Chapter 337: The Edge of Chaos

The hall fell into a brief silence, disturbed only by the low, annoying cries of a woman.

At a moment like this, such an incident shouldn’t occur, yet it was clear that the woman cared nothing for her status as she sought sympathy.

When it comes to revenge, women can often be far more ruthless than men.

After all, she had almost been beaten to death by Yenir.

On the dais, several top-level officials wore briefly altered, grim expressions before falling silent.

Sitting in their positions, they were hardly moved by external events — not even enough to lose their composure.

In truth, they weren’t stirred by the notion that Yenir had ‘stolen’ supplies or that the East Sea had been bombed.

Anyone who believed that clearly wasn’t thinking straight.

Being at the forefront with unlimited resources supplied by all of China, only a fool like Yenir would pull such a stunt.

Even if one were to concede a point, if by some tiny chance Yenir actually did it, they’d insist on verifying it with definitive evidence before believing a word!

Clearly, these representatives throwing around such claims were merely stirring up public sentiment and pressure.

After all, it was nothing more than baseless gossip — even if mistaken, it was just dirty tricks.

What truly alarmed them were the underlying messages repeatedly hinted at by several representatives.

Sea Beasts, disasters, secrets, East Sea experiments, and even targeted attacks on high-ranking officials…

On their own these points might have seemed insignificant, but taken together, they evoked memories of previous assaults on the top brass.

And coincidentally, both Yenir and that man had only turned to such brutality after the Sea Beast disaster.

Among the crowd, Lu Tianming sharply noticed a strange flicker of expression on the faces of Li Xuanguo and the others, causing his heart to sink.

Sure enough, his tactic was working…

He was fully aware that despite the fury of the high-level officials and Yenir’s unforgivable crimes, it was clear he was doomed.

But in reality, none of this truly posed a threat to that kid!

With four top systems, terrifying talent, and insane performance in countering challenges, this super-genius could easily bypass many rules!

After all, even though peace had reigned for a long time, we were still in apocalypse mode; everyone still believed that only the strong mattered — the bigger the fist, the louder the voice!

For most, this might have been a fatal situation, but for Yenir it was merely a heavy warning — severe on the surface, yet incapable of really touching him.

Take the current scenario: after such a massive incident, where was Yenir? Hadn’t he been whisked off to the Capital by the Protectors without even a scratch?

That was the greatest privilege Yenir enjoyed after showcasing his talent — a privilege fit for a future commander!

Therefore…

Lu Tianming subtly nodded to his subordinate, signaling them to continue applying pressure.

“Boom…”

Like the blast of a charge.

A military committee member from Lu Tianming’s faction sprang to his feet, his expression solemn as his eyes zeroed in on Zhao Hongtu of the Special Operations Group:

“I am Sun Zhan from the Army Unit, 08th Division of the Capital Zone! I hereby impeach Minister Zhao Hongtu!”

“Minister Zhao! Our intelligence shows that your unit’s Awakener has been tailing Yenir! In the East Sea, not only did he fail to intervene, but he also refused to report the true situation to the Military! Moreover, evidence indicates that Ming Luo and others colluded in the East Sea bombing!”

“Otherwise, how could Yenir blow up so many pipelines on his own!”

“Minister Zhao, as the head of the Special Operations Group, are you really unaware of this?”

“Or are you implying that they acted on your orders? That the man behind Yenir is none other than you!”

His words were fierce and cut straight to the bone.

Zhao Hongtu, who had remained silent until now, suddenly looked up, his face darkening as he absorbed the officer’s accusations.

It was on! As expected, the attack had begun!

He had known all along that Lu Tianming and his cohort would seize this golden opportunity to take him down!

In truth, Lu Tianming’s initial target was him! The first attack on Yenir was merely a pretext!

“Bullshit!”

“Bang!”

He slammed his fist on the table and roared in anger.

Zhao Hongtu did not flinch as he leaped up, glaring fiercely at the officer launching the attack.

“What now? Sun, are you doubting me? You might as well call me a traitor!”

“Exactly! It’s all my doing! I ordered Yenir to bomb the East Sea — I’d long been fed up with Fang Teng!”

With a rogue-like sneer, Zhao Hongtu declared dominantly, a flash of murderous intent gleaming in his eyes.

As head of the Special Operations Group, he and his unit were in a league of their own compared to other military bodies.

Put bluntly, they fought real battles! They were the deadliest department in the Military — directly accountable to the top brass and unafraid of anyone!

Faced with Zhao Hongtu’s counterattack, the impeaching officer was momentarily stunned by his crude, outlaw-like retort.

Before he could speak further, the self-styled ‘Butcher Zhao’ began cursing, his seething aura fixated on him:

“Fuck you! You spineless committee members, always impeaching this and that! You don’t do any real work at all!”

“Before the Sea Beast erupted, you all were brimming with confidence!”

“Aren’t you 100% sure there were no Sea Beasts?! You shout about Yenir’s mutiny, but when the Sea Beast arrives, you eagerly hand over command!”

“Damn it, if Yenir wasn’t cleaning up after you, the East Sea would have been long lost!”

“Fine! Now that the East Sea is bombed, you all come out claiming he has ulterior motives and is utterly deranged!”

“Let me ask you this!”

“Can you guarantee there won’t be any more Sea Beasts? Can you guarantee that the Fire Network will hold so our forces can withdraw?!”

“So what if it’s bombed! What matters more — the people or the city?!”

A wave of furious rebukes left everyone in the hall with grim faces.

Unlike other representatives careful of their image, Zhao Hongtu seemed completely unbridled — when enraged, he looked as if he might even resort to violence!

“Ming Luo was arranged by me!”

“I was the one who ordered Yenir to inspect the East Sea laboratory!”

“What kind of fucking conspiracy theory is this!”

“The disaster isn’t even over yet, and you’re not afraid of another slap in the face?! Not afraid that the Military might become a laughingstock?!”

“I’m telling you…!!”

“Enough!”

“Minister Zhao, watch your language!”

From the dais, a military general, his face grim, sharply reprimanded Zhao Hongtu — clearly troubled by his explosive temper.

Although Zhao appeared to be venting, he was, in fact, defending Yenir and backing him up!

One had to admit, Zhao Hongtu certainly had the strength for this.

If it had been anyone else, they’d likely never have dared speak further under impeachment; but Zhao not only held a special status, his patron was a major figure in military history — a hero of the 49-year-old Kyoto Defense War!

In short, Zhao Hongtu was a top second-generation elite, untouchable by anyone!

On the dais, Hu Zhiping, playing the peacemaker, cleared his throat and cast a deep glance at the seemingly crude Zhao Hongtu.

They simply couldn’t believe that Zhao Hongtu failed to catch the hidden implications in the representatives’ words.

Whether it was Yenir’s repeated defiance of military orders or the bombing of the city, what truly frightened the Authorities was…

Why exactly did Yenir do this? Could it be that he was just like that other guy?

Seizing the moment, Zhao Hongtu jumped in to change the subject, using his status to insist that Yenir was absolutely not like that!

His face turned ashen as Sun Zhan, reeling from Zhao’s tirade, clenched his fist. He had thought that these accusations would surely bring Zhao down, but to everyone’s surprise, Zhao’s response left them speechless!

His gaze turned dark.

“Minister Zhao, you can’t just blurt out whatever you want!”

“The facts are right in front of us!”

“Survivors have already withdrawn, the Sea Beast has been contained! Local forces and Lord Fang Hao are en route with support! Anyone with eyes can see the East Sea is safe — there’s simply no chance of another incident!”

“Under these circumstances, Yenir not only defied orders but also demanded the establishment of the Fire Network! The Military merely offered a suggestion, yet his temper exploded — he bombed the East Sea, costing the lives of many outstanding officers!”

“With actions like that, can you be sure Yenir isn’t hiding something?!”

“The East Sea has protected our coastal regions for years! It’s a pivotal Third-Stage checkpoint, folks!”

“Now that this strategic facility has been destroyed by Yenir, it’s a loss for all of China! Does Yenir still have any regard for the Military? For us?”

His impassioned outburst reverberated through the hall.

Sun Zhan scanned the room, his expression filled with genuine sorrow.

To him, Zhao Hongtu’s justification for defending Yenir was nothing but utter bullshit!

Is another disaster looming? Had their judgment once again failed?!

What a joke!

We’re already at Critical Level A! Fang Hao is on his way with backup! Could a peak monster really emerge from this beast tide?!

Since the outbreak, no Sea Beast disaster had ever seen anything like this! A newly trained Yenir has no reason to be more accurate than them — getting it right once doesn’t mean he’ll always be correct!

Not to mention, Yenir still hasn’t produced any evidence — which only proves that the kid was merely lucky!

With a cold snort.

Seated, Zhao Hongtu shot a cold glance at Sun Zhan, who continued his ‘speech.’

To be honest, despite his rough exterior, Zhao’s position meant he clearly understood the ‘battleground’ unfolding in the meeting.

Admittedly, he didn’t understand why Yenir acted as he did or what would happen next.

But given that Yenir had miraculously survived the challenge with Ming Luo and the others, Zhao Hongtu was willing to stand by him!

For years, amidst external battles and countless setbacks, they had swallowed their tears in silence.

Finally winning even once left the Special Operations Group exhilarated in a way that other departments could scarcely imagine!

They remembered their debts of gratitude!

If Yenir dared lead his men to slaughter those in the surrounding Battle Zones, he would be defended right to the end!

Moreover…

Zhao Hongtu instinctively glanced at the message Yenir had sent earlier, his heart pounding with shock.

Even before the city bombing, that kid had made sure to record the list!

Meanwhile, Zhao Long was already rushing to the Hospital!

The implications were terrifying!

Yenir had long known the consequences of a bombing that killed people — yet he dared to act, even drawing up the list. This all pointed to one thing…

The kid had absolute confidence, and there were bound to be even greater disasters ahead!

They would be an unprecedented crisis capable of shattering the Military’s understanding!

He exhaled slowly, his mind drifting from the meeting as Zhao Hongtu wrestled with a maze of emotions.

Every sign indicated that Yenir’s calculations were beyond imagination; he even predicted that once Yenir returned to the Capital, things would get truly interesting…

Or rather, a blood-soaked maelstrom would ensue…

“What exactly are you trying to do…”

“Yenir…”