Soul Return Town.
Guo Shuai sat on a large rock, swinging his legs back and forth, idly watching the sunset on the horizon.
Circle squatted down next to him, her little hands supporting her cheeks, also looking in the same direction.
"Daddy, what are you looking at?"
"Let's watch the Dusk," Guo Shuai said.
"What's so interesting about Dusk? Isn't he just a brooding, bespectacled guy in a white lab coat?"
"Um?"
Guo Shuai looked at the Circle with a puzzled expression, only to find it in front of him...
The third seat of the Desolate God Society, [Dusk], was standing there, holding the Tailor's head in his hand.
"I wasn't talking about this Dusk!"
Guo Shuai pulled the Circle over and pointed it to the sky, "This is more like it!"
"Oh~ what's so interesting about this Dusk?"
The repeating machine has Circle interface.
Guo Shuai covered his face, remained silent for a moment, and finally abruptly changed the subject.
"When will our leader be back after the trial...?"
He sighed.
Brother Wang and his group won't arrive in Soul Return Town until midnight, and now they don't even have anyone to talk to.
I feel a little lonely.
Guo Shuai muttered to himself.
Circle blinked her eyes. "Daddy, you miss Albert, don't you?"
Guo Shuai paused for a moment, but did not deny it.
A little.
He put his hands in his pockets, watching the red glow on the horizon grow increasingly dark.
"It feels a little strange not having anyone constantly talking in my head."
Circle said "Oh," seemingly understanding his sadness.
She nestled obediently against his lap, saying nothing.
Just then, footsteps came from behind.
Guo Shuai turned around and saw it was the Sharp Blade Squad.
Zhao Yan walked at the front, followed by Xin An and several team members.
Their clothes were still stained with blood, but they were in good spirits and had obviously rested.
"Xiao Guo."
Zhao Yan greeted him with a smile.
"Captain Zhao."
Guo Shuai jumped down from the rock, "What are you doing here?"
Zhao Yan rubbed his hands together and got straight to the point. "We just made contact with the China base on the Canglan Continent."
Guo Shuai raised an eyebrow. "And then?"
"They said we can send someone over now using a teleportation scroll."
Zhao Yan paused for a moment, then said, "We want to build a shelter base in this area."
Guo Shuai blinked but didn't say anything.
Zhao Yan continued, "Look, Soul Return Town has a good geographical location, convenient transportation, and most importantly, it has a dragon..."
"I'm safe with you all protecting me."
He said this with great sincerity.
Guo Shuai scratched his head. "This... I can't make up my mind, and the boss isn't here."
"Who says we can't discuss this just because the person isn't here?"
A woman's voice came from the side.
Han Fei walked over.
Zhao Yan's expression stiffened slightly when he saw her.
He had heard about this woman's exploits when they had eaten and chatted together before.
A ruthless bandit who was wrongly accused.
He served more than 20 years in prison.
His brain works faster than a bullet.
Han Fei extended his hand. "Leave the negotiations to me."
Zhao Yan hesitated for a moment, then shook hands with her.
"Alright. We'll get ready..."
"Wait," Han Fei interrupted him, "Let me see the sincerity you've brought first."
Zhao Yan took a deep breath, pulled out a list from his pocket, and handed it over.
"It's all here."
Han Fei took it and glanced at it.
The list reads:
Enhancement Agent (A-Class) - 10 vials.
Enhancement potion (S-class) - 10 vials.
Enhanced Medicine (Special Grade) - Three vials.
Five tons of beef.
Five tons of mutton.
Ten tons of rice.
One hundred tons of garlic scapes.
One thousand sets of designer clothing.
One signal base station, brand name China Dragon, model is portable.
Five laptops, all brand China, equipped with four-proof features.
After reading it, Han Fei handed the list to Guo Shuai with a blank expression.
"Take a look."
Guo Shuai took it and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Wow... that's incredibly extravagant!
He read the list one by one, pausing when he got to "one hundred tons of garlic scapes".
"Speaking of which, how come the amount of garlic scapes is more exaggerated than the amount of rice?"
Zhao Yan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"This matter... is a long story."
"The Canglan Continent recently experienced an outbreak of vampire infestation, so the base planted a lot of garlic to drive them away."
"Garlic scapes, as a byproduct, naturally also saw a bumper harvest..."
Guo Shuai's lips twitched. "So you guys came here to clear out your inventory?"
No, no, no!
Zhao Yan waved his hands repeatedly, "This is definitely a hot commodity! Stir-fried garlic sprouts with pork is a delicacy!"
Han Fei ignored them, handed the list back to Zhao Yan, and nodded.
"I see your sincerity."
Zhao Yan's eyes lit up.
"Then let's discuss the specifics? What terms are you planning to offer?"
Han Fei thought for a moment and said, "Tell me first, which piece of land have you taken a fancy to?"
Zhao Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say "I want them all," but when he saw Han Fei's eyes, he swallowed his words.
"Can't we have them all?"
He asked tentatively, "After all, this is the first base, so the required scale will be quite large."
"If it really doesn't work, we can add some more."
Han Fei sighed.
"I understand how you feel, but..."
She turned around and pointed in the direction of Soul Return Town.
"Have you considered whose territory this is, anyway?"
Zhao Yan was taken aback.
"It's our boss's."
Han Fei said, "To be more precise... this is the territory of our boss, the Dragon God, and his old acquaintance."
Zhao Yan's expression froze.
Han Fei continued, "Even if they later became enemies and even fought each other."
"But one fact has never changed... This place holds something that the Dragon God values."
Sweat began to bead on Zhao Yan's forehead.
He recalled what the chief engineer of the Think Tank, Shen Lian, had said, "You're not suited to be Chief of Staff."
He was still unconvinced at the time.
He's convinced now.
This oversight could very well create a rift between the top leadership of China and the Dragon God.
"That..."
Zhao Yan wiped his sweat. "How about I have someone else talk to you? Xin An! Come here for a second!"
Xin An was squatting behind, eating compressed biscuits. Hearing the shout, he clapped his hands and came over.
"What happened?"
"The rest of the negotiations are yours." Zhao Yan shoved the list into his hand. "I... my brain isn't quite up to it."
Xin An raised an eyebrow, glanced at Han Fei, then at Zhao Yan's expression, and roughly understood.
"Alright."
He stepped forward and extended his hand.
"My name is Xin An, and I'm currently the vice-captain of the Sharp Blade Squad. I used to be a police officer."
Han Fei shook hands with him. "Han Fei, I've been to jail before."
The two exchanged a glance, sparks flying in the air.
The ensuing negotiations were brutal.
Xin An, as expected of someone with criminal investigation experience, demonstrated clear logic and logical reasoning, breaking down each point one by one.
Han Fei was no less capable; her more than twenty years of imprisonment had given her a deeper understanding of Human Heart than anyone else.
They know better than anyone how to extract the greatest benefit from the other party.
The two of them went back and forth, pulling and tugging at each other.
The conversation lasted from Dusk until nightfall.
Guo Shuai was getting drowsy listening to this, Circle had already fallen asleep on his lap.
Finally, Xin An wiped the sweat from his forehead and threw the pen on the table.
Okay. Let's finalize these things today.
Han Fei nodded and put the agreement away.
Final Terms.
Third Ring Town...
China can develop it at will.
Second Ring Town...
It requires an application to Jiangnan's team, and the final approval rests with Jiangnan himself.
Central Forest Garden...
Any development or unauthorized access is prohibited.
Xin An let out a long breath and turned to Zhao Yan.
"Never make me negotiate with this woman again! This is worse than outright robbery!"
Zhao Yan patted him on the shoulder. "Be content, you should be thankful that you managed to reach an agreement."
"Being able to cultivate a good relationship with the Dragon God is more valuable than building ten bases."
Xin An shook his head and sighed, "That's true. As long as we can reach an agreement with the Dragon God, any price is worth paying."
On the other side, Guo Shuai leaned close to Han Fei and asked in a low voice.
"Sister Bandit, are you sure there won't be any problems doing this? The boss isn't here right now, are we really going to sell Soul Return Town right away?"
Han Fei glanced at him.
"You're too inexperienced to understand the boss's thoughts."
She stood up, walked to a higher point, pointed to Soul Return Town, and said, "Look carefully over there."
Guo Shuai looked over.
In the darkness of night, the outline of Soul Return Town was faintly visible.
Third Ring Town...
The old Foundation Establishment destroyed by the aftershocks of the battle, leaving only ruins and devastation.
Not a single town resident remained.
Second Ring Town...
It's somewhat better preserved; some newly built houses still stand, and they're of decent quality. Quite a few townspeople remain.
Central Forest Garden...
It's completely intact; not even a single piece of plaster has fallen off.
Guo Shuai was stunned.
Han Fei withdrew his hand and looked at him. "Have you figured it out yet?"
Guo Shuai opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.
"The terms I negotiated were entirely based on the proportion of building damage."
Han Fei's voice was calm, "The Third Ring Road is already in ruins, it doesn't matter if we give it to them."
"The Second Ring Road is still barely usable, so an application is needed before it can be moved."
"As for Central Forest Garden, it is completely intact and is also the Phoenix Emperor's Sleeping Palace, so naturally they are strictly forbidden from setting foot there."
She looked at the rising moon and continued, "If you observe our boss closely, you'll find..."
He always hoped that we could grow up independently.
"To be honest, he never treated us frontline fighters as equal comrades."
Guo Shuai's heart sank.
"Instead, they treat us like children."
Han Fei said, "When I have you by my side, I can protect you completely."
"But once he's not around, you're like headless flies, unable to get anything done."
She turned around and looked at the moon in the distance.
"The leader carries his own mission on his shoulders..."
He can't stay in the same place forever.
"The concessions and insistence I made at the negotiating table were merely to alleviate some of his concerns."
Guo Shuai lowered his head and remained silent.
He recalled everything that had happened before...
Jiangnan always deliberately distanced herself from them, acting alone.
So that's how it is.
The boss wants each of them to be able to stand on their own and have their own ideas.
Instead of listening to him in everything.
"I understand everything."
Guo Shuai looked up. "Thank you for your guidance, Sister Bandit."
Han Fei waved his hand. "No need to thank me."
"You're only nineteen at most, it's normal that you can't see through these things yet. Just pay more attention and learn more in the future."
She glanced at the moon again; it had risen, round and bright.
"Time's almost up, prepare for the handover."
Han Fei said, "I'll leave the rest of the finishing work entirely to you."
"The more you deal with those officials, the more experience you'll gain."
"Leave it to me, you tough bastard sister!"
Guo Shuai patted his chest and said, "I guarantee I'll handle this perfectly before the boss gets back!"
After saying that, he picked up Circle and ran towards the Sharp Blade Squad.
"Team Leader Zhao! Brother Xin! Let's come over and go over the paperwork!"
"Coming right away!"
A group of people got to work.
Han Fei stood alone, looking up at the night sky.
The moon hung in the sky, round and bright.
Its shape resembled an eye, and it was silvery-white and enormous.
"Will the days to come... be as peaceful as this moonlight?"
She had no answer.
But at least, the moon is quite beautiful tonight.
And it is precisely for this peace...
That's why we have to fight to the death!
The summit of Mount Tai.
Jiangnan returned to the path he had come from.
He raised his head and gazed at the Flesh Moon in the night sky, which seemed to be grinning wickedly.
Or perhaps it was Su Gelu's last trump card in the Milky Way Galaxy, he said coldly.
"It's time to put an end to this."