CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 318: DIVERGENT SUGGESTIONS

Lu Xi’an momentarily didn’t know how to smooth things over. Yao Wei glanced at Lu Xi’an but said nothing; she was even less adept at handling such situations.

Lu Xi’an was about to say, "Don’t worry about it, just listen to me," but didn’t expect Luo Ping to have already guessed:

"It’s that Northern County in Jiangnan City, right, big brother and sister?"

Damn, this guy guessed it right off the bat!

Lu Xi’an swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Luo Ping suddenly sighed and added, "Big brother, big sister, the enemies in Northern County must be really formidable, right? To the point that you find it hard to resolve peacefully.

"Big brother, you specifically mentioned earlier how the people in Northern County have eaten the Fungus Stone and even the corpses of those who’ve ingested the Fungus Stone to enhance their strength, incredibly strong, and they can also mark others.

"You guys... have been infected, right? The people of Northern County have already locked onto you, so you’re afraid you won’t be able to escape, that’s why you’re hurriedly telling us all this, so we can be careful."

Lu Xi’an said, "It’s not exactly that we can’t escape; we’re planning to go overseas. Once we’re abroad, I don’t believe those people from Northern County can still catch up.

"But if we go overseas, we won’t be able to take the RV with us. We’ll have to find a place to hide it first. By then, we won’t be able to communicate with you, and these things can’t be discussed with you in advance."

"Going overseas..."

Luo Ping pondered slightly and said, "Going overseas... isn’t necessarily a good choice, right? I’ve been to the seaside and seen the ocean.

"The vast sea seems endless, and we don’t have a good boat like a car. If we’re at sea and the boat capsizes or we’re out of supplies, unable to find land, that would be a disaster."

Lu Xi’an chuckled and berated, "Damn it, can’t you stop jinxing us like that!"

Luo Ping laughed with a "hey," and said, "Big brother, big sister, I’m not jinxing you. I’m analyzing the real situation for you.

"You’ve always been pretty smart, how come you’re not thinking as clearly as I am now?"

He paused here, as if organizing his thoughts. Once sorted, he continued, "Big brother, you’ve already told me about the situation in Northern County, and I understand.

"Basically, there are eleven of them, right? Two have eaten the Fungus Stone, and nine have eaten flesh, so they’re pretty strong, right?"

"Yes."

Lu Xi’an replied.

Luo Ping continued, "But we’re not weak either. Big brother, big sister, you’ve been training according to the booklet, don’t you know your own strength has increased?"

"..."

Lu Xi’an was slightly silent and said, "I know."

Luo Ping said, "So, big brother, the B-type Neo-human abilities you just mentioned, I’m sure Liu Hua can achieve them as well.

"And the number of animals Liu Hua can control should even surpass his now.

"So from Liu Hua’s perspective, despite them having Fungus Stone and human flesh, we’ve been training through the booklet all this while, and our strength compared to theirs definitely isn’t inferior.

"And plus, with both of you, we also have eleven people."

Lu Xi’an was slightly startled, and turned to look at Yao Wei, noticing a hint of surprise on her face as well.

— They really had been away from the Institute 923 for a while now.

Back when they were at the 923 Base, they had witnessed the Neo-Humans there and their rapid advancements.

Now that they had left the 923 Base for some time, even if they had met up with Luo Ping and the others later, they hadn’t seen them in action and couldn’t ascertain their strength; it was understandable.

"You’re not lying to me, are you?"

Lu Xi’an asked.

Luo Ping immediately said with grievance, "How could you say that, big brother?! Why would I lie to you?! If you don’t believe me, ask Liu Hua."

It seemed Liu Hua was also in the room, and his voice sounded immediately: "Mr. Luo is right, big brother.

"I can now also help several people at once to enhance their power, controlling ant swarms, those two wolves, and that group of chickens. I’m not weaker than the person you’re talking about.

"Also, what you said about controlling animals over long distances with insects, I should also be able to do it. As long as the right insects are found, it can be done. It has nothing to do with strength."

Lu Xi’an remained silent.

Luo Ping continued, "Moreover, big brother, you’ve overlooked one point—according to what you just said, the people from Northern County are very expansionist.

"In Jiangnan City, they’ve already taken three counties as their subordinates, and later they headed north to Jiangbei City to cause trouble.

"If it weren’t for Xuan Xiaocao, they might have already occupied quite a bit of Jiangbei’s territory.

"Their dependency on Fungus Stone and Neo-Human flesh drives them to constantly search for trouble and pillage.

"Now that Xuan Xiaocao is gone, they have no one in the north to block their way, and someday they’ll surely come killing.

"When that time comes, we will definitely face them head-on."

Lu Xi’an had to admit, there was indeed some truth to what Luo Ping was saying.

From the actions of those people from Northern County, it was clear how desperate they were for Fungus Stone and Neo-Human flesh.

Whether it’s the Fungus Stone or the Neo-Humans, for the people of Northern County, they’re both important tools to enhance their power, as well as consumables.

To the south is Jiangnan County, which should also be strong, like Xuan Xiaocao, blocking the path of the Northern County people heading south.

To the north was Xuan Xiaocao, but now Xuan Xiaocao is dead. Once the people of Northern County learn this news, the likelihood of them moving north will definitely not be small.

The people of Northern County have a Resonant Gene Scanner, and it’s only a matter of time before they encounter Luo Ping and others.

"So, sooner or later there will be a battle, we might as well meet them head-on early."

Luo Ping’s voice continued to come from the car’s sound system, "In this way, firstly, we can catch them off guard, and secondly, we can also borrow some of your strength, big brother and big sister.

"After all, they still have two who have consumed the Fungus Stone, which might make them stronger than us. Big brother and big sister, you are stronger than us. Without you, it would be difficult for us to face those people on our own.

"Big brother and big sister, we cannot do without you!"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm."

Liu Hua and Tang Er’s voices also emerged from the speaker system. Thankfully, Shu and Chai Xin weren’t around at this moment; otherwise, who knows how much more echoed agreement and noise there would be.

Lu Xi’an sighed, but his heart felt warm. After sighing, he laughed and shook his head, saying:

"If you want to bring people to help me, just say so directly. Why find all these roundabout reasons?"

Luo Ping laughed: "Big brother and big sister, I truly do want to help you, but these words are not false either. Don’t you think so?

"What if you go out to sea and they attack us, how would we defend ourselves? They have a Resonant Gene Scanner; even if we hide in the base, they might still find us.

"After all the effort we put into constructing the base to this level, and also getting things going in the Shanyang County town, how could we give up so easily now?

"At such a crucial moment for survival, besides facing the danger directly, we have no other choice.

"Big brother and big sister, come back. Come to the base, so we can regroup and wait together for the people from Northern County to come knocking.

"I don’t believe it; they have about ten people, and we also have about ten people. Can’t we beat them?"

Lu Xi’an looked at Yao Wei to seek her opinion. He had to admit, Luo Ping really hit the nail on the head with his words, and also addressed issues he had overlooked.

It turns out, unknowingly, Luo Ping and his people had developed to this point. Their power had increased significantly, no longer just relying on themselves.

Now he, too, could rely on them for a change.

Seeing Yao Wei nod, he ceased his hesitations and said: "Have you thought this through? If you go with me, the marking will also be transferred to you.

"If we can’t defeat the people from Northern County, none of us will escape death."

Luo Ping said without hesitation, "No problem, big brother, this is the reality we face. If we can’t overcome this challenge, we’ll be finished sooner or later as well. So let’s face it head-on."

Lu Xi’an took a deep breath and said, "Then go and discuss it with the others, if everyone agrees, have them come here to me.

"As for the 923 Base, I won’t head there.

"I am downstream of the Guanhai River. There is someone here, like you, also a B-type Neo-Human, who built a village to shelter regular people, and they are doing quite well.

"This person is also marked. We’ll wait for them here from Northern County. If we can’t beat them, at least there will be some survivors left at the base.

"Hmm... so let Shu and Chai Xin stay at the base."

Luo Ping exclaimed in surprise, "There’s someone like me here?! Well, I must go have a good look."

Lu Xi’an said, "Since we’ve decided, let’s come here. We are waiting for you. Thanks."

Luo Ping laughed twice and said, "What are you joking about, big brother and big sister? You’ve helped us so much; without you, we wouldn’t have accomplished what we have now.

"We are more than willing to fight side by side with you, you don’t need to thank us."

Liu Hua and Tang Er also said, "Yes, big brother and big sister, we are all family, if we don’t work together, who can we rely on?"

Lu Xi’an laughed and said to Liu Hua and Tang Er, "Looks like everyone has been attending classes diligently at the base; you all have learned quite a bit, even your way of speaking has changed."

Liu Hua and Tang Er laughed sheepishly through the car’s sound system.

Lu Xi’an then explained to Luo Ping and the others the specific route to get over to his location.

Afterward, Luo Ping asked if there was anything else they needed to be instructed on.

Lu Xi’an replied, "No specific instructions. But I do have a question; I’m quite curious—Luo Ping, where did you get your name, and who taught you to recognize these characters?"

Luo Ping answered, "My teacher, of course. My teacher, Luo Zheng, gave me this name and taught me to recognize quite a few words."

Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei both showed a reaction.

Luo Zheng, this name, also seemed quite out of place in this world.

Lu Xi’an further asked, "What kind of person is your teacher?"

"I..."

Just as Luo Ping was about to answer, the sound in the speaker suddenly turned into a "rustling" noise.

Lu Xi’an gritted his teeth, tempted to curse.