Chapter 97: You Have a Share of the Credit
Xu Qingsui felt Lu Jingyu was making a bit of a fuss, but a warmth spread through her heart, and her cheeks grew hot.
"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. The priority right now is to go gather the potions!"
Not wanting to waste any time on herself, Xu Qingsui quickly demurred.
Lu Jingyu nodded and turned to look behind them. "We’ve arrived at our first stop."
Hearing Lu Jingyu’s words, Xu Qingsui looked ahead in surprise. Before them sat an old residence, only slightly larger than a typical house.
"Where are we?" Xu Qingsui asked, her voice full of doubt.
"You’ll see once we’re inside."
As he spoke, Lu Jingyu very naturally took Xu Qingsui by the arm for support and led her into the old residence.
After entering the gate and crossing the courtyard, they saw an elderly man.
Seeing Lu Jingyu, the old man hurried to greet them. "Captain Lu, what an honor. Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? I could have informed the Master and prepared some drinks for your arrival."
Despite Lu Jingyu and Xu Qingsui’s unannounced arrival, the old man showed no displeasure. Instead, he remained exceedingly polite to them.
Lu Jingyu’s lips quirked into a smile. "Housekeeper Liu, there’s no need to announce me, and don’t bother preparing anything. Your master won’t want to have me stay for dinner today."
"You jest, Captain Lu. You and our Master are friends despite the age gap. The Master has long instructed that whenever you visit, we must have fine drinks ready to share with you."
As Lu Jingyu and the housekeeper exchanged pleasantries, Xu Qingsui could vaguely tell that Lu Jingyu and the master of this old residence were likely on good terms.
Xu Qingsui immediately guessed that Lu Jingyu was planning to start with people in his own circle, gathering what he could from them first.
’But what did he mean by what he said earlier?’
Lost in her suspicions, Xu Qingsui followed Lu Jingyu, who navigated the path with practiced ease, into the main hall of the residence.
The master of the old residence was already waiting for them there.
Staring at the figure standing with his back to them, Xu Qingsui at first felt a sense of familiarity. The moment she realized who it was, she instantly understood the meaning behind Lu Jingyu’s words.
’So that’s what he meant!’
A glint of understanding flashed in Xu Qingsui’s eyes. She suddenly found herself intrigued, eager to see how these people would choose their sides.
"Jing Yu, what brings you here today? How have your personal matters been these last few days? Do you need me to give you some more time off?"
Qi Qin spoke, turning around as the two drew closer.
"I thought Elder Qi would be asking about the casualties in the Alliance. After all, the Alliance’s future is what you care about most."
Lu Jingyu’s opening words were dripping with sarcasm, showing Qi Qin no respect whatsoever.
Qi Qin’s expression froze. Just then, the housekeeper whispered something in his ear, and Qi Qin’s face instantly darkened.
"I was fasting today and have just come from the prayer hall. I had no idea something so major had happened within the Alliance. Jing Yu, is there a reason you’ve come? Why aren’t you at the Alliance, managing the situation?"
Qi Qin’s face was etched with anxiety, and it didn’t seem to be an act.
Lu Jingyu gave a wry twist of his lips. "Right now, the Alliance is busy celebrating the rise of a new Captain Shen. Who has time to care about the casualties? And who there is willing to listen to a word I say?"
"Isn’t this outcome exactly what you wanted to see, Elder Qi?"
Qi Qin’s expression tensed. It was true—he had always hoped the Alliance would have more people like Lu Jingyu, leaders who could command squads to clear out Mutants and defend Zone 9.
That was why when Qiu Fang had proposed that Lu Jingyu take a break to give others a chance to prove themselves, Qi Qin had remained silent.
He had never imagined that his momentary lapse in judgment would lead to such a great tragedy.
Daring not to pursue that topic, Qi Qin quickly asked, "Jing Yu, what’s the situation at the Alliance now? Is there a reason you’ve come here?"
Seeing Qi Qin’s frantic expression, Lu Jingyu had already reached his conclusion.
No longer wasting time, he stated his true purpose for coming.
"The number of casualties is high. The medical bay simply doesn’t have enough potions to treat the wounded."
"It’s too late for me to leave and gather potions now. My only option was to come and see you, Elder Qi, to see if you would be willing to make a painful sacrifice and contribute the potions in your possession to save our Alliance members first."
Hearing that Lu Jingyu had come for the potions in his own residence, a pained look of reluctance flashed across Qi Qin’s face.
But it lasted only a moment. When he thought of the countless wounded members lying in the medical bay and the future of the Alliance, he steeled his resolve.
"Old Liu, go and bring all the potions I have in storage. Let Jing Yu take them back to save our people."
"Master, are you sure you want to..." Housekeeper Liu also looked pained, unable to stop himself from seeking confirmation.
"Enough. All of them. Go and prepare them now," Qi Qin cut Housekeeper Liu off sharply, ordering him to go.
Housekeeper Liu didn’t dare say another word and withdrew.
"Jing Yu, quickly, tell me. What are the casualty numbers? How many more potions are needed? How many people can we save?"
At that moment, looking at Lu Jingyu, Qi Qin couldn’t think about anything else. His mind was completely consumed by the state of the casualties.
Seeing him like this, Lu Jingyu’s expression finally softened. "The exact numbers hadn’t been tallied by the time I left, but the medical bay is already overflowing with people."
"He Sheng has already lowered the treatment standards to the bare minimum. The priority is just to keep them alive; they can’t afford to worry about anything else."
"I haven’t been to the other elders yet, so I’m not sure how many potions we can ultimately gather. But one thing is certain: after this is over, the Alliance will have to enter a period of dormancy. We’ll need to rest and recuperate before we can even think about defending Zone 9 again."
As Lu Jingyu spoke, Qi Qin’s face grew darker and darker. By the time he finished, Qi Qin’s entire body was trembling.
"How could this happen?" Qi Qin murmured, as if he’d suffered a terrible shock.
Lu Jingyu suddenly stared at him, his expression grave, and said in a low voice, "Do you really not know why it turned out this way? Even if you didn’t participate, can you honestly say you didn’t know what they were planning?"
Lu Jingyu’s words struck Qi Qin like a bolt of lightning. He stared at Lu Jingyu in stunned disbelief, unable to compose himself.
"Your silence and your inaction contributed to today’s outcome. So in a way, you can take some of the credit for whatever happens to the Alliance from now on."
It was like another bolt of lightning striking him down. Qi Qin could no longer stand, stumbling and collapsing to the floor.
"Master!"
Just then, Housekeeper Liu returned, carrying a lockbox full of potions. He cried out in alarm and rushed toward Qi Qin.
As he passed by Lu Jingyu, Lu Jingyu made a swift, indiscernible move, and the lockbox was suddenly in his hands.
Ignoring Qi Qin, he immediately called to Xu Qingsui and left.
"Master, what happened? Did Captain Lu attack you? How audacious! I’ll contact the other elders at once and demand justice for you."