Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 147 - 143: Encounter with Murong Again

Chapter 147: Chapter 143: Encounter with Murong Again

Luo’er distinctly remembered, only a few months ago during a competition, he had warned Murong about Zhuanzhu, who, if not properly managed, would inevitably cause significant trouble.

As it stood now, it seemed their relationship hasn’t changed a bit since then. Murong could only use his authority to suppress Zhuanzhu’s provocations, having no other means to handle him.

To Luo’er, Zhuanzhu’s issue was not just his foul mouth, but, more importantly, the wild, ungovernable streak in his nature. If not kept in check, it would eventually erupt into a full-blown disaster. It was much like taming a wild wolf; a small misstep could lead to one’s throat being ripped apart.

"I am truly sorry, Zhuanzhu was merely ranting. We should have been the ones to bear this burden," Murong apologized, an odd expression in his eyes that Luo’er noticed.

Luo’er suddenly realized it wasn’t that Murong couldn’t control this wild wolf, Zhuanzhu. Instead, he let Zhuanzhu lash out, then picked up the pieces afterwards. It was clear he wasn’t pleased with the headquarters’ decision, believing Luo’er’s team had obtained, through connections, the Advance Team qualification which rightfully belonged to his team.

"If you have any grievances, you can express them directly to Instructor Wang, the current Chief of the front-line Headquarters. There’s no need to vent your frustrations on us. The Advance Team’s qualification is not something we fought for; it was arranged by the Headquarters. If you have any dissatisfaction with the Headquarters’ arrangement, you can clarify with Instructor Wang right now," Luo’er said.

Luo’er opted for honesty and directness instead of engaging in a guessing game, simply airing out everything. After experiencing so much in the past few months, he didn’t want to spend unnecessary energy playing such childish games.

His words dramatically cooled the meeting’s atmosphere, leaving Murong awkwardly reaching for words, his plot exposed.

"Alright, alright, we’re all classmates; there’s no need for unpleasantness the moment we meet." Shangguan Jiu, a member of the Hunter Squad, intervened to ease the tension.

Noticing Yaning in Tangmo’s arms, a thrilled expression crossed her face. She strode forward, asking, "Who is this child?"

"She..." Flustered by Shangguan Jiu’s attention on Yaning, Tangmo looked lost and turned helplessly towards Luo’er.

Getting a sense of Tangmo’s confusion, Shangguan Jiu paused, and then couldn’t resist asking, "Don’t tell me... this is your child?"

"No, it’s not like that." Tangmo stammered, his face instantly flushing red.

Shangguan Jiu looked at them with curiosity, unaware that Baiyue, who was hiding behind the crowd, had a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

"Alright, stop messing around," Luo’er said with resignation, "Her name is Yaning, a Marsyan."

Regarding Shangguan Jiu, Luo’er held a positive impression. Not only was she attractive, but she was also a half-elf like him. Furthermore, she lacked the Machiavellian scheming of Murong.

"Let’s all sit down and talk. It’s not good to continually stand around." It was at this point Wang Xu finally spoke up. Seeing the scene unfold made Luo’er wonder what he was thinking.

After making arrangements, the Advance Team sat on one side of the table, with the Hunter Squad on the other, and Wang Xu at the head, appearing as if he were a mediator between two rival gangs. The ambiance was awkward no matter how one saw it.

"To clarify, the purpose of Murong’s team’s visit," Wang Xu said, "is that in fulfilling Headquarters’ request, the Hunter Squad is tasked with something of greater importance on Earth, hence the need for further training. They came here for magic practice. In a few days, they will move to a new location for intensive training. The mages of the Advance Team will serve as coaches for this Magic Practice."

After finishing, he looked at Tangmo and asked, "Tangmo, I heard that during your mission, you spent some time studying at the Sacred Heart Magic Academy, is that right?"

"Yes," Tangmo responded immediately as he heard Wang Xu’s question, "We infiltrated the Magic Academy under false identities and conducted a covert operation for nearly a month. During that time, Luo’er..."

Before she could finish, Wang Xu waved off her explanation, "That’s fine, I understand. In that case, consider yourself the trainer for this Hunter Squad’s Magic Practice."

"Alright," Tangmo replied, her uneasy gaze falling on Luo’er. He did not speak but nodded his head in affirmation.

"Thank you, Sister Moumou!" Shangguan Jiu from across the table said with a warm smile.

"You’re welcome," Tangmo nodded.

"In the meantime, the rest of the Advance Team will standby, waiting for updated weapons and equipment from Earth," Wang Xu added.

"Are you saying we’re getting a holiday?" Hu Daoke asked, clearly excited.

"Keep it low-key!" Cheng Ziang quietly kicked him under the table, speaking in hushed tones.

"Does anyone have anything to add? If not, the meeting will be adjourned. Luo..." Wang Xu turned to face Luo’er, before pausing and saying, "Luo’er, Tangmo, both of you report to the office afterwards."

He almost forgot, Tangmo was the captain of the Advance Team, even if Luo’er was the driving force in the team. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of calling upon just Tangmo for the report was questionable. Given her clueless tendencies, it was evident that she wouldn’t be of much use.

The meeting was brief, just introducing Murong and the others and explaining the purpose of the Hunter squad’s arrival. After the meeting, Shangguan Jiu clung to Tangmo and wanted to play with Yaning. She obviously liked the little Marsyan girl.

As for Shangguan Jiu, the Advance Team members didn’t feel too much aversion. After all, since they met her, she hadn’t shown much hostility. Therefore, even sensitive Luo’er didn’t care too much about her.

Unable to refuse Shangguan Jiu’s passionate request, Tangmo handed Yaning over to Baiyue for her and Shangguan Jiu to look after, while she went with Luo’er to the office to report on their work.

Once they arrived at the office, they closed the door and Wang Xu sat behind his desk, listening to their report on the past few days’ missions.

"You have quite the nerve, kidnapping all the way and finally eliminating the person trying to assassinate you. Do you realize, after Tarute’s death, the entire CIA went crazy, looking for trouble with us all over Yazhi City and Ulysses City," Wang Xu said with a sigh.

"So, was the CIA indeed involved with the arms disappearance?" Luo’er asked.

"Not sure. Although we know something, we don’t have concrete evidence," Wang Xu said, supporting his forehead with his hand, and kept asking, "Does the Church Court truly not know about the arms disappearance?"

"Yes, we’ve witnessed the war between the Church Court and Count Ganet. It didn’t seem like they were pretending," Luo’er replied.

"Hmm," Wang Xu nodded, then went on to ask, "Are you sure the kidnapping at the Magic Academy wasn’t done by Earthlings?"

"Sure," Luo’er nodded, "Those kidnappers were all Otherworld guys. They were speaking English to hide from the others from the Otherworld. But what I don’t understand is how did those AR rifles get into the Otherworld."

After pondering for a moment, Wang Xu said, "According to the intelligence received by Headquarters, it seems that the Americans were also surprised by the kidnapping at the Magic Academy. Although they are highly suspicious, we have reason to believe that they were not aware of the kidnapping."

"Hmm," Luo’er simply nodded in agreement.

"Do you know something?" Wang Xu asked.

"These kidnappers seem to be under the control of Odelanqi’s secular regime. I’m wondering if it’s possible that the secular monarchy is trying to obtain Earth’s help to overthrow the Church," Luo’er said hesitantly.

"Secular regime? You’re referring to the king of Odelanqi?" Wang Xu asked.

"Yes," Luo’er nodded, and continued, "We overheard their conversation. They seem to report to some big shot. Based on an analysis of later events, the ’big shot’ they mentioned seems to be the king of Odelanqi."

"King Gudelv sends his men disguised as Earthlings to kidnap the academy, and then asks the Church to accept the Earthlings stationed in Yazhi City." Wang Xu pondered, "Earthlings aren’t stupid. This kind of thing is easy to investigate. Can he ensure he will get Earthlings’ help?"

"What I’m thinking is, if the Church agrees to the kidnappers’ demands, would the United Nations really send troops to Otherworld?" Luo’er looked at him and asked.

Wang Xu glanced at him and fell into silence. After a while, he said slowly, "This matter needs to be reported to Headquarters for analysis before anything can be decided."

Obviously, Wang Xu was intentionally evading the issue. With the impending third War of Otherworld, Earth sending troops to Otherworld is only a matter of time. The Academy kidnapping case could be seen as a blessed opportunity. This kind of coincidence happening at this particular time can make one suspect whether it is pure coincidence or someone deliberately orchestrating it.

"Is the intelligence you obtained in Masya reliable?" Wang Xu asked. Here, he was referring to the intelligence that Princess Melia had provided to the Advance Team.

"I think it’s reliable," Luo’er answered.

"What kind of person is this Princess Melia?" Wang Xu asked.

"A qualified budding politician," Luo’er replied, "She’s very cunning and unusually mature for her age. I don’t think she would have any reason to deceive us."

Wang Xu looked up at him, then shook his head and said, "Helping her to create chaos in the Masya frontline army is too risky. Now Obus has been besieged for more than a month, and I don’t know if Masya can hold on."

"Investigating Masya’s frontline troops one by one would be the most dangerous. As a princess, Melia has much better access to gathering intelligence than we do," Luo’er replied.

Wang Xu sighed, then said, "Try to avoid such things happening in the future."

"Understood!" Luo’er nodded.

Tangmo stood by, watching the two of them talk in turns. She didn’t have much to add. But she no longer felt out of place. At this point, she was more inclined to let Luo’er act as the captain and she could just quietly follow his arrangements.