Chapter 459: Calculations
Yu Mengchu rolled her eyes again. “Hurry up and name a compensation amount. Let’s settle this quickly—we’ve got business to run.”
“Captain Ling, why don’t you just propose compensation? Since you were so sure and asked me to mediate, I’m guessing you have evidence?”
Zhao Qiang also didn’t want to offend the Half Moon Bay crew. Even if he felt the amount was excessive, he still had to weigh Yue Qiwen’s words.
“And if it turns out Base Leader Lu is guilty, how will you compensate us?” Ling Chaoyang asked.
No one in the front row responded. Some people started to feel uneasy—though it seemed unlikely, Ling Chaoyang’s confidence planted seeds of doubt.
“What compensation are you asking for?” Zhuang Mingxu asked.
The group behind Ling Chaoyang scanned the display tables greedily, their eyes flitting between pieces of equipment. If just a glance could sweep things into their space pouches, the tables would have been empty by now.
“Also crystal cores. Same amount,” Ling Chaoyang said firmly.
“Fine,” Zhuang Mingxu said with a cold expression and a mocking smile. “One million crystal cores.”
“Whoa…”
“That’s way too much!”
“Who could afford that? Even one million basic crystal cores means one million zombies. Our whole base probably hasn’t even cleared that many. He just threw that number out there.”
“Well, they can probably afford it. Didn’t you see them counting crystal cores all afternoon without pause? Plus, I heard the purified crystal core exchange program is already making them filthy rich.”
“I’m not so sure about Jiaoyang’s side—how could a small squad have so many crystal cores?”
…
Amid the noisy chatter, Ling Jiaoyang couldn’t say a single word, while Zhuang Mingxu showed no intention of letting things go.
“What’s wrong? Can’t pay up, Captain Ling?”
“If you don’t have the money, you can always offer something else in exchange,” Zhuang Mingxu said with a seemingly friendly smile.
“What do you want?” Ling Jiaoyang asked.
Zhuang Mingxu’s gaze swept over the people standing beside him. Although intangible, the chill in his demeanor made others feel as if something dangerous was eyeing them. And yet, he was clearly just an ordinary person without any abilities.
Zhuang Mingxu chuckled lightly, “How about the crystal cores inside your people? The powers-user crystal cores can be used to offset the compensation for the million zombie cores.”
The people nearby immediately started whispering to those next to them—not loudly, but with no attempt to hide it. Zhuang Mingxu, however, just casually added,
“Otherwise, you can pay with your lives.”
The chatter instantly died down. Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Before Ling Jiaoyang could respond, someone standing behind him said,
“We’re dropping the matter. We made a mistake earlier. We’re not going to pursue who did it anymore. Captain, let’s go…”
He reached out to pull Ling Jiaoyang, trying to lead the group away. But Ling Jiaoyang didn’t seem willing to let things go just like that. If one didn’t know better, given how stubborn he was being, they might’ve thought it was his own wife who had been wronged.
Now it was the people from the Only Squad who were being unrelenting.
“Stop right there,” Xu Sa snapped coldly. “Did anyone say you could leave?”
“We’re already letting it go—what more do you want?”
“Just because you’re letting it go doesn’t mean we are. We need to get to the bottom of this. No one’s going to smear our base’s name and walk away.”
“Everyone here has witnessed it—this way no one can claim that our Half Moon Bay Base is bullying others just because we’re strong.”
“If you can’t pay, then you pay with your life. I’ll take that as your agreement,” Zhuang Mingxu said on their behalf, then turned to the seemingly indifferent Lu Weiyi.
“Xiao Yi, go ahead and cooperate with Chief Zhao’s questioning.”
“Okay,” Lu Weiyi finished counting a final pouch of crystal cores, tucked it into his storage, and looked at Zhao Qiang.
“What do you want to ask?”
“About forty minutes ago, did you go to the restroom on the first floor of the venue?”
Lu Weiyi nodded. The surrounding crowd immediately stirred.
“Did you see anyone there?”
“Yes.”
Zhuang Mingxu subconsciously tightened his grip on Lu Weiyi’s hand, then loosened it casually when Lu Weiyi looked over, as if nothing had happened.
“What happened then?”
“Three men. One was unconscious.” Lu Weiyi described the scene.
“And after that?”
“I left. I don’t know what happened.”
“You left? You didn’t help the guy?” someone asked from the side.
Lu Weiyi looked at him, confused. “I didn’t even know him.”
“But you saw him this morning. Lots of people saw that.”
“That base leader or some squad officer, right? If not, why would our base leader remember him?”
Arguments broke out all over again, and the scene turned chaotic.
“You need to provide evidence,” Zhuang Mingxu said bluntly to Ling Jiaoyang. “Accusing someone of a crime requires proof—witnesses and physical evidence. Show us.”
“The victim himself made the accusation,” Ling Jiaoyang turned to Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang paused, then nodded. “Yes, he did. He’s currently being held by the security team. He was unconscious before I came. Once he wakes up, we can bring him in to speak for himself.”
Zhuang Mingxu, though furious inside, kept his temper in check.
“Let our healing-type personnel check on him—see if we can speed up his recovery.”
“Alright,” Zhao Qiang agreed immediately. Without waiting for Ling Jiaoyang’s group to respond, he pointed at someone,
“You go too. One from each side—to avoid any claims of bias.”
With both sides giving clear responses, Zhuang Mingxu instructed Li Zhuang to take Xu Yi to handle it and saw off Ling Jiaoyang and Zhao Qiang’s group.
Once they left, the expo resumed. Many of the products on display had already sold out. With the scarcity tactics at play, factions were scrambling for goods, as if nothing had happened moments ago.
Even though Zhuang Mingxu had remained firm from the beginning, Lu Weiyi wasn’t the best at explaining himself. Worried that a communication gap between the two would cause friction, Xu Sa took the initiative to speak up for Lu Weiyi.
“Brother Mingxu, you know Lu Xiaoyi isn’t that kind of person.”
“Of course I know,” Zhuang Mingxu replied, aware of how cold Lu Weiyi was inside. He had spent years warming up that frozen heart—something like this wouldn’t come from him.
“But we still have to guard against people trying to set us up.” After saying that, Zhuang Mingxu had Xu Sa go welcome guests, then walked over to the guy who had been counting crystal cores while yawning, asking him to recount everything in detail.
The two of them murmured softly, looking completely unaffected by what had happened, which amazed some onlookers at the level of trust between them.
“They’re childhood friends, grew up together. What’s so strange about that?” Xu Sa explained to those who didn’t know better.
“Lu Base Leader was often sick as a child. Zhuang Base Leader basically raised him like a son. After the apocalypse, Zhuang got injured, and Lu carried him all the way from Qingyuan City to the capital for treatment. Their bond came from surviving life-and-death together. Anyone scheming against them is really barking up the wrong tree.”
“I’ve heard rumors before, but I thought they were made up. With that many zombies and crossing half the country…? It’s true?”
“Of course. Everyone in Squad One came through that journey together.”
“No wonder your group is so close-knit.”
“After surviving so many near-death experiences together, that kind of bond really is different.”
Everyone chatted casually as they efficiently cleared out the remaining stock.
—
Although Zhuang Mingxu didn’t personally go to the police station to follow up, he still sent plenty of people to gather information about what had happened.
Based on what Lu Weiyi said, he believed the key lay with the victim himself.
Not long after, Xu Yi returned in the evening with news about the victim. The external injuries on the victim had already been treated; currently, only some residual drugs remained in his system that hadn’t been expelled yet.
“However, while I was treating him, he secretly asked me to pass on a message—he wants you to visit him when you have time, preferably without alerting anyone,” Xu Yi said. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “I think something’s fishy. He seems to be wary of someone.”
“It’s basically written all over his face that there’s a conspiracy,” was Xu Yi’s final comment.
Zhuang Mingxu nodded to show he understood. He didn’t say whether he’d go or not, and instead turned his gaze toward Lin Mo, who had been sent out to gather information.
“The victim’s name is Xing Lu. Before the apocalypse, he was an actor—a regular person. He came here with Ling Shengge as her boyfriend. He had only one interaction with the squad leader this morning.”
“I asked around among the other squads from the Changhong Base. Unlike the other men Ling Shengge has allegedly coerced and dragged over, this guy came willingly. Compared to the other ones, who were basically just called ‘boy toys,’ he’s actually acknowledged as her boyfriend.”
“According to information from the police, he was out shopping near the venue with Ling Shengge. He went to the restroom midway, where he ran into the squad leader, who was also using the restroom. He was then drugged, and after that…”
Lin Mo didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough.
“Did no one mention the other two men who were there?” Zhuang Mingxu asked.
Lin Mo shook his head. “He said only he and the squad leader were present. After hearing the squad leader’s account, Officer Zhao has been investigating the surrounding area, trying to see if he can track down the other two men. So far, nothing’s come up.”
Zhuang Mingxu rubbed the teacup in his hand. The heat quickly turned his fingertips red.
“I also heard some… secrets about the Jiaoyang Squad—not sure if they’re true,” Lin Mo suddenly added, sounding mysterious.
Everyone looked at him, signaling him to continue.
“It’s said that Ling Shengge was the first to awaken powers and formed the squad herself. At first, she called all the shots. She worked extremely hard to gain a foothold in the base. By the time the squad finally earned some status, nearly all the original powered members who had followed her were dead. Then, conveniently, Ling Jiaoyang awakened his powers and quickly took control of the squad.”
“So the siblings don’t get along?” Xu Sa asked.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Song Xian replied. “On my second day here, I saw Ling Jiaoyang out shopping with Ling Shengge. He was carrying a ton of bags—looked just like a doting boyfriend.”
“Remember that couple everyone on the street was admiring, saying how lucky Ling Shengge was to have such a caring boyfriend?” Song Xian looked at Chen Xing.
Chen Xing nodded to confirm.
“That… doesn’t really add up.”
“Have Uncle send a few psychic-type ability users to keep an eye on every member of Jiaoyang Squad. If this was all premeditated, we’ll eventually find clues about those two men,” Zhuang Mingxu concluded.
