Chapter 152 – Unyielding Stance

Chapter 152 – Unyielding Stance

“Cheng Yang, what do you think you’re doing?” Yuan Jianze’s face darkened as he spoke.

Cheng Yang chuckled lightly. “Old Yuan, what are you talking about? Our agreement was clear – I have free access to Xiangcheng City’s main city. Are you trying to go back on your word now?”

“You…” Yuan Jianze was momentarily speechless. When he heard that Cheng Yang had charged into the city’s protective barrier with a massive mutated beast, his first thought was that Cheng Yang had ill intentions. But now, he realized he might have overreacted.

Ignoring Yuan Jianze’s reaction, Cheng Yang continued, “I think this main city is quite nice. I’m considering establishing a force here. What do you think, Old Yuan? Should I recruit thirty to fifty thousand people? Or maybe a hundred thousand? Actually, the more the merrier. Imagine the prestige of leading such a massive group!”

Yuan Jianze knew Cheng Yang was just spouting nonsense, but it still infuriated him. The thought of Cheng Yang establishing roots in the main city was terrifying. With Cheng Yang’s strength, Yuan Jianze’s own development would be severely hindered.

In reality, Yuan Jianze was overthinking things. Unless Cheng Yang had lost his mind, he would never personally develop a force in the main city. The risks far outweighed the benefits.

“Cheng Yang, state your intentions. I don’t believe you came here just to wander around,” Yuan Jianze said, his face still dark.

Cheng Yang glanced around. “Do you think this is an appropriate place for discussion?”

Yuan Jianze snorted. “I, Yuan Jianze, act with integrity. There’s nothing I can’t say in public.”

Cheng Yang looked slightly surprised. “Very well. Let’s speak openly then. Yesterday, there was an explosion in my territory. Based on the evidence, it was caused by either a grenade or a landmine. These are items that only your military could possess, Yuan Jianze.”

Yuan Jianze’s expression flickered briefly before he replied, “You need evidence to make such claims. In these chaotic times, even our military has lost countless weapons. A single landmine or grenade means nothing. It’s unfair to blame my forces based on one explosion.”

Cheng Yang had anticipated this response. “I’m not here to listen to your excuses. I’m here to inform you of my decision. Whether it was your direct order or someone acting independently, you have three days to give me a satisfactory answer. Otherwise, I will tear up our agreement.”

Without waiting for Yuan Jianze’s response, Cheng Yang spurred his white tiger mount, which shot forward like a gust of wind, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

Yuan Jianze’s teeth ground together in fury. Being publicly humiliated like this was unbearable, especially for someone of his status. But he knew that losing his temper now would be disastrous.

After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Yuan Jianze turned to his subordinates. “What are your thoughts on that mutated beast Cheng Yang was riding?”

Situ Fa, standing nearby, spoke up. “Commander, I believe Cheng Yang might have discovered new rules of this world. Based on game logic, that beast is either a tamed pet or a mount. If it’s just a mount, it likely only provides speed bonuses. But if it’s a pet… that could be problematic.”

“Explain further,” Yuan Jianze ordered.

Situ Fa continued, “If that white tiger is indeed a pet, its strength might rival or even surpass Cheng Yang’s. Its speed was significantly faster than Cheng Yang’s, which suggests it’s not a peak first-tier mutated beast.”

Yuan Jianze frowned. “Are you saying that beast has reached the second tier?”

“That seems to be the case,” Situ Fa replied cautiously.

“Very well. Let’s return to headquarters,” Yuan Jianze ordered. “Notify all regimental-level officers and militia leaders to gather in my office.”

Half an hour later, the leaders assembled in Yuan Jianze’s office, which doubled as his cultivation chamber.

The others nodded. Old Wu spoke up, “Commander, Cheng Yang has gone too far. If we continue to show weakness, he’ll keep walking all over us.”

He Lao, leader of the first militia, asked, “Commander, do you think Cheng Yang is bluffing, or did someone actually plant a bomb in his territory?”

Yuan Jianze scanned the room. “From Cheng Yang’s demeanor, it didn’t seem baseless. However, I didn’t order such an action. I’ve called you here to get to the bottom of this. While I told Cheng Yang that weapons have been lost, the truth is that only those present here and your subordinates have access to such ordnance. Whoever is responsible, I expect you to come forward now.”

When no one responded, Yuan Jianze’s expression darkened. “If you confess now, this will be treated as a city matter. If you try to hide it, don’t expect any mercy.”

Finally, a man stammered, “Commander… it… it was me. But I did it for your benefit, to…”

Yuan Jianze cut him off, recognizing the man as one of his regimental commanders. “Enough. The reasons don’t matter now. We need to focus on how to handle this situation.”

Situ Fa suggested, “Commander, I think we should avoid direct confrontation for now. We need to gather more information about their strength.”

Yuan Jianze turned to the man who had confessed. “Ding Ming, what did your scouts discover?”

Ding Ming quickly replied, “Commander, as per your orders, I sent out nearly forty scouts. Only three returned. One confirmed the existence of a village south of Xiangcheng City, housing many combatants. However, the scout couldn’t get too close, only observing from a distance with binoculars…”

“Get to the point,” Yuan Jianze interrupted impatiently.

“Yes, Commander. After this, feeling I had failed you, I sent more scouts. To test their strength, I had them plant a high-explosive landmine. The scout observed that the village perimeter was constantly patrolled. Any mutated beasts appearing within two kilometers were eliminated within minutes. The scout planted the landmine at the edge of this perimeter, injuring one of their members. However, the target survived due to their formidable strength.”

Yuan Jianze pressed, “How many are there? What’s their strength level?”

Ding Ming answered, “Their numbers are hard to determine due to the wide area, but estimates range from twenty to seventy. Their strength appears to be mid to high-tier, based on how they handle mutated beasts. However, the distance and terrain make this assessment uncertain.”

Yuan Jianze was less concerned about the margin of error and more troubled by the possibility of high-tier combatants. “How could they have so many high-tier experts?” he muttered in frustration.

Old Wu spoke up, “Commander, if Cheng Yang’s forces are indeed this strong, direct confrontation would be unwise. We should consider…”

Ding Ming interjected anxiously, “Commander, we can’t just give in! If we yield without a fight, they’ll only push us harder in the future.”

…

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