Chapter 100: Yi Shen's Backing Is Truly Formidable

"Sorry, brother."
"Something's come up. We need to go check it out. Word is that batch of goods might have been flagged."
"But don't worry—the materials have basically all arrived. You won't come up short."

The sudden disruption cut through the various goings-on in the private room.

Yi Shen had been about to get up and head to the restroom with Zhu Qing to enjoy a bit of soft comfort, partly as a way of signaling that he formally accepted Zhu Qing's pledge of loyalty. He hadn't expected this to happen instead.

Zhu Qing swiftly straightened out his shirt and pants, doing his best to steady his nerves.
He let out only a faint sigh.

School had been suspended for the past few days, and his two younger sisters were stuck at home—he didn't dare let them go outside. Zhu Qing had no idea what Yi Shen planned to do next, and he didn't feel comfortable asking. He'd finally found this opportunity to draw closer to Yi Shen, only to have it shattered.

"Let's go check the goods together."

Even though Zhu Qing had stirred something in him, Yi Shen certainly knew what mattered more. Elemental materials were already pricey on the open market, and with his substantial demand, missing this chance would mean spending far more time and effort to gather them elsewhere.

Soon after, Zhu Qing settled the bill at the front desk while Wei Shu fired off several phone calls along the way.

In the end, the group arrived at one of their strongholds on the eastern side of the city.

This spot sat at the junction between the northern and eastern districts. Many merchant guilds and associations that had come from outside the city to lend support were stationed here. After stepping out of the vehicle, Yi Shen followed them into a fairly large compound—it looked like it had once been used for growing fruit, though it had since been abandoned and was now serving as a reception point.

Following Wei Shu, they made their way to an exit on the perimeter.

A warehouse had been hastily set up here, along with a number of transport trucks.

Besides the Tianmeng Merchant Association personnel, there were at least thirty or forty fully armed explorers in standardized gear—people from the Jingmen Safe Zone.

"Brother Wei!"

A man in his thirties ran up to Wei Shu and reported: "They're saying someone in our group had a problem. They've detained Xiao Dong and about seven or eight others, and the last two truckloads of Flame Grass have been seized as well."
"There was some fighting in the compound just now—apparently people died. No word has gotten out yet. They're not letting anyone near."
"I tried communicating in the name of the Tianmeng Merchant Association, but they wouldn't give us the time of day. I also reached out to someone at Jingbei Industries—they said official channels are involved, but the situation is still unclear."

The man quickly finished his report.

Although the Tianmeng Merchant Association was backed by the Tianmeng Guild, the people sent here this time weren't their main force—they primarily served a transport role, so there was no heavyweight figure to speak for them.

Wei Shu's expression darkened. They'd come here to do business and to provide support, after all.
Having their people detained under these circumstances would naturally leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth.

Wei Shu stepped forward to find the officer in charge of the blockade.

That officer was a knight just past level fifty, named Sun Hai.

Sun Hai, however, said that people had died in the sealed-off zone, and the lockdown had been ordered from above. He had already communicated with the authorities, and they would only release the detainees once specific notice came down.

"Brother, can't you make an exception? We've got this shipment waiting to be moved." Wei Shu smiled and stepped up, trying to smooth things over, a crystal card appearing in his hand.

To his surprise, Sun Hai gave it a disdainful look and flat-out refused. Wei Shu's face darkened a few shades—he hadn't expected the man to be this unaccommodating.

"Brother, we came here to support the effort, and there are other major guilds helping out too. Detaining our people and seizing our goods like this doesn't seem quite right, does it?"

Wei Shu was a bit unhappy. He wasn't afraid of Sun Hai, but he also didn't want to start a conflict over this.

Sun Hai glanced at Wei Shu.
"If you're here to support, why aren't you on the front lines? Instead you're stockpiling all these materials and driving up prices? The Tianmeng Merchant Association has sent several groups of people recently. I don't see any intention to help—all I see is you people getting rich."
"My orders are to maintain the lockdown. No one gets in, and don't bother trying to rely on Jingbei Industries—this time, you're the ones under investigation." Sun Hai seemed to hold a grudge against these guilds, and his tone was far from friendly.

Wei Shu was left speechless. He tried a few more arguments, but there was simply no getting through.

"Little brother, you can see the situation for yourself now. It's not that I'm deliberately refusing to deliver the goods. Those last two trucks of Flame Grass are the bulk of what you need. How about you take the other materials first, and I'll hand over the rest once this is sorted out?" Wei Shu turned to Yi Shen to explain.

They had indeed gotten in touch with people from Jingbei Industries, but all the senior managers there said they couldn't do anything about it—they'd just have to wait for news and see.

"Let me ask around."

Yi Shen looked at this group of people, lost in thought.

He had sent a message to Zhan Yu in the meantime.

But Zhan Yu seemed busy and hadn't replied yet. Thinking it over—he'd just promised Zhan Yu and the others that he wouldn't stir up trouble, and starting something now wouldn't be a good look—Yi Shen went ahead and called Qi Lei directly on his communicator.

This was, after all, the only person he could reach who had any connection to the special task force.

After a few rings, the call connected.

"Hello, is this Uncle Lei?"

Yi Shen didn't bother with pretense and got straight to the point.

"Little Shen?" Qi Lei sounded a bit surprised that Yi Shen would call him at this time.

Yi Shen briefly explained the situation over here. Qi Lei paused, letting Yi Shen wait for about thirty seconds before speaking again:

"There's been trouble up north—Zhan Yu is handling it right now. As for the place you mentioned, someone took a Blood Pill and something went wrong. I've already sent people over to deal with it."
"Is there anything you need my help with? I'm in a hurry to get those detained elemental materials."

Yi Shen wasn't shy about it and stated his purpose directly.

Moreover, hearing about the Blood Pill piqued his interest.

Qi Lei seemed to be mulling something over on the other end. After a moment, he spoke again:
"If you want to go in, I'll have someone take you in. But the others should stay outside. There's something off about that Tianmeng Merchant Association crew—they're being questioned right now. Who knows, they might lead us to something big." Qi Lei told Yi Shen to wait at the entrance. About a minute later, a man in a black jacket came jogging out from inside.

The man who ran out was of a higher rank than Sun Hai, the guard in charge.
After coming out, Sun Hai even saluted him.

Yi Shen gave him a once-over. He seemed to recall seeing this man on the official website of the Jingmen Safe Zone—he was a big shot stationed in the surrounding defense areas, one of the top explorers from the early pioneer days, named Li Rongsheng. He was also a mage.

Li Rongsheng swept his gaze over the people around him and asked who Yi Shen was. Yi Shen raised his hand to signal, then followed him inside. The whole process went off without a hitch, all over within two minutes, leaving the rest of the group standing there completely bewildered.

(End of chapter)