hotmtlnovel Page 27
Page 27
"Of course, otherwise why would I teach you to add points to your charm value first? That's definitely not what I like to see."
"Then tell me the truth, is the soul in my head related to you? Don't try to fool me, good friends don't lie to good friends."
When 9527 heard Zhang Hao start speculating about her relationship with [Zero], she immediately stammered. But the excuse she tried to come up with was quickly shut down by Zhang Hao. She couldn't believe that Zhang Hao, who was usually not very bright, had become so sharp after she updated his brain. Had his brain been updated as well?
"Well... sigh, I was thinking of telling you later. Please don't ask now, okay? Telling you too early won't do you any good. But I can tell you now that you can treat him as your brother, and you will eventually separate. You are you, and he is him. As for his affairs, I'll tell you about them later, okay? Master."
To stop Zhang Hao from investigating further, 9527 could only resort to coaxing, hoping Zhang Hao would understand her good intentions. After all, knowing too much when one lacks the ability to do so might not be a good thing.
Seeing that 9527 had already said that, Zhang Hao didn't press the matter further, since he simply wanted to know if there was any connection between them.
"When will he wake up?"
Zhang Hao thought of Zero, who had told him he was going to fall into a coma, and asked with some concern.
"Um... he should wake up in a few weeks, don't worry, he'll be fine."
Hearing from 9527 that everything was alright, Zhang Hao was relieved. He didn't want Zero to be in danger because of his own actions.
"Host, remember to call me if you need anything. This system is off to pull some strings for you. Good afternoon."
"Okay, 9527, good afternoon."
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
Unlike the Ouroboros neighborhood, which was beginning to stir with activity, Reese's Longbow Valley had been unusually quiet these past few days. He was now spending his days squandering the resources he had seized from the Hafk Group. He had spent five bottles of champagne in one night at his party, each bottle worth enough to feed an average family for half a year.
Today, Reese is lying by the pool, sunbathing and listening to classical music playing from his precious record player.
The ringing of the phone interrupted the peaceful scene. Reese frowned, picked up the phone beside him, glanced at it, and saw it was an unfamiliar number. He answered impatiently and said:
"Hey, who is it? Do you know who I am? If you waste my time, I'll have someone kill you."
“Of course I know, Mr. Reis, the famous Asara, the weapons and equipment of your personal guards were recently seized from Hafk’s squad, am I right!”
A woman's alluring voice came from the phone; you could tell from her voice alone that she was definitely a beauty.
"You're from Hafk? Hahaha, that's right. Your soldiers may not be very useful, but their weapons and equipment are quite advanced. But it's a pity, they're all mine now. You've come to me to demand an explanation? Well, I'm sorry, I suggest you send more."
Reese, seemingly unfazed, smugly mocked the person on the other end of the phone.
"That's right, that was specially prepared for you. You seem very satisfied. I have a cooperation opportunity here that will only benefit you. Would you like to cooperate with me?"
"Hmph, do you all think I, Reis, am a fool now? You're talking about cooperating with me only for my own benefit? I'll give you the phone number of the leader of Dam Zero if you want to fool me. Go find him and have some fun. Damn it, you're wasting my time. Next time, you better not let me catch you on the battlefield, or hehehe, a beauty like you will suffer."
Reis felt that the other side was just messing with him and making fun of him. The leader of Asara was cooperating with the Hafk Group. Damn it, he just looked a bit rough. They all thought he was a fool.
"Don't hang up yet. I'm not here to cooperate with you on behalf of the Hafk Group. I'm here in my own name. Next month, the Hafk Group will hold a press conference at your radar station in Longbow Valley to introduce our group's latest Mandel brick. This brick is extremely valuable now. I'll tell you about the security arrangements. Go and cause trouble at the press conference and steal the brick. I'll give you 1 million Hafk coins as a reward. What do you think? I'm telling you, this is not a joke. This is a very serious notification."
When he heard that Reis was about to hang up on him that day, he quickly explained his plan in a faster tone. Upon hearing this, Reis's carefree expression disappeared, and he seemed to be considering the pros and cons.
"Oh? It seems there's a mole in the massive Hafk Group too. I never thought I, Old Lei, could get such a big order in Asara. You revealed your whole plan without even knowing if I agreed to it. Aren't you afraid I'll go directly to Hafk and spread the word?"
"No, you're a smart person. Besides, this 100 million Haver coins is just the reward for stealing the brick. I'll give you a location later. As long as you put the brick there and don't get caught, I'll give you another 100 million."
Hearing what the other party said, even Reis, who was used to spending lavishly, couldn't help but secretly gasp. 2 million Haver coins, if he got all of that, would he still need that weakling Said to cooperate with him? He could just treat Hamk like a dungeon and take down Said's dam in the process.
"That sounds tempting, but ma'am, the risks are not evenly distributed between the two parties, don't you think?"
"You seem to be a bit smarter than your looks suggest. Fine, I'll tell you, the place where I placed the bricks for you is someone else's territory. I'm using someone else to do my dirty work. You can't just make those two hundred million for nothing. I want the right to use the upper part of Longbow Valley for two years. How about that?"
Hearing the woman's subsequent demands and the leverage she had given him on the phone, Reis finally smiled with satisfaction:
"Hahaha, of course, of course, my friend, this is more like a collaboration! As for the later plans, you can find people to send to me for kills yourself. I'll also ask for 5000 million as a deposit, how about that?"
"Okay, I'll send a team of well-equipped soldiers to your location later. You'd better hurry up."
"No problem, hehehe, oh dear, I don't even know your surname, beautiful lady!"
"Hannah O'Dallie".
Chapter 55 Welcome to the Dam
That noon, Sayed was looking bewildered at the crowd gathered outside the administration building. The leader was a young man in his twenties who rushed forward after seeing Sayed come out.
"Hello, Commander Said. We escaped from Longbow Valley and came to seek refuge with you. My name is A Niu, and I am the captain of this team. Please take us in. Our team of 12 members is all ready for combat."
Seeing that Said was looking at him coldly, the young man named A Niu hurriedly explained, but what he didn't know was that Said simply thought that this was a windfall.
The 12-man squad was all ready to fight, so how rich is Reese to have kicked them all out? But we still need to ask why, since normally a squad wouldn't be kicked out without making any major mistakes.
"Aren't you... soldiers of Reis? Why would you want to defect to me?"
"Sir, you may not know this, but two days ago we were on our regular patrol when a squad leader named A Yong spotted two people on a motorcycle. Behind them was a white-haired woman with a child. After comparing them, he realized that they were the people Reis was looking for."
"Wait, is the child you're talking about the one on this wanted poster?"
Said quickly asked, "Wasn't Xiao Hao attacked by Reis two days ago?"
"Yes, yes, I advised him to mind his own business, since they weren't Hafk's. But that young guy, Ayong, was eager for honors. In order to become Reis's bodyguard, he chased after them with almost all his weapons and equipment. But he failed in the end, and we suffered heavy losses."
After wiping his slightly reddened eyes, Ah Niu continued:
"After getting angry, Reis decided to eliminate us directly, and sent one of his personal guards with men to replace us. Fortunately, the guard couldn't bear to kill us, so he let us go and told us to come to the dam to seek refuge with you."
After hearing their story, Said's perception of Reis was refreshed once again. How was this any different from Hamk back then? That beast was willing to kill his own people in order to cooperate with Hamk, and had slaughtered countless villages. Now, was Reis also pointing his knife at the people of Asara?
"Okay, I understand. Abel, go and make the arrangements for them. They will start receiving unified training with you tomorrow."
Sayed summoned the shield bearer who had been working with him and asked him to arrange the men. The dam needed manpower right now, and after confirming that they posed no threat to him, Sayed welcomed their arrival.
"Welcome to Dam Zero. From today onwards, this is your home. We are all your family. Before, when you followed Reis, I didn't know what your goals were, but with me, there is only one goal: to liberate Asara and bring freedom to our people!"
After hearing what Said said, these people became excited. Before, they were just trying to make a living with Reis so they wouldn't starve to death. They never expected that Said would give them a way to move forward.
"Rest assured, Commander Saeed, we will give our lives to liberate Asara!"
"Good, good, it's good that you have this determination. Alright, go with Abel to see the dormitories assigned to you."
Abel, the shield bearer, led the group towards the cement factory dormitory.
Said returned to the general manager's office and couldn't help but recall what Zhang Hao had said to him during class:
"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world, and he who loses the hearts of the people loses the world. Reis, sooner or later you will be devoured by your brutality. You cannot be Asara's new master. Asara's master will always be the people of Asara."
If Zhang Hao were here, he would definitely be satisfied and say that his students are indeed worthy of his teaching, their posture is so upright.
"Sigh, I'm so bored. I miss Xiao Hao. When will he come to visit again? I'll carve some wooden weapons for him. I wonder if he'll like them."
Said lay sprawled on his desk like a salted fish. Ever since he hired someone to help him with those documents, Said had naturally learned the traditional skill of modern workers: "slacking off." Now, he spends all his time in the administration building and is practically becoming a mascot.
"Hey! Speaking of which, someone said his younger brother who was studying abroad was coming back to join the army. No way, Xiao Hao said, how can intellectuals go to the battlefield? If I can't reason with him, I'll see if beating him up will make him change his ways."
Just as Sayyid was lost in thought, his phone rang. Sayyid picked up the phone and glanced at it, only to find that it was a call from the long-unseen leader, the tyrant Yousef Fahim.
"Hey, Youram, what's up?"
“Said, we recently successfully destroyed a large stronghold of Hafk and seized a large amount of resources, which we will now transport to your dam. After discussion, we have decided to reopen the railway on your dam and build some large-scale commercial projects there. Do you have any thoughts on this?”
Said listened to what Yousef said with some disbelief: railways, supplies, construction!
Said: Xiao Hao, I've made something of myself! The dam is going to get rich! You'll have endless Coke to drink when you come here in the future!
"No problem, Chief, but if we want to restart railway transportation... there's the issue of funding."
"Hahaha, Saeed, you've started playing with your brains too. Don't worry, we'll pay for the railway, and we'll also pay for your part of the construction. But whether it can drive economic development is your problem, understand?"
Yusuf laughed loudly on the phone that day. He didn't expect that not long after, the man who used to only talk about seeking revenge on Hafk and Hamk had become quite shrewd. This was good news, I suppose.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Said quickly agreed, which was fantastic news for Dam Zero!
"Alright, the supplies should arrive in a few days. Remember to check them when they arrive. I'll hang up now."
After hanging up the phone, Sayed couldn't wait to share it with Zhang Hao, but seeing that it seemed to be Xiao Hao's nap time, Sayed forcibly suppressed his urge to share and decided to give Xiao Hao a surprise next time he came.
Looking at the thriving dam under his management, Said felt a sense of pride. The people under his command were now able to eat their fill every meal, everyone was united, and there were no more fights or bullying incidents like those that often occurred in Reis. Said's determination to liberate Asara grew stronger.
"Someone, bring me two pieces of wood. I'm in a good mood today, so I'm carving two toys for your strategist!"
Saeed: Waiting for Xiao Hao to praise me, hehe. (???`?)
Chapter 56 Recovery
After Zoya returned, everyone enjoyed a few peaceful days, and no further incidents occurred during their patrols.
But Tuesday was a day Mai Xiaowen would never forget, a day of humiliation.
"No! What makes you think I don't need Xiao Hao anymore, that I'm cured? I feel terrible right now! Roy is my doctor, get out, get out!"
At this moment, Mai Xiaowen was like a fierce little cat baring its teeth, glaring angrily at Zoya, who was about to kick her out of the outdoor peach garden. She never expected that the first fire of the new broom would burn her.
"Is Roy an idiot and you are too? Or have you been deceiving yourself and taking advantage of Xiao Hao? That's really too dangerous. Xiao Hao, you should just sleep with me."
"What do you mean? Are you doubting me? Let me tell you, Xiao Hao is closest to me here. Now you're the one trying to sow discord. Xiao Hao, you have to believe that I'm innocent. I didn't sleep here because of what she said. I just wanted to get better soon so I could take you out to play."
Seeing that Zoya seemed difficult to deal with, Mai Xiaowen quickly turned her attention to Zhang Hao, who was standing behind her, hoping that Zhang Hao would step forward and say a few "fair words" so that Zoya could only stare helplessly.
To Mai Xiaowen's despair, Zoya pushed Zhang Hao out and took him away to Luo Yi, who was waiting outside, claiming it was to check on Zhang Hao's recovery progress.
"Alright, Xiao Hao is gone now. You have two choices: either Xiao Hao will be taken care of by me and Luna each for one day starting today, or you can go back to your room and sleep quietly."
When Mai Xiaowen saw Luna standing outside the door waving her phone at her, she knew that she had finally fallen into the hands of these two old women.
"Fuck, you two old women in your thirties can't compete with me, so you start to have crooked thoughts, huh? Pah, you two are shameless. Your combined age could be Xiao Hao's grandmother. You're just jealous and resentful when you see someone young, beautiful, and gorgeous, aren't you? Humph, this time I'm just unlucky. I'll move back."
Enraged, Mai Xiaowen unleashed a torrent of abuse at the two "old women." As their faces grew increasingly dark, Mai Xiaowen sensed something was wrong and prepared to flee back to her room, only to be pinned down on the bed by the two "smiling" Zoya and Luna.
"Xiaowen, you were so good to be our obedient little sister. It must be Xiaohao who made you like this. According to the psychology I've studied, this is an illness. I'll prescribe medicine for you as your attending physician. You should be better after not seeing Xiaohao for half a month. Oh, by the way, I also learned your acupoints in China. Let me give you a good massage. After all, I'm a woman in my thirties."
Seeing Zoya's terrifying expression, Mai Xiaowen was so frightened that she hid under the covers. Unfortunately, Luna, who was next to her, pulled the covers off her as well. For the first time, Mai Xiaowen felt isolated and helpless in the Special Operations Department.
"Ah Xi, if you were in our country, daring to speak to a senior like that would be tantamount to courting death. I won't punish you this time, but my 'good sister,' I've decided to wait until you're better before we deepen our relationship."
Mai Xiaowen: ??? Xiao Hao, come back quickly and save your sister! These two bad women are going to kill me!
"Come here, let me give you a good massage. Luna, you hold her down. She's almost recovered, so don't overdo it later."
Luna: OK ╰(￣ω￣ｏ)
Mai Xiaowen: Aa ...
Zhang Hao, who was in the infirmary, also heard the screams coming from his room. He glanced at Roy, who was still examining him, patted him on the shoulder, and said:
"Roy, how about we go up and see what's going on?"
When Roy heard that Zhang Hao still wanted to join in the fun, he remembered the two women's ill-intentioned warning to him the night before and quickly stopped Zhang Hao from having that dangerous idea.
"You absolutely can't go, Xiaohao! Let me tell you, even though your sister Xiaowen is screaming so hard right now, she probably isn't in any pain at all, haha. Just stay here with me and be good. Your results will be out soon, and as your old friend, I have to stop you from getting into danger!"
Seeing Roy crying and sniffling, Zhang Hao gave up the idea of going up to check on Mai Xiaowen and continued to lie obediently in bed waiting for the result.
Uluru, who was happily drinking in the living room, was so frightened by Mai Xiaowen's scream that he spilled his drink. He looked up at Zhang Hao's room on the second floor, sighed sympathetically, shook his head, and took another swig.
"Hey, it seems Xiaowen has met her match. Ouch, my face still hurts. Damn it, that Zoya didn't even know how to go easy on me."
Touching his still swollen face, Uluru leaned back on the sofa, gazing at the sky with utter despair. The female demon was back now, and his good days were over.
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Roy let out a high-pitched scream after reviewing Zhang Hao's medical report:
"What the hell! Are you even human?"
The exclamation drew everyone's attention: Deep Blue in the kitchen, Terry and Red Wolf in the gym, Veelong lying in bed eating potato chips, and the two "old women" who were bullying each other.
Mai Xiaowen: Waaaaah, is the bullying over? ╥﹏╥...
After everyone arrived at the infirmary, Roy, holding the test results, exclaimed in surprise:
"Invincible! Xiao Hao is invincible! His internal injuries healed in just 5 days of rest? I even prepared a lot of medicine that would make people cry from the bitterness... cough cough, it's nothing. With this self-healing ability, Xiao Hao, you're no longer human. You can sit at the same table as Xiao Jianjian."
When everyone heard that Zhang Hao had recovered, they all crowded around and started pointing and commenting on him. Someone mischievously started tickling Zhang Hao's ticklish spot on his waist, making him roll around on the bed laughing out loud.
"What a medical miracle, Xiao Hao! You'd better protect your Uncle Roy from now on, because I'm very fragile!"
Roy, who was being silly, was kicked out of the group chat again.
Zhang Hao was still immersed in the joy of recovery when Terry, standing in the crowd, suddenly said something that brought him back to reality.
"Now that Xiao Hao's injury has healed, does that mean we can start training again? Come on, Xiao Hao, come to the gym at 7 a.m. tomorrow. I'll be training you even harder this time."
"Xiao Hao, although I'm still injured, it's time to start training for weighted running. We can't let that bastard Red Wolf look down on us."