Chapter 118: Incorporation
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“What?!”
Xue Man, Bai Ge, and the others who had just arrived were all taken aback.
“Wait… Yi Chen, what do you mean?” Ling Lan thought she must have heard him wrong.
He was actually trying to recruit an enemy. Was this some kind of joke?
“Xue Man has excellent battlefield-control abilities, which are extremely useful in team combat. With her on our side, we won’t need to stay close to the enemy to pin them in place from a distance. That would be highly effective for both defense and offense.” Yi Chen had clearly thought this through.
If Xue Man joined the team, their overall safety would improve dramatically.
Everyone exchanged glances. Yi Chen’s analysis was sound. This would benefit them all; it was not some impulsive decision he had made on a whim.
“But we’ll also be taking on a certain amount of risk.” Ling Lan glanced at Xue Man and did not continue.
Yi Chen knew exactly what concerned her.
Xue Man’s identity was unusual, and her position was awkward. There was a good chance that she would become a target for both the Future Group and the Infiltrators. If he recruited her, he would have to be mentally prepared for attacks from both sides and shoulder the responsibility that came with it.
As for the Infiltrators, there was nothing much to say. They would come looking for them sooner or later. Whether they settled one score or two, the result would be the same.
The Future Group, meanwhile, was already overwhelmed by its own mess. It still needed his help to deal with the Infiltrators, so it was unlikely to turn against him over one or two infected individuals.
After weighing everything, the risk Ling Lan had mentioned was negligible compared with the benefits.
“What do you think? Do you want to join us?” Yi Chen left the choice to Xue Man.
“I… Can I?” Xue Man had never expected Yi Chen to invite her to fight alongside them.
She had witnessed Yi Chen’s strength and ability and knew that he was an unimaginably powerful ally. Following him could only bring benefits and no drawbacks.
“I’m joining!”
Chang Qing had somehow gotten back to his feet and plunged into the crowd once more.
“…Who asked you?” The women all wore disgusted expressions. Ling Lan was especially annoyed. If only she had hit him harder just now and knocked him out completely!
“I was already on Manman’s team. You can’t take her and leave me behind! Besides, there are so many beautiful girls here. I refuse to go back and stay with Old Ugly Monster and those perverts!”
“You have the nerve to say that? You’re the biggest pervert among us! Yi Chen, you can kill this guy. We won’t mind!” Xue Man was utterly exasperated. This was the perfect opportunity to get rid of this shameless leech.
“Manman, how can you be so heartless?” Chang Qing looked dejected for two seconds before suddenly realizing something. “Are you jealous because I praised other girls?”
“Jealous of your sister!” Xue Man finally lost her patience. Several ice blades instantly formed in her hands.
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Chang Qing clearly knew her temper well. He had apparently been prepared and took off running at once.
The purple-haired magical girl and the Onion chased each other around, one fleeing and the other pursuing, sending the entire scene into chaos. Yi Chen and the others stared at them speechlessly; the serious atmosphere from moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Bai Ge and Ling Lan suddenly felt deeply sympathetic toward Xue Man.
Being harassed all day by someone like Chang Qing would drive anyone insane eventually. They would have felt the same way in her position.
“Are you planning to recruit Onion too?” Ling Lan asked worriedly.
Xue Man was relatively easy to accept. Although they had not interacted much, it was clear that she was straightforward by nature. If she genuinely wanted to join them, getting along with her probably would not be difficult.
Chang Qing, however, was another matter entirely. The moment Ling Lan remembered that he could see through things, she broke out in goosebumps.
Yi Chen hesitated slightly. He had never seen Chang Qing use his abilities seriously and had no idea how capable he really was.
“Let’s take him in for now. His eyes can emit infrared rays, and he also has X-ray vision. Whether for reconnaissance or nighttime operations, those abilities could prove useful.”
“Fine. We’ll start wearing armor from now on.” Bai Ge patted Ling Lan on the shoulder, looking utterly resolute.
“Yi Chen, you can recruit him if you want, but you have to keep his eyes under control. There are quite a few women on our team.” Ling Lan spoke with righteous conviction.
“Done. Give this guy a dozen of those blindfolds you made for me before.” Yi Chen was half serious and half joking.
“If only a blindfold could actually restrain him. You really know how to create trouble.” Ling Lan was exasperated and amused at the same time.
Ling Zhe and Cheng Xianglong, the two men who were constantly bickering, were already exhausting enough. Now they had another problem child to deal with. She could already foresee herself being utterly overwhelmed in the days to come.
With matters here more or less settled, Ling Lan suggested leaving first and taking Liang Bing back to the Future Medicine headquarters for treatment.
Bai Ge acted as the driver, and Zhu Youzheng went with them as well. He still felt some resistance toward Xue Man and Chang Qing. After all, he had been kidnapped and used as bait, suffering quite a bit in the process. It was impossible for him to accept them without any reservations.
The group soon departed, leaving only Yi Chen and the two newly recruited infected individuals behind.
Yi Chen had many questions he needed to ask them.
“Where were you hiding before this?”
“The Dreamland Resort Hotel,” Xue Man replied.
“A hotel?” Yi Chen was somewhat surprised.
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He had assumed they would choose some sparsely populated area, an underground structure, or another secluded place where they could live hidden from the world. He had never expected them to be staying so comfortably in a hotel.
“Yes. The hotel is far from the city, and transportation in the area is inconvenient. Not many people pass through there,” Chang Qing explained.
With the beautiful women gone, he had lost much of his enthusiasm. He was also somewhat wary of Yi Chen, so he was considerably more subdued and could finally speak properly.
“When we checked in, the hypnotist controlled the relevant staff, so everything went smoothly. Once we had settled in, the Infiltrator sabotaged the hotel’s ventilation system and crawled into the building. It didn’t attract much attention or cause any disturbance.”
Yi Chen nodded. He understood that the disappearance of Ouyang Hong and the infected was classified information, so the news could not have spread that quickly.
Although the Future Group had already launched a large-scale search, they would never have expected their targets to boldly find a comfortable hotel and settle in there.
“Was that hotel chosen by Ouyang Hong?”
“That’s right.”
“Where does he really stand? Is he completely on the monsters’ side?” Yi Chen could not help asking.
Ling Lan had always told him that someone as stubborn as Ouyang Hong would never truly stand against humanity. Yet all the signs suggested that he had indeed become a trusted aide of the monsters.
“It’s difficult to say.” Xue Man thought for a moment before answering.
There were many things the Infiltrator had forced Ouyang Hong to do, such as rescuing the five infected individuals and removing the tracking devices from them at the Grand Theater.
Not only had they shaken off their pursuers, but the Infiltrator had also eliminated Zhou Shiwen’s elite scouts, dealing the Future Group a humiliating blow.
However, inside the research center of Future Technology, there had been equipment and weapons specially designed for each infected individual. Ouyang Hong had brought this up of his own accord. He had then led them there and helped them steal the equipment.
“Perhaps he simply wanted to see how powerful we would become after receiving the equipment and weapons. That has always been the focus of his research.” Xue Man gave a cold snort.
“Where is he now?” Yi Chen remembered the Puppet Master and the Hypnotist saying that Ouyang Hong currently had no assignments and was free to move about.
“He left several days ago. We don’t know where he is now,” Xue Man answered honestly.
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