Although the sudden incident had caused some chaos, they quickly managed to bring the backup power online, and the base resumed normal operations as if nothing had happened.
Seeing that Gu Jingbo's expression was still sour, Shi Tuoyi hurriedly approached, trying to curry favor. "Boss Gu, shall I go find trouble with them?"
Gu Jingbo, face cold, glanced at the tablet in his hands. Hearing Shi Tuoyi's suggestion, he threw the tablet to him. "See for yourself."
The tablet displayed the profiles of Chu Ling's group. The Empire's intelligence network had access to everyone's information, so obtaining these details wasn't difficult.
[Chu Ling: C-level genetic trait. Initially classified as a inferior genetic type at birth. However, at the age of 10, a mutation occurred, elevating her to C-level genetics, with a noted potential to evolve into a superhuman.]
[Despite this, testing at age 20 confirmed she remained a C-level genetic type, ultimately classifying her as a mutation failure.]
"Chu Ling is nothing more than a failed mutation. I hadn't even heard of her before, but over the past six months, she's stirred up quite a few things. Still, she's just a C-level. She won't make any real waves. Boss Gu, if you're annoyed with her, I can…"
"Idiot!" Gu Jingbo's angry roar interrupted Shi Tuoyi, leaving him confused. "Take a proper look at the rest of the data!"
Shi Tuo refocused and noticed the information about Qian Li.
[Qian Li: B-level genetic trait. Originally from the Lower City. At age 10, she mutated, gaining superhuman abilities. She later joined the military, served for five years, and then left, choosing to become a mercenary, even renouncing her Upper City status.]
[Ability: Manipulation of sand and soil, with the potential to evolve from B-level to A-level.]
"She willingly works under someone from the Lower City?" Gu Jingbo sneered.
Superhumans typically chose to remain in the Upper City. Cases like hers, where someone joined the military, retired, and then voluntarily abandoned their Upper City identity, were exceedingly rare. As for what happened during those five years in the military, the records were under the military's jurisdiction, leaving no way to uncover the truth.
"So, Boss Gu, what do you intend to do?"
"Wait until this exploration is over," he planned to settle the score later. After all, as someone accustomed to being above others, he couldn't stomach such disrespect.
* * * *
On the other side, Chu Ling, having sent Gu Xiyan on her way, began packing up her stall. She noticed Qian Li had already set up their tent. Over the past six months of working together, Chu Ling had come to understand Qian Li's nature. She was the kind of person who could easily be a leader herself. Whenever Chu Ling was unsure about something, Qian Li would patiently guide her without ever prying into Chu Ling's motives. Everything Qian Li handled was always done efficiently and flawlessly, which left Chu Ling puzzled. Why would someone like her choose to follow her?
At first, Chu Ling had been suspicious of Qian Li's motives. But after six months, she realized Qian Li's sincerity. Chu Ling had even asked her outright once.
At that time, Qian Li had been holding a bowl of instant noodles, gazing at the sunset over the desert. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she said, "There's no hope in this apocalypse. In the Empire, in the military, all I saw was despair. When people are pushed to their limits by hunger, they will eat each other. Have you ever seen hell?"
"I have..."
Qian Li stretched out her palm, and grains of sand gathered within it. They shaped themselves into tiny human figures, huddled closely together as if united. But in the blink of an eye, those tiny figures were swept away by the wind, dissipating into the endless desert as nothing more than a trace of dust.
"They all stayed there, and they'll never come back."
Qian Li didn't care what Chu Ling's abilities were. What mattered was that Chu Ling had an endless supply of food. In this apocalypse, that was akin to the power of a god. All Qian Li wanted was a place to belong.
"Do you need me to teach them a lesson?" Qian Li asked, clearly annoyed with Gu Jingbo. She held no affection for Upper City people, nor for those who wasted food. Upper City residents were blind to the suffering of those in the Lower City, unaware of the despair that came from gnawing hunger and the hopelessness of having no food to eat.
Whether superhuman or enhanced soldier, they were all still flesh and blood. They could not survive without food.
Chu Ling, however, shook her head. Suddenly, she changed the topic. "Do you know what the word 'endure' means?"
Qian Li looked at Chu Ling, puzzled by the sudden shift in topic. Everyone who had learned to write knew how to write the word endure. Thinking Chu Ling might be subtly reminding her of something, Qian Li hesitated. "Boss, are you telling me to endure?"
Chu Ling's lips curled into a faint smile. "The word 'endure' is a blade hanging over the heart. It's easy to write but not so easy to live by."
"So, what are you really trying to say?" Qian Li asked, trying to grasp her intent.
But Chu Ling only chuckled, her expression casual, as if it wasn't anything important. "I was just saying it offhand."
A blade piercing the heart, yet still smiling as though nothing happened—that, too, is endurance. The strong attack; the weak defend. The Gu family held immense power, their influence akin to a hand that could blot out the sky. Clashing with them wasn't wise, not when Chu Ling's group was clearly in the weaker position right now.
For the weak, survival meant laying low and biding their time until the moment for retaliation arrived.
Suddenly remembering the earnings from earlier in the day, Chu Ling decided to distribute the money. She kept 100,000 credits for herself and transferred the remaining 100,000 to Qian Li, tasking her with dividing it among the other three team members.
Although Qian Li didn't care much about money, and had never pestered Chu Ling for her share, Chu Ling had always made a point of settling accounts clearly. After all, this wasn't just her journey; everyone was risking their lives together. No one could guarantee they'd return alive from the ruins. The money they earned came at the cost of blood and danger, and it was a principle for Chu Ling to divide it fairly.
After transferring the money, Chu Ling headed back to her tent. She needed to wake up early tomorrow to discuss plans with Gu Jingbo and his team.
Qian Li watched Chu Ling's retreating figure. She was muttering to herself, calculating how much they'd earned today, her mood seemingly light and cheerful. At times, Qian Li found it hard to understand Chu Ling. When she was confronting Gu Jingbo earlier, she had seemed angry. Yet now, she appeared completely at ease, as if she hadn't been affected at all. Her emotions shifted unpredictably.
Still, Qian Li had learned more than a few things from her time in the military, one of which was loyalty and strict adherence to orders. If Chu Ling didn't tell her to take action, she wouldn't make a move.
Returning to the camp, Qian Li found Ah Hu squatting with the others in front of their vehicle. Their posture and demeanor made them look like street thugs. When they saw her approaching, they immediately stood up straight.
"Boss, what's the word? Should we go teach that Gu guy a lesson?" Ah Hu asked eagerly. Clearly, this wasn't the first time they'd considered doing something like this.
But this time, their target was someone from the Gu family. Chu Ling didn't want unnecessary trouble, and Qian Li was there to enforce that. She frowned slightly and repeated Chu Ling's earlier words. "The boss says to endure."
"Endure? Endure my ass!" Ah Hu snapped. He had long been annoyed by Gu Jingbo and his entourage. That smug attitude, along with his arrogant bodyguards, made Ah Hu's fists itch for action.
Before he could finish his complaint, the air around them stirred as grains of sand began to rise, swirling ominously. The sand muffled Ah Hu's voice as it sealed his mouth. "Mmmph!"
Meeting Qian Li's cold, murderous glare, Ah Hu immediately panicked. He knew all too well that Qian Li wasn't just bluffing—she was perfectly capable of killing if she had to. Hastily, he nodded, signaling his surrender. The sand dispersed, and he spat a few grains from his mouth. "I was wrong Captain!" he said quickly, backing down.
Qian Li knew Ah Hu's temper well and didn't bother reprimanding him further. She turned to Ah Yi and instructed, "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him cause any trouble."
Ah Mo, who had been watching from a distance, didn't dare say a word. He simply observed quietly as Qian Li handled the situation. Once her instructions were given, Qian Li returned to her tent. The group had only two tents in total, meaning the three brothers—Ah Hu, Ah Yi, and Ah Mo—had to squeeze together in the vehicle to sleep.
* * * *
The next day, before dawn, Chu Ling met with Shi Tuo and the others to finalize the route for their exploration. Naturally, Gu Jingbo and Gu Xiyan were present as well. Chu Ling glanced at Gu Xiyan, who sat quietly on the side. Although the tablet had been repaired, Gu Xiyan still held onto the leather-bound notebook Chu Ling had given her, using it to take handwritten notes of the meeting's key points.
The discussion began with an outline of their route. They would first pass through the Outer City before entering the No-Man's Land.
The Outer City referred to areas the Empire had explored over the past decade. These regions had relatively weaker environmental hazards, and most of the monsters had already been cleared out by the Empire's military. However, scattered monsters still lingered in the Outer City, making it an undesirable place for civilians to settle.
The Empire had long announced plans to develop the Outer City, but funding issues, coupled with the presence of numerous other factions in the region, had stalled any progress.
The Outer City was home to many camps, most of which were established by mercenaries and rogue groups who had defected from the Empire. Its proximity to the No-Man's Land made it a prime location for scavenging and trading supplies.
The No-Man's Land, on the other hand, was the territory the Empire had yet to explore. It was filled with danger, not only from natural disasters but also from unknown monsters.
The Empire regularly dispatched military units to explore and suppress threats in the No-Man's Land, but the results had always been less than satisfactory.
Chu Ling's own base was located in the Outer City, near the border of the No-Man's Land. This time, the planned route would pass by her camp, providing a convenient opportunity to resupply.
Their destination, the Yellow Sand Ruins, was deep within the No-Man's Land. For this journey, the convoy consisted of six to seven vehicles, including those needed for transporting materials. These vehicles were the Empire's latest models, fully automated hybrids that could run on both electricity and fuel. Chu Ling's vehicle would take the lead, navigating through the Outer City where roads still existed. However, once they entered the No-Man's Land, roads would disappear, replaced by treacherous landscapes, unpredictable sandstorms, and the looming threat of tornadoes.
"For safety reasons, we can only travel during daylight hours," Chu Ling explained as she laid out the plan. "It will take three days to reach the border between the Outer City and the No-Man's Land. From there, it will take another seven days to reach the Yellow Sand Ruins."
Gu Jingbo frowned as he reviewed her plan. Dissatisfaction was evident on his face. "That's too slow. The resources we've brought are only enough for a month. At this pace, the round trip will take 20 days, leaving us with just 10 days to explore the ruins. My suggestion is to travel at night as well. If we extend the daily travel time from 8 hours to 16 hours, we can reach the destination in just five days."
Though he framed it as a suggestion, his commanding tone left no doubt that he expected his advice to be followed. However, while they were the clients, Chu Ling wasn't about to compromise on safety. She was firm in her stance.
Chu Ling shook her head decisively. "Night travel is out of the question. In the Outer City, it might be manageable, but in the No-Man's Land, it's far too dangerous. Visibility at night is already poor, and if a sandstorm hits, the risks multiply. So, the answer is no. If you can't accept that, consider the deal canceled and find someone else to guide you."
She wasn't bluffing. Chu Ling knew full well that no one else could navigate this route as safely and efficiently as she could. Gu Jingbo had no alternatives.
Her response was bold—borderline arrogant—especially coming from someone who was technically just taking a job. But Chu Ling's unyielding tone and public rejection left Gu Jingbo fuming. He felt humiliated. As someone who had always been treated with deference, being dismissed like this was a slap in the face. The atmosphere grew tense, and it seemed the two were on the verge of a standoff.
Before things escalated further, Gu Xiyan suddenly raised her hand. Both Chu Ling and Gu Jingbo turned to her, curious about what she had to say. Gu Xiyan took out her tablet and began typing. After a moment, she turned the screen toward them.
[Traveling 8 hours a day does seem too slow for the progress of the mission. However, traveling 8 additional hours at night is far too dangerous. My suggestion is to add two hours of travel before sunrise and two hours after sunset. This way, we gain an extra four hours of travel time each day while minimizing risk]
Her proposal struck a middle ground. While it did involve some nighttime travel, breaking it into two shorter intervals significantly reduced the dangers compared to Gu Jingbo's plan.
Gu Jingbo skimmed her suggestion, his expression filled with disdain. In his eyes, Chu Ling was nothing more than a rabid dog. She hadn't even listened to him—why would she entertain Gu Xiyan's input?
But to his surprise, Chu Ling took the time to carefully read Gu Xiyan's proposal. After a moment of consideration, her expression softened. Gone was the hard edge she'd shown toward Gu Jingbo.
"This is an excellent suggestion, Far better than certain people's ideas."
Her unexpected praise caught Gu Xiyan off guard. She blushed slightly, flustered by the compliment, and quickly sat back down, reverting to her usual quiet demeanor. Chu Ling chuckled at her reaction, then turned her attention back to Gu Jingbo.
"I think this plan is feasible, But to ensure everyone's safety, your convoy must follow my instructions without question."
Gu Jingbo's face darkened. The fact that Chu Ling was willing to listen to Gu Xiyan's advice but had outright rejected his infuriated him. If not for the fact that they couldn't proceed without her guidance, he would have already found a way to deal with her insolence. Swallowing his anger, he begrudgingly replied "Fine."
Chu Ling didn't care about his attitude. She turned back to Gu Xiyan, her gaze soft and questioning, as if seeking her final approval. Gu Xiyan nodded and typed a single word on her tablet: [Agreed]
With that confirmation, Chu Ling finalized the plan. Ignoring Gu Jingbo entirely, she announced, "Alright, then. Let's prepare to set off."