Yin Qing, relying on the Azure Lotus, narrowly escaped Cloud Dream Mountain but was still injured by Ming Yue's earth power and fell into a coma.
When she woke up, she found the Azure Lotus back within her, and herself lying in bed.
She looked around and realized she was in a tidy room. The furnishings and decorations were completely unfamiliar.
This made her feel insecure. She wanted to sit up and get out of bed to see where she was.
"You're awake. How do you feel? I saved you. I think we need to talk."
Just then, a deep male voice sounded from outside the door. Following it, Zhao Wumian walked in with a smile.
"You brought me here? What is this place? What do you want?"
Yin Qing then noticed that her room had no door; it was merely a partitioned resting area. Looking out from the doorway, the outer area appeared to be a living room.
She recalled how Zhao Wumian had ignored her at the trade fair, and now his attitude had changed so drastically.
Not only had he saved her, but he also wanted to talk. The sudden shift made her wary.
"Don't be nervous. This is Azure Dragon Base. After all, I am your savior. I brought you back.
If I truly had malicious intent, I would have dealt with you outside. Why would I go to such lengths to bring you here?
I just want to talk about cooperation, something mutually beneficial. Why not?"
Zhao Wumian's face was full of sincerity. He gestured for Yin Qing to sit by the table and, as the host, poured her a cup of tea.
"So this is Azure Dragon Base. Thank you for saving my life. I'm just curious, though.
I wonder what cooperation there could be between our Vermilion Bird Base and Azure Dragon Base.
From what I recall, you weren't that interested in me."
Having lived two lives and experienced many significant events, Yin Qing immediately put on a smile.
She took the tea but placed it back on the table without drinking. Her guard was still up.
She offered a perfunctory thank you and deliberately mentioned Vermilion Bird Base, indicating she wasn't alone and represented an entire base.
This was to deter Zhao Wumian, warning him not to make any rash moves. She then got straight to the point, urging Zhao Wumian not to beat around the bush.
"Very well, Miss Yin. You're straightforward. Then I'll be blunt.
To be honest, my impression of you was indeed not good.
You strike me as a scheming and ambitious woman, and such women are dangerous. It's best to stay far away.
However, times have changed. If I'm not mistaken, it was Ming Yue from Cloud Dream Mountain who injured you?
Don't you want revenge? But with your strength, even with Vermilion Bird Base, you're no match for Ming Yue, are you?
Coincidentally, I also need to deal with Ming Yue's base. They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Should we cooperate?
But if you're unwilling, Miss Yin, I won't force you. You can leave Azure Dragon Base anytime. I won't stop you."
Zhao Wumian was also an old fox. After clarifying the situation, he employed a strategy of advancing by retreating.
He gave Yin Qing the choice, appearing to be merely suggesting, and leaving the decision of cooperation to her.
However, he was confident that Yin Qing would agree and not refuse.
"Alright, on behalf of Vermilion Bird Base, I agree to form an alliance. What are the conditions? What do we need to do?"
As Zhao Wumian had predicted, Yin Qing agreed.
In reality, Yin Qing's agreement was merely a delaying tactic. The moment she knew she was at Azure Dragon Base, she understood she had no choice.
Her earlier display of strength was just an act; she was actually feeling vulnerable.
Her plan was to agree to whatever Zhao Wumian proposed, as she was alone.
First, she would see what conditions Zhao Wumian had. If she could accept them,
and if they could join forces to eliminate Ming Yue, she would gain a powerful ally. She would be happy to see this happen.
But if Zhao Wumian's conditions were too harsh, she would deny everything once she returned to Vermilion Bird Base. After all, she wasn't above such tactics.
"You don't need to do anything. Just come with me to a place for a tour."
Looking at Yin Qing, Zhao Wumian smiled. He had seen through her thoughts but didn't expose her.
He knew that once Yin Qing visited that place, she would change her mind.
"Alright. Since you invite me so warmly, I imagine the place we're going to must be very special."
Yin Qing knew she had to go regardless of whether she agreed. So, she decided to be straightforward.
Zhao Wumian led Yin Qing to an inconspicuous place within Azure Dragon Base. It was barren and desolate.
It was about two mu in size, covered in yellow sand, like a miniature desert.
Yin Qing was confused, not understanding what was so interesting. Zhao Wumian, however, took her hand and jumped directly into the sand.
Yin Qing was about to summon the Azure Lotus to protect herself when her vision blurred, and the environment around her changed.
The yellow sand disappeared. She and Zhao Wumian were now in an underground world.
Zhao Wumian introduced it as the true Azure Dragon Base and took her to visit the base's laboratories.
There, Yin Qing was stunned. She saw an ordinary person transform into an ability user after being injected with a syringe.
Moreover, the ability users' power levels visibly increased after the injection. All of this overturned her understanding of the world.
She was a greedy person. She thought to herself, if Azure Dragon Base belonged to her,
and this laboratory was hers, wouldn't it be easy to achieve her dreams?
Zhao Wumian saw the greed in her eyes and a triumphant smile played on his lips.
"I plan to attack Ming Yue's base in a month. We will need Vermilion Bird Base's cooperation then.
To ensure the success of this operation, we can help Vermilion Bird Base improve its strength during this period.
Does Vermilion Bird Base need this assistance? You can consider it."
Zhao Wumian dangled the bait, and Yin Qing agreed without hesitation. Besides the desire to gain an advantage,
she also wanted to understand more about this mysterious laboratory and even Azure Dragon Base so she could claim it for herself.
Azure Dragon Base was far superior to Vermilion Bird Base and a much better starting point for her success.
So, she repeated her previous tactic. Not only did she agree to Zhao Wumian's help, but she also proposed that Vermilion Bird Base join Azure Dragon Base, merging into one.
In her previous life, she had joined Cloud City Base this way, scheming against Bu Ying and then taking it over for herself.
Zhao Wumian immediately stated that if she could bring all of Vermilion Bird Base to join, she would become the second-in-command of Azure Dragon Base.
Yin Qing's first step of her plan succeeded. She returned to Vermilion Bird Base and brought the entire base to Azure Dragon Base for injections.
However, to her surprise, after the Vermilion Bird Base members received the injections, they were fine at first.
Three days later, they all died. Their bodies disappeared. She was left alone.
"Zhao Wumian, you owe me an explanation! Why did everyone from Vermilion Bird Base die after the injections, and now even their bodies are gone?"
Yin Qing angrily kicked open Zhao Wumian's door and demanded an answer. She had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice.
Those were the people who had helped her rise in the apocalypse. Now they were all gone, and her heart was bleeding.