Wang Jiaoe's plan for Shen Feng was simple. A direct confrontation of strength was out of the question. Not only Shen Feng, but Yue Hengyi alone could wipe out the entire base. Together, their formidable power could allow them to traverse the Australian continent with impunity. Thus, only one method remained: the insidious, inescapable "soft knife."
Wang Jiaoe's strategy was to unite with people from other bases. They would cooperate to first seize Fremantle, which had been cleared of zombies. The division of the city's territories would be discussed later. In essence, they would initially rely on Shen Feng to eliminate all the zombies in the city. Afterward, they would leverage their numerical advantage to force Shen Feng to leave. If Shen Feng chose to leave willingly, Wang Jiaoe would bid him farewell. If he refused, Wang Jiaoe intended to fully mobilize the power of the people.
Upon hearing Wang Jiaoe's plan, Shen Feng couldn't help but shake his head in admiration. It seemed that anyone who could become a base leader in the apocalypse must possess some degree of capability, not be a simpleton devoid of schemes.
"You seem to have more secrets you haven't revealed. Do you need me to remind you? Last night! You had an exchange with the Century Plant. What did you say?" Shen Feng continued to question coldly.
Wang Jiaoe's expression changed drastically upon hearing Shen Feng's persistent interrogation. She hadn't expected Shen Feng to discover even this. Had her actions last night been witnessed? Yue Hengyi was still asleep at the time; it was impossible!
Wang Jiaoe's most deeply hidden plan actually concerned the mutated plant, the Century Plant. She had intended to reveal only half of her scheme, but now, she was compelled to confess the entire truth.
"Mr. Shen, I would never do anything to harm you. To me, you and Mr. Yue Hengyi are like gods. I have always held you in high regard!" Wang Jiaoe hastily tried to defend herself.
Shen Feng was unimpressed by her defense. "Stop. I don't want to hear so many explanations. I want to know clearly what you discussed with the Century Plant last night! Don't speak nonsense. I don't want to hear any of it!"
Helpless, Wang Jiaoe finally said, "Last night I told the Century Plant, 'After you slaughter all the zombies in the city, you will be killed. But I can protect you. As long as you cooperate with me, I will give you a lot of food in the future. In return, you will work for me. Attack whomever I tell you to attack.' It agreed!"
After hearing this, Shen Feng continued to ask, "So, you hope the Century Plant will attack me later?"
Wang Jiaoe quickly shook her head and waved her hands in denial. "How could that be? After witnessing Mr. Shen's immense power, I know how formidable you are. I wouldn't dare to challenge you. I only hope to use the Century Plant to eliminate troublesome individuals in the future, such as troublemakers from other bases."
"Haha, impressive, truly impressive. You united with people from other bases to force us out. After we leave, you plan to use the Century Plant to eliminate those who are in your way. It's all interconnected! However, what do you plan to do next? Do you think that now that I know the truth, I will let you go?" Shen Feng said calmly.
Shen Feng disliked deeply scheming individuals, especially when they were enemies. The more cunning they were, the harder they were to deal with, and the more difficult it was to ascertain their objectives. By the time their plans were understood, they might have already succeeded. Wang Jiaoe's plan was already halfway complete. If he hadn't noticed something unusual last night, he would have been completely deceived by her.
"Mr. Shen, we can still cooperate. I can provide a lot of food! You can create a major news story. We don't have deep-seated animosity. You simply dislike my attempts to manipulate you. For that, I am willing to apologize and even tell you a shocking secret!" Wang Jiaoe said quickly.
For Wang Jiaoe, as long as no physical action was taken, everything could be negotiated. Her martial prowess was lacking, so she had always focused on her intellect. Whether it was collecting global intelligence or gathering information on Australia's ability users, she possessed the most knowledge. Now, she was prepared to exchange a secret for Shen Feng's forgiveness.
Shen Feng pondered for a moment and asked, "Tell me, what kind of secret is it? If it holds value for me, I might spare you. But if the secret's value is insignificant, I will have to resort to ruthless methods!"
"This secret is absolutely crucial. Perhaps only I know it in the entire world, and it concerns the sea beasts! The secret of the giant sea beasts in the deep ocean!" Wang Jiaoe said mysteriously.
Shen Feng frowned and asked, "Sea beasts? What secret about sea beasts do you know?"
Shen Feng found the sea beasts quite troublesome. At sea, there were few opportunities to deal with them. Even missiles were ineffective against them. As soon as the sea beasts dived into the deep ocean, their protection from the water rendered them impervious to any attack.
Now that Wang Jiaoe claimed to possess a secret about the sea beasts, Shen Feng became immediately interested. If he could learn about the sea beasts' secrets, it would be quite beneficial.
"Actually, sea beasts are very hostile towards humans, regardless of what kind of giant sea beast it is!" Wang Jiaoe said slowly.
"I thought it was some earth-shattering news. That's it? I heard that a year ago!" Shen Feng said irritably. Who didn't know that sea beasts were hostile to humans? Otherwise, they wouldn't attack ships on sight.
Wang Jiaoe quickly explained, "There's a reason for that! I learned this from many dolphins. The giant sea beasts are hostile to humans because of ocean pollution! Before the apocalypse, humans fished for sharks, cut off their fins to make shark fin soup, caught tuna to make fish steaks, and captured sperm whales to produce perfume. Not only that, but they also discharged nuclear wastewater into the water and even dumped garbage into the sea. Fish ate plastic, couldn't digest it, and couldn't excrete it, eventually starving to death. Every year, fishing boats cast their nets at sea, and marine animals live in constant fear!"
Shen Feng heard this explanation and didn't know what to say. It seemed that these things were indeed true.
"But most of these things were done by other countries! The island nation likes to hunt whales and discharge nuclear wastewater. North America likes to dump garbage indiscriminately. And it's primarily your Australia that cuts off shark fins, right? What does this have to do with our China? We didn't do it!" Shen Feng was quite displeased. China's utilization of marine resources was sustainable, so why should China's fleet also be attacked? It wasn't fair!
"To marine animals, they don't need to distinguish human nationalities. As long as they see humans appearing on the ocean, they are enemies with a deep-seated hatred. The sea beasts have inherited this hatred. Therefore, in the apocalypse, sea beasts that have gained power will undoubtedly continue to attack humans. To explain it in Chinese terms, it is an irreconcilable enmity!" Wang Jiaoe explained.
Shen Feng fell silent. He never imagined that even though other countries were the main culprits in polluting the oceans and overfishing, the sea beasts would include Chinese people in their reckoning. It was as if a portion of humanity polluted the ocean, but all of humanity had to pay the price. This world was not fair at all!
However, Wang Jiaoe's secret did explain the origin of the sea beasts' hatred towards humans. For tens of thousands of years, ever since humans began seafaring, marine animals had been threatened by humanity. Especially after the industrial revolution, human fishing had become a catastrophic disaster for marine animals. Once an oil spill occurred at sea, a vast expanse of the ocean would be polluted. Not to mention the inhumane island nation, which constantly discharged nuclear wastewater in secret. Radioactive elements that took thousands of years to decay had already caused heavy casualties among marine animals.
Thus, when the apocalypse descended, the zombie virus caused all animals to mutate. Extraterrestrial elements dissolved in water further granted some sea beasts supernatural abilities. Under the weight of their deep-seated hatred, the sea beasts launched their offensive against humanity!
"Can't the hatred be eliminated?" Shen Feng murmured.
"Unless the sun rises from the west, unless rivers flow backward, unless humans stop fishing for marine animals!" Wang Jiaoe added.
Now that Shen Feng had learned a shocking secret, he understood the source of the sea beasts' hatred towards humans and couldn't help but feel a sense of lament. This was humanity's own sin, making them public enemies of marine animals. Now that retaliation had arrived, they could only bear it silently.
Shen Feng now felt that Wang Jiaoe's previous actions were not so unacceptable. Was it just about爭名奪利 (striving for fame and fortune)? It was far better than directly polluting the environment.
"Alright, this matter ends here. From now on, be mindful. If I discover that you are still trying to use me in any way, I will kill you directly without listening to any explanations! For the next few days, cooperate with my actions. As for Fremantle, I have no interest in it!" Shen Feng said indifferently.
Hearing Shen Feng say this, Wang Jiaoe knew that the matter of today was over, and the crisis had been averted.
Shen Feng reclined on the lounge chair that originally belonged to Wang Jiaoe, leisurely gazing at the blue sky in the distance. The scorching sun was blocked by an umbrella. Wang Jiaoe dared not object. Even if Shen Feng asked her to serve him, she would not refuse, for to her, Shen Feng was an absolute powerhouse.
"Keep working! I said nothing happened, don't you understand?" Wang Jiaoe loudly berated her subordinates. The fishermen quickly cast their nets, continuing their day's work.
At this moment, Wang Jiaoe slowly walked to her beloved husband's side and asked with a smile, "You seemed to have ordered your men to open fire just now. Are you that indifferent to my safety?"
Her husband quickly explained, "Sweetheart, how can you think that? I was only considering you. I saw you were captured by the enemy, and I wanted someone to rescue you!"
As he spoke, the man grabbed Wang Jiaoe's shoulders and leaned in for a deep kiss, hoping to use his passionate embrace to dispel Wang Jiaoe's displeasure.
However, Wang Jiaoe was not someone who could be easily fooled. She grabbed the man's hair and punched him.
"Bang," the fist struck the man's cheek fiercely, instantly causing a large swelling. Two teeth fell out. He tried to protest further, but his speech was already slurred, and blood flowed continuously from his mouth, making him look exceptionally pathetic.
Although Wang Jiaoe's combat power was not strong, it depended on who she was compared to. Compared to Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi, Wang Jiaoe's combat power was indeed lacking. Even when fighting against evolved individuals who had undergone four or five evolutions, Wang Jiaoe would likely lose. However, the person who appeared before Wang Jiaoe now was an ordinary person. Wang Jiaoe's strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
"I know what you just said. Do you think I could be killed at any moment, and that's why you want to seize my position and power? Is that why you declared yourself deputy leader, intending to replace me? Unfortunately, I am still alive, and you, on the other hand, are useless!" Wang Jiaoe said coldly.
The man suddenly attempted to resist, reaching into his pocket. A delicate handgun appeared in his hand. It was palm-sized and had a capacity of only three rounds. At twenty meters, it had little lethality, but at close range, it was still a gun, and its lethality could not be underestimated.
"Click," Wang Jiaoe showed no mercy. She reached out and snapped the man's arm, causing the handgun to fall onto the deck.
"You seem to have forgotten who gave you this gun. Now, you are useless!" Wang Jiaoe threw her once-beloved husband into the water, picked up the gun from the ground, and fired three shots in rapid succession, hitting the man.
Blood stained the sea surface. The man had not died instantly. He struggled to paddle, cursing Wang Jiaoe.
Wang Jiaoe paid no attention. She had lost one husband; there were still over twenty. There was no need to grieve.