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墨書 Inktalez
Wandering ensured that the team was safe and sound, which was the most basic requirement. It was unacceptable to have so many people engaged in a fight and still lose personnel. What was the outcome? Of course, they won, but it did not bring any joy. The problem lay with Cui Ming, who had captured the Crow too early. At that time, only Leopard Woman had entered the desert. She waited for five days without seeing her companions arrive at the predetermined rendezvous point, which made her realize something was wrong. When she attempted to leave, she found herself surrounded.
Outnumbered, Leopard Woman was captured alive and was currently being secretly escorted to the Ye Family by Ye Family and Miss Fortune. Wandering interrogated Leopard Woman on the spot in the desert but received no answers. He discovered that Leopard Woman had indeed brought enough food and water for four people, so he sent some people to lie in wait at this contact point, hoping to catch someone off guard while also searching the area and setting traps. After two weeks without any sign of the Fire Cult or even any people, Wandering reluctantly ordered a retreat.
The atmosphere was tense in the villa. Wandering, three members of the Balance Sect, Li Qing, and Ding Ze were seated or standing in various positions, which held some significance. Balance Sect Ashen and Akali sat on the sofa next to Wandering, while Mi Xiaonan was busy tidying up food in the kitchen. Li Qing sat across from Wandering, looking rather grim, while Ding Ze leaned against the armrest of the wooden sofa where Li Qing sat.
When Cui Ming and Evelyn arrived, they greeted everyone and asked about the situation. Ding Ze reported that they had captured Leopard Woman, but found nothing else. With a smile, Cui Ming asked, "What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied with Wandering's arrangements?"
"..." No one answered.
In the kitchen, there were sounds of clattering as Mi Xiaonan worked. Cui Ming walked into the kitchen and lifted Mi Xiaonan, who was sitting on the sink, asking, "What's going on?"
"Things almost got out of hand."
"Oh?" Cui Ming instinctively asked, "Was it between Balance Sect and the Ye Family?"
"No, it was between Li Qing, Ding Ze, and everyone else."
After thinking for a moment, Cui Ming asked, "Is it because of Leopard Woman?"
"Yes."
On the seventh day of fruitless searching and waiting, members of Wandering began to feel anxious. The guard over Leopard Woman, Ye Xin, started torturing her. On the eighth day, Li Qing intervened to stop him. In the afternoon of that same day, Wandering and members of the Balance Sect returned to their ambush point for a meeting. Ding Ze supported Li Qing, while Mi Xiaonan abstained from voting; others believed they should continue torturing Leopard Woman.
"Cui Ming" said, "Isn't my senior brother someone who is very rigid?"
"Li Qing" stated that he did not oppose torture; however, after a day of coercion, it became clear that torturing Leopard Woman only led her to babble incoherently and contradict herself. As hunters, they must uphold a hunter's honor and not resort to any means necessary to achieve their goals. According to him, the time and intensity of torture had already reached his psychological limit; he opposed any physical mutilation or destructive coercion by Ye Xin. Simply put, he opposed any methods that would cause permanent harm to her body."
"Mi Xiaonan" added: "Li Qing has several points; he said if we were trying to save someone or prevent war from breaking out because our compatriots were threatened, he would take action without hesitation. But now it's different; a group ambushed and captured Leopard Woman. To extract information from her through coercion has already crossed a line; it should stop. Even if she is an enemy, we must show a certain degree of respect."
"Ye Xin" countered with what would happen if the Fire Cult captured key personnel? "Li Qing" replied that they were not like the Fire Cult. They considered themselves more civilized than them; why should they learn from them? "Ye Xin" insisted that what information Leopard Woman possessed could very well relate to war. "Li Qing" responded that even in war, they should respect prisoners of war. He directly questioned "Wandering", believing that his approach towards dealing with the issues concerning the Fire Cult had become unscrupulous and abandoned what hunters should stand for.
Ding Ze stood beside Cui Ming, expressing his belief that history is filled with examples of barbarism destroying civilization, yet ultimately, civilization moves towards enlightenment while barbarism tends to self-destruction. Ding Ze felt that there should be limits; if they resorted to lethal torture against Leopard Woman, he would feel no pride in it. His and Li Qing's stance convinced Miss Fortune, who then aligned with their views. Miss Fortune agreed to continue interrogating Leopard Woman but opposed Ye Xin's suggestion of lethal torture. She explained her perspective, stating that both physical torture and lethal torture inflict similar levels of suffering, with the distinction being that lethal torture intensifies the interrogation through the fear of death, which did not seem to threaten Leopard Woman.
Wandering leaned towards interrogation but was also reflecting on his own extreme methods regarding the Fire Cult. Ultimately, he decided to temporarily detain Leopard Woman. Days later, as the group prepared to leave the desert, Ye Family and Miss Fortune accompanied Leopard Woman to Ye Family. However, Li Qing and Wandering clashed; Li Qing was no longer focused on Leopard Woman but believed Wandering's extreme approach needed reconsideration. Wandering was infuriated, questioning why they couldn't simply refrain from interrogation without pushing further.
“Ha ha,” Cui Ming emerged from the kitchen, drawing everyone's attention as he grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. As he twisted off the cap, he laughed, “Not bad! With so many experts heading into the desert and capturing a girl, how much can we sell her for?”
Wandering shot a dark look at Cui Ming. “Cui Ming, where’s the crow?” Everyone turned in surprise to look at Cui Ming; only Wandering knew about the crow because he had received a letter from Little Lu upon his arrival, detailing the events.
Cui Ming replied casually, “It ran away.”
“How did it run away?”
“Very quickly,” Cui Ming said as he perched on the wooden armrest beside Li Qing. “Senior, it’s scorching hot in the desert; you seem agitated. What’s bothering you?”
Wandering finally spoke up, “I just don’t understand you all. The Fire Cult is clearly becoming an enemy of the alliance, yet you show no sense of urgency. Under a collapsing nest…”
“Is there any complete egg?” Cui Ming interjected. “There’s no rush. For instance, Senior, I previously speculated that the Fire Cult has a breeding station. Now we’ve confirmed it through either Leopard Woman or the crow. What will you do? The Force Alliance is sending numerous personnel into Fire Religion Nation to search for the Breeding Room, right?”
Wandering remained silent.
“And then what? The Eternity Alliance demands an explanation from the Force Alliance. The Force Alliance explains that the Fire Cult has a breeding station continuously producing Half-Beast practitioners. One possibility is that the Eternity Alliance becomes anxious and calls for a meeting to declare war. Another possibility is that they demand the alliance refrain from provoking the Fire Cult on their territory. It’s very likely that war will be initiated by the Force Alliance, which isn’t good news. I know what everyone is worried about—the fear that Fire Cult practitioners may surpass those of the alliance in strength. Why? Because the Fire Cult must have mastered Black Technology.”
Cui Ming continued, “Let’s assume such Black Technology exists; we take initiative and declare war on the Fire Cult and win. What happens to Black Technology? Who gets it? Everyone? Or do we destroy it? Would Twilight City want to destroy it? Of course not; they would worry about other nations like the Fire Cult still possessing it and would need backups themselves. Nordo City would be eager to study Black Technology. As for Dawn Empire—well, that goes without saying.”
Wandering retorted, “What are you trying to say?”
“What I’m saying is that practitioners in Fire Religion Nation are technologically behind; how could they possess Black Technology?” Cui Ming explained. “Declaring war now would be disastrous because we haven’t clarified the reasons behind Black Technology’s existence. Otherwise, even if we annihilate the Fire Cult completely, the Eternity Alliance will face significant challenges internally afterward.”
Li Qing added, “Junior Brother, I don’t quite understand either.”
Cui Ming thought for a while and said, "Alright, I'll be direct. The Fire Cult has Black Technology, but it's not that powerful. Of course, they are still researching it, and who knows how much stronger it will become in the future. The Eternity Alliance is not unaware of Black Technology; some countries have known for a long time that the Fire Cult possesses it, but they choose to remain silent. Once the Fire Cult is eliminated, these countries will have different key points to consider. Therefore, I suggest we first understand what Black Technology is, how many people have mastered it, what conditions are required for it, and whether it can be widely applied. Only after clarifying these questions can we decide whether to attack the Fire Sect."
Cui Ming continued, "If these questions remain unclear, the war will become very ambiguous. Some people do not wish to eliminate the Fire Cult so soon; others do not want anyone else to attack the Black Technology stronghold; some are secretly gathering information. Years after the war ends, everyone might suddenly realize that a certain country has begun producing Half-Beasts. Everyone, the Fire Cult's strength is limited; they lack scientific research talent. If they possess Black Technology now and it falls into the hands of a technologically advanced country, what do you think will happen?"
Wandering Path said, "Be more direct."
Cui Ming smiled wryly and replied, "Damn it, if I were any more direct, I'd be the bad guy. I don't want to offend a superpower."
"Dawn Empire!" Wandering was taken aback and asked, "What does it have to do with Black Technology?"
Cui Ming explained, "Based on the information I have gathered and my deductions, they began supporting a certain private research lab many years ago to study Super Soldiers. This is why they remained indifferent when Twilight City was strengthening its military technology; they were also working on their own military advancements. But then something went wrong; this private research institution may have made progress or perhaps he decided to abandon it when things got tough and fled to the Fire Cult. He suffered a huge loss in silence. I believe he possesses a lot of information and intelligence, and after the appearance of Half-Beast practitioners in the Fire Cult, he still remained silent. Why? One reason is that he believes Black Technology is not a significant threat. Another reason is that he has already mastered Black Technology. And yet another reason is that he is waiting for others to propose launching an attack so that he can quietly seize Black Technology during the war. So Wandering, I oppose taking an extreme stance against the Fire Cult right now."
Wandering picked up the bottle of mineral water in front of him; his hand trembled slightly as he took a sip and asked, "Is this reliable?"
"Pretty much," Cui Ming replied.
"This accusation is serious. Cui Ming, you don't intend to be a witness, do you?" Wandering asked.
"Absolutely not," Cui Ming said. "Why would I want to offend him? Even if my accusations lead to significant changes within his country, those who survive will still resent me." He added, "The most important thing is that I have no evidence. By the way, just between us, the elders of the York Clan have already guessed some things; they're also keeping quiet."
"Cui Ming bro, have some watermelon," Mi Xiaonan offered eagerly. "Please don't bite off more than you can chew!" (To be continued.)
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