Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Real Footage
The video fast-forwarded, and people could see she never left. She even talked to a few soldiers and shared some energy drinks with them.
Around 6 AM, she waved goodbye to the guards and left through the front gate. The guards saluted her.
Whispers filled the room again.
“…That’s real footage, right?”
“She was there the whole time…”
Doctor Min looked like she swallowed a bug. “That can’t be… She must’ve faked it!”
Su Jiyai raised her eyebrows.
“You’re training area, and ask the soldiers. I didn’t sneak in. I showed my ID. They scanned it. It’s all in their system.”
Leader Pei nodded slowly, then turned to a soldier standing near the side of the room.
“Send someone to the training area. Check their records now.”
The soldier saluted and rushed out.
Meanwhile, Admiral Ru looked pale.
Su Jiyai looked right at him, her voice calm and almost a little smug.
“You wanted an explanation. That’s mine.”
Someone laughed in the back.
“She just wanted to watch training? Seriously?”
Qin Feng smirked a little. “She’s a curious person. That’s not a crime.”
Admiral Ru didn’t say anything. His eyes were locked on the screen, his hands clenched tight.
Su Jiyai walked back to the center of the room and crossed her arms. “So… who’s the old lady in your photo, Admiral Ru?”
“Maybe you should find out before pointing fingers next time,” she added.
Just then, the soldier returned and whispered something into Leader Pei’s ear.
Leader Pei’s eyes narrowed a little after hearing the soldier’s report. Then he stood up and looked at everyone in the room.
“It’s confirmed,” he said clearly.
“Boss Su was at the Rover Base’s military training area all night. Her ID was scanned at the entrance around 8:03 PM, and she left at exactly 6:12 AM this morning. The camera footage matches the logs.”
The room went silent again.
Admiral Ru looked like he just bit into a lemon. His lips were tight, and his face was pale like chalk.
Su Jiyai tilted her head slightly. “Well? Where’s my 20% of food supply?”
Gasps filled the room again.
Admiral Ru flinched, like someone had slapped him.
Doctor Min looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.
Su Jiyai took a step forward, voice sweet but sharp.
“We signed a contract, right? You were so confident earlier, Admiral Ru. So confident that I was the old lady limping around. You even said you’d apologize if I proved it wasn’t me.”
Admiral Ru didn’t say anything. His jaw clenched.
Then Su Jiyai grinned just a little. “Don’t worry. I’ll take the apology and the food.”
Someone in the back laughed.
“She totally flipped it on him!”
“Dang… I thought she was done for.”
Qin Feng stood beside her and crossed his arms.
“Next time, bring real evidence before making big claims.”
Leader Shi nodded slowly.
“A deal is a deal. Admiral Ru, you’ll transfer 20% of Sunny Base’s food storage to Boss Su’s base by tomorrow. And I’ll make sure it’s recorded properly.”
Admiral Ru’s shoulders dropped a little.
“We can’t…we don’t have enough food for our own base.”
A small base leader near the corner let out a snort and shook his head.
“Hah! Look at him trying to wiggle out of it now. Didn’t he say earlier that Sunny Base had stockpiles to last a whole year?”
Another base leader laughed too. “Guess those piles were made of air!”
People started whispering and giggling, but Su Jiyai didn’t react. She looked calm, like none of it bothered her at all.
She looked straight at Admiral Ru and said,
“Fine. If you can’t give food, then give me land instead.”
Admiral Ru blinked, surprised. “Land? Alright. 1,000 square meters. Take it.”
“1,000?” she repeated, like she couldn’t believe it.
“Are you giving me pocket change? That’s barely enough space to pitch a few tents.”
Everyone was staring now.
Su Jiyai stepped forward, her voice loud and clear. “I want 100,000 square meters.”
The room exploded with noise.
Admiral Ru’s face turned red like a tomato. He slammed his fist on the table.
“Boss Su! Are you trying to rob Sunny Base?! That’s ten hectares! You’ve got a heart of a wolf!”
Doctor Min stood up too. “This is ridiculous! You can’t just demand that much!”
Even Jin Sang, who was usually quiet, frowned and said, “Boss Su, maybe 100,000 square meters is a bit too much…”
But Su Jiyai just smiled like they were all kids throwing a tantrum. She walked calmly to the center of the room again.
“I’m being generous,” she said simply.
Admiral Ru looked like he was about to burst. “Generous?!”
She turned toward him, still smiling.
“Yeah. Sunny Base’s 20% food supply is worth at least 20 billion federal coins, right? I could easily buy 101,000 square meters of land with that. I’m asking for less than what I deserve.”
Gasps filled the room again.
Leader Shi looked surprised too, then slowly nodded. “…That’s true. ”
Su Jiyai tilted her head. “So? What’s it gonna be? Keep your food and give me the land. Or break your promise in front of all the other base leaders?”
Everyone stared at Admiral Ru.
Finally, after a long pause, he let out a loud sigh and muttered, “…Fine. 100,000 square meters.”
Su Jiyai grinned and gave a small bow.
“Thank you, Representative Ru. I’ll send someone to pick the land.”
“But the question has still not been solved yet… who stole the supplies?” Leader Pei said.
“Did it vanish into just thin air?”
“Or maybe it is related to the photo Admiral Ru had shown!”
Leader Pei didn’t know. The only thing he knew was, he would be doomed if he didn’t come up with food soon.
“I will investigate the matter, and whoever is the culprit, I will make sure to punish them. For now, I want to buy food. Is there any base interested in seeing food?”
The room went quiet again. Leader Pei’s question hung in the air like smoke.
“Is there any base interested in selling food?”
The big base leaders looked down.
The small base leaders looked nervous. Some scratched their heads. Others shuffled their feet. No one dared to speak first.
Finally, one of the leaders from a medium-sized base cleared his throat and said,
“Uh… we don’t really have extra rice or anything. Just enough for ourselves…”
Another one nodded quickly.
“Same here! We barely have enough for our people. We can sell some mutated beast meat, though. It’s not bad if you cook it right.”
A few more offered the same thing — beast meat, dried monster jerky, or weird plant roots that needed a whole hour to boil.
But rice? Noodles? Packaged food?
Leader Pei’s shoulders dropped. He looked disappointed and also kind of desperate. His lips pressed into a tight line.
Just when the silence was about to get super awkward, a soft voice spoke up.
“I can sell food,” Su Jiyai said, stepping forward.
Everyone turned to look at her.
She was still in her disguise — that same wrinkly face and hunched back, dressed like a quiet old lady who wouldn’t even hurt a fly.
But now she smiled gently and said,
“We have plenty. Cup noodles, canned food, instant rice packs, even drinks. They’re all sealed and clean.”
Leader Pei’s mouth dropped open a little.
“You… You’re willing to sell it to me?” he asked, blinking hard like he was trying not to cry.
Su Jiyai nodded. “Of course. I know your people are hungry. I won’t let them suffer.”
Leader Pei walked over and grabbed her hand gently, both his hands trembling.
“Boss Su… Thank you… thank you so much. I… I owe you.”
He looked so touched, like someone just pulled him out of a deep hole.
The other base leaders suddenly got excited.
“Wait, wait! Can we buy from you, too?”
“Boss Su! I have some extra fuel, maybe we can trade?”
“I’ll pay in coins! Just give me ten boxes of noodles!”
“Do you have dried fruit? My daughter’s been craving something sweet…”
Everyone was talking at once now, their eyes full of hope and even a little desperation.
Su Jiyai looked around and blinked a few times, like she was shy. She even waved her hand a little and lowered her head.
“Ah… well… I didn’t prepare that much,” she said with a small, embarrassed laugh. “I was only planning to sell a little. You’ll have to wait a bit, okay?”
She scratched her cheek and smiled awkwardly, like an old grandma who just got surrounded by a bunch of noisy kids.
The crowd actually quieted down a little, feeling bad for rushing her.
Leader Shi gave a small chuckle. “Boss Su really saved the day. Even when she’s not trying to.”