Chapter 616: An Unbelievable Battle

When Phoenixin Ren heard Nishijumu Satoru’s words, a wicked smile crept across his face.

With both hands in his pockets, he said leisurely, “Nishijumu, why don’t you tell everyone about the memories you peeked into?”

Nishijumu Satoru, a Mental-type Superhuman, codename Heartseer Demon, had the ability to read others’ memories.

With his arms crossed, Nishijumu turned serious as he got to the point.

“There are currently thirteen cities in the Jiangnan District with major Superhuman organizations stationed in them. Among them, their headquarters is in Blizzard City...”

He took his time and shared the key memories he had extracted from Li Tianlong’s mind with everyone.

After listening, Phoenixin sat on a cardboard box, eyes deep in thought, using the intel to plan the next operation.

“The ones who attacked us came from the twelve Outer Cities. Those guys don’t pose much of a threat.”

“The real threat lies with the official forces in Blizzard City.”

“Blizzard City can’t afford to act right now. And judging by the fact they sent Outer City troops against us, it’s clear they’re reluctant to risk their elites.”

Shinguuji Seiichiro said, “So you’re saying... there’s room for negotiation?”

Phoenixin nodded. “Maybe not before, but now?”

He opened his arms wide and laughed boldly, “We’ve already shown them what we’re capable of! Now we’ve earned the right to sit at the table.”

Shinguuji replied slowly, “But I don’t think they’ll give in to our demands so easily.”

“After all, their real elite troops haven’t even shown up yet.”

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his expression turning grim.

“The ones they sent were just a vanguard force, testing the waters.”

“The next batch will likely be the Six Investigation Teams.”

Tsukamoto Nobunaga shifted his gaze toward Shinguuji and Phoenixin.

The others also dropped their smiles.

“These are regional-level Special Forces. Their strength isn’t even in the same league as this bunch.”

“This might turn into a grueling battle,” Shinguuji said.

But Phoenixin’s smile didn’t fade in the slightest.

“Isn’t this something we were bound to face anyway? If we want to gain a foothold on this land and complete the first step of our landing, then a tough battle is inevitable!”

He even sounded proud.

“Columbus, who discovered the New World, died fighting the natives! But his discovery reshaped the entire global landscape and brought immense wealth to his nation!”

“As pioneers, we too will be written into the history books!”

Phoenixin gave a passionate speech, his bold confidence carrying a contagious force.

Then he turned to look at the silent Miko Takeuchi Mayumi, who sat quietly nearby.

“Besides, we still have this trump card with us. Luck will stay on our side!”

Everyone’s expressions varied.

Ever since they chose to follow Phoenixin Ren aboard that icebreaker, they had mentally prepared themselves.

At that moment, Nishijumu suddenly pointed at the unconscious Li Tianlong.

“Is this guy still useful? If not, I’m gonna eat him.”

He licked the corner of his mouth.

This Delta-level Superhuman might be dispensable to Tsukamoto Nobunaga, but Nishijumu clearly looked forward to feasting on him.

“No, he still has some use,” Phoenixin Ren said, eyes narrowing playfully as he stared at Li Tianlong.

“We can let him go back and deliver a message to the leadership of the Jiangnan District.”

He lifted his chin and said slowly, “We’re pacifists. We don’t like bloodshed. If we can talk things out peacefully, then that’d be ideal.”

Blizzard City, Headquarters of the Operations Center, inside Zhu Zheng’s office.

Tu Yunlie arrived in front of Zhu Zheng and personally handed over a battle damage report.

As Zhu Zheng flipped through the pages, his eyes grew increasingly sharp.

By the time he reached the end, his eyes were visibly trembling.

“This can’t be happening!”

Zhu Zheng slammed the report on the desk with a loud smack.

He shot to his feet, glaring at Tu Yunlie.

“Even if Moon of Corrosion is powerful, there’s no way they could’ve wiped out ten of our Superhuman squads so easily!”

“Forget about them — even our Investigation Teams couldn’t pull that off!”

In less than an hour, and without even deploying all thirteen members, they had completely annihilated ten Superhuman squads!

And the leader of every one of those squads was a Delta-level powerhouse!

Even if the Six Investigation Teams had been sent, they wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a clean sweep.

Tu Yunlie spoke in a low tone, “Logically, no, this result shouldn’t have been possible.”

“This happened on our turf. We had timing, terrain, and unity — basically every advantage.”

“By all accounts, they should’ve been like blind men, toying in our palms. At worst, they should’ve suffered heavy casualties.”

“I accounted for every possibility—except this.”

“That’s why I believe... the enemy must’ve found a way to obtain our intel!”

Zhu Zheng locked eyes with Tu Yunlie, speaking slowly and deliberately: “If you’ve got something to say, say it. Don’t beat around the bush.”

Tu Yunlie replied, “Either we have a traitor in the Operations Department who leaked the information about the ten Superhuman teams and their positions...”

“Or the enemy has a Superhuman with some kind of reconnaissance ability, someone who precisely tracked all our movements and deployments!”

He pointed to the stack of reports on the desk.

“We’ve analyzed it thoroughly. One of the key reasons Moon of Corrosion won so swiftly is because their chosen Superhumans just happened to counter the squads stationed at each position!”

“You understand what that means — in a sudden ambush, if a Superhuman’s ability is hard-countered, their combat effectiveness drops drastically.”

“In fact, if the matchup is a complete counter, the Superhuman might as well be a cripple.”

Tu Yunlie clasped his hands behind his back, the sharp glint in his eyes hidden beneath the brim of his military cap.

“When it comes to the Moon of Corrosion, our intel is seriously lacking. Originally, we could’ve demanded the Neon Nation provide details on these Ronin’s Superhuman abilities!”

Zhu Zheng’s expression darkened, and his tone cooled.

“You’re absolutely right. But those slippery bastards used the excuse that these people aren’t officially affiliated with their government. They outright refused to give us anything useful.”

“They’re practically hoping this bunch stirs up chaos across our lands. Why would they genuinely help us?”

“But even so... so what?”

Zhu Zheng’s voice grew stern. “It’s just a bunch of Ronin. Are you saying we can’t handle them?”

“This matter... a lot of nations and regions are already aware of it. They’re all watching closely. So we need to win this, and win it beautifully.”

“They have to die here, executed by our own hands. That’s the only way to prove our strength and scare off the scavengers nearby!”

Author's Note