Chapter 507: A Collision of Fates

Their eyes locked.

In the shadow of an eerie, heavy atmosphere, the slightly tardy Li Xuanguo gave Yenir a subtle nod—a silent warning not to act rashly.

With nearly half of Huaxia Battle Zone’s top brass arriving, the multitude of Third-Stage fighters escorted by Lu Haishan suddenly grew anxious.

Inside the somewhat dilapidated venue, the scene appeared strikingly bizarre.

They had come to realize that the situation was nothing like what they had imagined.

The spectacle of forcefully killing Yenir and then holding the Military accountable had inexplicably transformed into this very scenario.

Lu Haishan began to understand that their effortless breakthrough here, met with minimal military resistance, indicated they banked on his temporary inability to handle Yenir.

This was meant to make him strike first—to force him into a mistake!

“General Lu, I hope all is well,” a voice called.

“If you’re willing, let’s move our discussion elsewhere,” came the reply.

“The Military will provide an explanation,” another declared.

Without any preamble, standing not far from Lu Haishan as he was surrounded, Li Xuanguo sighed inwardly before speaking in a deep tone.

He pressed on relentlessly, action after action until his energy finally gave out.

They had purposely provoked Lu Haishan so that this former top warrior would realize that attempting to murder Yenir in the Capital was utterly unrealistic.

One must recognize reality to negotiate effectively.

Given Lu Haishan’s unique status and the extremely delicate nature of the matter, this was the only way to handle it.

Yet, despite Li Xuanguo’s repeated admonitions, Lu Haishan continued to grip his blade tightly.

“An explanation?! What explanation?!” he roared.

“My son was slain by that wretch! I can’t believe he could have killed Tian’er!”

“Hand over everyone! I demand that these people pay with their lives!!”

“Otherwise, even if I bet my old bones, I will personally exact my revenge!!”

There was not the slightest hint of compromise.

Overwhelmed with grief—just the thought of Lu Tianming’s utterly wasted death nearly drove Lu Haishan to madness.

He didn’t care how highly the Authorities valued Yenir; he was convinced that this little bastard had used some devious ploy to kill Tian’er!

He vowed that unless this vengeance was avenged, he would cease to be a man!

Listening to Lu Haishan’s unyielding fury, Li Xuanguo furrowed his brow, realizing his old reputation was once again being wielded as a threat.

If Lu Haishan were to fall here, the shock that would ripple through all of China would be even greater than Yenir’s death.

As the old saying goes—when one falls, others share the grief—the entire Military could plunge into chaos!

“General Lu, the death duel between Yenir and Committee Member Lu Tianming was a fair contest witnessed by us all!”

“I guarantee, no outsider interfered!”

“As a Military man, you know the rules of Death Duel are safeguarded by strict regulations! On the Death Duel Platform, life and death hang in the balance!”

Behind Li Xuanguo, Hu Zhiping from the Political Department could only, with reluctance, cite the regulations to explain how events had unfolded.

Truth be told, unless they had compared the duel footage and confirmed that Lu Tianming’s death was solely Yenir’s doing…

Had it been their own case, they probably wouldn’t have believed there was no foul play.

In fact, they were more intrigued and shocked by how Yenir had managed it—there simply wasn’t time to interrogate him!

Before Lu Haishan could speak further, Chu Long—who had been scrutinizing the entire scene—spoke in a deep tone, addressing Lu Haishan and the others:

“General Lu, I can also vouch for it!”

“Lu Tianming’s death had no outside interference!”

“And as for Committee Member Lu’s untimely passing, the Military bears an inescapable responsibility. None of us wanted this tragedy!”

“How about this: let Yenir apologize, and the Military will offer appropriate compensation.”

“After Committee Member Lu’s death, the Authorities even decided to upgrade his honors—that should serve as your account!”

Turning a major crisis into a minor one, ensuring neither side suffers further, this was the only proposal the Military Department could offer.

Outwardly, Yenir would apologise to ease Lu Haishan’s hatred, while behind the scenes the Military would provide compensation to mitigate the fallout.

Even past issues—like Lu Tianming’s misappropriation of funds and his subordinates’ breaches of orders—would be forgiven!

After these words, both Chu Long and Li Xuanguo turned their gazes toward Yenir, signaling for him to step forward and bow his head.

A simple apology to end this mess; in their eyes, nothing could be better.

“Yenir, go apologize to General Lu. We believe you didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“In a life-or-death struggle, no one can guarantee that mishaps won’t occur.”

That single sentence set the tone.

But before a cold defiance could flash in Yenir’s eyes as he prepared to refuse, Lu Haishan—still unwilling to believe it—suddenly spoke up:

“Apologize?! Do you think an apology can bring back Tian’er’s life?!”

“I don’t care about duels or death duels! All I know is that in one careless moment, that little brat ambushed and killed Tian’er!”

“Damn it, he was far too soft-hearted, always putting everyone first!”

As he spoke, Lu Haishan angrily pointed at Yenir, his twisted expression as if he were staring at the vilest scum in the world.

“I’ve heard about your deeds, you little bastard! Tianming tolerated you, and yet you had the nerve to strike him down!!”

“What right do you have to stand here? What right do you have to be a Committee Member?!”

With a hoarse, raging cry that dismissed any talk of duels, Lu Haishan let out a bitter laugh as if he had been gravely wronged.

“How ludicrous that I, Lu Haishan, have bled for the nation for thirty years! Contributed mightily to China! Brushed with death more times than I can count!”

“And in the end, I’m trampled on by you insignificant brats!”

“My son toiled for the country! Loyal to the nation and a true asset to China!”

“I ask you one thing! What right does that kid have to be compared with Tian’er? What makes him worthy of your protection? Did he ever contribute even a fraction to the country?!”

“I won’t stand for it! I refuse to accept this!”

His impassioned outburst left Li Xuanguo and the others visibly unsettled.

Those words were a clear demand for Yenir to atone for his actions!

By continuously invoking his past achievements and identity, Lu Haishan aimed to crush Yenir with his own illustrious legacy.

If things fell apart, even the Third-Stage fighters who had withdrawn might all rally behind Lu Haishan!

Then, it wouldn’t just be Yenir’s problem; the entire current leadership would bear the brunt of the old guard’s accusations!

With Lu Haishan’s might, he could very well ignite a major upheaval!

The atmosphere grew oppressively heavy, and many of the top officials who had arrived began to waver.

If the situation continued to escalate, the cost of protecting Yenir would become unimaginably high.

Before Li Xuanguo could voice his hesitation, the previously silent Yenir abruptly stood up, his gaze coldly fixed on Lu Haishan.

“Apologize? Great achievements? Refusal?!”

“Old man! Who do you think you are?! Do you really believe your son is some special prize?”

“Damn it—are you so shameless as to refuse a courtesy?!”

“While Lu Tianming wallowed in corruption and abuse of power, where were you when he was siphoning off funds?!”

“During the East Sea crisis, when he hindered my rescue efforts and nearly doomed a million lives, where were you?!”

“When I risked everything to retrieve the spirit energy ore—only for him to hoard and sell it for his own gain—where were you?!”

“Achievements?! Fairness?!”

“Let me tell you this! Lu Tianming’s death is nothing to mourn! Even if it happened a hundred times or ten thousand times, I would still kill him!!”

“Smack!”

In the next moment, before anyone could recover from their shock, Yenir sneered as he forcefully smashed his Token—his identity marker—directly onto Lu Haishan’s face.

“Damn you! Just because of your past achievements, you think that excuses your shamelessness?!”

“You old relic, hogging your position without contributing a thing! You thought your son was invincible—so that no one could kill him?!”

“Swish!”

With a flash of white light, in the very next second Yenir, ignoring the shocked stares of everyone, abruptly pointed his finger at Lu Haishan.

“Come on! Let’s duel to the death! Dare to take the challenge?!”