"Oh, you can really answer questions? Come on, solve this one first—what's up with all the major mercenary corps merging into Dragon Flame?"

'You Lie Likes Eating Watermelon' popped up again.

No one on the forum scolded him because they all wanted to hear the answer to this question too.

Sage: "This question requires us to go back to about a year ago. A year ago, Dragon Flame Mercenary Group was established. Within just three months of its founding, it formed an alliance with Dragon Soul Mercenary Group and Blazing Flame Mercenary Corps. Doesn't that strike anyone as unusually coincidental?"

"Yeah, it's definitely suspicious!"

"Totally! I remember thinking something felt off at the time!"

"Damn it, then why didn't you say anything?!"

"Alright, everyone, calm down and listen to Sage's explanation!"

The forum got a bit chaotic but was quickly brought under control by someone.

Sage: "Based on the collaboration among the three major mercenary corps during this time, I've come up with a bold hypothesis: these three mercenary groups likely share the same boss, or their bosses must be very well-acquainted with each other!"

"Holy crap! For real?!"

"This is so juicy—same boss?!"

"Bosses being acquainted...that seems more plausible to me."

"No wonder they cooperate so well!"

The forum exploded with astonished commentary from users.

"What about the Dark Night Angel?" 'Finger Dance is a Handsome Guy' chimed in, clearly believing Sage's analysis.

Sage: "As for the Dark Night Angel, all I can say is that it might very well just be a coincidence!"

"Ever since the Dark Night Angel Mercenary Corps interacted with the Dragon Flame Mercenary Group in Luer City, Diamond Country, the Dark Night Angel Mercenary Corps has seemingly been secretly cooperating with the initiatives of the three major mercenary groups!"

"And yet, they've kept their profile remarkably low—why is that? The Ge'er Family Heir Succession Contest provided us with the answer!"

"The younger brother of the Dark Night Queen—the Dark Night Prince—happens to be the brother of the Dragon Flame Mercenary Group's boss. So now, the merger of the four major mercenary corps doesn't surprise me anymore!"

Sage capped off his post with an emoji of a smug smile.

"Whoa, so that's the deal!"

"I've heard about the Ge'er Family Heir Succession Contest too—it's true that all four mercenary corps were present!"

"Wait a minute, wasn't the Mandala Mercenary Group and Divine Spear Mercenary Group against Dragon Flame during that time? Why did Mandala join Dragon Flame instead of Hellfire?"

New questions arose on the forum.

"This takes us to the timing of when various mercenary groups merged into Dragon Flame!"

Sage: "Why did all of these mercenary groups choose this moment to merge into Dragon Flame? And why did the Mandala Mercenary Group abandon Hellfire for Dragon Flame?"

"Can you stop being so cryptic already?!" 'You Lie Likes Eating Watermelon' popped up once more.

Sage: "In terms of sheer strength, Hellfire is indisputably more powerful than Dragon Flame. As for influence, Hellfire is the only god-tier mercenary group—who's strong and who's weak is glaringly obvious. Yet despite this seemingly unequal matchup, during the Ge'er Family Heir Succession Contest, Mandala and Divine Spear—two originally allied mercenary groups—split and joined separate organizations. This only leads to one explanation: someone among them was originally affiliated with one of these major organizations, and the other was coerced into making their choice!"

"Coerced into making their choice? Between Dragon Flame and Hellfire, which of these two forces could pressure one of the top ten mercenary groups into submitting…" 'Finger Dance is a Handsome Guy' said with a meaningful tone.

"Only Hellfire could embody 'pressure.' After all, the Dragon Flame team were allies before, and if they wanted to pressure anyone, they would've done it long ago!" 'You Lie Likes Eating Watermelon' chimed in.

Sage: "Exactly! The only one capable of exerting pressure is Hellfire. So, that tells us Divine Spear belongs to Hellfire's faction, while Mandala found itself under coercion. Now that Mandala has joined Dragon Flame, doesn't it make sense to assume they turned to Dragon Flame for help? And recognizing that Hellfire was coercing other mercenary corps into joining their ranks, Dragon Flame united its forces and formed a consolidated power to resist. This scenario suddenly becomes very clear!"

"Whoa, so that's how it is! The Dragon Flame forces banded together specifically to resist Hellfire's coercion!"

"What is Hellfire planning? Why force other factions to join them—is this some kind of attempt to unify the mercenary world?"

"Such outrageous ambition! Mercenary groups have existed for so many years—this is the first faction to actually attempt unification!"

"Does that mean we're in danger too?!"

The forum users finally grasped the implications of Sage's analysis and erupted in shock and concern.

At the Dingyun Lake Villa in Dingjing, within the study of one of the mansions.

Zhang Wenjie glanced at the forum posts and smirked.

Mission accomplished!

Ever since Jiang Chen recruited him at Hu Da'er, Zhang Wenjie had been tasked with exposing Hellfire's schemes to the various mercenary factions.

With this revelation, Hellfire's attempts to quietly assimilate major factions would hit significant roadblocks.

Otherwise, given Hellfire's overwhelming influence, they could likely absorb over half of the strongest factions among the mercenary organizations. By that point, even the current Dragon Flame team wouldn't stand a chance against Hellfire!

Thus, Jiang Chen was determined to curb Hellfire's plans.

Now that the major factions within the mercenary communities were aware of Hellfire's ambitions—being naturally prideful individuals—who would willingly agree to become underlings?

The various mercenary alliances would rapidly form, which was precisely the strategy Jiang Chen envisioned as the best way to halt Hellfire's rapid rise!

…

…

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

A plane from Luofu City to Maro City slowly descended.

Jiang Chen, Yan Hu, Spirit You, Fang Tiancheng, and Bu Langshi exited the airport amidst the throngs of travelers.

There's no airport in Di Gang, so anyone wishing to reach there has to travel by car from Maro instead.

"Mr. Jiang."

Just as they stepped outside the airport, a voice called out. Xi'er, accompanied by two men, approached them.

"Chief Judge Xi'er, and Captain Si Erfa,"

Jiang Chen greeted Xi'er and one of the men with a smile, casting a curious glance at the other, and then looked at Xi'er for clarification.

Xi'er smirked playfully: "This gentleman is Deputy Captain Ta Mu of the Knights of the Round Table. I represent the adjudicators, Ta Mu represents the Knights of the Round Table, and Captain Si Erfa represents the Guardian Knights. Mr. Jiang, your reception lineup is nothing short of prestigious!"

"Chief Judge Xi'er, you…" Jiang Chen chuckled, rolled his eyes at Xi'er, then turned to greet Ta Mu. "Deputy Captain Ta Mu."

"I've long heard of your reputation, Mr. Jiang." Ta Mu responded with a polite smile.

Xi'er gestured toward two Rolls-Royce cars parked by the roadside. "Let's get in—we still have some distance to cover."

"Alright!"

Jiang Chen nodded slightly, taking a moment to glance at Ta Mu.

Afterward, he casually remarked, "Chief Judge Xi'er, it's been a while since we've talked. Let's share a car and catch up."

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