Chapter 72

"Such a boring way to silence someone." Du Nan didn’t dodge; he pulled the young soldier with one hand and raised the other to block Tang Shenglong’s heavy palm. The two forces collided, and Du Nan’s feet sank into the ground. As a six-star diamond-class armorer, Tang Shenglong couldn’t gain any advantage either and was forced back. Du Nan, protecting the soldier, still had a smile on his face: "Old Tang, don’t be in such a hurry to kill. I still want to listen more. To be honest, with just your strength, I’m not afraid. Even Qiao Banzhai, I’m not afraid, so why should I fear you?"

"Boy, don’t be so arrogant." Tang Shenglong’s probing attack revealed Du Nan’s limits.

He activated the magic net.

Power surged in all directions.

Tang Shenglong pointed at Du Nan and said, "Boy, considering your youth and ignorance, and the fact that you’ve advanced to the five-star gold stage at such a young age, you are indeed a rare talent. If you surrender now, I can show mercy today. Otherwise, for the crime of massacring the nobility, you deserve to die a hundred times over."

"If you really want to fight, then come on, no need for more talk." Du Nan still protected the soldier, waved his hand, and showed no sign of taking Tang Shenglong seriously.

He was a five-star magic energy user, not yet reaching Tang Shenglong’s six-star diamond stage.

But.

If they really fought, it was uncertain who would die. Moreover, Du Nan’s greatest strength wasn’t his magic energy, but his seventh-level body technique, a unique power in the Azure Star Alliance. If it weren’t for reserving some strength to deal with Qiao Banzhai, Tang Shenglong wouldn’t be able to keep nagging.

"Mr. Du, don’t worry about me, the Shallow Sea matter isn’t over."

The young soldier, seeing a big battle about to start, quickly shouted, seemingly wanting to reveal the final secret.

Tang Shenglong’s eyebrows twitched, but he didn’t rush over. At that moment, Qiao Banzhai had already stood up and moved to the young soldier’s side. Qiao Banzhai, with a serious expression, asked, "Young man, are you really a descendant of the Shallow Sea Guard? Don’t be afraid, say whatever you want to say."

"Old Qiao, he might be a rebel spy, don’t listen to his nonsense." Tang Shenglong threw a big accusation.

"Whether he’s a spy or not, whether he’s lying or not, we need to hear what he has to say, right?" Qiao Banzhai didn’t give him any face, as it concerned the entire Blue Sea Federation, and he had to be cautious.

"It’s useless to tell you. If it were useful, I would have said it long ago."

The soldier smiled bitterly and turned to Du Nan, saying, "The Blue Sea Star is about to face a great calamity. Mr. Du, you have the Pure Blue technique, go find Lone Eagle, Nine Wolves, or Iron Elephant. If they are still alive, they will definitely aid you. I don’t know why, but they will definitely help you. If there’s anyone in the Blue Sea Federation who can be trusted, it can only be… Long Tu, or Wang Yi."

The young soldier said it all in one breath, his tense expression relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Bold, how dare you compare the clan leader Wang with Long Tu." Tang Shenglong roared, "Indeed, you are a rebel spy. At this time, you still want to recruit people into the rebel ranks. Li Qifeng, you’ve seen it, why don’t you take action?"

"Old Tang, I am a general of the military, it’s not your place to give orders." Li Qifeng said coldly.

"Young man, don’t you trust Qiao, Old Su, and Old Yu?" Qiao Banzhai suddenly asked, his expression somewhat sad.

The soldier heard this.

He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and finally mustered the courage to say, "Old Qiao, I respect you one hundred percent. But my father said, said, you are too… you are not smart enough, and you act too impulsively. Telling you would only ruin things."

"Your father said we are too stupid, right?" Qiao Banzhai smiled bitterly.

As a veteran of the Blue Sea, one of the three major pillars of the Federation, he couldn’t even earn the trust of a fortress guard.

The Shallow Sea matter isn’t over?

The Blue Sea Star is about to face a great calamity?

It sounded like this wasn’t a simple invasion war, but more like a conspiracy.

"Long Tu is the leader of the rebels, and Wang Yi is the head of the Eighth Clan, known as the ruler of the Blue Sea’s first family. You say you can only trust these two, does that mean the Eighth Clan and the Eighty-Eight Nobles have betrayed the Blue Sea, leaving it with no allies inside and strong enemies outside?" Du Nan asked curiously.

"I don’t know." The soldier shook his head, "My father only told me this much. Find Lone Eagle, and you’ll know more."

"That’s not necessary. I personally visited Qin Zhong, and he was indeed killed by the Blue Sea side." Du Nan said this, and everyone was shocked, the soldiers’ eyes turning red. Was this young man really the famous figure from a while ago? He had fought Qin Zhong, what important matters did he know? General Qin, was he really betrayed by his own people?

"Report!"

Before anyone could react, a soldier rushed in, ignoring the bloody scene, and shouted, "Report to General Li Qifeng, the military command orders you to drop everything and return to headquarters immediately, it’s an emergency."

"What happened?" Qiao Banzhai, surprised, asked sternly.

"This…"

"Speak!" Qiao Banzhai roared.

The soldier, seeing it was Old Qiao, hesitated for a moment and said, "Report to Old Qiao, this is very serious. The vice president of Red Dragon was just assassinated in Jinzhong City. After receiving the news, Red Dragon, ignoring our explanations, has already advanced with four armies. Small-scale wars have already broken out on the border agricultural and mining planets."

"Is this true?" Li Qifeng, his heart shaking, shouted.

The soldier nodded.

He didn’t say anything more.

Qiao Banzhai, deep in thought, said, "I remember, the vice president of Red Dragon was still on the news this afternoon. Even if he was assassinated then, Red Dragon’s army has already invaded the border planets? At the fastest normal speed, it wouldn’t be enough time to gather, it’s impossible to invade so quickly, right?"

"This… the military command is also puzzled, and everyone is working hard to communicate." The soldier explained.

"Did the Red Dragon Coalition know your defenses beforehand, and easily break through them?" Du Nan asked, interjecting.

"This… yes." The soldier, with a bitter face, nodded.

Such words that could undermine military morale shouldn’t be said, but with Old Qiao glaring, he had to be honest.

Hearing this,

Everyone present had strange expressions.

Combining Du Nan’s words with the words of the Shallow Sea Guard’s orphan, everything seemed to make sense. There were really people within the Federation who wanted to sell out the Blue Sea. And it wasn’t just a few, but possibly a significant force. The Eighth Clan and the Eighty-Eight Nobles might have been involved.

Du Nan thought for a moment.

He asked Li Qifeng, "General Li, I want to ask about the Alliance’s conventions to infer an answer."

"Please speak."

"Normally, Blue Sea and Red Dragon both belong to the Azure Star Alliance, and a large-scale war is impossible. Once it turns into a full-scale war, the Alliance Parliament will certainly intervene, right?" Du Nan, who didn’t know much about common knowledge, still knew this convention.

"Of course." Li Qifeng nodded.

The existence of the Alliance is to maintain peace.

"If most of the Blue Sea political factions are willing to admit defeat, cease fighting, and rule jointly, for example, if the Eighty-Eight Nobles and the Eighth Clan admit defeat and want to rule jointly?"

"Such a thing, our military would never agree to." Li Qifeng, thinking of the possibility, felt a chill, but still had a last bit of hope.

"I understand." Du Nan, somewhat comforted, but not optimistic, said, "One last question. If the insectoids are about to launch a large-scale invasion, or the four enemy races advance on the entire Azure Star Alliance, would your military still insist on autonomy, not laying down your weapons and submitting to Red Dragon’s rule?"

"What?" Hearing this, Li Qifeng’s face changed.

Old Qiao.

A group of military and political officials also turned pale.

Insectoid invasion, the four enemy races advancing… If such a major event occurred, the Azure Star Alliance would naturally stop all internal conflicts and focus on the enemy. Regardless of whether the Blue Sea political factions were willing to ‘surrender,’ the Alliance Parliament wouldn’t interfere. First, the Blue Sea military would be ordered to lay down their weapons and rush to the front lines to fight together.

The remaining matters would be handled by politicians.

By the time they returned from the war, the Blue Sea Star would already belong to the Red Dragon.

Thinking of this consequence,

General Li Qifeng also broke out in a cold sweat: Was this premeditated?

"Alarmist talk!" Tang Shenglong’s face returned to calm, seemingly pleased, but he roared, "Boy, don’t spout nonsense. There won’t be any insectoid invasion, and the four enemy races wouldn’t dare to offend the royal dignity. You’re just trying to escape your crimes. General Li Qifeng, go back to fight, leave this to me to handle."

"They are already here, just the vanguard. This time it’s not just the insectoids or the enemy races, but they have joined forces to attack." Du Nan said with a smile.

Everyone listening felt a chill.

The insectoids and the four enemy races, invading the Azure Star Alliance together?

"Nonsense, how do you know?" Tang Shenglong shouted, refusing to believe it.

"There’s a group called adventurers, or as you call them, tomb raiders. They have gathered a lot of intelligence. Just by checking the insectoids’ movements on the ground, it’s easy to know. And there are already some signs on the magic net, some warriors have already sensed the insectoids. I often spar with them and get a lot of information from them. Combined with the adventurers’ reports, it’s not hard to guess."

"Hmph, that’s just your speculation, right?" Tang Shenglong snorted.

"The Red Dragon invasion isn’t speculation, are you senile, believing in assassinations?" Qiao Banzhai also got angry and shouted.

"This… or it’s the rebels trying to frame us." Tang Shenglong explained.

Hearing this,

Everyone felt even more strange.

These days, it seems like all the big accusations are being pinned on the rebels… Have they really done so much evil?

Or are some people framing the rebels?

"General Li, the military command…"

Li Qifeng waved his hand, interrupting the soldier’s urging, and before leaving, turned to Du Nan and said solemnly, "Du, our Blue Sea military only has soldiers who die in battle, never soldiers who surrender. Whatever the outcome today, I, Li Qifeng, have only this to say."

"Wait."

Li Qifeng was about to board his mech and head to the military command.

Suddenly.

A familiar amplified voice echoed, with a mocking tone: "General Li, hold on, no matter how anxious you are, it’s too late. Red Dragon has already launched a full-scale attack. Gentlemen, don’t be anxious, today’s events leave only two paths. Before explaining, I have something to say. This wedding ceremony has been live-streamed to the entire planet from the beginning."

"What are you saying?" Tang Shenglong roared into the air.

Live-streamed?

Watched by the entire population?

Their faces, their words… this is unacceptable.

"Old Tang, I also feel embarrassed. Such a bloody scene has scared many children. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. All the viewers of the Blue Sea, good evening. I am the person you call, despicable, shameless, low, and beyond redemption, the super big idiot… Li Wenfu!"

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