novelraw Chapter 286: The Rumors Were Wrong
Chapter 286: The Rumors Were Wrong
Good grief.
Even with the composure Li Wei had developed, he was genuinely shaken. They could actually do something like this?
The Commerce Department had been pushed to the wall and was pulling out every trick in the book.
Alright. Noted.
A few seconds later, Li Wei steadied himself. It was now essentially confirmed: once the Radiation Storm ended this month and Liang Yuzhi and Li Yue settled and left, Scar Glenn would come raiding at the start of next month. Outright declaring war wasn't out of the question either.
The man was desperate — and desperate people went straight for the throat.
And according to Li Yue and Liang Yuzhi's analysis, as a top-tier seed player, Scar Glenn would certainly have a Five-Star Cross-Border Player join him in the month just passed.
So this was truly a shifting balance — the enemy had a powerhouse in residence, while his own two half-crippled veterans could no longer back him up.
Did they really think he was just a soft target to be squeezed?
Li Wei almost wanted to laugh. Were these people under some kind of misapprehension?With that thought, he didn't rush to refuse. Instead he asked: "Can I ask — aside from Li Guishan from the Commerce Department, Old John from the Tactics Department, and yourself, what's the background on the other three?"
"Of course. Liang Yuzhi's sister Liang Yuying is from the Resource Department. Zhao Guozhu is from your own Ministry of Internal Affairs. As for Annie — she's a Four-Star freelance player candidate from the Medical Department. Since she came through normal candidacy rather than being specifically designated, she has no strong ties to any department. You can use her freely."
"In short — don't count on powerful reinforcements from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There was supposed to be one, but they were sent to support Hathaway last month. This is the biggest crisis you currently face. They're exploiting the fact that you have no Five-Star Cross-Border Player in residence. Honestly, in my view, what Li Guishan just did won't change the situation much — it's purely a psychological attack. Because Scar Glenn's advantage this round is significant."
"You need to understand: as a non-top-tier dark horse who rose unexpectedly, most of your impressive achievements belong to the Scorpion and the Widow. Once those two leave, your collapse is inevitable — there's no shame in admitting that. At the very least, you've shown enough brilliance."
"So — as long as you cooperate with our Logistics Department, you can still complete the Three-Star Lord mission. This camp stays yours. Think it over. You can also consult with Zhao Guozhu — he definitely came with Night Owl's instructions. I believe Night Owl will understand your situation and won't blame you."
With that, Li Feng gave a nod and deactivated the Five-Star Sincerity Card state.
After he left, a short while later — as if by arrangement — Zhao Guozhu slipped into Li Wei's room, eyes darting about, and immediately activated a Two-Star Conspiracy Card the moment he was inside.
Even Li Wei, who habitually used One-Star Conspiracy Cards, was surprised.
"I have to ask — is the Ministry of Internal Affairs really that broke? Not even a Four-Star Conspiracy Card?"
"Not at all, not at all, Brother Li. The beauty of this is precisely that it's a Two-Star Conspiracy Card. Now — let's skip the pleasantries. I'm here to relay our Chief Internal Affairs Officer's exact words."
"She says: Li Wei, I know you feel wronged. But you should understand — at this point, I have no more cards to play for you. After this month ends, Scar Glenn will almost certainly launch a powerful assault on your camp. Without the Scorpion and the Widow, you can't win. So I'm giving you permission to find your own way out. Don't worry about me blaming you. The Logistics Department and the Resource Department — let them make their offers. Whoever bids higher, work with them."
"As for Old John from the Tactics Department — he's here to grind for a Rare Scout Card in your mission branch. As long as you don't make things difficult for him and give him a hand, the Tactics Department guarantees no interference. You understand what I mean, right? You don't actually need to push yourself this hard. Stop worrying about your ranking on the scoreboard. You just need to hold on for three years, and this territory is yours. You'll still complete the Three-Star Lord mission. And then you win."
"That's it."
"Did you catch all of that? Those are her exact words. As a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I will do everything in my power to support you over the next six months — including Old John and the freelancer Annie. The three of us will at minimum be your firm supporters and won't drag you down or play dirty tricks."
"The rest is the Logistics Department and the Resource Department. Agree to cooperate with either one, and they have ways to help you hold off Scar Glenn's assault. Making the top five might be a stretch, but staying in the top ten will be no problem."
"I'll take my leave."
"Wait — hold on. You're laying out all these schemes so openly without worrying about being reported. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Logistics Department, the Tactics Department, the Resource Department — why do I get the feeling they're all playing house like children?" Li Wei couldn't help venting.
Genuinely — he had always felt this Pioneering Mission was a bit of a farce. Not the mission itself, but the way the departments kept undermining each other. It was absurd.
So that great Six-Star Lord was just a figurehead? Completely sidelined?
At that, Zhao Guozhu gave a sly chuckle and pointed outside. "When the Radiation Storm hits, the system can still flag violations — but the main base loses effective monitoring capability. So everyone plays a lot more freely this month. Take Li Guishan just now — any other month and he'd be hauled away within three days. Same with your battle against the Flame Duke: with all that radiation fog, the main base's monitoring magic couldn't clearly see how you were actually fighting."
"So now everyone's spreading rumors about you — that you have some extraordinary personal magnetism, that you somehow conquered the Scorpion and the Widow. Don't get angry at me for saying it, but how else do you explain those two women following your lead without question? And the Widow had clearly already recovered her First-Order Casting Witch abilities — yet she pretended she hadn't? It was the two of them who helped you kill the Flame Duke, wasn't it."
"Also — don't go around criticizing the departments. You don't understand the full picture, you don't know what missions each department is handling. Beginner missions, pioneering missions, slaughter missions, cross-border missions, rescue missions — among all of these, the pioneering mission isn't even that significant. Random criticism is meaningless. And truly — especially don't grumble about our boss. This month you can get away with it. After this month, don't do anything that stupid. She's a Second-Order Casting Witch. She can hear what you're thinking."
"Second-Order?"
"Yes. Second-Order. One more tier and she'll be at the level where she can forge a Witch Card."
With that, Zhao Guozhu gave Li Wei a knowing look and hurried out.
A short while later, Liang Yuying from the Resource Department came in. She opened with a Five-Star Sincerity Card.
"Li Wei — I'm here representing the Resource Department. I imagine you've already spoken with your Ministry of Internal Affairs contact. Night Owl has acknowledged that under these circumstances, she can no longer intervene. The higher you fly on the scoreboard right now, the harder you'll fall later. I believe you've realized that. So I'll get straight to the price."
"I want you to help player Socrates going forward. In return, I'll ensure that when Scar Glenn and Chu Wushuang lead their assault, we help you hold your camp. And our Resource Department will continuously station people here over the next two years to ensure your Three-Star Lord mission succeeds. Your final scoreboard ranking won't drop below eighth."
"When you've made your decision, just give me a look."
With that, Liang Yuying turned to leave.
"Wait — I just want to know one thing. Why are you all so confident? Yes, I've benefited enormously from the Scorpion and the Widow over the past few months. But what's stopping me from killing the special boss and then taking either the Scorpion or the Widow to launch a direct assassination on Scar Glenn's camp? If I kill Chu Wushuang, what does he have left to attack me with?"
Li Wei was genuinely curious.
Granted, the radiation fog during the Flame Duke battle had made it hard for the main base to assess the true situation. But surely the battle report summary was legible?
He couldn't help thinking back on Li Yue and Liang Yuzhi's various behaviors — it had to be deliberate misdirection, laying a smoke screen, blurring the line between real and fake, causing the main base to misjudge the situation.
"Oh? You can actually convince either the Scorpion or the Widow?" Liang Yuying turned back around, a strange, gossipy expression on her face. Surely the rumors weren't true? Was he really the so-called "charming general" Li Wei?
"I can't guarantee it — but it's not impossible." Li Wei said, completely serious.
Liang Yuying burst out laughing. For a brief moment her eyes were soft and teasing, though she didn't say anything outrageous. She only sighed: "You don't understand, little brother. You've gotten in a lot of people's way — not just Scar Glenn's. You're a newcomer. What's the harm in developing for a few more years? Ten years from now, you'll naturally be a top-tier seed player in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and all the resources will flow to you on their own — just like Hathaway today. Why push yourself this hard?"
"The Scorpion and the Widow understand how things are developing too. They can't afford to offend the Commerce Department, the Logistics Department, and the Resource Department all at once. And Night Owl's relationship with those two isn't particularly warm — she'd be happy to watch them suffer. So they won't act. Just like He Yuying — they can't bear the cost."
"There's also something else you need to understand. This Pioneering Mission isn't just about one important matter — in a sense, it's also the departments distributing benefits to their core members. The All-Heavens Lord Alliance talks about humanistic care, but it inevitably develops a culture of seniority. Not to mention anything else — you've worked this hard. How do you think Hathaway, the Ministry of Internal Affairs' top seed player, sees that? She'll probably resent you for it from this day forward."
Li Wei said nothing more. He had finally thought of Hathaway. Would she resent him? Probably more like she'd be gnashing her teeth.