“A few days ago, I received a tip-off saying that someone had discovered traces of a Shadow-Stalker Beast on the edge of Southeast Area A7 in the Ruin Zone. However, the source was unreliable, so I didn't dare report it immediately.”
“So, I thought I’d take a small team first to scout the area.”
“Just to be safe, I even paid out of my own pocket to hire the Night Owl team from the Outer City.”
“I didn't expect that once we went deep into Area A of the Ruin Zone, we would run into a hunter named Lei Lie. He was also on a guild mission tracking the Shadow-Stalker Beast. He said he couldn't handle the beast alone and was willing to cooperate with us.”
“We acted together, but during the capture process...”
“The creature suddenly went berserk, and our City Defense Force squad... they’re all gone.”
As Liu Sen spoke to this point, his voice choked slightly, and his eyes turned red.
“Lin Hai and the others... they fought to the death to hold that beast back, which gave me and the Night Owl team the chance to capture it alive.”
“Even Night Owl’s Severance—that Level 3, Ma Jun—was heavily injured by the beast during the capture and didn't make it in the end...”
Colonel Yan listened quietly, the smile on his face never changing.
After Liu Sen finished speaking, he remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, “Lieutenant Liu, you’ve worked hard.”
Liu Sen was stunned.
That was... it?
Colonel Yan stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his back to Liu Sen, his voice remaining gentle:
“An elite squad, twelve men, two armored vehicles, all gone just like that...”
“Tell me, as the General Commander, how am I supposed to explain this to their families?”
Liu Sen’s heart tightened, and he quickly stood up. “Colonel Yan, it was my poor command. I am willing to take full responsibility!”
Colonel Yan turned around, stared at Liu Sen for two seconds, then walked back to his desk and picked up a document to hand to him.
“Take a look at this.”
Liu Sen took the document and scanned it, his expression shifting slightly.
It was an intelligence summary.
On it was recorded—
On a certain day, A-Qing and A-Liang, subordinates of Han Laosan of the Blood Fang Gang in the Outer City, followed the Level 3 hunter Lei Lie into the Area A ruins. They discovered a twelve-story building that was completely intact, with vagrants gathered inside, appearing to be under management.
On that same day, Han Laosan sold this intelligence to the Outer City guild branch.
The next day, Liu Sen led a squad of City Defense Force elites and the Night Owl team out of the Outer City and into Area A.
And then, Liu Sen returned with the Shadow-Stalker Beast.
After Liu Sen finished reading, cold sweat had already soaked his back.
Colonel Yan knew everything.
Or rather, he could find out everything.
“Colonel Yan, I...” Liu Sen began with difficulty.
Colonel Yan waved his hand, that gentle smile still hanging on his face.
“Lieutenant Liu, do you realize you’ve done something very dangerous?”
Liu Sen’s throat felt tight. “Please enlighten me, Colonel Yan.”
“You took men and entered the Ruin Zone privately without reporting it. Twelve men, two armored vehicles, gone just like that.” Colonel Yan’s tone was calm, but his words made Liu Sen’s skin crawl. “If someone were to make an issue out of this, do you think you’d still be sitting here talking to me?”
Cold sweat beaded on Liu Sen’s forehead.
Colonel Yan looked at him, then suddenly changed the subject.
“However—”
“You brought back the Shadow-Stalker Beast.”
He stood up, walked over to Liu Sen, and patted his shoulder.
“That creature escaped from the Deep Blue Research Institute. The institute was jumping in frustration, and the City Defense Force was under immense pressure.”
“Now that you’ve delivered a live Shadow-Stalker Beast back to them, the research institute owes me a huge favor.”
“I also have an account to give to the higher-ups.”
“Lieutenant Liu, you know, sometimes the result is more important than the process.”
Liu Sen’s hanging heart finally dropped halfway back into place.
He quickly expressed his stance: “Rest assured, Colonel Yan. I will definitely be more careful in the future and never act on my own again!”
Colonel Yan nodded, the smile on his face becoming meaningful.
“But Lieutenant Liu, there’s one more thing you need to keep in mind.”
“How do you plan to give an account to the Panshi Company?”
Liu Sen’s heart skipped a beat.
Colonel Yan looked at him and said unhurriedly:
“Originally, the Panshi Company approached you to help deal with those vagrants on the edge of Area A who killed their team members, as well as that building. You took their benefits and promised to get the job done.”
“But now?”
He pointed to the intelligence on the desk.
“That building is still there. And according to those two from the Blood Fang Gang, there are still vagrants in that building... living quite well.”
“What do you think the Panshi Company will think?”
Liu Sen fell silent.
He knew Colonel Yan was speaking the truth.
Back then, when those exploration team members from the Panshi Company were killed by vagrants in Area A, the company's high-level executives were furious. However, it wasn't convenient for them to openly send armed forces into the Ruin Zone.
After all, that place nominally didn't belong to anyone, and rashly sending troops could easily arouse the suspicion of various factions.
So they found Liu Sen.
Liu Sen was a City Defense Force lieutenant with troops under him, and he was responsible for coordinating the 'purge' operations in the Ruin Zone.
Asking for his help was perfectly legitimate.
Colonel Yan had also tacitly agreed at the time—it was just a minor favor anyway, and it would earn them a favor from the Panshi Company.
So Liu Sen had accepted the Panshi Company's benefits. When shelling Area A, he specifically expanded the range to cover the area where that building was located.
In his view, after a round of saturation fire, let alone a few vagrants, even reinforced concrete would be blown to dust.
But who knew...
The building was still there.
Completely intact.
“Lieutenant Liu,” Colonel Yan’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“The benefits you’ve swallowed, I’m afraid you’ll have to spit them back out. And you’ll have to give the Panshi Company an explanation.”
“I won't hide it from you; the Panshi Company has already sent someone to see me to ask about that building. I told them you were the one in charge and to talk to you.”
Liu Sen remained silent.
If he had heard this news a day ago, he probably would have been scared to death.
The Panshi Company was the unrivaled number one company in Panshi City, with deep-rooted influence and significant power even within the Inner City.
Otherwise, how would they dare be called the Panshi Company?
They shared the same name as the city!
If he offended them, a minor City Defense Force lieutenant like him wouldn't even know how he died.
But now—
He thought of that unfathomable Landlord in Terminal Station.
He thought of the scene where she lightly raised her hand and caused Severance to explode on the spot.
He thought of that building that remained intact under artillery fire, could block bullets, and could withstand the Death Tide.
Panshi Company?
Heh.
Liu Sen let out a cold sneer in his heart.
If those people really dared to go looking for trouble with the Landlord, their end probably wouldn't be much better than Severance's.
However, his face showed a look of panic:
“Rest assured, Colonel Yan. Regarding the Panshi Company... I will go and explain. Every bit of the benefits that should be returned, I will return without missing a cent.”
Colonel Yan looked at him, a faint, unnoticeable glint of something different flashing in his eyes.
This Liu Sen was acting a bit strange.
Logically, upon hearing news of the Panshi Company, he should have been scared out of his wits.
But now, although he was acting panicked, deep in his eyes, there was something strange—
It wasn't fear, but a kind of...
Confidence?
Rate on N.U.
