CHAPTER 135: CHAPTER 130: CONFLICT! HIDDEN DANGER IN THE SHADOWS

The source of the voice was a bald-headed man with a rather striking appearance.

The bald man wore a white tank top and brown, coarse shorts. He was powerfully built, giving him a tall and mighty presence. His thick, black eyebrows sat low on his forehead. When he spoke, his mouth stretched wide. A long scar cut diagonally across his cheek, adding a touch of savagery to his already menacing face.

Of course, these physical features weren’t the main reason for Chen Pingchuan’s astonishment. What truly made his pupils constrict was the man’s left arm.

It was a silver prosthesis made entirely of metal, seamlessly integrated with his flesh. Under the sunlight, it reflected a cold, dazzling glow, bringing to mind the futuristic technology from the movies of his past life.

This was the first time he had seen a modified human body up close. The sudden surge of curiosity and shock was written all over his face.

Several burly men with equally fierce expressions followed the bald man, striding menacingly toward the front of the convoy.

As the convoy’s leader, Nightingale arched an eyebrow. A hint of undisguisable disgust flickered in her eyes; she despised the man’s demeanor.

The thought of having to deal with him for days on this mission was unpleasant, but she had no choice but to conceal her displeasure.

When the bald man was several meters away, she said coolly, "Li Laoqi, we aren’t familiar, so don’t try to get chummy. Cut the nonsense. I’ve brought the six high school students, and you should have already received the notice about them."

"From this moment, you are officially in charge of their internship. We’ll be back in three days to collect the energy crystals, and we’ll return in half a month to pick them up. You will keep them safe. If anything happens to them, neither of us can bear the consequences."

With a grave expression and an unwavering gaze, Nightingale stared at the leering bald man, awaiting his response.

"Of course, if you have any requests, you can make them now. It would be best to list them out. I’ll discuss them with my superiors when I get back."

Hearing this, the bald Li Laoqi sneered and immediately refuted her words.

"Since Captain Nightingale says we’re not familiar, then so be it. And if we’re not familiar, there are ways to handle that. First, I’ll take these kids, but I won’t guarantee their safety. I’m not their mother or father; it’s not my job to babysit them. If you don’t like it, you can take them right back where you came from."

After speaking, he continued his mockery, his tone dripping with disdain. "As for making requests? I’ve made them before—plenty of times. How many of them got approved? Captain Nightingale, you’re a high and mighty fairy. You wouldn’t know the suffering of us grunts down here. So I suggest you cut the pleasantries and do something useful for a change."

Li Laoqi’s words not only made Nightingale’s frown deepen but also prompted Wang Yujie to step forward from behind her.

The big man’s face flushed red, and he clenched his fists, staring daggers at Li Laoqi as he bellowed, "You damn bald bastard, who do you think you’re talking to? Is it our captain’s fault your requests weren’t approved?"

"If you’ve got the balls, go take it up with the noble lords! Don’t stand here whining to us like some woman!"

Wang Yujie’s words clearly hit a nerve. Li Laoqi’s already dark face flushed a deep crimson.

The underlings standing behind him naturally couldn’t stand their boss being insulted and began to hurl curses of their own.

"Big Beard, what kind of dogshit are you spouting? You’re just a—"

"Why don’t you shave that ugly beard before you open your mouth? If you’re broke, just do a little dance for us. We’ll spot you the cash."

"Don’t! I might puke up what I ate yesterday."

"If you do, you can just feed it to him!"

"Right, getting a free meal, eh?"

"HAHAHA..."

Li Laoqi’s men were nowhere near as disciplined as Nightingale’s squad. The stream of profanity made even Chen Pingchuan’s stomach churn with revulsion. He felt disgusted and sickened by their degrading insults.

Wang Yujie had been here several times before but had never faced this kind of situation. Unable to tolerate the humiliation, he drew the pistol holstered on his combat suit and aimed it at the men behind the bald leader.

Seeing his move, the other members of Nightingale’s combat team angrily raised the guns slung at their waists.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

A series of metallic clicks echoed as they flipped off their safeties.

Not to be outdone, Li Laoqi’s thugs also raised their own somewhat dated-looking firearms. The two groups were now locked in a tense standoff.

Time seemed to freeze. A heavy, murderous aura filled the air.

At this, the smile vanished from Li Laoqi’s face. He turned to Nightingale, his voice low and raspy. "What’s this? Is Captain Nightingale here to stir up trouble? I, Li Laoqi, don’t recall ever offending you. Every time you’ve come, I’ve supplied you with food and drink."

"And for the past year, even if I have no great merits to my name, I’ve certainly put in the hard work! If it weren’t for me and my brothers guarding this mine for the City of No Night, do you think those noble lords in the Inner City District could live their comfortable lives in this apocalypse?"

"Go on, boys, lower your guns," Li Laoqi sneered. "Let them shoot. I’d love to see how they manage this mine without us. You know that rabble isn’t so easy to control."

Nightingale’s frown deepened, her eyebrows nearly knitting together. She knew the bald man wasn’t lying. This band of unruly, thuggish men were not native residents of the City of No Night. Most were thugs hired on a temporary basis by the nobles of the Inner City District, officially tasked with maintaining security at the mine. "Security maintenance" was the nice way to put it. In reality, they handled all the dirty work. They captured wanderers and forced them to toil in the mines, giving them no pay—only a single meal a day—treating them as the cheapest form of labor. They were even guilty of secretly abducting women. And Nightingale had to pretend she didn’t see any of it. Just as the bald man said, killing them would be easy. But what then? Who would do this dirty, exhausting work? In this cruel world, maintaining a veneer of civility sometimes required making compromises in the shadows. And so, against her better judgment, she made the compromise she believed was necessary.

"Alright, everyone, lower your weapons."

"But, Captain, they—" Wang Yujie started to protest, his voice full of indignation, but Nightingale cut him off sharply.

"I said, lower your weapons. Are you disobeying my order?"

With a series of crisp clicks, the team members engaged their safeties and holstered their weapons.

Though resentful, Wang Yujie ground his teeth and obeyed. He knew that as their captain, Nightingale’s decision must have been made with the bigger picture in mind.

Seeing them back down, a satisfied smile returned to Li Laoqi’s face. It was a smile laced with smugness and mockery. He glanced sideways at Wang Yujie and taunted, "Well, look at that. Big Beard is quite obedient, isn’t he? Captain Nightingale sure knows how to train her people, unlike a brute like me. Oh, and by the way, seeing that long face of yours, I think I’ll tell you a joke."