Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 395 - 273: Who Can Still Be Trusted

Vice Commander Fangcao never expected that the Diamond group would suddenly turn hostile without any warning after agreeing to a deal.

However, as the saying goes, there is cooperation between Celestial Level Teams, but also competition, and she does not lack the caution expected of a Pioneer Team deputy.

Her act of hiding Hongyun was a direct demonstration of this.

Although the Diamond group had fewer people, with a calculated plan and unexpectancy on their side, they initially held the upper hand until the Engineer Battalion commander intervened.

The two A-levels from Diamond were momentarily stunned: with the Engineer Battalion engaged in fierce battle, how could Hongyun be here?

However, Hongyun arrived a bit late, and Fangcao was caught off guard and injured.

Seeing the battle reaching a stalemate, at a crucial moment, Black Rain’s leader, the Bald One, made an appearance.

The Bald One wasn’t actually bald; he had a head full of thick hair. He earned the nickname because he preferred to decimate his foes completely.

He was injured three years ago and had been recuperating since then, with recovery slow due to a shortage of healing materials.

Over the past few years, he hadn’t been much involved in the Pioneer Team’s affairs, but this matter was too serious to ignore, so someone informed him.

The Bald One was worried for Fangcao and, even adding Hongyun, he felt it might not be enough, so he quietly followed along.

Seeing his deputy was outmatched, the Bald One decisively stepped forward and engaged, despite his injuries.

Upon his appearance, the Diamond group truly lost their will to fight, with the two A-level Warriors even suspecting they had walked into a trap.

Thus, the commander and the assistant commander fled decisively, and the rest scattered in panic.

However, besides the two A-levels, not many others managed to escape... fewer than ten.

After the battle assessment, Black Rain had suffered significant losses.

Fangcao was injured and would need about half a year to recover.

Hongyun arrived late, attracting focused attention from the two A-levels; although he was prepared, he still sustained some minor injuries.

The Bald One acted with injuries, which slightly worsened his condition, but he had already indicated that Fangcao should rest assured during her recovery.

This meant he intended to oversee the Black Rain operations for half a year while injured, acting as their shield.

Meanwhile, the two A-levels from Diamond were not significantly hurt; the assistant commander was lightly injured, and the commander had only minor wounds despite the fierce attack from the Bald One.

In terms of top-level combat power losses, Black Rain did indeed suffer, with substantial B-level power losses as well.

There were four deaths, seven severe injuries, and even more minor and slight injuries.

Yet, from Diamond’s side, only two B-levels managed to escape; the rest were left behind, rendering them doomed anyway, whether they died on the spot or not.

So, at the B-level, Diamond suffered losses, and at the C-level... even more so.

Black Rain’s people interrogated the captives overnight, confirming that Diamond had indeed leaned towards the Star Thieves.

Diamond had dispatched many Pioneers to help the Star Thieves defend their stronghold, but the high-level combat forces sent out were not many.

After all, the Military Station relied more on firepower; individual cultivation levels weren’t as crucial.

So currently, Diamond wasn’t lacking in high-level combat forces, and their intent this time at Black Rain was to act as conditions allowed.

Each was tasked according to their cultivation level, a well-executed plan on their part.

When Fangcao relayed the information, the two commanders from Diamond knew they had no choice but to act.

Overall, summarizing this incident, the high-level combat power was indeed at a disadvantage, lowering the power balance of the entire Pioneer camp.

An almost entire Celestial Level Team defecting was a severe blow to the Pioneer Team.

Yes, "almost entire," as captives reported that some opposed defecting to the Star Thieves and had been detained.

The positive aspect was that traitors within the camp were cleared out, so at least everyone didn’t have to worry about being betrayed by allies.

So, even though Qu Jianlei suspected the wrong target, the intelligence he provided was indeed crucial, something even Black Rain acknowledged.

A B-level Warrior provided such vital information, yet Black Rain still suffered heavy losses... Could they blame him?

So when Commander Mu remarked, "You’ve gotten me killed," it was merely lip service.

However, his mood was genuinely low, "If Diamond can turn to the Star Thieves, Crimson has even more reason!"

Crimson was also one of the Four Carriages, but they lost one of their two A-levels in battle, leaving only one A-level currently.

"Your remark is inexplicable," Qu Jianlei responded dismissively, "Crimson’s main force has more A-levels, and there’s a Supreme."

Crimson, after all, was a Celestial Level Team, surely having a Supreme and definitely more than just three or five A-levels.

In fact, the Celestial Level Pioneer Teams could concurrently explore several planets, and the previous Supreme of Crimson had also visited Zarif.

However, after Zarif’s rating was determined, it was deemed unnecessary to waste too much high-end combat power there.

So, each Celestial Level Team left only two A-levels there—just enough.

After all, the ultimate pursuit of pioneering a planet was profit, such as mineral resources, rather than fighting.

In other words, the Bald One was merely the local commander of Black Rain’s Celestial Level Team on Zarif and not the commander of Black Rain’s main force.

In contrast, Mu Guoguo was not only the commander of Blazing Fire on Zarif but also the commander of Blazing Fire’s main force.

So, Crimson losing one A-level, how big a deal was that?

As long as they could maintain their integrity, temporary setbacks... who hasn’t encountered them?

"That’s hard to say," Mu Guoguo’s mood was still low, "Even Diamond has a Supreme, yet they sided with the Star Thieves?"

Qu Jianlei felt a bit annoyed when he heard this, "Why do I feel like you’re looking for excuses to side with the Star Thieves yourself?"

Mu Guoguo got a bit irritated at these words, especially since several A-level and B-level Warriors were listening to their conversation nearby.

"Stop talking nonsense, the Star Thieves have said they won’t accept the surrender of Blazing Fire members... You were the one who told me that, right?"

"So I suggest you stop overthinking it," Qu Jianlei replied calmly, "By the way, why did Diamond side with the Star Thieves?"

"No one can say for sure," Captain Mu replied briskly, "Others are also very concerned about this question."

"But even the Diamond people don’t know, just that their captain and deputy captain have high prestige."

Qu Jianlei was at a loss for words with this answer, so he changed the topic, "Do the Black Rain people really hate me that much?"

"I was just saying," Captain Mu chuckled dryly, "I was injured fighting against the Diamond people too."

Yes, he also participated in that battle, which he technically wasn’t qualified for, but Blazing Fire was the first-hand source of information.

If Diamond wanted to take it seriously, he might also need to step up and confront, showing that Black Rain wasn’t making baseless claims.

However, in the end, Diamond didn’t scrutinize the source of the information, so he was just caught up in a sudden battle.

Fortunately, because of his trust in Black Heaven, he was on high alert throughout, and his injuries weren’t severe.

Then Captain Mu asked another question, "Why do you find Quantum suspicious, are they also untrustworthy?"

This was the ultimate thing he needed to understand, as Fangcao had repeatedly instructed him.

Having Diamond turn to the Star Thieves was already terrifying, if Quantum had a similar possibility, it would be utterly despairing.

Qu Jianlei thought for a moment and then explained his reasons for suspicion, and revealed the latest movements of Fat Fox.

Previously, he felt embarrassed to say the reasons, but fortunately, Diamond’s defection now proved that his intelligence was accurate.

In this situation, even if he made some wrong guesses, the other party wouldn’t dare to mock him, right?

That’s what he thought, but after Captain Mu listened, he had a very intense emotional reaction.

"With these suspicions, why didn’t you say earlier?"

"You think it’s a wild guess, but for a Pioneer, there must be logic behind every unusual event!"

Qu Jianlei paused for a bit, then asked, "Is being a Pioneer always this tough?"

"I can’t be bothered with you," Captain Mu replied briskly, "Remember to contact me at the next communication time."

Qu Jianlei agreed earnestly, but ultimately lost track, because he discovered the traces of Pan Yifu and those two Fat Fox B-levels.

He didn’t provoke them directly, just followed them silently, since Diamond had already been exposed, he didn’t need to urgently prove himself.

But he was curious to see how these two B-levels planned to deal with Pan Yifu, and he was happy to watch.

The two B-levels took Pan Yifu and wandered left and right until they reached a Settlement in the evening.

Qu Jianlei chuckled at the sight: Are you planning to sharpen your knives or enjoy some candies?

He was so entertained by the spectacle that he missed the opportunity to contact Mu Guoguo.

This mistake is understandable, but everyone involved in intelligence knows, once you miss it, there’s no making up, you just have to wait for the next time.

However, he didn’t miss the next scheduled time, and Captain Mu gave a clear answer.

"I specially asked, and indeed Fat Fox has also sided with the Star Thieves, but... it has nothing to do with Quantum."

So... was I right? Qu Jianlei was initially pleased, but then felt a bit confused.

"Fat Fox was hired by Quantum, can they really distance themselves from it?"

"They can distance themselves," Captain Mu replied nonchalantly, "Didn’t Green Cloud get hired by Crimson, what’s it got to do with Crimson?"

But then he followed with words that revealed everyone’s true concern, "Quantum... can’t side with the Star Thieves again either."

If Quantum also sided with the Star Thieves, the Pioneer Team’s camp would be utterly defeated, with no chance of recovery.

It means even if they truly had intentions to defect, Black Rain must pretend not to know.

What choice Quantum makes doesn’t matter; what’s important is that everyone must unanimously believe in them.

If necessary, even through moral coercion, they must be tied to the Pioneers’ camp forces.

Qu Jianlei understood his point, wanting to counter it but didn’t know where to start.

The current camp of the Pioneer Team simply couldn’t afford any more losses.

Finally, he could only ask one more question, "What about the Qian Duoduo Pioneer Team, what do they say?"

The name Qian Duoduo may sound vulgar, but it’s a genuine Profound-level Team, hired by Diamond.

The Profound-level Team Fat Fox hired by Quantum defected, so which camp will the Diamond-hired Profound-level Team choose?

Mu Guoguo responded very straightforwardly, "There’s no evidence showing Diamond can influence Qian Duoduo’s decisions."

Then he announced a piece of news, "Black Rain has already reported to Crimson, and Crimson supports a thorough investigation and is willing to accept an inquiry."

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