Chen Fei was familiar with the steel structure shed, which at this moment had become dark and cold. The air was still filled with a faint burnt smell and lingering scent of blood. It was no longer the warmly lit shelter like spring, bright as daylight, but had turned into what seemed a ghostly inferno.
The completely extinguished Target Low Temperature Nuclear Fusion Energy Tower no longer emitted warmth. The leftover backup electric power kept the glow tubes' displays shining bright, "ID: 2333!"
The dim light from the tubes prevented the shed from being completely plunged into darkness where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
The bodies that were once here had vanished, clearly, the security team had come and cleaned up.
Inside the shed, only a dented wall, the ground littered with twigs and leaves, and bullet holes visible everywhere remained.
With the help of the light from the glow tubes, Chen Fei searched for a while and found an emergency light.
The simply designed halogen light cannon, like the glow tubes, had survived the strong electromagnetic pulse and could still be turned on. There was still power in the battery, and the light immediately illuminated the entire shed.
Chen Fei quickly found Little Bird sleeping soundly in its new nest, tightly curled up next to a Third Rank Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core.
EMP weapons had absolutely no effect on Magical Beast Crystal Cores. Slight glimmers of light emanated from the surface of the crystal core, softly entering Xiao Jiu's body. Each time they touched its black feathers, the light particles would shimmer slightly.
Not wishing to disturb his Little Bird, Chen Fei placed the covering back on gently.
Utilizing the light from the emergency lamp, Chen Fei began to tidy up the mess inside the shed. It took a while to clean up and set the items that had been knocked over back in their place.
However, there was nothing he could do about the numerous bullet holes that riddled the Energy Tower.
Chen Fei called out of habit, then slapped his forehead in annoyance.
The old man was gone; only he and Xiao Jiu remained in the shed.
A noise was heard, and a figure appeared at the shed's entrance, holding a bottle of liquor in each hand and using a shoulder to push open the door.
The person, seeing someone inside the shed, was initially stunned then let out a drunken, silly laugh.
"Someone's here? *Hic!* Perfect, come, join me, *hic!* let's drink!"
A flushed face, stumbling with a drunken fist, the smell of alcohol rapidly filled the shed, completely altering from the previously untouchable, icy demeanor to someone altogether different.
Chen Fei stared in astonishment at his unexpected guest.
"Right, that's me, *hic!* With the authority of the executive manager, *hic!* I command you to drink with me!"
Stumbling toward Chen Fei, she shoved the liquor bottle right against his face.
Well, what a transformation from a cutthroat corporate shark to the village fool!
Definitely too much to drink!
"You should drink less, let me get you a cup of water!"
As Chen Fei was about to turn around, he was grabbed by the drunken executive manager who, pushing and shoving, forced him to sit beside the bed in the shed, and then she flopped down herself.
"Don't run! Stay… and drink with me!"
Hanna Gagar, utterly drunk, insisted that Chen Fei not leave, and suddenly she started to cry loudly.
"It's so hard for me… *sob sob sob*… it's so difficult, *hic!*… those directors and shareholders are all, *hic!*… inhuman, bastards... I've done my best..."
Her drunken slurring made little sense.
But Chen Fei could understand; sitting in the position of executive manager, she must face pressures beyond many people's imaginations.
Especially at such a critical juncture in the corporate war—if one false step was made, not only was her own life in danger, but others would also be implicated.
Facing pressures from the Merman Brothers Consortium, an industry giant, internal problems within Apocalypse Defense Group finally erupted. Confronted with greed over wealth and survival, some wanted to fight, others wanted peace; each had their own agenda, naturally leading to fierce infighting.
Within the company, there were numerous factions and complex loyalties. Under normal circumstances, their conflicts would be minor skirmishes, and the board of directors, considering the bigger picture, would try to treat everyone equally, maintaining some form of balance.
Now, that balance had been forcefully disrupted by external forces. Despite succeeding in repelling the enemy at Aircrew Base 911, other subsidiaries of Apocalypse Defense Group suffered tremendous losses, even facing complete annihilation.
These losses threatened the very foundation of Apocalypse Defense Group. Departments were in turmoil, and many people were making plans for their own futures.
Suddenly, all manner of evil and scheming emerged.
The faction Hanna Gagar belonged to inevitably faced pressure, and the situation looked very bleak.
Despite Aircrew Base 911's victory in the corporate war and her efforts in obtaining a generous reward to stabilize morale, a series of bad news from the company's headquarters obliterated any positive feelings from the victory.
With no one to share her bitter frustrations and pressures, she sought a deserted place to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Running into Chen Fei, she grabbed him without thinking, thrusting the liquor bottle at him—rookie, no escape!
Forced to down two gulps of liquor, Chen Fei also felt a bit light-headed and involuntarily burped.
*Hic!* "Manager Hanna, it's late, you should go back and rest."
Silly Hanna, with the face of a lovesick fool, blew alcohol breath as she said, "Rest, when we're dead we can rest forever."
The alcohol content on the top-right corner of the label read 80 degrees, the other bottle was 75 degrees.
"Nonsense, aren't we still alive?"
Chen Fei shook his head. Manager Hanna's words were too ominous. Phooey, phooey, not auspicious at all!
"How long do you think we can survive?"
Hanna Gagar stared intently at Chen Fei.
Chen Fei's answer was something of a divine response.
"Hahaha, you... are completely ignorant of the truth!"
Hanna Gagar pushed the liquor bottle into Chen Fei's hand, then waggled a finger, and with a cryptic, foolish grin on her face.
"So, what is the truth?"
Chen Fei tilted his head, seemingly more perplexed and awestruck.
"First drink... a sip, then I'll tell... you, burp!"
The female executive manager was evidently drunk and not thinking clearly, yet she still teased with a cliffhanger.
Chen Fei expressed his doubts.
This woman, when drunk, spouted all nonsense; not a word could be trusted.
Drunk words are never to be taken as account.
"Drink, if you... don't drink, I won't tell you!"
Hanna Gagel laughed, her expression very strange, and then she said, "You have to drink a big gulp, yes, a big gulp, a small one doesn't count!"
Desperate to know the answer, Chen Fei chugged two big sips.
"Good, that's manly, invigorating!"
The female executive manager laughed heartily, acting like a tomboy, and patted Chen Fei forcefully on the shoulder.
"I already drank, now tell me!"
Chen Fei shook his head, his eyes becoming bloodshot. The alcohol was strong; he glanced again at the label.
The brand was called "Miracle of Life," with a subtitle below it: "Miracle will occur in the next second, life will shine in the next moment."
I don't believe this crap!
No matter, I can take another sip.
Chen Fei involuntarily took another small sip, thinking this bottle of booze must be worth ten thousand Star Yuan; each sip now felt like a bonus.
Typical small-town mentality at play.
Then he heard the female executive manager next to him say faintly, "Of all the aircrew bases that Apocalypse Defense Group owns, only ours, 911, is left."
Chen Fei mechanically turned his head and tentatively asked, "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean, haha, hahaha, Apocalypse Defense is about to be done for, and so are we!"
Hanna Gagel laughed maniacally.
Strikes from industry giants were all-encompassing. Apocalypse Defense Group, which had just acquired the remains of a Metallic Dragon, was now suffering heavy losses. It had become a juicy target in the eyes of many peers who began to stir, eager to swoop in and take a piece of the pie.
Perhaps the top ten conglomerate military contractors had already set their sights on the wealthy Apocalypse Defense Group. A man is not guilty for being barehanded, but for possessing a jade. They just lacked an excuse or a pretext.
In the end, it's a big-fish-eats-small-fish game.
Now that the small fish has grown fat, the big fish wants to eat; it's that simple.
The clash of aircrew base 911 obliterating aircrew base 897 caused the latter's military contractor to suffer significant vitality loss, falling into the dire straits of near bankruptcy and liquidation. Its acquisition by Merman Brothers Consortium, ranked eighth in the industry, ignited the spark for corporate warfare and internal strife within Apocalypse Defense Group.
Not many would truly blame aircrew base 911. In fact, everyone knew that this was just a matter of circumstance. Even if it hadn't happened now, it was bound to happen later; it was just a matter of time.
"We're... done for? How can that be?"
Chen Fei simply couldn't believe his ears.
Aircrew base 911 had clearly won a great victory, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy and forcing them to flee in disarray. It shouldn't be possible for them to make a comeback anytime soon.
With such an advantage already secured, there seemed to be no sign of impending doom.
Could it be that this one-eyed old lady got confused by the alcohol and started talking nonsense?
"Do you think the inside of Apocalypse Defense Group is united as one?"
Hanna Gagel looked at Chen Fei with a mocking gaze from head to toe, a rookie is just a rookie, with no experience in such struggles, naively endearing.
It was as if the decisively speaking female executive manager had returned.
Chen Fei, struggling with bouts of tipsiness, asked doubtfully, "Isn't it?"
"Where there are interests, there will be people, there will be Jianghu, there will be interests. When everyone's interests align, that's Apocalypse Defense. But if they don't align..."
Hanna Gagel clenched her fist tightly, then suddenly spread her fingers with a hehe laugh, "That's it! Haha, come on, take another big gulp."
Chen Fei was flabbergasted.
He had never imagined that Apocalypse Defense Group, so strong in its might, harbored such terrible crises within, potent enough to tear the whole group apart.
"What I've told you, you must keep it secret, don't breathe a word, dare you leak even a single letter!!!"
The female executive manager made a sweeping gesture, and there was a faint sound of tearing in the air that flitted by in an instant.
The multitude of plants and flowers that the old Neanderthal Barut had painstakingly cultivated were suddenly slashed clean in half at their waist, their ends neatly cut.
Chen Fei's hairs nearly stood on end.