Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Traitor
Hou Lin immediately shook his head, "No."
The plants outside are indeed very precious, and they are the result of Ye Ning’s hard work over the past few days.
But there are many doubts about this matter.
First, how did they find this place? Signal shielding equipment was deployed all around, making it impossible for any surveillance equipment to detect this place. Furthermore, Long Qi's aura was still there. If the opponent's level was too low, it would be unlikely that they could resist this aura and get close to them.
Secondly, the number of people on the other side is actually uncertain. The surveillance shows that there are five people, but there may not be more people lying in ambush nearby.
Without knowing the other party's situation clearly, he had to treat this matter as the most serious one.
Hou Lin: "With so many people going out together, it would be fine if we can expel the other party. If not, then everyone will be exterminated at once."
"Let's call everyone to the planting room first."
The circumstances were unclear, but this was the first outside crisis they had encountered in their months here.
After receiving the news, other researchers also rushed to the planting room.
In less than three minutes, everyone gathered together.
The outdoor surveillance footage was transmitted to everyone's wristband, and everyone was talking about it.
"The defense robots in the planting area are all new. When Baiqing and I went out yesterday, we increased the defenses. How could someone suddenly break in?"
"Look at the surveillance footage. These five people are here to steal plants!"
In the surveillance footage, five people were fully armed, with no specific facial features visible. They were all bent over, carefully and quickly pulling out plants in the planting area.
Plants that had barely taken root in the soil and were trying to sprout were ruthlessly uprooted one by one. The researchers were completely furious.
"Let's get out of here quickly! If we let them continue to steal plants with impunity, they'll have wiped out everything in less than an hour."
"Yes, these are all the hard work of Lady Ye Ning. Even in such hot weather, she still goes out to plant them early every morning. These people are too shameless!"
Hou Lin: "If the plants are gone, we can plant them again. The most important thing now is Ye Ning's safety."
Hou Lin picked out 8 people and said, "You and Shao Yu go out, and the rest of you stay in the house and wait for support."
He had just contacted Hou Sen, and both Gaojiang District and Xisha District had urgently dispatched troops. However, the pollution surge tonight was particularly severe, and everyone was fighting in the buffer zone. If soldiers were to be dispatched for support, it would take at least thirty minutes to reach their location.
Hou Lin: "The other party's purpose and number of people are unknown. There may be only five, or there may be more. After you go out, if you think the situation is not right, come back immediately."
"Don't worry, we are not that useless." They are all primate orcs, so at least their speed is acceptable.
The eight researchers selected by Hou Lin quickly changed their clothes, fully armed themselves, and prepared to go out.
Their daily hard training was to prepare them for the dangers they faced. So, although their ranks weren't high, their basic stamina and weapon handling were decent. Not to mention compared to battle-hardened officers like Shao Yu, they were still decent compared to ordinary soldiers.
Hou Lin continued to arrange the remaining researchers.
"Recheck the defense system and the surrounding grow rooms to ensure there are no security risks or loopholes in the house."
"yes."
Everyone dispersed and carried out their work in an orderly manner.
Feng Qi also came over. She held Ye Ning's hand tightly, her expression serious and nervous. "Don't worry, sister. I will protect you too."
Ye Ning nodded and pulled Feng Qi back. However, if something unexpected happened, being with her could be the safest, or the most dangerous.
They had also changed into protective clothing at this time, and even her clothes had been specially treated to completely isolate her from water, fire, and poison.
However, if the other party's target is plants, it would be fine. But if the other party's target is her, then staying in the house may not be safe.
Just in case, Ye Ning secretly peeled off the second layer of chip on the bracelet.
The reinforcements will be here soon, they just need to hold on for another half an hour.
In addition to some researchers who went to check and strengthen the defense measures, there were a total of 6 people surrounding her and Feng Qi, including Hou Lin.
Everyone drew their weapons and stood ready.
Everyone had a gun, even Feng Qi. Ye Ning asked, "Can you give me a weapon?"
Hou Lin quickly handed over his pistol. "Just pull the trigger. But be careful, this gun is very powerful. If it goes off accidentally, it will be very troublesome."
Ye Ning took the gun in her hand and examined it carefully. It was very light and felt very good to hold. It wasn't a traditional ammunition gun. She had seen them use it before. It emitted a kind of dark blue beam with extremely high damage. A single shot could sever the tentacles of the pollutant.
Although he hadn't used a gun for a long time, holding it in his hand still awakened Ye Ning's memory.
Guns were the best weapons for killing zombies. At long range, with high enough accuracy, they could kill even low-level zombies with one strike. So, to save her life, she had trained hard.
Later we need to include training in the use of weapons.
Ye Ning looked at the time again. There were still 25 minutes before support arrived.
Outside, the nine people led by Shao Yu moved quickly in the night and soon arrived at the area where the planting room was located.
But those people discovered them in advance, and when they saw them approaching, they fled quickly.
Almost as soon as they met, everyone felt relieved. The people on the opposite side were not of high level, their actions were disorganized, and even the weapons in their hands were very simple.
The red moon above their heads was still hanging high in the sky, stretching the panicked figures of those people diagonally to the ground, making them extremely clear.
Although their ranks were average, they were incredibly fast, covering several kilometers in the blink of an eye. As they ran, the plants in their pockets fell.
Several researchers were immediately furious. "Damn it! He stole something and he's running away!"
We can’t let them get away with the plants like this!
Shao Yu quickly passed the message back and then quickly caught up.
The people waiting in the room breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the news coming back.
"The opponent's strength is not high, and there are no other people. It seems that he is really just a thief."
Bai Qing pushed up his glasses. "If they were just thieves, how did they find this place? We need to arrest them and find out how this place was exposed."
Researcher: "If they discovered it by accident, it's fine. We can just arrest them. But if it's premeditated and organized, we'll have to reassign personnel to guard it."
Bai Qing: "This crisis has emerged at this time, which makes us think more. We still have to be careful."
Everyone nodded.
Ten minutes later, Shao Yu came back with a group of people.
The five thieves were subdued one by one and escorted back in a tightly tied manner.
After the five people's hands were removed, they were tied tightly behind their backs with special ropes, and their feet were also neatly tied together. Without exception, their faces looked bruised and swollen, and their eyes were filled with fear and terror.
Shao Yu did not bring them into the planting room. He contacted Hou Lin, sent the other researchers back, and then left with the five people.
The eight researchers returned to the cultivation room in a hurry.
As soon as he came in, people gathered around him.
"It was resolved so quickly?"
"Those people are all residents of the Xisha District garbage area. Shao Yu has verified their identities."
Bai Qing: "How did they find this place?"
The researcher scratched his head. "They said someone gave them some money and some potions and told them to put them in Dilong's house while he was away."
"Potion?"
The researcher nodded and took out one of the potions. "Here, I don't know what it is, but I just took a tentative sniff and it might be highly toxic."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Someone immediately thought of Yan Gang, "Could it be that someone from the Capital District is here to take revenge on Long Qi?"
"It's possible. After Yan Gang was seriously injured and taken away by the rebels, the capital district has been frantically searching for him, but there are no clues."
Everyone heard the news from Hou Lin. The people in Gaojiang District really didn't have a good impression of Yan Gang, especially since he was so arrogant and domineering towards Ye Ning.
But regardless of whether it was Long Qi who injured Yan Gang, if the Capital District really sent someone to assassinate Long Qi, it would be overreaching.
The pollution tide was so terrifying that without Long Qi, the Xisha District would not have been able to survive. Assassinating Long Qi would be tantamount to wiping out the Xisha District in disguise.
If this was really done by the Capital District, the Xisha District will definitely not let them off.
Bai Qing glanced at the time and said, "Reinforcements will arrive in fifteen minutes. If they do... this place will be exposed."
There was a hint of regret in her tone, and everyone immediately understood what she meant.
If no one knows, no one will care. Once someone knows, they will most likely care about it. Even if they are on high alert, it will be difficult for them to avoid being exploited.
With so many plants, stealing just one would be enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime.
A researcher quickly asked Hou Lin, "Why don't we just keep them out of the way?"
Hou Lin glanced at the message sent by Shao Yu. Shao Yu would not be too far away from here. He would be about two kilometers away, waiting for reinforcements to come and take those people away.
He hesitated for a moment, asked Hou Sen's opinion, and then asked his men to retreat.
The front part is blocked by houses and sand dunes. Even for orcs with good eyesight, it is impossible to see the situation here from three or four kilometers away.
The soldiers who had just been transferred from the battlefield were following Gu Yu in a daze.
The air around here was filled with Long Qi's presence. When everyone approached, they kept feeling the tremendous pressure. But before they got any closer, they received news that they didn't need to go any further.
Just now they were so anxious that they wished they could fly over, but now they were told not to go, which made the soldiers confused.
"Captain Gu, what on earth happened? Why do you want to go and then not go?"
"Yes, the pollution on the front line is still increasing. They temporarily transferred us here. It must be something big, right?"
They didn't wait long before they saw Shao Yu coming over with a group of people.
Gu Yu frowned slightly, "Are they the ones?"
Shao Yu nodded and handed the person over.
Gu Yu felt something was amiss. Someone had the audacity to go into Long Qi's house and poison him while he was away. His first reaction was that someone from the Capital District had done this, but he didn't think it was typical of the Capital District.
Gu Yu, "I'll leave two teams here."
Shao Yu glanced behind him. Gu Yu brought a total of 30 people, all of whom were A-level and above, and there were even a few S-level orcs.
The battle on the battlefield is fierce and stalemate, and it is not easy to temporarily transfer so many high-ranking soldiers and officers over.
Time was urgent and they didn't have much time to talk. After Gu Yu left the people behind, he took his men away again.
The people who were left behind looked at each other in confusion, and the two S-level orcs wanted to know what their purpose was in staying here.
Shao Yu: "Don't let anyone get close to there."
Everyone frowned. "What's in there? Pollutants, or something else? Are we just going to sit there and watch?"
Shao Yu nodded and said, "What we need to protect is very important, so please be alert."
Planting indoors.
Ye Ning was playing with the gun in her hand, and suddenly asked, "Don't we have defense robots? How did they avoid it?"
"They used equipment they found in the garbage area to successfully divert some of the defense robots' normal patrol routes, taking the opportunity to approach and steal the plants."
"Those people looked timid, but they were very agile and stole things very quickly. They must be habitual offenders."
"There are still some talented people in the Xisha area. Those defense robots are all new products. They were actually successfully affected by such crude equipment and changed their route."
"Report it quickly! Even the people in the garbage district can crack it. Those in the weapons research and development department, forget about their year-end bonuses."
Everyone grumbled for a moment. These weren't particularly powerful orcs, yet they managed to break through the defenses like that. This was truly embarrassing.
"This whole night has been terrifying." The researcher checked the time and said, "Master Ye Ning, you should go to bed quickly. It's already so late."
Hou Lin took back the gun that Ye Ning had been playing with and said, "You two go to sleep. I'll be guarding the door."
He also put away Feng Qi's sword.
Although this was a false alarm, there is no guarantee that similar situations will not occur in the future.
Hou Lin was brainstorming about how to deal with a serious situation if he encountered one.
But now, in addition to him, there are two S-level orcs three kilometers away, plus nine A-level orcs.
Until going to bed, Feng Qi was still very nervous and kept holding Ye Ning's hand.
She didn't say anything, but her muscles were tense. Ye Ning patted her back gently, "Don't worry."
Feng Qi hugged her and said, "Sister, do you think they were sent by the rebels?"
Even Feng Qi was wondering whether those people came for Long Qi or for Ye Ning.
"I don't know either." Ye Ning was very calm. "It doesn't matter who it is. We can't always worry about things that haven't happened yet."
"If the sky falls, there are adults to hold it up."
Feng Qi held her hand and said, "I'm older than you, I can hold you up too!"
Ye Ning smiled and rubbed her hand gently again.
Everyone spent another day in a state of nervous tension.
As of today, the pollutant tide in the Xisha area has lasted for almost a week. They have even found a rhythm and frequency for the pollutant tide, but no matter how energetic they are, they will inevitably become exhausted after persisting for several days in a row.
However, the fused orcs deployed by the Federation on the battlefield were very effective.
Fusion orcs are not afraid of highly polluted environments and can even enhance their abilities in such environments. However, their rationality has been largely overtaken by pollutants, leaving them more vulnerable to primitive instincts.
They devoured the surrounding pollutants frantically, and if they tried to approach the city, they would be attacked by various weapons. The fused orcs, who retained a certain level of intelligence, quickly understood the dangerous areas that could not be approached, and thus began to slaughter everyone on the battlefield.
The Federation brought a total of four fused orcs, which were almost equivalent to the original forty or fifty soldiers.
Mingjiu looked at the situation in front of him and became very proud.
"Chief Heyang, you see, using fused orcs in combat is indeed very effective. It can be considered as making good use of waste."
Tsuruya: "So what does the Federation mean? They don't intend to capture the rebels, but just let them harm the people of the Federation like this?"
Mingjiu: "Captain Tsuruha, you're exaggerating. The Federation is also working hard on the rebels."
Tsuruo looked at him and said, "The extent of your efforts really makes me wonder if there are rebels within the Federation as well."
Mingjiu's expression darkened instantly. "Heyang District Chief, please be careful with your words!"
The ten orcs who were guarding the planting room from afar endured a day and a night, and then Gu Yu brought new people to take over the shift.
Nothing has happened for such a long time, and everyone has to stand here doing nothing. They are all complaining.
"Captain Gu, there aren't many high-level orcs in the Xisha area. Isn't it a bit of a waste to put ten A-level orcs here at once?"
"Yes, Shao Yu only said that there is something important for us to guard here, but this is near Long Qi's residence. If we stay here, we will feel pressure all the time."
"Captain Gu, what exactly are we guarding here?"
What important things are there in Xisha District that could allow the district chief to dispatch 10 orcs above level A during the pollution wave?
Gu Yu: "You guys go back and have a good rest first. When Long Qi comes back, you won't have to stay here anymore."
"That will have to wait until the pollution tide recedes."
Gu Yu nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
In the planting room, everyone was still terrified for two days. During these two days, Ye Ning did not go out again. It was Bai Qing who helped to replant the plants that had been pulled out.
Three o'clock in the morning.
It was when everyone was fast asleep.
The power system in the growing room suddenly failed completely.
All the central control system's monitoring systems, lighting equipment, and even the temperature control system of the growing room failed completely. Even the protective doors and safety locks lost control at the same time.
Before everyone could react, on the other side, the patrolling robot suddenly sounded a loud alarm!
[Emergency! Emergency! Fire warning! Everyone, please evacuate immediately!]
The sharp alarm sounded three times, waking everyone up!
Hou Lin knocked on the door quickly, "Fire!"
As he said that, he simply pushed the door open and walked in.
Feng Qi and Ye Ning were still sleeping, so Hou Lin quickly found the highest-standard protective clothing and handed it to them.
"There's a fire, and the power is out in the entire grow room. Hurry and change your clothes and get out."
Ye Ning quickly put on her protective suit: "How did the fire suddenly break out?"
Hou Lin's expression was serious. "There must be a traitor in the planting room."
In this situation, if he still can't discover the other party's intentions, then he would be really stupid.
"Traitor?" Feng Qi widened his eyes.
Hou Lin nodded and quickly picked them up. "It can't be an accident if the power outage and fire in the cultivation room occur simultaneously."
"Someone can't wait any longer and wants to take advantage of the chaos to make a big move. No matter what happens later, you two must follow me closely."
Hou Lin put on the filter masks for them, and then sprayed Ye Ning with the scent of golden monkey orcs before picking her up.
Feng Qi pushed Hou Lin and said, "Brother Hou Lin, you hold my sister. I can walk by myself. You save your energy and just protect my sister."
Hou Lin hesitated for a moment, but still didn't let go. "Go out first, and then I'll put you down."
When they went out, Hou Lin still handed the weapons to them.
The entire growing room was pitch black. A pungent smoke came out from nowhere and lingered in the area where they were. They could even faintly see the glow of fire.
In the darkness, a researcher's voice emerged from nowhere, "Hou Lin, take Master Ye Ning out quickly. Several places in the planting room are on fire!"
"The tunnel's ventilation system is also damaged. Get out now!"
Hou Lin held his breath. "I don't know if this smoke is poisonous. Try not to breathe it!"
As he spoke, he quickly carried the two of them out.
The growing room was in chaos. The other researchers were scrambling to find water to put out the fire, but several of the fires were burning simultaneously. More than a dozen people had to be dispersed to water the plants, significantly stretching their manpower.
Everyone was running, looking for something to put out the fire.
But suddenly, someone seemed to be tripped and fell to the ground with a groan.
Hou Lin smelled the smell of blood instantly.
A researcher nearby immediately helped her up and asked, "Bai Qing, how are you?"
"It's okay, put out the fire first."
"Bai Qing, are you hurt?" Ye Ning quickly turned around and threw a ball of supernatural power over.
Although she could still see a little at night, the smoke now obscured her vision.
"Oh my god, you've lost so much blood! You should get out first."
"Yeah, it's a mess here. Wait until we put out the fire before you come back."
Bai Qing forced himself to get up, but he made a "shaha" sound as soon as he moved.
Ye Ning also smelled the bloody smell, which seemed to be getting stronger. Her special ability was now mainly for purification, so it was impossible for her to heal the wound immediately. Ye Ning was a little worried about her, "Bai Qing, are you in pain? Come out with us."
"Come on, come on, I'll support you."
The researcher next to her helped her up and walked towards Hou Lin with her.
Hou Lin immediately took two steps in the other direction and said, "Don't come near me until this is over. Everyone must keep a distance of more than three meters from me, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."
The researcher was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Bai Qing patted him on the shoulder and said, "At three in the morning, the central control system failed and the power went out. Then there were fires in several places. It must have been one of our own people who did it."
"One of our own?!" The surrounding researchers suddenly realized what was happening. He was instantly furious. "Damn it! Aren't all the people who come here strictly vetted? Even their family members are checked! How could someone betray Gaojiang District?"
"Now is not the time to dwell on this. Lady Ye Ning's safety is the most important." Bai Qing looked at Hou Lin, "You two should hurry out first. I'll just follow from a distance."
The smell of blood seemed to be getting stronger.
Ye Ning lay on Hou Lin's shoulder and saw Bai Qing staggering behind him.
"Baiqing, did you hurt your leg?"
Bai Qing: "Yeah, I had a big cut on my leg. I got up in a hurry and didn't put on my protective suit properly."
Ye Ning: "Wait, you bandage it first. After we go out, why don't you stay in Long Qi's house first?"
Bai Qing: "You can go to the planting room next door. All the researchers are here. The other rooms are empty at night, so they should be safe."
Ye Ning nodded and looked at her worriedly, "That's fine. I'll take care of your wound first. You've lost too much blood."
The air became quiet again.
Hou Lin's nerves were all tense. He remained silent and no one knew what he was thinking.
Ye Ning asked him again, "Didn't the Xisha District send a lot of people here? Are they coming over now?"
Hou Lin, "They will be here soon. They will come over after we get out."
By the time they walked out of the planting room, Hou Lin's nerves were stretched to the limit.
People not far away immediately came forward and said, "We will arrange two people to go in and put out the fire, and three people will follow you."
Hou Lin's eyelids jumped. There were five people, but Shao Yu was not there.
His heart was filled with alarm, "You——"
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