Chapter 88: Shadow, Qing Zhen
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
Members of the Qing Consortium were divided into several different groups. One of them was the Dependables. They were responsible for running the organizational machine. They did the honorable work and garnered respect and influence for the consortium.
Another group was the Bums, with people such as Luo Lan, who just needed to be kept alive and be well-fed in a stronghold. They were not expected to excel and just stayed around until they died.
Yet another type were the Shadows. Like Qing Zhen, who did all the dirty work yet had hardly anything to do with the inheritance of the consortium. He tended to earn the most money. Normally, an illegitimate child like Luo Lan would not be qualified to take control of a stronghold, yet Qing Zhen was able to help him do so.
Or maybe Luo Lan’s competitors did not dare to vie with him for control of the stronghold as they either feared Qing Zhen or relied on him for certain things. It was the first time the Qing Consortium had placed an illegitimate child in the controlling position of a stronghold, which demonstrated Qing Zhen’s standing within the consortium.
Qing Zhen looked at Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu and said, “Tell me about those three people. I’m talking about Xu Xianchu, Yang Xiaojin, and Ren Xiaosu.... Eh? Is Ren Xiaosu related to Yang Xiaojin in any way? It sounds like they’re pretty compatible based on their names.”
“No, they’re not related.” Liu Bu shook his head. “Ren Xiaosu is just a refugee from outside the stronghold. We forced him to be the guide for our expedition. He has great strength, so I suspect he might also be a supernatural being.”
Qing Zhen shook his head. “So it’s just his strength that’s a little greater?”
“Isn’t that enough? He’s capable of lifting up a full-grown man single-handed.” Liu Bu said anxiously, “And that Xu Xianchu, even though his stamina and strength are quite normal, his power is to create a shadow clone of himself. That shadow clone can even shield him from bullets!”
Qing Zhen got interested. He ordered someone next to him, “Take notes. Xu Xianchu, supernatural being who hasn’t reached his full potential; Danger Rating: C. Ren Xiaosu, suspected Strength-type supernatural being; Danger Rating: F.”
There were not only combat troops surrounding Qing Zhen, but also many researchers in hazmat suits. One of them was even responsible for making note of the decisions Qing Zhen make.
All of a sudden, Liu Bu realized that Qing Zhen was actually more interested in Xu Xianchu. It seemed like he didn’t really care about Ren Xiaosu.
“So Ren Xiaosu is also considered a supernatural being? Then you should hurry up and capture him,” Liu Bu said. All this while, Luo Xinyu, who was beside him, hadn’t said a word.
Qing Zhen laughed. “We’ll definitely capture him. I believe they must be in the city right now. But there’s nothing rare about Strength-type supernatural beings.”
At this moment, be it Liu Bu or Luo Xinyu, they both realized that Qing Consortium’s understanding of supernatural beings was definitely not on a superficial level.
It seemed that the Qing Consortium had gained a very deep understanding of these supernatural beings. But upon some thought, it wasn’t that surprising. The world was under the control of the organizations, so it was also quite normal they would have an advanced understanding of such secrets. They had many more resources, as well as the power of information.
But it felt like even the Qing Consortium was unable to fully define the level of powers that a supernatural being had. They could only use danger ratings to rank them.
This danger rating was probably assessed based on what could threaten the consortium, right?
So, for example, Xu Xianchu, who could summon a shadow clone to battle on his behalf, was assessed to be a C-class danger due to the bullet blocking ability it had, while Ren Xiaosu, who only had greater strength than normal, was ignored. No matter how strong one was, could they possibly overcome firearms and explosives?
Fists and kicks were ultimately no match for guns and cannons. In the eyes of the organizations, if someone’s strength didn’t surpass the power of a firearm, then the supernatural being’s destructive powers would be limited.
This was because the vast majority of firearms were still controlled by the organizations.
Qing Zhen was now sure that Ren Xiaosu was a refugee from the town outside of the stronghold, Xu Xianchu was an officer of the private army, while Yang Xiaojin’s origins remained unknown. Of course, even though Luo Lan had told him about them personally, he still might not believe his words. He was always the type who liked to verify the truth for himself.
Liu Bu could not really understand. Compared to Ren Xiaosu and Xu Xianchu, Qing Zhen was clearly more interested in Yang Xiaojin. According to Liu Bu, Yang Xiaojin was very well-informed about the Pyro Company and other organizations. Therefore, this made Yang Xiaojin’s identity far more complicated than Xu Xianchu and Ren Xiaosu.
Qing Zhen was currently standing in the ruins of the city. With a destroyed civilization and tough combatants of the consortium around him, his white suit remained spotlessly clean. He asked with great interest, “Has Yang Xiaojin shown herself to have any types of special skills?”
“Yang Xiaojin doesn’t have any special skills.” Liu Bu thought about it carefully for a long time. It felt like other than being decisive and ruthless, Yang Xiaojin was just a girl who didn’t exhibit any trace of special skills.
If Ren Xiaosu were here, he would have none of it. Those advanced jump rope and Advanced Nursery Rhymes Singing skills were both very impressive skills! Surely that was special enough, right?
But of course, Ren Xiaosu wasn’t here right now. By this point, he had located the jewelry shop he was longing to find!
Qing Zhen did not get the answer he desired, so he looked at Liu Bu seriously and said, “Think harder.”
For some reason, Liu Bu suddenly felt an oppressive force come over him. He clenched his teeth and said, “Yang Xiaojin really doesn’t have any special skills. Instead, I think you should raise your guard against Ren Xiaosu.”
“Oh?” Qing Zhen nodded. He turned to look at Luo Xinyu. “Just what is so special about this Ren Xiaosu that Liu Bu cannot take his mind off him? Could it be that he has some special skills other than his strength?”
Luo Xinyu froze. Ren Xiaosu’s special skill?
She gave it some thought before venturing, “Maybe he’s quite skilled at annoying people?”
Luo Xinyu was not making this up. In fact, she felt deeply about this!
But when Qing Zhen heard this, he laughed. He said to the person beside him, “Xu Man, bring a team and seek these three people out. Get back here before 12 midnight.”
“Affirmative.” The soldier named Xu Man led six platoons off, using 180 men to deal with three people. This was probably the highest form of “treatment” even within the Qing Consortium.
As Qing Zhen’s trusted aide, Xu Man understood the secret of the Jing Mountains must not be leaked. Everyone who was an outsider today would not be allowed to walk away from here.
Qing Zhen stood still and started humming a song. He had apparently relaxed. However, Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu did not feel the same way. Luo Xinyu couldn’t resist testing Qing Zhen by saying, “Do the changes in the Jing Mountains also have something to do with this research lab?”
“No, no, no.” Qing Zhen said with a smile, “The changes in the Jing Mountains were beyond our expectations as well. We normally call this place... the Holy Land. Due to the changes in a certain person, there was a change to the entire mountain range. Because we discovered the change in the Jing Mountains too late, we were unable to identify who that person is.”
Liu Bu said nervously, “This matter has nothing to do with us!”
Qing Zhen paused. “I know it has nothing to do with you two. If it did, I would be the nervous one.”
“Then what are you planning to do with us?”
However, Qing Zhen did not seem to hear him. He was just waiting for Xu Man to bring Ren Xiaosu, Xu Xianchu, and Yang Xiaojin to him.
At this moment, the troops returned from the forest. It looked like they were carrying something back with them. Qing Zhen smiled and said to Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu, “Don’t get too alarmed later.”