Chapter 640: Twilight at the Border

Border Battle Zone – night deepens.

The icy wind howled, its blade-like chill slicing through the darkness.

The cold was harsh and arid; compared to the inland, the night at the Border could even drop to minus twenty degrees after the apocalypse.

Even though the inland and this area share the East Eight Zone, local time here is often two hours ahead.

From above, the entire Bloodshadow Safe Zone looked like a frozen corpse – a city slumbering, waiting for dawn’s awakening.

Only in the very heart of the Safe Zone did bright lights and the clamor of troops reveal that not everyone had slept soundly.

“Blood Nightingale! Are we really supposed to cooperate with them?”

“Those Military folks must have received some order. They clearly know something we don’t! Start gathering the troops – I have a bad feeling…”

Atop the main fortress, a girl with only Second-Stage strength hurried over to stand behind Blood Nightingale at the window.

Her face etched with worry as she surveyed the masses assembling under Ye Rou’s command, a flash of discontent flickering in her eyes.

Ye Rou was the guy the Military had planted as their representative in the Bloodshadow Safe Zone. On the surface, Blood Nightingale was the commander, but in reality, it was Ye Rou who held the real power!

No – it should be said that she was the shadow of Yenir’s control here!

Lin Rou used to keep a low profile, rarely meddling in Blood Shadow matters. Now, bypassing Blood Nightingale entirely, she’s mobilizing the troops!

“Sister! Even if you’re willing to follow Yenir, you can’t just let them usurp power like this!”

“The Bloodshadow Safe Zone is yours! Your father built it! Even if Yenir helped you reclaim it, you still helped him take down Yinglong! I think…”

“Xue’er, that’s enough.”

Before the girl named Ye Xue could voice another worry, Blood Nightingale, overlooking the entire Spirit Energy core, simply shook her head, her expression serene.

Yet behind those tranquil eyes, a trace of suppressed concern could be seen.

There’s no need to debate once more who really owns the Bloodshadow Safe Zone.

“The Safe Zone belongs to Yenir and his Military backers. We both know we don’t stand a chance against them.”

“Yenir helped me rise to power only because my status surpassed that of the Military – it wouldn’t have stirred local opposition.”

“They trust Lin Rou even more. That’s completely natural.”

It was plain to see.

Unlike Ye Xue, who had always remained in the Border Battle Zone, Blood Nightingale sighed and decided not to elaborate.

Ye Xue, a childhood friend who had managed her first escape from the Border Battle Zone, had been in touch ever since Yenir killed Yinglong – and her familiarity with the Border made her a valuable ally.

“Blood Nightingale! I get what you mean! I’m not jealous of Lin Rou; I’m just standing up for you!”

“I’ve never seen that Yenir of yours! I only know that without you, he couldn’t have taken down Yinglong nor controlled the Blood Shadow forces! The benefits he’s reaped here aren’t minor – without our help, the Border would have fallen into chaos ages ago!”

“What? He dashed off after sleeping? When chasing you, he’d do anything – and now he can’t even keep his original promise!?”

Fists clenched, Ye Xue’s face burned with anger. In her eyes, no man in the world was any good – Yenir was just using Blood Nightingale!

He ran off after sleep and even left another woman to hold his sister back! Maybe that Lin Rou was one of them too!

No sooner had Ye Xue finished speaking than Blood Nightingale stiffened abruptly upon hearing the last word.

In internal propaganda, she had always claimed that she and Yenir were merely ‘friends’. This deliberate ambiguity kept the group of Peak Third-Stage fighters, who witnessed the battle between Yinglong and Yenir, from even thinking of betrayal.

With Yenir as the backdrop, Blood Nightingale as the nominal overseer, and pressure from the Military, the Bloodshadow Safe Zone remained intact after Yenir left – even hinting at an eventual takeover of the entire Northern Border!

But for Blood Nightingale, only she knew the real story…

That beast of a man, Yenir – he wasn’t even worth comparing to a wild animal!

Fortunately, Ye Xue didn’t dwell on this too much.

A young girl cautiously glanced around before looking at Blood Nightingale with a grave expression:

“Sister! I know these issues aren’t important!”

“But Yenir has been missing for so long! Although I heard the Battle Zone announcement yesterday, didn’t that news further confirm the intel we gathered earlier?!”

“The Military is really splitting up! That guy was abandoned by them and forced into the National War!”

Her chest heaved as Ye Xue’s face turned pale, and a shiver of tension ran through her.

Though they never intended to betray Yenir, after reasserting control over the Bloodshadow Safe Zone, she set about gathering every piece of intel on him to learn what kind of man was really behind her sister!

What she discovered was so shocking that it nearly made her jump out of her skin!

Yenir! Sequence One! Supposedly Huaguo’s most gifted Awakener in history – and the youngest council member!

Ranked top in all four systems – four months ago he shook the Capital by slaying a high-ranking scion on the spot! Three months ago, he was appointed a council member and became the East Sea Special Envoy; and when the Sea Beast erupted, he decimated a host of East Sea elites, even destroying a city to block the enemy!

Two months ago, in full view of everyone, he overpowered another council member, sending shockwaves through the Capital once more!

Reading through the details, Ye Xue could barely express the shock that overwhelmed her.

Arrogant, ruthless, heartlessly brutal yet mesmerizing – in her mind, Yenir was the embodiment of all these qualities! She could even envision a power struggle centered around Yenir within Huaguo!

“Blood Nightingale! Ever since Yenir’s first announcement, we’ve heard nothing!”

“Our spies also sent word of the Capital’s state just two hours ago!”

“The entire city is locked down! It seems that over a hundred Peak Third-Stage fighters have clashed – they even used nuclear missiles! Blood Nightingale, don’t you see what’s happening?!”

Taking a deep breath and staring at the unyielding, silent Blood Nightingale, Ye Xue couldn’t hold back her suspicions.

“I suspect Yenir might already be dead!”

“If the Military’s infighting is fierce enough to resort to nuclear missiles, it means the high-ups backing Yenir have completely split from the others!”

“Rumors are swirling – even here we’re hearing whispers of a coup. I bet once Yenir emerged, he was hunted down by the other faction!”

Her words fired rapidly, her thoughts clear and precise.

Though not the strongest, Ye Xue was far from the typical Awakener, uniquely adept at grasping what was really unfolding in Huaguo.

Having fended for herself in the Bloodshadow Safe Zone since childhood, her insight was exceptionally keen.

“If Lin Rou bypassed you to mobilize troops, it shows the Military had to deploy even the Border forces – and they don’t dare reveal the results!”

“There’s still no word from Yenir. With his temperament – no, given the stature of the high-ups behind him – he wouldn’t leave us without an announcement to soothe our nerves.”

“When you put all the clues together… it clearly means one side has achieved total victory and is gearing up for a purge! There’s no other reason for this blackout!”

“Blood Nightingale! We must act now! Sitting here idly will only bring disaster upon us!”

Gripping Blood Nightingale’s right hand tightly, Ye Xue looked solemnly as she tried to shatter any illusions her sister might hold. They were women, and in these apocalyptic times, they had to rely on themselves – there was no room to expect protection from a man!

It was a bitter lesson learned from witnessing countless tragedies!

In her eyes, although Yenir had emerged, the odds of calamity were high – and the high-ups backing him were utterly defeated!

As long as they were connected to Yenir, they had to fend for themselves, or they would risk reliving the disasters of a decade ago!