| WRIAWW | Are You Planning to Capture Zong Le? | 103
Needless to say, Qin Ye's idea was quite risky.
For Ankang Community, the survivors still lacked complete intelligence. They had only carried out one B-level mission there, which was practically no different from knowing nothing at all.
"What if we charge straight into the enemy's stronghold like this?"
Someone voiced their concern during the meeting. "What if the situation in Ankang Community is more complicated than we imagined?"
"Exactly. According to our analysis, Zong Le is likely the right-hand man of the mysterious boss of the psychiatric department. If that boss is also residing in the community, things could easily spiral out of control."
However, these minor concerns were quickly drowned out by overwhelming approval.
"Guild Master Qin's idea is brilliant!"
"Indeed, catching them off guard and striking first gives us the upper hand."
Those who had risen to S-level were not just geniuses, most were survivors who had fought their way through risks and opportunities. This meant the vast majority of the hundred-strong group use force.
Naturally, these survivors strongly supported Qin Ye's aggressive approach, expressing full agreement.
"Come on, drop those pointless worries, will you? It's not like we're sending just one person, we're mobilizing all S-levels. In terms of combat power alone, we could easily handle another S-level mission. Besides, this time, we're taking the initiative as survivors, free from the constraints of the main system's mission rules. If we miss this chance, it'll be hard to find another opportunity like this."
"Right! Those weirds would never expect us to pull a sneak attack. They'll be caught completely off guard."
Qin Ye nodded. "It's better to be the aggressor than the defender. High risk often means high reward. If this operation succeeds, not only can we capture Zong Le, but we can also extract more intel about the ultimate dungeon from him. If we're really lucky... we might be able to even turn him into a mole planted within the ultimate dungeon for us."
This argument successfully swayed even the hesitant survivors fall into temptation.
Although it seemed like they had achieved overwhelming victories in recent S-level missions, the intelligence they currently possessed was still severely lacking. They only had a rough understanding of the power distribution in Guiyi City and remained completely in the dark about the names and abilities of the stronger weirds.
If they could capture Zong Le... it would indeed fill a significant gap in their intelligence database.
"Of course, there's no need to rush to a decision. Given the gravity of this matter, it's best to proceed with caution. The meeting room will remain open for free discussion. In three hours, we'll hold a full vote to determine whether to proceed with the operation. Additionally, if anyone has a better plan, feel free to propose it for collective discussion."
"However, I must emphasize one point: this operation is strictly confidential. Nothing discussed in this meeting is to be leaked, nor should any details be posted on the survivor forums."
"Don't worry."
"Got it. Before, we didn't know Zong Le could monitor the forums. Now that we do, everyone here is an S-level, we are not idiots. We won't let this news slip."
The meeting room erupted into heated debate.
The S-level present had different opinions, and soon it became very noisy.
"Are all the S-levels present now?"
"No, we're still missing the 82nd Bluebeard. Speaking of which, it seems like he suddenly disappeared. Before, there would always be periodic forum posts accusing him of beastly behavior or cheating points."
"Whatever. Who cares if he shows up or not? He's just scum among survivors."
Amidst the discussions, Qin Ye approached Shu Xingwen.
As guild masters of the top guilds, while they often clashed on various matters and secretly undermined each other, their stance remained remarkably unified when facing major issues.
"I saw on the forum that you sensed no weird aura around Zong Le during your interactions?"
"Correct." Shu Xingwen replied bluntly: "There are generally only two possibilities, either he's an NPC, or his weird level is so high that I couldn't detect it. That's why I'm confident enough to release this information directly."
"Um... Guild Master Shu, are you absolutely certain?" Bai Shao couldn't help speaking up at this point.
"Of course. During the Tianmen Mansion, I conducted detailed scans using my spiritual medium abilities. If he was a weird, I wouldn't have missed it."
Bai Shao wanted to clarify that wasn't what he meant, but seeing Shu Xingwen's displeased expression at having his first question challenged, he weighed the pros and cons considering his status as a member of the Temple Army and chose to remain silent.
He picked up a cup of hot tea prepared by the Watchtower Guild staff and quietly moved to an empty seat.
As soon as he sat down, he heard a voice behind him: "What you really wanted to ask was whether we could completely confirm Zong Le's mole status through this method, right?"
Bai Shao turned in surprise to see Zhou Ke'er standing behind him with his own cup of tea.
"Don't misunderstand." The 10th's face hovered above his steaming cup, the vapor obscuring his expression: "I just thought we might share similar perspectives. I've always trusted my instincts rather than blindly following orders from others. And coincidentally, Zong Le is someone I consider a friend. Based on our interactions, I believe that he is not the kind of person Guild Master Qin describes him to be."
"What kind of person do you think he is?"
"In the forum, they claim he is a scheming mole, a calculating native, an NPC spy who infiltrated the infinite space early to gather intelligence... I have to say it, it's really imaginative. Anyone who's actually interacted with Zong Le wouldn't say such things."
Bai Shao felt slightly surprised by Zhou Ke'er's words, then nodded in understanding. He'd always known Zhou Ke'er spoke bluntly without concern.
"Yes, I think you said my thoughts exactly."
Bai Shao chose his words carefully: "From my interactions with Zong Le too, he's... an exceptionally warm-hearted person."
So warm-hearted he'd even brought braised pork knuckles. Now that he thought about it, Zong Le must have made it himself. it's no wonder he carried it during the mission instead of delivering through the infinite space like normal survivors.
"My theory is he might be an NPC from the ultimate dungeon, but he is definitely isn’t a malicious undercover mole."
"Right? I'm very accurate in judging people, and I've never made a mistake!"
Having successfully found like-minded colleagues, Zhou Ke'er looked relieved but soon sighed again: "But we don't have any evidence, and we can't contact Zong Le. Besides, things have escalated to this point that the power of two people alone is of no help. "
"True," Bai Shao said with frustration at the mention of this. "That guy turned off private messages from friends."
"If the 1st could wake up, he might be able to change the current situation somewhat."
"......"
Thinking of the previously scandal on the forum, Bai Shao's expression gradually darkened as he suppressed his instinctive homophobia. "Even Lord Joshua can't change the perceptions of so many people in the Infinite Space."
Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.
As expected, when the final vote was cast, the proactive war survivors overwhelmingly outvoted the cautious conservative survivors.
"Good!"
Seeing the voting results, Qin Ye made a decisive call: "Since everyone agrees, we must act immediately. Prepare for battle. In half an hour, gather at Guanghai at exactly 11 PM. This way, we'll teleport into the ultimate dungeon and maximize our free exploration time by an extra hour."
"Got it!"
"No problem!"
"Let's go! Let's go back, and prepare weapons to attack Ankang Community!"
"All S-level people can act freely. I can't even imagine it! We'll crush that traitor's hideout."
The enthusiastic cheers nearly lifted the roof.
Just as everyone was gearing up, the conference room doors were suddenly flung open by an invisible force.
The silver-haired patriarch stood silently outside, his face noticeably paler than usual. Even his usual elegant facade couldn't mask the exhaustion between his brows.
His slightly disheveled robes and hair made it clear he had rushed to the Imaginary Fortress immediately after resurrecting upon receiving the news.
At the sight of him, the S-levels erupted in cheers.
"Lord Joshua!"
"Thank goodness you're awake!"
"You're the hero of this question mark-level mission! Without you, we would have never succeeded!"
Amid the cheers, the man at the center of attention wore undisguised mockery in his eyes.
He stepped forward, his footsteps light as if afraid to disturb something.
"So... are you planning to capture Zong Le?"
The last syllable hung in the air for a long time.
At that moment, everyone in the conference room could feel the change in the atmosphere, and the unspoken displeasure radiating from the silver-haired patriarch.
"Uh, yes?"
"That's right. Guild Master Qin proposed it, and we all agreed it was a good plan, so—"
As people exchanged uneasy glances, Joshua suddenly smiled, a perfectly measured expression that instantly dispelled the tension.
"Is that so? I understand."
His said softly. "In that case, why not count me in?"
......
Meanwhile, after wallowing on the steps of the Central Court for a while, Zong Le checked his messages and decided it was time to head back.
Since Xiao Fu was on leave, Zong Le also granted vacation to Liu Rouya who stayed at Taikang Yongle Hospital, as well as the Weird Corpse and Number Five.
Although these weirds hadn't mentioned it, Zong Le noticed how hard they'd worked guarding the hospital. He even secretly allocated funds to the Butcher to hire a chef and organize an open-air feast in the community, and going so far as to invite some neighbors from nearby.
This was the first major gathering of all residents of Ankang Community, including the prison inmates. Zong Le didn’t want to dampen the festive mood, so even though he was feeling down, he made sure to arrive on time.
Brushing the dust off his clothes, he suddenly looked up and said, "Speaking of which, Your Honor the Chief Justice, since court is adjourned today, do you want to come to our community to have a meal together?"
"Huh? ...Me? Is that okay?"
The voice in midair paused for a moment. The stern judge, known for her imposing presence, was receiving such a casual invitation for the first time and couldn’t help feeling flattered.
"Of course, come on, it will be more lively when there are more people." Zong Le warmly insisted.
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