Chapter 374 Alliance

In conclusion, this mission was quite successful—relatively speaking.

At least it didn’t result in more casualties.

The Ability Bureau followed up by visiting the villagers to inquire about the situation and gathered quite a few clues. For instance, among those infected Sons of Freedom, only a few were villagers; most of them were outsiders. A few missing persons have been identified, but whether they volunteered is still under investigation.

The investigation into the art fabrication factory also seems to be yielding results, but the attitude from the Ability Bureau suggests they are reluctant to let the Chicks meddle in this matter—understandably so. With an incident this big, it should have been the Ability Bureau’s problem to solve, yet they handed it off to the two big shots from the Chicks. If any further issues arise, does that mean the Ability Bureau has to deal with them?

Let alone the fact that the live broadcast of this incident has catapulted the Chicks into notoriety at the expense of the Ability Bureau. With things turning out this way, the Ability Bureau couldn’t take action to control the narrative—after all, they still have a cooperative relationship with the Chicks, and Ling Mo had made it clear that the purpose of the broadcast was to promote the Chicks. If the Ability Bureau tries to dampen that excitement, it might upset the Chicks and jeopardize their current partnership.

So, they really need to roll out some big news to salvage the Ability Bureau’s reputation.

Additionally, while the Chicks were gaining fame, the organization the suited bald man mentioned, Eden, also made a name for itself—just not in a good way.

There was an implication from the Ability Bureau behind this, both in issuing nationwide warrants and diverting some attention away from themselves, so netizens wouldn’t be focused on mocking them.

Of course, these matters had little to do with the Chicks.

They were busy taking off.

The goal of this mountain village live broadcast was not only achieved but exceeded expectations. The Chicks single-handedly resolved the major problems that the Ability Bureau couldn’t, which surely creates significant buzz.

Even if there were quite a few special factors at play—like the fact that none of the personnel from the Ability Bureau involved in the mission had particularly strong mental powers—onlookers never focus on such details. They only care about results and especially love dramatic conclusions. It’s quite something when an institution backed by the state like the Ability Bureau can’t match up to a small power. That’s the kind of content they enjoy.

As the Chicks’ fame skyrocketed, the Fatty immediately seized the moment to take action—announcing the formation of an alliance: all powers, big or small, willing to join the Chick-led alliance would be entitled to share resources and could call on the Chicks for support in times of danger.

What was most tantalizing was the promise that the deeper the alliance relationship, the more likely they’d receive sponsorship from Ling Mo to equip a whole team with high-grade battle armor—the kind seen in the live broadcast.

This was like a chance for everyone to become Gundams, sparking considerable interest among many smaller forces lacking power. The Chicks clearly stated they wouldn’t interfere, unless absolutely necessary, leading to a flood of applications from small forces wanting to join the alliance.

At one point, the Fatty felt a surge of enthusiasm akin to shouting “Let’s go!” and having everyone respond: “Damn it… I feel like we’re about to make history—at least somewhere in the history books.”

While small forces might be small, a coalition of many small forces would be substantial. As long as the Chicks maintained absolute leadership, they’d be the big brother.

“It’s not that easy,” Ling Mo said, handling the skewers on the grill and giving him a sidelong glance. “We’ve only just taken the first step. The real trick is how to tie these allied forces to our ship, or when we do challenge the big powers, many timid ones will likely back out.”

“I know this, of course,” the Fatty rubbed his hands together and added more skewers to the grill. “But wasn’t it Miss Xia’s idea? Alliance Network—once we establish this concept, they definitely won’t want to leave.”

Just like the bounty hunter guilds of old, where anyone could post bounty missions that capable individuals would take up to receive rewards; with slight modifications, this would greatly consolidate their alliance.

For example, facilitating a degree of resource sharing over this network, including materials and intelligence, and occasionally promoting large bounty tasks based on alliances, enticing them to tackle the Dark Zone together.

Then put some restrictions on this network—such as losing access if they exit the alliance and being unable to rejoin, to prevent fence-sitting.

Of course, there would be constraints for alliance members as well. Anyone found to be a traitor within the alliance would end up suffering a textbook-style fate. Just a few examples would keep most people in line.

But that’s the tough part. At this stage, they mainly want to sweeten the deal—first coax individuals onto the ship, then weld the door shut, dealing with the internal matters later.

I must say, the way Miss Xia gradually explained this operational approach amazed even the Fatty—what can I say, she truly seems to be a product of the Summer Family? Her talent for these kinds of tricks is simply extraordinary, as if she’s done it before.

Meanwhile, she, who has received such praise from the Fatty, was focused on watching Ling Mo grill the skewers.

She felt that organizing the tactics Fatty and those guys had played in their past life and passing them on to this life’s Fatty wasn’t worth boasting about.

What mattered to her more was Ling Mo’s skewers.

She felt Ling Mo had completely won her stomach over.

Though she was reluctant to admit it, they were truly delicious.

Once a skewer was done, Ling Mo smiled and handed it to Xia Xinyan with a hint of indulgence, “Don’t rush to eat; be careful, it’s hot.”

He was happy.

Not just because Xinyan liked his cooking, but also because the different sides of her she showed him were increasing.

No longer was she just gentle like before, which was nice, but Ling Mo could sense that was her protective color. Now, her cute expressions, fearful looks, helpless demeanor, and yearning look—especially for food… were all starting to show themselves in front of him, meaning she was becoming more open and increasingly… accepting of him.

So… could he take the next step?