Mr. Long obviously couldn't figure out the meaning of Li Feng's words. Was it a literal meaning or a metaphor for the relationship between the two partners
He looked at Li Feng: "What do you mean?"
"…Literally," Li Feng said, "Looking at the archives, it was common for humans to develop feelings for biochemical beings in the past."
Mr. Long said nothing.
Li Feng turned his head again and looked at a biochemical body: "Right?"
This biochemical being probably didn't expect that in such a seemingly peaceful but secretly tense situation, in addition to ensuring Li Feng's safety, he would also need to chat with Li Feng. He was silent for two seconds before answering, "Yes."
"I don't question this matter!" Mr. Long was a little unhappy.
"What do you question?" Li Feng asked.
"The reason why Colonel Xu ordered the third team to set out from Xima Town was because he didn't know that the northwest nest had been destroyed, so he thought that the movement from the nest would distract them..." Mr. Long was interrupted by Li Feng before he could finish his words.
"When she contacted me, she didn't tell me that she would let Team 3 go out," Li Feng said, "I hadn't reported the matter of the nest to you at that time. I couldn't reveal such important information before you knew about it."
"This also shows that Colonel Xu is inexperienced and overconfident," Colonel Yu said. "People in the command center need to consider intelligence and opinions from multiple parties. The role of the commander on the front line is very important."
"Captain Yang did express his opposition," Li Feng said sadly, "but his opinion was not adopted."
"No need to say more," Mr. Long sighed, "I understand what everyone means and what everyone thinks."
"Mr. Long," Li Feng did not intend to back down, "We all know that there must be a result today, otherwise someone will die when we leave this door."
The threat in this sentence has exceeded the upper limit of Li Feng's usual low-key behavior. He does not want any status, he just wants to use the group of people behind him who want status to gain power for himself.
These people, including Mr. Long, will probably never believe that what he wants is just something that is so simple that it is not worth mentioning in their eyes.
Whenever he realized this, he felt lonely.
"Then tell us, Team Leader Li," Mr. Long sighed, "what result do you want today?"
"Immediately remove Colonel Xu from her position as team leader, remove her command authority, and transfer her out of the action team. The general has always had a broad perspective. Even if Colonel Xu was recommended by him personally, I believe the general will make the right choice in the event of a major mistake," Li Feng said. "Colonel Yu should take over all of Colonel Xu's work. Colonel Yu and the action team will have command authority over all military activities outside the city."
"What about you?" Mr. Long asked.
"I am still my deputy team leader and will continue to promote cooperation with Donglin Town to expand Yuncheng's influence to the north," Li Feng said, "and report to you regularly on all relevant actions outside the city."
Mr. Long looked at him in silence for a long time, and finally picked up the phone on the table: "Please connect me to the general and transfer to the conference room."
The appointment and removal of Colonel Xu required discussion between Mr. Long and the general. When he stood up and went to the conference room to talk to the general, no one present stopped him.
Li Feng did not show any emotion either. He also needed the general. Once someone discovered that all the generals of previous generations had the same brain kept in a secret room, Yuncheng would immediately fall into chaos and would be able to self-destruct without any external enemies.
Mr. Long could also use the general's matter to threaten Li Feng and completely destroy his plan, but after all, they both have roughly the same goals and would not easily go to that step.
Pull and tug to maintain balance.
Mr. Long came out of the conference room with a somewhat grim look on his face, but he still turned on the projector and placed a letter of appointment and dismissal in front of everyone.
"The general and Mr. Long have the overall situation in mind, which is truly admirable," said Minister Liu.
"The two leaders of Yuncheng," Li Feng said, "must be magnanimous and strategic."
"Is this the manuscript that Li Feng gave you?" Mr. Long looked at Minister Liu unhappily. The Ministry of Emergency Affairs was the agency he trusted the most, but he did not expect to be the one targeted most thoroughly.
He should have seen that when Minister Liu was fully cooperating with Li Feng when he was creating the hero, he was still careless.
"Colonel Xu, please return to the Yuncheng base immediately. Colonel Yu, please start work as soon as possible," Mr. Long said. "The enemy situation in Xima Town is changing rapidly. We need someone to keep the direction at all times."
"Then..." Li Feng stood up, "Let's end this meeting. Thank you all for your efforts for Yuncheng, and thank you Mr. Long and the general for your correct decision."
Mr. Long gritted his teeth and refrained from cursing after Li Feng finished speaking.
"Come out." Qiu Shi saw several soldiers walking out of the company building, followed by the biochemical body and Li Feng who was walking quickly among these people.
He quickly sat up straight, looked down at his clothes, and finally wiped his mouth.
Xing Bi looked at him.
"Why?" Qiu Shi said, "I don't have the same mental quality as you."
Xing Bi also sat up straight, tugged at his clothes, and then wiped his mouth.
"Are you sick?" Qiu Shi smiled.
"Lock." Xing Bi said.
"What?" Qiu Shi didn't understand.
Li Feng walked to the side of the car and reached out to open the door when he suddenly reacted. But before he could unlock the door, Li Feng had already pulled on it.
Without opening the door, Li Feng knocked on the car window.
"Fuck." Qiu Shi cursed softly and opened the car door.
Li Feng got in the car.
"How is it?" Qiu Shi asked.
"It went smoothly." Li Feng looked back at the two of them. "Now we need to send the biochemical body to the laboratory for some psychological and physical function examinations and corrections. It will take about two hours."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Then..." Li Feng started the car, "Let's wait until this matter is over."
"And then what?" Qiu Shi said, "How many things do you have to deal with all day long? I find that anyone who comes into contact with you may not be able to sleep."
"I'll tell you in detail when we get to the lab," Li Feng said, "If everything goes well, you two can take the bio-body to Xima Town tomorrow."
"I'm just a corpse collector," Qiu Shi said, "Can Team Leader Li have a correct understanding of me?"
"Really?" Li Feng said, "Do you still believe this? The corpse collector."
Qiu Shi pinched his brows and looked out the window. His good mood was almost ruined by Li Feng's few words. Although he knew he couldn't get rid of this person, he still held out a glimmer of hope.
If Li Feng really said one day, let's go back to the bunker and do nothing, he would definitely not be able to accept such an outcome.
People are really contradictory. On the one hand, they resist being dragged into this life-and-death war, and on the other hand, they also resist staying out of it and watching everything come to an end.
Back at the laboratory, Director Wu looked a little listless. I wonder if he hasn't recovered from being forced to activate twenty biological entities whose controllability had never been proven at all at once.
"Only psychological tests and physical function corrections are done," Li Feng said. "Don't do any control operations. They must be completely independent individuals."
"I require Xing to be present," Director Wu said, "to ensure my safety."
Li Feng glanced at Xing Bi.
"Okay." Xing Bi said.
After Xing Bi and Director Wu entered the laboratory at the end of the corridor, Qiu Shi sat on a chair and leaned back, "Now, Team Leader Li."
"Deputy." Li Feng leaned against the table opposite him.
"The coup was successful, and you are still the deputy team leader?" Qiu Shi said, "I have wondered if you will be the head of Yuncheng Mining when you come out."
"How is that possible?" Li Feng smiled. "I'm not interested in these. They're very tiring."
"It's also easy to be plotted against by a certain director," said Qiu Shi.
"Yeah." Li Feng nodded.
"Tell me," Qiu Shi said, "what else is going on? What trap have you set for Xing Bi?"
"It's not Xing Bi," Li Feng said, "it's you."
"I'm not even a human being anymore," Qiu Shi said, "How are you going to trick me?"
"Someone from Donglin wants to see you," Li Feng said, "We are at a critical stage now, so..."
He looked at Qiu Shi and frowned: "It depends on whether you are willing or not."
"Donglin?" Qiu Shi was stunned for a moment, then slowly sat up straight. After a long while, he asked, "Is Qiu Yu not dead?"
"Yeah." Li Feng responded.
"How could he still be alive?" Qiu Shi stood up suddenly. "Xing Bi's kick shattered all his internal organs. He... Shit, has he been strengthened? No, has he been transformed?"
Li Feng sighed: "I think everything except his head is not his own anymore."
"Fuck it..." Qiu Shi was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment, "Who decided? He's already dead, who decided to let him continue to live? Living in such a perverted way?"
"He himself." Li Feng said.
Qiu Shi looked at him and remained silent.
He could no longer remember clearly what Qiu Yu had said to him before, and he tried hard to forget all the memories related to the pain of being stabbed by his own brother.
But he could still remember Qiu Yu's resentment when he told him that he was not expected by others.
With this in mind, it doesn’t seem surprising that Qiu Yu chose to strengthen and then completely transform.
In this crazy doomsday world, there are always people who live crazier than this world.
"Why does he want to see me?" Qiu Shi said, "To kill me again."
"There are still quite a few black-blooded people from Xima Town," Li Feng said, "wandering in the south. They and Qiu Yu... that is, you, belong to the same group..."
Li Feng seemed to be thinking, trying to find a suitable name.
"Just call them fellow tribesmen. The old man and they all call them that." said Qiu Shi.
"The Black Bloods are also of the same race, but they are two different species from those who did not choose the Fungus faith..." Li Feng sighed, finding it difficult to define these names, "Branch, the Black Bloods should think that you are their true leader."
Qiu Shi finally understood what Qiu Yu wanted to do. He frowned and said, "I can't possibly cooperate with him. I don't want to create another god like my parents did. Whether it's me or Qiu Yu, he has already died once. All he sees is this little bit of power and recognition. I feel so bad for him. Doesn't this count as a wasted death?"
Li Feng laughed: "I chose you to be Xing Bi's partner because I saw your magnanimity."
"Stop talking nonsense," Qiu Shi said, "At that time, I just wanted to collect the bodies in the outer city. You have been cheating me. Now you are trying to make amends. I don't care about these empty words."
"Really," Li Feng said, "The old director is very good at judging people, and I am not bad at judging people either."
"Finally, I have to go back and praise myself," Qiu Shi sat back in his chair, "Does the cooperation between Donglin and Yuncheng still depend on Qiu Yu's attitude?"
"That's not the case," Li Feng said, "but Qiu Yu can indeed be considered a symbol, the leader of the immune humans. For the symbiotes that can easily turn humans into puppets of the infected, they are very important combat forces. In order to win over all the people who can be won over, some appropriate compromises and concessions are inevitable." "You didn't discuss this with me, right?" Qiu Shi asked, "The choices you gave me were always single items."
"I didn't give you a choice this time," Li Feng said, "I'm trying to persuade you to meet Qiu Yu and cooperate with him. They have quite a few people and are more defensively superior to our soldiers."
"Let Director Wu come up with a long-acting inhibitor as soon as possible," Qiu Shi said, "so that he doesn't have to worry about biochemical bodies anymore. He should have more time to do real work."
Li Feng smiled and said, "I'm forcing you."
"So what you mean now is that I have to go to Donglin again?" Qiu Shi was a little annoyed.
"The safe passage between Yuncheng and Donglin has been initially built," Li Feng said, "They are now at the edge of the woodland northeast of Yuncheng, where they have their camp."
"Fuck." Qiu Shi was stunned.
"Xing Bi is done with his work, and your meeting is almost over, then you two," Li Feng cleared his throat, "can go back to the dormitory to rest, and then lead people back to Xima Town tomorrow."
Qiu Shi looked at him for a long time before asking, "Did you install surveillance cameras in your car?"
"What did you do in my car?" Li Feng was also a little surprised.
"I did nothing!" said Qiu Shi.
"I didn't say what you did." Li Feng said.
"You'd better mean this," said Qiu Shi.
Li Feng's efficiency was still very high. During the battle of Xima Town, his negotiations with Donglin went smoothly. Both sides sent personnel, and all the dangers and obstacles between Donglin and Yuncheng had been cleared, and a safe passage had been established. Both sides had troops stationed in each other's territory.
Going out of the woods east of Yuncheng and driving north for another half an hour, you can see the base of Donglin Town, where part of the camp is still under construction.
Qiu Shi followed Li Feng into a barracks guarded by a circle of guards.
The simple furnishings make it look like a command post, with a map, a conference table, and some instruments.
There were also a few people standing at the table.
"We have all met before," Li Feng said, "so there is no need for introductions."
Mayor Luo, Chen Dang, and another man.
"Long time no see." A man walked around the table, came in front of Qiu Shi and extended his hand.
To be honest, these four words are not good words for Qiu Shi. The memory of each word is filled with pain and anger.
And when these four words came out of the mouth of Qiu Yu in front of him, there was a different kind of... unpleasantness.
Qiu Shi didn't take his hand out of his pocket, but just looked at Qiu Yu.
Apart from this face, there is indeed nothing left of Qiu Yu's original body. Perhaps because he was too dissatisfied with his previously weak body, Qiu Yu chose a very... tall and strong body.
Including the head, he is almost ten centimeters taller than Qiu Shi.
The whole person looks a little uncoordinated.
"Brother." Qiu Yu still stretched out his hand.
"No," Qiu Shi pushed his hand aside, "Stay away from me, or I won't be able to see clearly whether there is a knife in your hand or not."
Qiu Yu smiled and said, "If I really want to kill you right now, there's no need to be so close."
"Really? You're pretty confident." Qiu Shi glanced at him, "Then kill one."
Qiu Yu looked at him without saying anything.
"Oh, that's right, we can't kill him," Qiu Shi walked to the table and sat down. "I have to tell you about this. It was a mistake not to replace the brain."
The meeting started so unfriendly that Mayor Luo on the other side felt a little embarrassed.
However, Li Feng didn't seem to care and sat down next to Qiu Shi: "Let's get started, everyone. Qiu Shi is still needed to go to the south, and time is running out."
Mayor Luo sat down opposite them, looked at Qiu Yu, then turned to look at Qiu Shi: "Qiu Shi, Director Li should have told you the purpose of this meeting, right?"
"Well," Qiu Shi responded, "so just say it directly."
"I need to send an invitation to those fungus believers in your name," Qiu Yu said, "ask them to join the team of immune humans and fight against the symbionts together."
"My name?" Qiu Shi supported his forehead, "They don't need my permission at all. I don't even know those people."
"It's different," Qiu Yu said, "your consent is what the middleman needs."
"Middleman?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Deng Yeye and her team." Qiu Yu said.
Deng Yeye is in the same group with the Black Blood Man. I have heard about this from the old man, but I didn’t know that she has a small team... I wonder if Li Datou is in this team.
Probably not. If Li Datou was in this team, this team would have been destroyed long ago.
"Then I will talk to Deng Yeye directly." said Qiu Shi.
"She only has a single line of contact with Donglin," Qiu Yu said, "I don't think you can find her."
Qiu Shi sighed.
"I need a token of yours." Qiu Yu said.
"A token? Are you fucking acting?" Qiu Shi said, "I'll find you a corpse, a token for the corpse collector."
Qiu Yu didn't say anything.
Qiu Shi glanced at Li Feng. This official had remained silent and had not told him in advance whether the conversation had any general direction. Now that Li Feng did not express his opinion, he could only continue to speak freely.
"Let's talk about whether it's a token or not," Qiu Shi said, "How are you going to cooperate with these people? You brought them here in my name, and then what?"
"They will be mixed into the current immune human team," Qiu Yu said, "They will not be treated differently, and their beliefs will not be interfered with as long as they do not affect others. Our common target is those symbiotes."
"Are you the leader?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Yes," Mayor Luo said, "Chen Dang will assist him in management."
"Their management is limited to the period of this war. Once it ends, their freedom cannot be restricted anymore," Qiu said. "Whether they want to stay or leave is up to them. If you don't want them to stay, you need to have a clear resettlement plan. After all, if they come here, they will have to give up their current lives."
"All of these will be done," said Qiu Yu.
"Write it down," Qiu Shi said. "Words are useless. Give me a fucking token of yours."
The token of trust Qiu gave him was a knife.
Qiu Shi looked at him and held back his anger so as not to throw the knife back at his face.
This is the knife that Qiu Yu used to kill him last time.
“This is a knife that I’ve had with me for more than 20 years,” Qiu said. “No matter what I do with it, it really represents me.”
Qiu Shi frowned.
"What about yours?" Qiu Yu asked.
I fucking don't.
Only then did Qiu Shi realize that he had nothing with him that had always been with him. When the old man brought him to Yuncheng, he had nothing but the clothes on his body, not even a belt.
Thinking of the belt... Qiu Shi took off the scarf from his neck and threw it on the table.
"New?" Qiu Yu took a look.
"You're really fucking trying. How can I use the same scarf for more than 20 years?" Qiu Shi stood up, pulled out a dagger from his boot, cut his hand, and then pressed a blood mark on the scarf, "Is that all?"
"Thank you, brother," Qiu Yu said, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
Qiu Shi didn't say anything, he stood up, turned around and walked out of the barracks.
"How is it?" On the way back to the laboratory, Li Feng handed him a piece of hemostatic gauze.
"What do you mean?" Qiu Shi held the gauze in his hand and pressed it against the wound. "If you don't tell me anything, I'll just let it go."
"I just want you to handle it," Li Feng said, "What do you think?"
"I'll go back to the bunker to rest at night," said Qiu Shi.
"Hmm?" Li Feng turned and looked at him.
"If Deng Yeye is really the middleman, she will probably come to me after getting the scarf," Qiu Shi said. "If I stay in the inner city, she may not be able to get in because of the current defenses."
"Why did she come to you?" Li Feng asked.
"Such fresh blood," Qiu Shi said, "Who knows if Qiu Yugang killed me and took it from my neck."
Li Feng laughed: "Your mind works very quickly."
"Yuncheng also needs these people. We don't know how long it will take for Director Wu's inhibitor to be successful. Even if it is successful, what if the supply is cut off for some reason?" Qiu Shi said, "Qiu Yu over there is unreliable. These people are all in his hands. It's not a good thing."
"Are you going to go back on your word?" Li Feng asked.
"I just want to hear what Deng Yeye has to say." said Qiu Shi.
When we returned to the laboratory, Director Wu had already finished inspecting and repairing the biochemical bodies. Everything was normal and there were no problems.
Xing Bi was sitting on a chair in the laboratory. When he heard Qiu Shi and Li Feng come in, he stood up and asked, "How did you get hurt?"
"You know all this?" Qiu Shi was a little surprised.
"I smell it." Xing Bi's eyes fell on his left hand, and then looked at Li Feng.
"It has nothing to do with me," Li Feng said immediately, "He cut it himself."
Qiu Shi sighed and briefly told Xing Bi what happened just now: "If Deng Ye Ye comes to see me, I can ask about it."
"Qiu Shi," Xing Bi whispered, "Do you know what this means?"
"What does it mean?" Qiu Shi looked at him. "Am I involved in these things?"
"Maybe." Xing Bi said.
"I thought about that," Qiu Shi said, "but it seems... there is no other choice."
"As long as you have a goal, all choices will be directed towards that goal," said Xing Bi.
"What should I do?" Qiu Shi suddenly felt confused.
"What should we do?" Xing Bi asked, "You make the choice, I'll take care of the rest."
"Wow," Qiu Shi laughed, "this ancestor is so arrogant."
The author has something to say:
To be continued tomorrow.
Ah, I have to go out for dinner with my relatives soon, I'll fix any typos and bugs when I get back, okay!