Chapter 549, Stay Here, Little Temple Monk.
"Bringing back the brothers from Yangtong City is also one of our goals on this trip," Lü Chang'an's voice was low and serious.
Commander Liu and the others in the room all breathed a sigh of relief.
Continuing to speak into the microphone, "Then we'll wait for Commander Lü to arrive."
"We've already arrived above Yangtong City. Get your things in order and prepare to leave!"
"Roger that!"
And just after that response.
Suddenly, Qi Hancai's voice came through the radio: "To ensure the safety of the central station leaders, we will arrange air units to escort the transport aircraft. Please refrain from any provocative or aggressive actions to avoid causing danger."
As soon as these words came out, the radio channel went dead silent.
Everyone on the public frequency could hear the conversation.
But since Qi Hancai was the subject of discussion, it was still somewhat awkward for her to speak up.
Escort?
Commander Liu and the others in the room furrowed their brows.
"They have aircraft too?"
"I just checked, there's a civilian passenger plane outside."
"They're probably talking about those skeletal wyverns. I've been paying attention to them these past few days. There are only two or three of them, no real threat."
The group whispered among themselves.
A man near the window noticed that the sunlight filtering through was intermittent.
Puzzled, he looked outside, his pupils suddenly contracting.
Listening to the others in the room still chatting nonchalantly, he spoke up, "Come over here and take a look. There are so many skeletal wyverns."
The murmurs ceased as everyone curiously walked toward the window.
They looked up at the sky.
A large number of skeletons, like swallows leaving their nests, surged into the sky in masses.
They began to circle above the airport.
The sight was terrifying.
Everyone's eyes widened, filled with a sense of disbelief.
How could there be so many of these creatures?
"How can they have so many? Last time, there were only two or three fighting zombies."
"Such terrifying abilities!"
Commander Liu's face grew even darker.
He thought to himself, this is bad. The central station's planes definitely won't intimidate Qi Hancai, and now I've lost any chance to continue negotiating.
This time, I've completely botched things.
...
In the sky, the YS202 transport aircraft.
The onboard communications came alive with a message from the escort fighters.
"A large number of flying targets are approaching."
"Distance 200 meters, visually we can see a large number of skeletal flying units, identical to the wyverns we encountered before."
"There are more than twenty of them…"
Inside the transport plane, Lü Chang'an's face turned grim, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Through the front windshield, a large number of skeletal wyverns could also be seen flying straight toward them.
Twenty-odd may not sound like much.
But in the sky, the wyverns' outstretched wings filled the entire field of vision.
Picking up the radio microphone, he said, "No attacks. We're here to trade with them. The mission is to exchange food, so no conflicts. Maintain normal speed."
"Roger that!"
"Roger that!"
Lü Chang'an wiped his forehead, his eyes flickering uncertainly.
Clearly, the Xinfushi Base had overheard their conversations and sent out the wyverns to show their strength.
"This is a mess!"
He had thought that bringing fighter jets this time would intimidate the other side.
Now it seemed that the other side wasn't afraid at all, and their strength wasn't as simple as previously thought.
The radio came alive again with another report from the escort fighters: "The wyverns are not attacking us, they're just flying alongside."
Lü Chang'an nodded and said, "Contact them and request permission to land."
The pilot picked up the microphone and said, "This is the YS202 transport aircraft requesting permission to land."
"You may land."
The plane began descending and landed on the runway.
...
Outside the airport terminal.
Qi Hancai and her team stood waiting nearby.
Someone sneered, "Once the wyverns were in the air, they softened their tone."
"Not just them—I was scared too."
"Luckily the King arranged for more wyverns, or else they'd be strutting around by now."
"They have fighter jets, but instead of rescuing people, they come here acting superior."
Seeing the plane land and the hatch open, Qi Hancai tilted her head and said, "Enough talk, they're coming over."
With that, she led her team forward.
To greet the central station's personnel.
The same group from before arrived again, led by the Level-3 Commander, Lü Chang'an.
"Deputy Leader Qi." Lü Chang'an offered a smile.
"Commander Lü, please come inside for tea and a rest," Qi Hancai gestured invitingly.
"Thank you."
Together, they walked into the terminal.
No one brought up the earlier radio incident.
Inside the meeting room, someone brought in tea.
Lü Chang'an spoke directly, "As requested by Deputy Leader Qi, we have brought 50 sniper rifles, 100 heavy machine guns, 2,000 rounds of cannon ammunition, 500 grenades, and 200 kilograms of gold, all to be exchanged for food."
"I'll have someone inspect it first," Qi Hancai said, turning to give instructions to an aide nearby.
Someone immediately left the room to verify the delivered goods.
Lü Chang'an took a sip of tea, then said thoughtfully, "Is the base leader here? I've come twice now but haven't officially met him."
"Our leader isn't here. You can just speak to me," Qi Hancai smiled at him.
"As I mentioned before, the training and development of ability users benefit everyone. They even have a huge positive impact on the future of humanity." Lü Chang'an's tone grew more fervent.
Qi Hancai glanced at him and responded decisively, "We won't be participating in those plans, Commander Lü. There's no need to say more."
"Well…" Lü Chang'an hesitated, then nodded. "We respect each region's decisions."
The two continued their discussion.
The door knocked again.
The people sent out earlier returned.
"Sister Qi, everything checks out. No problems."
Qi Hancai nodded, but didn't proceed to settle the food exchange yet.
Instead, she looked back at Lü Chang'an and asked, "How do you intend to handle the provincial rescue team?"
Lü Chang'an raised his eyebrows, meeting her gaze. "Our orders are to take the provincial rescue team personnel away from here."
"Let's speak plainly—dancing around the issue just wastes time. The provincial team can leave whenever they want. As for the Tiansheng Group and any regular survivors who don't wish to leave, they'll stay," Qi Hancai stated bluntly.
"Deputy Leader Qi, in times of crisis, unity is critical. How can you take this approach? Aren't you worried about how others will perceive you?"
"You must not have been monitoring Yangtong City's frequency. If you had, you'd know who's being criticized all over. The provincial rescue team led a horde of corpses and a Level-3 mutated zombie toward our base, nearly killing us all. We've provided food and shelter for several days, and now they want to leave without facing any consequences? Who exactly is being uncooperative?"
Lü Chang'an was momentarily at a loss for words, then said, "These technical experts will find better development opportunities and resources at the central station. We can share the technology once they're there."
Qi Hancai replied firmly, "The Tiansheng Group stays. You can take the rest. Future trades between our sides will continue. There's no other option. That's the order I've received."
Lü Chang'an narrowed his eyes, surprised at her determination.
It was clear that she had made up her mind to keep those people here.
"I need to talk to Commander Liu from the rescue team to discuss this matter."
"Sure, have him brought over."
Before long, Commander Liu entered with a grim expression.
Qi Hancai rose and said, "You two discuss it and let me know once you've reached a decision."
"Okay," Lü Chang'an nodded and turned to Commander Liu. He stood to shake hands. "Please, have a seat."
...
Qi Hancai walked into another room.
Skeleton guards stood at the door, the entrance tightly shut.
She pushed it open and entered.
Inside, seven people were sitting or standing.
Upon seeing Qi Hancai enter, they all stood up, their expressions a mix of confusion and unease.
"Deputy Leader Qi, have you reached a conclusion?" a man in a down jacket over a suit asked.
This was Gao Rong, a representative of the Tiansheng Group.
"Have a seat," Qi Hancai said.
Everyone sat back down. Only then did Qi Hancai slowly begin, "I plan for you all to stay. You're aware of that, aren't you?"
"We are," Gao Rong replied.
The situation had become clear; they were effectively being detained. How could they not know?
Qi Hancai continued, "What's your opinion on this?"
Gao Rong sat up straight and answered, "We're grateful for Xinfushi Base's rescue and support over this period. We'll always remember this kindness. But we promised Commander Liu that we'd accompany him to the central station. Sorry, Deputy Leader Qi."
Qi Hancai remained composed and said calmly, "You're a smart man. The central station is coming here to trade for food. Do you think their situation is better than ours? Gathering people from everywhere, the population will only grow. Are you going to lead them to starve?"
The people in the room frowned.
Clearly, the central station's aircraft wasn't specifically sent to pick them up.
Otherwise, they'd have gone to their original base and wouldn't have waited until now.
Their main objective was to trade for food and incidentally take them along.
Qi Hancai continued, "Stay here, and you'll be regarded as technical experts, the esteemed monks of this little temple. Resources and equipment will be prioritized for you. If you go there…"