Chapter 414 - 212: Cooperation and Sincerity, A Troop Review and Another Expedition

Chapter 414: Chapter 212: Cooperation and Sincerity, A Troop Review and Another Expedition

"I’ll go back for a visit, but not right now."

"As for sending troops..."

"I’d like to know, what’s the actual strength of this so-called Federation Steel United Group?"

Lin Feng said coolly, unmoved.

Zhang Zihan pushed up her glasses, her voice tinged with pride.

"The Steel United Group is one of the top factions in the rear safe zones. We control seven base cities across the Three States, with over ten million survivors under our protection."

"Other top factions in the safe zones include the base cities established by the former State Capitals, the Federation Army group that retreated to the Northwest, and the various departments of the old Federation..."

"Comparatively, we don’t lack weapons or equipment, but we are somewhat weaker than other bases when it comes to the number and strength of our Awakeners."

"That’s why we’re willing to pay a higher price to secure an alliance and cooperation with you, City Lord Lin."

Lin Feng nodded.

’Sister Yurou is very clever. She knows that even if they could use Tier Two Zerg Eggs to mass-produce a batch of Tier Two Early Stage Awakeners, they would still be far weaker than the Awakeners from other factions—those who grew strong naturally by fighting the Zerg Race on their own.’

’The gap in their combat experience would be huge.’

’In a life-or-death duel, practical experience is paramount.’

’Even if the Steel Group used Tier Two Zerg Eggs to arm themselves, they would still be at a disadvantage compared to the city lords of smaller bases.’

’There are no weaklings among those who can kill a Tier Two Zerg while only being at Tier One.’

’And if the Steel Group wants to escape this predicament quickly, their only option is to hire the elite forces of the Salvation Army.’

’Or, they could have me—a newly-promoted Tier Three—make an appearance in the safe zone. That alone would be enough to instantly intimidate any petty factions looking to threaten them.’

But Lin Feng had no time to spare running off to the rear safe zones to attend all sorts of meaningless gatherings.

Knowing the true strength of the Alien Zerg Race, he was well aware that even as a Tier Three, he was nothing compared to a Tier Four Zerg King.

He had to take advantage of the fact that the Zerg Race hadn’t noticed him yet. With Ling Yi’s help, he needed to kill enough Tier Three Zergs to evolve and upgrade from the Early Stage to the Late Stage Peak as quickly as possible.

So Lin Feng spoke, directly rejecting Sister Yurou’s proposal, but he also offered a solution.

"Jin City Base City is still in its early stages of construction, and several Zerg Race Mother Empresses are lurking nearby. As much as I’d like to go and witness the grandeur of the Federation Steel United Group for myself, I’m simply too tied up on the front lines..."

"How about this: if you purchase a sufficient number of Tier Two Zerg Eggs—say, ten, or even several dozen—I will dispatch a Tier Two Battle Group under the pretext of protecting a valuable shipment..."

"They will accompany you back to the Steel Group headquarters and be responsible for the group’s security until you have fully mastered Tier Two Power."

"That way, no other faction can find fault with our arrangement."

A veteran Tier Two Battle Group now consisted of a commander at Tier Two Late Stage Perfection, as well as several old hands at the Tier Two Middle Stage.

With that kind of strength, they could completely suppress the other elite forces in the safe zones.

And, of course, they could protect the Steel United Group.

Hearing the Salvation Army leader’s promise, the tension in Zhang Zihan’s shoulders gradually eased. Though slightly disappointed, she offered a genuine smile.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, City Lord Lin!"

"As a show of our sincerity, the Federation Steel United Group will supply any weapons and equipment we possess to Jin City Base and the Salvation Army, without reservation."

Lin Feng nodded.

"Go on, then. You can negotiate the specific details of our cooperation and the trade agreement with Miss Han, who handles our political affairs, and Commander Li Ran, our head of logistics."

Having concluded the terms of their cooperation, Lin Feng dismissed them.

Zhang Zihan looked as if she wanted to say more, but seeing the man before her had already lost interest, she reluctantly followed Han Yuxin out.

After the messenger sent by Sister Yurou had departed, Lin Feng sat in his swivel chair, turning to face the window. He gazed at the dark mountain range on the far side of the Great River.

Just as he had expected, not long after Han Yuxin had seen Zhang Zihan off, another visitor arrived, also recommended by her. Ling Shuyan, the director of the biological research institute from across the Great River, personally came to the City Lord’s office to report an urgent matter to City Lord Lin Feng.

When the door opened and she saw Lin Feng, Ling Shuyan faltered for just a moment before composing herself. She strode quickly to the desk to face the man who held the fate of Jin City Base in his hands.

"The Federation Research Institute sent someone?"

Lin Feng asked coolly.

Hu Fei’s invitations hadn’t gone out to any specific Federation departments, only to a few high-ranking officials in charge of governance.

This group, along with the military, controlled the Federation’s last resort: the codes for the nuclear bombs, and the bombs themselves.

In reality, however, the specific departments responsible for carrying out government orders had already gone their separate ways. Take the Federation Steel United Group, which had openly voiced its dissent, and the Research Institute, whose representative now stood before Lin Feng, poised for deep cooperation.

Hearing Lin Feng’s question, Ling Shuyan thanked Han Yuxin for the offered chair and sat down, her posture perfectly straight. She nodded.

"The Federation Research Institute sent their vice director. He hopes to trade for more Tier Two Zerg Eggs, as well as the corpse of the High-tier Mother Empress that you killed during the final battle for Wu City, City Lord Lin..."

"I relayed your proposal for joint development, and the vice director is willing to dispatch a team of researchers to Jin City. They would establish a research project on the Mother Empress’s Corpse, and the findings would be shared."

"The only condition is that they be allowed to take a portion of the Mother Empress’s Corpse’s cell tissue with them."

"According to the vice director, his concern is that Jin City Base City is too close to the front line—only a little over a hundred kilometers from Zerg Race territory. If something were to happen in the future..."