Chapter 686
Chapter 686 - 672: The Lucky One
1,527 words
•
8 min read
Lu Ping’an found the hidden camp behind a forest.
After turning around the foot of the mountain, what he saw first was a dense forest filled with sturdy tree trunks and thick leaves, allowing only a bit of sunlight to stream down.
After passing several hidden sentries, Lu Ping’an met the person he was looking for.
"...You guys, are quite fortunate..."
Looking at Wang Xier before him, Lu Ping’an wasn’t sure how to evaluate her current condition.
Inside the green barrier was a camp that resembled ruins, the ground scorched black, with a faint smell of burning lingering in the air... the holes in the buildings went far beyond the scope of "bullet holes."
It was evident that the buildings had been recently bombed.
However, their actual losses were not that severe...with the exception of Wang Xier herself, who had been the priority target and was directly hit by a "Heavy Bomb".
"...You...healing...methods..."
Her arm was still bandaged, regeneration seemingly unsmooth, and the remaining eye expressed repressed anger. Yesterday’s elegant beauty had turned into today’s vengeful, one-eyed general.
Furthermore, her hoarse voice had a taste of synthesized machinery, suggesting that her injuries were more severe than Meow had reported.
"Deferred payment." Lu Ping’an tossed her a one-sixth portion without fuss, and Wang Xier’s wounds visibly healed at a swift rate... Soon, the surrounding healers acted quickly, helping Wang Xier deal with the mutations on her wounded areas.
"Your ability is really exaggerated." Wang Xier spat out a jade stone, carefully placing it in her handkerchief, finally regaining the possibility of normal speech.
The alleviation of pain, especially when not relying on taboo items to bear it and forcibly speaking, made Wang Xier much more comfortable.
"What were your losses?"
"...Apart from me, there were a few seriously injured, and two ordinary people died. It’s not a big problem..."
Compared to the main camp, Wang Xier’s side had suffered far less damage.
The reason was quite simple. The people here had arrived through explorer ship tickets and the initial exploration was mostly carried out by skilled professional warriors. Although they suffered losses in the first wave, once they reacted, it was a completely different story.
Of course, there was also another reason...
"...Thankfully, Uncle Li and Uncle Liu were in the camp..."
Li Zhenhuan, a Saphire person, original name unknown and unimportant, was Wang Xier’s personal guard... His strength was just under Rule-level peak, having recently taken the Professional pathway and only just reached 2-tier.
Under the current system, applications for Rule-level professionals to go out required separate processing, which often proved cumbersome.
With their special status, Saphire people couldn’t casually use "strategic weapons" during this time. High-level "Nuclear Weapons" were out of the question, so having something like a "Cluster Bomb" wasn’t too far off.
Though their numbers were small, their combat power was truly extraordinary.
It was for this reason, after the initial confusion, that these high-level professionals wiped out the invaders on the spot.
There were more than 200 Saphire people across the Four City population, with at least 70 Saphire people, three high-level Decree professionals, and the rest mainly made up of 2-tier professionals, and some Logistics and Researchers.
Going by their paper strength alone, their combat power should be even above that of the main camp... This was essentially the pioneering force of Saphire people from the Desert Kingdom exploring the Exotic Realm. As they weren’t short of people, they naturally sent their best.
From this, it could be seen that the original intention to recruit Lu Ping’an was a genuine attempt to win him over. Even as beleaguered refugees, their unbroken organization was not lacking in combat power.
With this kind of combat power, they could have faced the Ancient City head-on only half a year ago.
"...Speaking of which, do you consider yourselves lucky or unlucky?"
"Of course we’re lucky... We have a professional Destiny Teller who gave us guidance in this direction."
The Saphire people of the Desert Kingdom came prepared, bringing a full set of research teams and logistical staff... In this unfamiliar Otherworldly realm, combat power could ensure survival, but logistics and researchers determined the quality of life and whether they could gain anything from the experience.
Lu Ping’an had never heard of such a professional, but after Wang Xier briefly explained it, he almost knew that it was a special profession that "lowers long-term Qi Yun to gain short-term Qi Yun blessings..."
"...Ha, isn’t this Xue En?" Lu Ping’an almost laughed out loud.
With this explanation, he completely understood.
Fate deceivers would inevitably be bitten by fate; abilities that manipulate Qi Yun and luck share a basic rule: "The more you gain from fate, the more you lose"... In plain words, when forcibly obtaining good luck, it brings along an excessive amount of misfortune.
But outstanding Destiny Tellers can use various methods to play with and avoid such "rules"; for example, transferring it to their relatives, or using "second most important, third most important" to conduct misleading manipulations... But these are limited. One feature of Destiny Tellers is that they will eventually be burned by the fire they play with, and a wave of backlash will come one day.
Lu Ping’an understood as soon as he heard it, as this is very similar to his own fate of sailing against and with the wind.
In stories and fables, those prophets who took the initiative to provoke trouble seem to have no good ending.
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"What a Destiny Teller hates the most, and is the most powerless against, is glimpsing their own fate."
Everything happening before their eyes seemed to be the result of a Destiny Teller.
Under the favor of fate, these Saphire people stepped right on the edge of the treasure, only to be severely beaten up by the "Treasure Guardian."
The first unlucky one was the leader, Wang Xier... But now it is confirmed that their information has been leaked, and Wang Xier became the top target.
Fortune depends upon misfortune, misfortune lurks behind every fortune...
"We tracked and interrogated the attackers and found out that the mining area was on that hill, less than three kilometers away..."
Well, stepping on someone else’s main base, if they don’t beat you up, who will they beat up? But being able to step on their core area with one foot is also considered amazing good luck.
So, with the conversation reaching this point, Lu Ping’an understood everything.
"So, do you need our help?"
"Yes, if possible, please fulfill the previous agreement."
Per the prior agreement, Wang Xier could request Lu Ping’an’s support when necessary... But at the same time, the agreement gave Lu Ping’an a considerable degree of freedom to decide whether to accept Wang Xier’s invitation.
"Okay, what’s the reason to refuse? I’m also interested in those mines and machinery... Go easy on them during the attack; my people need some machinery and metals to rebuild the Radio Tower."
Wang Xier was taken aback and immediately showed joy.
The current worst situation is that due to the Aus people’s surprise attack, the radio equipment was destroyed, various power factions were separated, and at the same time, they were being carved up.
Wang Xier’s side was relatively stable because the "failed attack" news hadn’t returned yet. The enemy was controlling too many areas at the same time, and several mining areas might be threatened. They didn’t consider him the top priority at the moment... This might also be a blessing_in_disguise.
At_this_point, Wang Xier’s side hadn’t even rallied all their backup forces; many small and medium-sized teams were out of touch.
If communication relies solely on running, don’t even mention strategy and tactics, as long as they don’t fall apart and accidentally harm each other during the battle, that’s considered extremely good luck.
If they could really rebuild the radio system, even if it’s just the public broadcast type, this would still be a strategically_tactical deployment.
"Are you sure? This is quite difficult. The Earth’s radio technology isn’t directly usable, and we’ve lost all our improved models here, and the researchers are dead... Originally, it was estimated to take at least three months to get it done again."
The_one_speaking was a researcher Wang Xier had temporarily recruited; this time, their team had made many preparations.
Lu Ping’an smiled.
"I have a Decree-level high-level craftsman who is good at radio and mechanical fields, but without enough materials, I can’t do anything..."
There’s no need to say more; the bargaining chip that Lu Ping’an takes out is enough for him to occupy more shares in the future.
At the same time, he naturally knew that rebuilding the Radio Tower had no disadvantages... However, in contrast, there’s no reason for him to bear the risk and cost alone.
Want to rebuild the radio network? Add more money!
— End of Chapter 686 —