Chapter 593: Recruitment

Chapter 593: Recruitment

Zhu Zheng took in the expressions of everyone below the stage.

He knew some of them were still waiting for specific intel.

Zhu Zheng didn’t bother playing games and went straight into the details about the ronin.

“This group of ronin comes from the north of the Neon Nation. They’re part of a notorious yakuza organization called

Moon of Corrosion

.”

“After dominating Kanto, they set their sights on the mainland of Huaguo and came across the sea.”

“We’ve already communicated with the top powers of the Neon Nation. These people’s actions have nothing to do with their official authorities—they’re acting on their own. So, you can rest assured and go hunt them down!”

“Of course, they’re no pushovers. You need to be prepared for that. But we’ve got the numbers. As long as you're willing, anyone can take on this mission! All I want to see is the heads of those thirteen people!”

Someone in the crowd slowly raised his hand.

Zhu Zheng and Zhang Yi both looked at him.

He was fully wrapped up, with only a pair of eyes exposed.

Zhang Yi had already noticed him back at the subway platform. The man carried a distinct military air—clearly a retired veteran.

And now, he was the leader of a faction.

The veteran opened his mouth and asked, “The Neon Nation’s higher-ups claim these guys weren’t sent by them. That’s hard to believe. What happens if we’re attacked by official forces while carrying out this mission?”

Quite a few people nodded in agreement with the veteran.

People from the Neon Nation were known to flip sides and backstab. Could anyone really trust what came out of their mouths?

What if, after they deployed, it turned out this group was just an advance force—and more reinforcements followed?

That would put them in serious danger!

Zhu Zheng curled his lips into a smirk, his tone full of disdain.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that their government denies any connection to these people.”

“Which means we’re free to hunt down these ronin however we want! The Neon folks won’t dare say a word!”

“Otherwise, heh—”

Zhu Zheng let out a cold laugh. “If we

do

prove they’re linked to the Neon Nation’s leadership, that actually makes things easier!”

“If they make the first move, we can go all out in retaliation!”

Zhu Zheng’s words laid things bare.

If this group really was connected to Neon Nation officials, it would mean they’d already fired the first shot of an invasion—and that would open the door to all-out war.

Even their allies wouldn’t be able to defend them.

Those words fired up the confidence of the superhumans present.

With the military might of the Jiangnan District behind them, there was nothing to fear.

All they had to do was launch a massive hunt against those ronin!

The veteran nodded silently, clearly agreeing with Zhu Zheng.

As for why Zhu Zheng had to mobilize forces from all twelve cities of the Jiangnan District—well, that was simple.

This was a coordinated hunt. They were surrounding the Moon of Corrosion and wiping them out to the last man.

The enemy wouldn’t just sit there waiting to be taken down. Of course they’d try to escape.

To pull off a full-scale encirclement, you needed a force ten times larger than the enemy.

Just like hundreds of years ago in the Ming Dynasty, when they had to mobilize 300,000 troops to eliminate a few thousand Wokou pirates.

Uncle You couldn’t help but say to Zhang Yi, “Zhang Yi, we should join in on this operation.”

As a retired soldier himself, Uncle You still had a strong emotional connection to this kind of mission.

Zhang Yi rested his chin in one hand, tilting his head slightly as he calmly watched Zhu Zheng and the fired-up crowd on stage. But his mind was already analyzing the situation.

The ronin were certainly detestable, but Zhang Yi never acted out of pure emotion—he always weighed the pros and cons.

They

should

be eliminated. But why wasn’t Zhu Zheng sending in his own investigation teams?

Even if the Black Robe Squad had lost Bian Junwu, the Celestial Squad was still at full strength.

Not to mention, they had 5,000 Yan Yun Guards.

There was only one likely answer—Zhu Zheng wasn’t willing to risk his own elite troops.

That’s why he wanted the outer-city forces to go in first.

If the mission succeeded, great. If not, they’d still gain intel on the enemy. Then Blizzard City’s elites could step in.

At this rate, any future high-risk tasks would probably also fall to outer-city forces first.

And his elite squads would be preserved unless a truly special mission came up.

After all, the Jiangnan District’s power was built on military strength. Zhu Zheng had to consider that.

Self-interest—people always have it.

Once he’d thought it through, Zhang Yi calmly said to Uncle You, “Let’s observe the situation first. I want to ask Baili Changqing for more detailed intel.”

Clearly, there were things Zhu Zheng wasn’t telling them.

Zhang Yi was the type to make a plan before acting—that’s the only way to stay safe.

On the podium, Zhu Zheng waved his arm with authority and declared:

“All organizations participating in this mission can head to HQ to pick up weapons, gear, and all necessary supplies!”

Zhang Yi thought to himself: This is also a way to confirm how many factions are actually getting involved.

If there weren’t enough, Zhu Zheng might have to start assigning tasks directly.

Sure enough, people immediately stood up, pledging to take their teams to Linhai City to wipe out the ronin.

In the blink of an eye, five factions volunteered.

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow, thinking: In that case, I’ll keep a low profile for now.

Whether they were motivated by patriotism or just the rewards Zhu Zheng promised, plenty of people were clearly willing to go.

Zhang Yi never made himself a target—even if the rewards looked good.

So, let them go first.

If they managed to wipe out the ronin, perfect.

If they failed, Zhang Yi could gather valuable intel from their attempt.

And by the time he made his move, his chances of success would be much higher.

Watching the crowd of fired-up superhumans, a flicker of cold light flashed through Zhang Yi’s eyes.

Just thirteen people had wiped out

every

force in Linhai City. How powerful was this Moon of Corrosion team, really?

Could they be on par with the Blizzard City investigation team?

If that were true, how many of these attackers would die?

The meeting ended amid an atmosphere of fiery enthusiasm.

Those willing to go hunt down the Moon of Corrosion quickly signed up and collected their supplies.

As for Zhang Yi, he quietly left the hall with his team, without making a sound.

…

Operations Center, Commander’s Office.

Zhu Zheng sat on a sofa, reading the report Lan Xincheng had submitted.

“In total, ten factions signed up to go to Linhai City and hunt down the Moon of Corrosion. That’s not bad—it’s a strong force.”

Zhu Zheng nodded.

Even though plenty of factions had come to Blizzard City, many couldn’t participate for various reasons.

Some were too far from Linhai geographically. Others had their own concerns.

But what bothered Zhu Zheng most was this:

Nowhere on the report did he see any signatures from Tianhai City leaders. Most notably, he didn’t see Zhang Yi’s name.

That made him frown.

“Tianhai City is close to Linhai, and Zhang Yi’s strength is more than enough. But he’s avoiding the fight. I’m very disappointed.”

He was starting to agree more and more with what Baili Changqing had said.

This Zhang Yi—too scheming, too hard to control.

Author's Note