Chapter 146
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An elephant effortlessly destroyed a base.
Some died, while others fled. Two women ran out, clutching An Chen’s arms, and cheered.
“Honey, you’re amazing! Your elephant is so powerful,” one of them exclaimed.
An Chen basked in the moment. In this post-apocalyptic world, life had become like heaven for him.
These two women—one he had taken willingly, and the other he had persuaded—had brought newfound excitement into his life. After tasting the sweetness, the one he had persuaded was even more unrestrained than the one who had willingly joined him.
Before the apocalypse, he had never experienced such treatment.
However, the words of the person who had just spoken felt like a thorn deeply embedded in An Chen’s heart.
“Your elephant isn’t even as good as a dog. Dare to challenge it and see?”
An Chen had a deep bond with his elephant, especially in this apocalyptic world where it had helped him navigate through challenges, almost like a form of faith.
If someone insults your child in front of others, calling them a piece of crap, who could tolerate it? And comparing my elephant to a dog? It’s an insult, a terrible insult!
An Chen’s people began searching, but they didn’t find anything valuable. They were just a bunch of poor folks. What could they expect to find? It was only a small and weak base.
It was still early, and An Chen planned to pay a visit to that dog, intending to kill it on the spot, no matter what. He would not allow anything to be compared to his elephant.
A base with just over two hundred people? An Chen wondered if someone had intentionally caused trouble by revealing the manpower from ten days ago.
An Chen mounted his elephant once more and headed towards Chen Luo’s base.
Two wolves, one white and one gray, watched from the shadows as the elephant and An Chen departed, their eyes filled with cold, vengeful hatred. An Chen had killed one of their companions and even eaten it, and wolves were creatures known for their strong revenge instincts.
…
Chen Luo realized a significant mistake; he hadn’t established an intelligence network. In situations like Zhao Hai’s encounter with a mutant, they had to rely on Zhao Hai personally coming back to find out what had happened. It would be different if he had placed spies in other bases.
Sending out some scouts to other bases to gather information about what was happening nearby, whether there were mutants, and if they had acquired advanced crystals, might not guarantee information, but not sending them out meant they would remain completely ignorant.
When you encounter promising talents, you can also have your undercover agents recruit them. Being completely ignorant of what’s happening outside is a huge disadvantage.
Chen Luo cursed himself for being foolish, but he didn’t have the experience of being a leader, so realizing his mistake now wasn’t too late.
After some thought, Chen Luo decided to put Jiang Feng in charge. Jiang Feng had good natural talent in wind manipulation, was fast, and suitable for communication tasks. He was diligent and had shown outstanding performance, making him a valuable member. Moreover, he was sharp and clever.
The main reason was that in the previous world, Jiang Feng had spent a few days with Chen Luo. He attracted zombies to allow Chen Luo and Su Dazhu to steal supplies. Jiang Feng also had a good relationship with Su Dazhu, so Chen Luo was willing to give him this opportunity.
Jiang Feng pointed at himself in surprise, “Me as the head of the special operations? Are you sure about that?”
“Achieving elder status is possible if you do well,” Chen Luo coughed, “and there’s a bonus involved.”
“Elder status?” Jiang Feng’s eyes widened. Becoming an elder would significantly increase his chances of getting close to Wang Ling.
Jiang Feng nodded enthusiastically, as if a red-beaked bird pecking at grains of rice.
Chen Luo smiled and said, “You can recruit agents, but it needs to be done discreetly, gain their consent quietly, gather intelligence, and recruit personnel. The rewards will be substantial, and there will surely be many volunteers. Start with selecting 40 people, and pair them up for mutual support.”
“After you’ve made your selections, bring them to me for review.”
It would be ideal if every base in the Divine Capital had their own informants, but with forty people, it would be nearly one-tenth of the current total population. Chen Luo couldn’t afford to have half of his manpower working as spies. He would have to expand his network slowly and steadily.
As for An Chen, he arrived with the elephant, and within three hours, he reached the vicinity of the base.
Before reaching the base, An Chen was detected by a lookout stationed near the base.
“Be alert, a group of about five hundred people is approaching.”
The remaining members quickly assembled. They didn’t know who the newcomers were, and if they were hostile, it could mean another battle was imminent.
The girls brought the golden retriever that Chen Luo had brought back from Ye Gaofei.
“This dog seems a bit timid, that won’t do. Let’s take it along, let it witness the situation, and boost its courage. We don’t expect it to be as powerful as the Thunderbolt King, just having one percent of the Thunderbolt King’s strength will be enough.”
This golden retriever might not have many skills, but it was a master at being cute, which endeared it to the girls. Each of them fed it with meat, and it had plenty to eat. It was even more comfortable here than when it was with Ye Gaofei.
Chen Luo was originally lounging on the sofa, playing the role of a “wounded” person and leaving it to others to handle. When he heard about the group coming with an elephant, he was taken aback.
Could it be the elephant summoner, An Chen?
In his previous life, this person had some fame. After all, that elephant was indeed impressive, especially with An Chen’s enhancements. Regular opponents of the same level were no match. Later, An Chen was assassinated by his subordinates and died. Without its master, the elephant went mad for a while, attacking anyone it saw. It eventually ended up causing trouble at Mi Ling’s place and was killed by Mi Ling.
The elephant was strong, but An Chen was relatively weak, similar to a summoner.
Chen Luo felt some curiosity and decided to go take a look at this elephant, treating it as a visit to the zoo.
The Thunderbolt King had been wanting to go down and earn some points for a while but was stuck guarding Chen Luo. When he saw Chen Luo going out, he was overjoyed.
Chen Luo glanced at him. “Although I can’t use my abilities now, with an eighth-level physique, my strength is close to seventh level. Do I really need you to protect me?”
One of the girls earnestly said, “Behave well later, and if you perform nicely, maybe the boss will consider making you a formal member, and then you can enjoy the benefits of being a regular member. That way, you can fend for yourself.”
“Be brave later, you know, we’ll protect you.”
The golden retriever nodded and wagged its tail, following along.
“Oh my, an elephant? Watch out, a group of people is coming with an elephant. It’s huge and looks very formidable.”
But as much as the dog had good intentions, Chen Luo had to prevent it from becoming the pack leader.
An Chen, riding atop the elephant, appeared before everyone with a commanding presence.
An Chen furrowed his brows when he saw the group. It wasn’t just a bit over two hundred people; it looked more like over four hundred.
An Chen wasn’t from Chen Luo’s district; he had come from another district and was unfamiliar with this side of things.
Mi Ling asked, “What brings you here?”
An Chen’s eyes widened when he saw Mi Ling, and he grinned mischievously, saying, “Interested in joining forces with me?”
Meanwhile, the Golden Retriever in the group thought to himself, “I have to put in some effort here, so the big boss and the Thunderbolt King will notice me.”
The Golden Retriever squeezed to the front and put on a fierce expression, barking loudly.
An Chen scanned the group and noticed the dog. He sneered and pointed at the Golden Retriever, saying, “I heard you’re quite badass, aren’t you?”