Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 361: Taking the Blame

At the Yangsheng base, Gaoyuan's disappearance alarmed Xiao Honglian and Zhuge Qingtian.

They immediately dispatched personnel to contact Gaoyuan and sent people to search near the Hongyuan Materials Factory in Lu River District.

After a day of investigation, they reported back to Xiao Honglian and Zhuge Qingtian with their findings.

“We found significant destruction at the Hongyuan Materials Factory, and nearly all the supplies inside have been moved away.”

“Additionally, we have not found any trace of Captain Gaoyuan or the others. They have completely vanished along with their vehicle.”

This intelligence was somewhat terrifying for Xiao Honglian and Zhuge Qingtian.

“Completely disappeared?”

Xiao Honglian’s eyes filled with a chilling killing intent.

“No matter how reckless Gaoyuan is, he wouldn’t dare to defy my orders and cut off communication with the base to go elsewhere.”

“Therefore, it’s certain that something has happened to him!”

Xiao Honglian was furious.

Gaoyuan was her cousin; although their relationship was average, Gaoyuan’s predicament was equivalent to a slap in her face!

In this brutal era of the weak being preyed upon by the strong, any display of weakness or hesitation would be exploited by other wolves!

So she had to resolve this issue with an iron fist!

Xiao Honglian turned to Zhuge Qingtian, “Is there any way to locate them? They should have satellite phones in their vehicle with tracking devices.”

Zhuge Qingtian replied, “This is precisely the most puzzling part. We can’t find any signal; it’s as if they vanished into thin air.”

“What?”

A hint of hesitation appeared in Xiao Honglian's gaze.

“So you’re saying that the other side came prepared. They certainly didn’t decide to act on a whim; they’ve been planning to attack our Yangsheng base for some time!” ℞𝓪

“Is Gaoyuan's disappearance merely a signal for war?”

Xiao Honglian’s mind raced, imagining all possible adversaries.

Of course, she was still unaware of Zhang Yi's existence, so she could never suspect such a powerful force.

“Chaoyu Base, Qingpu Base, or the Followers of the Snow God? Which of them did this! All three have that capability.”

“Or perhaps West Hill Base wasn’t completely wiped out but has instead relocated?”

Due to the lack of intelligence, Xiao Honglian found it difficult to make an accurate judgment.

However, the more one speculated, the more complicated things could become, because there were too many possibilities.

Zhuge Qingtian said to her, “Given the current situation, with Gaoyuan missing, we have no good way to trace his whereabouts, making it impossible to determine who the enemy is!”

Xiao Honglian sat in her chair, crossing her long legs, and fell into deep thought.

“Qingpu Base is to the northwest; even if they want to occupy the territory of West Hill Base, they could only approach from the northwest. It’s unlikely they would make a long trek to seek out Gaoyuan in the southeast.”

“Chaoyu Base is closest to Gaoyuan; could it be them?”

“The Followers of the Snow God have always acted subserviently, afraid to clash with our bases. But that cult leader is clearly no good; she must harbor ill intentions. There’s a high chance it could be her!”

Zhuge Qingtian walked over and said, “I think the incident’s location is closest to Chaoyu Base. Why don’t we contact them first and see what they have to say?”

Chaoyu Base and Yangsheng Base had a relatively good relationship.

After all, for Chaoyu Base’s ships to go to sea, they needed Yangsheng Base to provide fuel.

Conversely, Chaoyu Base supplied Yangsheng Base with various seafood as food.

However, it was mainly Chaoyu Base that relied more on Yangsheng Base.

Xiao Honglian pondered for a moment and replied lightly, “Don’t think that our relationship with Chaoyu Base is very good; we’re merely using each other!”

“Those guys are also quite envious of our oil refinery.”

Zhuge Qingtian chuckled, “But for now, they still dare not clash with us.”

Xiao Honglian nodded, “Then let’s contact them!”

Xiao Honglian took out her satellite phone and directly called Wei Dinghai, the leader of Chaoyu Base.

The call connected.

Xiao Honglian’s personality was straightforward; after a brief exchange of pleasantries, she got straight to the point.

“Wei Dinghai, my cousin Gaoyuan has disappeared at the Hongyuan Group Factory in Lu River District. Do you know anything about this?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Dinghai immediately realized that Xiao Honglian was suspicious of him.

His tone grew somber, “You guys are quick to react! But I can tell you that this matter has nothing to do with us at Chaoyu Base!”

“And, we have people missing too!”

His subordinate Wang Ruixuan, who was sent to scout West Hill Base, had been killed by Zhang Yi.

This incident left Wei Dinghai feeling uncertain, not knowing who was behind it.

Xiao Honglian was somewhat surprised.

“Your people are also missing? Where?”

“At West Hill Base, the people I sent to scout have vanished! Among them was a superhuman with considerable strength.”

Wei Dinghai said coldly, “Superhumans are so scarce in Tianhai City; even if there are superhumans wandering outside, they can hardly compete with my trained soldiers!”

“So I also want to ask you guys if it was your doing!”

There are also differences among superhumans.

Those from large organizations have access to abundant resources and weaponry.

Conversely, ordinary people who mutate find it challenging to become stronger, and even surviving can be tough.

For example, Li Jian’s abilities are limited by his living conditions, leaving him little room to demonstrate his strength.

Xiao Honglian understood Wei Dinghai’s implication; he too was suspecting that a force was secretly making a move, which naturally included their Yangsheng Base.

“So, it seems we’ve both suffered losses!”

Xiao Honglian’s gaze cleared up considerably.

“In the entire Tianhai City, there aren’t many forces that could simultaneously strike against both our factions. The blacksmiths of Qingpu Base dislike conflict; they have no reason to go to war with us.”

“So the only possibility is that it was the Followers of the Snow God who did it!”

Wei Dinghai laughed, “Yes, you’re absolutely right! It must be the Followers of the Snow God!”

Using the process of elimination is easy to follow.

At present, the Followers of the Snow God were indeed the prime suspects.

However, why was Wei Dinghai smiling?

Because he and Xiao Honglian were both thinking of the same thing.

They had long viewed the Followers of the Snow God unfavorably; this religious organization has always absorbed survivors from across Tianhai City.

The number of survivors in Tianhai City was around one million, although the exact figure is unclear.

As the Followers of the Snow God absorbed more people, it would affect their ability to obtain labor and even allow their slaves to escape.

The accumulated dissatisfaction had been brewing for a long time, and now that they had a legitimate reason, they would certainly not miss this opportunity!

Since the Followers of the Snow God were the biggest suspects, attacking them would be seen as a justified action.

Even if they weren’t the culprits, it would allow them to vent their frustrations—wasn’t that a win-win situation?

Author's Note