"Don't be in a hurry," Li Chonglou said calmly, "Let's watch first."
Chen Pingfan wasn't particularly impatient initially, but upon hearing this, he became a little restless. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Li Chonglou suddenly look at him with a hint of coldness.
"Brother Chen, don't forget our cooperation. You still have one last chance to back out now."
There was a faint air of authority in those deep eyes. Chen Pingfan didn't know why, but a sense of panic suddenly arose within him as he gazed into them, as if being stared at by a peerless ferocious beast.
Secretly swallowing his saliva, Chen Pingfan quickly shook his head and said, "Brother Li worries too much. I, Chen Pingfan, never regret what I decide."
Li Chonglou said coldly, "Then don't let such things happen here again. If there's a next time, our cooperation will be automatically terminated."
Chen Pingfan immediately shut his mouth.
Things were different now. He no longer had any cooperative opportunities among the three major forces. If he were to fall out with Li Chonglou again, he would truly be on his own.
Acting alone under the current circumstances, there was no need to even think about the mission; being able to leave alive would be the best outcome!
"Forget it, it's the path I chose. Let's just watch first."
Chen Pingfan consoled himself internally, while outside, the sounds of fighting indeed began to echo after a short while.
At a high ground about a thousand meters away from the building, two figures stood atop the slope.
"The youngsters this time are quite quick to react. I initially thought the earliest they would act would be tonight."
"Old Feng, you can still laugh? Their appearance has quite a significant impact on our plan."
These two were the Old Feng and his companion who had escorted Li Chonglou and the others earlier.
"Old Gao, they're just some youngsters who haven't truly seen the world. Why are you so worried? At worst, we can just control them all and send them back to headquarters in one batch."
The man standing next to Old Feng, referred to as Old Gao, rolled his eyes and said, "I say, are you truly foolish or just pretending? We are at an absolute disadvantage now. These newcomers are valuable tools to certain individuals. Aren't you afraid at all?"
Old Gao's eyes were filled with confusion.
This Donghai Island was the culmination of their years of effort, and it was now at its most critical juncture. Yet, Old Feng appeared completely indifferent.
Was he truly not worried at all?
No.
Old Feng suddenly let out a light laugh and shook his head, "Old Gao, I've been here for a few more years than you. The first village chief died in my arms. Do you think I wouldn't be worried?"
Old Gao became even more confused, "Then why are you..."
"Old Gao, haven't you understood yet? This time, you are all just pawns for those above. It's impossible to reclaim the item relying on us alone. I understood this the moment I received instructions to take in these newcomers!"
Old Feng's tone turned ice-cold.
"Old Feng, don't forget that we are, first and foremost, people of the General Bureau..."
Old Gao reminded him. Old Feng shook his head, "Don't worry, I won't forget that. And I can understand the difficulties faced by those in charge. Compared to our small area here, the traitors within the bureau are the real major problem."
"I have this level of awareness. It's just that I resent their attitude. This time, let's just show them what it means when they say the old ginger is spicier!"
Old Gao finally understood Old Feng's intentions and couldn't help but shake his head, "Forget it, it's only a matter of a few days anyway. Just bear with it."
Meanwhile, around the building.
Wu Di was the first to lead his small team out. As soon as he reached the wall, he sensed something was amiss.
"Attention! There's an ambush!"
He was quite decisive, issuing a warning almost simultaneously.
The people from the other two groups also heard the warning. The next second, dozens of men in green holding long spears leaped onto the outer wall.
They were all ordinary people, with no trace of internal energy!
"Don't kill them!"
Wu Di quickly shouted again, and everyone else then began to take detours.
The once orderly formation was instantly disrupted.
Everyone was like birds released from a cage, each finding a safe place to flee, and the scene devolved into chaos.
The green-clothed men held firearms, but their power was not great. Even though the gunshot instantly filled everyone's hearing, few were worried. Instead, they fled with even more urgency.
In the blink of an eye, the three small teams and the scattered individual team members had all scaled the wall.
However, Li Chonglou inside the building still showed no signs of moving.
This time, although Chen Pingfan was extremely anxious, he ultimately refrained from speaking out.
Just then, shouts suddenly came from outside.
"Stop them! Don't let them leave!"
This time, the two finally felt the presence of internal energy, clearly indicating that the expert masters on the opposing side had made their appearance.
"They're all at the fifth level..."
Li Chonglou's expression held a hint of surprise. From the felt energy signatures, not only was their number considerable, but their strength also all showed the aura of the fifth level!
Chen Pingfan's face suddenly changed, "Damn it, with so many people, how can we escape?"
Li Chonglou said softly, "The real main force hasn't appeared yet."
"Brother Li, do you know some inside information?"
"Let's just watch."
Still no intention of moving, while outside, the situation had already truly descended into chaos.
The sudden appearance of nearly thirty masters at the fifth level startled everyone. Who would have expected so many realm masters on such a remote island?
The sudden appearance of these realm masters also completely disrupted everyone's original plan.
Because they had thought too simply, the three had not discussed formation or tactics before setting off, only intending to leave the building first.
And the group was composed of newly formed small teams, so there was no默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding/chemistry) or cooperation to speak of. With the sudden rush of the realm masters, the entire formation instantly became scattered, each fighting for themselves.
Some of the stronger ones had to face two or even three masters simultaneously, and for a time, everyone was held in place.
Wu Di reacted the fastest. Within seconds of engagement, he discovered a key point.
He immediately shouted, "Don't be afraid of their moves, they should be our own people! Just run!"
With that, he turned and ran outwards first, completely disregarding the punch being thrown at him by a fifth-level master.
In fact, it was just as he had guessed. When the fist was about to land on him, its force suddenly dissipated by more than half, and the impact was almost negligible.
Wu Di breathed a sigh of relief. He had been taking a gamble just now, and he had already prepared himself for injury.
Fortunately, his gamble paid off.
The man fighting him showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he continued to pursue.