Yu Xiaozhe was momentarily stunned, then nodded and said:
"So if we ascertain that Song Que is under house arrest at the First Fortress, we arrange a rescue?"
"Yes. Akasi, Tang Suoye, and Yuanyu, you three are in charge of the rescue operation," said Li Xiaoyu.
"The plan is good, but what if it's the second scenario? What if Song Que is in the Evolution Zone?" Akasi asked.
The trio responsible for the rescue were among the most abnormal beings in humanity, each originally an ultimate humanoid weapon from the Evolution Zone.
They tended to plan for the worst-case scenario.
Li Xiaoyu did not overlook this:
"The second possibility is actually higher, so to avoid wasting time and falling too far behind, you will lead Yuanyu and Tang Suoye to Lincoln Fortress to investigate first."
"But what if Song Que is still at the First Fortress?" Yu Xiaozhe said.
As soon as he asked this question, he felt stupid.
Li Xiaoyu explained anyway.
"If Song Que is still with the Song Family, he is at least not in too much danger.
We can completely wait for Akasi and the others to return, but if Song Que is in the Evolution Zone, he could face having his memory erased, being brainwashed, or having the ore field biological serum implanted at any time."
Everyone nodded.
"What about me and Dong Ran?" Qiao Shanshan asked.
Li Xiaoyu frowned:
"What do you and Dong Ran mean?"
"Everyone has something to do, and I also want to help him," Qiao Shanshan said.
Li Xiaoyu shook her head and said:
"In such a situation, the best you, Dong Ran, and I could do if we really wanted to be useful would be not to make things more chaotic."
Qiao Shanshan stiffened. Dong Ran stiffened too.
She was one of the earliest team members, yet she could not participate in these operations at all.
Li Xiaoyu's words seemed a bit too blunt.
But such is life, and Li Xiaoyu did not fret over such issues.
In fact, during the initial clean-up of Baichuan City, the city had been abandoned for too long, and the proliferation of fungi led to diseases among the residents of Baichuan.
Moreover, people living at the bottom of the sinkholes had also contracted chronic diseases due to the perennially stinky environment.
But because of Qiao Shanshan's presence, Li Xiaoyu was not overly worried about these matters.
As captain, she had much to do, including placing the right people in the right positions.
Qiao Shanshan was ultimately rational. She really wanted to be useful in rescuing Song Que but also acknowledged what Li Xiaoyu had said.
Nodding her head, Qiao Shanshan calmed down. She was a respectable healer in the mining area, but in the Pyramid, she would just be a burden. She said:
"Miss Second, the Evolution Zone is very dangerous. I know Akasi and Tang Suoye are strong, and Yuanyu is impressive too, but should we take Qing JiuYu with us? With her help, even if we encounter an enemy from the Evolution Zone, we could easily..."
Before Qiao Shanshan could finish, Li Xiaoyu shook her head.
"I've considered this plan, but it's not feasible."
"Why?"
"Tang Xian never took Qing JiuYu to the Pyramid. I can't take that risk. And Baichuan City is not absolutely safe either. Without weapons, if we dispatch Akasi and the others, we should keep a powerful creature like Qing JiuYu to protect Baichuan City."
Li Xiaoyu's words once again convinced everyone.
"What about Xiao Jiu?"
"In the Pyramid, those being hunted aren't just Tang Xian, but also Xiao Jiu, who stood in front of the trial knights and protected Tang Xian. Her face has also been exposed. In a large fortress like Lincoln Fortress, there are not a few warrants for her arrest.
Moreover, Xiao Jiu is not even seven years old. She may be sensible, but she is still a child at heart. It's uncertain whether she might cause trouble.
I am not Tang Xian; I can't control some more aggressive methods as he can."
Li Xiaoyu added seriously:
"So Akasi, you guys need to be careful; the mission is to rescue, but prioritizing your own safety is always paramount. Don't do foolish things when you know it's not feasible." Read latest chapters at Freewebnovel
"Even if that person is Song Que?" Yu Xiaozhe asked.
"Even if that person is Song Que, me, or anyone of you," Li Xiaoyu said tonelessly.
Yu Xiaozhe nodded and did not feel that the arrangement or the concept was inappropriate in any way:
"Although Tang Xian is not here, fortunately, we have you."
...
...
There were many details in the process of rescuing Song Que.
Not until the evening, after Li Xiaoyu had gone over the process once more and confirmed the supply and the routine contact methods to the mining area, did she allow everyone to set off.
Heading to Lincoln Fortress was no easy task.
It all depended on Yu Xiaozhe and Lin Sen to help by using trade as a way to open a gap for Akasi and others. It took several layers of processes.
Finally, they managed to grant Akasi and his group an official entry into Lincoln Fortress.
All of this took place at the Sanctuary Fortress.
To match this, Akasi and Yuan Wu's hair had been dyed black.
Tang Suoye donned large light-blocking glasses. The poor little girl could no longer speak; now, she had to pretend to be blind.
After sending Akasi and the other superhumans to Lincoln Fortress through official channels, Yu Xiaozhe began to contact Bu Jing.
Since Tang Xian had taken out the Evolution Zone branch in the second fortress, Bu Jing had also taken on some missions after that.
They were all very simple missions.
For example, it was suspected that a certain fortress was reselling war equipment from the Pyramid to remote fortresses.
Bu Jing helped the people from the thirty-ninth fortress bust the hideouts and the like.
Although these missions were dangerous, they didn't pose much of a challenge for Bu Jing.
The well-performing Bu Jing did not get reused.
The only promotion in the past half-year came after Tang Xian, along with Akasi and Tang Suoye, went to the fifty-first fortress, and then Li Xiaoyu promoted Bu Jing.
Beyond that, no matter how flawlessly Bu Jing completed his missions or how much intelligence he gathered, even if his actual value as a spy surpassed that of his colleagues, he never received a promotion.
Because Bu Jing was Li Xiaoyu's man.
Li Wanye was open-minded in his employment, at least that's how it appeared to others.
But only those on the periphery of the Li family understood how difficult it truly was to catch the strongest lord's eye and infiltrate the inner circle of the Li family.
Especially for those... with less than exceptional talent.
The biggest reliance was on the second daughter, but since she had not appeared for a long time, Bu Jing knew he could not rise further.
And as someone who knew some of the Li family's secrets, a spy once used by the Li family, he had no other career paths to choose from.
But the mental fortitude of a spy is to endure loneliness.
During this period, Bu Jing still kept up with conversations in various circles every day.
One second, people were discussing whether meat-filled mooncakes or lotus seed paste mooncakes were better for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The next second, he switched to a silly group chat, talking with someone about how Milk Tea Zhou's new song "Said We Wouldn't Laugh" featured a male lead in the MV who looked just like the Masked Rider from Sky Guardian Fortress.
Bu Jing made sure he was not left behind and kept up with his physical training every day.
A true hermit master spy is wise, indifferent, and knows how to live.
Bu Jing's secret to well-being was to eat polygonum multiflorum, goji berries, and walnuts every day.
So, even though he was nearly twenty-eight years old, his hair had not fallen out, and he still didn't have a girlfriend, he was optimistic and healthy, just like an online writer.
Overall, Bu Jing coped rather well with life's various challenges.
He just lacked a bit of passion.
It was not until Yu Xiaozhe called with the secret code that Bu Jing slowly came back to his senses.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
"Did the second daughter send you to find me?"
"Yes, this task could be a big risk for you. But after it's over, the second daughter will compensate you," Yu Xiaozhe said.
"What will she compensate me with?" Bu Jing was curious. If the second daughter was still on the run, shouldn't she be unable to even protect herself?
"Freedom, true freedom," replied Yu Xiaozhe.
"That sounds utterly unconvincing. I don't seem to be lacking that," Bu Jing said.
"You need to know..."
"It's alright, no need to convince me. I was just asking casually. I will not refuse the second daughter's request. I will send you what I need and the support required; make sure they're delivered to the express area of the first fortress as soon as possible. I will set out tonight."
Yu Xiaozhe was startled and realized that some aspects of the people under Li Xiaoyu's command were quite similar to Li Xiaoyu herself.