War

Li Banfeng asked first, "If Luo Lijun uses the new land to exchange for a guarantee in Pro State, are there many people in your clan who disagree?"

Luo Yanjun said, "No matter what my sister says, there are things she agrees to and things she doesn't agree to. There are some things that even my mother thinks should not be agreed to."

The current situation in Inner State is very complicated.

Despite opposition, Luo Lijun reached a settlement with Li Banfeng, a decision that went against the wishes of many, including her own family.

This is why Luo Lijun was replaced.

Li Banfeng then asked, "Did the Inner State send you to replace Luo Lijun because it's going to war with the Outer State?"

Luo Yanjun said, "Going to war means fighting, right? There are many warlike people in the upper clan who always talk about fighting. They say they must avenge the grudges from Outer State, otherwise they will be letting down their ancestors."

But some didn't want to fight. My sister didn't want to fight; she said it wasn't that she wouldn't avenge the wrongs, but that the time wasn't right yet.

There's nothing wrong with everyone enjoying a few peaceful days first.

Those who love war and those who don't both think they're right, and no one will concede to the other. My father didn't like war, and as a result, he died in prison.

The Inner State is divided into two factions: those advocating war and those advocating peace. Currently, the faction advocating war is in the lead, and Luo Lijun may face the same situation as her father.

"When did the Inner State and the Outer State become enemies?"

"I wouldn't know that. I wasn't even born then. I heard from the older generation that people from Outer State are all ungrateful, especially that older generation member who just came back recently."

This is an older generation person who said that by always giving way to Outer State, they would eventually be devoured until nothing was left. But to be fair, Yu Songkai did still have some bones left.

Ma Wu explained, "Yu Songkai was the previous gatekeeper, the one who turned into a crucian carp skeleton."

Yes, all that's left are bones, but that's all that's left.

Li Banfeng asked, "Who are these older generation people?"

"I have no idea about that. This person has a terrible temper; you can't even tell them their name."

She has a bad temper and her name cannot be mentioned.

Li Banfeng asked, "This older generation person, they shouldn't be from your clan, right?"

Luo Yanjun thought about it carefully, "If you're talking about Bloodline Seed, he's definitely not one of our people. He looks different from all of us."

But if you're talking about hierarchy, his status is also very high; our clansmen also have to bow to him when they see him.

Li Banfeng knew who this person was.

That sage from Sage Peak.

The sage had quite a temper, and according to his rules, his name had to be avoided; others could not mention it.

After his lair was raided by DaoLao Ghost, the sage disappeared without a trace, apparently having gone to Inner State.

Chu Shaoqiang once said that the sage was the last emperor of the Former Dynasty, who lost the war and his country.

His kingdom was divided into two parts: one part was controlled by the royal family and became today's Inner State, and the other part is today's Pro State.

Unable to endure the oppression of the royal family, the sage left the Inner State and temporarily resided on Sage Peak. Now that Sage Peak is gone, he has no choice but to return to the Inner State.

Although he was not the actual ruler of Inner State, it can be inferred from Luo Yanjun's words that the sage's words still carried weight, and it was precisely because he went to Inner State that the pro-war faction gained the upper hand again.

Ma Wu asked, "Are you planning to wage war in Soda Kiln and Outer State?"

This matter is extremely crucial. If a war breaks out at the Soda Kiln, it means that Feng Daiku efforts could be reduced to ruins at any moment.

If the war escalates, the entire Pro State could be reduced to ruins.

Luo Yanjun swayed her large body and turned her face toward the pool at the end of the factory. "My sister is gone, but she still insisted that I come here. What's so good about this place?"

The imperial court kept instructing me to keep things stable, but I didn't know what "keeping things stable" meant, or whether you were actually stable in your work. I just felt that Ma Junyang wasn't very stable; he couldn't stop for a moment.

This is a bit abstract and requires some effort to understand.

Luo Lijun has been arrested for advocating peace, but Inner State has sent her sister, Luo Yanjun, who is also surnamed Li.

The goal is to stabilize the situation.

This proves that Inner State does not want to break ties with Pro State, and also proves that Inner State is unlikely to start a war in Pro State.

Li Banfeng said, "The attitude of Pro State is very important to Inner State, which proves that your sister is not in any immediate danger."

Luo Yanjun sighed, "Whether there's danger or not, I don't know. I am her sister, that's for sure."

But there are twenty-eight of us brothers and sisters in total.

I desperately want her to live, but I don't have the ability to save her, and I don't know if anyone would be willing to.

I don't even know if anyone can save her. Ma Junyang said her experience was different from mine, so it seems he still has feelings for his sister.

But no matter what, her feelings are hers, and mine are mine. Regardless of what my sister's feelings are like, I will still have to live my life.

Luo Yanjun is very clever; her probing steps were very well done.

She was right. Luo Lijun was Luo Lijun, and she was herself. Although the sisters were very close, she wanted to do her best to save Luo Lijun, but the premise of saving her sister was to ensure her own safety.

She first needed to test whether Li Qi was capable of rescuing Luo Lijun. If Li Qi couldn't distinguish between the real and fake Luo Lijun,

That proves that Li Qi doesn't value Luo Lijun. In this situation, it would be unwise to ask Li Qi for help, because the chances of Li Qi providing assistance are not high.

In fact, given some time, Li Qi would have been able to distinguish between Luo Yanjun and Luo Lijun, but no one expected that Ma Wu would be able to do so in such an efficient way.

Even after confirming that Li Qi might be willing to rescue Luo Lijun, Luo Yanjun remained very cautious. She still needed to test whether Li Qi was willing to help Luo Lijun.

Due to taboos, there were some things Luo Yanjun couldn't say outright. During the negotiations, she could only tactfully explain Luo Lijun's situation. If Li Qi intended to rescue Luo Lijun, she would continue negotiating. If Li Qi didn't intend to rescue Luo Lijun, the negotiations would end there, and she would still have room to escape unscathed.

Li Qi saw through Luo Yanjun's intentions and said directly, "I really want to help your sister, but my help won't be free."

Luo Yanjun said, "I'm not a very ambitious person. I just like buying land. I recently bought two plots of land, but I haven't found a suitable Local Earth God yet, and I don't know when I can deliver them to Pro State."

Both Li Qi and Ma Wu understood what Luo Yanjun was saying: two new plots of land.

She emphasized that she had the means to acquire land, which was also to prove that she had the ability to deliver on her promises.

Li Qi said, "You know my rules for acquiring land, right?"

Luo Yanjun said, "It's really hard to find suitable Local Earth God. Rather than going to all that trouble, I might as well not look for them at all and just give them all away."

The clan is keeping a close watch on things now, even my mother has gotten involved. Unless my sister helps, I can't send this place out of my territory.

She knew Li Qi's rules: any territory received had to be accompanied by a complete contract.

She told Li Qi that she controlled a portion of the new land, but the timing was wrong; only by rescuing her sister could the two plots of land be given away.

Ma Wu laughed and said, "You're quite good at negotiating business. This is a deal where you want the goods delivered first and then paid for."

Luo Yanjun felt very wronged. "Why are you bringing up business with me? Aren't we all just friends?"

Ma Wu said, "If we're talking about feelings, we have to consider your intentions. You probably don't want to fight, do you?"

Luo Yanjun shook her head repeatedly and said, "It's not necessarily that I don't want to; I can fight too."

As long as survival is guaranteed, Luo Yanjun may change her stance.

Li Qi said, "If you want me to save your sister, you have to tell me where you plan to fight. If it's not in Pro State, then this location must be very special."

Luo Yanjun wriggled around the factory, saying, "I heard my great-grandfather say that people from Outer State are the worst; the machines they make are clumsy, bulky, and completely useless."

We gave them good machines, and they called us their benefactors. But once they became successful, they forgot all our past kindness and turned their backs on us. Thinking about these things, the whole clan is filled with resentment.

"Pro State is the same; they're all the same. Look at these machines in this factory. We delivered them all at first, but now that you have new ones, you've forgotten about the old ones!"

Did these machines come from Inner State?

The first steam engines in Pro State appeared in Soda Kiln.

Therefore, Pro State's first machines came from Inner State.

Ma Wu was now confused. "Miss Luo, I know you have your reasons, but your words are too abrupt."

"You're jumping from one topic to another, and when I ask you about war, you start talking about machinery again."

"I don't know anything about fighting," Luo Yanjun climbed onto a lathe, "But I know a bit about machines, especially the first batch of machines we brought—they're all top-notch!"

Li Banfeng asked, "Are you referring to the place where the first machines were born?"

Luo Yanjun said, "The first batch of machines from Pro State is here. The first batch of machines from Outer State were made by themselves, but the first batch of good machines was delivered by us. I don't remember where they were delivered to."

She said she didn't remember, but Li Banfeng did.

There was a textile factory that was once a landmark in the industrial history of the Huan Kingdom!

Inside that textile factory lies a special space, which is very likely the entrance to the Inner State!

No wonder Li Banfeng felt that the layout of the surrounding factory buildings looked familiar; the equipment here was just as crude as that of Ruirong Textile Factory.

Ruirong Textile Factory was built by Inner State.

It's possible that Inner State will be deployed from there.

Once Li Banfeng figured out the location of the battle, he knew what to do next.

If the Inner State catches the Outer State off guard in this battle and wins, the pro-war faction will inevitably have an absolute advantage, and Luo Lijun will most likely lose her life.

If the battle in Inner State is lost, the pro-war faction will inevitably lose power, and only then will Luo Lijun have a chance to make a comeback.

Li Banfeng said, "I will do my best. Miss Luo, please don't go back on your word after it's done."

Luo Yanjun asked Ma Wu, "My taste isn't any worse than yours, is it?"

Ma Wu translated. "Miss Luo is referring to credibility."

Back at the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng made a phone call and summoned Shen Jingye.

These past few days, whenever Shen Jingye heard news about Li Qi, he couldn't help but get excited. "Director Li, has the ghost of that fighter been caught?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "He's been caught, and I've already dealt with him. You don't need to worry about that."

Shen Jingye was overjoyed. "I'll go and submit a report right away!"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Don't rush to write this report, it's not an important matter."

Shen Jingye was stunned and said, "This is not a big deal? A ghost of this level can bring disaster to Yuezhou."

"Compared to a real disaster, this lost soul is nothing," Li Banfeng said solemnly. "The Inner State is about to go to war, to war with the Outer State."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingye frowned.

"I told you, this wouldn't be easy to resolve," Shen Jingye, pulling out a cigarette and taking a drag. "Director Li, you've got me in trouble. I said from the start that this was to be handled by Liao Zihui, so what are we going to do now?"

Li Banfeng said, "This matter has nothing to do with Liao Zihui. The matter of the Soda Kiln has been resolved. Inner State will not start a war at the Soda Kiln, nor will it start a war in Pro State. The location of their war is Ruirong Textile Factory."

Shen Jingye: "How is that possible? How could people from Inner State bypass Pro State and reach the textile factory?"

Li Banfeng laughed, "Little Shen, still pretending with me? Ruirong Textile Factory has had so many problems, yet it hasn't been demolished. You should know at least some of the reasons why, right? It's a passage between the Inner State and Outer State. Do you think I really don't know?"

Shen Jingye pursed his lips. "I only know a little about this situation, but things can't be based on mere speculation; there has to be some basis for it, right?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Don't ask for any basis. What you need to do now is inform the people in charge to take precautions and not let Inner State catch you off guard."

The matter came too suddenly, Shen Jingye: "I'm just saying this without any evidence, how am I supposed to report it to my superiors?"

Li Banfeng laughed, "Then you don't need to report, just wait for the war to start, and we can all watch the show together."

Shen Jingye dared not watch the show. Back in his office, he immediately contacted Director Du.

This time the efficiency was really high; Director Du gave a reply that very afternoon.

Shen Jingye ran to Li Banfeng's office. "Director Du said he hopes to resolve the issue through negotiation as much as possible."

To put it bluntly, they still hope that Li Banfeng can help them find a solution.

Li Banfeng refused on the spot. "I have already negotiated everything that needs to be negotiated. This is no longer a problem that can be solved by negotiation. The Sage has returned to Inner State and is strongly advocating for war. If we want to stop this war, the primary task at present is to do a good job of prevention."

Shen Jingye quickly relayed the message back to Director Du. Less than two hours later, Director Du responded: the matter is of great importance at this time, and we still hope that the Dark Star Bureau can find out the evidence.

Where can Shen Jingye find evidence to substantiate his claims?

He had no choice but to turn to Li Qi.

But Li Qi wasn't so easy to find; he had already left work and gone out for barbecue with Tang Changfa, Yan Cuier, and Yan Hong Honger.

The next morning, Li Qi's phone was ringing off the hook. The entire Dark Star Bureau was looking for Li Qi. Li Qi told Shen Jingye to reply directly, saying that the information was received through special channels and could not be verified.

Shen Jingye ran back and forth between the two sides, but no matter what opinions the higher-ups had, Li Qi ignored them. Even when Du Wenming came to his door, he was still dismissed with a single sentence.

After three days of back-and-forth, the situation within the Dark Star Bureau became increasingly tense, and some information slowly began to leak out.

Li Qi remained calm and unhurried. That evening, he invited Tangyuan, Light Bulb, and Chuunibyou to his home for hot pot. Halfway through the meal, Chuunibyou took out a Spiritual Object and used it to cut off the sound between Li Qi's residence and the outside world.

This isn't Pro State; you shouldn't just take out things like Spiritual Object like this. Tangyuan was terrified. "Where did you get this? Did you go through the proper procedures?"

Chuunibyou, with Orthodox God, said, "The procedures have been completed, but Team Leader Chen hasn't signed them yet!"

Tangyuan was stunned for a moment and said, "You still have the nerve to talk back? Team Leader Chen didn't sign it, what kind of procedure is that? You're too bold, why did Shan Xinger give you the things?"

Shan Xinger is the administrator in charge of the Dark Energy Carrier commonly used by the Public Security Team.

The Light Bulb chimed in, "Chuunibyou promised to go shopping with her this weekend. Shan Xinger is such an honest girl; she's already been fooled by Chuunibyou several times."

"Let's put that aside for now," the Chuunibyou looked at Li Qi, "Director Li, I heard there's going to be a war?"

Li Banfeng raised his eyebrows. "How did you know?"

The Chuunibyou didn't answer, but instead asked, "Was the battle fought at the Ruirong Textile Factory?"

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "You even know that?"

Tangyuan and Light Bulb were also surprised. They had heard about the war, but they really didn't know about the Ruirong Textile Factory incident.

"This isn't news I heard; it's my deduction," Chuunibyou explained. "If Inner State intervenes..."

I think the most likely location is the Ruirong Textile Factory; I've always suspected it's the entrance to the Inner State.

"Explain how you made that deduction?"

Li Banfeng listened attentively to Chuunibyou's reasoning process.

Ever since Li Banfeng assigned Chuunibyou to investigate Ruirong Textile Factory, Chuunibyou has been carrying out this task without stopping.

Li Banfeng believed that within the entire Dark Star Bureau, and even extending to its upper levels, no one knew Ruirong Textile Factory better than Chuunibyou.

He pieced together all the official documents and folk tales, and came to the conclusion. "The Ruirong Textile Factory was established with the help of the Inner State."

From a technological standpoint, this textile factory maintained a leading edge from its construction until decades later; at the beginning of the last century, its technology was clearly ahead of its time.

The conclusion reached by the Chuunibyou with delusions of grandeur) is basically consistent with Luo Yanjun's description.

Tangyuan listened attentively. "Is it possible that people from Inner State came to Yuezhou, providing technical concepts and design plans, which led to the construction of this factory?"

Chuunibyou shook his head and said, "I had also come to this conclusion, but later I saw many reports about Ruirong Textile Factory's extremely high production efficiency, which attracted the attention of many experts. During the equipment's service life, Yuezhou established an expert group to conduct a special study on the equipment's operating mechanism."

Even after the equipment was decommissioned, experts attempted to replicate its mechanical parts, but all their efforts failed because most of the metal materials used in the steam turbine were beyond the technological capabilities available at the time.

This factory was not built in Yuezhou, because Yuezhou at the time could not even provide the materials to build it. The factory was moved directly from Inner State. What channels were used to move a complete factory out?

Based on my deduction, there is only one possibility: the Ruirong Textile Factory was the exit from Inner State to Yuezhou, bypassing Pro State and directly connecting with Yuezhou.

After eating a piece of mutton, the Light Bulb shook its head and said, "I don't understand. Between Yuezhou and Inner State, there's Pro State sandwiched between them. They don't meet geographically. How could Inner State possibly bypass Pro State and create an exit in Yuezhou?"

Chuunibyou didn't want to answer this question for the time being, "The structure of the Inner State cannot be measured by the directions and distances we are familiar with. Director Li, if my deduction is correct, what we should do now is to deploy defenses at Ruirong Textile Factory."

Li Banfeng nodded. "You're right. The battle site in Inner State is at Ruirong Textile Factory. The bureau has received the news and reported it to the higher-ups. The higher-ups are currently looking for evidence."

The Chuunibyou) didn't understand. "Things have come to this point, what's the point of looking for concrete evidence? We'll have evidence when the enemy actually attacks, but will it be too late to prepare then?"

The Light Bulb put the tripe into the pot. "We don't need to worry about this."

"How can we not worry!" Chuunibyou nervously. "Given our current situation, can we really fight a war?"

At least within the Dark Star Bureau, I don't see any sign of preparedness.

The Light Bulb scooped the tripe out. "How could you receive news of war if we weren't prepared? This is intentionally leaking information to us so we can prepare for war."

So, make sure you eat your fill at this hot pot meal. Once the fighting really starts, you'll be lucky to get any more of this!

Tangyuan prepared a separate dipping sauce for Li Banfeng: "Even if a war really breaks out, they might not necessarily need us to participate, right?"

The Chuunibyou couldn't eat anymore. "Are we really preparing for war? I'm really worried that we'll be beaten without any chance to fight back if we're completely unprepared."

1

The Light Bulb shook its head and said, "To say that we were completely unprepared would be an exaggeration."

Chuunibyou said, "I'm not exaggerating. Every day after work, I go to Ruirong Textile Factory to take a look. Apart from the few warning lines that were put up before, there isn't even a sentry post around the factory area. Who would believe that this looks like a war is about to break out? I'm really afraid that if Inner State attacks, we'll still be looking for evidence!"

After hearing what the Chuunibyou said, Tangyuan became a little nervous, and the freshly cooked tripe no longer tasted good.

The Light Bulb wasn't nervous. While eating, it said, "Some things definitely need to be investigated, because nobody wants to take responsibility. But some things definitely require preparation, because some responsibilities nobody can afford to bear."

You should go to Pro State sometime and see how many things change every day there. Also, see how General Envoy Liao deals with so many uncertainties.

We have too many peaceful days here, Pro State doesn't have a single day of peace. Go and see for a few more days, and you'll understand some things."

Li Qi smiled upon hearing this.

It's not that I'm mocking the Light Bulb, but because Light Bulb said is indeed correct.

After his trip to Pro State, he changed a lot; he could see some things very clearly now.

"Don't go to the textile factory during this time, it's really dangerous there," the Light Bulb added to the Chuunibyou's warning.

Chuunibyou sighed and said, "Even if I don't go, someone else will. The roads around the textile factory have been reopened to traffic for a long time. I even saw some Dark Energy enthusiasts going to the textile factory to take photos yesterday."

The Light Bulb frowned and said, "They're courting death. Let them go. I'm trying to reason with them, you have to listen!"

After dinner, Chuunibyou didn't go home. He didn't have a car, so he took the subway to Ruirong Textile Factory.

Perhaps what the Light Bulb said was right, but now that the location of the battle had been confirmed by Director Li, Chuunibyou decided to ask for leave from the bureau starting today and would keep watch by himself near Ruirong Textile Factory.

If war really breaks out, even if I lose my life the instant the battle begins, as long as I can send out a signal before I die, as long as I can buy a moment of preparation time, my life will be worthwhile.

My Chuunibyou) thoughts about protecting this world and everything important in it have never changed.

At three o'clock in the morning, six young men and women dressed in Western robes and carrying magic wands and crystal balls arrived at the gate of the textile factory.

They planned to cross the police line and hold a secret ceremony at the factory.

The ritual may be for spiritual communication, for making a wish, or for receiving guidance from a certain being.

Since the textile factory was deregulated, this factory, which was known for its paranormal events, has become a popular spot for enthusiasts of dark energy.

The Chuunibyou was crouching behind the pile of stones frowned. He was prepared to immediately persuade these dark energy enthusiasts to leave. If they didn't listen, he would beat them up!

Just as he was about to step out of the bushes, Chuunibyou suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet.

Poisoned?

Or perhaps it's some kind of control technique?

The enemy has attacked?

Chuunibyou took out the flare gun from his pocket. He kept adjusting his center of gravity, trying to keep himself steady before firing.

The six dark energy enthusiasts didn't have such good physical fitness; they all fell to the ground and tried to get up several times, but failed each time.

Did they fall for the trick too?

Wrong.

During the process of adjusting his center of gravity, Chuunibyou found that there was nothing wrong with his body. The reason he felt the ground shaking was because the ground was indeed shaking violently.

Boom!

A muffled thud was heard.

A blue-white band of light enveloped the ground, blinding the Chuunibyou.

This is... an earthquake light!

The naive Chuunibyou realized it was an earthquake and tried to save the young people at the factory gate, but the earth trembled more and more violently, and every step he took was extremely difficult.

Dust rose up, obscuring the vision of the Chuunibyou.

Screams echoed continuously, one after another, in my ears.

The Chuunibyou fell to the ground and heard the sound of stones colliding with each other.

The pile of stones collapsed!

Chuunibyou was less than two meters away from the pile of stones. As a fighter on the second floor, he firmly believed that saving himself would not be difficult.

But when he tried to get up, he found it very difficult; the earthquake was getting more and more intense, and he couldn't stand up at all.

Amidst the smoke and dust, he saw the outline of the falling stones, which first drew closer and then receded.

Someone rescued him and took him away from the pile of stones.

The earthquake lasted for a full three minutes. For Chuunibyou, those three minutes felt like three whole years. During the most intense phase of the shaking, Chuunibyou couldn't even control his breathing.

As the earthquake subsided, Chuunibyou struggled to look up and saw the people who had rescued him.

"Chief—" The Chuunibyou saw Li Qi, and also those few reckless dark ability enthusiasts.

The enthusiasts who lay on the ground screaming and howling were not out of pain, but out of fear.

Li Qi led them away from the factory area, dumped them on an open space across the street, and ignored them. He then pulled up Chuunibyou...

They quickly moved away from Ruirong Textile Factory.

The Chuunibyou asked, "Was that an earthquake?"

Li Qi said, "It's an earthquake, but not a natural disaster."

"Is that the Inner State attacking? Has the war started?" Chuunibyou picked up the signal flare again.

Li Banfeng glanced back at the rising dust and shook his head, saying, "The war is over."

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, cracks appeared on the walls of the textile factory, but it did not collapse; this was the result of some kind of force controlling it.

Within the factory area, hundreds of drones took to the air, searching for any remaining survivors of the enemy.

P. S.: Outer State, very powerful.