Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Spokesperson of the Long Wind

All four of them stared at Ma Yi, who showed no reaction at all. Ever since his return, he’d been eating, and now, after half an hour, the basket of cornbread was gone, and he had started on yesterday’s boiled duck. The more the four watched, the more frightened they became, yet none dared to say a word. If he suddenly decided to toss them aside, they’d be utterly helpless.

Captain Gu, upon receiving his orders, hurried toward the outer city. He’d already inquired about the location before he’d gone to report.

As soon as Captain Gu entered the room, he saw the four people staring blankly at Ma Yi. Only when they sensed someone enter did they look back, and recognizing Captain Gu, they tensed up immediately. Captain Gu, however, was not particularly surprised. He even smiled at them before walking over to Ma Yi, who was sitting at the table.

“Sir, I am the captain of the West Guard of Changfeng Base City’s defensive forces. I have received orders from our headquarters to invite you to join our City Guard. If you agree, you’ll be appointed First Deputy Captain, equal in rank to our own command. If there’s anything else you need, just say so. As long as it’s within our power, we’ll make it happen.”

The four in the room were stunned by Gu’s words, not yet recovered from their shock when two more groups arrived outside. Captain Gu sighed inwardly at their promptness.

“Sir, I come on behalf of the Chief Administrator of Changfeng Base to invite you to join the administration. He said that you may set your own terms for joining.” A man in a suit bowed politely to Ma Yi, his demeanor refined and scholarly.

“Sir, I am here representing Lord Xiang Tianxiao. We Executors offer excellent benefits as well—whatever others can offer, so can we.” This man was clearly a powerful Evolver, stronger than Captain Gu, and though casually dressed, he exuded a faint aura of menace.

The four, already on edge, gaped as the representatives of the three giants spoke. To kill and injure without consequence, to be offered any terms, to be placed on equal footing—was this still Changfeng Base? Was the power dynamic among the three giants about to shift? Was Ma Yi’s strength enough to make the authorities rewrite the rules?

Ignoring the three parties, Ma Yi continued eating with focus. This was his way—no matter the quality of the food, he would eat it, never wasting a single grain, always treasuring provisions.

Seeing that Ma Yi remained silent, the three groups also fell silent, quietly waiting. But the tension among them was palpable.

In a short while, Ma Yi finished his duck, then slowly looked up, his gaze sweeping across the three groups.

“Here’s what I propose: you all go back for now. When I’ve decided, I’ll contact you myself. The space here is small, so I won’t keep you.”

“Very well, sir, please rest well.”
“Sir, we’ll take our leave now.”
“Sir, we’ll withdraw.”

At his words, the three groups hurriedly withdrew. Although Ma Yi had said nothing before, the slightest display of his presence had them behaving obediently, not daring to utter a word.

“Wow, the three giants themselves! Isn’t this amazing?” Qian Ying’s eyes sparkled. The moment the three powerful third-tier Evolvers left, she became lively again.

“What are your thoughts? While I haven’t made up my mind, I’d like to hear your opinions,” Ma Yi said, looking at the four, who were visibly excited. He sighed inwardly. He knew he wouldn’t stay here long—he was going home. While he was still here, he wanted to help these four companions as best he could.

“I think joining the City Guard is best. It’s a bit more dangerous during wartime, but the benefits are excellent,” said Fatty Qian, the first to speak.

“I think administration isn’t bad either. The work is easier—managing personnel, distributing supplies—and the benefits are good,” said Qian Ying.

“Being an Executor is also a fine choice. The benefits are just as good, and as your rank rises, there’s a chance to be selected for Xiang Tianxiao’s Thunder Squad—the best team at the base. That would be incredible,” said Yu Chuan, his eyes full of yearning.

“I’ll go wherever you go,” Li Li said with a smile. Now, more than ever, she wanted to stay by Ma Yi’s side. The more she got to know him, the more she sensed his strength.

Ma Yi looked at Li Li and sighed silently. Since he’d promised to help her seek revenge, he would see it done before he left for home. As for what she wanted to do afterward, that would be her own choice. That was how he’d arrange things.

“Tomorrow, Qian Duoduo, you go join the City Guard and find Captain Gu. Qian Ying, you’ll go to administration. Yu Chuan, you’ll join the Executors. Just say that my only request is for you to be accepted. And pass on another message—I want to meet the three of them in person.” Ma Yi glanced at Li Li, patted his stomach, and stood up. Li Li hurried to stand behind him.

“What? Did I hear that right?” Fatty Qian pinched his chubby cheek. Had his lifelong ambition just been handed to him so easily?

“Wow, suddenly I think this old monster is actually kind of cool.”

“Li Li was right—he really is our lucky star.”

“Will they agree to meet you?” Li Li asked, a bit puzzled.

“Of course they’ll meet me. Not only will they meet me, but they’ll come together. If I met with one alone, the other two would grow suspicious.” Ma Yi paused, then continued, “My goal is simple: to find a way home. I’ll help you as much as I can—after all, meeting is fate.”

The next day, in a vast conference room, three men sat around a round table, the air thick with smoke. Behind each stood their respective secretaries or assistants.

“We all understand that, even if we have our own internal disputes, we must still consider the welfare of the base. Without it, none of us would have our current standing,” said the middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses, the highest-ranking official at Changfeng Base, the Chief Administrator.

“Ahem, Old Xu, you’re right. I’m not doing this just for City Defense—it’s all for the base. Bringing him in would strengthen our defenses,” said the man in a major’s uniform, taking a drag from his cigarette with a smile.

“You make it sound like I’m the only one with ulterior motives. I’m thinking of the base too. As the strength of our people increases, many are getting cocky. I’m in charge of resource scavenging, and without strong support, even the best teams don’t dare venture far. Since the beast and insect attacks last time, supplies are running low—you know that,” said the youngest of the three, and Changfeng Base’s most formidable warrior.

“Now that I’ve called you both here, it’s to discuss our approach. Should we try to capture him, or bring him into our leadership? If we try to capture him, do we have the strength to hold him? If we recruit him, how should we position him? Personally, I think it’s best to let him remain independent. I want to hear your thoughts, Old Lu, Little Xiang. We all know what’s at stake—the base comes first,” said the man with gold-rimmed glasses calmly.

“Report.” Before he’d finished, an orderly entered, bending to whisper in Old Xu’s ear.

The other two exchanged glances and waited for Old Xu to finish before continuing their discussion.

“I see. Let him come this afternoon. We’ll wait here. As for those other requests, the three of us will discuss them and reply to him directly,” Old Xu replied. The orderly saluted and left.

“The one called Ma Yi—the expert—sent three people to report to our three departments. He’s meticulous, a formidable character. Whether or not his strength matches ours, or even surpasses it, just his caution and intelligence mark him as exceptional. I think we can agree, and since he wants to meet us, we can observe his intentions—whether he’s trying to play all sides or maintain his independence,” Old Xu said, putting out his cigarette and looking at the other two.

“I agree,” Old Lu nodded, though his true thoughts remained hidden.

“I agree as well, but to be safe, we should be prepared. If this fellow doesn’t know what’s good for him, we can’t afford to be lenient,” said Xiang Tianxiao, flicking his ash with deliberate slowness.

“Alright, then send your best men. If it truly comes to that, here on our own turf, even a tiger must bow, even a dragon must coil,” Old Xu said, slapping the table.

Once again in Changfeng Base’s highest-level meeting room, the three men waited as an orderly brought in a youth who looked barely more than a child. Even though they’d been told, seeing him with their own eyes left them astonished.

Paying their surprise no mind, Ma Yi sat down unceremoniously across from them.

“I’ve come to say two things. First, I’m just passing through—I won’t be here long. I might even leave tomorrow. So you needn’t worry about any threat I pose. While I’m here, if anything happens, I’ll help however I can—after all, meeting is fate,” Ma Yi said coolly, glancing over the three. Their strength was unremarkable.

“Second, I need your help with something. My home is in P City, but I’ve lost my memory and forgotten much. I want you to find out where P City is. Once you’ve found out, I’ll leave, and you won’t have to worry about me interfering with your authority. As for the people I killed, with your influence, you can fabricate any reason you like. As for what the people below think, they don’t have the strength to do anything about it—at most, they’ll keep their grievances to themselves.”

The three exchanged glances. If not for the powerful aura radiating from Ma Yi, they would have considered him an insolent child—no courtesy, no introduction, issuing commands. But the energy he gave off shocked them—he truly was stronger than any of them.

“We can agree to your first request. Recruiting Evolvers is something every department does. But as for the second, we can only promise to look into it. Our base doesn’t have records of every city in the country. If we promise and then fail, it would mean going back on our word,” Old Xu replied.

“I understand. If you really can’t find it, just tell me where the next largest base is. I’ll go there and ask. I am determined to go home, so there’s no question of me refusing to leave if you can’t find it,” Ma Yi said, comprehending Old Xu’s concerns—that he might use this as an excuse to stay indefinitely, and that they might be reluctant to tell him if they couldn’t find the answer.

“Alright, no problem. We’ll do our best to meet your request.” Hearing this, Ma Yi nodded to the three, then got up and left without another word. The entire meeting had lasted less than ten minutes.

“Let’s see if we can find out where this P City is. With only a name, it’ll be hard to track down. The weather’s been gloomy lately—the first rain since the apocalypse has been a long time coming. Even if we get news, we’ll wait for better weather to tell him. If we can’t find it, we’ll stall for a few days,” said the major after Ma Yi had left. Having such a powerful ally, they certainly wanted to keep him around a few more days in case of emergencies.