Chapter 84: Turbulent Winds and Clouds

When Chen Bo brought the fully loaded convoy back to the Heavenly God Group,

Qian Wanjin had already been waiting below; his fat face at that moment smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

He didn't even light his favorite cigar, and impatiently had someone open the cargo container of one of the heavy trucks.

Whoosh—

Accompanied by a crisp sound, a whole truckload of fresh, tender green cucumbers poured out, emitting an alluring sheen and fresh fragrance under the luxurious crystal lights.

Qian Wanjin took a deep breath; that long-missed scent made his whole body's fat tremble pleasantly.

Good! Good! Hahaha!

He picked up a cucumber, didn't even wash it, and took a bite with a 'crack'.

The crisp texture and sweet juice instantly filled his mouth.

This is the flavor!

Qian Wanjin wolfed it down while muttering indistinctly, his eyes flashing with endless greed.

The group's executives and bodyguards behind him, seeing this, were all stunned, their Adam's apples rolling uncontrollably, eyes full of longing.

Chen Bo, you did well this time!

Qian Wanjin casually tossed the half-eaten cucumber to a flirtatious woman beside him, then heavily patted Chen Bo's shoulder, the fat on his face trembling with laughter,

"What's your impression of the City Lord of Xuanwu City?"

Chen Bo pushed his glasses, a hint of complexity flashing behind the lenses, and replied respectfully:

"Boss, that Lin Yue never showed up from start to finish."

"Oh?"

Qian Wanjin's motion paused, a flash of surprise in his eyes,

"Didn't show up?"

"Yes."

Chen Bo then recounted what had happened to them in Xuanwu City.

After hearing it, Qian Wanjin's smile grew even richer.

"Interesting…… truly interesting……"

He stroked his double chin, eyes gleaming, muttering to himself,

"Establishing his own currency system—this kid's ambition is no small thing."

He wasn't angry about Xuanwu City's 'rules'; instead, he caught a whiff of something unusual.

At the same time.

"Suchen Refuge," Underground Command Center

"Bang!"

Zhao Weiguo slammed his fist hard onto the alloy conference table, his face full of regret.

"Qian Wanjin…… that old fox, he moved surprisingly fast!"

He stared fixedly at the blurry image on the holographic screen sent back by scouts; in the picture, members of the Heavenly God Group were happily moving supplies.

"Looks like we're really getting old!"

Zhao Weiguo gave a self-deprecating wry smile, meanwhile his mind involuntarily recalled the scene from two days ago.

"Commander, we know nothing about Xuanwu City's details; rashly trading, the risk is too great!"

A senior staff officer was the first to raise an objection.

"Exactly! And they specified they only want energy crystals—this is obviously problematic!"

"I suggest we first wait and see,"

Another spoke in a low voice,

"Let's see what moves those two old foxes, Qian Wanjin and Sun Ba, will make."

Precisely because most of the refuge's senior leadership chose to wait and see, Zhao Weiguo didn't immediately send people to trade in Xuanwu City.

But now, just thinking about the supplies from those ten trucks,

"Looks like I have to change my attitude toward Xuanwu City!"

Zhao Weiguo decided he couldn't wait any longer.

Mainly, he also wasn't clear on how much stock Xuanwu City actually had; if it was a lot, it would be fine, but if it was little……

At the bottom of Yangcheng Lake, the central laboratory of the 'Deep Blue Matrix'.

"Beep——beep——beep——"

The piercing alarm made all scientists in white lab coats halt their work.

"Speak."

Sun Ba slowly spat out a single word.

Standing before him was precisely the 'Strategist' who had previously gone to Xuanwu City.

"Report to the chief: according to our intel planted in the Heavenly God Group, their first transaction with Xuanwu City is already complete."

The Strategist projected a detailed report in front of Sun Ba.

"Total transaction: one thousand first-grade energy crystals, twenty second-grade energy crystals."

"Goods exchanged: ten tons of rice, five tons of flour, various fresh vegetables totaling twenty tons, and…… one thousand kilograms of processed, clean unknown mutant beast meat."

Looking at this list, even Sun Ba couldn't help but his breathing grew a bit hurried.

But his focus was completely different from everyone else's.

"Energy crystals…… he really only wants energy crystals……"

Sun Ba's fingertip flew across the holographic screen, calling up all the environmental energy data analysis charts for the vicinity of Xuanwu City.

Ambient energy particle concentration shows no abnormality……geological structure is stable……no high‑frequency energy fluctuations detected……

He stared at row after row of data so normal it couldn't be more normal, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

"This isn't scientific!"

He sprang to his feet, pacing back and forth in the lab,

"What does he need all those Energy Crystals for? Feeding that Black Tortoise? No! The energy consumed by that Black Tortoise bears no proportion to the total Energy Crystals he's demanding!"

"Could……it be used for some kind of biological experiment we can't comprehend?"

Countless possibilities flashed through Sun Ba's mind, but he rejected them one by one.

"No……wrong……there must be something we don't know!"

He suddenly stopped pacing, whipped his head around, and fixed the Wise with a hard stare.

"He……that young man named Lin Yue, what about his own energy signature?"

The Wise shook his head, his voice tinged with helplessness:

"Leader, an unknown energy field surrounds the target; our equipment can't penetrate it, can't conduct precise analysis. But……"

"But what?"

"According to our long‑range scan analysis of other residents of Xuanwu City, their physical fitness is generally over thirty percent above that of ordinary survivors. Especially the Black Tortoise Guard—their members' average physical fitness has already reached the initial standard of our Matrix Guard."

"What!!"

Now Sun Ba's face completely changed.

"The Matrix Guard are super‑soldiers they've produced at great cost, through genetic optimization and intense training!"

"So what gives the members of Xuanwu City's Black Tortoise Guard their edge?"

"This Lin Yue—his technology is likely far more advanced than our Deep Blue Matrix!"

That conclusion made Sun Ba's heart race, but it was followed by an even stronger, uncontainable desire.

He must find out—at any cost!

"The Wise!"

Sun Ba whirled around, looking at the Wise.

"Leader, please give your orders."

"Immediately tally our Energy Crystal stockpile! Prepare three thousand Grade‑1 Energy Crystals, fifty Grade‑2 Energy Crystals! No, one hundred Grade‑2 Energy Crystals!"

Sun Ba raised the stakes, intending to fling open Xuanwu City's gates with absolute sincerity.

The Wise felt a jolt—this amounted to nearly a third of the Deep Blue Matrix's Energy Crystal reserves.

"Leader, this……"

"Carry out the order!"

Sun Ba cut him off without allowing any objection,

"You personally lead the team and tell that Lin Yue that our Deep Blue Matrix wants to be friends with him! Whatever he wants, aside from Energy Crystals, we can discuss—just let him speak!"

Sun Ba's breathing grew a little heavy, he locked eyes with the Wise:

"Your sole mission is, at any cost, to uncover how he enhances ordinary people's physiques—and also, the true purpose behind his demand for so many Energy Crystals!"

"Yes, Leader!"

The Wise hesitated no longer, turned, and set out to carry out the order.

Watching the Wise's retreating back, Sun Ba slowly settled back into his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the desk,

"Lin Yue……let me see what secret you're really hiding……"