Chapter 632 - 496: Going Too Far: Shameless

"As long as the Strongest from all four districts make a move, even if it’s just for show, Gao Neng will bear a heavy responsibility!"

"Hmph, Gao Neng was the one who proposed this plan to attack the North District. His attack triggered the battle between the Strongest. After making such a huge strategic blunder, his dream of being promoted to Speaker is just that—a dream!"

"Hahaha..."

"However, even though Gao Neng is down, it seems we have a problem with Councillor Liang. I can already tell he’s grown suspicious of us!"

"Suspicious? Hmph, he was one of the participants in this matter. Now that he’s involved, it won’t be so easy for him to jump ship!"

"I have a plan, actually!"

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

"Gao Neng may have led this operation, but as the Speaker, Wu Qingjing didn’t stop it. In fact, he strongly supported it. His responsibility can’t be shirked either. To avoid any new problems cropping up, why don’t we take this opportunity and call for an immediate election!"

"You’re saying... we don’t wait the three months?"

"Why should we wait?"

"Hmm, you’re right. Wu Qingjing’s responsibility this time is certainly not small. If we all move against him at once, there’s a good chance we could replace him. But there’s one thing I’ve been wondering about."

"What is it?"

"Haven’t you noticed? Ever since he came back yesterday, Gao Neng has been staying in Shen Ning’Er’s room and hasn’t shown his face."

"What’s so strange about that? That old fellow Shen Changsheng is an expert at seizing opportunities. He must have seen what Gao Neng did at the Federation Parliament Building. It’s perfectly normal for him to have his precious granddaughter make her move early and ’detain’ Gao Neng, isn’t it?"

"No, I know Shen Ning’Er! Gao Neng can afford to not show his face for a night, but she should have appeared!"

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t forget, Shen Ning’Er is a soldier. She’s different from Gao Neng. She grew up in military camps. And what time is it now? It’s when the great war is at its most intense! As a division commander in charge of an entire Armored Corps, even if she didn’t come out for the first half of the night, she would definitely come out personally for a night patrol in the second half. After all, that’s always been a tradition of the Shen Family!"

"Old Ghost is right... something is definitely off."

"Who cares what her problem is? It’s better if she doesn’t show up. The key right now is to replace that old fossil Wu Qingjing as soon as possible and push for Liang Qi to become Speaker. As long as Liang Qi is in the Speaker’s seat, never mind a single Shen Ning’Er—not even Shen Changsheng himself could come and change anything."

"..."

"Reporting!"

Just then, a soldier’s voice came from outside the military tent.

"Come in."

"Reporting to the three councillors! Speaker Wu and Commander Qin have called an emergency meeting. Please head to the command center immediately!" the soldier said with a salute.

"Alright, understood. We’ll head over right away."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier exited the military tent.

The three councillors exchanged a look.

"It seems... the other three districts have already made their move!"

"Let’s go. This is a godsent opportunity!"

"Even if we can’t replace Wu Qingjing, we absolutely must seize command of the battlefield this time!"

"Hmph, that’s a given!"

...

「North District Fortress.」

「Temporary Command Center.」

Wu Qingjing was waiting anxiously in his seat.

"Where’s Gao Neng? Hasn’t he arrived yet?"

"Afraid to show his face, I presume?" the three councillors said as they walked into the command center.

"What are you talking about?" Wu Qingjing’s brow furrowed slightly.

"What are we talking about? Speaker Wu should know full well. Who started this war in the North District? It was Gao Neng! If he hadn’t insisted on pressing the advantage, how could the battle of the Strongest have started ahead of schedule? And how would our Human Alliance have fallen into such a predicament?" the three councillors sneered.

"The battle of the Strongest was triggered by a phantom image, a matter we are still investigating. Moreover, Gao Neng killed one of the Blood Race’s Strongest. Even if it triggered the battle of the Strongest, it still wasn’t a loss for the Human Alliance!"

"No losses? Then I wonder why Speaker Wu has convened such an urgent meeting?" one of the three councillors asked, looking at Wu Qingjing.

"That’s because..." Wu Qingjing gritted his teeth. "We’ve received the latest military report. Large forces from the Alien Race Alliance Army have appeared in the South, West, and Eastern Districts."

"Just the Allied Army? I’m afraid there are Strongest among them as well, aren’t there?"

"..." Wu Qingjing fell silent.

Because the military report did indeed mention it.

The Eastern, South, and West Districts...

...had successively reported sightings of alien Strongest.

And in no small number.

In each warzone, at least five Strongest were advancing on the City of Hope.

This was... a true catastrophe!

"Speaker Wu, I suggest you tell us the whole truth, lest you delay our military response. If your deliberate concealment leads to massive losses for the Human Alliance, the consequences... are more than you alone can bear!"

"I will bear full responsibility for any consequences! The three of you needn’t worry yourselves. Since almost everyone is here..." Wu Qingjing glanced at the doorway, then finally gritted his teeth. "Let’s start the meeting."

"I will now brief everyone on the latest military situation!" an officer stood up.

"According to the latest intelligence, the West and South Districts... are each currently under heavy assault by one hundred thousand troops from the Alien Race Alliance Army. However, that is not the critical issue. The critical issue is that Strongest have been spotted in both the West and South Districts. For example, the Vampire Race in the West District... this time, they’ve actually dispatched two Strongest at once..."

"The most critical situation is on the Eastern District Battlefield!"

"Commander Shen sent an urgent report. For some unknown reason, two of the top-tier Strongest from the Beast Race and the Celestial Race have both appeared on the Eastern District Battlefield."

"..."

"Wait, the Strongest from the Beast Race and Celestial Race you mentioned... are they?"

"That’s right. It’s the Beast Race’s Sword Saint and the Celestial Race’s Six-winged Great Angel!" The officer nodded, his tone extremely grave.

"..."

Silence.

The entire command center instantly fell silent.

The Beast Race Sword Saint!

The Celestial Race’s Six-winged Great Angel.

These two were, without a doubt, the top-tier Strongest in the Eastern District.

They were among the first to enter this world. Moreover, they were two-hundred-year-old undying monsters.

"Even they’ve come out?"

"This attack by the Alien Race Alliance Army... I’m afraid this isn’t just for show anymore!"

"Does Speaker Wu have a decision?"

"..."

"I have already sent out an emergency notice to all the major sects and prominent families, telling them to immediately dispatch reinforcements to the fortresses in each district. But to fend off attacks on four districts simultaneously..." Wu Qingjing’s voice trailed off as he clenched his fists.

"Our only option is to take a drastic measure!" At that moment, a voice spoke up.

"Hmm?!"

"Councillor Liang, what is your suggestion?"

All eyes instantly focused on one figure.

It was Liang Qi.

"We must redeploy the Strongest concentrated in the North District to the other three districts! Only by doing so can we hope to defend the City of Hope and prevent its fall!" Liang Qi declared as he stood up.

"No! If we do that, what happens to the North District? There are twenty million civilians gathered in the North District Fortress right now! Moreover, the civilians who originally left the North District are constantly flocking back. Everyone is filled with hope. If we abandon the North District at a time like this..." Wu Qingjing immediately objected.

"Teacher, if we must sacrifice one of the four districts, which one would you choose?" Liang Qi asked, looking at Wu Qingjing.

"What do you mean, ’must sacrifice’..."

"Teacher, please answer my question. I said *if* we absolutely must sacrifice one district!"

"..." Wu Qingjing didn’t speak, but his jaw was clenched tight.

"The answer is self-evident. The North District is currently the most heavily damaged area, and it has the fewest civilians. If we abandon the North District now and shift our defense to the other three, we can still ensure the Human Alliance is not annihilated. Besides, the Strongest in the North District haven’t launched another attack since last night. I’ll venture a bold guess... they’re already thinking of retreating. If we abandon the North District at this juncture, perhaps we might even be able to save all four districts!"

"I support Councillor Liang’s plan!"

"I support it too!"

"Let’s put it to a vote..."

"This..."

"As things stand, temporarily abandoning the North District seems to be the best decision. Besides, just as Councillor Liang said, the Strongest in the North District haven’t attacked again since last night. Add to that the fact that the alien races in the North District have suffered considerable losses... I think redeploying our forces from the North District to the other three... perhaps it’s really worth a shot!"

"Mm, I agree as well!"