Despite having considerable authority as the leader of the base security team, Luo Fei faces an ongoing rivalry with his deputy, Wu Hao. Wu Hao has been quietly challenging Luo Fei's leadership, establishing his own faction and gathering support in an attempt to push Luo Fei out of his position.
Wu Hao, like Luo Fei, is at the H8 level in terms of combat capabilities. His skills in mech piloting, fire control, and command are on par with Luo Fei, making him a formidable opponent.
What sets Wu Hao apart, however, is his connection to a mid-level leader from Feiying Company, which has helped him place a dozen security personnel under his control.
With a total of thirty-six members in the security team, Wu Hao effectively commands half of them, while the rest maintain a neutral stance. As a result, Luo Fei, despite being the official leader, finds himself in a precarious position, slowly being sidelined.
Currently, Luo Fei is under intense pressure, sensing that his leadership might be slipping away. He's in dire need of reinforcements.
This is exactly why Tian Xiao has decided to approach Luo Fei directly, knocking on his door, believing that with Luo Fei's keen insight and personality, he would see the value in giving Tian Xiao a chance—because it would also serve to solidify his own position.
Moreover, Luo Fei's monthly earnings from smuggling contraband on the security escort missions for transport ships are worth over a million. He would be willing to make some sacrifices to strengthen his team, nurture new talent, and protect his position as leader of the security team.
Tian Xiao had anticipated Luo Fei's response.
"Thanks, Big Brother Luo," he said, chewing on a piece of tendon meat he had sliced from a Tearing Mouth Wolf. He raised his glass, "I'm honored by your trust. I'll finish this drink to show my gratitude! You drink at your leisure! Don't worry, Tian Xiao will never let you down or embarrass the security team!"
The fourth bottle of strong liquor went down in one gulp.
Luo Fei casually poured himself a drink and downed it in one go, showing respect to the newcomer.
Chen Wuling laughed heartily, pushing Tian Xiao back into his seat.
"Good drinking ability!"
"Come on! Eat some more! Don't ruin your health."
"Most importantly, you can't get drunk now... Tian Xiao, your grilling skills are really something else."
Tian Xiao explained, "The key to enhancing flavor lies in how you prepare the marinade. You can go simple with just salt and black pepper, or use more complex seasonings like honey, garlic, rosemary, and soy sauce. The marinating time depends on the thickness of the meat, typically anywhere from 2 to 24 hours."
"Go ahead, go ahead, wait a bit. Tian Xiao, take your time; we've got all the time to enjoy your grilling skills."
Chen Wuling waved the others aside.
For some reason, he felt unusually close to this newcomer. Whether in their interactions or the tone of their conversation, it was as if they had known each other for a long time.
"Alright!" Tian Xiao responded, "Please wait a bit; I'll have a few more bites, then come back to toast you all, one by one."
Tian Xiao knew exactly why.
It was the shared connection—the kindred spirits.
Back when he joined the security team, he got along well with both Chen Wuling and Luo Fei.
As Tian Xiao continued eating and grilling, Luo Fei finally asked, "You're a newcomer—what made you decide to come to the training grounds? And then, why come over to our security team and drink with us?"
Tian Xiao's sudden appearance and gesture of loyalty still raised suspicion.
Everyone waited for Tian Xiao's explanation.
Truth be told, from the initial surprise of him jumping in to grab drinks to the unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere now, they were all a bit confused.
Luo Fei's question prompted them all to calm down.
Tian Xiao knew that if he didn't address this question now, there would be some lingering doubts among them.
Prepared, he slowly began telling the story that had led him here.
It was a typical melodramatic tale. He had invested a lot of time and emotions into a woman, only to find her with another man on her birthday, and was unceremoniously dumped. He had come here to clear his mind, and happened to stumble upon a group of people drinking in the training ground.
Luo Fei and Chen Wuling exchanged a glance.
Tian Xiao noticed.
As members of the security team, they had the authority to access many of the base's surveillance feeds.
Tian Xiao was certain that Chen Wuling had begun investigating his relationships within the base.
Sure enough, Chen Wuling quickly sent Luo Fei a message:
"Tian Xiao's ex-girlfriend, Wang Jingyi, is currently celebrating her birthday with Li Ying from the logistics department, singing and having fun."
"Brother, I'll get you some payback."
Chen Wuling clearly didn't think much of Li Ying, a small supervisor from the logistics department.
Luo Fei furrowed his brows but didn't stop it.
He wanted to see Tian Xiao's reaction.
Tian Xiao, however, didn't seem to be bothered. Calmly, he picked a white chunk from the Tearing Mouth Wolf's interior, and in full view of everyone, he popped it into his mouth.
"… Thanks for your concern, Brother Chen, but there's no point in wasting time on a woman who's changed her mind. I've figured it out—she's nothing. There are plenty of good women out there, and I'll find someone else!"
His response brought smiles to Luo Fei's face, and the others began giving him thumbs up.
"Smart guy!"
"That's what it means to be a man!"
"You're young; being in the security team is much better than just idling in the logistics department."
"Don't worry, though. We'll take care of Li Ying. You'll get your revenge."
Sigh.
They were all men of character.
Tian Xiao kept his head down, focused on devouring his meat.
The pancreas he had just taken from the Tearing Mouth Wolf needed to be digested properly.
The Tearing Mouth Wolf's pancreas was an organ that collected mutated elements, which helped eliminate negative pathologies in the body. When accumulated to a certain level, it could trigger a transformation, greatly improving the wolf's physical capabilities, even resulting in a mutation from H4 to H9, or even G-class—though the chances were less than one in ten thousand.
Tian Xiao worked to spread his saliva around the pancreas, carefully wrapping each part of it, then gritted his teeth, trying to mask the pungent taste as he chewed.
The scene of him grinding his teeth left the others with a deeper sympathy.
Luo Fei and Chen Wuling's doubts faded away.
Eating raw Tearing Mouth Wolf meat to numb the inner pain? That's a real man!
What they didn't know was that Tian Xiao was trying to convert the nutrients from the pancreas into his own energy.
He chewed slowly, his jaw numbing, but warmth began to swell in his abdomen.
The moment came.
Tian Xiao straightened up, swallowing the broken pancreas down his throat. The heat within his abdomen became clearer and stronger.
He stood up.
Tian Xiao swiftly went to toast the other five security personnel present and then, with a cupped hand, bid farewell to Luo Fei.
"Big Brother Luo, I'm going to find somewhere to let off some steam, shake off the drunkenness."
"Alright," Luo Fei waved him off.
"Drinking too fast can get you drunk. It's better to get rid of the alcohol a bit."
The others shared knowing, mischievous smiles as they watched Tian Xiao walk toward the elevator.
At the base headquarters, bio-robots had been specially prepared for miners, able to satisfy basic physiological needs just like real people.
However, Chen Wuling quickly realized that the elevator had stopped on the fifteenth floor.
The fifteenth floor wasn't the bio-robot service area—it was the strength training zone.
"This kid's drunk, isn't he?"
"First time in the training ground, he must've gotten lost."
Chen Wuling immediately accessed the surveillance footage from the fifteenth floor.
What he saw made Luo Fei and the others burst into laughter.
Tian Xiao, wearing a powerful harness, was desperately running at full speed.