Su Baadao's words immediately made the other party's face flush red with anger.
This infuriated the other party's companion, who said in a chilling voice,
“Is this Wannian Platform a place for you juniors to run your mouths?”
“If you don't understand, does your teacher not understand either?”
Su Baadao's expression grew even more disdainful upon hearing this. He looked into the other man's eyes and said,
“According to the laws of Great Wei, even ordinary citizens can come to Wannian Platform to express their opinions. What is wrong with me? Am I not a citizen of Great Wei?”
“The truth only becomes clearer through debate. Is your version of truth simply to force people to shut up?”
“You...”
More and more people joined the denunciation, shifting their target from Wan Tianqing to Su Baadao.
Yet Su Baadao was completely fearless. In a battle of wits and words, he single-handedly silenced more than a dozen of them, leaving them unable to raise their heads.
This made many members of the Wan Party nod in secret approval, thinking to themselves that their faction had gained another powerful asset.
“Enough!”
Sitting at the head of the table, Qin Qian suppressed his mounting rage.
The moment he spoke, the conference room fell dead silent.
“I called you all here today to find a solution, not to bicker!”
“If you want to argue, get the hell out!”
Qin Qian swept his gaze across the room, as if searching for a scapegoat to make an example of.
Seeing that no one dared to meet his gaze, Qin Qian took a deep breath and spoke.
“Anyone who dares to suggest suing for peace again will die!”
The conference room grew even quieter, so silent that a pin drop could be heard.
“Cough, cough, cough.”
Wan Tianqing coughed twice before speaking.
“A first drumbeat rouses the spirit, a second weakens it, and a third exhausts it.”
“He has likely already completed his promotion ritual.”
“What?”
The assembly was shocked. By now, everyone knew exactly who that “he” referred to.
“This... doesn't this mean Great Qi now has three Sequence 3 experts?”
“That is a Sequence 3 of the Axeman pathway, naturally born for combat and slaughter! What are we supposed to do now?”
Chaos erupted in the room once more, making Qin Qian's brow twitch with irritation.
He could only turn his gaze to Wan Tianqing, hoping the elder could offer a solution.
“Everyone, a Sequence 3 of the Axeman pathway does not instantly achieve full power upon completing the ritual. He still needs time to digest the potion, which typically takes one to two years.”
“In other words, Great Qi is about to replace their commander.”
At these words, Wannian Platform instantly fell silent.
Wan Tianqing slowly raised his head.
“Everyone, what does replacing a commander in the middle of a war imply? Do I really need to spell it out for you?”
...
Central City.
Xia Yitiao walked along the streets, looking at the neon lights and bustling nightlife, suddenly overcome by a sense of profound confusion.
Master, I love Great Wei, but Great Wei seems to be truly rotten to the core.
This is Central City, the very heart of Great Wei.
If even this place has turned out like this, what about the rest of the country?
Master, whose Great Wei are we actually defending?
In just over a month, Xia Yitiao had aged by more than ten years.
He had already suspected the darkness lurking within Central City, but he realized now that he had still been far too idealistic.
Initially, he had only wanted to resolve his own mental block.
Looking for the problem when he already had the answer, he knew exactly where to start.
But as one thread led to another, more and more problems began to surface. The deep-seated sense of justice in his bones made it impossible for him to turn a blind eye.
With every sin he witnessed, a piece of darkness seemed to merge into his own soul, leaving him increasingly exhausted.
By now, he felt as though he was on the verge of collapsing.
Before, he had wanted to bring every criminal to justice.
But now, he wanted to eliminate them with his own hands.
As a former law enforcer, he knew this was wrong. If he did that, he would become just another person trampling on the law.
The principles he had upheld his entire life, and the ones his master had spent a lifetime defending, would all become a joke.
Caught in the clash of these two conflicting emotions, he grew more and more exhausted. He even began to harbor the pessimistic urge to destroy the world and rebuild it from the ashes.
“Master, being a good person is so exhausting.”
Looking around, he casually pushed open the door of a cafe.
The waiter inside was mopping the floor, but still offered a warm smile upon seeing him enter.
“Sir, what would you like to drink?”
“I'll have a cup of your signature coffee.”
“Of course, please wait a moment.”
As the waiter went to prepare the coffee, the warm, cozy lighting of the cafe naturally put him at ease.
Xia Yitiao found a random table, sat down, and let out a long sigh.
Ding-ling.
The door was pushed open from the outside.
“Boss.”
“Boss.”
“Hmm? Why haven't you off work yet?”
“We have a customer.”
“I see. Oh, by the way, have you seen Sheriff?”
“No. He hasn't been back since he finished his canned food at noon.”
“Alright.”
Yin Yang acknowledged. When he caught sight of Xia Yitiao, he froze.
In that split second, his mind raced.
Why is he here? Did he find out about something?
Does he know that I was the one who gave him those ledgers?
That shouldn't be possible. I was extremely discreet. There's no way he could have traced it back to me.
But Central City is massive. Why would he happen to walk into this specific cafe out of nowhere?
No, wait. Maybe it's because I've been all over the news lately. With Great Qi's aggressive offensive, maybe he wants to get my take on the situation?
Who am I kidding? Someone of his caliber has an incredibly resilient mind. Why would he come to me for peace of mind?
Countless thoughts flashed through Yin Yang's mind before he suddenly snapped out of it.
What is wrong with me? I'm not usually this easily distracted. Why has my focus been so scattered lately?
Maybe I'm just too tired. I've used so much of my spirituality to create sacrifices to feed the heroic spirits lately, leaving me unable to suppress my human nature.
Then again, perhaps getting distracted once in a while makes me feel more human.
“Hey there, young man. Is something wrong? Have we met before?”
Seeing Yin Yang stop in front of him with his expression shifting twice, Xia Yitiao spoke up to ask.
“Yes, we probably have. You look very familiar, but I can't quite place where I've seen you.”
Yin Yang sat down across from him. Walking away now would only arouse more suspicion.
“I'm the owner of this cafe.”
“I know who you are. Your theory about Great Wei's guaranteed victory was quite striking.”
Xia Yitiao smiled. It was hard to tell if he was being sincere or mocking.
“Your coffee, sir.”
The waiter brought the coffee over and made a polite gesture.
“This is our best-selling coffee. I hope you enjoy it.”
He then turned to Yin Yang.
“Boss, would you like anything to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
Yin Yang waved his hand with a smile, then looked back at Xia Yitiao.
“The more I look at you, the more familiar you seem. I'm certain we've met before.”
“Is that so?”
Xia Yitiao smiled and said,
“If I were a young lady, I'd think you were trying to hit on me. Unfortunately, I'm just a crusty old man.”
Yin Yang shrugged and laughed.
“You don't seem very happy. I've studied a bit of basic psychology. Since you're my customer, how about I offer you a free consultation?”
“Would you like that?”
Xia Yitiao held his coffee cup. A dozen seconds passed in silence before he finally spoke.
“What do you think of human traffickers?”
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