She Never Held a Grudge, For They Were All Dead

Before Chen Dafeng could open his mouth, Lu Nianxin, who stood behind him, quickly got up and pressed her hand firmly over his mouth, smiling as she explained to the others.

"Nothing, nothing, everyone, please continue with the strategy meeting."

"I'll take Captain Chen aside to let him rest for a bit; he's just exhausted."

Only Lu Nianxin could manage to stop Chen Dafeng. If it were anyone else, Chen Dafeng's hot temper would've already had him pointing at Jiang Xiaoci's nose, ready to shout.

Jiang Xiaoci cast a brief, indifferent glance at the two of them before turning her attention to Li Aiguo beside her.

"Mr. Li, I may need to trouble your people tonight. I remember that young man—his surname is Su, right?"

"Yes, Miss Jiang."

Li Aiguo, who had briefly looked at Chen Dafeng with curiosity, nodded respectfully. "Xiao Su is leading the team this time. He and his men will be in charge of the bodies tonight. I guarantee there won't be any mistakes."

"After all, when it comes to special talents, I've never seen any city's gifted ones who are stronger than ours in Dan Tu."

Li Aiguo said this with confidence, and he admired the battle forces Jiang Xiaoci had brought with her. According to rumors, the short man beside her was an SSS-level combat talent!

Though envious, Dan Tu still had its value!

Earlier, Jiang Xiaoci had discussed in detail with Li Aiguo, laying out a structure for Dan Tu's role in the Jinling faction, emphasizing how essential Dan Tu was.

Whether it was Jiang Xiaoci's promises for the future or her personal respect toward him, both were reasons Li Aiguo was willing to follow her orders.

Of course, the most important factor was the overwhelming military strength displayed by the Jinling Group.

They could easily crush Dan Tu with sheer power. They could force us into submission with nothing but fists.

But the commander of Jinling didn't do that. He chose to reason with us, calmly outlining the stakes.

What was this like?

It was like the official, formal attitude of peacetime!

When Brother Long speaks calmly, you'd better listen, because you won't lose out.

But when Brother Long stops talking and doesn't want to reason anymore, trying to negotiate something then won't be easy.

When Li Aiguo realized this, he understood that Jinling was very different from Guangling.

Li Aiguo also realized why the national army supported Mike so much.

He wasn't just powerful—he had the patience to control his strength.

A powerful martial artist isn't necessarily a hero, and someone who seeks revenge isn't always a hero. Only those who uphold righteousness and loyalty can barely embody some sense of integrity.

"Mm, the more intense the situation, the better. More blood, more corpses," Jiang Xiaoci reminded, and Li Aiguo nodded in agreement.

Afterward, Jiang Xiaoci turned to Qin Dashan. "Corresponding public relations work must also be advanced. We need to make it clear to the citizens that we're not here to bully them. We truly want to help."

Chen Dafeng, who had just removed Lu Nianxin's hand from his mouth, silently observed as Jiang Xiaoci guided the others.

Qin Dashan asked, "Miss Jiang, after the next round of attacks, should we send a rescue team into the areas they occupy?"

"No, don't escalate the conflict. If we send a team now, we'll get caught in urban warfare, and that's not beneficial for us."

Jiang Xiaoci shook her head and replied calmly, "We'll wait. We'll wait for the people to make clear demands. The chat channel is open—it's free and fair. Once they speak, we will act."

"Win the trust of the people first, then distribute aid."

Jiang Xiaoci glanced around the room and reminded, "Now, there's a standoff between three factions. It's become a stalemate. What we need isn't a quick victory over Guangling, but a rescue mission to aid those affected by the disaster!"

"Always remember our mission and task. We must prioritize the people's needs, not fight for territory!"

"The survivors in Guangling are our compatriots! We cannot abandon them!"

"By my command, no one is to make the first move. Starting now, no one is to kill anyone! No one—no matter if they are local combatants attacking you!"

Jiang Xiaoci spoke firmly, and the room fell silent. Everyone responded solemnly.

Chen Dafeng watched in silence, while Lu Nianxin muttered under her breath, "You brute, do you get it now?"

Chen Dafeng glanced at her and shook his head.

"You still don't get it?"

"I understand a bit. She wants to save the civilians first. She thinks fighting right now would result in civilian casualties."

Chen Dafeng spoke softly. "But... won't this be too troublesome?"

"Troublesome? This is the only solution for urban guerrilla warfare!" Lu Nianxin rolled her eyes.

"To win the people's hearts is to win the world. We have the strength, and we aren't afraid of urban warfare, but if we fight, it will damage the commander's reputation. We might even cause the higher-ups to reassess the commander's abilities."

"Miss Jiang is not only avoiding civilian casualties, she's aiming for victory without battle."

"When our enemies are still fixated on military power, we are already gaining the people's hearts. Do you understand?"

"As long as we do enough, show enough sincerity, and when the whole city supports us, what will the Guangling Army and the Guangling Resistance think?"

"They're fighting for survival, for the people. If they betray their cause, who will support them? Most of their soldiers come from the local civilians. If they lose their moral high ground, they'll collapse without a fight."

"At that point, only a broken army will remain, wandering the city. Can they still rely on the urban alleys? The most numerous in the alleys aren't fighters—they're civilians."

"When the people's hearts align with us, we won't even need to act. The enemy will drown in the sea of civilians, since they've always ruled over them in Guangling. Their support base is weak."

Lu Nianxin shrugged, explaining to Chen Dafeng, "Understand now? While the enemy is still comparing military strength, we're building our soft power, which is above military might."

The Jinling Group cares about the entire Guangling population and the people's hearts. Jiang Xiaoci knows she will win; she's just choosing her own way to do it.

"Isn't this too slow?"

Chen Dafeng, still not convinced, muttered, "If we keep dragging this out, we may not even take Guangling this month. What if the higher-ups assign us new tasks and we have to divide our forces? That would be even more troublesome."

Chen Dafeng felt that with so much strength in hand, it would be better to resolve things quickly, as any delay in subjugating Guangling might cause more problems.

"No, we need to go slow. The slower, the better."

Chen Xun suddenly walked over, overhearing Chen Dafeng's words, and laughed as he explained, "Mr. Lu sees things clearly, but I dare say Miss Jiang has deeper intentions."

"You're here?"

Chen Dafeng was surprised, but Chen Xun pointed to the side, "The big meeting is over; this is a smaller meeting now. I'm free."

He gestured to where Jiang Xiaoci had stayed behind with a few others, discussing more detailed plans while the rest had started leaving to carry out their assigned duties.

"Deeper intentions?"

Lu Nianxin was uninterested in the meeting but was intrigued by what Chen Xun said. "What do you think Jiang Xiaoci is really planning? No one can really guess her thoughts, but I suspect only the commander understands her."

Me?

Mike, who had been eavesdropping, was taken aback and gave a wry smile.

Actually, sometimes Mike couldn't fully understand Jiang Xiaoci either, though recently, he'd managed to catch onto some of her thoughts.

"I don't believe it, just a bold guess."

Chen Xun smiled, narrowing his eyes. "Do you two remember the major events in Xinchang?"

"I remember them well!"

Chen Dafeng's expression darkened at the mention of Xinchang. He had suffered a huge loss there and nearly got into trouble, so of course, he hadn't forgotten.

Chen Xun smiled at him and continued softly, "I've only joined Jinling recently, but I've heard rumors. They say the commander is a roadblock for Miss Jiang. In our people's hearts, it seems Miss Jiang isn't someone who takes a loss easily."

"Although Xinchang's events didn't result in a major loss for us, we did lose face. Based on Miss Jiang's temperament, she probably won't just let it slide."

"I once studied the national map, focusing on the nearby cities and regions for several nights... when I think about what happened in Xinchang, it seems there's something more to it, perhaps some mastermind behind it."

Chen Xun paused and, with a sly smile, continued his analysis in a low voice, "I think, since Xinchang's issues were suppressed, the mastermind's plans were thwarted. Now that we've entered Guangling and reached a stalemate, don't you think this is a perfect opportunity? If there's someone watching us, they might strike now."

He lowered his voice, "If they strike and reveal a weakness, isn't Miss Jiang just waiting to strike with lightning speed and expose their true identity?"

"So we need to go slow. The slower we go, the more impatient the mastermind will get, and the greater the chance they'll make a move."

Chen Dafeng's eyes lit up as he listened.

He had overheard Mike and Jiang Xiaoci discussing a hidden mastermind back in Xinchang, so he understood there was something deeper going on.

Now, with Chen Xun's analysis, it finally clicked for him just how deep Jiang Xiaoci's strategy really was.

"Ah, now I get it! Yes! This is it! Cunning! Deceptive! A trap within a trap! It's suffocating! This is her!"

"Stop talking!"

Lu Nianxin nudged Chen Dafeng, who suddenly sat up straight and glanced in Jiang Xiaoci's direction. She was still busy arranging detailed plans with the others, seemingly unaware of his earlier outburst.

"Wait a minute, how did you figure out there's a mastermind behind all this?"

Lu Nianxin turned to Chen Xun, his brow furrowing. "Do you know something we don't?"

Lu Nianxin had unwittingly asked what Mike had been thinking all along about the mastermind. Mike hadn't mentioned this to many, and only Chen Dafeng was aware of it.

But Mike knew, given Chen Xun's intelligence and the clues from recent events, he had probably deduced the situation by now.

"I'm just guessing."

Chen Xun smiled and winked, "I made a bold guess, then verified it, and concluded this."

"That's so unreliable."

Lu Nianxin shook her head. "Even if Miss Jiang really does this, how can you be sure we'll catch the mastermind's flaw? Even if she's as brilliant as you say, what if the mastermind doesn't show themselves?"

"If they don't, even better! Just give us Guangling for free."

Chen Xun shrugged. "Just like the plan earlier—if the remnants of the Guangling army don't attack us, they'll give us a chance to show our legitimacy and earn the support of the people."

"They could be smarter and join us in winning over the people, but they won't. If they were smart, Guangling wouldn't have become what it is now."

"Some things are destined because of people's nature."

Chen Xun looked at Lu Nianxin, then at Chen Dafeng.

In his meaningful gaze, Lu Nianxin suddenly recalled that this guy used to be a psychologist, right?

Wait... Does he know about the secret between me and Dafeng?

Just as Lu Nianxin began to worry, Chen Dafeng heard Jiang Xiaoci's call: "Captain Chen, could you come here for a moment?"

"Ah!"

Chen Dafeng froze, standing up with a worried expression. "Do you think she heard me just now?"

"She didn't, don't worry."

Chen Xun smiled reassuringly, "Miss Jiang isn't the type to hold grudges."

"That's not true! You just said she's very vengeful and won't take losses!"

"Well, the people she holds grudges against... most of them are dead now."

"..."

Chen Dafeng rolled his eyes at the awkward reassurance.

Then, with a grand gesture, he walked toward Jiang Xiaoci's desk, filled with the feeling of a brave hero marching toward his death.

"Miss Jiang, you called for me?"