It was late at night at Stronghold 144 in the Northwest.
There was no longer any differentiation between refugees and stronghold residents here, and the fortress gates were not closed at night anymore. Although this would increase the workload of the garrison troops, no one said anything about it since Commander Zhang insisted on doing so.
Some people were worried that the open door policy would cause a large number of Wang Consortium and Qing Consortium spies to flood to the Northwest. However, the Great Hoodwinker and company were not worried as they had Wang Yun on their team.
In just half a month, Wang Yun had identified more than 70 spies in Stronghold 144. Six of them were from the Qing Consortium, while the rest were from the Wang Consortium.
They expected the Wang Consortium would send their spies to the Northwest. But finding so few Qing Consortium spies was surprising.
After all, the Qing Consortium had a lot of loyalists, and Qing Zhen was a prudent leader. As such, during the war in the Southwest, the Qing Consortium’s information warfare and infiltration and assassination annoyed their enemies quite a bit.
Therefore, how could anyone not be surprised that the Qing Consortium had planted so few spies in the Northwest?
In the end, everyone felt it might be related to the future commander. Due to the two parties’ close relationship, it was probably a little awkward for the Qing Consortium to plant too many spies in the Northwest. And it was also because they did not treat each other as imaginary enemies.
At this moment, the Great Hoodwinker quietly left Stronghold 144 and headed for the military base outside the stronghold. When he arrived in the conference room on the base, Wang Yun, Ji Zi’ang, P5092, Zhang Xiaoman, and the others were already there.
The moment the Great Hoodwinker entered, everyone’s gazes locked onto him. Wang Yun said, “C’mon, tell us, where did Future Commander go?”
“Y’all called me here in the middle of the night just to ask about this?” The Great Hoodwinker was slightly taken aback.
Wang Yun sneered, “Your pupils have started contracting. The rate of contraction is about the same as when you tricked me back then. The wrinkles at the corners of your eyes are also changing. Don’t you dare lie! I’m watching you!”
“Actually, y’all can be considered the core members of our Northwest Army, so there’s no harm in telling you.” The Great Hoodwinker said, “Future Commander has gone to finish up his Prosperous Northwest 3.0 plan.” “3.0?”
Everyone’s eyes lit up. How interesting!
P5092 analyzed, “Future Commander went to tour the outposts with Commander Zhang, but Commander Zhang suddenly appeared at Stronghold 144 today to inspect the irrigation infrastructure. Meanwhile, Future Commander is nowhere to be seen. So did Future Commander go somewhere beyond the Northwest?”
“Yes.” The Great Hoodwinker sighed and said, “When he and Commander Zhang were touring the outposts, they were ambushed by a sorcerer. But before a battle could break out, he discovered the enemy’s tracks and had Commander Zhang leave first. When we returned to the battlefield with Commander Zhang eight hours later, we saw the number ‘3’ etched on the ground. Commander Zhang was quite sure that it referred to the Prosperous Northwest 3.0 plan. When Wang Fengyuan searched for evidence at the scene, he determined that the future commander had been taken captive by someone. But actually, we aren’t too worried for him….”
The Great Hoodwinker paused for a moment before continuing, “Y’all should know what kind of person Future Commander is. If he could spare the effort to leave that writing on the ground, it means that the sorcerer’s situation is more precarious than his.”
“I think Future Commander must’ve detected some kind of opportunity after encountering the enemy.” Wang Yun said, “Recently, Future Commander’s maid and his wife have gone missing as well. Could they have already figured out the truth and left quietly to look for him?”
“That’s right.” The Great Hoodwinker smiled bitterly. The scene of Yang Xiaojin tricking him was still fresh in his mind. All these years, it had always been him bluffing others. That was the first time he got tricked by someone else. “Then what should we do now?” Wang Yun looked at the others.
“Do you even need to ask?” Zhang Xiaoman got excited. “We’ll slaughter our way over there together, of course. The people of Fortress 178 have always dreamed of launching a counterattack on the enemy since we were young. Now that Future Commander has made the first move, shouldn’t we quickly seize the opportunity?”
P5092 nodded. “Currently, with a formidable enemy like the Wang Consortium creeping up on us, we need to eliminate any potential threats to our rear before the Wang Consortium fully consolidates the Central Plains. If we get caught in a hammer and anvil strike, the Northwest will really be in danger. So I also suggest we take advantage of this window where Future Commander has headed to that unfamiliar nation to handle things once and for all.”
The Great Hoodwinker was stunned. “Although I’m not worried that something will happen to Future Commander, y’all don’t have to be so optimistic either, right? Why does it suddenly sound like we’re talking about going to exterminate the Magi?”
Wang Yun was also stunned. “You’re doubting Future Commander’s ability.”
The Great Hoodwinker’s face darkened. “Get lost! Stop trying to set me up. When have I ever doubted Future Commander’s ability? Alright, so who’s going?”
“Me, me, me!” Zhang Xiaoman was the first to raise his hand.
Wang Yun smiled and said, “How can I miss out on this event?”
P5092 said, “I need to collect intelligence regarding their military. ‘Words are but wind, but seeing is believing.’ Ji Zi’ang laughed. “I think I’m good enough in combat and should be able to help everyone.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the fair-skinned chubster who remained silent at the end of the table. “Xun Yeyu, aren’t you gonna go?”
Xun Yeyu had remained in the corner quiet like a quail the entire time…
He had been sleeping when he was suddenly dragged here by Wang Yun. He could not figure out what was going on for a long time; only now did he understand. So it turned out they were about to go to a foreign nation together… and massacre them?
The Great Hoodwinker looked at Xun Yeyu. “Aren’t you going? Don’t you think that you’re part of our crew? In that case…”
Feeling insulted, Xun Yeyu said, “I didn’t say I don’t wanna go. I’ll go, alright? But I don’t have any combat strength, so you all will have to protect me!”
“Are you saying that all of us here are not strong enough to protect you?” The Great Hoodwinker raised an eyebrow.
Xun Yeyu hurriedly said, “No, no, of course
not…”
“Alright, it’s settled then.” Zhang Xiaoman said in high spirits, “Let’s set off immediately and flatten the nation of sorcerers!”
“No, you’ll stay behind to guard the rear,” the Great Hoodwinker told Zhang Xiaoman.
“And why’s that?” Zhang Xiaoman said agitatedly, “All of you are going, so why should I be the only one to stay behind?”.
“Because you’re not a superhuman.” Wang Yun agreed with the Great Hoodwinker’s suggestion. “When you go to a dangerous place like that, you might very well die if you’re not a superhuman. So there’s no need for you to take the risk. Besides, the developments in the Northwest are going very rapidly, so we need someone to look after things here.”
“I can’t do that alone.” Zhang Xiaoman muttered, “I can’t run things here all by myself.”
“There’s Wang Yuexi in charge of internal affairs, so what are you afraid of?” The Great Hoodwinker said, “As for defending against enemies… P5092, appoint someone to oversee the troops.” “Black Fox.” P5092 said, “He used to be my adjutant. He returned with us from the steppe, and I trust his ability to lead the troops. It just so happens that new units are getting to know each other and recruits are enlisting for boot camp during this period. He’s the best at these military affairs. In fact, I’m the one who’s unfamiliar with handling such details.”
Black Fox was different from P5092. P5092 had retained his serial number as his name. However, to show he had cut ties with his past self, Black Fox had chosen a new call sign for himself.
“Alright.” Wang Yun got up. “Let’s set off immediately. We’ll detour around the outpost via Ramhorn Ridge and head straight for the nation of sorcerers!”