War

Li Banfeng began with a question. "Luo Lijun offered newland in exchange for a guarantee from Puluo Province. Did a lot of people in your clan object to that?" "No matter what my sister proposes," Luo Yanjun replied, "there will always be those who agree and those who don't. Some things even my mother thought couldn't be agreed to." The current situation in the Inner States was complicated. Luo Lijun had pushed past all opposition to reach a peace agreement with Li Banfeng. This decision went against the wishes of many, even members of her own family. That was the reason Luo Lijun had been replaced. Li Banfeng asked again, "Did the Inner States send you to replace Luo Lijun because they intend to go to war with the Outer States?" Luo Yanjun said, "Going to war means fighting a battle, right? There are plenty of warmongers in the upper clan who are always talking about fighting. They claim the blood feud with the Outer States must be repaid, or else we'd be letting down our ancestors. "Then there are those who don't want to fight. My sister didn't want to. She said it wasn't that the score shouldn't be settled, but that the time wasn't ripe yet. "What was wrong with everyone living a few days of peace first? "Both the pro-war and anti-war crowds think they're in the right, and neither will back down. Back in the day, my father was against going to war, and he ended up dying in prison." The Inner States were divided into pro-war and pro-peace factions. At present, the war faction held the upper hand, and Luo Lijun was very likely facing the same fate as her father. "When did the Inner States and the Outer States form this grudge?" "How should I know? That was before I was even born. I heard from the older generation that people from the Outer States are an ungrateful lot. Especially that elder who just recently returned—an elder among elders, he is. He says that if we keep yielding to the Outer States, in the end we won't even have bones left after being eaten alive. Though if we're being fair, Yu Songkai's bones were left behind." Ma the Fifth explained, "Yu Songkai was the previous gatekeeper—the one who turned into crucian carp bones." Indeed, the bones were left behind, but nothing else remained. Li Banfeng asked, "Who is this elder among elders?" "I wouldn't know. The man has a terrible temper, and his name is taboo to speak." A terrible temper, and his name couldn't be spoken. Li Banfeng asked, "This elder probably isn't one of your clan, is he?" Luo Yanjun thought it over carefully. "If we're talking bloodline, he's definitely not of our clan. He looks completely different from us. But if we're talking status, he's of noble rank. When our clansmen see him, they have to pay their respects." Li Banfeng knew who this person was. The Sage of Sage Peak. The Sage did indeed have quite a temper, and according to his rules, it was strictly taboo for anyone to mention his name. After his old nest was overrun by daolao ghosts, the Sage's whereabouts had been unknown. As it turned out, he had gone to the Inner States. Chu Shaoqiang had once said that the Sage was the last emperor of the previous dynasty, who had lost his empire after being defeated in a war. His empire had split into two parts: one held by the imperial clan, which became today's Inner States, and the other being what was now Puluo Province. Unable to endure the imperial clan's oppression, the Sage had left the Inner States and temporarily resided on Sage Peak. Now that Sage Peak was gone, he had no choice but to return to the Inner States. Although he was not the actual ruler of the Inner States, Luo Yanjun's words made it clear that his voice still carried weight. And it was precisely his return to the Inner States that tipped the scales in favor of the war faction once more. Ma the Fifth asked, "Are you planning to wage war against the Outer States in Qishuiyao?" This was critical. If a war broke out in Qishuiyao, it meant everything Feng Daiku had painstakingly built could be reduced to ruins at any moment. If the war spread, all of Puluo Province could be reduced to rubble. Luo Yanjun swayed her massive body, turning her face toward the pool at the far end of the workshop. "My sister isn't here, yet they insisted on sending me over. Tell me, what's so great about this place? The court kept drilling into me that I had to keep you all steady. I don't know what 'keeping things steady' even means, nor do I know if you people act steady. I just think Ma Junyang isn't very steady at all—he can't sit still for a single moment." Her words were somewhat roundabout, requiring some thought to unpack. Luo Lijun had been arrested for advocating peace, but the Inner States had sent her twin sister, Luo Yanjun, to keep things stable. This proved that the Inner States did not want to burn bridges with Puluo Province, which in turn meant the Inner States was unlikely to wage war inside Puluo Province. Li Banfeng said, "Puluo Province's stance is crucial to the Inner States. That proves your sister's life isn't in immediate danger, at least for now." Luo Yanjun sighed. "Whether she's in danger or not, I can't say. I'm her younger sister, that's true enough. But there are twenty-eight brothers and sisters among us. I want her to live, but I don't have the power to save her. I don't know if anyone's willing to save her, let alone if anyone can. Ma Junyang said her flavor was different from mine, so it seems he still feels some affection for my sister. But be that as it may, her flavor is hers and my flavor is mine. No matter what her flavor turns out to be, I still have my own life to live." Luo Yanjun was clever. She was feeling them out step by step, and doing it with precision. What she said was true: Luo Lijun was Luo Lijun, and she was herself. Though bound by sisterly affection and wishing to rescue Luo Lijun, the prerequisite for helping her sister was ensuring her own safety. First, she needed to test whether there was any chance Li Seven would rescue Luo Lijun. If Li Seven couldn't even tell the real Luo Lijun from an impostor, it would prove that he didn't care much about her. In that case, asking him for help would be unwise, as the odds of receiving assistance would be slim. In truth, given time, Li Seven could have distinguished between Luo Yanjun and Luo Lijun, but no one had expected Ma the Fifth to figure it out through such an efficient method. Even after confirming there was a chance Li Seven might rescue Luo Lijun, Luo Yanjun remained exceedingly cautious. She still had to test whether he possessed the willingness to do so. Bound by taboos, there were things Luo Yanjun could not speak plainly. Throughout the negotiation, she could only couch Luo Lijun's predicament in veiled terms. If Li Seven showed any inclination to help, she would proceed; if not, she could end the negotiation right there and still preserve room to retreat unscathed. Li Seven saw through Luo Yanjun's intention and spoke frankly. "I want to help your sister, but my help doesn't come free." Luo Yanjun said, "I'm not particularly ambitious. I just like acquiring land. Recently, I acquired two plots, but I haven't found suitable local spirits for them yet, and I don't know when they can be delivered to Puluo Province." Li Seven and Ma the Fifth both caught her drift. This was Luo Yanjun laying down her price: two newlands. By highlighting her ability to acquire land, she was proving that she had the means to pay. Li Seven said, "You know my rules for accepting land, right?" Luo Yanjun replied, "Suitable local spirits are really hard to come by. Rather than go through the hassle, I might as well not bother and just give them away entirely. It's just that the clan is keeping a close watch right now, and even my mother has stepped in. Unless my sister helps, I won't be able to hand the territories over." She knew Li Seven's rules: any territory he accepted had to come with a complete covenant deed. She was telling Li Seven that while she held some authority over the newlands, the timing was wrong; only by rescuing her sister could the two plots be transferred. Ma the Fifth chuckled. "You drive a hard bargain. You want delivery before payment." Luo Yanjun sounded deeply aggrieved. "Why bring business into this with me? Isn't there affection between us?" Ma the Fifth replied, "If we're talking affection, that depends on where your heart lies. You don't want to go to war, do you?" Luo Yanjun shook her head repeatedly. "Not necessarily. I can fight if needed." As long as survival was assured, Luo Yanjun was entirely capable of shifting her stance. Li Seven said, "If you want me to save your sister, tell me where you plan to wage this war. If it's not in Puluo Province, the location must be somewhere special." Luo Yanjun squirmed her body, slithering back and forth across the workshop floor. "I heard my great-grandfather say that the Outer States are the absolute worst. The machines they built were clumsy, brutish, and totally useless. When we gave them good machines, they called us benefactors with every breath. But once they developed their own skills, they forgot all past kindness and turned on us in a flash. Whenever they think about it, everyone in the clan seethes with hatred. Puluo Province is no different—none of you are any good! Look at the machines in this workshop. At the beginning, they were all gifts from us. Now that you have new ones, you've forgotten the old!" These machines had been sent by the Inner States? Puluo Province's first batch of steam engines had appeared in Qishuiyao. By that logic, Puluo Province's first machines had come from the Inner States. Ma the Fifth was completely baffled now. "Miss Luo, I know you have your difficulties, but you're jumping all over the place. Hitting east with a hammer and west with a mallet. We asked about the war, and you started talking about machinery." "I don't understand war," Luo Yanjun said, crawling onto a lathe. "I do know a bit about machinery, though. Especially the first batch of machines we brought over—they were all top-notch!" Li Banfeng said, "Are you talking about the place where the first batch of machines appeared?" Luo Yanjun said, "Puluo Province's first machines are right here. The Outer States made their own first machines, but their first good machines were gifts from us. As for where they were sent, I don't remember." She claimed not to remember, but Li Banfeng did. There was a textile factory that had once stood as a banner in the industrial history of the Huan Empire! And inside that textile factory lay a special space—a space that was very likely an entrance to the Inner States! No wonder Li Banfeng had always found the layout of the workshops around him so familiar; the rough equipment here was identical to that of Ruirong Textile Factory. Ruirong Textile Factory was the handiwork of the Inner States. The Inner States might very well deploy its troops right there. Now that Li Banfeng had figured out the location of the impending war, he knew what needed to be done. If the Inner States caught the Outer States unprepared and won this battle, the war faction would secure absolute supremacy, and Luo Lijun would most likely die. If the Inner States lost this battle, the war faction would inevitably lose power, giving Luo Lijun a chance to turn things around. Li Banfeng said, "I will do everything in my power. Once it's done, Miss Luo, do not go back on your word." Luo Yanjun asked Ma the Fifth, "My flavor isn't inferior to my sister's, is it?" Ma the Fifth translated for him, "Miss Luo means her trustworthiness." Upon returning to the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng made a call and summoned Shen Jingye. These past few days, whenever Shen Jingye heard news of Li Seven, he couldn't help getting excited. "Director Li, did you catch the brawler's departed spirit?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Caught him. I've already dealt with him, so you don't need to worry about that." Shen Jingye was overjoyed. "I'll go file the report right away!" Li Banfeng shook his head. "No rush on that report. It's not an urgent matter." Shen Jingye stared in bewilderment. "How is that not urgent? A departed spirit of that caliber could bring disaster to Yuezhou!" "Compared to a true disaster, that spirit is nothing," Li Banfeng said grimly. "The Inner States is going to war. A war against the Outer States." Hearing this, Shen Jingye's brows knitted tightly. "I told you this wouldn't be easy to resolve," Shen Jingye said, pulling out a cigarette and taking a puff. "Director Li, you really screwed me over. I told you back then we should let Liao Zihui handle this. What do we do now?" Li Banfeng said, "This has nothing to do with Liao Zihui. The matter in Qishuiyao has been settled. The Inner States won't fight in Qishuiyao, nor anywhere else in Puluo Province. The battlefield they chose is Ruirong Textile Factory." Shen Jingye was taken aback. "How is that possible? How could people from the Inner States bypass Puluo Province and reach the textile factory?" Li Banfeng laughed. "Still playing dumb with me, Xiao Shen? So many incidents occurred at Ruirong Textile Factory, yet it hasn't been demolished to this day. You must know at least some of the reasons why, right? It's a passage between the Inner States and the Outer States. Did you think I was genuinely in the dark?" Shen Jingye pursed his lips. "I only know a little about that situation. But we can't base decisions purely on speculation. There has to be some evidence, doesn't there?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Don't bother asking for evidence. What you need to do right now is notify the decision-makers and get defenses in order immediately, lest the Inner States catch you off guard." The news had come so suddenly that Shen Jingye was already caught flat-footed. "Making claims out of thin air with no evidence—how am I supposed to report that up the chain?" Li Banfeng smiled. "Then don't report it. Just wait for the war to break out, and we can watch the show together." Shen Jingye hardly dared to sit back and watch a show. Hurrying back to his office, he promptly contacted Director Du. The response was remarkably swift this time. Director Du replied that very afternoon. Shen Jingye sprinted back to Li Banfeng's office. "Director Du says he hopes to resolve the matter through negotiations as much as possible." In plain terms, they still wanted Li Banfeng to find a way out for them. Li Banfeng refused on the spot. "I've already negotiated everything that could be negotiated. This is no longer something talks can solve. The Sage has returned to the Inner States and is vigorously pushing for war. If you want to stop this conflict, the foremost task right now is to prepare your defenses." Shen Jingye quickly relayed the message to Director Du. Less than two hours later, Director Du's response came back: *This matter has grave implications; the Dark Star Bureau is still requested to verify solid evidence.* Where on earth was Shen Jingye supposed to find solid evidence? Left with no other option, he had to turn back to Li Seven. But Li Seven was no longer so easy to find. His shift had ended long ago, and he had taken Tang Changfa, Yan Cui'er, and Yan Hong'er out for barbecue. The following morning, Li Seven's phone blew up. The entire Dark Star Bureau was looking for him. Li Seven told Shen Jingye to reply directly: *The information was received through a specialized channel; no tangible proof can be produced.* Shen Jingye scurried back and forth between both sides. Yet regardless of what the higher-ups said, Li Seven ignored it all. Even when Du Wenming showed up in person, Li Seven dismissed him with a single sentence. This friction dragged on for three full days. The atmosphere within the Dark Star Bureau grew increasingly tense, and whispers gradually began to leak out. Li Seven remained thoroughly unhurried. That evening, he invited Tangyuan, Lightbulb, and Zhong'er over to his home for hot pot. Halfway through the meal, Zhong'er took out a spiritual artifact and sealed off all sound between Li Seven's residence and the outside world. This wasn't Puluo Province; things like spiritual artifacts shouldn't be brought out carelessly. Tangyuan was frightened. "Where did you get that thing? Did you go through proper procedures?" Zhong'er adopted a solemn face. "I submitted the paperwork. Captain Chen just hasn't signed it yet!" Tangyuan was stunned for a moment. "And you think that gives you an excuse? If Captain Chen hasn't signed it, how can you call it paperwork? You've got some nerve! Why did Shan Xing'er give it to you?" Shan Xing'er was the administrator responsible for standard dark-energy carriers used by the Security Team. Lightbulb chimed in from the side, "Zhong'er promised to take her shopping over the weekend. Shan Xing'er is an honest, gullible girl—Zhong'er has tricked her quite a few times already." "Let's not talk about that for now," Zhong'er said, turning to Li Seven. "Director Li, I heard we're going to war?" Li Banfeng raised an eyebrow. "How did you hear about that?" Zhong'er didn't answer, asking instead, "Is the battleground Ruirong Textile Factory?" Li Banfeng was genuinely surprised. "You even know that?" Tangyuan and Lightbulb were equally shocked. They had heard rumors of war, but had known nothing about Ruirong Textile Factory. "I didn't hear it from someone else; it's my own deduction," Zhong'er explained. "If the Inner States makes a move, I believe the most likely spot is Ruirong Textile Factory. I've always suspected that place is an entrance to the Inner States." "Tell me how you deduced it." Li Banfeng listened intently to Zhong'er's reasoning. Ever since Li Banfeng had instructed Zhong'er to investigate Ruirong Textile Factory, Zhong'er had pursued the task without stopping for a single day. Li Banfeng believed that within the entire Dark Star Bureau—and perhaps even among the upper brass—no one understood Ruirong Textile Factory better than Zhong'er. Stringing together all the official archives and popular rumors, he had arrived at a conclusion: "Ruirong Textile Factory was built with the assistance of the Inner States. On a technical level, from the day it was constructed until several decades later, it remained ahead of its time. At the turn of the last century, that kind of technology clearly belonged far beyond that era." Zhong'er's conclusion basically matched Luo Yanjun's account. Tangyuan was also listening attentively. "Could it be that the Inner States sent people to Yuezhou who provided technical concepts and design blueprints, and that's how the factory was built?" Zhong'er shook his head. "I came to that conclusion once as well, but later I read numerous reports. Ruirong Textile Factory's absurdly high production efficiency drew the attention of many experts. While the equipment was in service, Yuezhou formed a specialist team specifically to study the operating mechanisms. Even after the machinery was retired, experts still attempted to replicate its mechanical parts, but they all failed. The reason was that most of the metal alloys in that steam system exceeded the technological capabilities of the time. That factory wasn't built in Yuezhou, because Yuezhou back then couldn't even produce the materials required to construct it! The entire factory was brought directly out of the Inner States. What kind of channel could move an entire factory across? According to my deduction, there is only one possibility: Ruirong Textile Factory is an exit from the Inner States leading into Yuezhou—an exit directly connected to Yuezhou without passing through Puluo Province." Lightbulb ate a slice of mutton and shook his head. "I don't get it. Puluo Province sits sandwiched between Yuezhou and the Inner States. Geographically, there is no shared border. How could the Inner States bypass Puluo Province and plant an exit right inside Yuezhou?" Zhong'er didn't want to dwell on that question for now. "The spatial structure of the Inner States can't be measured by the directions and distances we know. Director Li, if my deduction is correct, what we ought to do right now is deploy defenses around Ruirong Textile Factory." Li Banfeng nodded. "You're right. Ruirong Textile Factory is indeed where the Inner States plans to strike. The Bureau has already received the intel and passed it up, but the higher-ups are still searching for solid evidence." Zhong'er couldn't comprehend it. "Things have reached this point, and they're still looking for evidence? When the enemy actually marches in, they'll have plenty of evidence! Will setting up defenses be in time by then?" Lightbulb dipped some tripe into the pot. "This isn't something we need to worry about." "How can we not worry?" Zhong'er said, visibly tense. "Given our current state, can we really fight a war? At least in the Dark Star Bureau, I see zero signs of preparing for war." Lightbulb fished out the tripe. "If there were no war preparations, how could you have heard whispers of war? They deliberately let some word leak so we'd mentally prepare for it. That's why we need to eat and drink our fill at this hot pot. Once fighting really starts, you think you'll still be eating this? You'll be lucky to have compressed ration biscuits!" Tangyuan mixed another small dish of dipping sauce for Li Banfeng. "Even if fighting really starts, it might not require us to take the field, right?" Zhong'er had lost his appetite. "Are we truly preparing for war? I'm genuinely worried that without any prior preparation, we'll be struck so hard we won't even be able to fight back." Lightbulb shook his head. "Saying we have no preparation whatsoever is an exaggeration." Zhong'er said, "I'm not exaggerating. Every day after work, I go by Ruirong Textile Factory to take a look. Aside from the few strips of cordon tape put up before, there isn't even a single sentry post around the perimeter! Who would believe that looks like preparing for war? I'm terrified that when the Inner States attacks, we'll still be looking for evidence!" Hearing Zhong'er say this, Tangyuan grew nervous as well; the tripe she had just cooked suddenly lost all its flavor. Lightbulb wasn't nervous at all. He ate as he spoke. "Certain things must be investigated indefinitely, because no one wants to shoulder the blame. But certain things will definitely be prepared for, because some consequences are too grave for anyone to bear. You ought to go take a look at Puluo Province sometime. See how many unpredictable turns happen there every single day, and watch how Chief Envoy Liao handles all those variables daily. We've had too many days of peace here; Puluo Province doesn't see a single day of peace. Spend a few days watching over there, and you'll understand how things work." Hearing this, Li Seven smiled. Not to mock Lightbulb, but because Lightbulb was spot on. Having gone to Puluo Province and back, Lightbulb had changed a lot. Certain matters he could now see through with piercing clarity. "Don't go to the textile factory during this period. It really is dangerous there," Lightbulb warned Zhong'er once more. Zhong'er sighed. "Even if I don't go, other people will. The roads around the factory reopened to traffic long ago. Just yesterday, I saw some dark-energy enthusiasts heading to the factory to check in for photos." Lightbulb frowned. "If they have a death wish, let them! I'm giving you sound advice—you better listen!" After dinner, Zhong'er didn't head home. Having no car, he took the subway back to Ruirong Textile Factory. Perhaps Lightbulb was right. But now that he had confirmed the battleground directly from Director Li, Zhong'er resolved to take leave from the Bureau starting today and stake out Ruirong Textile Factory all on his own. If war truly erupted, even if he lost his life in the very first second, as long as he could send a signal before dying—as long as he could buy a few precious moments of preparation time—his life would have been worth it. To protect this world and everything precious within it—Zhong'er's conviction had never wavered. At three in the morning, six young men and women wearing Western-style robes and carrying magic wands and crystal balls arrived together at the textile factory gates. They intended to slip under the cordon tape and hold an occult ritual inside the factory. The purpose of the ritual might have been necromancy, prayer, or receiving guidance from some entity. Ever since restrictions around the textile factory were eased, this paranormal hotspot had once again become a check-in destination for dark-energy enthusiasts. Crouched behind a pile of stone masonry, Zhong'er frowned. He prepared to step out immediately and urge these dark-energy enthusiasts to leave—and if they refused to listen, he'd pummel them! Just as he was about to step out of the bushes, Zhong'er suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. Poisoned? Or struck by some crowd-control technique? Had the enemy attacked? Zhong'er drew the flare gun from his breast. He kept adjusting his center of gravity, striving to steady his footing before firing. Those six dark-energy enthusiasts possessed nowhere near his physical conditioning. Every single one tumbled to the ground, trying repeatedly to get back up, but failing each time. Were they hit by a technique too? No. In the process of adjusting his balance, Zhong'er realized there was nothing wrong with his body. The reason he felt the ground shaking was that the ground truly was vibrating violently. Rumble! A muffled boom rolled in. A band of bluish-white flash engulfed the earth, forcing Zhong'er's eyes shut. This was... earthquake light! Armed with extensive common knowledge, Zhong'er recognized it as an earthquake. He wanted to rescue the youths at the factory gate, but the violent shuddering of the earth grew so intense that every single step took immense effort. Sand and dust billowed up, obscuring his vision. Frantic screams echoed endlessly, rising and falling in his ears. Zhong'er crashed to the ground. A clattering of stones smashing together struck his ears. The stone pile was collapsing! Zhong'er was less than two meters from the stone pile. As a Second Layer Brawler, he had faith that getting himself out wouldn't be too difficult. Yet when he tried to rise, he found it excruciatingly hard. The tremors grew so violent that he couldn't stand at all. Amidst the dust, he glimpsed the silhouettes of falling boulders. They rushed close, only to suddenly veer away. Someone had saved him, pulling him clear of the collapsing stones. The earthquake lasted a full three minutes. To Zhong'er, those three minutes felt like three long years. During the most ferocious shaking, he couldn't even control his own breathing. As the shaking gradually subsided, Zhong'er struggled to raise his head and saw the person who had pulled him out. "Director—" Zhong'er saw Li Seven, as well as those death-seeking dark ability enthusiasts. The enthusiasts lay on the ground wailing hoarsely, not from physical injuries, but out of sheer terror. Li Seven had dragged them clear of the factory grounds and dumped them in an open lot across the street without another glance. Pulling Zhong'er up, he swiftly led him away from Ruirong Textile Factory. Zhong'er asked, "Was that an earthquake just now?" Li Seven said, "It was an earthquake, but not a natural disaster." "Then the Inner States attacked? The war has started?" Zhong'er raised his flare gun once more. Li Banfeng looked back at the swirling plumes of smoke and dust, shaking his head. "The war is already over." As the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, fractures showed across the perimeter wall of the textile factory, yet it hadn't collapsed—an outcome kept in check by some powerful force. Inside the factory grounds, hundreds of drones rose into the air, fanning out to search for any surviving remnants of the enemy. PS: The Outer States are formidable.