"I came from the direction of Pengcheng, passing by here, intending to replenish some consumables," he said. "But unexpectedly, while my entry was normal, when I was about to enter the Trade Market..."

"This guy suddenly brought people to stop me. Then, for some reason, he tried to take control of me."

"I verbally warned him, but he just wouldn’t believe what I said, so I had to give him a demonstration myself."

"You should know what happened next. Not long after he pressed that alarm, you arrived."

"To this point, I still don’t understand what he’s up to. If your camp doesn’t welcome outsiders, just say it out loud. There’s no need to let people in and then come up with various reasons to arrest them."

"Are you rejecting outsiders, or are you playing some game? Even though we’re in the midst of a disaster, don’t you think this is a bit too much?"

"Before the disaster, there was the saying ’When fellow countrymen meet, tears well up in their eyes.’ I’m just passing through to resupply some spent consumables. What’s the crime in that?"

"Pengcheng isn’t far from here, and I have some clout there. Do you want me to go back and spread the word about your camp?"

Hearing Dong Tianyu speak this way, Zyaire felt a headache coming on.

Firstly, the mere fact that Dong Tianyu could say such things made Zyaire sure he was a respectable man. Moreover, Dong Tianyu’s last remark indicated he held a certain status in Pengcheng.

Zyaire actually believed the truth of Dong Tianyu’s claim; after all, his identity could be confirmed with a single phone call—there was no need for Dong Tianyu to lie.

Zyaire glanced at Nolan, who appeared calm but had trembling legs, sighing before shaking his head, wondering why Nolan would court disaster when he had finally achieved his current status.

Thinking this, although Zyaire refrained from asking for more details, the contrasting expressions of the two men led him to a judgment.

However, despite his internal decision, the necessary procedures were still unavoidable.

After understanding the situation from Dong Tianyu, Zyaire then approached Nolan and said, "We are all part of the same group. You should know what you ought to say."

"Come on, give me a reason I can include in the report."

Realizing Zyaire’s intention, Nolan immediately understood but still wished to struggle: "I noticed him as soon as he entered the camp, so I followed him with my men to confirm his intentions."

"I didn’t expect that we’d actually find something—he moved around the camp as if he were scouting, going to several densely populated areas and stopping at the doorstep without entering."

"Then I followed him to the Trade Market. Fearing he’d cause destruction inside, I blocked his way with my men."

"But I didn’t anticipate his strength; in an extremely short time, he disabled the weapons of the officers I brought. With such strength, his entry into our camp must have nefarious goals."

"Zyaire, listen to me, let’s control him first, lock him up in the prison and interrogate him thoroughly; we might uncover something useful."

Observing the plea in Nolan’s eyes, Zyaire thought it over but ultimately declined,

After all, it would have been better if Nolan hadn’t mentioned this, but once he did, it reminded Zyaire of the weapon fragments on the ground. From those fragments and Nolan’s account, Zyaire estimated that Dong Tianyu’s strength must be significant—at least that of someone in the Energy Refining Realm, or else he wouldn’t have ventured out alone.

Moreover, Nolan concocted such a poor excuse—the visitor had clearly stated it was his first visit to the camp, and unfamiliarity meant he would naturally seek crowded places to learn about the camp’s situation first.

After understanding the camp from those areas, coming to the Trade Market to shop was also reasonable—after all, he started by expressing his need for supplies, and why would someone not shop at the market if not for added inconvenience?

So, after hearing Nolan’s account, Zyaire made a decisive call, "Leave the rest to me. You go back and get ready. I will report this incident truthfully."

Seeing Zyaire speak so firmly, the pleading look in Nolan’s eyes instantly turned fierce, and in a deep voice, he asked Zyaire, "Can’t you give me another chance?"

Hearing Nolan’s threat, Zyaire was not afraid and directly replied, "No."

Realizing Zyaire was not going to show any mercy, Nolan didn’t continue to beg shamelessly but turned around and left with dignity.

After watching Nolan leave, Zyaire returned to Dong Tianyu’s side and said with a hint of apology, "I’m sorry, this was an oversight on our camp’s part. Please don’t take it to heart."

Hearing the insincere apology, Dong Tianyu didn’t say much. He had intended to continue his journey into the Trade Market to hunt for treasures, but to his surprise, the recent security alert had left the Trade Market utterly deserted.

Now, entering the Trade Market, one couldn’t hope for bargains, let alone find anyone in the market to buy anything from.

Zyaire, seeing Dong Tianyu looking towards the market, figured he wanted to continue purchasing supplies. But, with the market now empty, and to avoid any further incidents, Zyaire extended an invitation to Dong Tianyu:

"Since there’s no one around now, let me treat you to a meal as an apology for the unpleasant experience you had at our camp."

Dong Tianyu didn’t initially want to accept Zyaire’s invitation to dine, but the mention of two words by Nolan suddenly changed his mind, and he agreed to Zyaire’s offer.

Seeing this, Zyaire waved his hand, and his soldiers stood down from alert status, then without any hesitation, boarded the truck they arrived in.

After the truck had left, Zyaire alone accompanied Dong Tianyu on foot to a nearby restaurant.

Due to the earlier security alert, there wasn’t a single customer or staff member inside the establishment.

But since Zyaire had brought Dong Tianyu here to dine at this time, he was absolutely certain that he could provide Dong Tianyu with this meal.

Zyaire approached the counter and pressed a button hidden in a discreet corner.

Soon, a chubby fellow came from the kitchen to the front hall. Upon seeing Zyaire, he quickly trotted over and asked excitedly, "Brother Zyaire, is it safe now? Has the alert been lifted?"

In response to the question, Zyaire replied directly, "Isn’t that obvious? I only have time to relax and come here for a good meal after the alert is lifted."

Although there was a sting in Zyaire’s words, the chubby man didn’t mind. In his view, as long as his restaurant encountered no issues, that was all that mattered.

"Brother Zyaire, please take a seat. It’s the same private room as before. I’ll go make some tea for you right away."

At the mention of making tea, Dong Tianyu’s eyes lit up. Despite having various teas in his Storage space, for the outside world, tea was an ultimate luxury.

After all, one flood disaster had destroyed virtually 99.9% of China’s tea leaves, and the subsequent earthquakes had killed off most of the surviving tea plants.

By now, the total number of tea plants that had survived in China might not even exceed the quantity in a small tea garden before the natural disasters.

Scarcity meant that acquiring tea required a significant price; offering someone tea had become far more appreciated than inviting them for a meal. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Not long after the two entered the private room, someone delivered the tea set.

Tea tables imbued with ancient charm, and delicate tea cups carved with flowers, birds, fish, and insects—these items, at that time, were actually less precious than a few ounces of tea leaves.