Better to Follow at the Right Time Than Follow Early

Amidst the dense thicket of thorns, Zhang Xuezhou led Ren Yisheng, soaring through the air.

He didn't dare fly too high or too fast, for fear of becoming a primary target.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't dare to stray too far from Ren Yisheng. In Zhang Xuezhou's judgment, Huang Daoxian was skilled in luck, possessed powerful Technique Method, and also had extremely strong spiritual abilities such as erosion.

He needs good luck, and he also needs to cooperate with truly capable experts.

They could be paired with characters like Chimon Hagrid, who excel at surprise attacks and hard kills, or with veteran Sequence Holder like Zhong Rang and Li Qi.

But an accident during the rocket launch disrupted everything. After his contest with Zuo Jin, many people scattered, each seemingly having their own targets to track and kill. In the end, only he and Ren Yisheng remained tightly bound together.

"We've got trouble behind us!"

Only after Zhang Xuezhou stopped his leap and stepped onto a broken concrete pole, and Ren Yisheng stopped his cloud-flying technique, was he able to speak normally.

"I can't sense the manipulator!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

Compared to Zuo Jin's manipulation of those low-level straw men and tree men, Bean's strength is completely different, as he can exchange blows with Chimpanzee and Hagrid.

If these beans were driven by the three souls and seven spirits of the dead, Zhang Xuezhou and the others could wipe them out effortlessly.

However, if these beans are similar to puppets or some kind of Law Artifact, he and Ren Yisheng would easily be wiped out if they encountered them.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't rush into it; instead, he chose to avoid it, leaving the problem to others.

But he and Ren Yisheng faced an even greater challenge.

Looking around, the area bombarded by the rocket artillery had sunk, forming a large crater over 100 meters in diameter and more than 10 meters deep.

The dust that had been kicked up was washed away by the rain, and there was no dust everywhere here.

Some fragments of the rocket launchers were visible after being washed away by the rain, while the crater was charred black. Rainwater accumulated on the ground continued to flow into the crater, causing a small pond to form in the center.

Zhang Xuezhou did not see the bronze tortoise directly, but he believed that no one had taken it away at that moment.

Firstly, the explosion occurred relatively recently, and secondly, it is difficult to determine whether the bronze tortoise is buried deep or has been reduced to fragments, making it difficult to find in a short period of time.

They need to search to find the bronze tortoise, and Huang Daoxian will be no exception.

Will he come?

Ren Yisheng appeared somewhat unsettled.

None of their plans went as intended; even the most decisive artillery bombardment caused chaos.

The bombing of the camp and guard center caused a host of problems, and in the bombed area, it was difficult for Ren Yisheng to immediately discern the situation.

He asked in a low voice, and Zhang Xuezhou, who was searching, turned off the searchlight he was holding, and then gestured for Ren Yisheng to squat down and wait patiently.

Sporadic gunshots rang out. Zhang Xuezhou glanced back at the camp, then looked at the underground construction sites in the West Eighth District, West Seventh District, and East Sixth District.

Without the torrential sound of rain, a variety of unusual noises began to reach the ears, allowing one to determine which area was experiencing a problem.

Ren Yisheng sent some relevant information in the communication, and then had no choice but to squat down.

The two didn't wait long after the lights were turned off; just three minutes later, a sound came from the other side of the pit.

Damn it!

A low murmur could be heard, and the light from a few lamps appeared in the pit, accompanied by the sounds of rapid digging and searching.

"Getting blown into a crater isn't so bad; it's better than getting bullets on flat ground!"

"With the camp and surrounding outposts currently under attack by the bean soldiers and generals, there's probably no way they can break free!"

"The Zhao family members died unjustly. If they hadn't been blown to bits, they could at least have been salvaged!"

"They've already revealed their identities to Zhang Qiaoen, so it's no wonder they're being used to draw enemy fire and die!"

"It's better to be lucky than to be early; they're not as fortunate as us!"

"Our abilities..."

As they spoke, Ren Yisheng's expression grew increasingly grim.

Being manipulated is one thing, but actively surrendering to someone else is quite another.

If they are unwilling to be controlled, let alone Ren Yisheng, even Wang Haoran and others could find out through a simple investigation. But actively surrendering and cooperating to cover up is another matter entirely.

Expecting them to be able to identify the backgrounds of various people simply by parachuting in is undoubtedly too difficult, and the investigation into the Zhang Qiaoen incident in Luo'an Province ended very hastily.

"If we had used the Zhang Qiaoen incident to forcibly eliminate these local bullies back then..."

If events were to rewind, Ren Yisheng would find that everyone's choices would not have been different, and the great unity of the Scarlet Alliance State also stemmed from the handling of the events in Luo'an Province.

"Perhaps there was a better way at the time?"

Ren Yisheng and his team hastily joined the Sequence Committee and couldn't do as well as they had done initially, but Ren Yisheng felt that others might have been better at making the choices.

It could involve swift and decisive action to eliminate the problem completely, or a compassionate approach to unite all sides, or other alternative solutions.

If someone's abilities surpass his, then perhaps it would be a different choice.

For the first time, he felt a sense of powerlessness after his initial enthusiasm, finding it difficult to do things perfectly.

Despite seemingly making steady progress, with the Eighth Sequence beckoning ahead, Ren Yisheng realized that even if he personally became the rotating chairman of the Sequence Committee, he would still have various shortcomings in terms of control, and would ultimately become an insignificant figure in history, so it would not be surprising if he were criticized.

"Can we entice them to fulfill their wish of obtaining the bronze tortoise?"

Ren Yisheng remained silent, his brows furrowed as he examined his own gains and losses. He heard Zhang Xuezhou's voice in his ear, which made him nod quickly.

He made a gesture indicating the distance, then slowly stood up and adjusted his body.

"Found it!"

He stared intently at a man carrying a flashlight and wearing a black raincoat. This man, who was closest to Ren Yisheng, grabbed around wildly in the pit and then shouted excitedly.

"Did you find it?"

Then someone else ran quickly towards them with a flashlight.

Once the body stopped moving, the person let out a joyful sound.

"This bronze tortoise is a bit heavy. Let's dig a little deeper. Quickly send out a message saying we've found it!"

Joyful voices rang out repeatedly, causing several people who had not yet approached to nod in agreement.

Some people approached to offer help, while others quickly pressed buttons on their communicators from a distance to transmit information.

"We'll collect our bean soldiers and generals in ten minutes, then we'll retreat!"

Someone in the pit was rapidly composing and sending a text message. Zhang Xuezhou silently leaped into the air and approached again in the darkness.

He looked at the message sent by the other party using their communication tool and felt a slight sense of relief.

Now, they have finally found a way to track their target.

Seeing that the other party had finished sending the message on the communicator, Zhang Xuezhou pointed with his right hand, and an aura of intimidation and suppression immediately descended.

As his body plummeted into the pit, the man standing there sending the message did not show any fear in his eyes. Instead, his body swayed back and forth, struggling as if trying to break free from Zhang Xuezhou's intimidation and suppression.

This prompted Zhang Xuezhou had just landed, to quickly retrieve the small pistol that Feng Ziqiang had given him and fire another shot. The man's eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Xuezhou turned the man over, felt his abdomen, and then fired another shot.

A tendril-like vine emerged from the wound, and Zhang Xuezhou forcefully pulled it out, tearing out pieces of flesh along with the internal organs.

"To become a flesh puppet without even realizing it, and even feel smug about it—your death wasn't entirely unjust!"

Zhang Xuezhou stared at the vines twisting like dead snakes on the man's body, then glanced at the 'ten minutes' in the sent message. After calming down, he wasn't too anxious.

Having learned about the 'flower core' from Zuo Jin, and knowing that the vine hadn't yet had its 'flower core' removed, he wasn't about to be so easily fooled by the other party's feigned death.