Ning Yu gritted his teeth. He knew it was a trap, but he couldn't bear to watch Mu Xue fall into danger. He forced himself to calm down, his cold gaze sweeping over the smug leader before him, and slowly said, "Lead the way."
The enemy escorted Ning Yu through a desolate wasteland to a dilapidated underground parking lot. The heavy stench of blood mingled with the damp, musty smell, making one want to vomit. Ning Yu was roughly pushed to the ground, and in the dim light, he saw Mu Xue tied to a pillar. Her clothes were disheveled, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained defiant.
"How are you?" Ning Yu struggled to stand up, but the enemy pressed him firmly to the ground.
"I'm fine." Mu Xue shook her head. "You don't need to worry about me. What they want is you."
"Ning Yu, have you thought it through? As long as you submit to us, I can guarantee that you and your woman will live." The leader squatted down, used a dagger to lift Ning Yu's chin, and spoke with a hint of mockery.
Ning Yu ignored him, turning his gaze to Mu Xue, his eyes filled with worry and self-reproach. He knew that his current predicament was largely due to his underestimation of the enemy and his arrogance. If he hadn't been so eager to expand his power and lowered his guard, he wouldn't have fallen into the enemy's trap, and Mu Xue wouldn't have been implicated.
"What are you thinking? Don't forget, in your current situation, you have no right to negotiate with me!" The leader kicked Ning Yu in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Ning Yu groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He raised his head, staring coldly at the leader, and said, word by word, "I agree to your conditions, but you must also keep your promise and release her."
"Haha, of course, I'm a man of my word." The leader stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Someone, invite Madam Ning to the VIP room to rest and treat her well!"
Two henchmen stepped forward, untied Mu Xue, and escorted her away from the underground parking lot. Ning Yu watched Mu Xue leave, his eyes gradually hardening. He knew that what he needed to do now was to do everything in his power to resolve the current predicament as quickly as possible, then find the mastermind behind it all and avenge himself!
During his imprisonment, Ning Yu outwardly obeyed, but secretly observed his surroundings, searching for an opportunity to escape. At the same time, he also used this time to seriously reflect on his own problems. He realized that his previous strategies had been too aggressive, and the expansion too rapid, leading to issues with the team's cohesion and combat effectiveness.
Ning Yu knew that without resolving internal conflicts, his power could not grow and expand. He first investigated the resource situation and discovered that the total resources were actually sufficient to meet the needs of all parties. Therefore, he convened a meeting of all members, explaining in detail the total amount of resources and the plan for their fair distribution, attempting to eliminate internal conflicts.
"I know some of you think I'm biased towards newcomers, but I want to say that everything I've done is for this group, for our common goal." Ning Yu looked around at everyone, her tone firm. "The environment we're in now is fraught with danger. Only by uniting can we survive."
However, his explanation did not gain everyone's approval. Some veteran members remained dissatisfied, believing that they had made significant contributions to the faction and deserved more resources.
"Boss Ning, it's not that we don't trust you, but when we old brothers were risking our lives with you, those newbies were still nowhere to be found!" A burly man with a scar on his face stood up and said with dissatisfaction.
“Yeah, why should we give this territory, which we fought tooth and nail to, to those newbies?” Another thin man chimed in.
"Listen to me, everyone..." Ning Yu tried to explain, but was interrupted by a commotion.
"Enough!" Mu Xue, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up. She looked around at everyone, her gaze sharp. "You all keep saying you made great contributions, then ask yourselves, in the previous battle, who saved your lives? Who..."
Before Mu Xue could finish speaking, she was rudely interrupted by an older member: "What do you know, you're just a woman..." "What do you know, you're just a woman! Who gives you the right to speak here?!" The thin man slammed his hand on the table and roared, pointing at Mu Xue's nose.
"Why can't I speak? When I was risking my life for this team, you guys were probably hiding somewhere!" Mu Xue glared back defiantly, her eyes burning with anger. "Just because I'm a woman, does that mean my contributions can be ignored?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, several low echoes rang out from the crowd, and some newly joined members stood up to speak for her, rebuking the older members for their arrogance and unreasonable behavior. In an instant, the meeting room was filled with arguments and insults, and the already precarious unity vanished.
Ning Yu frowned and banged on the table forcefully, trying to control the situation. However, the angry crowd wouldn't listen to any explanations and continued arguing incessantly. Looking at the chaotic scene before him, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Worse still, the external enemy also noticed their internal conflicts and intensified their attacks. The troops, already demoralized by resource allocation issues, became even more vulnerable under the enemy's fierce offensive and suffered repeated defeats.
"Boss, we can't hold on! Those guys are like madmen, they're not afraid of dying at all!" A soldier covered in blood stumbled in and shouted anxiously.
"I understand. Go and bandage your wounds first." Ning Yu forced himself to calm down and quickly issued the order, "All squad leaders, immediately organize your men and prepare for battle!"
However, his orders were not effectively carried out. Some veteran members, dissatisfied with Ning Yu's arrangements, deliberately delayed and refused to obey orders. Others, fearing death, secretly left the team and deserted.
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