ck your mother!"

The roar echoed through the abandoned supply market.