Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 117 Sale
Edward has always valued you highly.

Zhuang Fan noticed her confusion. "When you were imprisoned, he ordered several searches of headquarters in an attempt to find you."

These words stirred something in Chu Ningyan's heart: "Minister Edward, I haven't had much contact with him lately."

"I have some of his documents and information. Come over and take a look with me."

Zhuang Fan gestured for her to follow him, and the two left the corner and entered another room.

He walked to a terminal, put on the brain-computer interface helmet, and then the screen lit up, displaying the internal network interface of the nucleus.

Chu Ningyan was stunned: "You want to hack into nuclear weapons?"

"No need to hack in, just go straight in."

Chu Ningyan looked slightly puzzled, but watched patiently from the side.

But Zhuang Fan did not hesitate at all, easily bypassing the firewall as if he were entering his own backyard.

The nuclear intranet... He just got in that easily?

Zhuang Fan ignored her reaction and quickly searched the database, soon locking onto several encrypted communication records related to Edward.

He unfolded the documents one by one on the light screen.

Those were Edward's assessment reports of the Grey Geese at different times, from the initial "extremely promising" to the later "a rare talent," with undisguised admiration between the lines.

In the latest internal briefing, Edward explicitly instructed Wuji to closely monitor Fengmang's investigation of Grey Goose and to proactively step in to protect her.

Edward also stated at the meeting that if Grey Goose were to join the company, he would give priority to the position of head of the intelligence department.

Zhuang Fan withdrew the light screen and looked at Chu Ningyan with a smile:
"Edward values ​​you highly, treats you like one of his own, and has even arranged a position for you in advance."

"I might have saved his life."

Chu Ningyan spoke softly, as if recounting an insignificant past event, “A few years ago, he was just an intelligence specialist. He failed in a mission and was captured by the Greenskins, almost becoming a hostage.”

"I just happened to be passing by and rescued him."

A lone archer, a green-skinned tribesman, and a casual rescue... Zhuang Fan increasingly felt that Chu Ningyan's S-rank status was highly valuable.

"Later, he came to me a few more times, asking me to help solve some tricky intelligence problems. Over time, we became more familiar with each other, and then I watched him climb up to his current position step by step."

Zhuang Fan nodded.

With the life-saving grace first and the gratitude for being recognized and valued second, this was enough for Edward to regard Chu Ningyan as a confidant.

In Xu Renyi's fragmented memories, he also had a high opinion of Edward: outstanding ability, impartial and incorruptible, a qualified group manager.

"Then why don't you consider it?"

Zhuang Fan asked, "The head of nuclear intelligence has much more power than the head of the Fengmang Regiment. Look at that crow, he blocked your Fengmang headquarters so tightly that you couldn't move an inch."

"You know, the reason Crow can keep his sharp edge hidden is because he obtained special operation authorization from the group headquarters."

Chu Ningyan shook her head. "No matter how high the position of intelligence chief is, I won't go."

"why?"

Zhuang Fan was somewhat puzzled, "Is it just because you hate big companies and tycoons?"

"No, I'm not that dramatic."

Chu Ningyan was silent for a moment, then met his gaze. "Since you can control the strange mist, you should also be able to sense that there is not a trace of strange mist in my body."

Zhuang Fan was taken aback upon hearing this.

In fact, he had suspected before that he couldn't detect the lie in Chu Ningyan's body because there was no strange mist inside her.

Now he sensed it again and nodded seriously: "So you're a demon detective too."

"Ah."

Chu Ningyan nodded slightly, her voice tinged with helplessness, "You know better than I what a 'demon detective' means in this era, and what his fate will be."

Zhuang Fan certainly knew.

The Demon Detective is immune to the Misty Fog, a rare and dangerous trait in the wasteland.

Major conglomerates spared no expense in searching for the cold storage facilities of abandoned shelters, hoping to find more "rare samples" like them.

Once Chu Ningyan joins the Nuclear Group, regardless of her position, even if she is just an ordinary clerk, she will not be able to escape the most rigorous physical examination.

By then, her identity as a detective will be exposed.

"The best outcome is to be used as a backup vessel for some important person."

Chu Ningyan said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Worse still, they'll be sent to the lab and sliced ​​up for research."

Zhuang Fan's expression was solemn. He himself had escaped by sheer luck from this treacherous path, so he knew all too well the dangers involved.

Seeing that he remained silent, Chu Ningyan continued:

"That's why I've always kept my distance from Nuclear. Although Edward values ​​me, his primary loyalty is to the group's interests. I'm just a useful pawn in his hands. When it really comes down to it, he won't consider personal feelings."

"Makes sense."

This reminded Zhuang Fan of Max, the loyal and righteous general with fierce fighting prowess.

"It's fine if you don't add nuclei; you can still use this."

How to use it?

“You can tell Edward, or convey it through Wuji, that you have the ability to control Fengmang, but you need his support. Once it’s done, Fengmang will become an important asset to him in Linhai City, providing him with more support.”

Chu Ningyan's eyes flashed with surprise: "Will Edward... agree?"

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

Zhuang Fan smiled and said, "On the day of the trial, all we need to do is have Wu Ji lead the team to 'maintain order' outside the courtroom. We don't need to fire any shots or intervene; we just need to stand there."

"What does it mean when a person with sharp edges sees nuclear soldiers appearing at the trial? It's equivalent to the nuclear forces standing up for you."

"At that time, whether it's Soren, Qiushan, or Habenson, they will all have to think twice before making a move against you."

Chu Ningyan nodded, her eyes sparkling. "I'll find some time during the day to talk to Edward, but he's cautious by nature, so I need to go over the story with you beforehand to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"can."

Zhuang Fan had no objection. "Go and rest for a while. We'll discuss it further later."

At this moment, dawn was breaking, and the sky was gradually turning white.

Chu Ningyan responded and turned to leave, but then stopped, as if she had remembered something.

She called out towards the door, "Pipi, come here for a second."

Pipi ran over when she heard the noise, her face full of confusion.

Chu Ningyan looked at Zhuang Fan: "Pipi and I have discussed it, and she will leave Fengmang and join your team."

She paused, her gaze falling on Pipi. "The internal struggles within Fengmang are getting increasingly chaotic, and I don't want her to get dragged into it too."

Zhuang Fan looked at Pipi: "Aren't you going back to Zhongdu?"

Pipi shook her head vigorously, her voice soft but firm: "Qiu Shan used my parents to threaten me. I will remember this grudge. I will stay and do my part."

"Okay, welcome to us."

Zhuang Fan smiled sincerely, "Our team is short of an experienced military doctor. Pipi, there's no one more suitable than you."

"Ow—!"

A dry howl came from the corner.

Mao Shanwang approached without anyone noticing, dropped his palm-leaf fan on the ground, and began to beat his chest and stamp his feet in frustration.

"My little darling! I've wanted to bring you into the caravan for so long, treating you to the best food and drink every day, how could you... how could you go and follow this kid!"

He pointed at Zhuang Fan indignantly: "You not only poached my girlfriend, but you did it right in front of me! That's too much!"

Zhuang Fan and Chu Ningyan exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say.

Pipi was amused by him, "Kitty, stop fooling around."

Seeing this, Mao Shanwang quickly pulled Zhuang Fan to a corner, put his paw on his shoulder, and his expression became serious.

"I'll call you brother... no, boss, how about this, we're all allies, from now on all your goods will be 20% off, and you give me back Pipi, okay?"

Zhuang Fan shook his head.

Mao Shanwang gritted his teeth and made a gesture with his paw: "25% off! That's the lowest I can go! This is the bottom line! Pipi is worth this price!"

Zhuang Fan stopped his exaggerated performance and became serious: "Old Cat, Pipi is not a commodity, she is our partner, irreplaceable."

Mao Shanwang was speechless. Looking at Pipi's slightly unfriendly eyes, he sighed, "It's over. You've even used up all your nice words."

He leaned against the wall listlessly, like a deflated balloon.

Pipi stepped forward to comfort him: "Cat, why don't you join the Fire of Life too? That way we can see each other every day."

"That won't work."

Mao Shanwang straightened his back again, "I am, after all, a second-tier supplier of Black Gold Trading Company, a prestigious brand."

He cleared his throat, steered the conversation back on track, and said to Zhuang Fan, "I almost forgot the important matter. The stolen goods have been inventoried. Come with me."

Zhuang Fan nodded and followed him out of the courtyard, where a pile of power armor and weapons were stacked.

"I roughly estimated the value of what I looted from the Qiushan stronghold: machine gun bullets, explosives, grenades... and a few gold bars. The total value is at least two million gold coins."

"Robbing is still the fastest way to make money," Zhuang Fan sighed, looking at the mountain of weapons.

"Of course, high risk, high reward."

Mao Shanwang chuckled, fanning himself even more vigorously, and walked up to the cleaned power armor.

"A total of eighteen power armors were captured. Twelve of them were intact, and the remaining six could be repaired without any problem. As for the broken arms and legs, they could only be disassembled into parts."

"Sell them all?" Zhuang Fan asked.

"of course."

Mao Shanwang was somewhat cautious: "These are stolen goods. Who knows what that old guy Qiu Shan did inside? What if he left a backdoor or a self-destruct device? It would cost a lot of money to find someone to crack them, so it's not worth it."

"In my opinion, we should sell them all, and then buy the eighteen power armors we rented. Add them to the six you had before, and we'll have a total of twenty-four, which should be enough."

Zhuang Fan thought it made sense; the new power armor was indeed more reassuring, but there was also a fatal problem that kept lingering in his mind.

"Old Cat, is there any way to defend against that 'armor killer'? It's too deadly for armored soldiers."

"Yes, I have."

Upon hearing this, Mao Shanwang narrowed his cat-like eyes: "The military version of the power armor has an energy barrier generator built into the helmet, which can neutralize the power of the 'Armor Buster'."

"The military version is too expensive."

Zhuang Fan quickly shook his head, "A set costing one million gold coins is something we can't afford."

"There's another way."

Mao Shanwang stroked his chin. "Adding a layer of special nano-gel lining to the inner wall of the armor can absorb most of the shockwaves, which is enough to save lives."

How much will the renovation cost?

"Not cheap, 50,000 gold coins for a set."

Zhuang Fan did a mental calculation: assuming the team had twenty-four power armors, this one modification alone would cost an extra 1.2 million.

But this concerned the survival of the team, so he didn't hesitate: "This money must be spent."

Upon hearing this, Mao Shanwang patted his shoulder forcefully, a bit harder than usual.

"Just for your kindness, I'll give you a 20% discount on all the goods here from now on."

"Really?" Zhuang Fan was somewhat surprised.

"keep your word."

"Old Cat, you are my good brother, but Pipi is irreplaceable. I'm sorry."

"..."

The next day at noon, Chu Ningyan arrived at one of Hezi's strongholds and met Wuji himself.

Wu Ji had just finalized the rescue and deterrence plan and hadn't even had a chance to discuss it with his deputy when the target came out on his own.

“Ms. Grey Goose, you…” “Lord Black Chicken, I escaped last night. I need to speak with Minister Edward.” Chu Ningyan resumed her aloof demeanor.

The black chicken hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Then...of course, please come this way."

He already knew that Grey Goose was the undisputed intelligence chief and would be his direct superior in the future, so he naturally had to be the right person to act.

Soon, Chu Ningyan connected with Minister Edward's encrypted communication and briefly explained her thoughts.

"...If I were to take charge, in the future, Sharp Edge could become a sharp blade for the Nuclear Group here, handling some matters that are inconvenient for you to handle personally."

Edward listened patiently to Chu Ningyan's plan, but did not respond immediately, as if he was weighing something.

After a while, he casually asked, "Those people who came to rescue you... were they your friends?"

Chu Ningyan knew that Edward was testing her.

"That's it."

Her voice remained cold and clear. "With the help of the old cat and some ratmen, and the training of some people who will follow my orders, I can also help you."

"You mean Mao Shanwang?"

"Correct."

Edward smiled gently and said, "As far as I know, this second-tier supplier is not one to act without profit and is usually cautious. Yet he is willing to get involved in this messy situation."

"Because he...likes Pipi."

Chu Ningyan offered a pre-prepared reason, responding briefly: "Pipi is also my military doctor."

Edward didn't delve into the reason, speaking casually: "What surprises me more is that you also have dealings with some ratmen?"

"Mainly the Black Rat Clan."

Chu Ningyan frankly admitted: "The ratmen have been in a lot of internal turmoil lately and are having a hard time. They provide intelligence and manpower, and I provide food and clean water. It's a win-win situation."

Edward seemed thoughtful and accepted the explanation.

"How can I help you?"

"It's very simple."

Chu Ningyan met his gaze, “At the trial in four days, please have Wuji bring a team of nuclear soldiers. They don’t need to do anything; they can just stand there.”

Edward understood her intention.

He looked at the aloof face on the screen, a hint of barely perceptible regret in his voice.

"Grey Goose, I've always admired your abilities. It's a real pity I couldn't invite you to join Nuclear, but... there's no harm in cooperating in another way."

He paused, a barely perceptible glint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "I'm an old acquaintance of the former leader of the Fengmang Group. He was poisoned and fell into a coma, while the board of directors, full of parasites, was busy fighting for power and profit. They're rotten to the core. I hope someone will step forward and take over this mess."

Chu Ningyan's eyes lit up; this was exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Therefore, the nucleus is willing to cooperate with you."

Edward promised, "I will send Wuji with his men to establish your authority."

"Minister, thank you for your support." Chu Ningyan bowed slightly.

"But cooperation is mutual."

Edward tapped his finger lightly on the table. "If it works out, and you control the frontier, Nuclear will occupy three of the seven seats on the board."

Zhuang Fan had already anticipated this condition, and it was within Chu Ningyan's acceptable range.

“I accept.” She finally nodded.

"very good."

Edward showed a hint of satisfaction, which he quickly concealed, and emphasized again:
"But please note that this is a private matter for Wuji and will not be carried out under the banner of nuclear weapons. I have a lot of trouble to deal with recently and do not want to cause any unnecessary complications."

Sharp Edge is an S-class mercenary group and one of the flagship groups of the Flintlock Guild. The Nuclear Corporation doesn't want to offend them easily.

"Minister, I understand."

"That's good."

The communication ended, and the light curtain went out.

Chu Ningyan stood still, silently reviewing all the conversations that had just taken place, making sure there were no mistakes.

Edward is meticulous and far more difficult to deal with than a seasoned veteran like Qiu Shan; a slight misstep could lead to total defeat.

Every word she uttered and every impromptu question she answered was rehearsed by Zhuang Fan beforehand, which made Chu Ningyan deeply aware of Zhuang Fan's prowess.

The black-boned chicken stood quietly not far away, listening to everything.

Although Chu Ningyan did not accept the offer, she still held a high position in the minister's eyes.

“Your Excellency Wuji, I’ll discuss some details with you another day.”

"No problem, please take care."

The black-boned chicken made a show of seeing her off.

When Zhuang Fan saw Chu Ningyan return, he smiled and said, "Everything's settled?"

Chu Ningyan nodded, a hint of admiration in her eyes:
"It's basically going according to your plan; you even anticipated Edward's reaction."

"Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger."

Zhuang Fan didn't think it was a difficult task. "I have studied all of Edward's public information, including every document he signed, his subordinates' evaluations of him... and roughly outlined his code of conduct."

"And what kind of person is that Wuji?" Chu Ningyan asked curiously.

"You can think of him as... a male version of Pippi."

Zhuang Fan offered a fitting analogy: "He has a lot of workplace savvy, but lacks real strategy and courage. Compared to a crow, a chicken is far less capable."

"Hey! Why are you using me as an analogy!"

Pipi appeared at the doorway without anyone noticing, glaring angrily at Zhuang Fan, "I'm much smarter than that black chicken!"

"Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue." Zhuang Fan immediately shrugged.

Mao Shanwang staggered over, grinning broadly: "Black Chicken? Who gave you that nickname? It's so mean!"

Zhuang Fan brought the topic back to the main point: "Next, we will prepare for battle with all our might and strive to destroy Qiu Shan's stronghold in one fell swoop."

Everyone nodded.

Zhuang Fan and Mao Shanwang drove their truck to a handover point outside the city.

Security checks in Linhai City have returned to their usual laxity; the nuclear soldiers are nowhere to be seen, and only a few border guards are lazily checking vehicles.

With limited troops at its disposal, Wuji could no longer maintain the previous high-intensity blockade and could no longer stir up any trouble.

Old Cui, the owner of the landfill, had been waiting for a long time, with twelve heavy trucks loaded with waste behind him.

"Old Cat, same price as always, 15,000 a car, no cheating."

"Alright, I'll take a look."

Mao Shanwang jumped out of the truck, circled it, inspected the goods, and made clicking noises as if he were being picky.

In the end, he used sweet talk and a promise of "long-term cooperation" to lower the price by another 20%.

"Old Cat, is this how you treat an old friend?"

"Old Cui, please understand, I've already lowered the discount for others to 20%, so I need to minimize my losses."

"And what about my losses?"

"Old Cui, it's just some scrap metal. The lower the price, the better the business will be."

Old Cui cursed and swore, but he accepted it. These worthless pieces of trash were unwanted by anyone except Mao Shanwang.

After agreeing on the price, Mao Shanwang directed his men to transport twelve cartloads of scrap back to the stronghold.

Before leaving, Old Cui pulled Mao Shanwang aside, whispered something to him, and his expression turned serious.

Mao Shanwang listened attentively, his smile unchanged.

"Old Cui, it's nothing. I guess I sold some smuggled goods and caught the attention of those big companies. Don't worry, it's a small matter."

"Okay, I'm off."

After seeing Lao Cui off, Mao Shanwang returned to his car, his smile gradually fading, replaced by worry on his face.

Zhuang Fan looked at him: "What's going on?"

"Those bastards from Morisaka seem to be causing trouble again."

Mao Shanwang shook his head and sighed, "They sent some intelligence agents to inquire about my source of goods in the city, and they even went to find Old Cui."

"Is Old Cui alright?" Zhuang Fan's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't worry, Old Cui is very shrewd. He knew nothing when asked, and the Morisaka people didn't get anything out of him."

Zhuang Fan fell into deep thought.

The Mori-Saka Network gang is truly persistent; they leave one minute and then return the next.

He said slowly, "They may be wondering what methods we use to sell scrap, or what efficient way we've found to make money."

Mao Shanwang nodded; this was also what he was worried about.

The consequences would be unimaginable if Zhuang Fan's secret of being able to clear away the decaying fog were exposed.

Mao Shanwang said gravely, “We process large quantities of waste every day, which makes quite a commotion. Sooner or later, we’ll be targeted.”

"Yes, we should keep a low profile."

Zhuang Fan continued, "Let's have Lao Cui send six trucks tomorrow. That way, it won't attract attention, and we can spread the collection out so that each landfill owner can collect some."

"Hmm, let me think of another way."

All the goods were transported back to Mao Shanwang's stronghold.

Throughout the day, Zhuang Fan worked almost non-stop, clearing away the rotten fog from all twelve trucks.

Mao Shanwang was in charge of selling the scrap metal, which brought Zhuang Fan a profit of 500,000 gold coins.

In addition, Mao Shanwang also sold all the captured power armor at low prices.

This transaction essentially spent Qiu Shan's 1.5 million gold coins, but it also allowed him to buy back all eighteen rented power armor units.

"Buying it outright is much more convenient than renting, and I feel more at ease using it."

Mao Shanwang calculated for a moment, "Now you have twenty-four armored vehicles. That firepower is enough to take down some small strongholds."

Zhuang Fan shook his head: "It's far from enough. If we want to really hurt Qiu Shan, we need to severely damage his base. We need at least thirty power armors to be safe."

"Hey, you have to eat a steamed bun one bite at a time."

Zhuang Fan suddenly remembered something: "Old Cat, can power armor be used as collateral for a loan?"

"Sure, you can get 90% of the loan if you pledge something in kind, or 50% if you don't. What do you need it for?"

Zhuang Fan revealed his plan: "You mortgage twenty-four power armors to get 50% of the funds, and then install nano-linings on all of them."

Mao Shanwang did the math: "That means the loan is all gone, and there's not a single penny left."

"Okay, and then in these three days, we'll raise another million to continue buying heavy weaponry and big bombs, making sure we can blow Qiu Shan's base camp to smithereens."

"Wait a minute, you've spent all that money on big bombs, how are you going to pay off the loan?"

Mao Shan Wang Hou became frightened: "You said there was no physical collateral, but you still used my credit to get the loan. Don't run away and leave me with a mountain of debt."

"Don't worry."

Zhuang Fan pointed to the map: "Blow up Qiu Shan's old strongholds, and we'll have as much money as we want."

Mao Shanwang remained silent for a while, as if he were getting to know Zhuang Fan all over again: "...You are even more of a bandit than those bandits."

As evening approached, the eerie fog in the wilderness gradually thickened.

Just as Zhuang Fan and his companion were preparing to return to the safe house, Watson's urgent communication request came through.

"Boss!"

Watson's voice was visibly anxious: "A green tide has been detected two kilometers from the base! It's moving towards Linhai City!"

(End of this chapter)