Chapter 123: Discord Within the Ranks

Heh.

Seeing that Xiao Hai stubbornly refused to acknowledge his involvement, Yu Zhengwei merely chuckled and waved his hand, signaling for Honggang—the one who had been deprived of his credit by Yenir—to step forward.

With resentment glimmering in his eyes, Honggang spoke coldly:

“Commander Xiao, on the day we killed the Corpse Tiger, I noticed your fighter jets patrolling the skies incessantly.”

“Not only that, but a massive troop deployment was also right beside me.”

“Don’t tell me that you guys in Tianfeng have nothing better to do than waste countless manpower and resources just to go out for a joyride?!”

“And let’s not forget, the tiger corpse was so deeply concealed—I only stumbled upon it by chance while flying overhead!”

“What, are you really saying that it was pure coincidence that a Third-Stage happened to pass by, that one happened to know about the mutant, and—damn it—also ended up stealing the kill credit?!”

“Do you think Third-Stages are as common as cabbage? They don’t just hang around aimlessly like your army, do they?!”

Bombarded with questions, Xiao Hai stood there, mouth agape and utterly speechless.

He had no answers for any of them; in truth, unless he was certain the act wasn’t committed by his own, he would have assumed that the mysterious Third-Stage was none other than the Awakener from the Tianfeng Security Zone!

How can that be explained?

As the oppressive tension mounted, the soldiers behind Xiao Hai grew increasingly nervous. The friction between the two sides had been simmering for a long time, and the enemy’s relentless accusations made it clear they were itching to take action!

Frustration and resignation welled up inside him.

After a silent sigh, Xiao Hai felt his chest tighten unbearably. In truth, he had no idea what the real story was—he suspected that one of the Third-Stages backing Yenir had made the move, but that was mere conjecture. Uttering it would imply that Yenir truly had mysterious backing, which would only provoke the other side, and it would serve no purpose.

After all, Yenir is damn well from their own Safe Zone!

A mix of bewilderment and dismay overcame Xiao Hai; he never imagined that the forsaken Yenir could stir up such a huge mess. He couldn’t figure out what had happened to that kid—how did he end up with a Third-Stage training him? And does the Willpower Type really work?

Forcing a grim smile, Xiao Hai steeled himself and responded:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we in Tianfeng genuinely had no knowledge of this matter.”

“Since you’ve come all this way, why not head inside first? If the issue indeed stems from us, we’ll provide a full explanation.”

“Our Tianfeng is under the 19th Group Army of the South China Battle Zone. As a military unit, we will never harbor or coddle anyone!”

Standing in opposition, Yu Zhengwei couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle upon hearing Xiao Hai invoke the military’s name.

Had it been just a decade or so after the apocalypse, the military’s reputation might have silenced him completely, leaving him too intimidated to question anything.

But now?

Across the land, private factions have long since grown powerful, carving up vast territories. Nowadays, the military merely clings to its official title, outwardly commanding the battle zones—while its real influence is minimal. Besides, the military isn’t a unified force; while Xiao Hai has the backing of the 19th Group Army, he clearly isn’t without support of his own.

“Commander Xiao, there’s no need to brandish the military’s name to pressure us.”

“Let me tell you, if you can’t provide a satisfactory explanation, we’ll conduct our own search!”

After those words, Xiao Hai could only pretend not to hear the threat and led the way forward.

Outmatched, he had no choice but to lower his head.

Before entering the meeting room, he couldn’t help but clench his fists at the sight of the Awakener from the Zhenjiang Security Zone sitting imperiously in the main chair, flanked by a few loyal aides trailing behind Xiao Hai.

In a hushed tone, one of Xiao Hai’s close aides couldn’t help but ask his commander:

“Commander Xiao.”

“Why don’t we just lay our suspicions on the table and force them to track down whoever’s backing Yenir? What kind of situation is this?!”

As senior members of the Safe Zone, they had never been subjected to such disrespect.

Sighing softly, he shook his head:

“It’s useless. What if our guess turns out to be wrong? Zhenjiang has made up its mind to stir up trouble; there’s no way we can extricate ourselves from this.”

“Even if we take a step back, if it really was Yenir’s backer who struck, exposing it would offend both sides.”

“Let’s wait a bit longer; if it really comes to that, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Contrary to his rugged exterior, Xiao Hai is remarkably meticulous; otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached his current position. Until he obtains solid intelligence, he plans to offend neither side.

………..

“Where is Commander Xiao?!”

“I have urgent business to report!”

Outside the military region’s restricted area, Captain Huang—who had been investigating Yenir—looked visibly anxious, clutching a document tightly in his hand.

Blocking his path, several stern-faced Awakener guards stopped him in his tracks:

“Commander Xiao is now receiving the Zhenjiang commander; orders have been issued to prohibit any interruptions!”

Staring at the soldiers barring his way, Captain Huang was suddenly taken aback—it struck him that representatives from Zhenjiang had already arrived.

Yet, as he glanced at the report in his hand, he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming urge to relay the situation immediately!

God knows how utterly shaken he was upon discovering this news!

After Commander Xiao had ordered him to continue investigating Yenir, Captain Huang had scoured nearly all the records of the Tianfeng Security Zone—every place Yenir’s identity might appear. Then, just a few hours ago, it suddenly struck him that he had once seen Yenir at the Mission Center.

Doubtful, he had the Mission Center pull up Yenir’s records without delay.

What he found was nothing short of shocking!

“Second-Stage!?”

Just a few days ago, Yenir—a 0-Stage Awakener—had skyrocketed straight to Second-Stage! In rank alone, he was now on par with seasoned fighters.

One can only imagine how utterly stunned he was upon seeing the records—he nearly questioned his own sanity.

Moreover, the records revealed that Yenir had completed the most challenging advancement task four times in one go.

Such an outrageous feat was unprecedented in the annals of Tianfeng.

A Willpower Type, which they believed would take a lifetime to refine to Second-Stage, had surged to Second-Stage within a single week—a shockwave akin to a nuclear bomb detonating in his mind.

At this point, if Yenir were to dash in and claim he was actually a ‘God,’ Captain Huang would probably believe him.

What kind of incredible talent is this, and what an absurd pace!

If someone had been backing Yenir with resources, he might have grudgingly accepted the fact. But he dreaded the possibility that Yenir had leveled up entirely on his own!

Regardless of the specifics, this news was of utmost importance.

In his urgency, he bypassed the chain of command and messaged Xiao Hai directly, preparing to force his way in.

“This is urgent! Don’t stop me!”

“If Commander Xiao decides to punish me later, I, Captain Huang, am willing to face it!”

With that, Captain Huang charged straight into the military zone, leaving several guards momentarily stunned.