Chapter 67: Web of Suspicion

Is this the result you’ve given me!?

Useless! A complete bunch of useless scum!

In the Tianfeng Core Meeting Room, a group of high-ranking Awakeners kept their heads bowed in silence; no one dared face Xiao Hai’s wrath.

Four hours ago, Xiao Hai had rushed back to Tianfeng on a military jet—abandoning his combat mission—to guard against the arrival of that mysterious Third-Stage and Zhenjiang. Hidden in the shadows, the enigmatic Third-Stage loomed like a sharp blade overhead, plunging the entire Safe Zone into panic.

No one knew what the Third-Stage’s intentions were, or if he might suddenly erupt into a killing spree.

Especially since monitoring data suggested that he might even be stronger than Xiao Hai!

“Commander Xiao, we’ve conducted three rounds of checks,” one officer reported.

“Let’s not even mention suspected Third-Stage cases. Lately, there haven’t been many Second-Stage Peak fighters coming in and out of Tianfeng…”

“If we keep searching like this, our defenses will be stretched thin…”

With a bitter smile, the city defense general sighed before forcing himself to speak up.

He understood that beneath Commander Xiao’s anger lay deep concern. But further searches were futile—if a Third-Stage wanted to hide, what could these Second-Stage fighters do? This mass mobilization might only tip them off.

It was true that the defenses were under strain. Although peace had lasted for years without powerful mutants or corpse hordes, the sheer number of troops deployed for these searches was alarming. At this rate, any mishap could be catastrophic…

In silence, Xiao Hai suppressed his simmering anger and said nothing more.

He felt helpless; the combat prowess of a Third-Stage was terrifying. Not finding him was like having a gun pointed at your forehead—restlessness and sleepless nights were inevitable!

A full-fledged Third-Stage had invaded their Safe Zone and hidden his identity! How could Xiao Hai possibly afford to take him lightly!?

Just as he was about to order searches in other areas, several urgent announcements boomed from outside the meeting room:

“Commander Xiao! Special Search Group, Sixth Team! Captain Huang’s squad has uncovered intel on a suspected Third-Stage!”

Hmm!?

Spinning around suddenly, Xiao Hai’s heart leaped with joy, and he roared in anger:

“Quick! Get them in here!”

…….

Ten minutes later, Xiao Hai pored over the trading records in his hand, his eyes filled with suspicion and disbelief.

“Second-Stage Awakened Yang Yu!? And also…”

“Yenir!?”

He could somewhat understand the former, but the latter’s name struck him as bizarre.

Under normal circumstances, a materials trade record from the Rotten Corpse Forest would barely register with them.

But the timing was too delicate! One moment the Third-Stage had just struck in the Rotten Corpse Forest; the next, these two were trading materials. Something was clearly off.

Especially Yenir—this is a name that should never have surfaced in any trade record.

“Yenir…”

“How does this kid even have materials?”

Muttering under his breath, Xiao Hai’s expression was filled with doubt.

Normally, someone like Yenir—a Zero-Stage minor character—wouldn’t be memorable. But his SS-level talent had left such a deep impression that it couldn’t be ignored.

After circulating the information, Xiao Hai spoke slowly:

“Everyone, what do you think?”

“Who do you suspect the most?”

A moment later.

“Commander Xiao, logically speaking, I think the odds lean more towards this Second-Stage one,” one officer offered.

“If that Third-Stage actually initiated the materials trade, him posing as Second-Stage isn’t too farfetched. In fact, his low strength is rather suspicious.”

“Especially considering his identification comes from another Safe Zone—not Tianfeng. That makes him even more suspect!”

“I suggest we immediately trace Yang Yu’s movements to see if he’s still in Tianfeng! As long as he’s around, there will be a record!”

After the suggestion, Xiao Hai casually glanced at the staff officer who had spoken up:

“Anyone else got another idea?”

His answer wasn’t entirely satisfying. Logically, it made sense—but he felt the situation was more complex.

Standing aside, one staff officer hesitantly spoke up:

“Commander Xiao, I have a feeling that Yenir might be problematic.”

“Firstly, his strength isn’t enough to acquire First-Stage materials on his own; they must have been given to him. The question is, who would hand them over?”

“Materials might not be pricey, but for a Zero-Stage, that’s a significant sum—especially at such a crucial time…”

“I wonder if it’s possible that the mysterious Third-Stage took Yenir under his wing, sending him to handle the materials?”

Before the words had finished, Captain Huang immediately added:

“Staff Officer Liang, I’ve already inquired. The Starbright Merchant Guild confirmed that both parties traded solo that day.”

“Of course, we can’t rule out that someone gave the materials to Yenir beforehand.”

While speaking, Captain Huang respectfully looked at Xiao Hai and shared his thoughts:

“Commander Xiao, I recommend a two-pronged approach: first, track Yang Yu’s movements; second, investigate Yenir’s recent whereabouts.”

“There are two possibilities for Yenir’s materials. Either a high-ranking Awakener saw potential in him and casually invested some resources—as a kind of bet on his talent…”

“Or Yenir caught the eye of that mysterious Third-Stage! Could it be that his arrival in Tianfeng was solely for Yenir?”

“News of an SS-level talent can definitely attract the attention of a Third-Stage Awakener!”

Xiao Hai looked up, nodding in approval at Captain Huang.

Yes, that was exactly what he’d been thinking.

“Yenir is indeed highly suspect.”

“If a Third-Stage really came for him, then we wouldn’t need to worry too much—I might even hope for it.”

“Though the Military Department believes he lacks Third-Stage potential, other Third-Stages might think otherwise. After all, SS-level talent is truly rare.”

“Nurturing him on a ‘let’s see’ basis isn’t out of the question.”

Relaxing visibly, Xiao Hai found more sense in this line of thought.

In fact, the higher-ups had deliberately downplayed Yenir’s importance—they knew some behind-the-scenes details.

Simply put, it was meant to reduce competition; someone coveted his resources.

In truth, Yenir still held value. With proper training, reaching Second-Stage Peak could turn him into a formidable asset. Not to mention, his high mental power could be a huge boon in group battles.

But as he pondered, Xiao Hai seemed to recall something.

The kid had once mentioned unusual corpse horde movements around Tianfeng… Could it be that the Awakener backing him had informed him?

It seemed he needed to take this kid more seriously.

A suspected Third-Stage lurking behind Yenir must never be underestimated.

He was absolutely certain of that.

“Let’s start by tracking Yang Yu. For now, avoid disturbing whatever might be behind Yenir—after all, they could be deliberately keeping a low profile.”

“Captain Huang, reach out to Yenir. Don’t say too much—just invite him over once.”

After this instruction, Liao Tian, who had been silent among the Tianfeng higher-ups, suddenly interjected:

“Commander Xiao, what if there’s no one backing Yenir?”

“Could it be that he sourced the materials himself?”

A spark flashed in Liao Tian’s eyes as he recalled the day of Yenir’s breakthrough test—the ruthless decisiveness that left a deep impression on him.

With an odd expression on his face, all the higher-ups couldn’t help but burst into laughter, as if they’d just heard the world’s biggest joke:

“Liao Tian? Are you overthinking this?”

“Yenir’s only just awakened—how could he possibly hunt mutants on his own? Without First-Stage Peak strength, it’s unthinkable! Besides, his Mental Type hardly suggests any combat prowess. Do you really think SS-level talent means invincibility?”

“Exactly! If Yenir could take down a First-Stage mutant as soon as he awakened, what use would we be? Might as well exalt him! I managed that even as a Second-Stage back in the day!”

Laughter erupted, and even Liao Tian felt his impulsive words were foolish.

Shaking his head, Xiao Hai shot Liao Tian a disdainful glance, thinking his ideas were far-fetched.

According to what he knew, under the high-ups’ recently sanctioned Fire Seed Plan, General Zhang’s son, Zhang Lin—another SS-level talent—had just ascended to First-Stage under the protection of numerous Third-Stages.

Even so, his extraordinary rate of advancement was hailed as nothing short of a miracle by the higher-ups.

How can an unprotected, resource-less Mental Type even compete?