Chapter 140: The Choice

Chapter 140

Something she was interested in?

Did he even know what he was interested in himself? Mei looked at Ling Feng with suspicion.

Seeing that she did not immediately reject him, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes behind Ling Feng's glasses.

"Let’s head into the cabin to discuss the details, shall we?"

Mei hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. She was curious about what kind of thing he could possibly offer to make this deal with her.

When the others saw that Mei had made a decision, they naturally followed her back onto the *Xianglong*. As for the *Undercurrent*, Mei retracted it back into her spatial storage. Although she was confident that no one else could pilot the *Undercurrent*, it would still be a significant headache if someone accidentally damaged the arrays on board.

The group followed Ling Feng to the control room in the cabin. Ling Feng asked the others to leave, remaining alone to negotiate with Mei and her companions.

Once seated, Ling Feng did not rush to bring up the subject of compensation. Instead, he asked, "Miss Mei, could you tell me what secrets are actually hidden on that ghost ship?"

Here we go again!

Hearing this, Mei rolled her eyes inwardly. This man was always like this—he had to ramble about other things before getting to the point. It was so annoying!

Thinking this, Mei puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and said in a sour tone, "If you were so curious, why didn't you go up and see for yourself back then?"

Ling Feng looked at her expression and suddenly smiled. His posture relaxed, and he leaned back against the chair.

"I wanted to, but I have my responsibilities—responsibilities that do not allow for selfishness or recklessness. To be honest, sometimes I truly envy you. You can do whatever you want, without worrying about the cost or the consequences, and without having to consider so much." As Ling Feng spoke, his tone carried a trace of envy mixed with a hint of melancholy.

Mei froze for a moment upon hearing his words, then replied sternly, "Are you saying this to make me pity you? Whether it's responsibility or shackles, those are your own choices. While you lose the right to act recklessly, you also gain many privileges that others will never touch in their entire lives. So, I don't think you are worth pitying, nor do I think there is any meaning in us discussing this."

"That really hit the nail on the head!" Ling Feng laughed. His expression quickly收敛 (subsided), returning to his usual state—calm, rational, and ruthless.

"You are right; this was my choice. Even if it costs me my life, I have no regrets. Miss Mei, you are very interested in new energy sources, aren't you?" Ling Feng stated with certainty.

"What makes you say that?" Mei asked, noncommittally.

"That new energy source from the underground laboratory in the snowy mountains—it’s in your hands, isn't it, Miss Mei?"

"One shouldn't speak nonsense. What evidence do you have that the object is in my possession?" Mei blinked, still refusing to admit it.

Ling Feng remained unhurried, maintaining his calm, confident demeanor as he looked at Mei. "At the underground experimental base in the snowy mountains, Miss Mei, Mr. Ye, and several members of the Situ family were the last group to appear on the third level. After the earthquake occurred, the Situ family members all managed to escape. Situ Huang claimed that you took the new energy source, triggered the earthquake, and failed to escape.

"However, what he doesn't know is that before meeting him, I had already questioned the survivors of the Situ family in detail. You did indeed intend to take the new energy source, but you were obstructed by mutant ants and failed. Later, they took Situ Qing and fled the third level, while you and Mr. Ye remained entangled with the mutant ants. Since neither of you had the opportunity, the only person left who could have touched the new energy source was Situ Huang, who had not yet fled.

"If I am not mistaken, the situation must have been this: Situ Huang took advantage of the moment when you and Mr. Ye were occupied to try to seize the new energy source and sabotage you. After all, according to my intelligence, you once injured his uncle with a single arrow, causing the Situ family to lose face. It is perfectly logical that he would want to take revenge on you.

"He tried to take the new energy source, but an accident occurred. The new energy fell into your hands, but you and Mr. Ye were buried underground by the collapsing base because you couldn't escape in time. Am I right?"

Hearing his analysis, Mei couldn't help but widen her eyes. While what he said wasn't entirely accurate, it was mostly correct. Situ Huang had indeed wanted that dark fragment and had sabotaged her and Ye Jingxuan at the end; otherwise, they wouldn't have been unable to escape. As for her body suddenly spiraling out of control due to genetic instability, that was an unforeseen event—it was normal that he couldn't have guessed that!

If they weren't in the middle of a negotiation, she would have wanted to applaud his deductive skills.

Mei looked at him for a long time before saying, "Even if you are right, so what? Could you possibly produce another new energy source as compensation?"

When Ling Feng heard this, his hands, which had been clenched tightly under the table, finally relaxed.

"I don't have a new energy source, but I know where one is. In exchange, I want you to continue escorting the research team to Country A to attend the seminar, and bring the antidote for the zombie virus back to our country," Ling Feng proposed, seizing the opportunity.

Mei widened her eyes again, speaking in disbelief, "Colonel Ling, I didn't expect someone as rational as you to suffer from delusions. You want to exchange an unverified piece of information for us to run ourselves ragged on a grueling mission? Your calculations are a bit too one-sided, aren't they?"

Ling Feng’s expression remained unchanged despite her mocking tone. He pushed up his glasses with his finger and said, "Although this information cannot be directly verified, we can draw up a contract. That way, you will know whether what I say is true or false, won't you? Furthermore, I don't think my request is excessive. Traveling between the two countries might be extremely dangerous for others, but for you, it is merely a matter of time. Compared to the time spent traveling, if you don't have the information I provide, you will spend far more time searching for a new energy source! Therefore, I consider this a very reasonable trade."

Ling Feng believed everything he said was logical and that he had grasped a bargaining chip the other party was interested in. He thought she would have to consider it carefully, but Mei rejected his proposal without a second thought.

"I refuse! Even if we sign a contract, I still don't trust you! Do you really think I can't sense that you have already made up your mind to die this time? You don't care about death, and you certainly don't care about what happens after you're gone. For someone like that, I don't believe a contract can serve its intended purpose. So, I would rather spend more time searching than be tied down by you again!" Before he could even ask, Mei provided her reason for refusal.

Her reasoning left Ling Feng momentarily stunned.

He had not expected her to see through his innermost intentions!

Indeed, he did have such thoughts.

The battle with the mutant jellyfish had not only cost him an arm but had also caused severe damage to his body. These past few days, he could clearly feel his health deteriorating. Therefore, he had to arrange the tasks he was burdened with before he met his end.

This trip to Country A was not just for escorting the research team; he carried other responsibilities as well.

Although Country A was using the pretext of developing a zombie virus antidote, according to their intelligence, Country A intended to do much more than that. While the zombie virus was highly infectious, setting aside the fact that it stripped people of their sanity and left them craving fresh flesh, it enhanced physical attributes, eliminated the fear of pain, and prevented death unless the head was destroyed. All of these traits matched Country A's requirements for humanoid war weapons.

Therefore, his superiors believed that Country A had likely made a major breakthrough but, lacking sufficient manpower, had summoned researchers from other nations. The research into the zombie virus antidote was merely a cover; their primary goal was to perfect their humanoid war weapons.

His mission was to confirm Country A's true objectives, sabotage their plans at the appropriate time, and bring the antidote back.

In Ling Feng's view, the true purpose of Country A was still a matter of speculation, but the antidote must be obtained and brought back. Both the state and the public desperately needed it to escape the threat of the apocalypse as soon as possible.

However, he knew he was incapable of completing this mission alone. He needed reliable people to finish it for him.

Originally, he had only intended to select the most suitable candidates from those on the ship, but the appearance of Mei and her group had given him new hope. If she could help him, it would be ideal.

Yet, he knew clearly that Mei and those around her were not the type to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the country. Like most, they would never agree to his requests without sufficient benefits.

He knew she was interested in new energy sources and that he possessed intelligence regarding other countries holding potential sources, but he couldn't confirm their authenticity. That was why he wanted to bind them with a contract. He didn't care about the penalties for breaking the contract—death or torture worse than death—as long as the mission was accomplished, nothing else mattered.

But he knew Mei cared. Even if she didn't care about the consequences of breaking the contract, those around her would not sit idly by. As long as she was willing to sign, his plan would succeed.

He never expected her to see through his thoughts and dismantle his scheme so easily.

Ling Feng sat dejectedly in his chair; he had completely run out of options.

Seeing his reaction, Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan realized that Mei was not wrong, and a surge of anger rose within them.

To think he would try to scheme against their treasure using such methods—this man truly deserved to die!

However, not everyone was dissatisfied with Ling Feng's actions. Xiriel, who had heard the entire conversation between him and Mei, felt a growing sense of great interest in this man named Ling Feng.