Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 440 - 312: Octopus Vine

Qu Jianlei launched a Flaming Meteor without any pause, his figure darting northward.

Although the lights were bright there, the combat was intense, making it easier to blend in.

As he moved along the wall’s edge, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him.

The two came face to face; Qu Jianlei directly drew his Long Blade and swiftly moved to the side.

No words were needed; both could judge the other was likely from the Pioneer Team, otherwise, they wouldn’t be so stealthy.

However, necessary precautions had to be taken. At such a close distance, Qu Jianlei felt it was more convenient to use the blade, which was also less conspicuous.

The opponent was a middle-aged man, who noticed that Qu Jianlei hadn’t drawn a gun nor issued a warning, only drawing a Cold Weapon.

Crucially, the weapon was coated with a matte finish, making it nearly non-reflective at night.

This made it pretty clear; he decisively spoke, "Restore!"

I don’t know the damn code—Qu Jianlei felt a bit helpless and directly reported, "Blazing Fire Team, Black Heaven, don’t know the code word."

"Black Heaven?" The man swiftly retreated to the corner, "How can you prove it?"

He was a Quantum Team warrior, Wood Attribute B-level peak, and had certainly heard of Black Heaven’s various feats, guessing this person would join the battle.

However, he didn’t know Black Heaven was a secret weapon—this arrangement was only known to A-levels.

Thus, he was somewhat puzzled as to why the other didn’t know the code word, though this person indeed showed up and acted earlier.

Yet, thinking further, this was a counterattack initiated by the Pioneer Team, but Black Heaven... seemed to be an outsider in Blazing Fire.

So he didn’t make a move but also wasn’t rash in believing.

Qu Jianlei raised his hand, fingertips crackling with tiny electrical arcs, "Is this proof enough?"

"Enough," the man nodded without hesitation. Though the Electromagnetic Force was weak, the opponent was genuinely B-level.

He took out his communicator, speaking in a low voice, "Hold on, I have to report this."

"There’s no need," Qu Jianlei rejected bluntly, "We both have things to do, better part ways here."

"Wait, I’m Quantum’s Octopus Vine," the man offered voluntarily, "Headquarters wants to talk to you."

Qu Jianlei tightened his grip on his blade, slowly leveling it, speaking in a deep voice, "I have no ties with Quantum, mind your own business."

Due to Fat Fox’s betrayal, he felt no goodwill towards the Quantum Team and didn’t mind turning hostile on the spot.

"It’s the United Command," Octopus Vine hurriedly explained, feeling a bit regretful about the incident within his group.

Fat Fox’s betrayal was due to Quantum treating them too harshly, which almost all Pioneer Team members believed.

However, Quantum’s higher-ups felt they did nothing wrong—this is how we’ve always operated.

So, no matter how others criticized, they would never concede. Could others’ lack of moral conduct be blamed on Quantum?

Maintaining this attitude continuously worsened relations with other Pioneer Teams.

This time, Quantum brought only White Clothes, an A-level, to the fight. They said Quantum had defensive needs, but it was just their discontent.

Octopus Vine was aware of others’ perception of them, he certainly supported his group’s stance, but still felt some helplessness.

He hurriedly spoke, "United Command, United Command, I’m zero-eight... spotted Black Heaven, spotted Black Heaven."

"Issue task," a female voice from Command responded, "Get him to swiftly destroy other power supply centers, swiftly destroy power supply centers."

Octopus Vine gestured his hands to Qu Jianlei, "You heard, it’s United Command."

"I’m not part of the Pioneer Team," Qu Jianlei sneered, "Issuing tasks to me, you dare?"

His answer was heard by the others at Command.

Soon after, another voice came through the communicator—unexpectedly it was Mu Guoguo, "Black Heaven, it’s Old Mu, I’m begging you."

"Whoa, Old Mu?" Qu Jianlei’s mouth twitched, "Do you not know my status or the task?"

Mu Guoguo sighed; regarding the secret weapon, others might not know, but how could he be unaware? Participants met at the battlefield hospital.

But he indeed had his difficulties, "Plans have changed; now the attack is halted. Hope you lend a hand and destroy one or two more power supply centers."

Qu Jianlei fell silent; the battlefield’s situation could change in an instant, he couldn’t act solely based on his whims.

In fact, his forte was adapting to the situation, not to mention Mu Guoguo was the one asking.

He owed Blazing Fire nothing, but neglecting easy aid affected the goodwill accumulated over time.

"Damn sunk costs," he muttered, glancing at the other side, "Alright, I got it."

He then turned and sneaked towards another power supply center.

Though the Star Thieves had poor organization, the current turmoil gradually restricted to a specific area, showing signs of control.

Qu Jianlei didn’t want to be reckless and carefully snuck around, yet noticed Quantum’s B-level warrior moving, following him.

This was rather frustrating; he wasn’t sure if he should trust someone from Quantum, "Why are you following me?"

"Don’t you need help?" Octopus Vine whispered back, "My Attack Power isn’t bad."

Fine, follow then, Qu Jianlei didn’t want to argue much. In fact, he didn’t believe the other had the ability to betray him.

Qu Jianlei was a bit curious, "Where is the United Command located, and why is Mu Guoguo here?"

The Octopus Vine was indeed a bit bewildered, wondering what this guy was up to. How could he not know these things?

Nevertheless, he responded without hesitation, "The United Command is outside the core region, responsible for centralized coordination."

"Mu Guoguo from the Blazing Fire Team, I don’t know why he’s here either. His current position should be relatively safe."

The two cautiously sneaked in, taking seven or eight minutes to reach another power center.

During this period, the chaos gradually decreased, with intense battles concentrated in only a few places.

Qu Jianlei also felt more uneasy.

Although, up to now, there haven’t been many A-level movements, undoubtedly the Pioneer Team is gradually falling into a bitter fight.

The communicator in his pocket vibrated twice, apparently Old Pan calling him, but he didn’t answer.

Considering Old Pan’s style, he probably wouldn’t consider the Pioneer Team’s needs, while Qu Jianlei believed they must hit another power center.

This power center was free of combat, but it gathered around ten mechas, and someone had set up barriers.

Clearly, the Star Thieves weren’t slow to react, guarding against them continuing to destroy the power center.

Qu Jianlei whispered, "Use either Investigate to the Bottom or another technique to destroy the grounding of the power center."

After speaking, without waiting for a response, he flickered and disappeared into the night.

Why should you order me? The Octopus Vine frowned, indeed feeling a bit unconvinced inside.

He came along with the intention of helping, but also wanted to pick up some credit, and now he was asked to lead the charge?

Leading the charge makes one easy to focus on; the Octopus Vine is of Wood Attribute, confident in his defense, but danger objectively exists.

However, was Black Heaven’s statement wrong? There was indeed no issue; if the grounding isn’t destroyed, the power of Electromagnetic Techniques would be much weaker.

The Octopus Vine hesitated only for a moment before starting to find the suitable position to release the technique.

Outsiders always say the Quantum Team is harsh in their actions; he was frustrated internally, thinking they’re professional and won’t lose in coordination.

Qu Jianlei had already left, but was still perceiving Octopus Vine’s actions.

If this guy refuses to lead, he would indeed contact Old Pan to jointly hit this power center.

As for how many casualties the Pioneers would increase during this process, that wasn’t his responsibility.

Are both camps fighting each other, expecting me, an outsider, to always charge forward, is it appropriate?

Perceiving the other’s actions, he slightly nodded, daring to find a position to strike, showing some responsibility.

The Octopus Vine chose a corner of a house and performed a Finger Technique, precisely the Investigate to the Bottom technique that Qu Jianlei mentioned.

This technique can be used at C-level. When Qu Jianlei first met Xiao Qin, he was attacked by her in this way.

However, the effect at B-level is different; it’s as if the ground momentarily had several earth dragons, rolling straight towards the power center.

The Octopus Vine was satisfied with the attack efficiency—among people with the same attribute and cultivation level, he hadn’t seen anyone more skilled than himself.

After launching the attack, he didn’t pay attention to the result but instantly flashed behind another wall.

In such a chaotic situation, those who don’t know how to protect themselves would have long been buried roadside.

But he did divert some attention to perceive the effect of the technique, then frowning again, "Can’t penetrate?"

Indeed, it didn’t penetrate; even at B-level peak, a hastily launched attack aiming to break the defense and destroy the grounding was exceptionally difficult.

The earth dragons got close to the power center still strong, even toppling two mechas.

But upon touching the energy protection shield, they abruptly halted, and the central structure merely trembled slightly.

"There’s a Wood Attribute attack!" The defending Star Thieves issued a warning upon seeing the earth dragons, "Encircle and kill!"

Several figures charged towards the place where the earth dragons appeared.

However, at the moment the center slightly trembled, a thick bolt of electricity shot out, striking the power center precisely.

"It’s Black Heaven!" Someone shouted, speaking through gritted teeth, "He changed partners!"

The shadows encircling Octopus Vine swiftly changed direction—B-level Wood Attribute is far less crucial than Black Heaven.

The next moment, another direction saw the appearance of a Thunder Dragon, swiftly crashing into the power center.

With a muffled "boom," this center stopped functioning, sparks flying as another major section of the core region’s lighting went dark.

The Octopus Vine noticed someone intended to encircle him, preparing to continue sneaking, but was surprised to find the Thunder Dragon appeared.

The pursuers immediately changed course, which was secondary; the key point was the second Thunder Dragon decisively knocked out the power center.

"Whew," Octopus Vine quietly breathed out, inadvertently fostering a bit of admiration in his heart.

Black Heaven’s attack was vastly superior to his, and the timing was precisely accurate.

He could seize the opportunity during a tremor, capturing the moment when the grounding effect was poor, timely launching Electromagnetic Techniques.

This person may be wild, but undoubtedly has the capital for arrogance.

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