However, what was there to be contentious about anyway?!

"Ladies and gentlemen, four days ago, Ming State City fell into a state of isolation and has not sent out any information to the outside world since. Until yesterday…" Yaotian provided a detailed explanation. "We in Ming State noticed that initially, two or three groups of convoys drove directly into Ming State, through the wilderness area, and entered the Underground City. Afterwards, some experts, acting independently, infiltrated Ming State through various means…"

Leaving aside those corpulent State Governors, for seasoned individuals like Jin Botao, the information Yaotian provided had immediately laid out an obvious timeline for them.

Everything had started four days ago. It was from the moment Ming State Underground City was lost, and everyone had lost all contact with it, that the twenty-seven states in the Southwest region began to experience chaos one by one, with their Underground Cities suffering bloodbaths.

Consequently, based on the movements of those individuals, it was safe to deduce that these disturbances were definitely related to the Ming State Underground City! After all, the Federation's rats often acted more swiftly and timely than the Federation itself.

However, the sudden arrival of over ten Martial Kings in Ming State just yesterday was simply lawless! They were treating the Ming State Underground City like a new stronghold for the Wind Rises and Clouds Surge. The question was, what did they make of the Federation?

Hence, after waiting for Yaotian to finish speaking, Ye Xiu immediately interrupted, "So, have you received any news from Ming State Underground City during these past few days?"

Yaotian promptly nodded. "Yes! It was also four days ago. Right before the Trial in the Ming State Underground City was about to begin, I received news from the Internal Affairs Department within the city…"

He cast a careful glance at the two important figures from the Internal Affairs Department.

Chen Yi, the head of the Internal Affairs Department, turned gloomy and said, "What are you looking at me for? Are you suggesting that I should reprimand those little brats? Go on, I'd like to see just how useless that bunch of losers really are!"

It was evident that Chen Yi felt this matter was somehow related to his department. The fact that Yaotian had cautiously looked at him clearly implied that all of this had nothing to do with Yaotian himself, and the blame should be placed on those fools. Of course, it was also possible Yaotian was hoping the Internal Affairs Department wouldn't redirect their anger towards him. But for Chen Yi, regardless of the outcome, all he could think was: How outrageous!

Under Chen Yi's instructions, Yaotian, who had clearly taken a breather, continued speaking. "The Chief of the Internal Affairs Department in Ming State Underground City, Fu Jie, told me that there might be minor unrest in the Ming State Underground City in the next few hours. He cautioned us not to be alarmed and said that he would give thirty percent of the city's earnings to Ming State as revenue afterwards…"

In other words, the reason Ming State's response was so slow and untimely was entirely due to the meddling of a chief in the Internal Affairs Department. This directly caused the Federal State City, which had no jurisdiction over the Underground City, to waste too much time.

However, upon hearing Yaotian's words, a murderous glint immediately appeared in Chen Yi's eyes as he glared at An Xi beside him. "Did you know about this?"

In the current hierarchy, Chen Yi was in command while An Xi was his subordinate. Naturally, Chen Yi had every right to demand accountability from An Xi.

However, An Xi looked extremely upset, his face turning dark. He wanted to blame others, but there was no one for him to blame. Who knew if Fu Jie was even dead or alive now!

Hence, An Xi had no choice but to explain to Chen Yi in a low voice, "Although our Internal Affairs Department's funds are generally considered ample, the Federation is short on money! If I don't find a way to generate funds for the Federation, the Internal Affairs Department might just collapse tomorrow relying solely on the stipends distributed by the Federation..."

This was one of the current drawbacks of the Federation. Each department had its own powers and responsibilities, but the problem was they mostly had duties and didn't enjoy many rights. Moreover, the Federation had limited energy, and the Federation President himself was so preoccupied he would rather transform into a fighting president than find ways to secure funds for the Federation.

So, it was obvious: An Xi was the lackey responsible for executing tasks and knew the inside details. Perhaps Chen Yi, due to his recent appointment, was originally just a figurehead, meant to lend some gravitas to the situation. But now he had been put on the spot, only to find, after metaphorically drawing his sword, that he himself was at fault.

Therefore, after a deep breath, Chen Yi reluctantly looked at Yaotian and said, "Continue!"

And so, he found himself in the same predicament as An Xi. Whom could he reprimand? Whoever he reprimanded, it ended up falling back on him, so he might as well accept it.

Yaotian also did not pursue the matter, nor did he have the authority to do so. He simply continued, "According to statistics, since yesterday, Ming State's real-time monitoring system shows that nearly twenty batches of various factions have infiltrated the Ming State Underground City through various channels..."

POP.

Instantly, the shadowy images of the various factions appeared on the projection before Yaotian. Standing in the background, he spoke solemnly, "Ladies and gentlemen, you see! This is the only information we currently possess. Fortunately, although they have indeed entered the Ming State Underground City, it seemed the situation underground was still unclear. Thus, things had remained relatively stable, and no major problems have arisen so far..."

However, someone immediately asked, "Since they're in there, why haven't you dispatched personnel to gather intelligence?"

The crowd had a sudden realization. That was right! Until now, they still didn't know why Ming State Underground City was on lockdown. If Yaotian could observe it, why wouldn't he enter the Underground City?

After a moment of silence, Yaotian finally spoke with difficulty. "That is what I am about to explain to you all. According to intelligence our Ming State Government received four days ago, the four main entrances to the Ming State Underground City—east, south, west, and north—have all vanished!"

A HUM.

A picture supposedly showing the disappeared entrances appeared before everyone. Thus, people could clearly see from the picture that apart from an unobstructed view of solid rock, there wasn't the slightest fissure; no trace of a gate could be seen.

Yaotian continued, "In fact, the reason we were able to detect these experts is because this entrance/exit was the one with the least damage, and also the first one they arrived at. Based on intelligence gathering and comparison of the damage levels, we can conclude that this immense destruction could only have been caused by Martial King-level entities—and more than one of them! Furthermore, our analysts in Ming State City, after tracing back, believe that compared to the blockade status of Ming State's other entrances/exits, this one was only half-sealed. Therefore, we have sufficient reason to suspect that this is a trap…"

Everyone felt a chill creep into their hearts. A trap!

What kind of trap would seal off the entire Ming State Underground City, deliberately leaving a single, easily breached entrance/exit, ultimately causing an uproar throughout the Southwest states and leading to a bloodbath that wiped out the vital forces in the Underground Cities of various regions? And in the end, to discover only after many revelations that it all might just be a trap?

This sounded simply horrifying! Even in the Federation's twenty to thirty years of history, no one had ever heard of such a massive setup or the spectacle of ten Martial Kings arriving simultaneously!

Therefore, it was uncertain. Could there still be survivors in the Underground City under such a scheme?

This was indeed a terrifying force! No one dared to harbor any false hope; they were merely relieved that their own Underground City was not as conspicuous.

Finally, everyone in the room felt a sense of pressure and alertness.

Ye Xiu's face was dark and stern, his expression one of utmost solemnity as his tiger-like gaze swept over the crowd. Then, he finally looked at the picture of the sealed entrance and said, "Very good… Very good indeed!!"

His final word, almost a roar, unequivocally expressed his fury!

He was a soldier of the Federation, a battle-hardened general who had fought for the Federation for nearly his entire life. He never imagined that, in the end, the lands and people that hadn't been destroyed by beasts were now on the verge of being annihilated by those audacious individuals who dared to scheme so recklessly!

Martial Kings, Martial Kings, Martial Kings! Over ten Martial Kings, none of whom had registered with the Federation, had secretly entered Federation territory. What do they think this is, a garbage dump?

Therefore, Ye Xiu cackled sinisterly, scanning his surroundings. The corners of his mouth were twisted in a ferocious, bloodthirsty sneer, making him seem much younger, yet it sent a chill down people's spines.

"Heh heh heh," Ye Xiu declared, his voice chilling, "I'll state my position first! As long as an appropriate order is given, my Federation's Southwest Martial Management Bureau branch will undoubtedly be the first onto the battlefield!"

Despite Ye Xiu's age, his words were forceful and resolute.

However, his actions completely calmed everyone present, dispelling the previous gloom, leaving only shock and uncertainty in their hearts.

Why? It was because some people felt Ye Xiu's killing intent. Although they hadn't worked with Ye Xiu for very long, they were aware of some of the rumors about him. Thus, some hesitated.

"General Ye, we… we are currently discussing countermeasures, aren't we? There's no rush, hehe, no rush…"

One could tell without looking how sheepish and resentful the speaker was. However, even if it meant potentially offending Ye Xiu, many people absolutely did not want to see such an outcome.

Ye Xiu sneered at them. "Heh heh heh, by the time you all come to a decision, Ming State City will have been destroyed!! Is there any point in discussing at this moment? We need to act decisively and swiftly, not stand here blindly waiting for information!"

These words were tantamount to pointing at everyone present and cursing them out. No matter who it was, everyone felt somewhat embarrassed!

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