Elemental Card King.

Chapter 140: The Truth Revealed, the Final Inside Story

The Blue Star Alliance divides its extraterritorial territory into five major domains.

On the military level, in order to ensure the security and order of these vast territories, each of the five domains has a Commander-in-Chief of Defense who is responsible for the overall coordination of the domain's dimensional defense.

In addition, separate military positions were established for external expansion and exploration.

Currently, only Marshal Yan retains the title of 'Commander-in-Chief of the Dimensional Exploration Legion'.

now.

The entire alliance has long since ceased its expeditions.

The reason for this is simple.

The expansion of territory has led to an infinite increase in governance costs. Just transmitting government orders from the main plane to the border areas of the first realm takes at least half a month round trip.

This is still at a specific time. The plane will operate, and when the trajectory reaches the farthest point, the entire communication silence period can last for several months, and in some extreme cases, even three or four years.

The inability to convey government orders is one issue.

Tax revenue is not coming in.

The exploration of dimensional resources has been delayed in being added to the database.

The initial exploration costs will require the alliance's financial assistance.

Appointed officials governing from outside the territory are also prone to corruption.

If you were the ruling official, you would naturally be very dissatisfied with this.

"Is this part of the alliance's territory, or is it someone else's de facto independent kingdom?"

In just the last few years, the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Order Maintenance, a violent law enforcement agency, has personally arrested countless local tyrants in extraterrestrial areas.

Recently.

He Yun was well aware that the Alliance Council was preparing to draft a proposal aimed at abolishing the Dimensional Exploration Legion, a military organization. This move would undoubtedly strike Marshal Yan in the right arm, causing him to lose half of his military power.

The news was met with regret by many, as the arduous and exhausting task of exploring distant lands was something only ordinary card players would do.

If this path to promotion is blocked, it's foreseeable that the competition for civil service positions will become even more intense.

The number of applications for the Card Masters Association will surge, and there will be even more people working as lackeys for major card game giants.

Some people say it's good that it was abolished. They wonder if the council deliberately spread the word, but this dimensional exploration legion has been secretly seizing and developing resources, hiding an unimaginable amount of wealth.

No matter how.

In the battle of wits between the First Consul and Marshal Yan, the latter was undoubtedly like a dead fish on a chopping board, utterly powerless and completely at his mercy.

Perhaps it was this submissive and remorseful attitude that softened the attitude of those above.

Under the carrot-and-stick approach, some generals have begun to regain their military ranks, albeit in a different position.

At least, it seems Wang Liyang also has some good news.

Are you leaving soon?

Teacher He Yun looked at him and said that she was very annoyed when she first got along with him and wished he would leave as soon as possible, but after half a year, that sense of estrangement was gone.

"Okay, time to go," Wang Liyang said.

At this moment, Su Chen realized that the lieutenant colonel had stepped down as the special advisor to the provincial team and was preparing to leave today.

"Can I ask you something in private?" Su Chen hesitated for a moment before making his request.

Wang Liyang's gaze fell on the other party, and after pondering for a moment, he nodded: "No problem, let's go."

Teacher He Yun, who was sitting down, didn't think much of it and assumed that Su Chen wanted to ask the officer about the Lingyun Plane in secret.

She really couldn't help with this.

soon.

The two arrived at the spacious, deserted corridor at the back, one after the other.

"Speak," Wang Liyang gestured.

Su Chen had already prepared his speech as he approached. With a resolute expression, he calmly said, "You were the one who reported my information regarding some matters related to the relief foundation, weren't you?"

Showdown.

Realizing that this meeting might be their last, Su Chen finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long.

The burly lieutenant colonel remained as composed and dignified as ever, though his eyes gazed thoughtfully at the young man before him.

“What’s the reason?” he asked.

His tone remained indifferent, making it impossible to discern his emotions or thoughts.

Su Chen stated directly: "The relief foundation is just a non-governmental organization. How could it obtain my accurate information? At the time, the other party claimed that it was cooperating with the official government."

But later

"Everything has only deepened my doubts."

He quickly explained the card ban issue briefly. In short, when Captain Ma of the city's card enforcement team reviewed his information twice, it did not show that he was a city competition contestant.

However, a non-governmental organization was able to find out the details and bring him into the talent support program without him having uploaded any information.

“At the time, I felt that there must be someone from the foundation around me who manually updated the list and added me to the talent support list.”

Su Chen also mentioned something else: after the challenge ended that day, the "one of their own" mentioned by the other side seemed somewhat like a self-incriminating statement.

At this moment, with his incredibly keen senses, he could vaguely perceive that a mysterious and unpredictable spiritual force was inexplicably blocking this area from the outside world.

No one will hear anything said here.

This is quite a self-incriminating statement.

"really."

Wang Liyang readily admitted it. Perhaps because his manual update operation had been exposed, he was somewhat upset, which led to a self-deprecating smile on his face.

"So what? Talented people should enjoy more resources, especially a genius like you." He was very generous in his appreciation of Su Chen.

"But if it involves a military force that has been severely suppressed by the Alliance Council, then it's hard to say."

Su Chen's expression was calm, as if he had just told him something insignificant.

Upon hearing this, Wang Liyang's forced smile froze instantly, revealing a rather amused expression.

“Smart people can be annoying sometimes,” Wang Liyang sighed, shaking his head.

For a moment, the atmosphere became inexplicably heavy.

Su Chen showed no fear and continued to meet his gaze.

'Wu Qi sucked the sore, and the soldier's mother wept.'

Such attempts to win people's hearts come at a price.

This talent support program of the relief foundation has a bit of the feel of secretly raising three thousand loyal followers. But the problem is that it can't guarantee their loyalty to the death. The benefits are simply not enough to make people risk their lives for it.

That's too little, and ridiculously low!

How can he guarantee that those who receive his favors will be loyal to the military and that his own stance will naturally be on their side?

It wasn't until Su Chen met Hong Chuanqi and learned some of the truth and inside stories that all the confusion in his heart was resolved.

“Only the power of hatred can easily bind a group of people together,” Su Chen sighed.

The alliance cabinet prioritized the greater good, sacrificing the lives of hundreds of thousands of card player families, while the military secretly provided aid and support to these 'war orphans' under the guise of a charity foundation.

Their chances of success are already much higher than those of ordinary children. After giving them the favor of support, the seeds of hatred are slowly sown. It is conceivable what these people will think of the Alliance Council after they grow up.

"So, in your eyes, the external factor 'X' that has caused the gradual collapse of planar observation science in recent years must be the work of some advanced intelligent civilization. So, what is the evidence?" Su Chen asked.

If we take a neutral and objective viewpoint, without any emotional bias, the claim of an invasion by an advanced intelligent civilization is completely untenable, given that the dimensional observation station has not found any unknown host plane approaching.

Doomsday theory has always been a widely circulated doctrine among the people.

Why does human civilization stand out among countless planes of existence? Is it truly invincible in the endless universe? Many people have this question in their minds.

But as Teacher He Yun said, the various dimensional observation stations tell us that even if a prime plane is discovered, it will be difficult to see the enemy until at least his generation gets old.

"Could the data from the observation station be incorrect?" Su Chen pressed further when the other party remained silent.

"That's correct. It's true that none of the major observation stations located on the outer borders have detected any prime plane."

"but."

Wang Liyang was surprised that the other party knew so much, but at the same time, he was serious and emphasized very earnestly: "I have fought against them in the borderlands."

Su Chen believed it instinctively.

It must be said that a tough guy who is strict with himself and never jokes does have more persuasive power in his words than ordinary people.

"I can give you a heads-up: the enemy is using a 'leapfrog strategy' to get closer to us, and the thousands of planes surrounding the Alliance's territory are their springboard for attack."

"This is just their vanguard and scouts; a large army is on its way."

"So it won't take decades at all, maybe less than a few years, or even, pessimistically, a large-scale collision may occur next year."

After Wang Liyang finished speaking, his expression became even more stern and cold.

There's one thing he didn't mention: according to the strategists' speculation, military supplies would be a major problem in order to achieve such a long and arduous leapfrog strategy.

The round trip alone is a huge hassle.

Such a long battle line is a major taboo in the military.

A terrifying hypothesis emerged: they might have emptied their resources and launched a full-scale attack. Based on this, it can be inferred that the opposing plane must be facing resource depletion, enabling them to launch such a crazy military operation.

"I heard that He Yun inquired about the Lingyun Plane for you. I regret to inform you that I have asked someone to contact them, and it seems that they have most likely been invaded by external enemies."

After Wang Liyang finished speaking, he no longer looked at Su Chen, whose expression had suddenly darkened.

"Abandon all illusions and prepare for battle. You have a bright future and will surely shine in the future."

"All right!"

"That's all for now. Let's keep what we just said to ourselves. See you next time."

"Remember, we are on the same side."

The words trailed off.

The mental shield around him vanished in an instant, and Wang Liyang's tall figure walked away without pausing for a moment.

A moment later, his figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The lieutenant colonel just left like that.

And all of Su Chen's questions and unsolved mysteries were almost answered.

Inexplicable.

He was also somewhat disappointed.

If a formidable enemy were truly at hand, and the Alliance Council and the military were still secretly clashing, and the entire social atmosphere of martial arts decline, it would cast a shadow over people's hearts.

Will it win?
Su Chen didn't know.

In the face of this era's tides, all he could do was strive to improve himself at all costs.

Lieutenant Colonel Wang's connection to the alliance made him realize that he couldn't sever ties, and the alliance's actions did indeed anger him somewhat.

What's frightening is that the military may not be truly 'good people' either.

This ambition and strategic planning alone are enough to make people wary.

"I wonder when Aunt Jing will return."

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Su Chen also felt an urgent need to contact her directly.

The ranking defense competition is still in full swing.

Cao Zheng, the replicator on the second arena, displayed an invincible demeanor. After defeating the Meditation Master in the first match, he successfully defeated a Dharma Emperor as the defender, and finally defeated Pei Xingcang, the Limit Breaker who dared to challenge him.

Summoning, spell, and combat styles – all three major card playstyles have been eliminated.

The replicator once again proved his exaggerated and amazing talent to the audience.

"The Beiluo provincial team is exaggerating a bit."

Even more frightening is that the two legion members on the fifth and ninth arenas are about to achieve a three-game winning streak.

"Something's not right. Tang Nianwei from the Beiluo Provincial Team seems a bit exaggerated. Could this dark-skinned girl really live up to her reputation?"

As we all know, in the previous stage, the copyist was not a seeded player for the Beiluo Provincial Team, and the first seed was given to Tang Nianwei.

This seemingly misleading move didn't garner her much attention, since she was clearly just a mechanical combat girl with top-tier sequence talent.

"broken."

"There's no way to stop them from teaming up."

Everyone realized that these legion members would form teams in the Ancient Dragon Nest Secret Realm, but the Ninth Arena was too far back, and the copyists were too difficult to deal with, so the competition for the Fifth Arena was exceptionally fierce.

just.

The top cultivator, the Meditation Master, and another first-tier talent sequence user, who faced off again, were both defeated.

Meanwhile, the young man on the ninth arena easily and quickly defeated three top-tier players, advancing to the next round with ease.

The trend is achieved!

The tactical combination of these three will pose a severe challenge to all the front-row players who are striving to win the inheritance.

At least the southern resource points of the entire Ancient Dragon Nest will be basically monopolized by one dominant player.

"Xia He also won."

Under intense pressure, the Qingyun provincial team finally received some good news.

"They got the eighth pick!"

After quickly defeating two top-tier Sequencers, Xia He finally faced off against the Limit Breaker Pei Xingcang, and the third-ranked player from Jiangnan Province was completely defeated.

Before all the matches in the ten arenas had concluded.

At 7:30.

As announced over the loudspeaker, arenas 11 through 50 will be opened to the public in five separate outdoor areas. Qualified individuals are requested to quickly determine their own strength and proceed to participate.

For a while.

The once lively spectator stands were immediately deserted by more than half of the people who had left.

Not long after.

The third choice has also been determined: Qi Hanhai, the singer of the dead's lament.

Without facing the Judge, his exorbitantly priced deck is practically unbeatable.

As for Gao Jun himself, it was too tragic. This favorite to win the championship, who was highly anticipated, failed to defend his title and was directly defeated by Pei Xingwei, the number one player from the Jiangnan Provincial Team.

He wanted to cause trouble for Qi Hanhai in the third arena, but failed to secure a seat.

The fifth to ninth spots, which I initially looked down upon, had already been filled.

After a while, this civil war king was forced to compete in the tenth arena, and in a very dramatic turn of events, he became the tenth place winner.

The front row seating arrangement is now fixed.

Su Chen and Xia He didn't stay long and went straight back to the hotel to cultivate.

Tomorrow is not a rest day; they will be facing a five-day secret realm resource competition starting early in the morning.

(End of this chapter)