“Oh, it’s Xiao Wen, long time no see.”

Zhao Wushuang greeted him heartily.

“Come, come, sit down, let me pour you some wine.”

Su Mo smiled and picked up the wine bottle.

“I’ll punish myself with three cups! There were just too many things to do, and I finally managed to get away.”

Zhao Wushuang explained to Su Mo. From the moment he received Su Mo’s invitation message, he knew he would definitely be involved in the exploration mission, so he started preparing for it.

“It’s a small matter, just be prepared for the exploration.”

Su Mo replied with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Officer Su Mo, I will definitely not let you down. If I disappoint you, I will go and receive military punishment myself!”

Zhao Wushuang said confidently.

Hearing Zhao Wushuang’s words, Mo Bao Ke’s head buzzed, and he jumped up, saying with great surprise.

“Lord Su Mo, you’re really the leader!”

“Yeah.”

Su Mo nodded helplessly.

Chen Shan and Xiao Wen on the side also couldn’t believe it. It was a bit too absurd. Su Mo’s current position was only Major, not as high as Zhao Wushuang’s Lieutenant General. How could he be the leader?

But General Zhao Wushuang had said so, and it seemed to be true.

Zhao Wushuang didn’t have the habit of joking; he was known for his rigor.

“Yes.”

Su Mo replied with a smile.

Sun Duo Xiang rolled his eyes, looking like he had struck gold, and quickly said, “Boss, you have to take us brothers along this time. We can even assist you.”

“You won’t be left out.”

Su Mo found it amusing to see Sun Duo Xiang so impatient. This guy hadn’t believed it earlier, but now he was more eager than anyone else.

Mo Bao Ke also quickly flattered him: “Lord Su Mo, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have looked down on you. I was blind. Just take me with you…”

“Stop! Don’t say anymore, or I won’t take you.”

Su Mo’s mouth twitched when he saw Mo Bao Ke getting more and more outrageous, and he quickly interrupted him.

“Okay, okay.”

Mo Bao Ke replied excitedly.

Qian Chengxue, sitting on the side, had a thoughtful expression, as if pondering something.

“Let’s not talk about this, everyone have a drink together. After this cup, we will all prepare for the exploration, hoping that we can return triumphantly.”

Su Mo said, raising his glass.

“Well said!”

Zhao Wushuang said with great approval, picking up his glass to echo.

“Come on, cheers!”

Xiao Wen was also very happy. Although he hadn’t actively mentioned the exploration, he was eager to participate in this action. Otherwise, Xiao Wen wouldn’t have inquired about the related news.

“Everyone, cheers together, let’s not go home until we’re drunk.”

Sun Duo Xiang was overjoyed.

…

Late at night, after seeing off Xiao Wen and the others, Su Mo and Qian Chengxue strolled towards the upper district.

“Are you okay after drinking so much? Do you want me to buy you some hangover medicine?”

Qian Chengxue asked with concern.

“I’m fine.”

Su Mo shook his head and replied with a smile. If it had been before, he would have passed out from his alcohol tolerance. But since his body had been strengthened, his alcohol tolerance had exploded, and he had never been drunk.

Seeing that Su Mo really seemed to be fine, Qian Chengxue asked,

“When did you become the leader of the exploration, Su Mo? I didn’t know.”

“Yesterday, Sperd called me to a meeting with other core members, and then, inexplicably, they made me the leader.”

Su Mo smiled wryly when he mentioned this.

“This is a good thing. It shows that they really treat you as a formal core member. This is something that many people can’t even ask for.”

Qian Chengxue was sincerely happy for Su Mo.

“It’s not a good thing. Wang Hai was left behind and can’t participate in this action.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean you replaced Wang Hai’s position? Although Wang Hai is a very nice person, no one would feel comfortable with that. Did you guys have a conflict?”

Qian Chengxue immediately realized.

“There wasn’t a conflict. Wang Hai has an unusually broad mind, which is really admirable. But isn’t this making things awkward for both of us? To be honest, I really don’t want to be the leader because I don’t have any experience in this area. I don’t even know many of the unspoken rules. The reason I invited Zhao Wushuang today was thanks to Wang Hai’s reminder. Now I’m really worried that I’ll mess things up.”

Su Mo rambled to Qian Chengxue with some annoyance.

Qian Chengxue said with a smile, “It’s okay, I believe you can do very well.”

“Maybe.”

Su Mo replied a little wearily.

…

-------------------------------------------------------------

Upper District, inside the hall of a lavishly decorated detached villa, a large group of people gathered.

Ye Wuhen, Ye Wei, Ye Haitang, and all the core members of the Ye family were there.

But upon closer inspection, it could be seen that they were all standing far back.

In the center of the living room, Ye Quan, Ye Tian, and the older generation of core members were all sitting together, their expressions very gloomy.

Ye Quan tapped the floor with his cane and said in a deep voice to everyone,

“The reason for gathering everyone here today is to tell you all about a very bad thing.”

Hearing Ye Quan’s words, the Ye family members present all showed expressions of fear.

“You should all be aware of our family’s current situation. This month’s report is in extreme deficit. I don’t need to explain the specific reasons, do I? When the white hole impact came, a large number of our personnel and supplies were lost. The capital pool is not only depleted, but it’s about to be breached. Do you think it’s funny?”

“Father, we can’t be completely blamed for this. We retreated as soon as we received the order. But many of us got numbers that were too far back.”

Ye Tian explained in a deep voice.

“How are you maintaining your interpersonal relationships?”

Ye Quan looked at Ye Tian coldly.

Ye Tian frowned and replied, “I am responsible for this matter, but dwelling on it now won’t help. The most urgent task is to find a way to make up for the loss of funds and materials.”

“That’s easier said than done. Is it so easy to make up for it? Eighty percent of all our plans are now in trouble.”

Ye Quan said coldly.

The people present all lowered their heads, not daring to say anything.

“Father, isn’t the Black Ark going to conduct a large-scale exploration plan recently? We can try to make up for the losses and take a gamble in this operation!”

Ye Tian replied in a low voice.

“The bad thing I’m going to tell you about is this matter. There’s a problem with the quota for this exploration, and you should all be clear about the importance of this exploration. Whoever can participate has the chance to leap through the dragon gate, but if we miss this opportunity, the consequences will be extremely serious. Because if the Black Ark explores successfully, it will end the expedition ahead of schedule and return. It means that not only did our Ye family not make money by participating in the expedition, but we suffered heavy losses, and we lost everything. The consequences are unimaginable!”

Ye Quan said bluntly.

Hearing Ye Quan’s words, everyone present was stunned.