Otherworld Advance Team-Chapter 780 - 773: Driving the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf

Luoer originally thought that Azita could make a triumphant return to Holy Heart City and rise to prominence again. However, weeds began to sprout on his land the moment he escaped Holy Heart City.

The Booze Ghost Gang seemed unlikely to listen to Azita, and it was unclear which side the CIA, who was stirring the pot behind the scenes, stood on, leaving Luoer in a bind.

If the CIA re-teamed with Azita, they could submit a petition to headquarters and ask the Church Court to crush the underground factions in the East City area. After all, while these underground forces wreaked havoc in the East City, they essentially were powerless against regular armies and their only advantage was their persistence.

But if the CIA didn’t support Azita and chose to work with the Booze Ghost Gang against Azita, should they consider supporting Azita?

Frankly, Luoer wouldn’t have been inclined to back Azita if he were the only power in Holy Heart City. However, with two competing underground factions in the East City, this presented a good opportunity.

Luoer figured that, at such a critical juncture, the underground gangs would be too busy fighting their rivals to engage in detrimental activities.

Just like that, he found a reason to support Azita. After all, letting these two underground factions go at each other would spare them from the CIA controlling the underground forces in Holy Heart City again.

Subtly aiding Azita with supplies or forces would prevent the Booze Ghost Gang from eliminating Azita outright while keeping them opposed, effectively draining the CIA’s resources in Holy Heart City.

Excited by this idea, Luoer felt a surge of exhilaration. However, he knew he couldn’t act on this thought just yet and he needed to discuss it with someone else first.

And the best person for that seemed to be Cheng Ziang, who wasn’t in Holy Heart City as he’d recently gone to the Holy City. There weren’t many in the Advance Team who had a strategic view or could see the bigger picture. Hu Daoke’s out of the question, and both Tangmo and Baiyue were specialists, unfit for strategizing.

After some consideration, Luoer figured the only other person he might discuss this with was Tangmo’s alter ego. Momo was not into researching magic, but she had a knack for strategy, with her abilities having been on full display during their time on the airboat.

Momo understood Luoer better than her sister did. She knew that Luoer preferred to control the bigger picture, hence her willingness to be a strategist rather than a general.

In terms of strategic management, she wasn’t far behind Luoer, even surpassing him in certain aspects. During the epidemic disaster, it was her command to Feng to attack the Door of Annihilation that had secured their survival. Without her, they probably wouldn’t have been able to close the Door of Annihilation.

She knew Luoer’s pride and always gave him the credit. Luoer was, of course, well aware of this, but he had no choice but to play dumb. He didn’t want to offend Momo again, knowing full well her volatile temperament if angered.

"Boss, what are you thinking?" Seeing Luoer standing there in a daze, Hu Daoke couldn’t help but ask.

"Oh, nothing, just seems this area’s been a bit troubled recently!" was Luoer’s offhand response.

In front of the bartender, he would never discuss these matters with Hu Daoke, let alone in Chinese. He was worried about giving himself away.

"Ah, this kind of thing, we..." Hearing Luoer’s words, Hu Daoke, still catching up to the conversation, was about to weigh in when Luoer covertly kicked him. After a few glances from Luoer, Hu Daoke finally caught on and said hesitantly, "Then, um, let’s skedaddle."

"Right, folks, you might want to leave early after finishing your drinks. This area’s pretty dangerous," the bartender earnestly advised.

Luoer nodded at the warning and said, "Thanks," before heading out of the bar, with Feng jumping down from his high stool to follow him closely.

"Ah, wait for me, boss!" Hu Daoke said anxiously. He quickly downed all the drinks on the bar counter, belched, and made haste to catch up.

"Be careful around here, it’s not safe. Stay alert!" Smelling the alcohol on Hu Daoke, Luoer said without turning his head, his brow slightly furrowed.

"I get it, I get it. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine!" Hu Daoke waved his hand, letting out another burp. He slipped his hand under his armpit, striking a pose as if scratching an itch. In actuality, he was unclasping the holster on his belt, ready to draw his gun at any moment.

Leaving the bar, the three men cautiously followed the riverbank towards the bustling commercial district. After all, no matter how ruthless these underground gangs might be, they would not dare to open fire in a crowded commercial area. Otherwise, before they could determine a winner, the city defense forces of Holy Heart City would be the first to wipe them out.

"Boss, what should we do next?" Hu Daoke asked, catching up to Luoer’s fast pace.

"With the Booze Ghost Gang and the Hound Gang at each other’s throats, it’s best if we figure out which side the CIA stands on in this fight," Luoer said seriously.

"And then?" Hu Daoke asked with wide eyes.

"If the CIA continues to support Azita’s Hound Gang, we will request the Church Court’s troops to wipe out the underground forces in the eastern district once more and launch a campaign against crime and corruption," Luoer said.

"What if the CIA takes the side of the Booze Ghost Gang?" Hu Daoke asked.

"If that’s the case, Azita will definitely not be able to defeat the Booze Ghost Gang. Then, we should do our best to provide some assistance," Luoer said.

"Wait, Boss," Hu Daoke said. "Didn’t the Instructor already say that he has lost interest in these underground criminal organizations? Besides, you also didn’t seem too keen on Azita continuing to unify Holy Heart City in the first place."

"We’re helping Azita not because we support him, but because we need to use him to fight the Booze Ghost Gang, so that these two gangs are always at war and don’t have time to focus on anything else," Luoer explained. "In this way, they will invest most of their energy into the gang war and won’t care about anything else. This can also restrain the CIA from expanding its influence in Holy Heart City. After all, they already control the secular government of Holy Heart City. If they take control of the eastern district as well, we will only have the Diocese left."

"Brilliant, what a plan to pit the tiger and the wolf against each other!" Hu Daoke clenched his fist in excitement.

Luoer glanced at him, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t. After all, he didn’t expect Hu Daoke to raise any constructive questions. It would be better to discuss these matters with Momo back home.

"So what should we do now?" Asked Hu Daoke, still excited.

"Well, we must figure out which side the CIA is on. If we don’t, and it turns out they continue to support Azita, providing more support from our side might be hilarious enough for him to laugh in his dreams," Luoer said thoughtfully.

"Are we heading back into the slums then?" Hu Daoke asked with a grimace.

"We have no choice," Luoer shook his head, and couldn’t help but sigh, "If only Truth was still here."

Of course, he didn’t really expect Truth to endure these hardships again. After all, having rescued her and brought her back to Earth, there was no reason for her to suffer again here.

"Even if we don’t have Truth, don’t we have other truths?" Hu Daoke suddenly interjected.

Stunned, Luoer took a while before registering Hu Daoke’s words and said with a bitter smile, "What are you talking about, I’m not a human trafficker."

"Hey, Boss, doing good deeds shouldn’t be influenced by rumors. Whether you save one person or two, it’s still saving. You shouldn’t abandon your good intentions because of gossip," Hu Daoke said earnestly.

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶