Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 226 - 219: Roadside Picnic_1

Chapter 226: Chapter 219: Roadside Picnic_1

By the time Baiyue had read up to this point, Tangmo couldn’t help but yawn, then naturally leaned against Luo’er. Luo’er pulled back the curtain to look outside the window, only to find that the sky had dimmed. It seemed that darkness was fast approaching.

Everyone had been listening to the story all day on the road, so by evening, they couldn’t help yawning frequently.

"Let’s continue reading next time!" Luo’er suggested to Baiyue.

Baiyue glanced at all the others and then at him. She agreed with a nod, closed the notebook, and placed it in her bag.

As nightfall approached, the group made a campfire on an open field by the road, with Luo’er preparing a stew for the team. Before long, a rich aroma wafted from the pot. Hu Daoke took a bite of the tough black bread, washed it down with the flavorful soup, and instantly felt warmth spreading throughout his body.

Cheng Ziang looked at him gulping down the food, rolled his eyes, and sat quietly with his cheeks in his hands.

"What’s the matter? You seem down," Luo’er walked over and asked as he sat down.

"After listening to your stories today, I feel like you guys were all born fortunate and had the love of your parents. Not like us, we came from some laboratory, all of us orphans," Cheng Ziang responded with a weighted sigh.

"Do you harbor resentment towards the headquarters?" Luo’er hesitated before asking.

Cheng Ziang glanced at him, knowing Luo’er’s temperament. Even if he spoke his mind, Luo’er as their protective captain, wouldn’t report his words to the headquarters. He would always prefer to resolve issues within the team itself.

"Honestly, not much resentment. After all, it was the headquarters that gave us life. Being parentless is one thing, but being ungrateful is not a good quality," Cheng Ziang casually said.

"You wouldn’t be afraid that I’d report your words to headquarters, would you?" Luo’er questioned with a frown.

"Hmph," Cheng Ziang smirked, then replied, "Don’t I know you better than that?"

"Well," after a moment of hesitation, Luo’er decided to speak up, "Actually...you can find out who your biological parents are...through reading."

"What do you mean?" Cheng Ziang asked, taken aback.

"I had mentioned before, being a part of the entire project, I know more about the inside story than most," Luo’er paused before continuing, "When the headquarters sent people to the Otherworld to collect the genes of its inhabitants, it wasn’t random. Selections were made carefully, and detailed records were kept. Tracing back to your origin from the gene library could be complicated, but data about your fathers would be stored in the headquarters’ digital archives."

"How would you know that?" Cheng Ziang asked, a touch of excitement in his voice.

"Wang Xu told me," Luo’er casually shrugged.

"Could he find out where my father is?" Cheng Ziang further inquired.

"No," Luo’er candidly replied, "The details concerning this require the highest level of authority to access. Based on what we know, only the senior members of this project have the information."

"So that means, someday we could possibly find out who our parents are?" Cheng Ziang mumbled in a daze.

"Perhaps," Luo’er responded, directing his gaze towards Baiyue, "Yue’er is an exception. She’s not a product of the Origin Project, hence outside its confidentiality clause. We just need to ensure that her link with Dr. Anatoli is kept a secret from the Russians."

"Seems like without gaining more experience, we cannot hope to know where our parents are," Cheng Ziang shrugged and sighed.

"What a mess! If you guys want to know, I could put up an application with the higher ups," Luo’er offered.

"Forget it, knowing now won’t make a difference. It’s not like as if I can drop everything and return home to our parents," Cheng Ziang paused, then asked, "Luo’er, you’ve mentioned before that you are in the Otherworld to find your mom. If you did find her, would that mean leaving the Advance Team?"

Luo’er was startled by the question. He indeed had stated his purpose in coming to the Otherworld was to find his mother and that he might leave the Advance Team once he found her.

But his concerns for Luo Qishan had tethered him. He might despise Luo Qishan, but he wouldn’t want any harm come to him because of him. That’s why he stayed with the Advance Team. Now with Cheng Ziang posing the same question again, he had to reconsider his options deeply.

"My grandfather is still on Earth, where could I possibly go?" After contemplating, Luo’er replied with a shrug.

"No offence, but the Principal is growing old and may not have long. In other words, the headquarters might not be able to hold you hostage for long. What do you plan to do when that time comes?" Cheng Ziang continued.

"I haven’t thought about it yet, will worry when the time comes," Luo’er sighed.

"You have always been reluctant to be the Captain. As I suppose, you’re probably planning to leave the team after finding your mother?" Cheng Ziang went on.

"Something like that." Luo’er nodded.

"And then have me take up the Captain post?" Cheng Ziang asked half-smiling.

"I believe you..."

Luo’er had not finished when Cheng Ziang interrupted, pointing at Luo’er, "Let me warn you, if you walk away like that, the team will fall apart. Don’t even think that I will lead the team."

"I would figure you as the kind who would run from responsibility," Luo’er gave a bitter smile.

"If anything happens to you, I can fulfill the team’s duty, but if you abandon us and run, I won’t cover for you!" Cheng Ziang clearly stated his position.

"Ha, butt, are you guys talking about butts?" As the two were talking, Hu Daoke cut in at some unknown point, asking bluntness.

"Shut up!" Cheng Ziang looked frustrated.

He turned his head and saw Baiyue and Tangmo, the two girls, chatting and laughing around the bonfire. He knew that if he wanted to chat with Luo’er, he had to seize the opportunity before the girls remembered Luo’er and monopolized the conversation.

"What do you think about the headquarter’s layout?" asked Cheng Ziang.

"Well, it’s a bit conservative," said Luo’er truthfully.

"What do you mean by conservative?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Currently, the direction of HQ’s expansion is clear, which is east of Yazhi City, prioritising Masya and Ronisca. Masya is a giveaway, but HQ seems to doubt Melia’s abilities and haven’t provided her with much support. Even if she recruits and buys horses now, it won’t amount to much for a while. Masya is ultimately under the king’s rule," Luo’er analyzed.

"Melia’s abilities are indeed good, as we have both witnessed. Therefore, I think you should report this to HQ to prevent your Princess Melia from being overthrown by the rebels. By then, all previous efforts will have been wasted," Cheng Ziang said with a smirk.

"What do you mean by ’my Melia’?" Luo’er said awkwardly.

"Although I didn’t go upstairs that day, I still roughly know what happened," Cheng Ziang said, squinting happily.

"You guys..." Luo’er sighed and explained, "Nothing happened that day. Why do you always link her with me?"

"Don’t you find Melia’s attitude towards you strange?" Cheng Ziang asked gossipingly.

"Melia is a northerner. They discriminate against half-elves. It’s impossible for her to think otherwise," Luo’er shook his head.

"Did I hear wrong that day?" Cheng Ziang asked suspiciously.

"Stop mentioning her name, or Moumou will get angry if she hears it," Luo’er said, giving Tangmo a glance.

"If she takes the throne of Masya and comes to find you, will you agree to her?" Cheng Ziang cast a glance at the two girls and continued to prod persistently.

"Agree to what?" Luo’er pretended to be confused.

"To become the King of Masya, of course!" Cheng Ziang said merrily.

Hearing his words, Luo’er paused. He lowered his head, reflecting on what happened that day, and then said seriously, "Melia will sell anything for her own gain, including herself. If I align myself with her, won’t I have to be on edge every day?"

"How do you know Melia would be willing to sell you out for her interests?" Cheng Ziang asked, looking at him with a smirk. "How do you know that her concept of love isn’t the same as her approach to interests, willing to sell anything?"

"She’s a woman with big ambitions. How could she possibly get entangled in such petty emotional disputes," Luo’er said, indifferent to the remark.

"From her attitude towards you, I think she still believes in love." Cheng Ziang’s words left Luo’er speechless.

Seeing Luo’er’s silent figure, Cheng Ziang shrugged and said, "Okay, let’s not talk about her anymore. Let’s continue with the main topic."

After a pause, he continued, "That dwarf named Mooer has returned to Ronisca. I doubt he will purge the anti-cooperation forces within the country. In other words, there are still a group of guys openly opposing us."

"Mooer is an opportunist. He is caught between the cooperative and anti-cooperative forces. Although his stance is for cooperation, he hasn’t openly opposed the anti-cooperative forces. As long as these folks make trouble, HQ has no choice but to cave to Ronisca. It’s the so-called ’distribute by riot’," Luo’er analyzed.

"So what do you think he’ll do?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Back in Helros, Mooer merely sent people to catch us rather than to kill us. If it wasn’t for those Americans causing trouble in the city, we would have been taken to the airship and shipped back to Yazhi City long ago. Evidently, he’s afraid of offending HQ. So after being warned by Wang Xu this time, I guess he shouldn’t just sit back and do nothing as he used to," Luo’er reasoned.

Cheng Ziang was about to say something, but suddenly saw Hu Daoke gulping down soup from a pot. He was taken aback momentarily, then kicked him.

"What the hell!" Hu Daoke almost spilled the soup because of his kick, so he stared at him angrily.

"What are you doing?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Are you blind? I’m drinking soup!" Hu Daoke rolled his eyes and said dismissively.

"Then what am I going to drink?" Cheng Ziang immediately became anxious.

"I don’t care, who told you to keep talking nonsense there." Hu Daoke said.

"You!!"

"Alright, alright, stop fighting. I’ll go cook some more soup," Luo’er stood up to smooth things over.