It was hardly surprising. After all, what kind of person was General Ye Xiu? How could he possibly endure such disrespect? So, he made no move to stay; a BUZZ sounded instantly. And just like that, Ye Xiu's projection vanished without a trace.

At the same time, Chen Yi's expression mirrored this sentiment. Though the darkness had left his face, his countenance grew even more severe. This was because, compared to the subordinates under his command who had caused this turmoil and squandered precious time, these individuals were remarkably similar! Consequently, the people he was staring at felt an inexplicable pang of guilt. But Chen Yi ultimately spared them some face, merely stating indifferently, "Since General Ye Xiu has departed, my presence here would only make you uncomfortable. Please, discuss it among yourselves. If anything arises, you can consult with General Anxi…"

Then, like Ye Xiu, Chen Yi also chose to withdraw from the meeting. In that instant, countless people sighed in profound relief.

Having those two old men staring menacingly at them had been an immense pressure!

Everyone works for the Federation; just do your job! Why push us to the point of risking our lives?!

Unexpectedly, however, after the two "old guys," Ye Xiu and Chen Yi, went offline, they both, as if by prior agreement, summoned their adjutants.

First, Ye Xiu, in his office adorned with walls full of medals and commendations for military achievements, ordered sternly, "Now! Immediately! At once! Assemble a team composed entirely of Martial Kings for me. Even those who have retired and are living a quiet life must crawl back if necessary to make up the numbers…"

In contrast to Ye Xiu's swift and decisive action, Chen Yi was in the core area of the Internal Affairs Department, intently staring at the combat radiation telemetry displayed before him. After a long while, he slowly and quietly issued instructions to the adjutant before him, "Drag out that 'fire-starter' for me. Then, gather two or three Martial Kings and a team of elite Grandmasters. From this moment on, they are to act strictly according to my directives at all times! Remember, have them all proceed to this location. Starting from there, investigate for me! Investigate thoroughly! No matter who it is, regardless of their identity or status, dead or alive—bring them before me!"

Only then did Chen Yi's adjutant realize that the place Chen Yi was pointing to was precisely Quan State City—a location that had not caused the slightest stir during the earlier meeting, yet, unbeknownst to most, had already fallen under someone's scrutiny!

"Yes, sir!"

Undoubtedly, even though the two old men were deeply dissatisfied with the incompetence and belated measures of those good-for-nothings, it was clear that they were both battle-hardened veterans, shrewd and cunning. Although on the surface they appeared to have disregarded Ming State City, their duty as soldiers compelled them to make their own choices decisively and without hesitation.

Intervene! They had to intervene!

Since chaos had already begun to spread in the region, these audacious individuals attempting to incite war within the Earth Federation must not be allowed to forget the power that currently protected the Federation—the most formidable force on Earth: The Military Department, the Military!

「Back in Ming State Underground City.」

A day had passed. Ouyang Yue, who had long since slipped in quietly and blended into the crowd, was still searching for traces of Wang Zhan.

In truth, Ming State Underground City at this time, despite considerable damage and numerous buildings riddled with holes, remained surprisingly calm within, apart from its four main entrances being sealed. It was merely quieter than the usual Ming State Underground City. This was because, no matter how diligently Ouyang Yue and her senior martial brothers and sisters searched, they could not find any trace of Ming State Underground City's Martial Kings. It was as if they had vanished!

Thus, an unprecedented tableau of chaos and order, clamor and tranquility, survival and death, unfolded starkly before Ouyang Yue's eyes. The chaos stemmed from the absence of the Martial Kings; certain areas were inevitably poorly controlled, leading to the inevitable rise of those harboring malevolent intentions. The order, on the other hand, persisted because even without the Martial Kings, their former subordinates—those powerful Grandmasters who seemed to have endured a bloody slaughter that resulted in a rapid depletion of mid-to-high-tier strength—were still diligently carrying out the orders of their respective Lord Martial Kings, responsible for coordinating Ming State Underground City.

However, even as those Grandmasters continued their unceasing efforts, Ouyang Yue found herself truly disappointed. Not with Ming State Underground City, nor with the Grandmasters' hard work, but with Wang Zhan! Just as at this very moment, she observed everything before her: the ordinary people living in madness, or succumbing to death. Involuntarily, memories surfaced in her mind of her first encounter with Wang Zhan. He had been such an enigmatic young man, difficult to fathom and exceedingly temperamental. But undeniably, if the Wang Zhan of that time could still be described as human, then the one whose actions she now witnessed seemed utterly cold, chilling her to the bone.

Because Ouyang Yue had long since realized: Wang Zhan was definitely in Ming State Underground City! Moreover, that fiend was constantly watching this area, observing the myriad predicaments and the deaths of ordinary people in the depths of the Underground City.

Although her senior martial brothers and sisters were unaware, the few Martial Kings who had expended considerable effort to enter Ming State Underground City met their Little Martial Sister's somber gaze and, with wry smiles, tried to console her, "Little Martial Sister, stop searching. He's definitely not here! We've searched for ages and haven't seen hide nor hair of him. Why don't we leave first and strategize for the long term…"

In fact, they had almost suspected Wang Zhan had already left, leading them to enter and exit several times. Yet, even by the time the Federation discovered their presence, they still hadn't found a single trace of that young man from Chu State. This shouldn't have been possible. If that young man were truly still here, it would be inconceivable for him to hide so thoroughly from Martial Kings who had come specifically for him. His shadow seemed to loom everywhere, yet not a single concrete clue of his whereabouts could be found. Therefore, their conjecture was not without reason.

Ouyang Yue, however, wore a bewildered expression. She seemed like a young girl lost in the throes of first love, despondent because she couldn't find Wang Zhan. But in reality, this bewilderment stemmed from her having witnessed all the misfortune before her. Coupled with the strong emotions of her senior martial brothers and sisters around her, a conflict of strange thoughts had unconsciously—or perhaps consciously—formed within her, thoughts she was now trying to unravel. Despite this, she wouldn't voice these thoughts for others to consider, choosing instead to keep them hidden.

So, she quickly regained her composure, her voice somewhat cold as she spoke slowly, "My bloodline talent tells me he is here. Every part of this place is suffused with his aura; it's also littered with the marks of his destruction. So, find him. I believe we can definitely find him…"

She was somewhat uncomprehending and doubtful. Thus, she desperately wanted to understand: Why was all this happening?!

Why had the young hero of the Federation, who once lived in the annals of the Federation's network history, one day become such a ruthless and indifferent demon king?

Why! Why could that young man, who often repaid grievance with virtue, be capable of such actions?

So much so that, after truly seeing through Wang Zhan's facade, any fondness Ouyang Yue had felt for him, any excitement she once had about finding him, had completely vanished like smoke into thin air. The only thing she wanted to do now was to stand before him, look him in the eye, and ask him personally: Why did you do this?! Why destroy the order of a place and show such disregard for the lives of others?

Does he even realize how many ordinary people vanished at the hands of those detestable careerists and morally bankrupt butchers after the Martial Kings of Ming State Underground City disappeared?

But how could the five Martial Kings fail to guess their Little Martial Sister's thoughts? Yet, what could they do but offer a helpless smile?

"Little Martial Sister… you're getting too attached."

"Alas! It's an Underground City, after all. Our Federation has never officially recognized these places. Their lives are considered worthless, so why lament them…"

Even a fool could see it. If their Little Martial Sister had the temperament of a young girl before entering the Underground City, now she was genuinely, deeply angry. Her anger was palpable. It was like the raw emotion of a lovers' quarrel, yet also akin to the goodness in her heart rebelling in the face of evil.

Clearly, the chaos in the Underground City had forced these lower-class drifters to bear the full brunt of its bitter consequences. Therefore, their Little Martial Sister strongly suspected Wang Zhan was responsible for all of this, but her kind heart had learned to rationally direct all her fury solely at him.

However, for Martial Artists of great strength like themselves, even though her senior martial brothers and sisters undoubtedly stood by their Little Martial Sister, in their hearts, they felt nothing but endless admiration and awe for the Wang Zhan who might have wrought all this destruction. They couldn't muster even a shred of blame.

Our Little Martial Sister is still too young. If it were me, faced with such a situation, I would have made the same choice…

Our mentor also taught us not to be naively, willingly kind. Because at many critical moments, kindness is the very arrow that can cost us our lives!…

Of course, everyone had actually realized that the scene here was not something a single high-level Martial Artist could have created alone. In fact, after reconstructing and speculating on the events, they deduced that among those involved in the original battle, one person was definitely at a disadvantage, constantly being pursued. That was why, in a desperate, panicked flight, they had thrown Ming State Underground City into such disarray! Yet, that individual had actually been controlling his strength throughout, not leveraging his opponent's attacks to cause excessive devastation or damage to the Underground City's layout; otherwise, the situation would have been far more dire. This also proved that he was still a competent Martial Artist, a young man who adhered to a moral baseline.

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