Chapter 356

Chapter 356: Do You Not See What Happened with Wencheng?

"The largest beast tide since the establishment of Hope City has been repelled by us, and it’s the perfect opportunity to document and publicize this achievement.

"While it’s great for heroes to stand up, we should also let everyone see who led the charge, shouldn’t we?

"Without council members and without the council, could Hope City truly have lasted this long? It’s time to make those who have begun to ignore us show some respect.

"Everyone need not worry; what trouble can a blonde cause? With us pulling the strings behind the scenes, he’s merely the next Wencheng."

The phrase "the next Wencheng" seemed to hit a sweet spot with some of the council members present, evoking memories of their glorious past.

Indeed, even the council members themselves are not irreplaceable.

The council was not originally made up of just these few people; there were sometimes more than ten, and the distribution of power has changed many times to form the relatively stable structure we see today.

The council members sometimes united and sometimes divided, all trying to consolidate the top powers in Hope City.

At this moment, Wencheng, who nominally controlled the army, was a loser in a struggle for power that had occurred over a decade ago.

Back then, the high-ranking officials of the city defense army only knew that a parachuted leader had arrived, not realizing that he was actually an Extraordinary Individual who had been demoted to the mundane.

Of course, the cost of defeat was not merely being thrown down from the Tower to become a commoner.

As true Elites of the Old Era, the council members lost some of their memories during a certain period, but they could still be called Exceptional Individuals, and their abilities were undoubtedly impressive.

To maximize Wencheng’s continued usefulness without allowing him to regain power, the victorious council members passed a joint resolution to use "that thing" to erase Wencheng’s memories, making him believe he was a commander nurtured by the Hope Council, a Commanding Talent, a gifted yet ordinary leader.

For this reason, the general Wencheng remained a loyal figure to the council, almost devoted in his service.

And whenever this general came to report to his former colleagues, bowing and scraping, the smiles under their hoods were almost stretched to the ears.

That was the smile of the victors.

Indeed.

Zhong Ding spoke with clarity.

Cunning and sly individuals like Wencheng, and bold and aggressive figures like Vladimir, had all become part of history now.

Even the noble council members could not escape the underhanded struggles of others; one wrong move, and they could end up dead like a rat in a dark sewer. What could this unknown blonde accomplish?

As long as he was made to believe he was a member of the Hope Council, everything would become much simpler.

Whether it was to press him down or to exhaust him in busy work, the bottom line was that within the rules, they had no possibility of losing.

In the foreseeable future, the number of council members would surely decrease, and power would become more centralized.

But this was not a reason for the blonde to insert himself—too many people during the cake-cutting is always a concern.

Zhong Ding’s speech was smooth and tinged with a hint of emotional provocation, making the council members feel that everything was under control.

One must admit that the biggest strength of someone skilled in compromise is their ability to speak well, managing to win over a diverse group of people is a talent in itself.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhong Ding’s verbal proposal passed with a unanimous vote.

Whether there was true willingness or not, joining in on the fun was always good.

After all, having won such a tough battle, shouldn’t they enjoy it?

—

Outside the walls of Hope City, the battlefield was a scene of chaos.

Gray, green, pink, and blue… The bodily fluids of various extraordinary beasts pooled in the depressions of the walls, trickling through the cracks between bricks and the fractures in the concrete, eventually draining into the open ditch and vanishing completely.

It was as if a rainstorm of multicolored bodily fluids had drenched the battlefield, filling the air with the metallic tang of blood and the nauseatingly sweet stench of insect fluids.

A man with golden hair strode along the wall, trailed by a throng of followers.

Among them were soldiers and superpowered individuals.

Most were fortunate survivors whom Lin Qingliu had rescued from the jaws of the extraordinary beasts; some, too injured to keep up, could only watch him in silent reverence.

After the last three Fifth Level extraordinary beasts were slain, the scales of victory began to tip decisively in humanity’s favor.

After hundreds of launches, "Infinite Scroll" finally refined its formula, enabling "Starfall" to rain down ceaselessly upon every insect-formed step, leaving the extraordinary beasts with no chance of recovery.

By the afternoon of the following day, after a grueling 24-hour battle, humanity could finally declare that they had essentially secured victory in this defense.

True, small clusters of extraordinary beasts still gathered below, launching sporadic harassment attacks using primitive climbing tactics, but the altered hue of the earth beyond the city walls bore testament to the triumph.

Soldiers occasionally delivered finishing blows while scouring the sea of corpses for survivors, though more often than not, they were simply collecting the dead.

Lin Qingliu continued his advance along the wall, as if determined to etch every detail into his memory.

He remained unresponsive to the questions from those behind him, silent as a composed and seasoned mute.

Though no one understood why he refused to speak, they gradually fell silent and ceased their inquiries, yet his authority remained undiminished.

And Lin Qingliu was waiting for an answer.

While the council members sought to manipulate him, he too aimed to seize control over them.

From the moment the will of the mycelium decided to attack, the old, gentle strategies had perished, leaving only a more radical path forward.

He was well aware that his every move was being scrutinized by the council members, but he acted precisely as he did because he awaited their judgment of him.

A figure who had never before appeared and had profoundly influenced the battle could not be ignored without risking a loss of credibility.

Only by discerning how the opponent would act could he prepare a more potent counterstrike.

“Pssht~”

Ahead, the sealed cabin hissed as pressure was released. The cover of the Heavy Weapon Control Room opened, and a disheveled young man emerged.

He wore a white coat drenched in blood, his eyes bloodshot, and his steps unsteady.

As he stood outside the control room, he instinctively tried to stretch but suddenly lurched forward, as if his strength had abandoned him.

The dozen soldiers waiting nearby swiftly closed in, catching the young man with their bodies.

“Young Man, you’re incredible!”

One soldier exclaimed:

“We thought you were dead, but you only grew stronger in battle!”

“Yeah, look at all this blood on you…”

The soldier glanced into the control room and saw another operator impaled by a spike several meters long, pinned to his station.