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墨書 Inktalez
Tomorrow is the Final Four Draw. Amidst the discussions and speculations, the Fire Cult remains quiet, residing in their secluded building and rarely venturing outside except for the competition. Their food and communication with the outside world are managed by an ordinary butler, who is also a follower of the Fire Cult. Accompanying him are four security guards to prevent anyone from entering the building.
Around seven in the evening, a security guard's intercom crackled to life: "A person named Cui Ming is here to visit."
Everyone exchanged glances, and Leopard Woman picked up the intercom. "Give it to him."
Cui Ming took the intercom and pressed the button. "Hello."
Leopard Woman asked, "Are you here for something?"
Cui Ming replied, "I have always held great respect for the Fire Cult and admire all five of you. I brought a small gift to pay my respects, if it's convenient..."
Leopard Woman interrupted, "It's not convenient; we are already resting."
Cui Ming insisted, "I am quite persistent."
Leopard Woman replied curtly, "Our master has made it clear that you are not welcome. Please do not disturb us." With that, she hung up the intercom.
Centaur asked, "Is he probing for military information?"
Leopard Woman answered, "Most likely; we shouldn't pay him any mind."
Lion Dog said in a low voice, "I've received news that the rat was actually captured by Cui Ming. Wei Wei is merely taking credit for it."
Centaur inquired, "What about his strength?"
"He's decent; this person is full of tricks. I almost fell into his hands," Lion Dog replied.
"According to reason, even if a mouse is caught and destined to die, there should be a trial process that takes quite some time. Why was the mouse killed?" asked the Serpent Woman.
"The inside scoop is that the mouse was taken to Hunter Headquarters and interrogated before dying quickly. According to the intel we gathered, it seems the mouse angered Wandering. However, the body wasn't completely burned. The mouse had a sharp object pierced through its head, suggesting it was killed after being shackled," replied Lion Dog.
"The issue isn't why the mouse died, but who could know so quickly that it needed to be killed. If we put ourselves in their shoes, we would realize that the greatest benefit to the Alliance is to eliminate the mouse. We were too careless, too reckless... The Alliance is ruthless. Truly vicious."
Everyone fell silent. They all understood the mouse's assassination skills; unlike Lion Dog, the mouse was a long-range killer, leaving no trace behind. In training, no one could escape the mouse's assassination attempts, and the mouse always managed to retreat unscathed. This was the mouse's first mission. Unexpectedly, Wandering survived while the mouse ended up dead. After all these years together, they had built a deep friendship. The thought of losing the mouse was hard for them to accept.
"You are a fire in the snowfield..."
As they reminisced about the mouse, an off-key pop song suddenly blared from downstairs. The Centaur pulled back the curtains, revealing a car outside carrying speakers. Cui Ming stood at the back of the car, passionately singing.
Lion Dog glanced over and said, "I want to kill him."
Leopard Woman replied, "The boss has instructed us not to use hard violence unless absolutely necessary. It's best not to entertain such thoughts. What good would it do to kill him? If we take one out, the Alliance will become vigilant and retaliate. With the mouse's assassination failing, we can only temporarily soften our stance." Their rigid plan was to eliminate Wandering and then target every influential person for assassination. But once they made their move, Wandering survived while their assassin ended up dead. The Fire Cult would then have to worry about retaliation from the Alliance. No one would disregard their own life to discuss harmony with you. Once they failed, their rigid plan would have to transform into a softer approach—on one hand showing goodwill and on the other distancing themselves from the mouse, leaving the Alliance without justification for retaliation. Then they could use soft violence, sow discord, and frame others to ultimately create chaos within the Alliance.
Lion Dog disdainfully glanced at Leopard Woman and said, "I know."
Leopard Woman patiently responded, "The boss appointed me as team leader. Lion Dog, if you have any dissatisfaction with me, just say it. But if you cause trouble, I won't let you off easily."
Lion Dog took a deep breath and after a long pause faced Leopard Woman calmly saying, "I understand. Damn it, it's so noisy..."
"The Centaur is here," Leopard Woman announced.
Cui Ming put down the microphone and looked at Dina. Dina tilted her head up at Cui Ming standing on top of the car and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Singing," came Cui Ming's response to such an idiotic question.
"Your singing here will disturb others."
"Even farting can disturb others."
"You did it on purpose," Dina said.
Cui Ming nodded. "Yes, Hero City doesn't have a rule against singing, nor does it prohibit singing here."
"Cui Ming, that's common sense."
Cui Ming replied, "What is common sense? Can you eat it?"
"Do you really have to sing?"
"I absolutely have to."
Dina stared at Cui Ming for a long time. "Can I request a song?"
"How about one by Liu Meier?"
"Alright, let's see how badly you can sing."
"I'll definitely exceed your expectations."
After listening to a couple of lines, Dina floated away. Cui Ming was quite honest; he could turn a catchy pop song into something that sounded like a sorrowful tune played on the erhu, which was indeed beyond Dina's imagination.
Halfway through the song, a security guard approached. "Mr. Cui, please come with us."
Cui Ming took a sip from half a bottle of water, then jumped out of the car and tapped on the driver's window to ask Ding Ze to turn off the music. Another security guard opened the iron gate. Cui Ming politely nodded and smiled in thanks as he walked toward the lobby on the first floor. As he neared the lobby, the lights turned on, revealing only Leopard Woman sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting for Cui Ming's arrival.
Standing before Leopard Woman, Cui Ming noticed she had no intention of speaking or welcoming him. He turned around and said, "I think I'll just go back to singing."
Leopard Woman reluctantly stood up and said, "Mr. Cui, please take a seat."
Cui Ming chuckled and returned to sit across from Leopard Woman. She asked, "Mr. Cui, what brings you here? Please get straight to the point."
Cui Ming replied, "Well, it's actually just one thing. I'm here on behalf of my boss. My boss wants to convey that if the Fire Cult goes to war with us, they should show mercy to our side."
Leopard Woman paused for a moment and asked, "Could you repeat that?"
Cui Ming explained, "To put it simply, we don't want to lose too badly, but we understand that there is an irreparable gap between us and the Fire Cult. At the very least, we hope for a peaceful development for twenty minutes before we resume fighting."
Leopard Woman stared at Cui Ming for a long time and said, "Mr. Cui, I don't think the North Moon Group is a weak team. Why undermine your own strength?"
Cui Ming responded, "We are very realistic people. The main reason we are participating in the Competition Match is that Wandering told us that if we make it into the top three, we will receive a treasure that is definitely not ordinary. A few hours ago, we spoke with Wandering, and if we encounter your Fire Cult in the semifinals, as long as we hold out for twenty minutes, they will honor their promise."
Leopard Woman thought for a long time and asked, "What benefit does this bring us?"
Cui Ming spread his hands and leaned back on the sofa. "That depends on what benefits you seek. For example, I know that the Eternity Alliance has imposed a ban on high-end weapon sales and shipments to the Fire Religion Nation."
"Can you lift the embargo?" she inquired.
"No, but I can obtain the design blueprints for the weapons you need."
Leopard Woman was about to speak but suddenly paused to think. Then she said, "The Fire Religion Nation values peace and has never intended to expand its military capabilities. Whether high-end weapons are banned or not doesn't significantly affect our relationship."
Cui Ming replied, "I think you should discuss this with your companions; you're not the leader here."
Leopard Woman answered, "I can make decisions. We simply want to win and take the championship; we have no intention of making things difficult for you. However, we do not wish to go easy on you either."
Cui Ming remarked, "That's not a good choice. I believe you should have more friends rather than hurt those who wish to be your friends."
"What do you mean?" Leopard Woman asked, struggling; she was not a master negotiator.
Cui Ming stood up and said, "As the saying goes, those who know the times are wise. I don't believe that your Fire Cult can act recklessly just because you have strength, nor do I think you have no hope. As a moderate person, making more friends is not a bad thing for me. To be honest, my Boss runs an underground network, not Beiyue. It's difficult to obtain weapon blueprints, but I can still manage to get some. If you need strategic resources, we can also acquire some. My Boss is a businessman who enjoys making friends; having more friends is beneficial. If some people don't want to be friends, and my Boss is already allied with certain individuals, then those people can only be seen as enemies."
Leopard Woman laughed, "This is the first time I've heard of an underground network run by a practitioner. I wonder who your Boss is?"
"His name is Dr. Hart; he is a scientist. I doubt you've heard of him, but he's not exactly a secretive figure—some people know him. Most consider him just an ordinary practitioner. My Boss is collaborating with a certain doctor on research to produce mass-manufacturable Force soldiers; that's all I can say."
Leopard Woman looked at Cui Ming and asked, "Is that doctor named Mundo?"
"I won't answer that question," Cui Ming smiled and sat down. "I think you should make a few calls. If possible, I'd like to confirm this matter with your teammates to ensure they will follow your orders."
Leopard Woman replied, "Even if they have grievances against me, they will absolutely obey any command I give; I guarantee that. No need for their opinions. Please wait a moment."
After saying this, Leopard Woman stood up and went to another room to make a phone call. About five minutes later, she returned and sat down, looking at Cui Ming. "Mr. Cui, what is your true purpose?"
Oh? That question was interesting. Cui Ming was quite surprised; although his lie had many loopholes, it was mostly pieced together from real situations. Leopard Woman's expression and words indicated that she was certain the underground network he fabricated was false. The short time frame for the call and transfer suggested either the Fire Cult had an exceptionally well-developed intelligence system or they had capable individuals who could see through his lies immediately.
Cui Ming did not respond; instead, he took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it. He didn't have a smoking habit; smoking was merely a delaying tactic while he thought. After lighting the cigarette and exhaling a puff of smoke, he said, "I've already stated that my true purpose is simply to request that our two teams coexist peacefully for twenty minutes during our confrontation."
Leopard Woman stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I won't keep you any longer, Mr. Cui." She showed no interest in understanding Cui Ming's intentions at all. (To be continued.)
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