"So, what does Sister Qiao need me to do?"

"You continue your mission: find the 'Joker.' Even though the 'Joker' has already died in the zombie horde, we must first secure his resources outside the island for the sake of self-interest."

"But given the current situation outside, I can't go out."

"Then let's stay in the main city for now and start the investigation from Plum Blossom. I will instruct my subordinates to grant you access to the 13th level and below. Remember to keep a low profile and don't let Wu Lide find out."

"And what about you? Waiting for the zombie horde to end?"

"Although the zombie horde didn't achieve the effect I expected, and we can't create more zombies for the time being, it's still enough to cause heavy damage to the outside world. After they've cleared out most of them, they'll come to Plum Blossom City to settle accounts. I don't want to be the first to stick my neck out then..."

Chuanliu understood that Wang Qiao was starting to create momentum, drawing public attention to Wu Lide, just like four years ago when the public's attention was focused on the "9 of Hearts" and the "10 of Hearts".

"After finding the 'Joker,' will you fulfill the conditions promised to me by the vested interests?"

"Of course, it's not just them who have the right to mobilize boats. Moreover, the WD Investigation Bureau monitors the weather every quarter and chooses extreme weather such as heavy fog, heavy rain, and heavy snow to secretly land on the island. You'll have plenty of opportunities to leave in the future."

"Land on the island? Where?"

You'll find out later.

...

The rain arrived after days of foreshadowing.

Large raindrops quickly gathered into a dense curtain of rain, as if the sky had cracked open and was pouring down. All the windows on the 13th floor were tightly closed due to the torrential rain, cutting off the outside wind and rain.

Chuanliu stood by the window, staring blankly at the sudden downpour, lost in thought.

In just a few minutes, the world outside the window was blurred by the rain, and only the indistinct outlines of distant buildings swayed in the rain curtain. The roar of the rain, intertwined with the occasional rumble of thunder, created a natural symphony that struck the soul.

From the 13th floor, the wind felt even wilder due to the intensifying rain. It carried the dampness of the rain, howling around the building with a whistling sound, like the roar of a wild beast in the night, sending chills down one's spine.

Chuanliu's gaze pierced through the rain, as if searching for something, or perhaps waiting for something.

Meanwhile, on the 14th floor, the senior executives of Plum Blossom were gathered together for a discussion meeting.

Wu Lide's face was filled with deep worry. He kept looking out the window at the pouring rain, as if the weather was affecting his mood.

He said casually, "It's raining..."

Sun Fan's eyes gleamed with excitement as he licked his lips and said, "Yes, it's raining. Isn't this exactly what we wanted?"

Wu Lide turned his gaze to Sun Fan and asked, "How's the situation outside? Have you tallied the changes in the number of corpses?"

Sun Fan nodded, took out a document and read aloud: "The number of zombies decreased sharply in the first seven days. It seems that the four forces have figured out a way to deal with the zombies, which is very troublesome. Especially the City of Spades, they mobilized all their forces this time and also went to support 'Hearts' and 'Diamonds'."

Fortunately, after we released that last large batch of new zombies, they'll have a hard time. Besides, it's raining. Without the sun's interference, the zombies' strength will remain at its peak; we just need to quietly wait for our experimental subjects to succeed.”

"I heard that those people outside have won several matches in a row and wiped out a lot of our people?" Wu Lide was still worried. He took the documents from Sun Fan's hand and looked at the specific figures compiled by the latter's subordinates.

"More than half of the new type of zombies have been lost in seven days... Is this number okay? Can the zombies we released later really hold out?" He looked at the numbers for the past few days, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

Sun Fan was a little annoyed and said irritably, "Brother Lide, you don't trust me? This data was painstakingly obtained by my people!"

“Afan, that’s not what I meant…” Wu Lide quickly said.

Sun Fan continued, "Besides, even if you don't trust me, you can't distrust Elder Yan's skills. You've seen Elder Yan's pharmaceutical expertise before."

Yan Zhengkang agreed, saying, "The last batch I used was an improved variety that can completely block out pain, strengthen muscle capabilities, and reduce human consciousness while preserving human instincts. So this batch will definitely be stronger than the previous ones."

With these two people working together, Wu Lide felt a little more at ease.

But besides fearing retaliation from the four cities, he had another issue to consider.

After staring at the report for a long time, he spoke again: "What about the casualties in the Three Colors and the Boundless Zone? Our Corpse Men won't wipe them out, will they?"

Sun Fan waved his hand and put his feet up on the table. "Hey, Brother Lide, just relax. The number and strength of the zombies were calculated precisely. Once we've killed them all, what fun will we have left?"

Wang Qiao nodded and comforted him, "Yes, Lide, didn't you see the data that Afan and Elder Yan calculated before? Trust yourself, you'll definitely be fine. Once the Three Colors and the Wuwang District have wiped out our corpses, they won't have the ability to retaliate against us."

Yan Zhengkang stroked his beard and said with some uncertainty, "However, there was a prior condition when we calculated this result. Without WD's support, it would be quite difficult for us in the main city to deal with the remnants of the other four cities, especially with someone as capable as Spade."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Lide, how are things going with your talks with WD? We're all waiting for your news."

Wu Lide rubbed his temples and said in a muffled voice, "I've already contacted WD, and they told me to wait for news."

He looked up at Wang Qiao, "What about over there?"

Wang Qiao shook her head regretfully and said, "You didn't even receive the message, so how could they possibly bypass you to find me?"

Sun Fan picked at his ear and said, "That's right. Of the four of us, only Brother Lide knows WD's contact information. Sister Qiao only has the authority to answer calls. What's the point of asking her?"

Seeing Wu Lide's slightly anxious expression, Wang Qiao gently comforted him, "Let's wait and see. They helped you two years ago, and they will definitely help you this time too!"

Wu Lide sighed and nodded.

He said to Yan Zhengkang, Sun Fan, and Wang Qiao, "Let's wait for their news. Elder Yan, Sun Fan, and Wang Qiao, the three of you should keep an eye on the situation outside. I'll go and urge them again."