Chapter 192: The Heated Dispute Over the Missing Pangolins

Tang Huai deliberately ignored Hu Zifeng and went straight to posting an announcement:

“Fellow Lords, if you spot any pangolins in your territory, please let me know. As long as the lead is helpful, Sufeng Squad will thank you with at least twenty jin of Yellowlight wheat.”

Hu Zifeng snorted, “You haven’t even confirmed if those scales are from the two we lost, yet you stormed right into the base chief’s office and demanded our squad compensate you for your loss. Sufeng Squad sure knows how to throw its weight around.”

About that incident, even Tang Huai felt Tang Sufeng had acted rashly. But with Hu Zifeng right up in his face, Tang Huai had no choice but to back Sufeng Squad. After all, he was still eating their rice. “There weren’t any native pangolins near our territory at all. Is it not reasonable for us to have suspicions? And besides, in the end, it wasn’t you who compensated us—it was us who paid you three hundred thousand!”

Hu Zifeng shot back, “Who told you to sneak into our training base? I didn’t shoot your people in the head on the spot—that’s me giving you face. Don’t push your luck.”

Tang Huai snapped, “Who’s pushing their luck? With your cutthroat price of four thousand per head, we should’ve only owed you two hundred and fifty thousand, so why did you demand three hundred thousand?”

Hu Zifeng replied smugly, “You want to know why? Go ask your Captain. If he agreed to pay, then he must’ve had a reason.”

Tang Huai started to get snide, “Heh… don’t you even know the reason? What’s wrong, Mr. Main Task Team Captain? Are you so sidelined that all you do is farm now?”

Hu Zifeng huffed, “Whether I’m sidelined or not isn’t for a squad fringe-dweller like you to decide.”

Xia Qing stroked Boss Sheep’s wool and sighed, “Boss, Hu Zifeng really has a sharp tongue.”

Tang Huai, who really did float on the squad’s margins, was definitely goaded this time. “Crazy Hu, get your ass out here and fight me one-on-one!”

Hu Zifeng laughed, “A duel? Dig worms maybe? Fine, I admit you’ve got me beat at that skill.”

Xia Qing…

Tang Huai snorted, “As long as you know.”

Xia Qing…

Could Tang Huai not tell that Hu Zifeng was mocking him?

Just as Xia Qing thought the argument was winding down, Tang Huai turned on the Inspection Team. “If you ask me, the missing pangolins are the Inspection Team’s responsibility, especially Captain Tan’s.”

Before anyone else could speak, Tang Zhengbo cut in, “Huai, get over here for dinner.”

“Okay.” Tang Huai answered, but kept up his attack on the Hazard Inspection Team. “Ultrasound attacks have a massive area of effect and outstanding destructive power. According to base rules, you’re supposed to notify everyone in the area beforehand—including any squads on duty. If Captain Tan had followed protocol, we would’ve been ready, and those pangolins wouldn’t have gotten loose.”

Hu Zifeng cursed, “What are you, rabid? Biting everyone around you! When your squad came here on assignment, did you even notify Captain Tan?”

Tang Huai shot back, “How do you know we didn’t?”

Su Ming from the Hazard Inspection Team spoke up, “From August 3rd and the three days before it, our team never received notice of any squads working in the Evolver Forest near Territories One to Twenty-Eight.”

Tang Huai still wouldn’t let it go. “Even if we didn’t inform you, shouldn’t you have reported to higher-ups before using an ultrasound attack?”

With that, Xia Qing finally caught on. Tang Huai hadn’t come for a fight with the Azure Dragon Unit today—he was targeting the Hazard Inspection Team.

What exactly was he after?

Or was this really Tang Huai’s plan, or an order from Sufeng Squad?

Su Ming from the Hazard Inspection Team understood too; he retorted in a hard voice, “If you’ve got complaints about us, file them with the higher-ups.”

Tang Huai grew even more riled up. “Of course I’ll complain! If your team had handled the crisis quickly, there would’ve been no need for an ultrasound attack. You know how dangerous those are? I was wearing a top-grade Protective Mask and still felt sick for half a month! Our squad’s pangolins were scared off! That’s on you. If you’re not up to the job, at least swap in a team with a real sniper. If we’d had a decent sniper, we wouldn’t have suffered such a heavy loss.”

Are the Tang Family trying to get rid of Tan Junjie’s Inspection Team and put their own people in charge? Xia Qing frowned.

Catching up at last, Sick Wolf, panting in the heat beside Boss Sheep, sensed Xia Qing’s mood shift and closed his mouth, quietly watching her.

Xia Qing stretched an arm past Boss Sheep and gently stroked the clean but sparse fur on Sick Wolf’s body, soothing him, “It’s okay, just rest.”

Other than the lords of Territory Two and Territory Nine, none of the other Lords wanted to lose Tan Junjie’s responsible team. They were all waiting for Hu Zifeng to snap back so they could join in.

But before Hu Zifeng even opened his mouth, an unexpected person logged in.

Luo Pei, the base’s top sniper, answered Tang Huai, “Don’t blame Captain Tan. Blame me. I was the one who suggested to the Base Chief that we pull sniper teams from the army and squads to form Hui San’s first line of defense.”

Luo Ge!

Xia Qing quickly hit the button, “If not for the snipers who made up that first line, and wiped out most of the evolved raptors, the loss to our base and territories would’ve been much worse.”

“That’s right!” Shi Du chimed in, “If not for Captain Tan’s spot-on leadership, we never would’ve survived that attack by more than two hundred evolved raptors.”

“Yeah.” Qi Fu spoke up too, just the one word, but it was rock solid.

Before any other Lord could pile on, and before Tang Huai could butt in again, a familiar voice rang out in the Lord’s Channel—the one everyone missed the most each day.

“Don’t blame Tan Junjie, and don’t blame Luo Pei. Blame me. The laser cannon in my territory wasn’t powerful enough to blast the bird flock to pieces with a single shot, so Sufeng Squad lost two of their tamed beasts, and the folks in Territory Two suffered for half a month. Tang Huai, I’m really sorry. Tell Tang Sufeng for me—the two pangolins are on me, and I’ll pay double for them. Have him send me a price as soon as possible.”

After twenty days away from his territory, Lord of Territory Seven Zhang San was finally back!

Superfan Xia Qing was the first to offer a welcome, “Welcome back, Third Brother!”

“Third Brother, it’s so good to have you home!” Zhao Ze claimed the second spot.

The Lord’s Channel erupted with excitement, while inside Territory Twelve, Tang Huai started sweating. “Dad, what do we do now?”

Tang Zhengbo calmly poured boiling water on the teapot and cups, his tone unhurried as he instructed, “Reply to Zhang San and tell him you didn’t mean it that way.”

Tang Huai looked miserable, “But will he actually believe me? This is bad, just when things with Third Brother were starting to smooth over, now it’s all awkward again.”

Tang Heng, sipping tea at the table, laughed, “It’s people from Territory Two who are tense with Third Brother, not me and Dad. Just send the reply. Anyone with a brain will know what’s really going on.”