At this moment, the Great Hoodwinker asked Ren Xiaosu, “I heard you went into the stronghold to save someone? Do you know how the creeper vine died? Can you reveal anything about it?”
Ren Xiaosu calmly said, “I don’t know either. Just after I went in, a vine coiled around Zhou Yingxue’s head. She fell unconscious after that, and I had to quickly take her with me to go into hiding.”
When Ren Xiaosu said he did not know what had happened in the stronghold, the Great Hoodwinker started cursing on the inside. Like hell he would believe that! With Ren Xiaosu’s temper, it was good enough that he didn’t uproot the entire creeper vine, so how could he possibly have left it alone?
The Great Hoodwinker ridiculed, “You went into hiding? Do you think you’re that sort of person?”
Ren Xiaosu turned his head to Wang Fugui. “Ignore him, Old Wang. Continue your story.”
Old Wang said, “After we were washed away by the flood, Ms. Jiang found an opportunity midway through and brought us back onto shore. Later on, we lived with refugees in the mountains for a while, but we really couldn’t get through those days of being isolated from the world. After that, we thought of starting a business with the money and medicine that you left behind. At least, we would still have some money when we saw you again in the future.”
Old Wang continued, “We went to the Wang Consortium’s stronghold and purchased some goods that weren’t available in the Northwest. Then we transported them to the Northwest and met Zhang Xiaoman on the first day of our arrival. When I learned that you were still alive, I immediately wanted to return to the Central Plains. However, he said that he had a method to find you….”
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. “What method?”
“Uh…” Old Wang glanced at Ren Xiaosu and hesitated for a moment before saying, “He said that they would send their people to look for you at whichever strongholds were in trouble. However, it seemed that they were unable to find you even after sending someone to Stronghold 74. Zhang Xiaoman even claimed that it was Xu Xianchu who taught him this method….”
The Great Hoodwinker said from off to the side, “I was the person Wang Fengyuan sent to Stronghold 74. Xu Xianchu’s guess was right. By the time I found out about his whereabouts, he was at Stronghold 74. Moreover, look at how Stronghold 61 ended up….”
Ren Xiaosu was immediately left speechless. What the hell! He interrupted the Great Hoodwinker, “Don’t say any more for now!”
The Great Hoodwinker fell silent.
Wang Fugui said with a sigh, “When we didn’t hear any news of you, I led everyone back to the Central Plains and even hauled a lot of goods back. It was all thanks to Zhang Xiaoman that we could complete the deal successfully this time. But he took the liberty to give us several million yuan’s worth of goods on credit. Will that affect him?”
The Great Hoodwinker was amused. “No, you don’t have to worry. Zhang Xiaoman did the right thing this time! Old Wang, do you know who the young man in front of you is?”
Huh? Wang Fugui was taken aback by that question. How could he not know who Ren Xiaosu was?
The Great Hoodwinker said conspiratorially, “This is our Fortress 178’s future commander. Do you know what that means? After Commander Zhang retires, Ren Xiaosu will take over as the commander. In that case, what’s the matter with putting the goods on credit when it involves our future commander’s own business? Don’t you think?”
Wang Fugui and the others were stunned. Although they had stayed for a while in the Northwest, no one would tell them such things.
“Are you serious?” Wang Fugui asked the Great Hoodwinker, “He’s the future commander of Fortress 178?”
“How could it not be true?” The Great Hoodwinker replied, “Do you really think anyone can buy several million yuan’s worth of goods on credit from our Fortress 178 just by giving a name?”
Wang Fugui finally understood why everyone in the Northwest behaved so enthusiastically towards him. It also explained Zhang Xiaoman’s cordiality and generosity.
When the goods were transported out of the warehouse, even the warehouse officer was exceptionally friendly with him. He kept addressing him as Brother Wang and said he hoped Wang Fugui would come frequently to the Northwest to grow his business and achieve glorious heights.
He was wondering why Zhang Xiaoman had such great authority.
Only now did he realize Ren Xiaosu’s status had changed!
Old Wang stared dumbfoundedly at Ren Xiaosu. “No wonder Zhang Jinglin stayed in our town for so many years! So you’re his…”
Ren Xiaosu’s face darkened. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not related to him by blood. The Great Hoodwinker is just bluffing y’all, so don’t take him seriously.”
However, the Great Hoodwinker wasn’t going to care about that. All he wanted was to get this matter confirmed no matter what it took! If he could influence Ren Xiaosu through Wang Fugui and the others, who were like family to him, it would even be better in the future!
Qin Sheng, who was eavesdropping next door, was finally able to confirm that Ren Xiaosu was really the next designated commander of Fortress 178. He was even the type to refuse the role despite everyone wanting him to be the one.
What should he do now? He picked up the satellite phone next to him and called his teacher, Old Li. When the call connected, he bluntly said, “Teacher, I’ve confirmed Ren Xiaosu’s identity. It is not as simple as we thought….”
“What do you mean?” Old Li could not understand what he was trying to say.
Qin Sheng explained, “He’s definitely not a superhuman who operates by himself. He is different from those other lone wolves.”
“Yes, I know he has a maid.” Old Li said impatiently, “Can you say everything without pausing in between each sentence?”
Qin Sheng said helplessly, “He is the heir of Fortress 178. It looks like the entire Fortress 178 has tacitly acknowledged this, but it sounds like he doesn’t want to go back to the Northwest. So, Teacher, you should be mentally prepared. Even if he’s really the one we’re looking for, he might not accept it.”
Before this, the consideration Old Li had was what if Zhang Qingxi and the others did not accept Ren Xiaosu when it turned out he was the one they were looking for.
But now, that condition had suddenly shifted. Instead, they should be worrying about what to do if Ren Xiaosu did not accept them!
Old Li asked blankly, “Are you really sure?”
“Yes, and I don’t think there’s a need for him to put on an act for us.” Qin Sheng said, “But, Teacher, I think this might also be a good thing. After interacting more with Ren Xiaosu recently, I realize his combat strength is probably beyond our imagination. In the past, we thought he would not be as strong as us. Or rather, all the Riders feel that most of the superhumans who have awoken their powers naturally in this world are weaker than us, save for a few individuals. However, Ren Xiaosu is very likely to be one of those few. Teacher, you should also have heard about the creeper vine at Stronghold 61. He managed to emerge unscathed after he went inside. Also, I suspect he’s definitely involved with how the creeper vine wilted away.”
Old Li said with a sigh, “Alright, I understand. I’ll need to inform the rest of the Riders about this.”
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu turned his head and looked at Jiang Wu, who was standing off to one side. Over the past few months, Jiang Wu’s demeanor had become even more reserved. Right now, as everyone was conversing, she just listened quietly with a smile and did not interrupt them. However, she kept looking at Ren Xiaosu.
But when Ren Xiaosu looked back at her, she would avoid eye contact.
