Their conversation saved Lin Xiaosu a great deal of trouble.
He had needed to warn them that this white snake was exceptionally unusual and exceptionally dangerous. But that warning would have been difficult to give. During the earlier part of the journey, no one but him had known the white snake had appeared. He could hardly tell them, "I can use Time Reversal. I saw this white snake with my own eyes."
That would have been too horrifying.
But he had to admit that Qianlong had deep foundations.
Between Chang Ye's questions and Number 88's answers, every problem had been resolved.
They had adopted the most correct method for dealing with the white snake.
And they had also adopted the most correct method for dealing with that bunch of grapes.
With the correct handling methods, there would be no problems. Once they reached Qianlong headquarters, they would naturally understand just how revolutionary this thing was. They would also be able to eliminate every danger during research, because Chang Ye had already clearly identified its dangers: incomparably hard scales and unimaginably fast speed...
Xinyue was weak in this sort of professional knowledge. Her gaze swept around as she said, "Hey, Instructors, can I remind everyone not to let victory go to your heads? Lin Xiaose may have led us into this cave and helped us obtain a pile of things, but he also sent us into a dead end. How are we getting out?"
From her perspective, that was absolute rationality.
The only passage had already collapsed, flooded with sand and rocks. It would probably take an excavator to dig through it. No matter how skilled they were, they were still human, not gods. How were they supposed to escape?
However, Lin Xiaosu smiled. "Think about it. Why was that person who intended to flee wearing a diving suit?"
Xinyue frowned. "Escape through an underground river? Is there an underground river here?"
"As the saying goes, a crafty rabbit has three burrows! Anyone planning to do evil always leaves themselves a back door! That was why I dared to lead my comrades into a dead end. And when I saw the diving suit on him, I knew I'd gambled right." Lin Xiaosu strolled along the cave wall for more than ten meters before stopping at one spot.
He lightly raised his hand and slapped the stone wall.
The wall gave off a faint echo, slightly different from that of solid stone.
Boom!
A small foot flew through the air!
The stone wall shattered outright. Beyond it came the sound of running water—an underground river.
Xinyue stepped to the edge of the river and smiled smugly. "I opened the hidden door, so I won't ask for much. One hundred points will do!"
"Damn! One kick of yours is worth a hundred points? Are points in your family really that easy to earn?" Lin Xiaosu shouted.
"Then go ahead and kick it. If you can kick a huge hole through the stone wall with one kick, mine will be free..."
"You're way too overbearing and completely unreasonable! It was a perfectly good door that could have been opened with a mechanism, but you had to smash it to pieces with one kick. You're as stubborn as a bull..."
Number 88 and Chang Ye exchanged a glance, and both saw appreciation in the other's eyes.
"In history, how many times has someone crossed from the reserves into official Qianlong in a single operation?" Number 88 asked.
Chang Ye smiled softly. "In the world of geniuses, the number of times is meaningless."
"So you agree to officially submit the application in our names?"
Chang Ye said, "Looking at the entire operation, you and I were nominally in command, but in truth, every stage was directed by him. Even if he were already an official Qianlong, an operation this flawless would still be a classic case found only in Qianlong textbooks. What reason would I have to disagree?"
"Let's go. Time to wrap this up!" Number 88 took the lead. Reaching the underground river, he jumped in.
Xinyue followed closely behind.
Chang Ye took Lin Su's hand. "Let's go!"
Helmets rose from their Qianlong suits. The two smiled at each other and stepped into the underground river.
There was a streak of light ahead in the river. They swam toward it and emerged from another pool.
This pool was in another valley.
They climbed the mountain ahead. On the other side, a highway could be vaguely seen.
And farther away stood a city.
The year-round mist churned in the valley behind them.
The endless mountains still stretched before them.
But the signal was back.
Their location had also returned.
Chang Ye stared at the mist behind them. "The signal returned as soon as we left the mist zone. Could this mist be the key reason the signal was blocked?"
There was no answer to that question for now.
Number 88 raised his hand and sent out a signal. From atop a mountain behind them, their flying car shot into the sky and automatically landed before them.
Number 88 walked over to Chang Ye. "We've contacted headquarters. They'll take over the follow-up cleanup, so we don't need to participate."
"Alright!"
"Lin Xiaosu's application for full membership has already been submitted. We're waiting for the council's approval."
Chang Ye smiled.
Lin Xiaosu's heart gave a slight jolt. His application for full membership had already been submitted?
He was going to become official?
One mission, and he would go from the reserves to an official Qianlong...
Mom, this counts as being a civil servant too. Not officially, perhaps, but this position has ten thousand times more prestige than working at the Meteorological Bureau...
"Hey, Instructor, what about me? Me!" Xinyue pointed a finger at her own nose.
There was even sweat on the tip of it.
That was right, what about her?
Lin Xiaosu was also a little puzzled. Why had Number 88 mentioned only Lin Xiaosu's application and not Xinyue's?
Xinyue had started with 853 points. She only needed another 150 to reach the thousand-point threshold for full membership.
The girl had worked hard throughout this trip. How could she possibly have failed to earn even 150 points?
According to the "Reserve Charter," Lin Xiaosu roughly estimated that her points should have increased by at least seven or eight hundred.
"As for you, your points aren't enough. Keep working!" Number 88 said.
Xinyue nearly jumped eight feet into the air. "My points aren't enough? I took out seven thugs in the valley! According to the Charter, each thug is worth one hundred points, so that's seven hundred! What's 853 plus 700? Can't you do basic math?"
"1,553!" Number 88 answered.
"Then isn't that settled? I passed the thousand-point threshold, so why won't you make this la—make me official?" In her excitement, she had nearly called herself "this old lady," but fortunately caught herself in time. Otherwise, she would have lost more points.
Number 88 spoke unhurriedly. "Don't forget that you have deductions."
"What?"
"Before entering the cabin, did I clearly issue you an order to stop fighting and enter the building?"
"You did, but at the time..."
Number 88 cut her off. "If you had entered earlier, then even if the enemy's self-destruct sequence had activated, would there not have been enough time to react? Would there not have been a chance to interrupt the self-destruct sequence and obtain the enemy's research materials?"
"Yes, but at the time..."
Number 88 interrupted her again. "Does the Reserve Charter clearly state that anyone who commits serious negligence during an operation and causes major losses will have all earned points cleared?"
"It does, but the battle situation changed by the second! The enemy was right behind my ass. I dealt with the immediate danger first before carrying out my superior's order. That counts as serious negligence?"
"I believe it does!"
"Fuck..." Xinyue sprang up.
Number 88 stared coldly at her. "Go on, finish cursing!"
Xinyue abruptly turned toward Lin Xiaosu. "Lin Xiaose, I'll fuck your eight fathers..."
Lin Xiaosu was dumbfounded. "What does this have to do with me?"
"It has nothing to do with you, but this old lady has a knot of anger in her chest, and only cursing you won't cost me points!"
Damn!
Lin Xiaosu ran into the flying car.
Chang Ye followed him inside. Outside, Number 88 and Xinyue were like bulls locking horns...
Inside the flying car, Lin Xiaosu turned his gaze to Chang Ye. He smiled lightly and lowered his voice. "Why aren't you letting her become official?"
"You noticed?" Chang Ye smiled softly as well.
"Of course I noticed. Her failure to become official had nothing to do with the operation itself. Number 88 simply wasn't allowing it. So no matter how outstandingly she performed, he would find a way to keep her locked in the reserves."
Lin Xiaosu had watched the entire operation.
Including the so-called "serious negligence" Xinyue had committed.
How should he put it?
It was entirely subjective.
One could say that because Xinyue had failed to obey her superior's order, the materials had been destroyed.
But considering the situation at the time, Xinyue had seen an enemy right in front of her. Could she have ignored the enemy?
In other words, whether Xinyue had rendered merit or violated regulations was entirely up to Number 88.
Yet Number 88 had erased all her merits, clearly intending to suppress her.
It was normal for superiors to deliberately suppress subordinates in any organization, but Lin Xiaosu felt it was abnormal in an organization like Qianlong. This was a battlefield of blood and fire. Comrades should be sincere with one another and treat each other honestly.
Chang Ye said, "It was my idea not to let her become official. Number 88 is taking the blame for me."
"What?"
"Her temperament needs tempering. While she is in the reserves, the Reserve Charter restrains her. Even if she makes mistakes, they can only go so far. But once she becomes official, the Qianlong Regulations will restrain her if she breaks the rules. The Qianlong Regulations have no flexibility."
Lin Xiaosu was greatly surprised. "This is protection? You really put a lot of thought into it?"
"Back then, her grandfather went far away to Europa State and entrusted her to me. How could I not protect her?"
"...You could have just told her directly."
Chang Ye sighed softly. "How could I tell her? She isn't stupid. She already guessed that there was a hidden hand behind her failure to become official. She even put that hidden hand at the very top of her hatred list, grinding her teeth in hatred every day... If I told her that the person she had been desperately searching for, the person whose ancestral grave she had verbally dug up, was me, then our little friendship boat would capsize in an instant... So Number 88 can only take the blame. Besides, he ranks second on Xinyue's little book of grudges."
Lin Xiaosu pressed a hand to his forehead, his gaze drifting...
"Want to say I'm very fake?" Chang Ye's eyes drifted toward him.
"Ahem, ahem..."
"That's because you don't know how disruptive she can be, and you haven't encountered the Qianlong Regulations. You don't know how unforgiving the Qianlong Regulations are..." Chang Ye said.
Her voice stopped abruptly because Xinyue ran over with a crazed expression.
Number 88 also came over and climbed into the flying car.
The flying car started up and flew over Laoshan. Throughout the journey, grinding sounds came from inside the vehicle.
Xinyue was gritting her teeth.
Before you continue