Chapter 192: Chapter 192: I Can Help You

Shen Yan didn’t speak, but Lu Jingyu took in his expression and already had an answer in his heart.

"Do you want what happened yesterday to happen again? If it happens again, the 27th District will truly be wiped out."

Lu Jingyu’s words were simple and straightforward, making them particularly harsh.

Xu Qingsui was stunned. She stared at him, surprised that he would speak so bluntly.

Shen Yan, whose mind had been set on the laboratory and whose feet hadn’t stopped moving, was finally stung enough to halt his steps. When he turned back to look at Lu Jingyu, his eyes were red, and a single crystalline tear shimmered at the corner of his eye.

"Then tell me, do I have any other choice? Do you expect me to just watch those Mutants escape from the laboratory and attack the residents outside?" Unable to control his emotions, Shen Yan roared and grabbed Lu Jingyu by the collar, looking ready to throw a punch.

Seeing that the two men were about to fight, Xu Qingsui grew anxious and wanted to step forward to stop them. After all, the situation at the laboratory hadn’t been resolved yet. If they started fighting now, there would be no one left to solve the problem.

But as she stepped up, holding out her hands, she was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Just as she was trembling with fear, worried that Lu Jingyu would snap and fight back, Lu Jingyu calmly swatted Shen Yan’s hands away.

"I won’t hold it against you at a time like this, but I’ve noted it down."

Xu Qingsui breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn’t fight, it was fine. She silently stepped back to the side.

"You have no solutions, but I do! I can help you resolve this!"

Hearing Lu Jingyu say he could help, Shen Yan was utterly stunned. Although last night’s incident was ultimately resolved with Lu Jingyu’s help, it had happened so suddenly that everyone had acted on instinct without any ulterior motives. But now, it was different. Especially since he had just declared war on Lu Jingyu for fair competition.

He told himself he couldn’t rely on Lu Jingyu.

However, reason reminded him that he had to use someone else’s help to stabilize the situation in the 27th District. Otherwise, the 27th District he had painstakingly built would very likely fall completely.

"What are your conditions?"

After some inner struggle, reason finally triumphed over personal desires. He looked at Lu Jingyu with cold eyes, already starting to wonder how he would choose if Lu Jingyu demanded he withdraw from the fair competition.

"I can bring my people to help you maintain order in the 27th District, but once the dust settles, you must allow the Heiyu Alliance to develop in the 27th District and let the Heiyu Alliance take over the 27th District’s Survival Team."

Shen Yan was stunned once again. He truly hadn’t expected Lu Jingyu’s request to have nothing to do with Xu Qingsui.

But a new dilemma also arose. Was he really going to let Lu Jingyu’s forces infiltrate his 27th District? Setting aside the fact that he and Lu Jingyu were romantic rivals, if Lu Jingyu settled into the 27th District, would he continue to expand his power and eventually try to completely replace him?

Seeing Shen Yan still hesitating, Lu Jingyu spoke again, "Right now, your Survival Team no longer has the ability to protect the safe zone. Even if they are handed over to me, they’ll need time to rest and recuperate. They won’t be of any particularly great help to the Heiyu Alliance.

"As for the Heiyu Alliance settling into the 27th District, the Survival Team will belong to me, but the laboratory is still in your hands. Even after this incident, with the laboratory’s foundation, it should still be enough to stand as an equal to the Survival Team.

"If you are still worried despite all this, then it seems you have tacitly admitted that your capabilities are inferior to mine."

That single sentence caused Shen Yan’s conflicted expression to instantly firm up.

He never felt he was inferior to Lu Jingyu, and he believed that in a fair competition between him and Lu Jingyu, Xu Qingsui would ultimately become his lover. So how could he possibly be afraid of Lu Jingyu!

He immediately stopped hesitating and stated outright, "Fine! I agree. As long as you can lead your people to help the 27th District tide over this crisis, the 27th District’s Survival Team will be handed over to the Heiyu Alliance from now on."

Having received Shen Yan’s response, Lu Jingyu nodded and immediately took the lead, rushing toward the laboratory.

"Let’s hurry up then! We’re wasting time!"

Shen Yan no longer hesitated either, quickening his pace and overtaking Lu Jingyu.

Xu Qingsui had been listening to their conversation from the sidelines. She knew about Lu Jingyu’s plans to expand the Heiyu Alliance. But she truly hadn’t expected Lu Jingyu to state his goal in such a manner.

That strange feeling surfaced again. She vaguely felt that Lu Jingyu was taking advantage of someone’s precarious situation.

Unable to hold back, she whispered beside Lu Jingyu, "Isn’t it a bit unseemly for you to declare your goal in this manner? It feels a bit like kicking someone when they’re down!"

Lu Jingyu wasn’t angry at Xu Qingsui’s critique. Instead, he smiled. "If it were anyone else, I might have stated my intentions directly and then negotiated. But with Shen Yan, there’s no need for that. He would absolutely never agree."

As he spoke, Lu Jingyu gave Xu Qingsui a meaningful look, though Xu Qingsui failed to notice his gaze.

"There was no point in me simply bringing it up; I’d only end up having to drop it or find another way. But now that this has happened, isn’t it just creating the perfect opportunity for me?

"Moreover, given their current situation, seeking rescue from elsewhere would definitely be too late, not to mention they still have to rebuild their team afterward. Security during this period is fundamentally impossible to guarantee. I can help them right now, and collecting a little interest for it is perfectly normal. How can you call that taking advantage of someone’s misfortune!"

Xu Qingsui clicked her tongue. Lu Jingyu’s explanation was so airtight she couldn’t find a single flaw in it.

Thinking about it, in the adult world, there was no such thing as working for free, let alone in the midst of the Apocalypse. She nodded silently and said no more.

On the way to the laboratory, Lu Jingyu used his own methods to notify the team members who had come with him.

The group happened to rendezvous at the entrance of the laboratory building. However, aside from the dilapidation caused by yesterday’s events, the laboratory building was completely quiet, and no signs of any new crisis could be seen.

Somewhat puzzled, Lu Jingyu turned to look at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan gazed at the building, continuing to walk inside as he explained. "This building isn’t just what it seems on the surface. There are three more floors underground.

"The first basement level only stores miscellany and isn’t anything special. But the second basement level houses various potions produced from past experimental data, as well as some extracted sources of contamination.

"As for the third basement level, it holds normal biological creatures that were captured and kept as test subjects.

"Due to yesterday’s events, the above-ground portion of the building has already suffered severe collapse, to the point that the main structure has developed cracks. This is already a condemned building."

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