Overnight, Emma City changed its owner.

As for the actual control group of the city, Emma is still in Sosbia. But Glifiz no longer serves as a city manager as a regional manager. The old policies and systems are gone, and everything will be decided by the new company appointees.

In the special care unit on the top floor of Emma Central Building, a tall and thin woman stood in front of the glass window flush with the ground. The faint sunlight shot down from the blue sky and cast a thin dark shadow behind her. Lonely, straight, like a sharp sword blade, without any bending.

Otilia, with her hands behind her back and through the glass, quietly stared at the surging crowds like ants under her feet. Her white skin condensed on her face without expression like milk, and her cold lips as cold as ice closed, forming a cold and hard line.

Locke didn't know how long he had slept. From the moment he opened his eyes, the first person who came into sight was this cold woman like an ancient stake.

He was seriously injured. His entire chest ribs were broken, and his two main nerves were broken. The powerful impact force caused the lungs, liver, kidneys and other parts to be damaged to varying degrees, and the heart even shifted slightly. Now Locke is like a waste, and he can only stay in the special care unit, barely extending his life with various life-saving equipment.

"Huh... I really didn't expect you to come." Locke, who had difficulty lifting up the oxygen mask, let out a long sigh.

Otilia turned around, and a cold light that was not emotional in her black eyes: "I've been there all the time, but you didn't notice it."

"Johho...Ho...No, that's right. You're much better than me, this is normal." Locke's breathing was heavy and slow, as if he could fall apart at any time.

He raised his right hand that could barely move, re-butted the oxygen mask, took a few sips slowly, endured the extremely intense pain, and gasped again, "Where is Greffiz? How about him?"

Otilia frowned slightly and asked plainly: "At present, do you still care about him so much? If you don't know your personality, I really doubt that there is something wrong with your sexual orientation."

"Haha... cough... cough... who made him my buddy?" Locke, who was half dead, showed a signature smile.

Otilia's movement seemed to be stiff, and she was silent for a moment, and said calmly: "He was taken back to Galgasson, and Lord Bergson will personally interrogate him. As for the result... he may be killed. However, he has a good reputation and if he is lucky, he may be cut off his limbs and sentenced to life imprisonment."

"...Is there a third possibility?" Locke closed the smile on his face.

"No - the Luton family cannot tolerate his behavior of being in touch with foreign enemies. Lord Bergson will be responsible for monitoring the execution throughout the process. You should understand the rules of the Luton family. Once sentenced to death, Glifiz will be shared by all family members. They have been using this method to deal with those betrayers." Otilia's answer was cold, stiff and unquestionable.

Locke was silent for several minutes. He tried his best to suppress his emotions and asked in a hoarse voice: "Can you...can you do me a favor?"

Otilia shook her head, her tone was dull, and her voice seemed to be mechanically synthesized: "The organs in your body have been damaged to varying degrees, and you can only survive for three to four months at most. Don't waste your time, you can't save him."

As she said that, she added: "I can't save him. You should understand the relationship between me and the Luton family."

"Johho...Ho...you are a good girl. I, I will not ask you to do things that violate or break your promises."

Locke swallowed his throat with difficulty, accumulated the necessary energy for a few minutes, and struggled and said, "I...I just need you to help me and bring me a message."

"To whom?"

"Yinyue Town...Lin Xiang."

According to the perspective of classical aesthetic researchers, the buildings of Crescent City are obviously too rigid. The lines are dull and there is no decoration. They are purely standard cube combinations of different sizes. They are cold and stiff. Apart from the strong contrasting black and white tone, the only neutral color is dead gray.

But it has to be admitted that only this simplest structure can make the most of the use of space. Especially when too many simplicity is combined together to form a scale, fill the sight, and squeeze out everything that is different from oneself. Under the premise of habits and adaptation, ugliness will naturally become beauty.

Lieutenant Colonel Claude seemed to like the spacious main conference room, and he always regarded it as a temporary office. No one had any questions about this behavior that seemed to be inconsistent with the rules and was barely reasonable.

Sitting on the sturdy alloy folding chair, Lin Xiang was observing the skeleton Lieutenant Colonel in front of him.

The lines on his face are firm and stiff, but there is no cold or cruel atmosphere. The temples on both sides are gray, but there is a unique charm contained in time. The broad lips are smiling, and there is no cunning and hypocrisy that is common in this world. On the contrary, they exude honesty and solemnity, which makes people feel very reassuring and calm.

The combat suit he wore was meticulously dressed. The details such as the neckline and corners were handled impeccably, showing a rigorous and serious tone.

As your eyes go down, you can see a pair of fingers crossing and holding the hands placed on the table. The joints are thick and the muscles on the back of the hand are clear, giving people a strong visual impact. Although there is no expressive action, you can feel the power contained in it.

Finally, and most importantly, Lin Xiang could clearly feel the strong aura emitted by the other party. The degree of intense excitement was far more than any parasite he knew before. Even Osvid could not compare even if he tried his best to kill. Four stars? No, five stars are definitely five stars. Only the skeleton knight with strength above the five-star standard is qualified to be worthy of the lieutenant colonel badge on both sides of his shoulders.

Claude was also looking at him. The difference was that while looking at him, he also smiled and handed over a cup of steaming tea.

"Captain Sock has a good review of you. This is the first time I have seen him use so many praises on some young man."

As he said that, the lieutenant colonel put away his admiring eyes and said seriously: "Okay! The simple opening remarks end here. Please forgive me for being direct. Chats can never take up too much working time. Let's talk about your problem first! I've read the list of materials you filled in. Five hundred tons of food is not a small number. Before I make the final reply of permission or rejection, can you tell me the actual reason why you need this batch of materials?"

"I own a small town. Because of some unexpected reason, thousands of refugees flocked into this land. I have two ways to deal with them. First, kill everyone. Second, let them become new residents." Since we know Claude's straightforward style, Lin Xiang did not want to add too many reasons as an appendix.

"So, do you need enough food to feed them? That is, you made a second choice?" The lieutenant colonel nodded thoughtfully, but his gray eyes kept observing him.

"Yes. I want to build a territory that belongs to me. Without enough power, it is difficult to survive in this chaotic world." Lin Xiang maintained the etiquette he deserved and said neither humble nor arrogantly.

He didn't want to deny his intentions, nor did he have that need.

Crescent City is just one of the strongholds established by the Skeleton Knights in the world. As long as you are willing, this huge force with all the technological civilizations of the old era will crush itself like a fragile eggshell. It is not wise to lie. Although the Knights' control over the world is not as strong as imagined, it is impossible to know nothing about the dispute between Ferdinand and Sosbia. They should be very clear about the contradiction between Yinyue Town and the two major forces. As a skeleton mercenary who has the organization of the Knights, the best way to get help is to tell everything up.

The virtue of honesty, even the most evil devil, will be very fond of honest people. Even if they die, they will suffer less torture than cunning fraudsters.

Claude nodded, obviously very satisfied with this answer, but he didn't know if the expression was sincere or something else. He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, and asked lightly: "Owning territory, the next thing is to form an armed group that is controlled by you personally?"

"To be precise, it should be a mercenary organization under the jurisdiction of the Skeleton Knights." Lin Xiang thought for a moment and played a trump card that had been held in his hand for a long time.

He never thought of relying on Yinyue Town's own power to develop. With the premise of maintaining considerable independence, relying on a certain force to continue and grow, this is the future way out for the town. In terms of accepting objects, he had considered Ferdinand or Sosbia, but the development of things disrupted the plan. As a last resort, he had no choice but to choose the Skeleton Knights.

Lieutenant Colonel Claude stared at him for a long time and suddenly burst into laughter.

"You are a very smart guy. You have ambitions and a mind. You can stay awake while making arrogant plans. It's great to be able to do this. Young man, it seems that Colonel Evans' report at the D212 base is not a false statement... I like your straightforwardness and honesty. Next, you should listen to my answer."

As he said that, the Lieutenant Colonel tapped the table and looked at Lin Xiang with a bright look: "I can meet your requirements. In addition to food, we can also provide weapons and equipment including light combat vehicles, as well as some energy supply equipment. You should be clear about the value of these things. I am not interested in the conflicts and disputes between you and Ferdinand and Sosbia. I only need manpower. As you said, I need a considerable number of army. No matter what form it appears in mercenaries or regional arming, it must obey the dispatch of Crescent City or the Knights' subordinate institutions. I do not expect this armed force to have a strong combat power. I only need it to assist the regular army in defending or attacking nearby areas. This is an auxiliary force, but it must be in the hands of our own people."

"I will give you a certain degree of help and support, but the amount of supplies will not be too large. The Knights have their own rules. Of course, the military dispatch will be carried out by employment. In fact, many controlled areas are implementing this method. The rules on verbal or paper do not have any binding force. The only possible thing that maintains loyalty and trust between you and me is interests."

Lin Xiang thought for a long time and finally nodded slowly.

He had no more choice. Ferdinand and Sosbia were like two huge rocks, sandwiching the Impression Town in the middle, desperately squeezing the already narrow living space. Indeed, if he was pushed to the limit, he could rush into the castle of New Alessandro and Galgassoni alone, killing all members of the Aresandro and Luton family. However, doing so would be of no benefit to the development of Impression Town. The two major families have a trade network with surrounding cities and more remote areas. With Lin Xiang's current strength, they are not enough to replace or control. The result of violent killing can only be the destruction of everyone together under the premise of common paralysis.

To give the simplest example: From Yinyue Town to the seaside or other salt-producing areas, the distance between the route is at least thousands of kilometers. Lin Xiang can organize a convoy to conduct long-distance trafficking, but it requires losses including parts, oil, transportation capacity and other types of related materials. These things cannot be produced in Yinyue Town and have no other channels to obtain. Replacing another necessary resource with indispensable materials will be far higher than the benefits obtained.

This is just a single item of daily necessities. If this assumption continues to be expanded, medicines, clothing, metals, energy... In a short period of time, Yinyue Town's manpower and output cannot be self-sufficient. This world does not have the developed communication equipment of the old era, and there are no roads. Most of the supply stations along the way are only open to their own forces. Forcibly killing can only create new chaos and produce more refugees who have no fixed place.

Relying on the Skeleton Knights can at least obtain security guarantees. As long as you get enough development time and population, the advantages of the two major families will gradually be eliminated, infiltrated, swallowed or even replaced. Humans are a group animal. No matter how powerful their personal power is, they will never be able to survive alone.

Claude was obviously very satisfied with Lin Xiang's attitude: "It seems that we can all find something that is common to each other. Then, next, you can get a part of the advance bonus and the obligations you have to bear."

"First talk about the part you are interested in-"

The Lieutenant Colonel opened the drawer and took out a glass test tube containing a blood sample: "Dr. Schmidt has checked all the mutant samples you submitted. Converted into currency, their actual value is about 600,000 skeleton dollars. Judging from your current situation, the money does not seem to be very useful. So, I took my own initiative to convert the money into actual materials and add it to the first batch of aid to form a mercenary group for you. There are 800 tons of food of various types, four light tanks, and a small set of nuclear power generation equipment."

This is a valuable material. In terms of quantity, it has far exceeded Lin Xiang's expectations. Despite his surprise and shock, he still maintained his usual calmness and nodded lightly: "Thank you."

"Don't be busy with thanks. This batch of supplies is not given in vain, and you can't get them now-"

Claude stacked several documents on his hand and paused hard on the table. He looked at him seriously: "You must perform a mission as my accompanying staff. I will evaluate your personal abilities based on actual combat performance. The Skeleton Knights really need manpower to supplement it, but never deceive and rely on the waste who step on others' bodies to get on the position-"

The lieutenant colonel stared at Lin Xiang with bright eyes, and his extremely hot eyes seemed to be able to see through his heart. He took out a copy of the documents in his hand without caring about the other party's feelings and said bluntly: "The results of the last mercenary qualification assessment showed that at the last moment of leaving the underground passage, you did not show convincing combat ability. On the contrary, the other three candidates died tragically at the same time. Maybe it was because you had some kind of agreement, or your luck was indeed very good. But these things didn't matter to me. I only believed in my own eyes. This mission was very dangerous, and you can decide whether to participate or withdraw at your own discretion. Of course, I will also determine whether to provide material assistance based on your choice."

Lin Xiang smiled faintly and said calmly and slowly: "Should I see this as a threat?"

“I have to be responsible for my decision—”

Lieutenant Colonel Claude's face was full of unquestionable majesty: "I admit that your idea is very helpful in improving the control of Crescent City and surrounding areas. However, I cannot feel any supernatural aura in you. According to the blood sample test report of Medical Officer Schmidt, you may be a mutant human being with an extremely rare number. The new mercenary commander must have some extraordinary ability. Wisdom, strength or speed, I want to see your performance in actual combat myself. This is not a threat, but an opportunity to prove yourself-"

As the sky was dawning, the deafening engine roar broke the tranquility of the Crescent City. In the mix of simple commands and noisy footsteps, two heavy off-road vehicles with bulletproof armor and four wheeled armored vehicles slowly drove out from the garage on the side of the square. After forming formation, they passed through the city gates guarded by the guards in sequence and galloped towards the north of the city.
Chapter completed!