Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 306

Chapter 306: Chapter 32 The Tip of the Iceberg

“Given the scale of Tanya Mining, there's no need for Kuang Zhuoma to deceive us. What I'm really curious about is why Tanya Mining abandoned the development of Great Demon Lake. Can we find that part of the information?”

Liang Wei asked his deputy.

“It's difficult. We would need to use top-level clearance and sacrifice two to three valuable undercover lines. I can send a report if you insist.”

Liang Wei waved his hands repeatedly: “Then forget it.”

The deputy nodded and then added, “However, we can be sure that Tanya Mining did not engage in large-scale military operations targeting Great Demon Lake. Their exploration activities over the past six years are no different from what we're doing now.”

“Don't be so confident. They've been developing super deep drills (a type of semi-mechanized fourth-tier troopers) for nearly a decade. When it comes to exploring ancient ruins, even Black Star's war machines can't keep up.”

Areas of heavy contamination with nuclear waste, intelligent zombies, and super genetic experiments…

Upon investigation, it turned out that Ramu Jue was taken in by a mob leader who had been a lama for several years in a refugee town around Great Demon Lake. He underwent an empowerment ceremony at the age of nineteen, after which things spiraled out of control…

Thinking of this, Liang Wei fell silent for a while, twisting his ten fingers together, unable to speak for a long time.

Thud, thud.

Afafu stood outside the door, also dressed in a crisp black military uniform, identical to the other Black Star soldiers, except for the badge on the shoulder, which was shaped like a spire clock.

“Come in.”

Without raising his head, Liang Wei then asked his deputy, “Has there been any news from the General? That Danzuo Automobile executive named Xumo, what has he confessed to?”

The deputy shook his head: “The last time headquarters contacted us was fourteen hours ago. They asked us to copy all Great Demon Lake's data and fax it over, with all personnel on standby at their current location.”

“Hmm, more than a day's worth of time – plenty for Ramu Jue to fly to some place we can't control and enjoy himself.”

Between the lines, Liang Wei seemed quite dissatisfied with headquarters' inaction.

“That's impossible. Ramu Jue is still in Zone B.”

Afafu hurried in, interrupting Liang Wei's complaints.

In just half a day's time, the once brooding and silent woman, a mother wandering the dangerous wilderness with a baby, underwent a dramatic change in temperament: she was now showing her true colors.

Efficient, aloof, intelligent, and composed.

Her world belonged to the high-pressure mechanisms within the iron network, not the bloody, dirty hunting grounds fighting wits with the half-human, half-ghoul 'mules'.

“Zone B is now under martial law. Any Four Heavenly Kings squadron that appears at the flyable borders between Zone B and other survival zones will be completely destroyed within ten minutes. Also, I just contacted a friend at headquarters through the war machine communications. She happens to be the war counselor assigned to this Zone B cleaning operation. Commissioner Liang's interrogation of Xumo is nearing its end, and headquarters is drafting an operational plan. By tonight at the latest, Black Star's troops will enter Great Demon Lake.”

She paused, then continued, “It's clear that the soldiers on the front lines, unlike us intellectuals who can rise through the ranks just by writing reports, are not as sensitive in their perceptions.”

Liang Wei placed the document he was holding upside down on the table, blinked a few times, and then glanced at his deputy.

The deputy nodded and left what used to be Yin Xiong's office.

“You're recovering fast, comrade Afafu. So eager to get back to work?”

Afafu leaned back in her chair. She adapted remarkably fast to her new identity: “Let me be blunt. For some reasons, my originally assigned Biotechnology Department will divert a lot of personnel to participate in the future development of Zone B. Among them, many are good friends from my student days. You know, our two departments have different responsibilities. We may come across some information that combat departments cannot. Whether it's about actions against Great Demon Lake or Ramu Jue's whereabouts… Perhaps it can help you earn more military achievements and get a chance for promotion, or maybe reduce casualties among your soldiers. Who knows?”

Liang Wei nodded repeatedly: “Afafu, I hope you don't mind me calling you that. If this is how you choose to repay me for saving your life, then you are… very courteous.”

“I don't mind what you call me, and I'm grateful to you for helping me find the organization again. However, someone else deserves credit for saving me. I can help you, but I have conditions.”

“I said before, I am Qiao Xing's good friend. Even if you hadn't said those words above, I would still do my best to help you. I promise I'll treat the people of Kuang Zhuoma well. That girl has been good to you? I can recommend her for training with Black Star, ah, but first a quarantine. You know, these refugees often carry all sorts of infectious diseases.”

“Wei Dan is not a refugee. She grew up in Kuang Zhuoma, drank processed clean water, and her innate second-level genes are enough to resist 60% of infectious diseases.”

“No offense intended, but some infectious diseases have nothing to do with which tier of fighter you are. Their transmission routes also… well, I think I'm being subtle enough…”

Liang Wei's mouth curled downward.

“General Liang Wei. You're being really indelicate!”

Afafu took a deep breath. She had long heard the name Liang Wei.

The only son of Liang Zhengyong, the rising star of the Sixth Army, born into a prominent family but also solidly relying on his military achievements to rise through the ranks, his near-perfect record was beyond reproach. Yet his reputation for being frivolous, headstrong, and brutal was well-known, despite the three powers' usual policy of “strict laws in troubled times.”

But there were few like Liang Wei who neglected even the pretense of civility.

“It's not that I lack manners; you just haven't seen the faces of those women. They'll do anything to stay with Black Star.”

Liang Wei propped his chin on his hand.

“I don't want to discuss this with you. Wei Dan wouldn't be happy staying with Black Star anyway.”

“Whatever you say. All right, let's get down to business. What do you want?”

“I want to join your squad when the main force sets out tonight. I need to find a man in Great Demon Lake and bring him back safe and sound.”

“The General Staff just raised the threat level of Great Demon Lake by two levels. In principle, researchers are not allowed to enter, after all, if there were any accidents…”

“Is General Liang worried that you can't ensure my safety?”

Liang Wei took a sip from his cup: “May I ask, who is this man you're speaking of?”

“He's the man who saved my life. It's my responsibility to do something for him…”

“I think Qiao Xing wouldn't want to hear this…”

He curled his lips: “But it's a deal.”

Meanwhile, at the former Danzuo Automobile Headquarters, now the combat command center of the Sixth Army of the Black Star armored vehicles.

“In a past immeasurable eon, when the world was as turbid as it is now, a Buddha came to this world, known as Lightning Tathagata, and preached the three vehicles of Dharma to all living beings.”

Xumo hung his head, his forehead dripping with sweat, his lips cracked, and his throat moved up and down.

Liang Zhengyong sat opposite him: “I mean no offense to anyone's faith, and I acknowledge the contribution of religion to this era. In fact, the spread of Medicine Buddha's faith in area B predates the harsh winter, but its growth and the show of aggression has been a matter of the last thirty years. To Black Star, Ramu Jue is not a Buddha's follower, but a lucky opportunist, a clumsy ambitious man.”

Xumo shook his head: “I don't intend to argue for him. However, I'd like to ask if the Black Star armored vehicles can find a single photo that shows what Ramu Jue looks like now?”

Liang Zhengyong did not speak.

“An opportunist capable of keeping his appearance completely secret is at least not so clumsy as to provoke an irresistible giant, is he?”

“But he did just that. He killed tens of thousands of our comrades. And now, the consequence is that the Black Star armored vehicles will purge all followers of the Medicine Buddha in area B, undoing his more than twenty years of efforts.”

Liang Zhengyong spoke with an unpleasant tone.

“I just want to remind General Liang, not to underestimate him.”

“Thank you, let's talk about something I care about…”

Liang Zhengyong leaned in closer: “Where did you hear about Shuishu Park, and what do you know about it?”

“It was inadvertently revealed by Ramu Jue…”

“Probably something like 'one day I'll have to uproot the guests of Shuishu Park'?”

Liang Zhengyong interrupted Xumo, appearing to be particularly sensitive regarding the guests of Shuishu Park.

“Exactly.”

“Continue.”

“Later, out of curiosity and some other reasons, I began investigating Shuishu Park. The final result of the investigation revealed that Shuishu Park is a meeting salon for top research personnel during the harsh winter. The organizer is known as the 'Crown of Technology,' the Big Ben Institute. You are familiar with it, General – after all, just the Black Star armored vehicles provide nearly a hundred million dollars in funding to them each year, not to mention Tanya and Pompeii. As for the guests, they refer to biologists, geneticists, or others always immersed in the lab. I thought this was the answer.”

“You thought so?”

Liang Zhengyong raised his eyelids slightly.

Xumo nodded weakly: “Later, I tried to capture one of the researchers who participated in the salon to explore the secrets of Shuishu Park, but my people disappeared without a trace. The last photo I received was of a monstrous creature with eight human faces…”

“Be more specific.”

“Eight human faces, eight tails, eight legs, and a body in cyan and yellow.”

“So, you're saying you've never actually seen these 'guests'?”

“No, I have seen one. I once saw a woman in Ramu Jue's meditation room, a woman whose name he never told anyone, but I have seen her photo. She's a leading authority in genetics at Yunhai Pharmaceuticals, her name is Yu Shu, and she has attended Shuishu Park's salon several times. After that, I never saw the woman again. I mean, she disappeared. I think she was killed by Ramu Jue.”

There was no expression on Liang Zhengyong's face; he simply noted the name Yu Shu calmly in his notebook.

“That's all I know about Shuishu Park.”

“So you mean to say, you have no idea why Ramu Jue knows about Shuishu Park and why he holds animosity towards it?”

“…” Xumo's eyes shifted. Liang Zhengyong's gaze made it hard for him to breathe: “I have a conjecture.”

“Let's hear it.”

“The person behind Shuishu Park is the head of the Big Ben Institute. You know, even now, some extremists still hold a grudge against Big Ben due to their role in the old wars, especially their 'Manhattan' project which produced nuclear weapons, and, consequently, the original sin of the harsh winter.”

“Is Ramu Jue one of them? What evidence do you have?”

“It wasn't the 'Manhattan' project, it was the Endless Yak!”

Xumo raised his voice a bit, “The Endless Yak project at Great Demon Lake was also supplied with research algorithms by Big Ben. I suspect Ramu Jue wasn't born in the refugee areas surrounding Great Demon Lake; he came out of the lake itself!”

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Chapter end