Chapter 25: Ransom

Gui Ying stared fixedly at Lin Yue, the face hidden behind his tactical goggles, muscles twitching violently from anger and humiliation.

He lost.

He lost so thoroughly, so cleanly, so…… absurd.

He didn't even touch the opponent's hem before being easily subdued.

"We are the vanguard of the Third Prison Refuge in Hangcheng,"

Gui Ying squeezed out a few words from between his teeth,

"I advise you to release us immediately, or else you will become an enemy of the Third Prison Refuge in Hangcheng!"

Even now, he still tried to intimidate people with the refuge's name.

"Oh? An enemy of the refuge?"

Lin Yue heard that and laughed.

He laughed lightly and casually, as if he'd heard something amusing.

"You must be the captain of this bunch, right? I think you've gotten something wrong."

Lin Yue stood up, looked down at him with a hint of amusement in his eyes,

"Now I'm the one asking you questions, not you threatening me."

"Besides,"

He shifted his tone, his voice suddenly turning cold,

"What I hate most is when others threaten me."

He didn't say another word.

"Grr……"

Black Tortoise let out a low growl from his throat.

The next second, the earth-and-stone prison cage enclosing Gui Ying and his teammates began to contract inward at a slow but steady pace!

"Ugh…… ahhh!!!"

"Creak…… creak creak!!!"

Heart-rending screams and the sound of metal being forcibly crushed and deformed rang out simultaneously!

The "Phantom" exoskeleton armor on the Night Blade team members began to twist and deform, the alloy plates sinking deep into their flesh!

"Captain! I…… my leg! My leg is going to break! Ah——!"

The rookie let out a heart-rending wail, feeling clearly as his leg bone was being crushed bit by bit by the deforming armor.

"Stop…… stop quickly!"

Another team member also broke down, snot and tears streaming down his face,

Gui Ying gritted his teeth until they almost shattered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet he kept his mouth firmly shut.

He was the captain of Night Blade, the strongest warrior in the refuge, and he had his pride and dignity.

"Ah——!!"

With a most wretched scream, a teammate's exoskeleton chest plate shattered completely, the broken alloy shards viciously piercing his chest, blood instantly staining the earth and stone red.

This scene became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!!"

Seeing his teammate's miserable state before him, the rookie could no longer endure.

"Don't speak! Rookie, are you trying to betray the refuge?"

Gui Ying shouted sternly,

"Captain, do you really want our whole squad to be buried for someone's ambition? Even if you're willing, I'm not!"

Thereafter, ignoring Gui Ying's obstruction, the rookie looked toward Lin Yue and spoke:

"It was the decision of Deputy Chief Li Wei of the refuge! He ordered us to seize control of this giant beast!"

"Li Wei, that bastard!"

Hearing that name, Wang Gongtou beside him flared up, his beard and hair standing on end, eyes bloodshot.

"I knew it was him! Commander Zhang may look after the big picture, but he would never pull such a dirty sneak attack! Only Li Wei, that ambitious schemer, that bastard who'd do anything for power, would do something like this!"

He turned his head to look at Lin Yue, his face full of resentment and shame:

"Little Lin, sorry! I…… I never imagined that such people would be in charge of the refuge!"

"Old Wang, it's not your fault."

Lin Yue patted his shoulder, his expression still calm.

He felt no surprise at all; rather, he thought this was the norm of the apocalypse.

Where there are people, there is conflict, there is ambition.

He looked at Gui Ying, already half-unconscious, and the Night Blade teammates who had completely collapsed from excruciating pain and fear; he had already made his decision.

Kill them? That would be simple.

But that would mean totally breaking with the Third Prison Refuge, becoming mortal enemies.

Letting them go? Even less possible.

Lin Yue is no saint who repays hatred with virtue; if someone slaps him, he will unhesitatingly knock out their teeth.

"Black Tortoise, stop."

At his command, the earth-and-stone prison cage stopped contracting.

Those Night Blade team members each gasped heavily, looking at Lin Yue with eyes full of rage, yet mixed with a hint of fear.

Lin Yue walked up to Gui Ying, took a compact military satellite phone from his tactical waist belt.

He played with the cold metal lump in his hand, smiling at Gui Ying.

"Captain, your lives are worth a lot, aren't they?"

Gui Ying stared, not understanding what he meant.

Lin Yue ignored him, pressed the call button, and on the screen a number marked "Supreme Command Center" lit up.

The call connected quickly, and Zhang Zhen'guo's steady, imposing voice came from the other end.

"Gui Ying, how is the mission going?"

"It seems you are Commander Zhang, right?"

Lin Yue's voice sounded lazy,

"But I'm afraid to disappoint you—your 'Night Blade' special forces can't carry out your orders right now."

On the other end of the line, a deathly silence fell.

After more than ten seconds, Zhang Zhen'guo's voice sounded again:

"Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter."

Lin Yue chuckled,

"What matters is that your 'Night Blade' special forces are now in my hands. I also don't want to turn hostile with your shelter, so I'm giving you a chance."

"A... chance to redeem them."

"You're dreaming!"

Zhang Zhen'guo roared.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Lin Yue's tone suddenly turned cold,

"Black Tortoise."

"Ugh—ahhh!!!"

Over the phone, the fresh round of agonized screams from the Night Blade members came through clearly.

"Stop!!!"

Zhang Zhen'guo could no longer contain himself, bellowing angrily,

"What exactly do you want?!"

"It's simple."

Lin Yue once again made Black Tortoise stop, his tone easing back into lightness,

"Let's make a deal. Your people, in my view, are still quite valuable."

"One person for fifty grade‑one Energy Crystals, or five grade‑two Energy Crystals. No deception."

"You... you're extorting! Blackmail!"

Inside the Command Center, Li Wei snatched the phone and shouted hoarsely,

"I tell you, the shelter will never compromise with any terrorists!"

"Oh? So you're the Deputy Shelter Chief."

Lin Yue's smile turned teasing,

"Since you say that, I'll have to start executing hostages. Let's begin with the one called 'Rookie'—his bones seem the softest."

"No!!!"

Zhang Zhen'guo snatched the phone back, almost gritting his teeth as he said,

"Fifty grade‑one crystal cores are too much! The shelter's total stockpile added together is less than half that amount!"

"That's your problem, not mine."

Lin Yue remained unmoved.

"...... At most! At most five grade‑one crystal cores per person!"

Zhang Zhen'guo offered the limit he could bear.

"Five? Commander Zhang, are you sending off a beggar?"

Lin Yue snorted,

"Your elite squad's gear alone is worth more than that per person. I see it this way—I won't make things hard for you."

"Flat rate: ten grade‑one crystal cores per person, or one grade‑two crystal core. That's my utmost sincerity."

On the other end of the line, another long silence ensued.

Lin Yue could imagine how grim the faces of Zhang Zhen'guo and those shelter higher‑ups must be right now.

"Fine…… I agree!" In the end, Zhang Zhen'guo yielded.

"Good, pleasant cooperation."

Lin Yue smiled satisfied,

"Send the crystal cores to the C‑7 zone coordinates (XXX, XXX). I'm giving you only one day. Remember, don't play tricks, or I won't mind making you rebuild a 'Night Blade' squad."

Having said that, he hung up the phone cleanly and decisively.

Inside the Command Center, the atmosphere grew oppressive to the extreme.

"Too bullying! Too bullying!"

Li Wei's face turned livid with rage as he slammed a fist onto the command console,

"Commander! We can't just let this go! This is utter humiliation!"

Zhang Zhen'guo ignored him, merely waving a weary hand and ordering his deputy adjutant:

"Go prepare the crystal cores."

"Commander!"

Li Wei still wanted to say something.

"Enough!"

Zhang Zhen'guo snapped his head back, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at him, his voice filled with a cold killing intent,

"Li Wei! This operation was your idea! Now that something went wrong, this responsibility, you must bear it!"

Li Wei stepped back one step, frightened by the killing intent in his eyes, his lips moved but he couldn't utter a word.

He knew, if he really pushed Zhang Zhen'guo to the edge, he would definitely have no good outcome.

But he was unwilling!

Looking at the giant beast on the screen, a flash of mad resentment passed through Li Wei's eyes.

"I will definitely not just let this go..."

He quietly slipped out of the Command Center, madness flickering in his eyes.

"If conventional methods won't work, then don't blame me… I'll use unconventional methods."

He hurried toward the weapons research department of the shelter,

"Since it cannot be used by me, then let it die!"