Chapter 397: An Honest and Fair Reason!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As soon as w.a.n.g Baole spoke, the people around him, with their varied expressions, widened their eyes. They held their breaths. Even the more level-headed ones felt their hearts stop. They thought w.a.n.g Baole’s retaliation unexpected, but this move was like his character—vicious beyond measure.
It was as w.a.n.g Baole had said. They had been going on and on about being autonomous zones, banking on their being jointly managed and supervised by the Federation and the Martian Colony Governor, without having to report directly to the new city. That was why they had been so fearless, disregarding orders and putting on a show brazenly…
Since that was the case, he would play along and lock them in, build high walls and surround the three zones. This was another way of trapping them in their own zones. At this moment, this was enough to trigger a significant effect.
The worst thing was how Chen Mu and his gang were powerless to stop him. w.a.n.g Baole had reason on his side. He had ordered Lin Tianhao to build the wall on the new city’s territory. There was no intrusion into the zones belonging to Chen Mu and his gang. His gangster-like att.i.tude, declaring his actions and intentions in front of Chen Mu and his gang, gave the others around them a deeper understanding of w.a.n.g Baole’s character.
“This is devious. This is simply too devious!”
“This is simply too malicious and too despicable, but Chen Mu and his gang, there must be something wrong with their heads. Why did they offend w.a.n.g Baole?”
“He’s not to be messed with. I’ve finally seen his true nature. He is a nasty person, filled with nasty ideas!” The people around w.a.n.g Baole dared not speak out in the open. They could only deal with the shock w.a.n.g Baole had dealt them through this move by sending messages to their close friends.
As soon as Lin Tianhao and Kong Dao had heard w.a.n.g Baole’s orders and given their affirmative replies, they had known what w.a.n.g Baole had been planning to do. Even they eyed w.a.n.g Baole a few times. Kong Dao made up his mind to never make an enemy out of w.a.n.g Baole. This devious and malicious move of w.a.n.g Baole’s made him understand what true malice was…
Lin Tianhao almost slapped his thigh and cheered. He had been troubling himself over how to resolve this matter, as he knew that his fate was bound closely with w.a.n.g Baole’s. One’s glory was shared by both; one’s injury was also shared. As soon as he had heard w.a.n.g Baole’s words and had seen the faces on Chen Mu and his gang—as if their faces had been rubbed in dog sh*t—his troubled heart had eased considerably.
The guy only has those few tricks up his sleeve. To think that my father told me to view him as my role model when I was young. Seems like my father doesn’t have that good an eye when judging others. As Lin Tianhao basked in self-satisfaction, Jin Duoming had just come to his senses and sucked in a deep mouthful of air. He smiled. It was clear he disliked Chen Mu and his gang. They hadn’t been the ones who had baked the cake, but they had come to cut the cake up and take their undeserved share. To do so with such arrogance and to not play along—that was what annoyed him.
Compared to Kong Dao and the others, Li Wan’er had been instantly alarmed. She had half a mind to step in and say something. However, she hadn’t been able to find anything wrong with how w.a.n.g Baole handled the matter. He had reason on his side. After all, Chen Mu and his gang’s arrogance had been made plain to everyone.
He’s setting a trap for them. w.a.n.g Baole has a habit of setting traps for others. This has been brought up during the investigation of the Li Yi incident! Li Wan’er frowned. She knew this wasn’t the time to speak and offer her help, so she remained silent.
Compared to them, the ones who were truly alarmed and shocked were Chen Mu and the other two mayors. Both Wen Huai and Fang Jing’s breathing quickened. They had been stunned by what w.a.n.g Baole said, and had immediately looked towards Chen Mu, panic and anger burning inside them.
Chen Mu had a dark, ugly expression on his face. He stared at w.a.n.g Baole as countless thoughts surfaced in his head. He tried to think of a way to retaliate against his opponent’s move, but w.a.n.g Baole had done something completely unexpected. Regardless of how fast the gears in his head spun, he couldn’t think of a solution immediately. He took a deep breath, identified w.a.n.g Baole’s problematic tone, and spoke immediately.
“City Lord w.a.n.g, your decision shows your displeasure against our self-governance and the Federation’s judgment. You actually speak of imprisoning us. Fine. I will definitely report this matter to the Federation. Then…”
His response had been extremely swift. Despite not being able to think of a solution, he had caught on to w.a.n.g Baole’s problematic tone of voice. He was about to cut through the superficial pretense and get to the essence of the issue, but before he could finish what he wanted to say, w.a.n.g Baole laughed again. He said coolly.
“A new catacombs just appeared. There may be a danger of monsters remaining that weren’t completely exterminated. To protect the three autonomous zones, from now on, a strict military rule will be enforced. We seek the cooperation of Mayor Chen, Mayor Wen, and Mayor Fang!” Done speaking, w.a.n.g Baole turned and—without sparing a glance behind, without looking at the changed expressions on Chen Mu and his gang’s faces, and amidst the awed looks from the others around them—he left.
His final words forced Chen Mu’s yet-to-be vocalized words back down his throat. Even though he knew that w.a.n.g Baole had simply thrown a random reason at him, it was a reason that was equally difficult to dispute.
So you’re good at seeing through the bulls.h.i.+t and discerning the reality of the matter? Fine, let me apply it on you as well. You’re a Primary Rank Four n.o.ble trying to fight a Primary Rank Three n.o.ble. Obviously, you have sh*t for brains. Now, let’s see who gives up first and cries for daddy! As w.a.n.g Baole left, he basked in self-satisfaction. He strolled right back to his office. As soon as he returned, he received Li Wan’er’s transmission asking to see him.
w.a.n.g Baole turned down her request immediately. He ignored her and began his seclusion. He continued to research how to refine Dharmic Armaments. w.a.n.g Baole firmly believed that with Lin Tianhao’s abilities, the latter would execute his orders flawlessly.
That was indeed the case. Lin Tianhao knew that his fate was now tightly bound with w.a.n.g Baole’s. He wasted no time and immediately gathered workers to start on the construction of the wall. He threw in a few ideas of his own as well and was prepared to build a wall many tens of yards tall!
The rate at which cultivators could build a wall was astonis.h.i.+ng. Soon, amidst the growing rage of Chen Mu and his gang, and amidst their resigned powerlessness, they watched helplessly as a vast wall rose from the ground like a mountain range, forming the beginnings of a city wall.
From the speed of construction, the wall would likely be fully built within the day. Despite it being a prototype, it still looked towering and overpowering from above. It was vast and majestic, casting a shadow over the city zones governed by Chen Mu and his gang. Those who had no idea what was going on would think the area surrounded by the wall was the Martian prison.
After all… outside the walls, Kong Dao had arranged for heavily armed guards to stand guard. They faced the three zones and were clearly on high alert. They were to stop anyone from entering or leaving the zones.
News of this spread like wildfire across the entire city. Countless people who found out about it were all stunned by what w.a.n.g Baole had done. As heated discussions took over the city by storm, Wen Huai and Fang Jing grew more frantic in their panic. They knew that this couldn’t continue forever. There would be grave consequences if this persisted for too long. Chen Mu maintained his silence. He thought about seeking help from his family clan, but, in the end, he set this idea aside.
I’ve only just arrived. To have to seek help from the family clan whenever I face any problems… how can I keep my pride after that! The expression on Chen Mu’s face was dark and sullen. He thought for a while, then pulled out his jade slip. He contacted the Federation and made a complaint against w.a.n.g Baole’s misuse of his authority, which disrupted the construction of the autonomous zones. At the same time, he also told Wen Huai and Fang Jing to contact the Martian Colony Governor.
He would resolve this matter through official means!
The two parties engaged in fierce conflict via the walls that were about to be erected. No one noticed that, outside the new city, in the area where the new catacombs had just been sealed, the monsters’ corpses cleared, and the construction of a base in the area in progress—a chunk of flesh was wriggling slowly. It grew larger and larger in the soil until it transformed into the shape of a human. Then, its hand slowly reached out from the earth.
The hand seemed to exude a strange power. Everyone around it ignored its presence. It grabbed at the ground and slowly dragged its entire body out from the earth.
The person seemed ill accustomed to his body. He stood on the spot after crawling out from the earth, moving his body slightly and forming strange contortions. A long moment later, it seemed to finally grow accustomed to its body. A black robe gradually appeared and covered his entire body. His lips, hidden beneath his clothes, twitched upwards slightly.
“Finally, I’m out.” A raspy voice came out of his mouth. The person lifted his head slowly, and there was a strange light in his eyes as he stared at the new city.
Under the dying light in the heavens, one might discern the face under the black robes. It was lined with wrinkles… After a long time, the person lowered his head. His body stirred, then vanished. It appeared that he had headed towards the new city…