It was even possible... that Yao Yao had been caught in their plot... Thinking of this, Wang Zhan's gaze remained calm for a moment, though his calm was somewhat terrifying. However, he decided to let things unfold naturally once more. If it really was that person, then even if he realized it, it would be too late. Realizing it didn't mean he stood a chance of winning. His only hope lay with the Federation's powerful departments, especially the Federation Science Institute for Yao Yao's protection!

In fact, when Qin Ying saw the expression on Wang Zhan's face, she understood. Wang Zhan has figured it out! At least he's not like a child anymore, always panicked and restless whenever something happens. Instead, he's listening to what I'm saying seriously, keeping his reason and suppressing his impulsiveness. For some reason, Qin Ying suddenly felt much more at peace, truly relaxed. At least I won't have to watch Wang Zhan follow in that man's footsteps anymore.

One should know, in today's Federation, being weak isn't truly deadly. But if you don't even have the basic ability to control yourself, then the truly deadly factor becomes the enemy's recklessness. The more reckless they are, the more loopholes they present, and the greater their weaknesses. Therefore, after taking another look at Wang Zhan, Qin Ying continued, "…and on that day, when we confirmed the news that the Guardian of Quan State had died in battle, we immediately notified the Southwest Martial Arts Bureau and the Federation's Internal Affairs Department to investigate and gather clues. However, even with a special operations support team composed of four Martial Emperor Experts intervening in the investigation, we couldn't find any clues. Not until the news that the Ming State Underground City had been sealed off spread, and the subsequent impact grew increasingly larger…"

「Three days after the Underground City was sealed off…」

The two main governing bodies of the Southwest, the Internal Affairs Department and the Martial Arts Bureau, finally lost their restraint! The situation began to change rapidly! So much so that not only Ming State, but the majority of states in the Southwest, experienced significant repercussions from this event. The Underground City was bloodbathed! The existing order was shattered! The Underground City and the surface world became completely disconnected, practically falling silent. The Underground City's reserve forces were severely impacted. There were even instances of Grandmaster level martial artists banding together to escape and cause trouble.

One should know that although the Underground City is a 'rat's den' and not officially part of the Federation's system—a situation stemming from deep-seated historical reasons—it also serves as an outlet for the Federation's people to vent their emotions. Therefore, the turmoil in the Underground City directly impacted the order of the surface world. Even some desperate fugitives, who had been planning to flee to the Underground City, found themselves with no escape route above or below. When faced with suppression, they resisted with extraordinary ferocity, which in turn affected ordinary citizens of the Federation.

Therefore, under these circumstances, two regional lords in the Southwest states who often disagreed but held the most sway—Generals Chen Yi and Ye Xiu—both unanimously approved the decision to dispatch troops! They were determined to suppress the unrest in the Underground City and restore calm. Anyone who dared to resist would be shown no mercy!

"…So, after the two major departments coordinated, they first unanimously approved dispatching a vanguard force of 50,000 to suppress the Underground City. Then, they approved sending another 50,000-strong army to clear out the 'rats' in the Southwest wilderness…"

One after the other, this amounted to a total of 100,000 men! However, while 100,000 might seem like a large number on the surface, for the entire Southwest, it was more of a deterrent. Yet, just as both departments dispatched nearly 100,000 troops, the situation in the Southwest states began to shift once more!

On one hand, the incident involving the deceased Guardian of Quan State continued to distract the two major departments, exhausting them and leaving them unable to attend to other matters. On the other hand, the Underground Cities in the Southwest had lost contact with the surface world and had begun to disrupt the Federation's order. And behind these two major, almost consecutive incidents, no one imagined there was a third! Speaking of this, even Qin Ying's face turned somewhat pale, though it was mostly filled with hatred.

"…Just as the 100,000-strong army was deployed, and while the incident with the Guardian of the Quan State Underground City had tied up five of our Martial Emperor Experts, on April 6th, Federal Meteorological Satellite observations detected a series of anomalous cloud formations in the stratosphere above the Southwest states. However, despite repeated checks, we found no clues!..."

Wang Zhan immediately focused, listening intently. Without a doubt, this is the most critical point in the incident where Quan State was besieged by the Beast Tide! Unexpectedly, Qin Ying continued to speak.

"Later, we truly couldn't detect anything abnormal; we only knew the Meteorological Satellite was still issuing warnings. Therefore, we had to urgently mobilize a small contingent to investigate various unusual movements in the Southwest states. In the end, they all returned empty-handed!..."

That day, the Federation's efforts yielded no results.

「The next morning.」

Finally, in a small town in the Southwest states, traces of the enemy were discovered! It was a vast horde, leaving a stench of blood and a trail of devastation wherever it passed! However, the frustrating part was that these traces were merely left by the beast groups when they paused to rest, unable to replenish their energy due to constant movement. In other words, apart from knowing that a massive Beast Clan group was constantly moving through this area, the Federation had no other clues!

「Time passed until April 7th.」

After another day and night, the upper echelons of the Federation finally realized something was amiss! They immediately ordered an investigation into potential faults in the Meteorological Satellite and its operational programming, to ensure its normal functioning as a first priority! Therefore, after nearly three hours of extensive investigation, the Federation's scientists finally discovered an implanted program in what was considered the most vulnerable, yet consistently overlooked, part of the Meteorological Satellite's system.

When Qin Ying spoke of this, her face was filled with killing intent!

"…It was a backdoor! A backdoor deliberately left when the Meteorological Satellite was first launched into space and began operating! And the Meteorological Satellite has always been one of the Federation's most stringent secrets; no outsider should ever have known about it…"

At this moment, even Wang Zhan, upon hearing this, slowly lifted his head. He first looked at Qin Ying before him, then glanced up at the ceiling. A chill ran down his spine! A backdoor the Federation left for itself has now been activated by others, who then collaborated with Beast Clan groups to stage such a grand deception! If that's the case, how many of the Federation's secrets still truly belong to the Federation, and how many have already fallen into enemy hands?

However, the situation didn't end there. As Qin Ying continued speaking, her already reddened eyes grew misty once more. Yet, the corners of her mouth were still tight with killing intent as she spoke, her voice laced with hatred.

"What's more, their plan didn't stop there! After we discovered the Meteorological Satellite's backdoor had been activated and its data modified, the upper echelons decided to immediately change strategies based on real-time reports. But no one expected that just as the upper echelons made this decision, three powerful experts of above Martial Emperor realm broke into the Federation's core. The few individuals in the Federation still capable of making their voices heard were all crushed beneath rubble and are currently still unconscious in the hospital…"

BOOM!

The aura around Wang Zhan finally flared, even if just a trace, in the face of this relentless barrage of unbearable truths. Does this mean... there's no one left in the Federation who can issue commands or organize a rescue?

What Wang Zhan didn't expect was that this revelation was actually less significant than the immediate hurdle before him. Because just as his aura flared, suddenly, HUMMM. A dazzling blue light swiftly materialized beside Wang Zhan. Then, as if it were human, it let out a soft 'Hmm?' filled with endless curiosity. Before Wang Zhan could react, it was already circling him, moving up and down as if verifying some conjecture, clearly intrigued!

But Wang Zhan would never have guessed. While I was talking to Qin Ying, someone was eavesdropping and had even shielded themselves from my senses! Only when my mind fluctuated and my aura unintentionally leaked out did this mysterious entity notice the change in me and promptly manifest its mental energy without any restraint! It was, quite simply, an uninvited guest.

Thus, Wang Zhan didn't care who or what it was. My conversation with Qin Ying today absolutely cannot be leaked! Otherwise, not only will I be doomed to wander the world alone, but Qin Ying... she'd be lucky to escape with her life, likely suffering terribly, to say nothing of others! Moreover, the threat this being poses to me is not insignificant!

Hence, he instinctively prepared to counterattack! But just as Wang Zhan's expression changed, a harsh glint flashing in his eyes and the corners of his mouth twisting into a snarl, Qin Ying—who had largely regained her composure and, upon the figure's sudden appearance, had quickly suppressed all her vulnerable thoughts—urgently cried out to stop him, her face etched with anxiety.

"Wang Zhan! Don't act rashly! That's my great-uncle!"

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