Half an hour later.
Xicheng, deep in the northern forest.
A mercenary base was nestled in the depths of the forest. Who would have thought that in an area frequently frequented by radiation creatures, there would be a mercenary base of considerable scale, with rows of three-story buildings, as well as oil refineries, smelting plants, and so on.
A short while later, two behemoths appeared in the sky.
They were two Chi You-class cruisers, side by side. The words "Crimson Moon Transport" were painted on their hulls. As soon as Lin Zhao gave the order, the two warships opened fire, their railguns striking the ground, first disabling the base's shields, and then systematically destroying the military facilities within the base.
Moreover, under the electromagnetic interference of the Chi You-class, the six Cloud Shadow-class aircraft on the enemy's tarmac didn't even have a chance to take off; their systems couldn't be activated at all.
"Crimson Moon Transport takes full control of the base!"
"Resist, and you will be killed!"
"Han Seng is already dead, you don't need to sacrifice yourselves for him anymore."
"Crimson Moon Transport is a legitimate transport group from Sucheng. We will not harm the innocent. Lay down your weapons and live!"
"Everyone, lay down your weapons, walk to the central plaza of the base."
Inside the Chi You-class, Huodao shouted in imperfect Mandarin, his voice echoing throughout the entire base. Soon, mercenaries streamed out of the base, laying down their weapons and walking unarmed towards the plaza.
At this time, more than ten Crimson Moon Transport Cloud Shadow-class aircraft appeared in the sky. They had come purely to move things.
...
Lin Zhao and Chen Xue, clad in Xi He-class combat armor, descended from the Chi You-class deployment system, followed by dozens of members of the Crimson Moon Transport escort combat team in Yan Di-class armor. The group appeared spirited and marched straight into the War Axe Alliance base.
At this point, there might still be threats within the base, but they were no longer significant. The two Chi You-class cruisers hovering in the sky were the greatest deterrent within hundreds of miles.
Within minutes, infantry armored vehicles began to control and take over the entire base. The Crimson Moon Transport escort combat team members entered the base's various control rooms, taking over the entire facility.
In the main control room.
Huodao, his face flushed with excitement, looked at the various data displayed by a胖子 (pàngzi - fat man) supervisor from the base. He turned to Lin Zhao with a smile and said, "We're rich, we're rich! We're definitely rich this time!"
Lin Zhao crossed his arms, also feeling particularly happy. He had captured an entire War Axe Alliance base without shedding a drop of blood, something he had never dreamed of. He smiled and said, "Tell me about it."
"Mm."
Huodao held his control panel and smiled, "Currently, there are six intact Cloud Shadow-class aircraft in the base. They are the latest models from Rongcheng Aerospace Industry. We can brush them with our Crimson Moon Transport paint, change the authorization codes, and use them directly."
"Mm!"
Chen Xue nodded with a smile, "Continue?"
Huodao's face was full of excitement, and he chuckled, "In the base's storage, there are over 400 high-performance power cells, worth about 600 million universal coins. In addition, there are 20 unopened Yan Di-class individual combat armors in the warehouse. They probably hadn't had time to deploy them yet. Furthermore, the aviation fuel in the base's oil depot is abundant. If we transport it all back to our Crimson Moon Transport base, it will be enough for 2-3 months, saving us a lot of expenses."
Lin Zhao was overjoyed.
Huodao continued, "There's more. Han Seng's personal account balance is 0. After all, mercenaries operate in a grey area. The Huaxia United Government can deem you legal or illegal as they please, so they withdrew all the money from their bank accounts and kept it in the treasury."
He grinned, "The treasury has seven or eight boxes filled to the brim, with a total of about 1 billion universal coins."
"They're really rich!"
Lin Zhao frowned, "It seems the War Axe Alliance has done a lot of plundering over the years."
Chen Xue smiled, "Move everything that can be moved. As for this base that's left behind... Lin Zhao, what are your thoughts?"
"After emptying it, inform the local government of Xicheng and let them take over the base and the prisoners."
Lin Zhao said calmly, "Just say that our Crimson Moon Transport discovered this base in the wild. If Xicheng can use it, they can use it. If not, they can dispose of it as they see fit. We shouldn't overstep too much. The commotion caused in the wilderness east of Ningcheng is already too big, so we should handle this situation as discreetly as possible."
"Okay, got it."
Chen Xue waved her delicate hand, "Alright, everyone, let's move things. Don't delay."
"Yes!"
...
Late at night, Crimson Moon Transport's 20+ Cloud Shadow-class aircraft shuttled back and forth, finally clearing out almost the entire base. Afterwards, Lin Zhao and Chen Xue led their team back to Sucheng. As the two Chi You-class cruisers departed, the entire base was left empty.
At this moment, two lights flickered in the jungle. It was an infantry combat vehicle with a heavily damaged and dilapidated exterior, a War Axe Alliance infantry vehicle. A middle-aged man alighted from the vehicle. His right arm had been amputated and had since been treated and bandaged.
Han Seng looked at the base from afar, his eyes welling up with tears.
"It's over... It's all over..."
He slumped to the ground dejectedly.
"Damn it!"
An old mercenary slapped his thigh and pointed at the receding backs of the Chi You-class vessels disappearing into the horizon, cursing, "Crimson Moon Transport, you've truly committed a grave sin!"
"Boss."
A younger mercenary with an injured leg, limping slightly, frowned. "Lin Zhao is a cunning person. There might still be ambushes from their side in the base. If we go back now, we might be walking into a trap. Let's not go back, let's just hide outside for a while..."
"I know."
Han Seng stood up, his eyes bloodshot, and glared fiercely in the direction of Sucheng, roaring, "If I don't avenge this, I'm no gentleman!"
...
Past 11 PM.
Lin Zhao and Chen Xue returned to the studio, dragging their tired bodies. Just then, Shen Xingchen, Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, and others had also logged off, just in time for supper.
"Brother."
Luo Man served Lin Zhao a bowl of seafood congee. Her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows were slightly furrowed. "We all saw the news. They said there was a battle near the outskirts of Ningcheng, a conflict between our Crimson Moon Transport and another mercenary group..."
"Mm, it's nothing."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile.
"Lin Zhao."
Shen Xingchen's beautiful eyes were like water. "The War Axe Alliance... is it dealt with?"
"Mostly dealt with."
Lin Zhao said while eating his congee, "I was really starving. I didn't even have dinner and have been busy until now."
Chen Xue was also slurping her congee. She reached out and moved the small steamed buns in front of Mo Chenxue to herself, then smiled, "Little Xue, look at you, your legs have gotten thicker recently. Control your appetite a bit. If your legs are too thick, your Brother Lin Zhao won't want to touch them!"
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao looked surprised, "I haven't touched Little Xue's legs!"
"Then whose have you touched?" Chen Xue retorted.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
Luo Man nimbly took Lin Zhao's hand and placed it on her leg, "You've touched mine!"
Lin Zhao snatched his hand back as if he had been electrocuted, rubbed his palm on his body, and muttered, "This is so indecent..."
"Ah Zhao."
Ding Chi looked up at Lin Zhao. "Da Jun and I have decided. As members of the Crimson Moon Knights, Da Jun and I are relatively strong. So, starting tomorrow, we will take time to go to Crimson Moon Transport and ask Huodao to be our sparring partner. Just allocate two sets of Yan Di-class armor to us."
"Right!"
Zhang Jun frowned. "Every time, you and Chen Xue are out in the field. Ding Chi and I feel bad about it. We don't want to be people who just reap the benefits. We also want to contribute."
"Okay."
Lin Zhao nodded. "We'll do as you say. But first, let's see if you can endure the hardship. If you can't, it's fine. Come back and focus on playing games. Leading the Crimson Moon Knights and earning money in the game to support Crimson Moon Transport in reality has the same effect."
"We'll try first."
Ding Chi took a deep breath. "Maybe we're not as skilled as you, but... we probably won't be too bad."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao smiled. "When the time is right, I'll get you two Xi He-class armors."
"No need."
Zhang Jun frowned. "We'll be fine with Yan Di-class."
"Listen to me."
Lin Zhao looked at his two good brothers, his voice softening. "The survival rate is higher with Xi He-class. Also, Xi He-class has an auxiliary combat system. Even for a novice, the chance of survival is greater."
Ding Chi was slightly moved. "Alright, we'll listen to you."
"Brother."
Mo Chenxue looked at Lin Zhao. "Are you going online again later?"
"I will."
Lin Zhao scratched his head and smiled. "I haven't been online for most of the day, so my stamina and mental energy are already full. I'll go online to use them up. You guys should sleep early, don't worry about me."
"Okay~~~"
...
Past midnight, logged in.
"Whoosh!"
A white light flashed before his eyes, and the character appeared in front of Tian Ran Ju. As soon as Lin Zhao appeared, a figure swooped down, clad in armor, with a dark gold cloak draped behind him. It was the old marshal Huang Tingyu.
"Old Huang?"
Lin Zhao was surprised. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes!"
Huang Tingyu said sternly, "This afternoon, a convoy came from the south and delivered twenty thousand shi of grain and fodder to Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. They didn't ask for money, claiming it was a donation to our Snow Domain Heavenly Lake?"
"???"
Lin Zhao was confused. "Is this some kind of ghost story? When did the Great Shang Dynasty ever send us grain and fodder for free?"
"Cough cough..."
Huang Tingyu said, "It wasn't the government of the Great Shang Dynasty that sent it. Was it one of your confidantes?"
"What?"
Lin Zhao was astonished. Which confidante was so wealthy that she could afford twenty thousand shi of grain and fodder? Moreover, in the Great Shang Dynasty, grain, fodder, armor, and weapons were all prohibited items. Without considerable connections, it was impossible to transport them across the border.
"Stop guessing."
Huang Tingyu saw this brat guessing which confidante it was and was annoyed. Heaven's will is unpredictable. Some drown in floods while others suffer from drought. I, Old Huang, have been rebellious my entire life. A great sword immortal of the thirteenth realm, wearing newly forged deputy marshal armor this afternoon, washed my hair, and even smoothed my beard with a wet towel. Yet, when I walked around the town, not even a dog looked at me.
"It's Shi Hanyin."
Huang Tingyu grinned. "She brought a message for you, saying that she purchased this twenty thousand shi of grain and fodder with her own private money as a gift to you. It's not much, but it's a token of her affection."
Lin Zhao frowned, feeling bitter inside.
"The debts of gratitude are piling up. How can I repay them?"
"..."
Huang Tingyu was a little angry. "If you really want to repay it, isn't it simple? I, Old Huang, will accompany you on another trip to Yunzhou City, listen to some music again, and then you don't have to leave. Staying overnight on Shi Hanyin's embroidered bed would be considered repayment of the favor. One night of spring romance is worth twenty thousand shi of grain and fodder. We'd be making a huge profit, Mountain Lord!"
"Old Huang, go to hell!"
The Mountain Lord kicked out. The great sword immortal of the thirteenth realm easily dodged and sighed, "A sword cultivator of the tenth realm is truly not up to par."