Why is my territory in a 2D anime art style?

Chapter 137 The Mineral Vein Stirs Hearts

Qian Hui first spat lightly, seemingly disdainful of this person, then shook his head pretentiously, his tone somewhat strange.

"Ye Tengyang is a clueless person. He probably left the group because Sui Ping died. I remember Sui Ping was his introducer and even saved his life. He was usually quite grateful."

"I reckon he's like that kid Sui An; deep down he thinks Sui Ping's death wasn't right, so he doesn't want to stay in the regiment anymore."

"But there was no problem with the cause of death of Sui Ping and his wife. They were the first to leave the teleportation space of the secret place and then prepared to continue forward, but they stepped into the poison gas trap."

"Speaking of which, our Deputy Regiment Commander Ning and I both came out before him, but Ye Tengyang's actions have made it seem as if Ning Pan and I killed him and his wife."

Qian Hui's sarcastic remarks struck Zhao Feng like a thunderbolt, leaving her stunned on the spot.

Ye Tengyang told Sui An that he suspected Ning Pan had touched Sui Ping's and Sui An's storage bags, or even murdered them to steal their treasures.

Qian Hui's description also echoed Ye Tengyang's statement to some extent. Although Qian Hui was petty and had a sharp tongue, he also acknowledged that Ye Tengyang was a grateful person. However, he was somewhat disdainful and thought that such behavior of leaving the group was stupid.

If Ye Tengyang was truly grateful to Sui Ping for saving his life, then it would seem reasonable for him to find Sui An and tell him everything eight years later.

Is it really as he said, that Ning Pan did it?

"So that's how it is." Ning Pan suddenly sighed, his magnetic voice a little deep.

"I knew it! That's why he didn't say goodbye to me before leaving, but went straight to the regimental commander. So it was because he was upset that I didn't protect Sui Ping properly!"

Ning Pan's self-reproachful explanation only made Qian Hui more disdainful. His face twitched slightly, and he directly mocked her.

"Deputy Commander Ning, can we stop acting like saints? That's a secret place in the Origin Realm. We should thank our ancestors eight generations back if we're even alive. Who can protect others?"

"Ye Tengyang is a hypocrite. If he really felt sorry, shouldn't he have taken that brat Sui An to his place and taken care of him? As soon as Sui Ping died, he was in a hurry to disappear. I heard that the brat even looked for him, but he didn't even see a trace of him."

Qian Hui's words dealt another blow to Zhao Feng. It has to be said that Qian Hui's way of speaking is direct and tricky, but it always makes some sense.

After several conversations, Zhao Feng's mood became quite bad. You praised him for his gratitude at the beginning, but then you belittled him. No matter what, you were right.

"Perhaps Ye Tengyang has his reasons."

Ning Pan's tone returned to his usual demeanor, his voice much calmer: "The rumors of offending enemies may be true, and I have no choice but to leave Jiangcheng."

"Hey," Qian Hui shook his head, still speaking in that sarcastic tone, "He's all alone, and he came from another city. Apart from our hunting group, he doesn't know many people. What enemies could he possibly have?"

"It can't be that they're worried about us, thinking we killed Sui Ping and his wife, and now they want to kill him too?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Ning Pan interrupted Qian Hui's ramblings, saying that this kind of thing was not something to be joked about.

Qian Hui loves to make a fuss over nothing. If no one stops him, who knows what outrageous things he might say.

He didn't notice that Zhao Feng was looking at Qian Hui with a somewhat horrified expression.

If you say that, I'll really start to have doubts!

But Zhao Feng ultimately did not continue to test Ning Pan. After being tricked by Qian Hui, her mentality was really unstable. She returned to Wang Zhen's car and sat down quietly.

There was no further communication between the two vehicles. The Gale Hunting Team's vehicle sped up and gradually overtook Wang Zhen's transport vehicle, disappearing into the distance.

Qian Hui turned his gaze away from behind, his eyes flickering. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly looked up at Ning Pan beside him, his voice somewhat playful.

"Commander Ning, did you see clearly what that truckload of stuff was?"

"No, what's wrong?"

Ning Pan's thoughts were interrupted by Qian Hui's words. He did not move, but only slightly turned his direction, his voice calm.

Qian Hui pursed his lips, but continued, "I'm talking to you about serious matters, and you're pretending to be stupid again? I don't believe you can't see that it's a truckload of raw ore, can you?"

"So what?"

Qian Hui didn't care at all about Ning Pan's question. He smiled and explained his speculation.

"Zhao Feng takes leave every ten days, and this is the fifth or sixth time already. I recognize three of the four people on that bus. Two of the young men are her neighbors. The one carrying the flag is indeed a squad leader in the Line 7 transport team, but he's definitely not on official business today; he's doing personal work!"

"Do you think they've discovered some kind of source energy vein, so they go to mine it regularly? Even the lowest grade of ore, a hundred kilograms of it could sell for twenty or thirty source stones, so a whole truckload would be worth at least five or six thousand source stones."

Qian Hui didn't beat around the bush and even stated all his speculations. He could tell that the other three people in the car were all level four professionals, and even if he had ideas, he couldn't beat them.

Therefore, he chose to make his speculation public.

Sure enough, the other group members sitting in the car who had been quietly listening to the gossip suddenly found their breathing becoming heavier. Five or six thousand source stones was a huge sum of money for these low-level professionals.

Even a level four professional would be envious.

Qian Hui didn't care at all whether these lower-ranking members were tempted; his gaze was fixed on Ning Pan.

Unfortunately, Ning Pan remained unmoved, only looking at him coldly: "What, are you envious? Then you can go and snatch it, and see if that flag is real."

"Hey, I wouldn't dare to openly rob Ping An Bank's convoy."

Qian Hui chuckled. His purpose was not the ore on the truck, but rather its origin.

The flag of Ping An Trading Company is not just a simple flag; it is actually a combination source device and a deterrent for Ping An Trading Company.

Source artifacts are generally divided into three types. One type is a single source artifact, such as the swords and armor in everyone's hands. These are all crafted by blacksmiths who have unlocked the source energy equipment blueprints. They are integrated source artifacts with various effects that can amplify the professional.

The second type consists of basic source components, which still require blueprints to unlock. However, the simplest of these source components might only involve screws and springs, while more complex ones might include source energy storage devices or source energy power units.

The third type is the combined source device. This type does not require blueprints, but it requires the basic source device components from the second type, such as the transport vehicle they sit on, the Suiana energy windmill, or even the energy heater used to boil water and cook.

If a component of this type of combined source device breaks, it can be reused simply by finding a blacksmith to repair or replace the component. However, if a sword or other weapon breaks, it can only be completely remade.

The flag of Ping An Merchants contains a one-way communication device. Once activated in case of crisis, it can send a distress signal over a very large area. Other flags of the same type can receive the information and indicate the direction.

This is why few ordinary people dare to rob the Ping An Merchant Guild's transport team. You never know where other members of the transport team might be nearby. If you don't have the means to deal with this flag, you might even be attacked by a group of intermediate-level professionals who form the city guard.

"But aren't you curious about where Zhao Feng and his group's mine is?"

Qian Hui's voice was full of seduction, "The mine doesn't belong to her alone. Even if it's a small energy mine, how much can they mine with just a few people?"

"Zhao Feng is really something. Instead of taking care of the group when there's such a good thing, she's getting involved with a few neighbors."

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"As the saying goes, 'those who see it, get a share.' We all know this, so she should at least share some with us, right? Don't you think so? —"

Ning Pan remained seated quietly, seemingly letting everyone continue their discussion without any intention of stopping them.

Sure enough, several group members around him were clearly interested, and some even tried to speak up in agreement.

"Captain Zhao is a veteran in the regiment, he shouldn't be so heartless, right?"

"Indeed, shouldn't such benefits be prioritized within the group?"

"Commander Ning, why don't you ask them?"

When someone asked him a question, Ning Pan's indifferent gaze suddenly swept over, and his source energy surged slightly. A powerful sense of oppression immediately came over him, and the scene fell silent instantly, with only the sound of the transport vehicle driving by.

The reason he didn't stop Qian Hui from saying such things was because he knew he couldn't stop him anyway. Even if he stopped him on the bus, what would happen when they got back?

Who can guarantee they won't unite? Once people are driven by greed, they lose all reason.

In these situations, you have to pour cold water on them when they're at their most greedy!

"Qian Hui, how can you be so sure that Zhao Feng mined this truckload of ore? What if it belonged to someone else? Even if Zhao Feng did mine it, what if she was just getting a share from someone else?"

Ning Pan suddenly laughed as he spoke, but it was a somewhat helpless laugh: "You indecisive lot, you've all been swayed by Qian Hui and lost your heads. You think a few low-level professionals would dare to covet something that four level-four professionals are escorting?"

"The hunting party has only been doing its missions peacefully for a while, and now they're already looking for death again?"

"Don't forget, this truckload of goods was transported by Zheng Xifeng's squad leader. If there really were a mineral vein, wouldn't they have Captain Zheng cover it? You dare to steal Zheng Xifeng's business?"

Sure enough, Ning Pan's sharp questioning instantly extinguished most of the greed of the people in the car, and even Qian Hui was suppressed by Zheng Xifeng, whom Ning Pan brought up.

If Ning Pan hadn't mentioned it, Qian Hui would have completely forgotten that behind Wang Zhen was Zheng Xifeng, who had just broken through to level 6. This guy was ruthless. Not to mention the influence of Ping An Trading Company, just in terms of his own strength, he could probably wipe out the current Gale Hunting Group.

"Cough~ cough~" Qian Hui tried to cough dryly to ease the awkwardness.

"I didn't say it was definitely hers, but you could ask her, since you two seem to get along quite well."

Ning Pan was speechless. He had known Qian Hui for so many years. Although Qian Hui used to be sharp-tongued, he was still quite sensible. Why was he becoming more and more unrestrained lately? Had Zhao Feng hurt him badly last time?

He waved his hand and said sarcastically, "I dare not ask. I'm afraid Zheng Xifeng will come knocking on my door. Go ask him yourself. But when you do ask, don't do it in your capacity as the squad leader of the Gale Hunting Group. I'm afraid we'll all be wiped out."

"Fellow soldiers, think carefully: do you want your lives, or that money whose authenticity is questionable?"

Behind him, Wang Zhen frowned, looking at Qian Hui and sensing that something was amiss.

"Aunt Zhao, do you have a conflict with Qian Hui?"

When Zhao Feng was questioned by Wang Zhen, she immediately came to her senses: "That's true. This guy is a veteran of the hunting group, but he has a foul mouth and likes to talk nonsense. I beat him up last time because of Sui An, so he probably holds a grudge. Now he's talking in a sarcastic tone."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhen knew that his prediction had come true, and his expression darkened: "Then will he spread rumors about what happened on the bus today—"

goods?"

"Probably not—" Zhao Feng said, but suddenly felt that she couldn't continue. Given Qian Hui's character, he might really be trying to sow discord.

"That's quite possible, but Commander Ning will likely stop it!"

"I don't think it's easy to say," Fang Si suddenly spoke up. His opinion differed from Zhao Feng's, and was even somewhat pessimistic.

"If it were an ordinary person, unaware of our identities, they would simply assume that the vehicle belongs to the transport team and wouldn't think much of it. Even if they did, they would have to consider the transport team's background."

"But now that they know your identity, and most likely also your relationship with Wang Zhen and the others, they won't easily believe that this is the transport team's property; they'll just think it's our private business."

"this----"

Zhao Feng was a little worried, though she actually agreed with what Fang Si said.

Qian Hui and he had been members of the group for over ten years. Although they didn't get along very well, they were both quite restrained, and it was a "you don't bother me, I don't care about you" situation.

But last time I couldn't help myself and hit him, and now our relationship is instantly strained.

Since they were all long-time members, the leader couldn't say who should be kicked out, so he could only suppress the matter.

"How about this, I won't come the next few times, that way they probably won't suspect me."

Zhao Feng was distracted at the moment, her mind filled with what Ye Tengyang and Qian Hui had said, and she felt somewhat irritable.

So she chose to voluntarily give up the profits from the next few rounds, since the whole thing started because of her.

No one responded to Zhao Feng's words, but no one refuted them either; everyone tacitly agreed to handle the matter according to her wishes.

If we wait a while longer, outsiders won't think of this, and perhaps everything will be fine.

"Kuizhen, do you know where Ye Tengyang lives?" Zhao Feng suddenly changed the subject to Ye Tengyang. She wanted to meet Ye Tengyang in person and see what he really meant.

"Ye Tengyang," Kui Zhen recalled a skill and then said to Zhao Feng.

"I found him through the hunting group's memorandum on his body, which is the hunting group he is currently in, the Wind Rope Hunting Group. Their base is at No. 211 West City Commercial Street."

Zhao Feng silently repeated to herself several times: "No. 211, Xicheng Commercial Street".

Seeing Zhao Feng silently reciting something, Wang Zhenhai asked in a low voice, "Aunt Zhao, do you want to see him?"

"Yes!" Zhao Feng straightened her posture, leaned against the railing, and sighed deeply. "Some things are better asked in person."

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