Chapter 42: Tit for Tat

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“Chief! Something’s happened!”

Sun Guoyao’s face was grim as he strode into Chen Yukai’s office, pushing the door open without hesitation.

Chen Yukai frowned at his security captain, who had served at his side for more than twenty years. “What’s got you so flustered?”

Sun Guoyao took a moment to compose himself, then replied awkwardly, “It’s... Cao Muhua! He’s mobilized all his men!”

“Absurd!” Chen Yukai slammed his palm down on the desk. According to base and military regulations, Cao Muhua’s actions amounted to privately moving troops—an overt act of insubordination!

“Prepare for the worst, in case that madman tries to drag us down with him. And find out exactly why—there must be a reason behind this sudden mobilization!”

“Yes, sir!” Sun Guoyao saluted and hurried out of the office.

Chen Yukai was left alone, sighing heavily. He sat behind his desk, brows furrowed, silently smoking.

Less than ten minutes later, Sun Guoyao burst in again, breathless. “Report, Chief! We’ve got intel! Cao Muhua led his forces straight out of the base toward the west gate.”

The west gate?

A possibility flashed through Chen Yukai’s mind.

“The west gate is under Captain Wang’s command. Why would Cao Muhua take his men there? Is he spoiling for a fight? Getting into internal squabbles at a time like this—utter nonsense!” Chen Yukai’s face had turned ashen with anger.

Sun Guoyao hesitated, then said, “I heard that Captain Wang secretly detained some of Cao’s men. Today’s the day Captain Wang returns from the fuel storage outpost.”

“Hmph, none of them can be left unsupervised! Come with me, let’s see what’s going on!” Chen Yukai stood up, cursing under his breath as he strode out.

At the base’s west gate, the sentries on duty were still Chen Yukai’s own subordinates; today, it was First Company, under Liu Tao, manning the post.

Guarding the main gate was, unofficially, a cushy assignment.

Every day, people from various factions would come and go, occasionally smuggling in contraband. A few bribes here and there, and things would pass smoothly—no one enforced the rules too strictly.

But today, the sentries on duty wore bitter expressions as they watched the scene unfolding before them.

Cao Muhua had brought nearly five hundred of his most loyal men, forming a solid line that blocked the west gate completely. They were armed to the teeth with heavy weapons, as if preparing to fend off a major external threat.

“Hey, brother... can you tell me what’s going on here?” The squad leader on duty sidled over to one of the soldiers, handing him a cigarette.

The soldier took it and replied quietly, “This doesn’t concern you. Captain Cao has business here. Just watch.”

Relieved that it wasn’t a monster attack, the squad leader thanked him and returned to his post. After sending a runner to report the situation, he settled in to watch the drama unfold.

Meanwhile, on his way back, Wang Ji received a report from his reconnaissance team less than three kilometers from the west gate: Cao Muhua had blocked the gate with his entire force.

Wang Ji snorted, “That old dog must be desperate!”

“Everyone, battle stations! Keep your weapons ready! We’re heading to the west gate!” Wang Ji shouted from the lead vehicle, setting off at once.

Li Chengming, fuming, ordered every man to ready their weapons and load the machine guns. The troops were eager, itching for a fight.

Beep, beep, beep!

At the independent company’s training base a few kilometers outside the main facility, a soldier at the communications post picked up an urgent signal and hurriedly opened the radio.

After a few words, he dashed outside and shouted to Haozi, who was drilling the troops.

“Lieutenant Zhao! Emergency signal! Cao Muhua’s blocked our captain at the west gate!”

Upon hearing this, Haozi’s eyes bulged as he roared in outrage.

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“Damn Cao Muhua! How dare he block our captain! Brothers, emergency assembly!”

The alarm blared across the camp as soldiers rushed to grab their gear and prepare for action.

Within minutes, over a hundred fully armed infantry, led by Haozi, set off in force for the base. Haozi even brought along the twin-barrel autocannon that Wang Ji had left behind for base defense.

Inside the base, the commotion had drawn the attention of every major faction. Each hurried toward the west gate, hoping to profit from the chaos.

For a moment, the winds of change swept through, and the west gate became the gathering point for nearly all the base’s key figures.

Wang Ji’s convoy arrived at the west gate and saw that Cao Muhua had indeed brought over four hundred men, all armed and ready, as if determined to take him down.

Suppressing his anger, Wang Ji gave a signal, and his men fanned out, forming a line opposite Cao Muhua’s.

The early summer afternoon was thick with humidity. Onlookers perched atop the walls, watching the two sides face off, the air heavy with tension.

“Look, Captain Wang doesn’t seem to have many men...”

“You’re behind the times. The independent company has a full strength of three hundred—more than enough to put up a fight. Look, here they come!”

The man pointed as dust billowed in the distance—Haozi had finally arrived with his troops.

“Captain! Infantry platoon reporting in! Awaiting orders!” Haozi leapt from the vehicle and saluted at Wang Ji’s side.

Wang Ji gestured toward Cao Muhua and smiled. “Looks like Captain Cao wants a little sparring match. Brothers, let’s oblige him!”

“Yes, sir! Prepare for combat!” Haozi barked.

With a clatter, every soldier in the independent company chambered rounds and aimed their weapons at the opposition.

A surge of killing intent pushed back against the momentum of Cao Muhua’s hundreds.

“See that? All those machine guns—Wang Ji’s no pushover!”

“Of course not. That’s an autocannon, not a machine gun. Did you see the caliber? It could tear a car to pieces!”

“Impressive! Wonder how this will end up.”

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

Among them, Cui Dazhou and his men lingered near the gate, ready to act.

“Wait and see! If things go south, we’ll hit that old dog Cao from behind!”

“Got it, boss!” his trusted lieutenant replied, a bloodthirsty grin on his face.

Meanwhile, other gang leaders from the base arrived with their men, each hoping to fish in troubled waters.

Cao Muhua was inwardly surprised by Wang Ji’s show of force, but he kept a calm face as he stepped forward and called out.

“Captain Wang! You’ve detained my men—Lin Xue and nine others—without cause, and confiscated their hard-earned rewards. I demand an explanation today!”

Wang Ji sneered, stepping forward to meet him. “Justice is clear to all! Lin Xue blatantly disobeyed orders, sabotaged my plans, and caused heavy casualties among my troops! Honestly, Captain Cao, you owe me an explanation today!”

“Hmph! Don’t spout nonsense! If Lin Xue and the others truly erred, let them out and I’ll deal with them myself!” Cao Muhua hadn’t expected Wang Ji to be so unyielding, especially when outnumbered.

“I’m not releasing them—unless you give me a hundred energy cores!” Wang Ji acted as if he hadn’t even noticed Cao Muhua’s anger.

Wu Gang and Baldy watched from the crowd as Wang Ji and Cao Muhua negotiated.

“Boss, this Wang Ji is something else.”

“Patience—let’s see what Cao Muhua can draw out of him.”

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Suddenly, the crowd parted as Chen Yukai arrived at the head of a base security team, quickly stepping between Cao Muhua and Wang Ji.

“What are you doing here? Do you take military discipline for a joke?” Chen Yukai’s face was thunderous as he berated Cao Muhua.

“Chief! It was Wang Ji—he detained my men first and stole my fuel!”

“Chief Chen, to be honest, Lin Xue deserved punishment. If I hadn’t executed him on the spot, it was only out of respect for you.”

The two continued to argue.

In a fury, Chen Yukai drew his pistol and fired a shot into the air.

“Enough! If you’re so eager to prove your strength, why not go out there and kill some mutants instead? Since you can’t sort out right from wrong, fine! I’ll settle this here and now!”

Cao Muhua’s eyes lit up. He turned to Chen Yukai and asked, “As you say, Chief. As long as Wang Ji releases my men, returns my hundred tons of fuel, and pays a hundred energy cores in compensation, I’ll let bygones be bygones.”

Wang Ji rolled his eyes and sneered, “Captain Cao, you certainly have an appetite! Here’s my offer: you give me two hundred energy cores and a public apology, and I’ll release them!”

“Hah! Lin Xue and the others aren’t worth two hundred energy cores!” Cao Muhua laughed in exasperation.

“Enough! Are you ignoring me?!” Chen Yukai shouted. “Settle this with a contest! I’ll be the judge. Three rounds, best two of three—first, hand-to-hand combat; second, marksmanship; third, mutant hunting!”

A buzz of excitement went through the crowd—contests like this were rare, and all eyes turned to watch.

“Yes, a contest! I’ll act as referee! Three rounds, best two of three—first round, hand-to-hand; second, shooting; third, mutant slaying!”

At Chen Yukai’s declaration, Cao Muhua gave a shadowy smile. “No objections. But I insist on my terms as the wager: if Wang Ji loses, he returns my men, my hundred tons of fuel, and a hundred energy cores.”

Chen Yukai frowned, about to speak, but Wang Ji interrupted.

“No objection from me. But since you’re feeling lucky, why not raise the stakes?”

“Hahaha, fine! I’ll wager five hundred energy cores against your fuel haul and Lin Xue’s group!”

Wang Ji chuckled softly, shaking his head as he stepped closer, raising a single finger.

“One thousand energy cores! That’s my bet.”

“Don’t get greedy! That fuel isn’t worth that much!” Cao Muhua protested, eyeing Wang Ji’s raised finger with displeasure.

“Let me finish. One thousand energy cores is just one part. If you win, you get the fuel and the prisoners. But if you lose, you owe me one thousand energy cores, a hundred rifles, and ten thousand rounds of ammunition! Do you dare?”

Wang Ji was clearly angling to weaken his strength!

Cao Muhua thought to himself. A thousand energy cores represented nearly half his fortune—he couldn’t agree lightly.

He stared intently at Wang Ji, but the man’s calm face revealed nothing.

Gritting his teeth, Cao Muhua said, “There’s no proof you have a thousand energy cores. How do I know you won’t just default?”

Wang Ji couldn’t help but laugh inwardly—he’d been hoping Cao Muhua would take the bait.

He pulled from his pocket a crystal core, shimmering with hints of blue and gold, and held it up for all to see.