Chapter 349: Chapter 334: She Was Never Alone

News of Gu Xi’s plan to take over A City Base quickly spread to the Central Base.

This came as quite a shock to those who knew her identity.

The reason was simple. In their minds, Gu Xi had always been nothing more than a human weapon—naturally apathetic and built only for killing.

’Now, this human weapon... actually wants to vie for power?’

It was truly an astonishing development.

But what was even more baffling was the attitude from the Central Base.

The military’s silence wasn’t hard to understand. After all, they had always been on good terms with Gu Xi. That old fox Shen Zhennan had even sent his only son to her side long ago.

But the attitude of the base’s management was much more inscrutable.

...After news of Gu Xi’s intention to take over City A reached the Central Base, Gu Yumin had immediately signed and issued a letter of appointment.

In his capacity as the leader of the Central Base, he personally appointed Gu Xi as his special envoy. During this "special period," she was granted full authority to handle all affairs related to City A!

The contents of this letter of appointment were rather subtle.

Never mind the "special envoy" title; the phrase "special period" alone could be interpreted in a thousand different ways.

’What on earth is Gu Yumin trying to do?’

Tang You frowned slightly upon receiving the appointment letter.

Still, thanks to this letter and Tang You’s reluctant cooperation, Gu Xi soon entered City A’s administration building and gained core management access.

Tang You had initially assumed that even with core management access, Gu Xi wouldn’t be able to accomplish much. After all, she only had a handful of people with her. Controlling a massive, A-rank base with a population of hundreds of thousands was clearly not a task for a small group.

Besides, City A’s management was already a bizarre equilibrium of various competing factions. Even he, as the base leader, hadn’t always been able to command them effectively.

’So what could Gu Xi, who had just dropped in from nowhere, possibly do?’

Tang You’s original plan was to use Gu Xi’s fearsome reputation to eliminate his own rivals, then discreetly render her a powerless figurehead.

He never expected, however, that Gu Xi would shatter that equilibrium with her very first move.

She didn’t even use the people at her side. Instead, she produced a group of individuals from out of nowhere who quickly took over the vacant positions in City A’s administration.

Less than half a day after Gu Xi’s arrival in City A, the base’s entire administrative system was already beginning to run in an orderly fashion.

This left Tang You not only stunned but also filled with a creeping sense of dread.

But he had been the leader of A City Base for many years; he wasn’t without his own roots in City A.

Soon, Tang You got his hands on the personnel files of the people Gu Xi had appointed...

At first glance, their files seemed clean. Their backgrounds were spotless, with no ties to any major factions. They were all doers, the pragmatic type...

But the more Tang You read, the more alarmed he became.

The reason was simple. On the surface, their previous positions seemed unremarkable and held no real authority. But upon closer inspection, it became clear these roles were actually crucial. They were linchpins within their respective departments, giving them an intimate understanding of the entire operation.

What horrified Tang You even more was that these people had been entering the management of A City Base in waves, starting over twenty years ago.

Back then, no one even knew where Gu Xi was. In fact, no one knew... if she would ever appear at all!

Yet someone had already laid all this groundwork for her.

Only then did Tang You belatedly realize that a vast, intricate web had been silently woven around City A many years ago. And he... he had long been caught in it.

Staring at the files, Tang You suddenly thought of something. His breath caught in his throat, and his lips went dry.

’Everyone must have overlooked it. The Blood-colored Asura... she was never alone!’

’Behind her stood the entire Doomsday Squad!’

It was a shame. In those years, the Blood-colored Asura’s reputation was so overwhelming, so suffocating, that everyone saw only her. They had all overlooked the most crucial fact!

Tang You closed the light screen, his expression shifting rapidly.

Of course, Tang You wasn’t the only one who took note of these files.

But whatever outsiders thought had no effect on Gu Xi.

After confirming the transfer of authority was complete, Gu Xi led Wei Heng and the others directly to a small house near No. 176.

Yang Chi had been waiting there for them, practically wearing a hole in the horizon with his stare.

’In the time he’d been away from Gu Xi, he hadn’t eaten a single decent meal.’

’Look how skinny he’d gotten...’

Yang Chi was overjoyed to see Gu Xi. He excitedly rushed forward, practically ready to cling to her leg. "Gu Xi, you’re finally here! I missed you like crazy!"

Qi Xiang, standing to the side, rolled her eyes. "Did you miss Gu Xi, or the delicious food in her dimensional space?"

Yang Chi, cradling the snacks Gu Xi had given him, just chuckled, too busy to speak.

After wolfing down two large basins of snacks, he patted his stomach, let out a satisfied burp, and mumbled, "Gu Xi, where’s my cousin?"

Shen Yue took Li Xiao to coordinate the handover with Liu Bo’s people as soon as they entered the city. He wasn’t back yet.

Of course, it wasn’t as if Yang Chi was particularly concerned about his so-called cousin; it was just a casual question.

He was relieved just knowing his cousin was still alive.

"Gu Xi, I have something to tell you." Yang Chi pushed the empty basins aside, squatted in front of Gu Xi, and lowered his voice, a mysterious look on his face. "Last night, they were hauling people out of No. 176 again. I followed them and took a look..."

"You? You actually managed to follow them?" Qi Xiang glanced at his scrawny arms and legs, her expression full of disbelief.

Yang Chi looked aggrieved, but he didn’t say anything. He just squatted silently in front of Gu Xi, staring up at her with pleading eyes.

He looked... just like a pitiful little puppy hoping for praise from its owner.

Gu Xi thought for a moment, then pulled a large apple from her dimensional space and handed it to him. "You didn’t get hurt, did you?"

"I’m not hurt." Yang Chi cradled the big, red apple, looking it over and over, happier than he could say. "I know I’m useless in a fight, so I didn’t dare go alone. I had people with me."

Qi Xiang: ’So that whole act was just to get an apple out of her, wasn’t it?’

"As long as you’re not hurt." Gu Xi had a soft spot for Yang Chi.

It was hard to explain. She used to be the youngest on her team, and everyone had doted on her. Having experienced that, Gu Xi felt she ought to do the same for someone else.

After all, even though Yang Chi was currently just an unofficial member of their Farming Team, he was, without a doubt, the youngest.

Holding the apple, Yang Chi suddenly remembered something. He opened his personal terminal, pulled up a map, and pointed. "Last night, two big trucks left No. 176. They ended up here..."

"The security there is really tight. We didn’t dare get too close, so we just watched from a distance..."

Gu Xi suddenly cut him off. "Did these two trucks leave No. 176 before or after the helicopter was deployed last night?"