Chapter 286: Chasing Shadows
by xennovel“Let’s go!”
“Boom!”
At Yenir’s low call, Ming Luo, who had been a bit dazed, snapped back and immediately turned to run without hesitation.
Once they’re surrounded, maybe Yenir can use that bizarre Sword Technique to escape, but he’d almost certainly be doomed.
The plan had been a complete success.
The surge of Awakeners rushing out from the defensive line clearly showed that the enemy realized the gravity of the situation.
They bought into the act so thoroughly that they were willing to fight to the death to keep them at bay.
Figures dashed out, roaring as they charged to kill.
Executing an insider in front of the seven battle zones—not to mention the reported losses—the act was like shitting on their heads!
“Chase them! They must have just emerged!”
Voices hoarse with rage, as foes met with glaring eyes.
Masses of Third-Stage cultivators burst from the defensive line like locusts. Some rushed out to salvage Zheng Cheng’s body in a bid for more intel, while others sped away, nailing onto the two from behind.
Feeling over a hundred Third-Stage auras bearing down on him, Ming Luo, tailing Yenir, felt his scalp go numb and wished for wings to fan the frenzy away.
They really were playing too big!
He knew Yenir had to stage this distraction quickly, but such craziness nearly overwhelmed him.
Especially when he sensed an advanced Third-Stage aura right at his back!
Damn it! Since when did this defensive line host such high-level fighters!?
But Ming Luo’s worry didn’t last long.
Within just a dozen seconds of the chase, the Japanese and Korean Awakeners at the rear seemed to receive a command and suddenly halted.
In the very next second, amid mutual confusion, they turned and headed back.
At the same time, Yenir chuckled softly, as if he had expected this all along.
Not bad…
It appeared that even among the high command in this Japanese-Korean defensive line, there were a few smart ones.
…………….
“Lord Itou!? Why aren’t we allowed to keep chasing them!?”
“Zheng Cheng must have picked up vital intel while under pursuit! Capture them, and we might finally learn what’s happening in the instance!”
It was all very hard to comprehend.
Countless Third-Stage cultivators, recalled by Itou, couldn’t hold back their questioning looks towards him.
Killing someone right in front of them and then swaggering away—what kind of nonsense was that!?
Ignoring the murmurs, Itou fixed his grave gaze on his private message.
Chase? What’s the point—he already knew the truth!
Even though crossing battle zones meant private messages weren’t normally possible, at the last moment Zheng Cheng bridged the line between the Huaxia Battle Zone and the South Korean Battle Zone to send a message.
It was brief, but every word was startling.
“The Huaxia Battle Zone has acquired a critical piece of intel from inside the instance…”
“Using an early entry, they’ve mobilized the instance NPC forces to surround Dahe Yicheng.”
“And not only that, the Huaxia Battle Zone has reaped a massive harvest of ore, and seems to be using a key NPC to completely engulf the instance!”
“The next entry window is in two months! Has the instance’s doomsday crisis really been averted!?”
“If we don’t stop the Huaxia Battle Zone’s maneuver, you’ll never be able to enter the instance again!”
Itou’s mind raced as he stared at Zheng Cheng’s desperate intel, his expression wavering with dark uncertainty.
The intel was utterly bizarre, yet disturbingly logical.
The highest form of deception is speaking only the truth.
Since Yenir had hardly hidden anything—only omitting a slice of the truth—the information was nearly 90% accurate!
“Did the China Squad enter early…”
“It’s possible!”
“Inside the instance, the system does seem to favor the weak!”
“If they planned in advance and mobilized the NPC forces, surrounding and wiping out Dahe Yicheng would be entirely plausible!”
As the intel kept checking out, Ito Hirono took a deep breath and began to believe it—he found no flaws in the explanation, it seemed like the most likely scenario!
There was no way the China Squad could have taken out so many people without external help!
It made perfect sense that their men dying by NPC hands was the likely outcome!
Everything added up except one thing: how did the Huaxia Military get hold of such vital instance intel? And…
Surrounded by his comrades, an impatient Itou waved his hand and said coldly:
“Stop the chase!”
“Even if we catch up, so what? Do you think they won’t self-destruct? Chasing Zheng Cheng from that far away shows they’re all in for a death wish!”
“Even if we take a step back, if the enemy is faking it, our pursuit could easily lead us into an ambush!”
Every detail weighed on his mind.
After receiving Zheng Cheng’s intel, Itou’s desire to capture Yenir naturally faded. Especially since Zheng Cheng’s escape was fishy to begin with.
A smart man would immediately wonder if this was a trap set by the Huaxia Military!
The report sounded credible, but he couldn’t take it at face value—after all, he had dealt with Zheng Cheng before and knew he wasn’t utterly devoted.
So not chasing was the safest option!
Of course, Itou had no idea that among the two he had just ‘let go’, one was none other than Yenir.
Had he known it was Yenir, he would have stopped at nothing to capture him.
“Everyone else, hold your ground here to prevent a South Korean military sneak attack!”
“Sakamoto, Park Yeon! You two, come with me—I have vital intel!”
At that moment, Itou decided to reissue his orders, eager to relay the newly acquired intel back to the cabinet.
Although Zheng Cheng’s situation was odd, the fact that he was hunted down right before their eyes meant it had to be taken seriously.
Thus, caution was essential.
If the intel was genuine, their troubles were only just beginning!
He had to alert the other battle zones and find a way to thwart the Huaxia Military’s next move!
……………
Ten minutes later.
“Lord Itou, are you saying those Chinese bastards used despicable methods to kill all of us?”
“And now they plan to control the instance next, completely freeing themselves from energy restrictions?”
With a grim expression,
Representatives from the six battle zones exchanged uneasy glances as they listened to Itou share the intel.
“That’s right.”
“The intel came from Zheng Cheng—maybe it’s true.”
“Even if there’s a snag, we must be on alert!”
“My suggestion is that over the next two months, our seven battle zones coordinate to harass the Huaxia border, and in two months we’ll deploy an elite force of Third-Stage cultivators to sabotage their plans! Otherwise…”
Surveying the room, Itou placed his hands on the table, his expression turning grim:
“If the instance falls into the hands of the Chinese military, we’ll completely lose our edge in keeping them in check!”
“In the long run, all our plans will be stunted!”
“Send in our strongest Third-Stage team!”
Amid his concerns, a spark of greed flickered in Itou’s eyes.
“If, as the intel suggests, the Huaxia Battle Zone has already resolved the instance crisis… then its value is beyond measure!”
“Whether it’s to stop the Chinese military or to claim it for ourselves, it’s worth diving in once more!”
Itou’s analysis prompted nods and exchanged glances from the remaining six Awakeners.
Indeed.
If the intel proved true, it was a colossal opportunity.
With the strongest roster of cultivators below advanced Third-Stage, united to wrest the instance from the Huaxia Military, the rewards would be immeasurable!
Losing Dahe Yicheng and the others would be a small price to pay…