Only after completing all of this did Su Wan retrieve the dark red Level 4 Energy Crystal Core from her system space.
She sat cross-legged, holding the crystal core in her palm. Closing her eyes, she began to absorb the energy within.
The pure, cold energy seeped through her palm into her meridians, slowly merging into her energy core.
It felt like taking a sip from an icy spring on a freezing winter night—crisp and clear, making her mental power even more condensed and stable.
About two hours later, the last wisp of energy was completely absorbed.
Su Wan opened her eyes. She felt that her mental power was even more solid than before, her perception range had slightly expanded, and the precision of her mental tentacles had also improved. Although she had not yet reached the Level 4 Late Stage, she was not far from it.
She stood up, stretched her limbs, and nodded with satisfaction.
Everything had been normal during the Death Tide. Su Wan had still sensed that gargantuan creature moving through the Non-Safe Zone, and she still had not been able to see its full form.
Another Death Tide ended, and the grayish-white mist finally receded.
Feng Mu moved quickly.
Less than half an hour after the Death Tide receded, he had already assembled his team in front of the main building's entrance.
There were still over a hundred and twenty City Defense Force soldiers willing to return with him.
Aside from those who had died in battle or been severely injured, nearly two hundred others chose to remain at Terminal Station, becoming Official Tenants.
Looking at the soldiers ready to depart, and then at Han Meng, Liu Ying, and Bai Shumo beside her, a new idea suddenly formed in Su Wan's mind.
Her original plan had been to make gradual progress after Feng Mu returned, slowly eating away at the City Defense Force's power through infiltration and control.
But things were different now.
Shen Han had already recovered to Level 4 Early Stage strength, Han Meng and the other two were all Level 4, and with herself, they had a total of five Level 4 combatants.
In the entire Panshi City, who else could possibly be her match?
Since she possessed overwhelming strength, why waste any more time?
“Feng Mu,” Su Wan spoke. “Lead the way. I'm coming into the city with them.”
Feng Mu was slightly startled, but he immediately straightened his back. “Yes, Master.”
The group left Terminal Station, crossed the Ruin Zone, and entered the Outer City under Feng Mu's lead before passing through the gates into the Inner City.
The guards at the gate were somewhat surprised to see Feng Mu. However, seeing the unfamiliar faces behind him and the City Defense Force commander rank insignia on his waist, they asked no questions and let them pass directly.
Since Su Wan now held the title of Vice Commander of the City Defense Force, entering the Inner City was not an issue at all.
She led Shen Han, Han Meng, and the others, five people in total, straight toward the City Defense Force Headquarters in the Inner City.
In the first-floor lobby, several City Defense Force soldiers on duty saw Su Wan walking in with her group. Just as they were about to step forward and question them, Su Wan's mental power transformed into several invisible needles, precisely piercing their consciousness cores.
The men froze simultaneously and then slumped to the floor.
Su Wan did not stop, walking straight toward the stairs.
Pei Su was sitting in his office, tightly holding a report about Terminal Station with his brow furrowed.
The contents of the report were almost entirely speculation and guesswork; because not a single person sent out had returned, his understanding of Terminal Station remained a complete blank.
Now that the Cold Wave had ended and the Death Tide had just receded, he had too many matters on his hands and was utterly overwhelmed.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
Pei Su looked up, and the moment he saw Su Wan, his pupils contracted sharply.
“You—!”
His body sprang up from his chair as his Level 4 Early Stage energy core surged into full operation, dark gray energy rapidly condensing on the surface of his skin.
But he was too slow.
Shen Han's figure had already appeared in front of him. A withered palm pressed down on his shoulder, and a Level 4 Early Stage energy wave bore down like a mountain, pinning him firmly to the spot.
Pei Su's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He could only watch helplessly as Su Wan walked up to him, holding a pitch-black metal ring in her hand.
“Commander Pei, don't struggle.”
Su Wan wasted no words, snapping the Slavery Collar directly around Pei Su's neck.
After a brief struggle, the shock and fear in Pei Su's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a hollow calm.
A few seconds later, his eyes refocused. Looking at Su Wan, his gaze held nothing but absolute loyalty.
“Master,” Pei Su said, bowing his head in a steady voice.
Su Wan sat down across from him and got straight to the point. “Pei Su, does your position allow you to represent the entirety of Panshi City?”
Pei Su shook his head almost without hesitation.
Su Wan was not surprised by this.
“Then tell me about the power structure of Panshi City.”
Pei Su organized his thoughts and spoke slowly.
“Master, our City Defense Force is merely the armed force of Panshi City. To put it bluntly, we are nothing more than watchdogs guarding the property for others...”
“The only entity that can represent the entirety of Panshi City is the City Lord's Mansion.”
Su Wan raised her eyebrows slightly. “The City Lord's Mansion?”
To Su Wan, the City Lord's Mansion had been incredibly low-profile, almost to the point of being negligible.
Ever since she arrived in Panshi City, she had been dealing primarily with the City Defense Force, and at most, the Deep Blue Research Institute and Panshi Company. The City Lord's Mansion had been practically invisible.
Thus, hearing that the City Lord's Mansion was the true boss behind the scenes still came as a surprise to her.
Pei Su explained, “The City Lord rarely shows his face, and the City Lord's Mansion is extremely low-key, but that does not mean they are unimportant.”
“The City Lord's existence is a given.”
“The City Lord of every city is directly appointed by the Dawn Federation. They do not answer to the City Defense Force, nor are they governed by any local faction.”
“The City Lord's powers include the appointment and dismissal of the City Defense Force Commander, the authority to mobilize all armed forces within the city, the appointment and removal of key positions, and the final distribution of tax revenues...”
Su Wan's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
“Behind the City Lord's power is the entire authority system of the Dawn Federation,” Pei Su continued. “Specifically, the Three Major Families.”
Su Wan was slightly startled. “The Three Major Families?”
Pei Su nodded. “Since the Dawn Federation was established on the ruins of the Old Era, through hundreds of years of evolution and development, it has gradually formed a ruling structure with the Three Major Families at its core.”
“These Three Major Families are the Zhang family, the Li family, and the Zhao family.”
“Most of the federation's key positions, from Provincial Chiefs to Sector Chiefs, are held by members of these three families.”
“Every city must have a City Lord selected from the Three Major Families, who is responsible for the governance and administration of that city.”
“This is the true master of Panshi City—the City Lord selected and dispatched by the Three Major Families.”
After listening, Su Wan fell silent for a moment.
She had always assumed that the City Defense Force, as the largest armed force in Panshi City, should hold a very significant weight in the power structure.
As the Commander of the City Defense Force, Pei Su should at least have been at the center of this city's power.
But as it turned out, the City Lord's Mansion was the true core.
The City Defense Force was merely a watchdog kept by the Three Major Families.
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