Chapter 142: Heading West

Chapter 142: Heading West

Lin Lingling slammed the documents on the table in frustration: "That Luo Chenhui is here again? Doesn’t he get the message? I politely told him I’m not planning to marry anytime soon, yet he keeps pestering. Didn’t he say he was going back to Zhongzhou for the New Year?"

Pan Jiuhong said, "Actually, a third-tier lightning psychic abilities is indeed in high demand, and Luo Chenhui seems quite sincere. He’s very humble around us, clearly from a wealthy background. Why did you outright reject him, City Lord?"

A look of disgust crossed Lin Lingling's face: "When others are around, he’s all sweet and considerate, but as soon as they’re gone, his arrogance and disdain come out. He thinks I don’t notice. He looks down on me but still pursues me, obviously with ulterior motives. He’d definitely ditch me after he’s done using me. I’ve been a tour guide for years; I’ve seen all kinds of people."

She said, "Let’s go see what show he’s putting on this New Year."

Lin Lingling walked out to the living room of the City Lord’s mansion. Luo Chenhui stood up, his face full of humility and a smile: "City Lord Lin, I came today with some matters and brought a friend to introduce to you."

He introduced the gloomy-looking man sitting beside him: "This is Ye Shiqing. You know General Ye Yuqing, the Deputy Commander of the Alliance and the East Base? This Mr. Ye is Ye Yuqing’s cousin, quite accomplished in psychic abilities research."

Hearing about the East Base and Ye Yuqing, Lin Lingling’s expression softened: "So it’s Mr. Ye. Welcome to Hailong City."

She stepped forward to shake hands, but Ye Shiqing looked impatient. He barely touched her hand before pulling back, as if it were something dirty.

Luo Chenhui smiled and explained for him: "Shiqing is a researcher, prefers solitude, not much for socializing. We came today for a matter and would like to ask for City Lord Lin’s help."

Lin Lingling, ever the diplomat, kept her smile: "Please go ahead, Mr. Luo."

Luo Chenhui said, "It’s like this. My friend here has been researching crystal core energy. Recently, he mentioned wanting dual-element and wood crystal cores, and I’ve been collecting some for him."

"At year-end, I was appointed Deputy Governor of Zhucheng Base and will take up the position after the New Year. During the New Year, my brothers in Zhucheng told me about a powerful King-level mutated vine in Hailong City. Moreover, they discovered a mutated electric vine, the first of its kind with lightning attributes. Besides, the mutated bird of paradise not only has lightning psychic abilities but also coexists with a group of lightning butterflies, which is extremely rare."

Lin Lingling’s eyes flickered slightly, still smiling: "Now that you mention it, I remember someone posted a task about spotting lightning butterflies."

Luo Chenhui nodded with a smile: "Exactly. My friend is very meticulous and found the location directly. He even marked the area and notified me to come and collect it. I asked my friend if he still wanted the wood crystal core. He was very interested, thinking that the bird of paradise vine might have undergone a secondary mutation after being struck by lightning. The vine is still alive and has symbiotic creatures, likely a dual-element lightning and wood type, which is of great research value."

"So, we didn’t dare delay and brought people here by helicopter."

"But to our shock, it was stolen."

Lin Lingling: "Stolen?" Her eyes flickered: "Mutated plants in the wild are unclaimed. Whoever is capable can take them. It’s not really stealing, is it?"

Luo Chenhui said, "City Lord Lin, you’re too generous. These people specifically target others to steal. You know I’m a lightning psychic; capturing this electric vine and lightning butterflies would be no trouble for me. I brought people with me, intending to wait for my friend to arrive before collecting them. But in that short window, someone took advantage and stole them."

Lin Lingling: "Oh? Did you see who took them? Were they also lightning psychics?"

Luo Chenhui: "Exactly. Two people with a mutated dog, which is fire psychic. The leader was a lightning psychic man, and the other was likely a wood psychic, as he used a vine cage to trap the lightning butterflies. The cage was very intricate, probably woven from vines controlled by wood abilities."

Lin Lingling felt a hint of worry: "Oh, why didn’t you stop them?"

Luo Chenhui’s face showed a bit of embarrassment: "The opponent was likely a fourth-tier or higher lightning psychic. One lightning strike stunned us. At the time, we were concerned about the mutated bird of paradise and didn’t think much of it."

"After they left, we discovered that the mutated bird of paradise left behind was grown from a seed using growth spells and didn’t have lightning attributes. Moreover, the crystal core was very small, clearly from a newly grown seedling, completely useless. The other side was crafty. They must have taken the dual-element lightning and wood mutated bird of paradise and used its seed to grow a new one on the spot to deceive us."

Luo Chenhui’s face showed anger.

Lin Lingling couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude but kept her expression neutral, smiling: "So, Mr. Luo, what’s your plan?"

Luo Chenhui said, "These two have a clear target. They have a fire psychic mutated dog and a cage of lightning butterflies. The nearest base is Hailong City, so they’ll likely come here to auction them off. Moreover, we asked around in the city’s shops, and they all said they saw these two with a dog yesterday."

Lin Lingling smiled and asked: "So, do you have their photos or videos?"

Luo Chenhui looked annoyed: "After checking, we found that all our electronic cameras were destroyed by lightning, so we didn’t capture their images. But these two have a dog, so they’re easy to spot. We’ve heard they went to clear the mutated demon vine in the industrial park last night. People nearby heard thunder in the middle of the night, and the entire King-level mutated vine was dug up."

Lin Lingling said, "Our city is tiny. If you haven’t found them, they’re probably not staying in the city? Could they be in Zhucheng, or maybe even from the Tianfu Base?"

Luo Chenhui said, "To be frank, City Lord Lin, I’ve already informed both places and stationed people at the city gates. Here in Hailong City, Brother Ye and I have also brought some personnel to keep watch. It’s a facade of calm with tight security, ensuring that once they enter the city, there’s no way out."

City Lord Lin now understood that the other party had already deployed people but, considering her status as a fourth-tier powerhouse, came to inform her first. These two, being from privileged families, were accustomed to having their way, and having suffered a loss, they couldn’t swallow their pride and were determined to retaliate with force.

She inwardly sneered but recognized the other party's strength. Outwardly, she would comply, but in secret, she’d assist the two men. She smiled warmly, "So that’s the reason. Since Luo Shao has spoken, we’ll naturally cooperate fully. I’ll have the city’s psychic guards investigate and strengthen the registration at the city gates."

Seeing her quick agreement, Luo Chenhui also smiled, "Thank you, City Lord Lin. Once we retrieve those lightning butterflies, we’ll definitely send you a pair." He smiled charmingly, thinking himself suave, "That cage of mutated lightning butterflies has broad wings with dazzling, incredibly beautiful colors."

City Lord Lin saw they were already treating the spoils as theirs, hell-bent on claiming them, and sneered inwardly, "Then I’ll look forward to the good news."

Luo Chenhui took out a beautifully crafted box and placed it on the table, "Of course, we won’t let City Lord Lin work for nothing. This is a new psychic-enhancing potion developed by my brother Ye. After injection, it temporarily boosts psychic levels, sometimes even enabling one to fight above their tier. Here are two doses as a token of our gratitude for your help."

City Lord Lin opened the box and saw two injection vials, smiling, "Thank you, Luo Shao, Ye Shao."

Luo Chenhui glanced at Ye Shiqing, who sat nearby, visibly impatient. He knew this man had a volatile temper and was capable of anything when angered, so he was wary of provoking him. Therefore, he didn’t dare to linger any longer to flirt with the woman, just smiled and stood up, "Then we’ll leave you to your duties, City Lord. We’ll take our leave now. If there’s any disturbance in the city, please forgive us."

After leaving the City Lord’s residence, Luo Chenhui saw Ye Shiqing still looking sullen and asked with a smile, "Now we just need to wait to spring the trap. With City Lord Lin’s help, it shouldn’t be a problem. Once we secure that dual-element crystal core, your father should calm down."

Ye Shiqing sneered and remained silent. Luo Chenhui, seeing his expression, tentatively asked, "I heard your cousin is still not well? I heard recently it’s been your father attending meetings and negotiations."

Ye Shiqing sneered, "Just an ordinary doctor, destined to age, fall ill, and die. How can they compare to us psychics?"

Luo Chenhui smiled, "That’s true. Power will eventually end up in the hands of psychics like us. But now we’re still young and inexperienced, so we have to use them as stepping stones. Your Ye family only has you as a psychic, so the Lin Dong base will eventually be yours."

Ye Shiqing mocked him, "You’re already third-tier, with the most coveted lightning psychic abilities. Can you get involved in the San Chu base?"

Luo Chenhui rubbed his nose, "My uncle’s situation is different from yours. He’s hot-tempered, rebelled early, and left home. After the apocalypse, he awakened high-tier psychic abilities, took control of the entire San Chu base, has troops and resources, and is quite formidable. The old men at home are even considering swallowing their pride to win him back."

Ye Shiqing said, "These old folks only see us psychics as their workhorses, never considering sharing a bit of their power."

Luo Chenhui said, "We’ll gradually build our seniority. My father told me to spend a few years building my experience here in Zhu City. Our family has resources in both military and political circles. If I marry City Lord Lin and have a psychic child, the family will back me for sure."

Ye Shiqing said, "The southwest region is under Guan Yuanfeng’s command, and he’s not someone to be trifled with. You saw how Ye Yuqing, for all his arrogance, was driven back to Lin Dong like a stray dog when he crossed paths with him."

Luo Chenhui saw the glee on Ye Shiqing’s face, knowing he harbored deep jealousy towards Ye Yuqing. But he also knew Ye Shiqing had low emotional intelligence. Although he was a psychic, he lacked Ye Yuqing’s political and military capabilities, so the Ye family patriarch naturally didn’t dare to give him power.

Although he understood this, he still smiled on the surface, "Now the military alliance in Zhongzhou is also in decline. Real power lies with the bases that control military forces, troops, resources, and territory. They say your cousin is smart, perhaps he deliberately took this opportunity to retreat. Guan Yuanfeng is not unreasonable; my family has advised me to try to befriend him."

When the time isn’t ripe, one must endure humiliation, befriend all sides, and gather all available resources. He was now stooping to please this woman, all for the sake of the future. Ye Shiqing just couldn’t see this, unwilling to endure any hardship, making it hard for him to achieve greatness.

Ye Shiqing sneered, saying nothing, but in his heart, he wondered where Ye Yuqing was now, struggling in some ditch, perhaps already dead and buried.

Luo Chenhui asked him, "Once this matter is settled, what are your plans? Do you want to stay in Zhu City for a few more days?"

Ye Shiqing shook his head, "Why go back and face the old men’s displeasure? It’s annoying. I heard there’s a fire psychic beast appeared near the Xuanwu volcano in the northwest, so I plan to go check it out."

Luo Chenhui asked, "Fire psychic? Aren’t you a metal manipulator?"

Ye Shiqing impatiently said, "You don’t understand. The higher the tier of mutated animals and plants, the greater the possibility of multiple psychic abilities. Fire psychic often coexists with metal manipulator in crystal cores. Such high-tier beasts are hard to approach; people only see them spitting fire and think they’re just fire psychic. Even if not, if killed, the energy contained in such a king-tier crystal core is astonishing and can be considered for taming or some animal experiments... the materials from their bodies can also be sold at high prices."

Luo Chenhui laughed, "So that’s why, when I mentioned that lightning-struck vine, you said it might be a dual-element crystal core."

Ye Shiqing said, "Dual-element crystal cores are rare. If we can study their formation principles or... use other means to nurture and cultivate them, they can be very useful."

Luo Chenhui didn’t press further, knowing Ye Shiqing was skilled in research. Now, rumors were spreading in the alliance that the Ye family patriarch seemed to have artificially awakened psychic abilities. Although unconfirmed, it was likely the work of his brother. That’s why his family advised him to befriend him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to find those two who took the lightning butterflies.

City Lord Lin didn’t keep them long, just saw them out, then immediately called for Pan Jiuhong to ask, "Did you get that Brother Guan’s contact information that day?"

Pan Jiuhong said, "I was just about to report to the City Lord. We have received a designated mission for the Sihai team on Hailong City’s mission website. The mission is to escort items to Guixu City, and the mission acceptance location is 'The Place of Stewed Fish Cake Soup.'"

Lin Lingling: "..."

Pan Jiuhong said, "Captain Lu has already taken people to the location. He just called to say that they have received the goods. Would you... like to go and see?"

Lin Lingling said, "Let's go and see."

In the staff dormitory behind the gas station at the highway exit outside the city, a large and fresh green vine with red flowers contained bright blue lightning butterflies dancing gracefully, their large, soft wings gently swaying, surrounded by electric light.

Lin Lingling murmured, "Truly beautiful... But where are the people?"

Lu Siyuan said, "After delivering the goods, they briefly explained how to feed these butterflies, gave a bottle of mutated honey, a box of shadow ants, a green vine, and instructions on how to complete the task, then left."

Lin Lingling: "Where did they go?"

Lu Siyuan said, "They headed west."

On the road heading west, the mountains were vast, the road straight, and the wind whipped against their faces, carrying the scent of distant forests and grass. Zhou Yun and Comet stood at the car's sunroof, basking in the wild wind for a moment before sitting back inside: "Where is the next stop?"

Guan Yuanfeng, wearing sunglasses, smirked: "It’s your call."