Hei Zhi's eyes flickered upon seeing this, his smile deepening as he secretly calculated his next moves.
Hei Zhi approached Zuo Feng with a beaming smile, saying cordially, "Brother Zuo, you've traveled a long way, it must have been arduous. You must enjoy yourself tonight!"
Zuo Feng returned a faint smile and leisurely replied, "Leader Hei Zhi, I don't think you've organized this banquet merely for pleasure; I suspect there's a deeper meaning. Now that I'm here, Leader Hei Zhi might as well speak directly, otherwise, I'll find this feast hard to enjoy."
A hint of admiration flashed in Hei Zhi's eyes, and he chuckled, "Brother Zuo truly has keen insight. Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. I've invited Brother Zuo Feng this time because I need his help."
Zuo Feng raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What can Leader Hei Zhi instruct me to do?"
Hei Zhi leaned closer to Zuo Feng, his expression turning serious, "Brother Zuo Feng, recently, a powerful Variant has appeared around our Black Lotus Base. It's rampaging, severely threatening the safety of our base. We've sent people to encircle and annihilate it multiple times, but all efforts have been in vain. This time, I've invited ten powerful Mutants who have lit five lotus seeds, hoping we can join forces to eliminate it. I hope Zuo Feng can lend a hand for the sake of the innocent survivors in my base."
Zuo Feng sneered inwardly: When has this Hei Zhi ever cared about the lives of the innocent? He's still using these high-sounding excuses to placate me.
Zuo Feng remained outwardly calm, responding indifferently, "Leader Hei Zhi, as far as I know, no faction has successfully killed a Variant yet, have they? Variants are not like ordinary or mutated zombies; they will flee if they can't win. Forgive me for saying so, Brother Hei Zhi, but our Peerless Apocalypse has hunted Variants more than once, and I've participated, but none were successful. Where does Leader Hei Zhi get the confidence that he can encircle and kill a Variant with them?"
Hei Zhi's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his smile. He lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret, "Brother Zuo Feng, to be honest, we didn't intend to completely kill that Variant in this operation; as long as we can drive it away, that will suffice."
Zuo Feng frowned slightly, puzzled, "Drive it away? If it's just to drive it away, Leader Hei Zhi doesn't seem to need to go to such great lengths. Even if it's driven away, it's not impossible for it to return later. What is Leader Hei Zhi hoping to gain?"
Hei Zhi's gaze was profound, and he whispered, "Brother Zuo Feng, there will naturally be great rewards, but since Brother Zuo hasn't given a clear answer yet, it's not convenient for me to reveal the entire plan. As long as Brother Zuo agrees to join, I guarantee that after the matter is concluded, I will give you an unexpected generous gift that will absolutely satisfy Brother Zuo Feng."
Zuo Feng's eyes showed a thoughtful expression, "Leader Hei Zhi, first tell me the detailed information about that zombie, what other abilities it has, its strength, and also the strength of those ten people."
Hei Zhi pondered for a moment, then slowly informed Zuo Feng about the Variant zombie's situation. As for the strength of those ten people, he naturally informed him one by one.
After hearing Hei Zhi's description, Zuo Feng sneered inwardly: This Hei Zhi obviously downplayed the Variant zombie's strength. Although he hadn't seen that Variant, according to Hei Zhi, it was a Two-Striped Half-Bar Variant, and it must have two companion beasts. With just Hei Zhi and ten Mutants who had lit five lotus seeds, going there would be completely suicidal.
Zuo Feng said in a deep voice, "Leader Hei Zhi, if you are so insincere, then don't blame me for not giving you face. I, Zuo Feng, have hunted Variants many times. A Two-Striped Half-Bar Variant, with just your manpower, is undoubtedly like sheep entering a tiger's mouth. My words are said, I bid you farewell!"
Hei Zhi's face darkened, and he said urgently, "Brother Zuo Feng, wait! I did hold back some information, but absolutely without malice. How about this, after the banquet, I'll talk with Brother Zuo Feng in detail!"
Zuo Feng paused his steps, and looked back coldly, "Alright, then I'll wait for Leader Hei Zhi's esteemed presence in the private room." Zuo Feng finished speaking and quickly left with the two women, secretly pondering: There must be something fishy about Hei Zhi's actions. He must know the Variant's power, and bringing those ten people must have another purpose.
Hei Zhi watched Zuo Feng leave, secretly calculating in his heart.
Soon, a subordinate ran up to Hei Zhi, whispered in his ear, roughly meaning that the afternoon's surveillance hadn't found anything unusual. Hei Zhi nodded upon hearing this, then waved his hand, signaling the subordinate to retreat.
His gaze swept over the impatient bandits, and Hei Zhi's lips curled into a cold smile, thinking to himself: "Ten fools, tonight is your last night of enjoyment. However, this Zuo Feng, as expected of a strong individual from Peerless Apocalypse, is meticulous in thought and broad in knowledge, truly not easy to deal with."
Time passed by, minute by minute, and the banquet finally ended.
The ten bandits, drunkenly supported by the women beside them, returned to their respective rooms. Hei Zhi quietly rose and walked towards the private room where Zuo Feng was located.
Pushing open the door, Hei Zhi walked directly to Zuo Feng, sat down, and said directly, "Brother Zuo Feng, I admit I concealed some things before, but now that it has come to this, I am willing to be frank."
Zuo Feng's expression remained unchanged, and he said coldly, "Leader Hei Zhi, I hope there will be no more concealments this time."
Hei Zhi took a deep breath and slowly said, "My plan this time is to have those ten useless people stall for a while, to tie down the Variant and its companion beasts, while I go to the Variant's nest to retrieve this item." Hei Zhi pulled out a transparent crystal from his embrace.
Upon witnessing what Hei Zhi produced, Zuo Feng's pupils slightly contracted, and he was secretly shocked: This was a Pigeon egg laid by a Variant. News about Variants being able to lay Pigeon eggs was extremely rare, and those in the know were few. Zuo Feng suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked in a deep voice, "Leader Hei Zhi, what is this? How is it related to your hunting the Variant?"
Hei Zhi's eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Brother Zuo Feng, watch closely."
Immediately, Hei Zhi demonstrated the use of that Pigeon egg to Zuo Feng. Even though Zuo Feng had several types of Pigeon eggs, when he saw the effect of this particular Pigeon egg, he couldn't help but gasp, its efficacy was heaven-defying!
Hei Zhi slowly said, "This item is produced by that Variant's companion beast. There are quite a few more in their nest. I've tried to lure that Variant away before, but all attempts failed. It's too powerful, and my people aren't strong enough; they can't last long before being wiped out by it."
Zuo Feng's lips curled into a cold smile, "So you plan to have me and those ten fools lure it away and lose our lives, and then you go and retrieve these Pigeon eggs?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Hei Zhi's eyes, and he chuckled, "Didn't I fail to hide it from Brother Zuo Feng? This time, I'll be frank. Let those ten fools act as cannon fodder, and you and I will go into the nest together to retrieve the eggs, look out for each other, and split the profits evenly."
Zuo Feng was silent for a moment, a glint flashing in his eyes, then slowly nodded, "Deal!"
Zuo Feng didn't care if Hei Zhi had other intentions; all conspiracies were futile in the face of absolute strength. Zuo Feng had originally only planned to investigate and then leave to formulate a capture plan, but now Zuo Feng had a lot of confidence that he could capture it directly, so there was no need to run back to Firefly Base for reinforcements.
Seeing Zuo Feng agree, Hei Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face still maintained a calm smile.
The two looked at each other and smiled, everything unspoken.
But in reality, both had ulterior motives. Zuo Feng's goal was the Pigeon eggs, and he wanted all the Variants. Hei Zhi, on the other hand, wanted all the Pigeon eggs, and after those ten fools died, he wanted to take over everything in their territory.
However, both had a unified goal - to kill the other after obtaining the Pigeon eggs.
