Chapter 184: Changing Sides
Cheng Qisheng was a god with quite a bit of divine bearing, but most of the time, she was little more than a divine mouthpiece.
When the news of the weapons depot’s stockpile was relayed back to Blue Sea through the divine oracle, President Qin Zhi became so excited that she nearly crushed the cup in her hand.
And she wasn’t the only one. Every Blue Sea high-ranking official seated around the round table was brimming with excitement and exhilaration.
“Our God!”
“That’s enough. More than enough.”
“With these weapons, we won’t have to fear taking on the Three Great Companies.”
Amid the fervent atmosphere, a group of high-ranking officials dressed in black holy robes placed a map leading to Manluota—the headquarters of the [Zephyr] Company—in the center of the table.
All the core departments of the Three Great Companies had retreated into Manluota. It was the same principle that had kept Blue Sea firmly hidden within the Broken River Wasteland before. On Moon Silk Star, every major faction would do its best to remain within its own headquarters.
So if they wanted to attack the companies, they would inevitably have to go to the enemy’s headquarters.
That was also why Blue Sea had been recruiting troops and allies everywhere, seeking both New Human factions and Safe City residents.
After all, no one knew whether the [Companies] had hidden some powerful weapons within their own headquarters.
Qin Zhi drew a new route on the map. Although it required taking a slight detour, the army would pass through the Saen Dead Zone on its way from the Broken River Wasteland to Manluota.
Perfect.
“No more waiting. We’re leaving now!”
As the forces of [Ota] assembled, with airships and vehicles all ready, and set off toward Manluota, the various Safe Cities also received the news through every possible channel. One after another, they dispatched second waves, third waves, and even fourth waves of residents.
And as mentioned before, every faction on this planet had a few tricks up its sleeve.
Before Blue Sea left Broken River, they might still have been uncertain about the information. But the moment the [Ota Army] left Broken River, the news immediately spread far and wide.
Some New Human factions sided with [Ota] and decided to join them, while others sided with [Zephyr] and chose to send people to Manluota to deliver the news.
Still others chose to remain neutral, secretly hoping that the two companies would fight each other to mutual destruction and both suffer heavy losses.
Meanwhile, the enemy high-ranking officials from [Zephyr] in this war against [Ota] were already sitting in the reception room of [Zipa Company].
“You should understand that our three [Companies] have coexisted peacefully for so long without any major problems. But what is [Ota] supposed to be? It’s a greedy wolf. Today, it’s attacking [Zephyr]. Tomorrow, its guns will be pointed at [Zipa].”
The high-ranking official sent by [Zephyr] was named Silas. He was the group’s chief executive officer. Although he wasn’t a member of the board of directors, as the highest-ranking administrator of [Zephyr Company], sending him here already demonstrated a great deal of sincerity on [Zephyr]’s part.
Silas was already one hundred and eighty years old.
As an Old Human, a lifespan of two hundred years had once seemed like an enormous amount of time. But for an old man who might die in another twenty years, it was nowhere near enough.
But he had undergone several skin grafting procedures and eight rounds of cosmetic surgery, including surgery on his vocal cords. As a result, the person sitting before everyone looked like a young man of around thirty.
No one found this strange. Nearly all of the high-ranking executives in the [Companies] did the same thing.
Humans were greedy. When they only had a hundred-year lifespan, they wanted two hundred. Once they actually had two hundred years to live, they began complaining about their aging appearance at such an advanced age.
Compared with the nearly one-hundred-percent cosmetic surgery rate among senior employees, however, the members of the board of directors were rather different.
After all, they were among the most powerful people in the [Companies]. Even if they were already extremely old, no one would dare let a hint of disrespect show on their face.
For Silas to have secured the position of Chief Executive Officer, he was naturally an excellent speaker. The moment he opened his mouth, he pinpointed exactly what [Zipa] was most worried about.
“Think about it. Of our three companies, your strength is relatively the weakest. So why didn’t [Ota] strike at you first? Why did it join forces with you to attack [Zephyr] instead?”
His eyes had undergone so many surgeries that their excessive perfection and delicacy had actually left them looking somewhat stiff. Now, they gazed confidently at Chief Executive Officer Eilara of [Zipa].
“You know this isn’t difficult to figure out. [Ota] is doing this for convenience. It wants to join forces with you first, eliminate us, and then turn around and swallow the weaker [Zipa].”
Eilara smiled. Compared with [Zephyr]’s more outwardly aggressive chief executive, her expression was much calmer, concealing all her calculations beneath that smile.
“Mr. Silas, you’re just panicking and desperately seeking a solution. I’ve already told you: we, [Zipa], have never had any sort of cooperation with [Ota].”
Anger gradually rose in Silas’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
“Do you take us for blind? The weapons [Zipa] has transported out of Hal City during this period alone should be enough to wipe out a major faction, shouldn’t they?”
Eilara picked up the cup on the table and leisurely took a sip of water.
“That was simply a normal transaction between our company and [Ota]. They wanted to buy weapons, and we wanted to sell weapons. Both parties were willing. They handed over the energy crystals, and we handed over the goods. It was nothing more than ordinary business.”
Silas: “With [Ota]’s strength, would they really need to come to [Zipa] to buy weapons? If you’re going to make an excuse, at least come up with a decent one.”
Eilara was about to continue slowly dancing around the issue with Silas when the person seated on the left spoke.
“Enough.”
The two looked at each other with no shortage of hostility, but they still gave the speaker the respect he was due and obediently fell silent.
After all, the person sitting on the left was Dacius, one of the members of the board of directors of the most powerful of the [Companies]: [Norn].
Dacius tapped the table and said unhurriedly:
“I came all this way. I’m not here to listen to two employees sit around making small talk.”
He raised his eyes and looked at Eilara.
“You’re not qualified to negotiate with me. Call one of your company’s directors.”
The moment he finished speaking, the main door slowly opened from the outside. A woman who likewise maintained the appearance of someone around fifty walked in.
“Dacius. I didn’t expect them to send you. What, have your board privileges already been suppressed by Genevieve to this extent? Look at you. You’ve been reduced to a mere errand runner.”
At a glance from her, Eilara immediately stood up and walked outside.
Silas, who had come from [Zephyr Company], tried to stay behind, but under the woman’s unmistakably intimidating stare, he could only leave the reception room reluctantly.
Dacius remained calmly seated.
“Isolde, I’m here to save you.”
Isolde, a member of [Zipa] Company’s board of directors, showed no particular warmth toward Dacius merely because [Zipa] was the weakest of the three companies.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Is that so? I don’t see it. All I see is a weakling who can’t secure enough power within his own company and is desperately seeking outside support.”
Put simply, Isolde was the boss of [Zipa Company]. She could make any decision she wanted for Zipa.
Dacius, on the other hand, was at best competing with that board member named Genevieve for the position of second-in-command at [Norn Company].
In the eyes of [Norn]’s employees, he was second only to one person and above countless others. But in Isolde’s eyes, he still wasn’t on the same level as her.
Dacius understood her thinking perfectly well, but his expression didn’t change in the slightest.
“[Ota]’s appearance has shattered the balance. Does [Zipa] really intend to stand with [Ota]? Become [Ota]’s vanguard and eliminate [Zephyr], all just to gamble that once it’s over, [Ota] will allow you to continue existing?”
Isolde slowly sat down.
“As though we have a choice. [Ota] came knocking on our door. If [Zipa] doesn’t join them in attacking [Zephyr], they’ll come after us instead. What else can we do?”
She smiled at Dacius.
“Or perhaps [Norn] is willing to intervene? Are you willing to stand against [Ota] in order to protect [Zephyr]? If that’s really the case, then of course [Zipa] will follow [Norn] without question.”
Dacius: “[Norn] won’t intervene. At least, not for now.”
Isolde wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
“Of course. Who would willingly drag themselves onto the battlefield? You want to sit on the sidelines and watch the fighting, using this war to gauge [Ota]’s strength. But one company, [Zephyr], isn’t enough for you, so you need to add [Zipa] to the mix as well. You want us to join forces with you to deal with [Ota], don’t you?”
She stated the truth plainly. She showed no negative emotions over the fact that her own company was merely a blade in [Ota]’s hands, and would still be a blade in [Norn]’s hands.
That was simply how the world worked.
Being weak was the original sin.
[Zipa] was at least somewhat stronger than [Zephyr], so it hadn’t been singled out as prey from the very beginning.
She rejected him decisively.
“Sorry, Dacius. I’m a person who takes promises very seriously. [Zipa] has already signed an agreement with [Ota]. You’re too late.”
Dacius quietly listened until she had finished speaking. Only then did he slowly place a small panel on the table.
“Perhaps you should take a look at the terms we’re offering.”
Isolde opened the panel. Her expression had remained calm throughout, but after seeing the various resources listed on it, a crack finally appeared in her composure.
“Wow. That’s quite a bloodletting.”
Dacius said, “Even for [Norn], this isn’t a small amount. I brought all of it with me. As long as you agree, these resources can be delivered to [Zipa] immediately.”
“Of course.” He tapped the table. “Before you accept anything, whatever decision you make has nothing to do with [Norn]. But once you’ve accepted [Norn]’s resources, if you refuse to act, we’ll consider it an act of war.”
“Now, the choice is yours. Your reputation for keeping your word, or… these resources?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Isolde pulled the panel over to her side.
“Obviously the resources, my friend. Have you ever heard of a [Company] having any sense of honor?”
The situation on Moon Silk Star was deteriorating by the day, which also meant there was less and less time before the Safe City arrived on this planet.
At a time like this, there was no way [Zipa] would turn down a substantial windfall of resources.
More importantly, during her contact with [Ota], she had vaguely sensed that this legendary [Company] might not actually be as powerful as the rumors claimed.
Even though [Ota] had conducted itself flawlessly and revealed no weaknesses, she simply had that intuition.
And Isolde’s sharp instincts had helped her countless times on her way to becoming [Zipa]’s chairwoman.
—[Ota] wasn’t as strong as it appeared, and defecting would earn them resources. So what was there to hesitate about?
Seeing that [Zipa] had made its choice, a smile appeared on Dacius’s face.
It had been worth the trouble of making the journey himself, even risking his safety by leaving Ragham, all to convince [Zipa].
[Zipa]’s betrayal of [Ota] would become one of his greatest achievements. Within [Norn]’s board of directors, it would allow him to raise his standing by a considerable margin and overtake the other board members competing with him for influence.
Of course, when dealing with a greedy company like [Zipa], he needed to add one more thing to prevent them from switching sides again.
“Since we’re friends now, I don’t mind letting you in on a little secret. [Norn] indeed doesn’t want [Ota] to grow any stronger, but that’s not because we’re afraid of it.”
Dacius leaned slightly closer.
Having received such generous benefits, Isolde was more than happy to lean toward him as well.
The conference room had been completely soundproofed and equipped with comprehensive security systems. Even if they raised their voices, there was absolutely no chance a third person would hear them.
But that only made what Dacius was about to say seem all the more important.
“[Norn] has at least one hundred and fifty Liuli warheads capable of penetrating the planetary mantle.”
He was satisfied to see Isolde’s breathing grow heavier, and continued:
“You know how powerful they are, and how incredibly rare they are—especially after [Heaven’s Punishment] destroyed the raw materials needed to manufacture them.”
Isolde was genuinely shocked.
Before [Heaven’s Punishment] appeared, mantle-piercing Liuli had been the most powerful weapon on Moon Silk Star.
In fact, they still were, because no faction possessed [Heaven’s Punishment].
[Zipa] had only six mantle-piercing Liuli in total. Yet [Norn], another [Company], had more than a hundred?
Isolde’s eyes gradually became serious.
“Rest assured. [Zipa] is a company that keeps its word. We will absolutely stand with [Norn].”
“We’ll pretend to continue cooperating with [Ota]. Once the war begins, [Zipa] will work with [Zephyr] from within and without, joining forces to deal with [Ota].”
…
The war did not truly begin until two months later.
Moon Silk Star was simply too vast. Even with ultra-high-speed airships and vehicles pushed to their maximum acceleration, the journey to [Zephyr]’s territory remained an incredibly long one.
Along the way, Cheng Qisheng even spotted extraordinary residents from other Safe Cities secretly using their supernatural abilities to speed up their vehicles.
Recently, the skies above Moon Silk Star had become exceptionally lively.
Not only were countless airships flying back and forth, but bionic surveillance units from various factions had also begun broadcasting this unprecedented battle across the planet.
[Ota] was remarkably generous in this regard. It neither attacked the surveillance units nor used its technological capabilities to disable them.
Perhaps it had already foreseen its own victory and wanted to use this opportunity to demonstrate its strength to the entirety of Moon Silk Star.
At the same time, the various Safe City lords were also secretly watching the battle in their own ways.
On his journey back, Dacius had also opened up the surveillance feed and was lying comfortably inside his vehicle, watching the latest developments on the front line.
He had chosen not to take an airship back to [Norn]. One reason was safety. After all, if an airship came under attack, the odds of surviving were far lower than they would be during an attack on the ground.
The other reason was that he wanted to personally observe the situation on the front line while the bionic surveillance signal was still available.
—[Ota] had brought a massive army and successfully reached the gates of the city.
—[Ota] and [Zipa] had successfully joined forces.
—[Ota] had begun probing attacks.
—[Ota] had deployed the mantle-piercing Liuli.
Dacius abruptly went from lounging comfortably to sitting bolt upright.
He stared at the high-definition footage in disbelief.
On the screen, one after another of [Ota]’s towering employees were pushing out enormous piercing warheads, each standing twenty-five meters tall.
One. Two… thirty-five… one hundred… two hundred…
Damn it, why were they still increasing?!
He was cursing furiously in his mind when suddenly, his heart went cold.
Oh no.
[Zipa]!
The resources he had given [Zipa] had been extracted using his authority over [Norn]’s weapons and resource repositories.
If [Zipa] followed the plan and launched an attack on [Ota], helping the [Companies] assess [Ota]’s strength—or better yet, eliminating the potential threat posed by [Ota]—then the private extraction of those resources would be a trivial matter.
But if [Zipa] saw [Ota]’s true strength and switched sides again, then he would have handed over all those resources without accomplishing his objective. The [Company] would certainly hold Dacius accountable, and his standing would suffer as a result.
No. He had to take some other measure. He had to—
—BOOM!!!
Dacius was frantically thinking when, all of a sudden, a tremendous explosion rocked the vehicle he was riding in, sending it toppling over.
Fortunately, the vehicle’s superb security system kept him from suffering any serious injuries. There was only a small cut on his forehead.
His head was buzzing as he slowly climbed to his feet and activated the exterior monitors.
To his surprise, several dozen people carrying cannons had attacked his vehicle.
Just a few dozen people. How dare they?
—BOOM!!
—BOOM! BOOM!!
The employees of [Norn] immediately launched a counterattack.
Dacius wasn’t worried. In fact, he sat quietly inside the completely secure vehicle, simmering with anger as he waited for his employees to clear out the attackers outside.
Damn it. When things went wrong, everything seemed to go wrong at once.
[Ota]’s strength had far exceeded expectations. There was no way [Zephyr] could survive. The resources he’d given [Zipa] were now extremely likely to end up being nothing more than meat buns thrown to a dog.
And now, even a bunch of savages dared to launch a direct attack on a convoy belonging to [Norn Company].
Just wait. Once he returned to the company, he would send people here and wipe out every savage within ten kilometers of this area.
Dacius exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down as he continued thinking about how to deal with the situation now that [Ota]’s strength had far exceeded expectations.
Then, suddenly, he heard a strange noise behind him.
He whipped around and saw that, inside what should theoretically have been an impenetrable vehicle, there was actually a living person.
“Hi~”
Qi Yi grinned and waved at him.
“I heard you’re a high-ranking member of [Norn]. What a coincidence! I was just looking for someone from [Norn]’s upper ranks.”
Dacius’s pupils contracted. He backed away while reaching behind him to press the emergency chip on his wrist.
“Don’t hurt me. I’ll pay a ransom. You could live off it for the rest of your—”
He froze in place.
His finger hadn’t even touched the chip before he was completely unable to move.
Qi Yi shuffled toward Dacius through the spacious vehicle, which remained surprisingly roomy even after being overturned, muttering to himself as he went.
“Geshan’s [Anesthesia] really can paralyze someone remotely. Nice, nice. This is so convenient.”
Naturally, the security surrounding a [Norn Company] board member’s convoy had been raised to the highest possible level.
Qi Yi hadn’t gotten into the vehicle by overpowering its defenses.
Instead, he’d convinced Toya, a mechanic from the Little Blue Sea Guild, to come along with him.
The vehicle really was completely sealed. Bullets left no marks when they struck it, and without the passcode, its doors could only be opened from the inside.
But Toya could modify it!
And that was exactly what happened. Qi Yi had simply entered through a small door that Toya had somehow modified into existence.
Then he had combined that with [Anesthesia].
Hehehehehe!
Qi Yi began to pray.
“Our God above… please, please let this be someone important. Someone really important!”
A convoy this long, with security this tight, and coming from [Norn Company] no less—surely this had to be a high-ranking employee?!
Whether he could infiltrate [Norn] depended on this one shot.
After finishing his prayer, Qi Yi took a deep breath. Then, with a hint of nervousness, he reached out his hand toward Dacius, who stood completely rigid, able to do nothing but stare at him in terror—
A moment later, a brand-new “Dacius” opened his eyes.
He stuffed the old, already-dead Dacius into the safe.
No wonder the [Company] had so much money—their safes were even large enough to fit a person.
—Outside, the battle was already drawing to a close. The sudden appearance of those “New Humans” had been no match for their overwhelming numbers, and they were now retreating.
The bionic soldiers in the convoy pursued them in an orderly fashion.
But after chasing them for a short distance, they suddenly received an order from the highest authority.
“Don’t pursue them anymore. Everyone come back. We’re returning to the company as quickly as possible.”
The bionic soldiers immediately turned around and returned upon receiving the command.
“Yes, Lord Dacius.”
Dacius was the highest-ranking authority in this long convoy. Everyone obeyed his orders, and no one questioned his command.
The convoy continued toward [Norn Company].
—
At the same time, the troops sent by [Zipa Company] were already prepared to betray [Ota].
But a remote communication from their chairwoman brought the carefully planned betrayal to an abrupt halt.
“Stop! Don’t attack [Ota]!”
Isolde raised her voice to its absolute limit, afraid her subordinates wouldn’t hear her clearly.
“Damn it! Have you attacked yet? Tell me you haven’t started!”
The subordinate hurriedly reported, “Chairwoman, we haven’t taken action yet.”
“Good. That’s good.”
Isolde let out a long sigh of relief.
The members of [Zipa]’s board of directors who were in the same conference room also breathed sighs of relief in unison.
[Ota] actually had that many mantle-piercing Liuli—and its weapons arsenal was ridiculously well-stocked, completely unlike the scarcity Isolde had previously assumed.
One hundred and fifty.
Against more than three hundred.
Who to choose? Wasn’t the answer obvious?
There was no such thing as a wall that could keep out every sound. [Ota] was certain to win today, but once it did, it would also learn of [Zipa]’s betrayal from [Zephyr]’s employees.
But it was too late to firmly choose [Norn] now. [Ota] had more cards up its sleeve than [Norn] did.
All they could do was order the soldiers who had already reached the front lines to fight with everything they had, thereby defusing [Ota]’s anger and diverting its attention.
At the same time, they would have to find another way to extricate themselves.
For example, they could redirect the flames of war toward [Norn], which had always appeared to be standing on the sidelines.
—A few minutes later.
The [Zipa] employees stationed on the front lines received the highest command from [Zipa Company]:
“Cancel the previous plan to attack [Ota] from within.”
“Follow [Ota]’s orders and attack [Zephyr] with everything you’ve got.”
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