Chapter 278: Procurement Is a Necessary Ritual for the Federation Army

In silence, the humanoid creature and his subordinates followed the stiff puppet onto the aerial transport sent to meet them.

"This newly appointed Viceroy sure has a big ego."

"Maybe it's his first time dealing with the 9000th Army—he hasn't found his place yet."

Inside the transport, the humanoid creature listened impassively to his subordinates' murmurs without intervening.

Though he had not yet met the man himself, he already sensed this would be troublesome.

"That Duonuo really left me a mess."

The aerial transport sped on, soon leaving Central City and arriving at a manor.

Gazing at the massive metal palace at the manor's center, the humanoid creature's expression finally flickered.

If he remembered correctly, this was where that old Duonuo had originally been rooted.

At that moment, a woman in a maid's uniform stepped out of the palace and said stiffly, "Please follow me—the Viceroy is waiting inside."

Still a puppet.

The humanoid creature followed the maid, staring at her back, lost in thought.

Soon, they were led into the main hall, where a young man, bent over studying something, came into view.

The maid said nothing more; after guiding them in, she bowed and left the hall.

Thus, the main hall fell silent.

After a long while, the young man finally spoke: "What should I call you?"

As he spoke, he lifted his head to look at the group.

Seeing the man's brilliant right eye, the humanoid creature gave no reply: "The frontlines are under heavy pressure. Please, Viceroy Li, expedite the handover of supplies."

"Heh."

At these words, Li Ang smiled ambiguously, though internally he was reflecting on the puppet's performance.

Its intelligence is still insufficient—all those lines were pre-programmed.

Thus, silence returned to the hall.

Without orders from their superior, none of the subordinates dared speak up.

After a long pause, Li Ang suddenly asked: "The supplies Duonuo gathered earlier were meant for you, weren't they?"

He stressed the word "you"—the implication needed no explanation.

At this, the humanoid creature's expression froze, then he ordered his subordinates to wait outside.

Once only the two of them remained, he sighed wearily: "Just call me Ma Ding. How did you figure it out, Viceroy Li?"

In response, Li Ang shook his head slightly: "A friend told me."

It was a lie—he had merely tested the man's reaction, since the 9000th Army officer's demeanor was far less rigid than he'd expected.

If Duonuo's prior supply delivery had truly been ordered by the army commander, the man's attitude would never have been so "weak"—he would have already demanded the supplies be handed over immediately.

Li Ang hadn't expected that a slight probe would cause the man to confess outright.

Li Ang didn't know that Ma Ding had his own reasons for silence—he saw the young man across from him as a powerful, mysterious talent with great potential.

Unlike Duonuo, he had no desire to recklessly offend someone of unknown origin.

Since intimidation had failed, better to speak plainly now and avoid future friction.

With this thought, Ma Ding spoke grandly: "Given that you've only just assumed office, I'll overlook this delivery. But prepare next year's supplies in advance."

With that, he turned to leave.

But at that moment, Li Ang called out: "Please wait, Mr. Ma Ding—you've only recently joined the 9000th Army, haven't you?"

Hearing this, the androgynous officer's face darkened, as if struck in a sore spot.

He wanted to say something, but had no rebuttal.

Seeing this, Li Ang knew he had guessed correctly.

The reasons were simple: first, the man had fixated on Mobiras, an unimportant tourist planet; second, he had just dismissed his subordinates, indicating he had no trusted confidants within the Army.

Of course, all this was Li Ang's speculation—but why had he stopped Ma Ding?

"I can't provide the supplies, but I have another business opportunity—would you consider it, Mr. Ma Ding?"

Saying this, he pulled out a can of Clear 1 and tossed it to Ma Ding.

The androgynous officer caught the metal can, momentarily confused.

"Mr. Ma Ding, you're in charge of logistics for the 9000th Army, correct? How's your relationship with your current suppliers?"

At once, Ma Ding understood—and his expression turned strange.

He glanced at the can in his hand, then at Li Ang, and couldn't help asking: "You want to become the new supplier? Because of this?"

He shook the can in his hand.

Watching Ma Ding's baffled expression, Li Ang gestured for him to taste it: "Try it first, Mr. Ma Ding."

Ma Ding didn't hesitate—he opened the can and took a sip, then frowned slightly.

After a long while, he shook his head: "I do handle logistics, but I'm not the only one."

"The Army currently procures only from Secret Blood Corp. I have no ties to them, but your product isn't strong enough for me to risk backing you."

His words were blunt.

Li Ang's intentions were clear to Ma Ding: they'd both profit from the Federation's money.

Too bad.

The energy drink market was already saturated, and Clear 1 wasn't sufficient to convince the 9000th Army to switch suppliers.

Of course, Ma Ding's reluctance to push hard also played a part.

Yet upon hearing this, Li Ang smiled: "Heh—this is just the prototype. New models will follow soon."

He didn't expect to seal a deal with the 9000th Army today—it wasn't realistic.

Moreover, the issue of Qinglieguo yield has not yet been resolved; even if cooperation were truly finalized, the current scale of the Morabis Plant Lianheshang Society cannot supply the consumption of the 9000th Army.