Rumor
Half a month passed, and Lu Tingxiao consumed the nutritional supplements in the base at a terrifying rate every day.
If you're not careful, the base's inventory will be completely consumed.
Upon hearing the news, Xiao Yang was furious and rushed into the dormitory with his men to demand an explanation.
"Lu Tingxiao!" Xiao Yang kicked open the dormitory door, completely disregarding etiquette and politeness, and rushed in: "Do you have any fucking shame!"
"General Xiao, you can't go in!" Guo Xiuqi shouted from behind, but still failed to stop the furious Xiao Yang.
Lu Tingxiao glanced at Xiao Yang who had barged in with displeasure, and loosened his arms around Ling Shi: "General Xiao, are you so free?"
He was teasing Ling, making him blush repeatedly, but was interrupted by this annoying savage.
However, he found it quite amusing to watch Ling Shi sit up straight, his hands furtively adjusting his clothes, his face even redder than when he had just provoked him.
"Stop pretending to be ignorant!" Xiao Yang cursed. "There's a shortage of resources right now. My soldiers risked their lives to collect these valuables bit by bit. They've been sitting in the lab for so long, and you took them all!"
Lu Tingxiao frowned and scratched his ears. "Why are you shouting so loudly? I'm not hard of hearing. It's just some ginseng bird's nest smoked with dragon horns. I can find more and smoke them again after I finish eating them. Why are you so stingy, General Xiao?"
"I'm stingy?" Xiao Yang was so angry that his hands were shaking. He pointed at his nose and said, "I'm an ordinary person who hasn't evolved yet. I don't need these things at all. I have so many dragon warriors under my command. On average, only a few people can get a little bit. But you, you eat up the share of an entire army by yourself, and now you say I'm stingy?"
"General Xiao, calm down." Ling Shi couldn't just sit back and watch. "I'm the one who collects the quota every time. I'm sorry, I didn't realize I'd emptied the base's inventory all at once. Captain Lu has been wearing out a lot lately..."
"What?!" Xiao Yang interrupted Ling Shi before he could finish: "You went to get it? So you were the one who emptied my inventory?!"
When he pointed at Ling, it looked like he was about to pounce and hit him in the next second.
"What are you doing!" Lu Tingxiao's face darkened. "Do you think you can blame my people so casually?"
"Let alone taking something from you, even if we demolish your house and pry away all your soldiers, you still can't afford to show any displeasure."
He finally stood up from the bed and waved his hand: "Guo Xiuqi, get out!"
"Lu Tingxiao, you..." Xiao Yang was speechless.
"If anyone still refuses to leave," Lu Tingxiao interrupted him, "just kick them out! If they get hurt, I'll take the blame."
"Yes." Guo Xiuqi obeyed the order without saying a word, grabbed Xiao Yang's arm and pulled him out.
He was a dragon warrior who had been promoted to the second level, so it was easy for him to deal with an ordinary person like Xiao Yang. The latter had no chance to struggle and was dragged out of the door.
"Lu Tingxiao!" Xiao Yangren went outside, and the roar continued to come in: "I finally recognize you! You've become too independent and don't give face to anyone! Just wait for me!"
......
After a while, Xiao Yang was dragged out of the dormitory building and the sound gradually disappeared.
Ling Shi looked at Lu Tingxiao and said, "You've really grown wings. After all, he is the highest-ranking officer in the base and controls the vast majority of the armed forces."
"Who told him to say that?" Lu Tingxiao moved closer to Ling Shi and put his arm around his waist again. "Who dares to bully me? Who cares about me?"
Ling Shi slapped his hand away forcefully. "What do you mean by 'your people'? I'm independent and belong to myself. Aren't you afraid that he'll use force to suppress me? Let's see how you'll end up then."
"Tsk," Lu Tingxiao rubbed his hands and lay down on the bed. "I have soldiers too. A 5,000-man army is enough to protect myself if I don't want to fight for power. Don't worry."
Ling Shi sighed and looked at the stubborn man in front of him: "I hope you won't have to ask Xiao Yang for help in the future."
As he was speaking, Guo Xiuqi came back: "Report."
"Huh? Did you drive that big pig's hoof away?" Lu Tingxiao asked with a smile.
"Yes." Guo Xiuqi looked a little hesitant, as if he had something to say.
Lu Tingxiao frowned and said impatiently: "Are you also here to persuade me not to be too rude to Xiao Yang?"
"No," Guo Xiuqi quickly denied. "How to treat the general is General Lu's own business. I have no right to interfere."
"Yeah. That's good." Lu Tingxiao nodded with satisfaction.
Guo Xiuqi is also a good assistant. He can work independently and will not be so arrogant as to interfere with the decisions of his superiors.
"But..." Guo Xiuqi gritted his teeth and said, "Commander Lu asked me to protect Long Ji last time, so I've been paying close attention to Long Ji's affairs. I just received news that the North African cell phone you brought back when you first returned to the base has been cracked. The relevant information... is stored with General Xiao..."
"What?!" Lu Tingxiao's eyes widened, a look of constipation on his face. "Have you heard anything? What's in the information?"
"According to the reports from our subordinates who investigated the situation," Guo Xiuqi said, "the group of people from North Africa came to China with a great secret, the Dragon Horn, and came to seek cooperation..."
"What secret?" Ling Shi asked.
"I don't know," Guo Xiuqi said. "That's all the people down there have heard."
The room was quiet for a while.
Ling Shi suddenly smiled and patted Lu Tingxiao on the shoulder: “Brother, how to get the information from Xiao Yang depends on you.”
Lu Tingxiao had a look of ashamedness on his face: "Fuck, that slap in the face was too fast..."
*
At noon the next day, in the cafeteria.
"Hey, have you heard?" A soldier sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, eating, whispered to his comrades, "Premier Yu plans to promote General Lu to a higher rank and let him share the responsibility of General Xiao's First Army."
"Ah? Premier Yu can actually be the boss of our First Army?" asked his comrade. "You must be kidding! General Xiao is a very domineering man. He won't let Premier Yu manipulate him."
"That's how it should be," the soldier said, his voice lowered. "But Commander Lu is no ordinary man. I heard that when General Xiao was a lieutenant, he was already a major, so he has more experience than General Xiao. Moreover, since returning to the base, he has led the White Eagles to retrieve four fragments of dragon horn bones, which is a great contribution."
The comrade thought for a moment and said, "That's true."
"And there's more," the soldier said, "I heard that Commander Lu recently advanced to the third level with the help of Dr. Ling. But General Xiao is just an ordinary person who hasn't evolved yet. How can he compare to Commander Lu? In my opinion, even if the entire First Army was given to Commander Lu and he was made the highest commander of the base, he would still deserve it. If General Xiao had any self-awareness, he would take the initiative to let this wise man take over."
"Wow," the comrade asked, "According to what you're saying, Premier Yu teamed up with General Lu to force the throne. If General Xiao doesn't acknowledge this, I'm afraid it will end badly."
"That's right," the soldier said. "In the First Army, there are also many veterans who have served with General Lu, and they also support General Lu."
As they were talking, several other soldiers came over here with lunch boxes in their hands.
"Shh—stop talking, it would be bad if someone heard you."
Unexpectedly, the soldiers who were approaching quickened their pace, approached them, and sat down. One of the leading soldiers looked at them and said mysteriously, "Hey, are you talking about General Lu? It's not a secret anymore. What are you hiding? We are General Lu's supporters, and we're just waiting for him to come back and lead us."
A soldier nearby said, "That's right. If Commander Lu calls, I'll be the first to sign up to be his soldier."
......
Two hours later, in Xiao Yang's office.
Lin Chu stood in front of the desk and reported to Xiao Yang: "General, this is roughly the situation. Such rumors are very disadvantageous to the general."
Xiao Yang sat behind his desk, his back completely leaning on the chair, without saying a word.
Lin Chu was a little anxious: "General, do you want me to arrest those people who are gossiping about this in private?"
Xiao Yang thought for a moment and asked, "Where do these rumors come from?"
Lin Chu was stunned for a moment: "I don't know. There are too many people spreading the news in the base now. If we want to find the source... it's difficult."
Xiao Yang fell into deep thought again.
Lin Chu couldn't help but say, "General, this is obvious. Since you had a falling out with Lu Tingxiao last time, he has been colluding with Yu Zhengping. Isn't his adjutant Ling Shi Yu Zhengping's nephew?"
Xiao Yang sighed: "It is indeed possible."
Lin Chu said indignantly, "General, that Lu Tingxiao only has 5,000 soldiers under his command. Why would he go against you? In my opinion, he should be taught a lesson. Let him know who is in charge of the base now."
Xiao Yang thought for a moment and said, "Let's go and meet him to see if he really wants to rebel."
Lin Chu: "Yes."
The two left the office, crossed the Fountain Square, and walked onto Maple Leaf Avenue.
Turn left at the third intersection and walk a hundred meters to reach Lu Tingxiao and his roommates’ dormitory.
"General Xiao," Lin Chu reminded, "Look, isn't that Lu Tingxiao in front of you?"
Xiao Yang followed his gaze and looked forward. Sure enough, Lu Tingxiao was surrounded by a group of soldiers. They were talking about something and it was quite lively.
"Heh," Xiao Yang took two steps forward. "Those are all soldiers from the First Army, right? Lu Tingxiao hasn't even been appointed yet, so why are they so eager to pledge their loyalty?"
"Wait," Lin Chu stopped Xiao Yang: "General, why don't you..."
He paused, hesitated, and didn't finish his words.
"Just say it." Xiao Yang said impatiently.
Lin Chu moved closer and whispered, "Why don't we stay out of sight for now and listen to what they're up to. Once we know what they're up to, the general can be prepared."
Xiao Yang thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
He turned into a small path ahead and took a few turns before arriving at a corner not far from the group of people.
This corner is in the blind spot of the group of people, but the straight-line distance is not far, so I can just hear what they are talking about.
"Commander Lu, all of us in the Fourteenth Squad of the First Army admire you deeply," a tall and muscular soldier asked. "When will you take office? How will the command of the First Army be divided? Can all of us in the Fourteenth Squad follow you?"
"Yes, Commander Lu, we have admired you for a long time."
"Not only are you incredibly powerful, but we've also heard about your deeds during your time as ambassador. You often silenced the Americans at the negotiation table, securing many practical benefits for China. The base needs a commander like you right now!"
"Yes, Commander Lu, can you choose the team that follows you? If so, can you choose us?"
Hearing these "reactionary" remarks, Xiao Yang could hardly maintain his expression.
Since the apocalypse, he considered himself diligent and dedicated to the base. A common, unevolved being, he often led a group of dragon warriors deep into the corrupted population, risking his own life to reclaim batches of vital resources for the base.
I didn’t expect... in the hearts of these ungrateful people, he is not as good as Lu Tingxiao!
Humph, if Lu Tingxiao doesn't know the current situation, he won't care about the friendship they have known each other for all these years.
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