Chapter 275: Only those with real strength can be called neutral. |
"Guild Leader, just as expected, the people in the urban village are holding their positions and not moving." Cao Biansheng quickly stepped forward and reported to Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen's gaze fell on the distant, pockmarked office building and he gave a slight nod. "They have ballistas in their hands. Don't let your guard down."
In the sky, the Crowned Eagle spread its wide wings, silently circling over the urban village. Its eyes were radar; the moment there was any sign of the urban village moving out ballistas, it would sound a warning.
Deng Guang narrowed his eyes as he looked towards that low-rise, dense cluster of buildings. "It seems they don't intend to come out and fight to the death."
Yuan Dajun grinned. "It still comes down to the Guild Leader's brilliant move. The other side really isn't united."
After the Lost Homeland arrived at the beachside, Cao Biansheng had originally suggested directly bombarding the urban village, suppressing them with firepower first before charging over to eliminate this portion of the enemy.
But Qin Ziwen had ordered them to directly attack the office building instead.
Now, looking at it, the people in the urban village showed absolutely no intention of taking action.
They simply remained inside, neither attacking nor surrendering, maintaining their silence.
Qin Ziwen was very clear that these vehicle-mounted crossbows, despite their imposing display, were far from sufficient to bring down a modern reinforced concrete office building.
If a dozen or so ballistas could destroy it, then every single one of the construction contractors would be sitting in jail.
This was also why Qin Ziwen was reluctant to engage in close-quarters combat.
The enemy, relying on the terrain, could easily turn it into street fighting and building-to-building combat.
As everyone knows, even in a modern environment, urban warfare remains one of the most complex, most brutal, and highest casualty forms of combat.
Even if they had some advantages in equipment and troop quality, the other side was more familiar with the terrain.
In a frontal assault mode, even if they truly won, the casualties would definitely not be low.
In Qin Ziwen's eyes, every able-bodied man from his residential complex was a precious population resource. Consuming them in large numbers wouldn't be cost-effective.
What he truly wanted was never a forceful assault.
It was division. It was disintegration. It was prying the other side open from within.
Letting the people on the other side deal with the people on the other side.
"I want to know what the people in the urban village are thinking now. Is anyone brave enough to go as an envoy and ask about the other side's stance?" Qin Ziwen asked with a smile.
From behind him, a burly man stepped forward without hesitation.
"I volunteer!"
"What's your name?"
"Chen Jingsi!"
"Good. Then you will be the envoy."
"Thank you, Guild Leader." Chen Jingsi was delighted.
Several of Chen Jingsi's friends nearby saw this and beat their chests and stamped their feet in frustration, feeling they had missed an opportunity.
"You better be careful. The other side might just kidnap you and use you as a hostage," one of Chen Jingsi's friends said sourly.
"Haha, I know what I'm doing," Chen Jingsi said, brimming with confidence and ambition.
Danger? Of course there was risk.
If it was a good thing without risk, would it have come around to him?
The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish!
Since joining the Qin Alliance, he had trained his skills diligently and tempered his strength. While others rested, he honed his techniques at the Martial Training Ground and the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery. He had even obtained an Enhancement Card during the last map settlement.
All for the chance to seize an opportunity.
The Qin Alliance had nine hundred and seventy-six people. Without something outstanding, how could one stand out?
Descending to the sea surface via a rope, swimming to the shore, climbing ashore, taking off his outer coat, wringing out the water, and then putting it back on.
Chen Jingsi strode towards the urban village.
From dozens of meters away, he sensed movement behind a window not far off.
He laughed loudly, "I'm here to see your boss. Go lead the way."
Chen Jingsi stood at the entrance for over ten minutes. Then, from the straight cement road at the very center of the urban village, a man wearing a hat ran out. He waved at Chen Jingsi.
Chen Jingsi stood where he was, not moving a step. Instead, he raised his voice, "Waving from so far away, is this your rule for receiving guests? If you don't want to talk, then we fight. But can you bear the consequences?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed through the empty streets and alleys.
The hatted man stopped about twenty paces away, his gaze flickering under the brim of his hat.
After a stalemate lasting several breaths, he finally took ten more steps forward, clasped his fists, "That was my discourtesy just now. Please, follow me."
Only then did Chen Jingsi step forward to follow.
The two walked to the front of a three-story building. Seven or eight men were gathered at the entrance, their gazes unfriendly.
The hatted man waved his hand, signaling the people around to disperse.
Chen Jingsi acted as if he didn't see them, gave a light smile, and walked straight inside.
In the living room on the first floor sat a burly man.
To the man's left and right stood a row of burly men, all with strong, muscular builds.
Clearly, they intended to intimidate him right from the start.
Chen Jingsi swept his gaze over them, then chuckled and shook his head. Because among the crowd, he actually saw a middle-aged man with graying temples who looked to be at least in his forties.
They were even calling someone of that age to make up the numbers, which showed that this urban village really didn't have many people.
Seeing his expression, the man sitting in the main seat changed his expression, and the burly men on both sides also glared at him angrily.
Chen Jingsi continued on his own, "I am merely an envoy. Your 'Hongmen Feast' is useless against me. And besides, who is the 'Hongmen' here? I come bearing our Guild Leader's stance. If you do not accept the Guild Leader's mercy, then all that awaits you are blades and spears."
"What do you want?"
"I am here to ask on behalf of our Guild Leader: You neither fight nor retreat, neither surrender nor submit. What is your intention?"
"We didn't even provoke you, and you came attacking us on your own," one person beside him angrily retorted.
"Didn't provoke? Is it that you didn't have the capability to provoke, or that you didn't have time to provoke yet? Or perhaps... your provocation failed!" Chen Jingsi sneered. "That person who just died in our residential complex claimed to be the leader of Blood Script. Dare you say you knew nothing about it?"
"We are not Blood Script," the man sitting in the main seat said in a deep voice.
"Enough." The hatted man who had led Chen Jingsi in spoke, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.
He took off his hat, revealing an ordinary face.
The most noticeable feature was the two diagonal scars at the corner of his eye.
"Brother Long." The man sitting in the main seat of the living room stood up, somewhat surprised, not understanding why Brother Long would suddenly reveal his identity.
Yang Long frowned. "We... don't want to conflict with you. That's why I didn't let the brothers take action. We were all compatriots before. There's no need to fight to the death."
"If it weren't for the sake of being compatriots, there wouldn't be my envoy mission now," Chen Jingsi said with a faint smile.
Yang Long looked at Chen Jingsi. "The conflict between you and Blood Script is your business. We are the Jianghu Society, not Blood Script."
"So you want to remain neutral?" Chen Jingsi was somewhat surprised. "President Yang, I wonder if you've heard a saying: Only those with strength are called neutral factions. Those without strength are called fence-sitters. And fence-sitters are the first to get hit."
Yang Long's expression suddenly darkened.
These words were too harsh, stripping away all pretense of civility.
They clearly meant: Want to be neutral? First, weigh whether you are qualified.
"Arrogant!" A lean, strong man at the side couldn't hold back. He took a step forward, his finger almost poking Chen Jingsi's nose. "Say we have no capability? I'd like to see just how tough you are."
Chen Jingsi's eyes turned cold. His body sank slightly, his left hand clamping onto the other's wrist pulse like iron tongs, while his right foot simultaneously stepped half a step forward, locking the other's ankle.
"Thud!"
A shoulder throw. The other man, nearly two meters tall, was slammed flat on his back.
The others seeing this moved to surround them.
"Back!" Yang Long barked.
He suppressed the scene that was about to erupt. A one-on-one could still be called a test of skill, but a swarm would completely change the nature of the situation.
Moreover, judging from the move just now, ordinary people were simply no match for this man.
Within the Jianghu Society, aside from himself, no one could reliably defeat this person.
"Some skill. No wonder you dared to come as an envoy. What is your position in the Qin Alliance?" Yang Long asked.
"Just an ordinary member of a hunting team, that's all," Chen Jingsi said humbly. He paused, as if thinking of something, and added nonchalantly, "There are dozens more like me in the Qin Alliance."