"Mr. Liu, you are not a military person and have no right to interfere with our opening of the energy weapon arsenal. The higher-ups have decided to build a safety zone in the Central Plains. At that time, all those energy resources and weapons will be used to resist the alien monsters and zombies. Your desire to possess those things is impossible and unrealistic."
A cold glint flashed in the man's eyes. "So, General Zhen's answer is no?"
"Of course not!" Zhong Yan slammed the table and stood up. "I already said she's dreaming big with her ugly face. She can't get what she wants, so she wants to seize it by force. To unite with those two and cook the raw rice into cooked rice, she's dreaming."
"You brat, you did that on purpose!"
Zhong Yan flinched violently at his shout, then turned back and roared at him even louder, "Are you crazy?!"
"What business is it of yours what I say? I haven't even complained about you disturbing me! Why are you yelling so loudly, summoning ghosts? You're so noisy. If you're sick, go to the hospital. You're also dreaming big with your ugly face. Look in the mirror more, and do us all a favor by dying of ugliness."
"You!"
He angrily threw out his hand, and a stream of ice shot towards Zhong Yan's face. Zhong Yan waved his hand, and a long sword suddenly appeared, shattering the ice and thrusting towards him at the same time.
The man raised an ice wall to block it, but the long sword pierced through it like a hot knife through butter, heading straight for his face.
Another man at the table, who had been silent, stood up and unleashed a bolt of lightning onto the long sword. The sword's direction shifted, narrowly missing the man, who then gasped for breath, still shaken.
The sudden conflict instantly made the atmosphere at the dining table stiff.
Everyone stared at the three people locked in a standoff. The middle-aged man smugly praised his boss, "Leader, teach this brat a lesson properly!"
The young man remained standing.
Zhong Yan also didn't move. As they were at a stalemate, the long sword, inexplicably struck by lightning, flew up. In full view of everyone, it shot towards the young man who had struck it at a speed that was difficult for the eye to discern, aiming for his heart.
The young man's pupils contracted violently. He was pulled by the original heroine beside him, which saved him from instant death. However, the long sword relentlessly turned back and struck the original heroine to the ground before charging at the young man again.
People at other tables, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, quickly stood up and moved to the periphery. Some, concerned about the food and wine on their tables, even moved their tables away, clearing space for them to fight.
The young man unleashed lightning at the long sword again. The sword dodged while still thrusting towards vulnerable parts of his body. Soon, it cut through the skin on his shoulder, and blood began to flow, staining his off-white custom-made shirt.
He was still not satisfied and continued to provoke with attacks.
A hint of anger flashed across the young man's face, and his aura instantly surged. As he attacked, others could even hear the crackling of lightning.
The long sword also appeared determined to not give up, emitting a faint glow that was quite dazzling.
Zhu Ying stood up. "Enough, that's enough."
The long sword paused, then flew back into her hand. A lightning bolt followed from the man. Zhu Ying lightly waved her hand, and a gust of wind directly repelled the lightning, sending its owner flying out with it. He almost fell to the ground but was caught just in time.
Everyone fell silent.
They had expected the main players in this dispute to be Zhen Jie and this powerful lightning ability user. They never expected Zhu Ying to casually send the man flying with a wave of her hand, effortlessly quelling the conflict.
"Uncle Zhen, I thought you invited me for a meal."
Zhen Jie was stunned by her address. Then he said, "It was my fault for not arranging it properly. I'll host another banquet for you another day."
"There's no need for an invitation, you're too kind. It's fine to meet up casually. However, please don't invite people like this next time. We have different paths, and we can't conspire together. Since we can't agree, please ask them to leave. We have enough people, we don't lack them." Su Dan Novel Network.
These words were clearly directed at the two men. The original heroine, apart from helping their leader, made no other move. The soldier had not even approached.
Zhen Jie smiled and looked at the two men. "Boss Liu, Mr. Lu, are you both alright?"
The big man's expression was grim. The young man, though disgraced and injured, had the good sense not to act more shamefully and simply said, "We are fine, thank you, General Zhen."
He had miscalculated.
He hadn't expected a young woman, who wasn't even seated at the main table, to possess such unfathomable strength. With just a gentle wave of her hand, he had no power to retaliate.
The man immediately assessed the situation and smiled calmly. "General Zhen's place is indeed full of hidden talents. With a leader like you, I am reassured. Old Liu, apologize to this young gentleman."
The big man seemed somewhat resentful, especially at Zhong Yan's smug expression, which was incredibly irritating. He suppressed his anger and did not lash out again, saying coldly, "I'm sorry."
Zhong Yan put on a magnanimous expression. "Considering you're all brawn and no brains, I won't hold it against you."
The big man was so angry he felt like smoke was rising from his head.
Zhen Jie's smile was insincere. "Young people can be a bit temperamental, Boss Liu. Please forgive him. However, as you said, our paths are indeed different. Mr. Lu, you should perhaps..."
"I was too impulsive earlier," he said with a slight bow. "I was just worried that my brothers wouldn't have a good future following me, and I got a bit anxious. I hope General Zhen can understand. Most of my brothers are former soldiers, and Team Leader Mu is their leader. By rights, I shouldn't be making decisions for them. I believe they would be more willing to follow General Zhen and contribute to the people. What do you think, General Zhen?"
A sharp glint appeared in Zhen Jie's eyes. He smiled. "They are all good people, of course."
Their words were a subtle clash. Zhen Jie, appearing calm, was subtly probing, wanting to force Lu to decide whether to stay or leave. In fact, he wanted them gone.
Such powerful and restless individuals were the most likely to cause trouble.
And the man named Lu was clearly still hesitating. He finally hinted that he wanted to consider it further. Zhen Jie also made a concession, and the matter was temporarily settled.
After the banquet, Zhu Yujue and Zhu Xingchen returned together. Due to the influence of the Zhu Corporation before the apocalypse, they contributed a large amount of supplies, and coupled with Zhu Yujue's powerful abilities, he was also invited.
They hadn't walked a few steps when someone behind them called his name.
Zhu Yujue turned around. It was the woman who had been with Mr. Lu, the lightning ability user, at the banquet.
He didn't recognize her.
"Hello, my name is Bai Peijin, the 'pei' from 'huan pei' and the 'jin' from 'jin xiu.' I used to be an employee of Zhu Corporation. I never expected to meet you here, Mr. Zhu."
"Zhu Corporation no longer exists, and you are no longer my employee. There's no need to be so polite. Do you need something?"
Bai Peijin felt a bit embarrassed by his direct attitude, but she still said, "I want to persuade you to join our team."