Yang Cui's face filled with anxiety.

She hurriedly supported Yao Yao's mother, who was about to kneel, and said in a rush, "Yao Yao's mother, what's wrong? Please, speak clearly. Isn't Yao Yao alright? How did things escalate to needing urgent help?"

Yao Yao's mother continued to sob uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears. "I… I don't know either! All I know is that your son is a man of great ability and influence. Even though he's in prison now, he could be released at any moment. That's why I came to you… Please, you must save my daughter! Ah, my poor girl…"

Her cries were heart-wrenching, earth-shattering, and unsurprisingly, they alarmed all the residents of the residential building, igniting whispers among them.

"What on earth is happening?"

"Who is her daughter? And who is that older woman with the golden hair? Is saving someone really that simple?!"

Luckily, Old Yao, the pillar of their family, was the first to step in and put a stop to the commotion.

He roared, "Enough!!"

Then, he threw the cigarette from his hand, grabbed his wife, and said to the startled Yang Cui, "Let's go inside to talk. We shouldn't make a spectacle of ourselves out here."

Yang Cui, though taken aback, quickly responded, "Oh, yes, yes, please come in, come in! You need to explain everything to me first. I'll help if I can…"

However, Yao Yao's mother, still held firmly by Old Yao, continued to wail, even starting to shout curses. "Are you even a man? Why are you yelling at me! If you're so capable, go save my daughter! If she's gone, I don't want to live anymore!"

Veins bulged on Old Yao's temples. "If you want to die, then let's all die together! Otherwise, why are you here bothering others? If you can't pull yourself together, then go save her yourself!"

After the three of them went inside, it took quite some time before Yang Cui finally understood the situation. Old Yao handed her a newspaper, where the headlines starkly read:

"Federation's Genius Girl Single-Handedly Battles the Upper and Lower Houses! All for the Elixir Industry…"

"Federation Science Institute's Beauty Spokesperson—Yao Yao! Vows to Secure Fairly Priced Elixirs for the Common People of the Federation!"

And so, even though Yang Cui hadn't seen much of the world, her intuitive understanding of people made her quickly realize the gravity of Yao Yao's predicament.

This was a truly life-threatening situation! Heaven knows, those powerful figures might devour her whole, not even leaving a single bone behind.

This realization terrified her.

My goodness! Why are these people, both of them, so audacious? Daring to snatch the cake from the plates of those bigwigs! Do they have nine lives to spare?

But the problem was, even if Yang Cui understood the gravity of the situation, she was, in the final analysis, just a housewife. How could she possibly have the ability to meddle in such monumental affairs?

Seeing Yang Cui's look of helplessness and despair, Old Yao glanced at Yao Yao's mother, who, though still crying, had quieted down considerably. He then took a deep drag from his cigarette and said in a somber tone, "Wang Zhan's mother, we know you might not be able to help much with this. But you also know that your son, with his own capabilities, brought us all out from Chu State. We have no one else to rely on, so we had to come to you. Of course, ultimately, we didn't come just for you. We hope you can contact that influential person your son knows. Ask him if there's still any room to salvage this situation."

This time, Yang Cui completely understood Old Yao's intentions. Though her heart was still a maelstrom of emotions and she felt a headache coming on from the helplessness of it all, she quickly responded, "That's no problem, absolutely no problem! Let me think, let me think…"

Finally, Yang Cui slapped her forehead. She had an idea!

Immediately, with a slightly questioning tone, she asked Yao Yao's parents, "Alright, I don't know those important people Wang Zhan knows, but I know someone who might. I'll call her right now and see if she has any solutions…"

At this moment, the name Yang Cui thought of was Yu Lan. This mysterious woman had been quietly developing the 'barter' platform, hidden deep within the Federal Martial Arts Academy. She remembered Yu Lan because Yu Lan had accompanied Wang Zhan to their home more than once recently and had even left her contact information.

Upon this realization, Yao Yao's worried parents, though still heavy-hearted, found a glimmer of hope in their eyes as they looked at Wang Zhan's mother.

At least they could do *something*!

With Yao Yao at the Federation Headquarters—her exact whereabouts unknown to them and beyond their ability to contact—this was the only course of action available to her parents.

Finally, Yu Lan, sitting in her office, answered the call.

Yu Lan didn't know exactly what would unfold after Wang Zhan went to prison, but she was certain it was all part of his calculations. Thus, she had made thorough preparations for any eventuality or role she might play, anticipating they would undoubtedly prove useful.

Indeed, from the moment Yao Yao dared to risk universal disapproval by publicly challenging the seven major elixir conglomerates of the Federation, Yu Lan realized Wang Zhan's plan had fully commenced!

She had never imagined Wang Zhan would dare to make such a bold move, targeting the Elixir Companies directly. Honestly, she was becoming increasingly intrigued by how things would unfold.

Of course, the immediate priority was to first reassure the three older people—Yang Cui and Yao Yao's parents—who had been left behind or perhaps overlooked, so they wouldn't worry.

Therefore, Yu Lan, in a soft yet composed voice, reassured the person on the other end of the line, "Auntie, I already know what's happened. Please wait at home for a little while. I'll arrange for someone to come and get you right away…"

Little did she know, while Yu Lan was arranging for people to go and ensure their safety, preventing any unforeseen incidents, the dormitory building where Yang Cui was staying unexpectedly became a focal point, suddenly drawing the attention of many people.

Consequently, upon receiving the news, these individuals emerged from their homes and quickly converged on the dormitory building.

Even the gatekeepers at the Federal Martial Arts Academy noticed the anomaly and swiftly issued an alert to all students and administrative staff of the Federal Martial Arts Academy.

"Attention! Attention! Unusual activity detected within the Martial Arts Academy! Epicenter: A3! All personnel, prepare for engagement!!"

"Warning! Warning! A group of Federation citizens is approaching the Martial Arts Academy entrance! Unknown if Martial Artists are concealed among them! Warning! Warning! Numbers increasing! We require backup! We require backup!"

In an instant, the entire Federal Martial Arts Academy was in an uproar.

"What's going on?"

"Why were there two alarms simultaneously?"

Just as some students and mentors, confused and discussing amongst themselves, were rapidly preparing for battle, someone suddenly pointed.

Pointing towards the faintly visible A3 dormitory building within the Federal Martial Arts Academy!

"Look over there!!"

"What is that…"

Someone immediately roared, "All students, immediate combat alert! Defend the A3 dormitory building! Any unauthorized personnel entering the campus will be killed without mercy!"

It was a mentor. Moreover, upon seeing the A3 teaching building, he had immediately grasped the severity of the situation.

An enormous crowd was gathering there, resembling dark storm clouds about to bear down.

Hence, he immediately recalled the Martial Arts Academy's directives regarding the A3 dormitory building:

"...All mentors must take note: anyone unfamiliar in appearance is strictly prohibited from approaching the dormitory area, especially the A3 dormitory building. This is of utmost importance…"

These mentors, though they didn't know what A3 signified, were all Martial Artists from the Federal Martial Arts Academy, and their tradition had deeply ingrained their duties within them.

Protect!

Therefore, in a flash, the entire Federal Martial Arts Academy mobilized!

Nearly one-third of the Martial Artists and students swiftly moved towards the A3 teaching building, intending to intercept those figures before they reached A3.

The other two-thirds of the Martial Artists and students, while rapidly converging on the eight main gates of the Federal Martial Arts Academy to establish defenses, also dispatched a smaller contingent to patrol every nook and cranny of the campus.

The problem was, they simply couldn't comprehend why, or how, a group composed mostly of ordinary people had suddenly appeared inside the Federal Martial Arts Academy.

Only Wei Daoming, the Dean of the Federal Martial Arts Academy, who knew the full story and had scrutinized the incident's origin from the outset, continued to gaze intently into the distance. He was looking at the A3 dormitory building, where Wang Zhan's and Yao Yao's parents were. And at Yang Cui—the woman with the huge golden waves of hair—who, having seen the shadowy figures outside, had been so frightened by the crowd that she'd grabbed a knife, trying to shield the other two behind her!

Then, from a street corner some two or three kilometers from Wei Daoming, yet seemingly originating right beneath Yang Cui's feet, a vast wave of mental energy suddenly materialized and erupted, leaving only a sharp, swift warning echoing in the air:

"Ignorant rodents! Do you presume the Federal Martial Arts Academy is a place you can simply encroach upon?…"

Immediately, a soft POP was heard. It was as if a few ants had been silently crushed, a chilling display of power sweeping across the campus.

Only the people of the Federal Martial Arts Academy, whether calm or agitated, remained immersed in the tense atmosphere.

At this time, the people Yu Lan had dispatched, seeing that events were taking an unexpected turn, quickly took a detour. They navigated through the crowd and reached the dormitory floor Yu Lan had specified as swiftly as possible.

Inside, it was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the chaotic scene unfolding outside.

By now, they could faintly discern the figures appearing in their line of sight.

They were marching in silence!

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