Chapter 338: High Stakes and Hidden Agendas

Meeting adjourned.

Under the dark night sky, in the brilliantly lit conference hall behind them, hundreds of representatives and committee members had split into several factions, murmuring as they exited.

Simultaneously, orders began to roll out like the prelude to an oncoming storm, stirring deep undercurrents.

In the official car, Lu Tianming’s expression wavered as his steely gaze fixed on Zhao Hongtu’s retreating back.

Watching Zhao Hongtu swagger off, he couldn’t help but clench his fists.

‘Damn old Qiu Ba! When will you ever be finished?!’

Later in the meeting, Zhao Hongtu, with his nonsensical obstinacy, repeatedly foiled his plans.

Everyone could see that this thug had backed Yenir so completely that even the Prime Minister had to wonder who was really pulling his strings!

‘Committee Member Lu, this guy’s like a mad dog! He’s inviting everyone to bite him!’

‘What are we going to do now? Keep fabricating evidence with Wang Chu?’

From the front seat, a subordinate from the same faction muttered bitterly. Having charged alongside Sun Zhan, they later condemned Yenir for the massive losses inflicted on Huaguo, citing their failure to rescue survivors from the East Sea.

The East Sea was devastated, leaving fleeing survivors homeless!

Yet Zhao Hongtu waved his hand, declaring that his Special Operations Group would cover all the supplies needed for rescuing and rebuilding the survivors.

That statement left them utterly speechless.

To pin the blame on Yenir for the enormous losses, they had even contacted high-ranking officials in the Safe Zones around the East Sea to stall aid for the survivors.

No money. No supplies. No energy.

Once public outrage erupted, the displaced East Sea citizens would have nowhere to go, and resentment would run high!

Everyone knew it was Yenir who had bombed the city!

In that scenario, only the one who managed to take down Yenir first would be hailed as the savior, with the unsuspecting masses easily led into denouncing him for destroying their homes!

Under such scrutiny, the Military dared not continue protecting Yenir!

The people’s will reigns supreme—or at least, that’s what the public face would have it!

‘There’s nothing we can do about it.’

‘That kid got unbelievably lucky! He managed to haul back a huge cache of spirit energy ore from the instance before things went south. Now, with the Action Team flush with cash, he can easily shoulder the reconstruction work!’

‘Otherwise, just this one issue would have taken both of them down!’

Lu Tianming drew a deep breath, his eyes filled with bitter jealousy and resentment.

He knew exactly how many supplies Yenir had brought back this time!

That number made him shudder; he almost wished he could gulp it all down in one go! It was the single greatest haul in Huaguo’s history—a record that would be etched into military annals!

With such an enormous windfall, who wouldn’t be envious, who wouldn’t want a slice of the pie?

In a way, this bounty made the Military hesitant to act against Yenir. After all, he had cleared the instance, and there was a chance he might work miracles again!

Otherwise, with so many issues cropping up, not even ten lifetimes of Yenir would suffice to play around!

When the stakes are this high, who isn’t tempted? Especially when the Huaxia Battle Zone so desperately needed these supplies!

‘Committee Member Lu, how on earth did that kid pull it off?!’

‘I still can’t believe he actually took down the combined forces of the Japanese-Korean Alliance. I’m convinced it’s all been blown out of proportion.’

‘If it weren’t for this mess, we could have taken him down today!’

His subordinate, seething with anger, wore a look of utter disbelief.

Events had unfolded so rapidly that before Yenir even returned, any accusations against him had to be suppressed. At the very least, the Military needed to uncover the truth behind his instance victory—a national matter no one dared to handle lightly.

Winning seventy to thirty—who wouldn’t be stunned?!

‘What else could it be?!’

‘Do you know why I hinted to the high-ups? Because Yenir bears an uncanny resemblance to that man!’

‘I’m telling you, that suit Yenir’s wearing is the very same one left behind by that man!’

Lu Tianming took a deep breath, his eyes glinting as he hesitated before continuing:

‘The high-ups are thinking far ahead of us. I suspect they began testing Yenir ever since he first showed his potential.’

‘Deliberately supplying him with the equipment indicates they wanted to see how he’d perform once he got hold of the Ravager Gauntlet.’

‘Those gloves carry special significance—they fear another monster might emerge.’

‘But now it appears that equipment left by that man is truly formidable. If Yenir managed to survive the instance, that suit must have worked wonders!’

‘With luck, the suit, and some pre-arranged moves, that kid barely snatched a win—it’s not entirely impossible.’

By now, Lu Tianming’s jealousy had only intensified.

Here he was—a Third-Stage Awakener of high rank—commanding vast resources and immense clout. Yet he hadn’t even laid a hand on the suit!

Rumor had it that the power of a legendary suit was beyond imagination!

Even an ordinary person, if they managed to complete the suit, could transform into Fourth Stage!

What is this?! This is an artifact! One of the few top-tier pieces of equipment in all of Huaguo!

Who in their right mind does Yenir think he is to own such gear?!

Listening to Lu Tianming spill these secrets, a young subordinate paused, a flash of bitterness in his eyes.

A legendary suit…

No wonder…

Before he could ask further, Lu Tianming slowly exhaled, his expression settling back into calm.

‘Enough, let’s drop this subject.’

‘That man is too sensitive. The high-ups have all signed confidentiality agreements—any mention of it spells trouble.’

‘For now, we can only wait until that kid is brought back, and then make our move on him.’

‘Even though the Military is reluctant to act, with Yenir stripped of his committee status and causing such havoc, there’s still hope to take him down.’

‘Also, arrange the capture of Ming Luo and Chen Kailai’s men. Make them talk—squeeze out some secrets.’

‘Especially the lowlifes like Xiao Hai; they were among the first to come into contact with Yenir and might know something.’

At that moment, Lu Tianming allowed a light laugh to escape, as if he could already picture Yenir’s helpless state.

‘Can’t catch you, yet I haven’t caught anyone around you either!’

In truth, he was equally curious whether Yenir’s rapid rise hid an enormous secret…

Somehow, compared to the early days when he only used Yenir as a target to attack Zhao Hongtu, he now felt compelled to bring Yenir down first…

He had already offended Yenir—letting that kid flourish would ensure retribution. Lu Tianming could already imagine the day he would pay dearly!

‘A genius who hasn’t truly matured is better off dead…’