Chapter 536, Blood Sample Required from the Leader
Macintosh stood frozen, eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty, hesitant to approach the letter.
Leaving Gold-Silver Island and distancing herself from the Emerald Sea had gone smoothly.
How could this be... Someone knew she was still alive.
And even sent this blank envelope directly into her hands.
She hesitated for quite a while.
Slowly, she walked over, tore open the envelope, and pulled out the letter.
Blood-red handwriting appeared before her eyes.
「Dear Mrs. Macintosh:
I wonder if, when you open this letter, you will recall life on Gold-Silver Island as fondly as I do.
Don't worry too much—this is just a reply to the story about the shark school.
Time flies, and Gold-Silver Island has undergone tremendous changes.
The residential areas are expanding, and the port marketplace has grown several times larger. Merchants from various nations now flood into Gold-Silver Island with goods and representatives, turning it into a true "Gold-Silver Island."
The old Wooden Barrel Tavern has changed its sign, and it's now just a regular tavern. However, business has been much quieter since your departure. The Black Crow's Nest and the newly established local gangs have had their skirmishes over port control, but none have unified it like you once did.
Today's Gold-Silver Island is no longer a chaotic pirate haven but a legitimate trade hub, with its trade and development holding unlimited potential.
Likewise, the island has attracted the attention of criminals and fugitives, with patrol teams frequently dispatched to capture them.
Sometimes, I wonder—if you were still here, the island's security would be much better.
Though you appeared indifferent, your strong sense of responsibility was unmatched. You cared for this island even more than us outsiders and always hoped for its growth and success.
If you are willing to return, the Island Master's estate will support you in rebuilding the Wooden Barrel Tavern.
I hope we can meet again.
—Your friend」
Macintosh stared at the letter, her eyes widening.
It was from Wu Heng.
Only Wu Heng had received the letter she'd sent about the shark school story.
Its contents were cryptic—anyone unfamiliar with the Pirate King and Prophet Pirate affairs wouldn't glean much useful information even if they intercepted the letter.
Back then, the Pirate King's plans had already been in their final stages, and even if someone had realized what was happening, they wouldn't have been able to stop it.
But clearly, she had underestimated the Adventurer's Guild and Wu Heng.
Through intelligence reports, she'd learned that the guild had achieved victory, wiped out all pirates in the Emerald Sea, and established Wu Heng as the Island Master, with Sheila Grey as the steward.
She had been shocked and found it hard to believe.
Taking a deep breath, she skimmed through the letter one last time as the blood-red words gradually faded.
Her eyes fixed on the phrase, "If you are willing to return, the Island Master's estate will support you."
Her gaze narrowed. "An invitation to return to Gold-Silver Island? He really is different from others."
The letter completely disappeared.
She casually tossed the remnants into the fireplace and watched them burn to ash.
Walking to the side, she poured herself a glass of wine and sat by the fire.
This tavern was something she had just purchased.
And now, trouble had already found her again.
"How did he know I wrote the shark story?"
"Did he know about my fake death from the start?"
After all, Wu Heng had been the one assigned to investigate after her supposed death.
"Gold-Silver Island..."
Macintosh muttered softly.
"If I return, many will be shocked."
...…
The next morning.
Wu Heng first visited the guild to check if there were any urgent matters. After ensuring the armored vehicles sent out earlier had returned to the manor,
he used the gateway in his study to enter the Zombie World.
He arrived back in his dormitory.
Opening the windows to let in fresh air, he took out the radio and called Qi Hancai.
But after waiting for a while, there was still no response.
Wu Heng frowned, though he could still see skeleton guards stationed outside and base workers busy at their tasks.
The base seemed fine, but Qi Hancai wasn't there.
Stepping out of his dorm, he spotted a passing base member and asked, "Where's Qi Hancai?"
Recognizing Wu Heng, the base member immediately straightened up and spoke respectfully.
"Leader, the main station delivered blueprints this morning, so Sister Qi took a convoy there early."
The blueprints from the main station had arrived!
Qi Hancai had mentioned a few days ago that the blueprints were nearing completion.
He had nearly forgotten due to the recent events on Gold-Silver Island.
After considering for a moment,
he said, "Prepare a vehicle. I'm heading to the airport."
"Yes, leader," the base member replied.
Not long after, an off-road vehicle was brought over.
Wu Heng summoned a skeleton driver, got in along with his skeleton minion, and left the factory.
Destination: the airport.
...…
At the airport—
Qi Hancai sat in an office chair, her leather boots resting on the desk.
Having traveled since dawn, she was yawning non-stop.
Knock knock
The open door was knocked on, and someone said, "Sister Qi, we received a message from the radio station. The transport plane's captain is requesting landing instructions."
They had arrived!
Qi Hancai immediately perked up. "Let's go check it out."
She headed to the radio room with a few others.
Upon entering, they heard the radio crackle with a voice, "This is YS202 transport plane, calling New Fushi Base—Yangtong City Airport."
"This is Yangtong City Airport. Go ahead."
"We're approaching the airport but spotted strange flying beasts circling overhead. We're preparing to turn back."
Everyone in the room froze for a moment.
Qi Hancai quickly grabbed the mic and said, "Don't turn back. Those are our aerial units conducting patrols. You can proceed with the landing."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then the captain responded, sounding slightly skeptical, "Those flying creatures are yours?"
"Yes, they're wyvern units. I'll have them clear the airspace so you can land." Turning to the skeletal commander, she said, "Tell the skeleton wyverns to leave the area."
The wyverns circling overhead dispersed.
The radio crackled again, "YS202 requesting landing clearance."
"You're cleared for landing. The runway is ready."
"Copy that!"
After ending communications, Qi Hancai led her team outside.
Behind her, someone whispered, "Those guys were about to turn tail and leave."
"Can you blame them? With those things flying around, who'd dare approach without notifying us first?"
"Why didn't they have fighter jets escorting them?"
"If they had that kind of equipment, they wouldn't need to trade supplies with us for food."
"Fair point."
They exited the terminal building.
In the distance, they saw the transport plane lowering its altitude.
It slowed down and came to a stop.
The cabin door opened, and several figures emerged.
Qi Hancai and her team hurried over.
...…
Five people disembarked in total.
Leading them was a man in his forties, with short hair and a square face, wearing a long padded coat that exuded an air of maturity and stability.
Behind him were four others—three with empty hands and one carrying a black briefcase.
They scanned the airport surroundings with expressions of curiosity and suspicion.
They saw skeleton soldiers armed with rifles and clad in leather armor, skeleton drivers operating forklifts, and skeleton mechanics changing tires on vehicles.
The entire airport seemed like a base run by skeletons.
It appeared that skeletons could handle every task.
This scene was vastly different from the information gathered over the radio.
Qi Hancai stepped forward, "Qi Hancai, deputy leader of New Fushi Base. Welcome, representatives from the main station."
The middle-aged man chuckled and extended his hand for a handshake. "Lu Chang'an, commander of the Disaster Response Unit, third-tier officer. I'm here to discuss cooperation with New Fushi Base."
"Welcome, Commander Lu."
"No need for formality—just call me Lu."
Qi Hancai smiled. "Please, come inside. We can discuss further."
"Alright."
They entered the terminal building and proceeded to a pre-arranged meeting room.
The long white conference table was set with hot tea and pastries.
Though simple, such hospitality was considered luxurious in the apocalypse.
Qi Hancai and Lu Chang'an sat on opposite sides of the table, with the others seated slightly further back.
Lu Chang'an began, "We've brought blueprints for a thermal power plant, 520 kilograms of gold, and 728 kilograms of silver."
Qi Hancai nodded slightly. The blueprints and gold had arrived as expected.
Although the amount of gold seemed significant, the commercial streets in the province's gold shops had enough to gather such quantities.
So it wasn't surprising.
"Understood. The exchange terms will remain as previously agreed," Qi Hancai replied.
Lu Chang'an smiled, relieved that the deal wouldn't be complicated by a lack of resources on the other side.
He glanced behind him. "Coordinate with Qi's team to unload and inventory the goods."
One person stood up and followed Qi Hancai's team out of the room.
Lu Chang'an then gestured toward another colleague. "Show the list to Qi."
The briefcase was opened, and a list was placed on the table and pushed toward her.
"This is a catalog of what we can offer for exchange. Let us know what you need, and we can discuss pricing."
Qi Hancai glanced down at the list.
Assault rifles, machine guns, cannons, and rocket launchers.
Radios and bulletproof vests were also listed.
It looked like a military procurement list.
"The main station can produce this many supplies?" Qi Hancai asked curiously.
This list was far more extensive than the supplies they had previously traded with the provincial rescue teams.
Lu Chang'an hesitated before explaining, "Not exactly. But we do have enough reserves to exchange some items, which can help enhance local combat capabilities."
"I see. I'll need to discuss our requirements internally. May I hold onto this list for now?"
"Of course," Lu Chang'an agreed, nodding as he pulled out two more sheets from the briefcase.
He slid them toward her. "Now, let's discuss two other matters. First, we're conducting examinations of ability users. We have the scientific personnel needed to test awakened individuals."
Qi Hancai's brows furrowed.
Sensing her concern, Lu Chang'an quickly added, "It's not complicated. We just need blood samples to study the changes in human physiology that led to these abilities."