Chapter 516 - 322: The Wizard Fired the First Shot

Master Ma glanced sideways at the blond hothead and pursed his lips. "I never said that. That’s your own conclusion."

King Arthur shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, you’re right. It was all me."

Master Ma fell silent for a moment before saying, "After this mission is over, if you return to the European Administrative Region, try to investigate and see if you can find any intelligence on the Round Table Conference and the Moon Cyber City. According to what Guang Ling said before, a lot of information is hidden in the offline archives of the Intercontinental Influences and the Big Business Alliance."

"I think that before we start questioning Guang Ling’s motives, we should at least figure out what that thing is."

"Disregarding the process and just looking at the outcome, we can ’temporarily’ still trust Guang Ling. Otherwise, with Guang Ling’s level of control over the cyber network, we would have been dead long ago, even as Tier Four Extraordinaries."

Master Ma’s words were still veiled, and he had placed special emphasis on the word "temporarily."

This was a reminder to the hotheaded King Arthur that since she had joined the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps, she needed to be mentally prepared. The consequences of turning against Guang Ling were something she absolutely could not afford.

King Arthur took a deep breath, and the mixed stench of the underground pipes filled her prosthetic lungs.

The ultra-sensitive olfactory system sent intensely stimulating signals, causing her brain to register physical discomfort, but it also calmed her down considerably.

Master Ma was right. No one could afford to offend Guang Ling.

In the Cyber World, no one dared to offend a person with such control over the cyber network.

Especially when their true identity was unknown.

King Arthur fell silent, then her gaze shifted to the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps’ temporary chat window.

Wizard had fired the first probing shot; now they would see how Guang Ling responded.

...

Lin Qi sat on the sofa, waiting for Guang Ling’s reply.

After about two minutes, a new message finally popped up in the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps’ temporary chat window.

Guang Ling: "This mission’s failure was unavoidable. Too many variables appeared that were outside our intelligence. I have already submitted a mission withdrawal request to the Black Market. After the point deduction, we’ve dropped back to a Tier-3 Mercenary Corps."

Guang Ling: "As for new plans, we’ll have to wait until Master Ma and King Arthur have evacuated Red Fruit City. However, a large number of missions related to Wizard Professionals have recently appeared on the Black Market. Not just the Witch Hunt in Europe, but also counter-attack missions from Wizard Professionals. I’m inclined to choose from among these missions."

Guang Ling: "Oh, right. There’s another piece of important intelligence to share with you all. According to the Black Market’s analysis of the world’s various administrative regions, we are currently 1.83% short of the conflict intensity required to trigger the Third World Corporate War. The various intercontinental Big Business Alliances might be making a move soon. The rules of the mercenary world may be about to change."

Lin Qi had only prodded casually, but Guang Ling had spilled the beans, revealing a lot of information.

But on closer inspection, there was nothing of substance. Instead, it seemed like an attempt to muddy the waters.

Lin Qi was thinking about how to respond, but Capitalist sent a message first.

Capitalist: "Mission failure was indeed unavoidable. A Mercenary Corps with a one hundred percent success rate shouldn’t exist anyway. This is also a good opportunity for us to reduce the outside world’s attention on us."

Capitalist: "Furthermore, I hope that in future operations, we prioritize the personal safety of the Mercenary Corps’ members rather than being so fixated on completing the mission. After all, our Highest-Level Mercenary Corps is fundamentally very different from other corps."

Capitalist: "@Guang Ling, what are your thoughts?"

Following Wizard’s first shot, Capitalist fired the second. She wanted to force Guang Ling to make their position clear, to redefine the very purpose of the Mercenary Corps.

As expected, after Capitalist sent her message, Guang Ling went silent for nearly two more minutes.

As everyone waited, Guang Ling sent a new message.

Guang Ling: "The members of our Highest-Level Mercenary Corps are, in essence, partners. We undertake missions for our mutual benefit. I will establish a mission termination mechanism, to be decided by the members, as soon as possible. And after a mission is terminated, I will do my utmost to ensure the safe withdrawal of all participating members."

Guang Ling conceded?

This came as a surprise to everyone.

But they all felt it was reasonable. After all, no one in the group was weak.

No one was willing to risk their life for a mission.

Profit was the common goal for them all.

Lin Qi stopped typing.

’There’s no need to probe any further. Until I know what Guang Ling really wants, I won’t get any real answers.’

’Until I have the power to flip the table myself, I need to maintain this superficial relationship.’

Lin Qi sat on the sofa, thinking to himself, ’The intelligence about Wizard Professionals that Guang Ling just revealed... was that a gesture of sharing, or... a threat?’

’But no matter what, I still need more time. The more chaotic the situation becomes, the more strength I’ll need to protect myself.’

’I have to ensure my own survival first before I can worry about anyone else.’

...

In the sewers, Master Ma wore an "I knew it" expression. "Everyone in the Mercenary Corps is smart. We’ve all taken a step back and know not to push it. This aligns with all of our interests."

King Arthur’s brow was deeply furrowed. With a "Tch," she said, "Guang Ling, Capitalist... those two are too damn crafty."

Master Ma turned his head to look at King Arthur. "Of everyone in the Mercenary Corps, Guang Ling and Wizard are the only two I can’t figure out at all. Guang Ling’s strength is their control over the cyber network, while Wizard... Wizard is just too calculating."

Hearing Master Ma’s assessment, King Arthur offered a different opinion. "I actually think Wizard is my kind of person. His so-called mysteriousness is just for self-preservation. You have to be smart to survive for long."

Master Ma’s eyes widened slightly.

’What’s with this blonde? What kind of logic is that?’

’A second ago she was complaining about others being too crafty, but when it comes to Wizard, it’s suddenly perfectly understandable?’

’What kind of Potion did Wizard give her?’

’Wait a minute!’

’There’s nothing wrong with Wizard’s Potions, is there?’

An image of a filthy, wizened, medieval witch quietly formed in Master Ma’s mind, and a chill ran down his spine.

...

In the Prosthetic Clinic, Lin Qi stood up and walked toward the second floor.

He would rest for a bit, wait for Liu Xuan to message him, and in the meantime, try to anticipate what Liu Xingyuan would want to talk to him about.

Potions? Company shares? Or about Liu Xuan?

Lin Qi thought any of them were possible.

’In any case, I’ve already completely mastered the production of the S-Class Potion. Once I ship the batches to King Arthur and Master Ma in the next day or two and get their data feedback, I’ll let the new S-Class Potion circulate on the market for a few days. Then, I can reveal my identity as an S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher.’

’The social status of an S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher is no lower than that of a big business helmsman like Liu Xingyuan.’

Lin Qi wasn’t feeling much pressure. He didn’t think Liu Xingyuan would make things difficult for him.

He could get a sense of the man’s attitude toward him from the way he treated Liu Xinglu.

About two hours later, Lin Qi received a message from Liu Xuan.

[A new company site has been chosen. I’ve rented floors 109 to 130 of the H3 Skyscraper as a temporary office space. After a while, once all the other companies in the H3 Skyscraper have been cleared out, the entire building will become the new headquarters for United Pharmaceutical.]

Liu Xuan was certainly efficient. She had been gone for two hours and had already selected a site for the company.

But it seemed she hadn’t yet convinced Liu Xingyuan to meet him at United Pharmaceutical.

Lin Qi continued to wait. Another hour passed before Liu Xuan sent another message.

[I’ve settled things with my father. This afternoon at three o’clock, you two will meet in the boardroom on the 130th floor of the H3 Skyscraper.]

A few seconds after he finished reading the message, Liu Xuan sent another one.

[I suggest you arrive about five minutes late.]