Chapter 1526: Fire Phoenix Breaks with Qu Fangzhou

Deep within the Evolution Forest, in an underground chamber, Inferno Squad's commander Fire Phoenix sat leaning against a stone chair covered with a tiger skin, quietly listening as deputy commander Qu Fangzhou reported recent intelligence.

"... We've been unable to contact Liao Wendong and Huo Lin's squad for two hours, and have received no reports of unusual activity from the northern Xiong Qun. It's reasonable to infer that Liao Wendong and Huo Lin's squad have been captured by Yang Jin."

After a five-second pause, still hearing no response from Fire Phoenix, Qu Fangzhou proactively asked, "Commander, should we cut off the intelligence ports connected to Liao Wendong?"

Fire Phoenix gave a cold laugh and asked in return, "How many of the ports connected to him still have any usable value?"

All the ones with usable value had been pulled into the explosion incident by Liao Wendong; the personnel involved were either arrested or had gone into hiding, and what remained were just small fry.

"Yes, we won't process the intelligence ports." Qu Fangzhou continued his report. "The national leadership has activated the highest-level emergency response for the series of bombings and set up a special investigation leadership group. The group's roster has been sent to your phone."

Fire Phoenix acknowledged, hung up, checked the roster, then switched to another phone to continue contacting Qu Fangzhou.

After the call connected, Qu Fangzhou continued his report: "Because many people from the Chonglian Group have been implicated in the series of bombings, the base has demanded that Chonglian Group's senior leadership cooperate with the investigation. This morning, investigators searched three of the Yu family's villas and found no contraband. Yu Dongming had a fierce argument with his daughter Yu Wenfei. Yu Wenfei left the main residence in a huff and moved into her private villa. The Doomsday Church at Hui-8 Base is attributing the explosions to divine punishment and using the opportunity to expand the church..."

After reporting all the intelligence, Qu Fangzhou waited for the commander to issue orders.

Fire Phoenix asked, "Any news on Shi Jiaran?"

Qu Fangzhou reported, "We haven't obtained any intelligence related to Shi Jiaran. On December 23rd, the day of the explosion, Ye Yang and Ye Shiyi boarded Xia Qing's private plane and entered the inner city of the Hui-3 Safe Zone. Our people on the scene obtained a blood sample from Ye Shiyi. DNA testing once again confirmed she is a descendant of Lan-5 Base commoner Ye Yuliang, and no recovery factor is present in her blood."

Fire Phoenix frowned. "How was the blood sample obtained?"

Qu Fangzhou answered, "During the chaos, a scuffle caused Ye Shiyi's nose to bleed. Ye Yang threw the blood-stained paper into a trash can. Our people recovered the blood within three minutes and conducted the test. Clear surveillance footage from the administrative hall in the inner city of the Hui-3 Safe Zone is available for verification, and the possibility of fabrication has been ruled out."

Hearing that there was direct surveillance, Fire Phoenix's brow did not relax but furrowed even more tightly. Even though the blood relation between Ye Shiyi and Shi Jiaran had been denied, Fire Phoenix still believed, based on intuition, that this child who had appeared in the northern Sector One was connected to Shi Jiaran.

After a few seconds of silence on the call, Qu Fangzhou spoke to analyze Ye Yuliang's motivations for Fire Phoenix: "Because Ye Yang lost his fertility due to injury, even if he discovered Ye Shiyi is not his biological niece, he would continue to raise her out of consideration for Ye Yuliang being a fellow townsman and old acquaintance. Adopting an unrelated orphan not only brings base subsidies and raises one's base contribution score, but also serves as a form of spiritual support for the adoptive parent who has lost family. Within the territory of Hui-3's northern Sector One, this is not an isolated phenomenon, because the survivors there have had their physiological and safety needs met and have begun to consider higher-level needs. Among the 123 minors in the Ninth Planting Center led by Xia Qing, one-third moved in with adoptive parents who have no blood relation to them."

Fire Phoenix gave a cold laugh. "Are you trying to persuade me to give up investigating Ye Shiyi?"

In a chamber in the outer city of Hui-5 Base, Qu Fangzhou, seated behind his desk, answered calmly, "If you feel it's necessary, we will continue the investigation."

Fire Phoenix ordered, "No need to investigate further. Spread the word outside that Ye Shiyi is the experimental subject Shi Jiaran was carrying when she escaped back then. Force Shi Jiaran to show herself, then capture her."

Qu Fangzhou reminded her, "Commander, laying out a plan to capture Shi Jiaran can only draw on the personnel assigned to finding uncontaminated water sources and herbs, and the capture success rate is below one percent. This falls under an unreasonable decision."

Finding uncontaminated water sources and detoxifying herbs was Inferno's top priority.

Fire Phoenix hung up, switched phones, and contacted Qu Fangzhou again, going straight to the point: "How did Fu Shusong die?"

Fu Shusong, deputy director of Inferno's Intelligence and Analysis Department, was Fire Phoenix's confidant and the mole Fire Phoenix had planted beside Qu Fangzhou. After confirming Qu Fangzhou's disloyalty, Fire Phoenix had ordered Fu Shusong to kill Qu Fangzhou and take her place.

Not long after that, Fu Shusong lost contact.

Qu Fangzhou was silent, offering no response.

Fire Phoenix rolled over to lean back against the backrest of the tiger-skin chair and crossed her legs. "The day before yesterday, the sniper who ambushed Xia Qing outside the Hui-3 Research Institute—that was arranged by you, wasn't it? The reason you did it was to completely cut off my possibility of seeking help from Professor Fu Tianfeng?"

Qu Fangzhou remained silent.

Fire Phoenix gave a cold laugh and spoke again: "Liao Wendong's hiding place was the one you exposed to Yang Jin. The purpose was to let Yang Jin kill Liao Wendong and Huo Lin's squad, further weakening Inferno's combat strength and forcing me into a corner. Right now, the people beside you using equipment to track my location number four, don't they? Shall I read out their names?"

Hearing the commander say this, the four Inferno intelligence personnel raised their heads simultaneously and looked at Qu Fangzhou. Fear of Fire Phoenix was deeply branded into the heart of every Inferno squad member; even though they clearly knew Fire Phoenix was not nearby, they still involuntarily felt an intense sense of dread.

Qu Fangzhou gestured for them to continue and calmly denied it: "Liao Wendong's hiding place was not revealed by me."

Fire Phoenix laughed aloud. "Dare to do it but not dare to own up? Afraid those four idiots beside you will grow distant from you because you schemed against a partner of many years? Don't worry—until they find a reliable new backer, they won't dare."

The four technicians in the chamber, heads lowered, had every hair on their bodies standing on end, wishing they could cut off the communication immediately.

Qu Fangzhou answered calmly, "Since I joined Inferno Squad in the sixth year of the Cataclysm, I have never done a single thing that went against Inferno Squad's interests."

Fire Phoenix scoffed coldly. "And now? What do you think is best for Inferno? Hand me over to the Blue Blood Alliance and keep Inferno Squad's combat strength intact for you to command?"

Qu Fangzhou answered, "Analyzing the current situation, cooperating with the Blue Blood Alliance is Inferno's best option. You are the hope of the new humans; Blue Blood will not harm you."

Fire Phoenix's fingers gripped the tiger skin tightly as she controlled the tone of her voice. "Treating me as a blood bank, locking me up and raising me like livestock—in your eyes that's not harm?"

Qu Fangzhou answered, "Blue Blood will not restrict your freedom. Inferno squad members, myself included, will still be under your command."

"Heh..." Fire Phoenix laughed. "Besides breaking Inferno apart and penning me up as a blood bank, the purpose Blue Blood sent you to join Inferno was also to track down Experimental Subject B-3's whereabouts and obtain the data lost from the underground experiments back then, wasn't it?"

"Blue Blood hopes Inferno will grow stronger, and hopes you can protect your own safety. Inferno's decline was caused by the arrogance and failed decisions of you and Shan Ying." Qu Fangzhou's voice remained calm. "If you can provide B-3's whereabouts and the data that was destroyed back then, you will become a first-tier member of the Blue Blood Alliance, enjoying more autonomy than you had during Inferno's heyday."

Fire Phoenix resisted the urge to smash her phone, gave a cold laugh, and hung up.

Qu Fangzhou looked at the intelligence personnel on both his left and right, and the four immediately reported:

"Commander is connected directly via satellite communication; the phone uses encryption that we cannot crack at the moment."

"Based on the call's echo, the commander is located in a quiet, spacious cave with no environmental noise—should be an underground cave."

"Based on the commander's voice, her physical condition has improved. It's reasonable to infer that after reducing the toxin injection volume, the recovery factor is repairing the damage to her body. We cannot determine from vocal changes whether the commander knows B-3's whereabouts."

"The commander not using video call mode may be precisely to prevent us from discovering through video that the toxins in her surface skin and blood vessels are fading."

Qu Fangzhou nodded. "Compile it into a written report and send it to me."

"Yes!"