Chapter 255: Crisis in the Battle Zone

Huaxia Battle Zone, Capital Military District.

“Old Cheng, sit down! There’s no use being anxious now—calm down!”

“Our top priority is to get in touch with them!”

Inside the heavy, smoke-filled conference room.

A man in military uniform—a Third-Stage Awakened—was pacing frantically like an ant on a hot pan.

“Calm down? What do you expect me to be calm for?”

“Everyone in the Capital’s high command is questioning us right now! They want to know why our intel was off!”

“Seven nations from Eastern, Japanese, and other battle zones—they all used the Joint Prop to enter the confrontation dungeon together! Do you realize what our people are facing?”

The awakened known as Old Cheng was none other than the leader of Ming Luo’s team—the Commander of the Special Operations Group, General Cheng Yuan.

Four hours ago, they received a report from an undercover agent in the South Korean Battle Zone.

According to the intel, the infiltrator was horrified to find that the confrontation dungeon was nothing but a trap. What was supposed to be a chaotic brawl across regions had turned into a coordinated effort by seven nations to encircle the Huaxia Battle Zone’s squad!

That news left the entire Capital Military in stunned silence!

A dungeon that treacherous—seventy Third-Stage fighters pitted against ten—is nothing short of a hellish ordeal!

“It’s over. We’re completely finished now!”

“Damn it!”

“There’s no way to contact them inside the dungeon! I can’t even imagine how many of Ming Luo’s team are left alive!”

“It’s too late! We got the intel far too late!”

Heartbroken and anguished.

As the head of the Special Operations Group, successive failures over the past few years had made him crippled with self-blame.

He had believed this operation would be our chance to turn the tables—a high-stakes gamble by the top brass!

But who would have thought that the enemy, as if they knew our every move, would unite in this confrontation dungeon, shattering our hopes and inflicting massive losses!

With all the bad news piling up, how could he possibly remain calm?

Remember, if we fail now, the Military’s Spirit Energy ore reserves will hit the red line! One misstep and everything collapses—a conspiracy you could taste with your bare toes. It’s clear the surrounding nations are collectively laying siege to the Huaxia Battle Zone!

Seeing Cheng Yuan’s frantic expression, several military commanders fell silent.

They knew all too well that we received this intel far too late.

The dungeon is completely cut off from reality—even though they’ve been scouring the Huaxia Battle Zone for any prop that could break the limit and warn Yenir’s team…

In these 27 hours, they’ve found nothing.

All they can do is watch helplessly as everything falls apart.

If it were only Ming Luo’s squad in trouble, it would be one more setback—but not the first failure.

But now, the most urgent issue is…

Yenir!

Yenir is in there!

The highly anticipated first-class prodigy, hailed as the next commander—Yenir!

“I should have opposed it back then…”

“It was far too hasty… absolutely reckless…”

Beside the conference table, a high-ranking officer who had greeted Yenir earlier sighed deeply, his face filled with remorse. He had watched Yenir from the moment he entered the Trial Tower through the deadly battle, and he was also close with Fang Hao.

“I told you so! How could we let Yenir in?”

“He just got promoted to Third-Stage! His fundamentals aren’t even solid yet!”

“What can a deadly battle prove? Fights between Awakeners are perilous—if something goes wrong, who can shoulder the responsibility?”

“Look at this situation!”

“No matter how gifted Yenir might be, he can’t take on that many opponents at once!”

“It’s a wasted life! He truly sacrificed in vain!”

Listening to the general’s grievances and regrets, the other high-ranking officials managed only bitter smiles.

“Perhaps… we were just too impatient.”

“Who would have thought? Nothing like this ever happened before. After all, Japan, Korea, and even those small nations from the Southeast Battle Zone were just riding along—they weren’t outright enemies…”

“This situation has completely surpassed our expectations…”

“Now’s not the time for these words…”

“I think we’ve utterly failed. Let’s brace ourselves for the fallout…”

“As for Yenir’s situation… oh dear…”

Among the top brass, an older officer with a hint of regret managed a wry smile as he tried to console everyone.

“Whether it’s Yenir or Ming Luo’s team…”

“This incident is inseparable from our own misjudgments.”

“I suggest we raise the compensation benefits—at least to soothe everyone’s heart, especially Yenir’s family. Make sure someone notifies them…”

“What a pity—such a promising talent…”

Listening to the white-haired general begin discussing post-event measures, a chill ran through everyone; their hearts filled with bitter sorrow.

Just a few days ago, they were elated that the Huaxia Battle Zone had produced a super genius.

But who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, he would perish in the very first dungeon.

Such a tremendous loss made them wish they could go back in time to stop it all.

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

“Is now really the time for this discussion!?”

“I refuse to believe there isn’t a shred of hope! We still don’t know what’s really happening in there!”

“What if—just what if!”

A slightly younger Third-Stage Awakened slammed his fist on the table, his tone laced with defiance:

“What if Yenir pulls off a miracle? What if Ming Luo’s team manages to escape!”

“I recall the Military provided Yenir with an emergency escape prop—maybe he won’t necessarily perish in there!”

“That kid’s battle prowess is off the charts. Even against a group of Third-Stage fighters, he might just have a chance!”

As the young man tried to add his voice, the other representatives and high-ranking officials only grew grimmer.

Don’t they all want to think positively?

But in truth, hope was dwindling fast.

Shaking his head, Cheng Yuan closed his eyes then slowly reopened them:

“Yenir does have an escape prop on hand—but only if he’s not in combat!”

“The biggest problem now is that they haven’t realized the enemy has coordinated across the battle zones!”

“Any delay—even the slightest one—gives the enemy a chance to find him. Even if he wants to escape, he won’t be able to!”

“The crucial point is that Yenir’s innate talent is too formidable! Ask yourself: if you were Yenir and believed you were strong enough to complete this mission, would you be cautious enough to hide once you got in?”

Cheng Yuan let out a long sigh as memories of Yenir filled him with bitter regret:

“It’s obvious to anyone that Yenir is the type who never gives up and is supremely confident.”

“I’m afraid he won’t run; even without knowing the enemy’s united front, he’ll go on the offensive!”

“Even if he could one-shot ten Awakeners and hold off three or four mid-level fighters on his own, what’s the use in the face of…”

“The enemy has seventy fighters! Among them are veteran Third-Stages deliberately stalling at mid-level peaks!”

“We stand no chance of victory! There’s simply no hope…”

The young man, who had been standing, fell silent; he opened his mouth to speak but then slumped back into his seat.

Yes…

The disparity is simply too vast.

No matter how strong Yenir is, he’s only just entered the Third-Stage.

Their only hope now is for Yenir to escape alive. If not, then so be it…

………….

At the heart of the Capital.

Inside the Central Office.

Li Xuanguo silently studied the report in his hand, exhaling a complex sigh.

“In the end… was it my impatience?”

A faint aura of remorse and dejection filled him.

Surrounded on all sides and besieged by internal strife.

He had thought that by tapping into Yenir’s inner desire, he could bolster support for him and ease external criticism of his treatment.

But he never expected it all to be in vain.