Chapter 251
Things are getting better, everything is getting better!
The cadres, except for W and Mephisto, were quite surprised to see so much food.
They never imagined that the Pure Gold could be exchanged for so much grain, and they wanted to find out how to exchange it.
Talulah didn't mention Zhongli, and neither did the rest of the guerrillas. She only said that such an opportunity only came once, and they didn't know when the next one would be.
Some cadres were filled with regret, thinking that they should have contributed more at the time, feeling that they had lost out big time.
After distributing the food and medicine in the square, Talulah walked back to her office. This place used to be the city hall, located in the very heart of the city.
She pulled down the gilded latch, shutting out the wind, snow, and other unwelcome things.
Just as Talulah took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack, she noticed a guest who shouldn't be there sitting in the northwest corner of the room.
The Emperor's Royal Guard.
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316 Turn enemies into friends? 3K
Talulah's pupils constricted sharply upon seeing the Emperor's Royal Guard present.
She was about to react when she found herself moving unusually slowly. It turned out the entire office was filled with black gas that could slow people down.
The Inner Guards successfully bypassed the city's numerous sentries and patrols, moving like a black phantom. His jet-black coat gleamed, as if it had absorbed a lot of grease.
He knew that members of the Rhodes Island wouldn't casually open the leader's office door to inspect it. So he sat there like a patient fisherman, quietly waiting for the fish to come to him.
"Miss Talulah, please don't worry."
The Emperor's Royal Guard spoke fluent Ursus, with a distinct lisp. Although he wore a gas mask, Talulah could tell from his deep voice that he was at least forty or fifty years old.
The Inner Guards are super soldiers created by scientists using fragments of Northern Demon, and they often have very short lifespans. Old age, rather than being an advantage, is a symbol of seniority and strength.
She slowed down, but her mind remained sharp.
By gathering subtle intelligence from the scene, they determined that the Inner Guards in front of them was no ordinary person.
"I came to Schuratzburg City today to engage in in-depth cooperation with you."
Talulah leaned back, trying to escape the office. But her back was enveloped in black gas, making her movements increasingly restricted and slow as she went further.
A direct attack is unlikely to work. The layout of an office isn't suitable for wielding a sword and hacking away. Even if she had to fight, she wasn't confident she could injure her opponent.
It's a pity Zhongli just left, otherwise he could have dealt with this guy. If this were a seasoned elite Inner Guards, probably only Talulah and Patriot Broca in the entire Schuratzburg City could put him in a fight.
We can't retreat now, and we're not confident of advancing. It seems extremely unwise to rashly start a war with the Inner Guards.
Talulah noticed there was no black mist around her mouth, stared at the other person, snorted coldly, and questioned:
"When you collaborate with someone, do you always surround them with these things before even starting to talk?"
The Inner Guards was wearing a gas mask, so his facial expression couldn't be seen, but his apology was very sincere.
"I'm sorry, Miss Talulah. I had to do this to stop you from escaping. I don't expect you to lower your guard immediately, but I'm here to discuss cooperation. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it the moment you walked in. Why wait until now?"
Seeing that the other party's expression relaxed slightly, the Emperor's Blades withdrew some of the black gas in front of her as a gesture of goodwill.
Talulah remained in her fighting stance, staring at the uninvited guest before her, and spoke:
"I don't think the Rhodes Island will cooperate with the Inner Guards in any way."
"Miss Talulah, we can't be too definitive. There are no permanent enemies on this land, only permanent interests. As long as we can both get what we want, there is a possibility of cooperation."
This kind of "any means necessary to achieve one's goals" rhetoric sounds a bit like that old man Koschei.
However, several years ago, Talulah had already personally stabbed the mastermind behind her father's death with her sword.
"Just tell me what you're trying to do. We're adversaries, how can we cooperate?"
The Inner Guards shook his head, clicking his tongue in regret.
"Miss Talulah, to be honest, I find this very puzzling, and there's something I have to say today. You founded the Rhodes Island to save the Infected and to overthrow the nobles and forces that oppress them, right?"
Talulah hesitated for a moment, not sensing any verbal trap, and then replied:
"Yes, what's wrong?"
The Inner Guards leaned forward, uttering the interrogation question:
"Do we oppress infected people?"
"This..."
Talulah was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. The Inner Guards was a unique unit in Ursus, rarely engaging in direct combat with the Rhodes Island. She thought for several seconds before coming up with a rebuttal:
"But you participated in the operation to suppress the Rhodes Island, doesn't that count?"
"No, no, no, Miss Talulah."
The Inner Guards shook his head and patiently explained:
"To put it bluntly, the Inner Guards are the Royal Family's mercenaries. They are paid more than ordinary mercenaries, and it's a long-term, stable job. His Majesty the Emperor is like the employer; whatever tasks he assigns, we have to do."
"We participated in the crackdown because the Rhodes Island has seriously impacted local security. You're fighting mercenaries on the battlefield; shouldn't you be hating the masterminds behind it? What does it have to do with the mercenaries?"
Seeing how cleanly the other party absolved themselves of responsibility, Talulah responded with only eight words:
"A fallacy of equivocation and sophistry."
"But you can't deny that the Inner Guards never oppressed infected people, can you?"
Talulah wanted to refute, but couldn't think of a suitable example, so she could only remain tactically silent.
Seeing that she remained silent, the Inner Guards slowly rose. His movements were so gentle that the floorboards didn't creak.
"Miss Talulah. I've come to Schuratzburg City at the risk of being accused of treason, just to offer you a mutually beneficial opportunity. Even if you hate the Inner Guards and us for no reason, please listen to my plan before making a decision, okay?"
Talulah still felt resistant, but she had to admit that the other party's attitude was quite sincere:
"Okay, then you can go ahead and say it."
The Inner Guards glanced towards the doorway, his lips moving beneath his gas mask, uttering indescribable sounds. It was as if he were whispering, or perhaps talking to himself.
[Password: Koschei, have you awakened yet?]
Talulah couldn't understand at all and looked puzzled:
"What did you say?"
Upon seeing her reaction, the Inner Guards immediately understood and replied in a calm tone:
"What I was saying was, do you know about the five Inner Guards who went missing before?"
Oops!
Talulah's eyelids twitched violently upon hearing this, and she dared not reply.
Could it be that this guy came all this way to avenge those five Inner Guards?
Seeing that Talulah remained silent for a long time, the Inner Guards and revealed his plan in detail:
"Miss Talulah, we recently intercepted a Catastrophe Messenger's forecast report. A Cataclysmic Clouds is slowly moving towards Chernobyl, a city in southeastern Ursus. It will collide with this Mobile Cities in three to five months at the earliest."
You will need to enter the Mobile Cities and scavenge for supplies before the Catastrophe strikes. We will be ordered to come and encircle them, engaging in a symbolic battle with the Rhodes Island. Afterwards, once you have the supplies, simply escape.
Talulah's expression was strange, as if she couldn't believe it:
"It's that simple?"
The Inner Guards nodded, his tone very firm:
"That's right, it's that simple. You can ask any questions you have about this plan."
Talulah hesitated for several seconds before asking several questions in one breath:
"Your plan has too many uncertainties. First, there's the Cataclysmic Clouds —how can you ensure it will successfully collide with the Mobile Cities? What if other Catastrophe Messenger issue warnings and act in advance? Furthermore, I don't think we can gain enough from this plan. And what do you expect to get from this plan?"
If you can't convince me, I can't possibly agree to any kind of cooperation.
"I will answer these questions one by one."
The Inner Guards himself knew that at this moment, only by telling the truth could he gain the other party's trust.
"First, there's the path of the Catastrophe, which we're absolutely certain of. Given Chernobyl's size, it's impossible to avoid it."
The second point concerns the Catastrophe Messenger. The new Catastrophe Messenger is one of our people, you understand now?
Thirdly, I know you don't have much food reserves right now. Even if you find food for the winter, it won't last long. We will provide a large amount of supplies to make up for the losses incurred in this operation. If you're worried about traps inside, you can send any cadre into the city.
Fourthly, what we most want from this plan is fame. You may not know, but there were five missing Inner Guards before. Because they refused to respond to His Majesty the Emperor's call, they were labeled traitors. We Inner Guards were sidelined, and our treatment deteriorated day by day.
Why should our entire Inner Guards bear the responsibility for the mistakes those five made? That's why we created and resolved the unrest, thereby demonstrating the value of the Inner Guards.
In this way, the Rhodes Island gained scarce food and reputation, while we revived the glory of the Inner Guards. For both of us, this was a mutually beneficial opportunity.
Talulah strangely, she really hadn't expected the other party to pull off such a bizarre move.
Create chaos and then resolve it?
Ha, how is this any different from treason?
"Are you sure you can get a positive review by entering a city facing Catastrophe to search for supplies?"
"Black and red are still red, Miss Talulah."
The Inner Guards has a very clear understanding of the media situation:
"Aren't you trying to invite infected people across this land through various means? Then all sorts of news reports will become the biggest stage."
Ursus's official media will undoubtedly engage in malicious slander and even fabrication to diminish public perception of the Rhodes Island. But will they stop their smear campaign if you don't enter Chernobyl? The result will be the same.
You can claim you're entering the city to rescue the oppressed infected. Search for essential supplies in buildings abandoned by the local population. Even if you don't take them, they'll be destroyed by Catastrophe later.
As someone who has been infected, do you think he would believe the official reports or yours after seeing the news reports?
Hearing this, Talulah was somewhat intrigued. She felt that the plan was indeed feasible.
She then asked more questions, Inner Guards answered one by one. Judging from the guard's fluent speech, he must have been well-prepared to carry out this plan.
"One last question: Aren't you afraid of being discovered by the Emperor of Ursus and facing retribution?"
"I'd rather do something than be suppressed and sidelined for life. Besides, who would believe that the Rhodes Island and the Inner Guards are working together? I don't even need to explain to my subordinates. As long as you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who will know?"
"Too."
The Inner Guards withdrew the black aura from the room and asked:
"So, Miss Talulah, please tell me, what is your choice?"
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317 Mudrock's Wish 3K
Shi Lei spent nearly two days flying over a thousand kilometers above the clouds. He set off on July 3 and arrived in Lungmen on the evening of July 5.
Among the 30 million yuan worth of food and medicine, apart from some fresh vegetables and fruits, most of them were canned and dried foods, which are convenient for long-term storage.
Even though there are tens of thousands of infected people in Schuratzburg City, this food supply is enough to last them until the end of the year.
Once the crops Talulah mentioned are harvested, we can replenish a large amount of food.
In the coming period, Shi Lei will keep an eye on the developments of the Rhodes Island.
However, Officer Chen was probably more concerned about Talulah's situation than he was. She would promptly notify him of any news from official channels.
The lights of Lungmen are dim at night.
From above, the skyscrapers and low-rise residential buildings form the outline of the city. Roads and bridges connect them all.
Shi Lei controlled the Rock House to hover above the city, but didn't rush to land. He looked down from his secluded room, surveying the city's myriad lights.
At that moment, Shi Lei had an indescribable feeling that made him want to protect the beautiful moments he was experiencing.
A moment later, he controlled the Rock House to descend. Carrying FrostNova, it landed smoothly on the open ground in front of the warehouse.
As soon as Pu appeared, V and the Sarkaz mercenaries who were lying in wait immediately shouted:
"You're back! The master is back!"