Chapter 635: Shattered Alliances

Half an hour later.

A gust of biting wind swept away the metallic scent of blood from the battlefield.

Yet the lingering afterglow of Spirit Energy, reminiscent of the aurora, hovered hauntingly in the darkened sky.

In winter, as a blizzard loomed, a rare break in the heavy, cold cloud cover allowed a scant ray of sunlight to touch the earth.

Seated atop a collapsed boulder of unknown origin, Yenir lounged in the scarce sunshine, squinting at the hazy glow in the sky.

If one could overlook the high alert of nearby Military Third-Stage Awakeners and the agonized screams rising during the battlefield cleanup.

Still, there was a certain warmth in this scene.

Soon, the rapid sound of footsteps echoed from behind Yenir, followed by a low, hoarse voice laden with incredulous anger.

“Yenir, the Prime Minister asked me to give you this hastily compiled list.”

“He said that once you’ve read it, you should come see him—he has matters to discuss with the other high-ranking officials.”

His arm trembled slightly.

Tilting his head, Yenir shifted his gaze from the sky back to Qin Feng’s face.

Observing this man, one of the Four Commanders with whom he wasn’t particularly close, Yenir immediately noticed Qin Feng’s unease—even a barely concealed, incredulous anger.

A great victory should be a cause for celebration.

Clearly, for someone of Qin Feng’s caliber, the only matter that could shake his composure was this very list.

Without immediately taking it, Yenir silently looked at him and, moments later, broke into a sudden smile:

“Surprised, aren’t you, Commander Qin Feng?”

“I bet you never imagined the situation at home would deteriorate to this extent, right?”

“Have you ever suspected these people in your ranks?”

Though his tone was casual, facing Yenir’s light mockery, Qin Feng showed no overt defiance; instead, his entire body tensed like a misbehaving child, clenching his teeth in silent frustration.

“No! We assumed only the faction backing Lu Haishan would do such a thing!”

“Everyone else was supposed to be neutral! We had confirmed it, after all!”

After his words, the commander took a deep breath, his expression shifting to perplexity—as if he were staring at a demon—as he looked at Yenir.

Their conversation felt like a game of charades, but he quickly realized that Yenir had known all along!

What baffled him even more was how Yenir, barely eighteen or nineteen, possessed a depth of scheming and mental fortitude far beyond what any of them could fathom!

No wonder the Prime Minister…

Before Qin Feng could muster his questions, Yenir wiped his smile away, deciding not to provoke this pillar of Huaguo any further.

“Tell the Prime Minister I’ll be over once I’m done reading. Hmm, don’t worry—I hold no grudges. I know I’ve been acting rather… off.”

With that, Yenir beamed brilliantly and snatched the list right out of Qin Feng’s hand.

He knew exactly what Li Xuanguo was discussing with the other senior officials and why Li wanted him to take a look at the list.

It wasn’t merely to hear Yenir’s opinion, but more so…

to buy time for everyone to process the implications.

Yenir, a Third-Stage Mid-level Awakener in the National War hierarchy, was an absolute prodigy—the very definition of raw talent.

But ever since his return, Yenir had surpassed even the wildest of expectations.

His genius bordered on the frightening.

Especially since Yenir’s temperament, tactics, and even his grasp of Huaguo’s situation were far beyond those of any ordinary human.

More like…

an unfathomable being—a creature that foresaw the future, perhaps even one who journeyed from it!

————–

Watching Qin Feng’s retreating figure as he went to report back, Yenir glanced at the list in his hand and casually dismissed it.

There was nothing remarkable about it.

Ever since he had resolved to wipe everything clean once the National War commenced, he had mentally earmarked this very purification list.

In his previous life, though Huaguo only valued him at the eleventh hour—rocket-promoting him to the top—he had seen it all before.

“Betrayers of the nation are traitors, and sellouts sell out.”

“Embezzling funds and hoarding rescue supplies. Caging survivors, deliberately luring zombies to assault Safe Zones, and swindling material support for the Capital.”

“Selling and buying offices, placing cronies, bolstering Private Faction interests, and assassinating top Safe Zone officials.”

“Falsifying military reports, hoarding Awakening Potions, suppressing civilian Awakeners, and orchestrating high-level marriages to form vested interests.”

…

Muttering casually, Yenir calmly studied the names on the list.

Had he not been forced into this corner—had he not witnessed the unspeakable darkness unveiled during the previous apocalypse—Yenir wouldn’t be in such a rush to purge all enemies himself!

In the eyes of most self-proclaimed ‘old foxes,’ Yenir was nothing more than a brash, clueless brute—insolent and arrogant.

Only Yenir knew just how many hidden traps lay beneath the Huaxia Battle Zone, which for decades had appeared prosperous—on the brink of a golden era.

Humans only band together at the brink of catastrophe.

For as long as there’s breath, internal strife will be as vicious as dogs fighting—leaving not even a scrap behind.

“Zhang Liping, senior official of Safe Zone North 043. He secretly mobilized the Safe Zone’s defensive forces and is preparing to march on the Capital in support of the crown, dispatching thirteen Third-Stage agents for this rebellion.”

“He demands a reshuffle of the top brass to install his youngest son as the supreme commander of Border Safe Zone 066.”

“Hmm, it seems this guy’s even in cahoots with foreign enemies—otherwise, he wouldn’t dare venture to the border.”

..

“Zhao Haochen, Deputy Commander of the Capital’s Subordinate Forces under the Air and Space Group Army, has provided Spiritual Energy Fighters to escort the rebels into the Capital, and has set up a ‘peaceful’ bombing campaign.”

“Tsk tsk, talent indeed. Looks like these old guys have already prepared to forgo the Capital, haven’t they?”

..

“Qian Yuan, Deputy Minister of Resources for the Southern Battle Zone—was his own son even directly involved in this battle?”

..

“Demon Hunting Legion, District Captain… No wonder the Third-Stage Advanced agent I killed was crouching in hiding; it turned out he was nothing more than a rat under Uncle Fang’s command…”

..

“The Great Wall Legion—the elite under Commander Qin Feng? Or perhaps his in-law? They brought twenty Third-Stage Advanced agents who are lying in wait in the Capital Core, ready to launch a counter-ambush?”

“Incredible… No wonder Uncle Qin’s face is so grim; he’s been betrayed by his own men.”

..

Ten minutes later.

The list was so long that Yenir couldn’t even bring himself to tease anymore.

In fact, he understood exactly what this list signified and knew just how jaw-dropping it would be once Li Xuanguo and the others dug deeper.

From top to bottom, the Huaxia Battle Zone could be described as riddled with countless wounds.

There were no true neutrals, let alone a singular group of traitors.

All that existed was a tangled net of interests, as intricate as lotus roots. Every Awakener emerging from the apocalypse, once in power, seemed tainted—ruthlessly leeching off the survivors.

No one worried—in fact, no one cared if the apocalypse might ever return. They simply savored the sweet taste of their strength in the aftermath.

The Military and the Authorities, far less in control of the Battle Zones than before the apocalypse, had bred rampant corruption.

Especially the pace of internal decay, which exceeded everyone’s wildest imaginations.

Even when Li Xuanguo and his cohorts, driven by lofty ideals, had prepared to eradicate this malignant blight—even ready to sacrifice themselves—they hadn’t realized that some issues couldn’t be solved merely by tactics or factional maneuvering.

Their true enemy was human nature.

———

After a long pause.

Before everyone, Li Xuanguo looked at Yenir with a complicated expression. After a long, silent stare, he finally spoke:

“I want to know… What do you plan to do next?”