Chapter 223: 223, Encircle and annihilate the wolf pack!

The palace's side quests have always yielded extraordinary rewards—the first granting the Black Blade, the second the Burst Poker. Yet to this day, Ren Xiaosu's gratitude coins have climbed steadily to four hundred sixty, though none knew he had exchanged Burst Poker several times in between, nor that his hands clutched several portable psychic bombs.

Now the palace has issued another quest, but its reward seems utterly unrelated to lethal weapons—a mere seed, small as a fingernail. Yet Ren Xiaosu treats it with peculiar reverence.

A seed is hope, and Ren Xiaosu only prays it will not betray this side quest. If this seed proves truly miraculous, perhaps he might carve out a patch of land to sustain himself.

But protecting the wolf pack from death within seven days—this may not be so easily accomplished.

It seems he must pay closer heed to Li Shi's nano-soldiers. Should he miss this mission, the palace will never again release side quests concerning seeds.

As others cured bacon, Hu Shuo idly practiced shadowboxing by the side. Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu asked, "Are you cultivating yourself?"

"Cultivating?" Hu Shuo smiled at him. "Just nurturing one's nature. Don't overthink it."

Ren Xiaosu longed to know Hu Shuo's abilities, though Hu Shuo never shied away from the topic. Yet the only witness to Hu Shuo's battles was Chen Wudi, leaving Ren Xiaosu speechless.

Earlier, Li Qingzheng had claimed to have studied martial arts since childhood, and Ren Xiaosu had dismissed it as feudal superstition. But Hu Shuo, who trains daily with such ferocity, sometimes made him wonder if Li Qingzheng truly possessed some formidable technique...

At that moment, over a dozen off-road vehicles surged up from the mountain base, halting everyone mid-task.

"Gather your things," Li Qingzheng whispered.

Their curing of bacon was surely dereliction of duty, for reconnaissance and lookout were their true calling. Any patrol would surely disapprove.

Yet Ren Xiaosu knew—they were no patrol.

The vehicles roared in, their presence imposing.

It seemed this outpost would grow busier still.

They had assumed no strangers would venture to this remote outpost in half a year, yet now visitors came every few days.

What was happening?

Ren Xiaosu watched in silence, noting Hu Shuo had slipped into the house, avoiding the newcomers.

Over a dozen vehicles halted at the outpost gates, each with four figures in combat uniforms, all officers!

Though they were soldiers, their garb was motley, barely enough proper uniforms to go around. Opposite them, the officers stood rigid in pristine attire—a stark contrast.

They looked less like soldiers, more like a cooking crew, short of only aprons...

Yet to their surprise, among the officers was someone they knew!

Precisely speaking, someone the refugees recognized: during their checkup, a comrade had passed the synchronization test!

Now, that refugee had traded a bird gun for a cannon, rising to become an officer of the Li Clan consortium. Ren Xiaosu vaguely recalled the name—Lin Qi, a refugee who had leapt to heaven in a single bound.

Upon disembarking, Lin Qi froze at the sight of Ren Xiaosu's group, then laughed heartily, "Old acquaintances, eh?"

None replied. Today, Lin Qi stood tall and proud, unrecognizable from his refugee days. His combat boots gleamed, his uniform fit flawlessly.

Someone behind him asked, "You actually know these people?"

Lin Qi paused. "We came here together from the 109 Bastion to 108. Seeing them in this remote outpost, I must look after my younger brothers."

In Lin Qi's words, Ren Xiaosu's group became his "younger brothers"...

Pride swelled within Lin Qi. How they had fared during their exodus, now he alone had become a regular officer of the Li Clan consortium—a lieutenant!

Between Lin Qi and Ren Xiaosu today, a chasm of status and identity yawned wide.

Ren Xiaosu's group found Lin Qi unimpressive. Once, Ren Xiaosu might have envied the Bastion folk, but now he felt no envy.

Yet other refugees who had once traveled with Lin Qi felt awkward, daring not approach the uniformed man.

Lin Qi's face nearly lifted to the sky as he laughed, "How fares life here? Must be hard. Had I known you were here, I'd have brought a catty of pork from my unit—let you taste meat. After all, meat is scarce here, while I feast daily."

Other topics passed smoothly, but at the mention of meat, Ren Xiaosu's group grimaced. Truth be told, they craved vegetables—too much meat left their digestion unsettled...

Still, Ren Xiaosu mused, Lin Qi's offer, though vain, showed kindness. They took it as paid flattery, not unjust.

Yet Lin Qi shifted tone, "Forget it. Giving meat to refugees isn't wise. Let you taste it, and you might never stomach anything else."

Ren Xiaosu nearly laughed aloud, but Li Qingzheng stepped forward, bowing with a smile, "What brings you honored officers here?"

Before Lin Qi could finish, Li Qingzheng redirected the topic. His expression darkened, yet he quickly replied, "We're here to aid comrades in eradicating the wolves in these mountains. But this outpost isn't the main battlefield—the true front lies at the neighboring outpost."

Ren Xiaosu gaped—Li Clan's intelligence was flawed?

Yet he grasped it swiftly: the wolves had attacked the neighboring outpost, so Li Clan's forces assumed the nearby range was their true domain.

No wonder forty-plus nano-soldiers had come here. Based on Ren Xiaosu's prior clashes with nano-soldiers, if these matched their predecessors in strength, they might not even threaten the wolves.

Yet he dared not underestimate them, for he had lately discovered the nanobots might harbor untapped functions—he had merely used them as external armor...

This was a chance to observe their tactics firsthand.