Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

As the white light faded, the five warriors returned to the familiar yet somewhat dilapidated azure town square. Compared to the bustling industrial wonder of the Heart of Gears, this place seemed so simple and crowded.

"If Wang Mu had been here just now," Chen Suan said. "He's currently the top player in our guild; with the added equipment, he would definitely be even stronger!"

"Yeah, if he had the right equipment, he might be able to go toe-to-toe with Bob, the Divine Punisher from the Azure Council..."

Liu Nian, however, thought further ahead. Looking at the bustling crowd of Blue Star players in the plaza, most of whom were poorly equipped, he thought with a sigh: Finally, a breakthrough has been found. With the Engineering Gnomes as a springboard, acquiring high-level equipment, learning new skills, and challenging higher-level dungeons will all become possible. The Pigmen's blockade won't hold Blue Star players back for long.

Next, it remains to be seen how Wu Zhan will make good use of this advantage, regain the right to speak, and lead everyone to turn the tide.

However, not long after they returned, they encountered an unexpected yet understandable trouble.

Zhao Xinchun said with a grim expression, "Boss, something's happened. The Azure Council is in an uproar."

At this moment, the guild channel of the newcomers was still discussing the equipment that Wu Zhan brought back, but the topic suddenly changed.

"Have you heard? The Azure Council's raiding team was ambushed by the Skaven in Wailing Rift!"

"It wasn't just an ambush, it was like being surrounded! Over a hundred elites went, and less than thirty came back alive!"

"Is it true that even the blue-haired Speaker Charles was killed in battle?"

"It's over... that first clear is definitely gone, no hope for the level 55 legendary gear, and the ratmen even stole the dungeon key..."

Just as everyone was shocked by the heavy losses, a sinister trend began to quietly emerge, and it strangely pointed its finger at Wu Zhan and his Newcomer Guild.

The Azure Council's so-called secret operation assembled its most elite task force, whose members were generally level 45 or above, well-equipped, and were highly anticipated.

However, this determined team was ambushed by a much larger army of ratmen than expected on their way to the secret realm!

The battle was extremely fierce; the ratmen seemed to have known their route all along and had set up a perfect encirclement.

In the end, this elite squad was almost completely wiped out. Not only did they suffer heavy equipment losses, but what made all the players' hearts bleed was that Charles, the leader of the squad and a highly respected figure among the Western players, was also ambushed by a ratman assassin in the chaos and died on the spot. His level was reduced to zero, and all his talents and equipment were lost!

When the news reached back, the small, azure town was in an uproar.

A huge failure naturally requires someone to take responsibility, and some people are good at nothing but shifting blame.

Soon, a wave of malicious public opinion targeting Dragon Kingdom players, especially Wu Zhan and his Newcomer Guild, began to brew:

Some Western gamers have started spreading rumors on public channels and forums:

"It's all those Dragon Country bastards' fault! They caused trouble in Rusty Water Canyon, angered the Ratmen, and that's why they're retaliating!"

"That's right! Wu Zhan and his gang have always acted independently and refused to cooperate with the council's unified actions! Now they've really messed us up!"

"Selfish bastards! If they had shared their intelligence earlier, or cooperated with the council, how could we have fallen into their trap?"

"I've said it before: Chinese players are not to be trusted! They only care about their own development and don't care about our overall interests at all!"

"Wu Zhan, get out here and give us an explanation! Compensate us for our losses!"

"It's all those Chinese devils' fault! They must have destroyed the ratmen's outpost, angering them and provoking this crazy retaliation!"

"That Wu Zhan guy was only concerned with showing off and didn't care about the bigger picture at all! If he hadn't caused trouble, how could the Speaker have died?"

"These yellow-skinned monkeys are good for nothing but causing trouble! They should be held responsible for this loss!"

These absurd remarks began to ferment under the instigation of those with ulterior motives.

Various discriminatory and blame-shifting remarks have spread, venting the anger of defeat and resentment of incompetence on the martial arts team that had just found a new way out for the human camp.

This blatant double standard and unreasonable behavior is despicable to many conscientious players, but under the deliberate guidance of some people, this voice has become the mainstream.

Wu Zhan can be said to have poured his heart and soul into the cause, and gone through many hardships, before finally opening up new possibilities. However, now he has become a scapegoat for some people to shirk responsibility for the failure.

Just as Wu Zhan's expression grew colder as he read these comments, a communication request popped up—it was from Ye Jielina, one of the high-ranking members of the Azure Council and his ex-girlfriend.

The moment the call connected, Yelena's sharp, furious voice pierced the air: "Wu Zhan! What exactly did you do in Rusty Water Canyon? I have to say, you're utterly useless and more likely to cause trouble than anything else!"

Wu Zhan, already seething with anger, retorted immediately, "Are you fucking asking for a beating? Have you forgotten how I made you howl? I'll give you one more chance to talk to me properly, otherwise, you know my temper!"

Yelena was speechless at this crude and blatant threat, her voice growing even colder: "Do you know how much you've ruined our plans! The ratmen laid an ambush in Howling Rift, and we suffered heavy losses! Our qualification to clear the level 55 dungeon was stolen, and Speaker Charles was killed in battle! The ratmen themselves said it was retaliation for you taking over the outpost in Rusty Water Canyon!"

Wu Zhan scoffed, "If I don't fight them, they'll let us go? You're all as stupid as pigs, so don't try to pin the blame on me!"

Yelena: "...Fine, I won't argue with you. This is to formally inform you that the council has decided to expel all Dragon Kingdom players from Azure Town and confiscate your guild headquarters and all property. You must bear a portion of the losses!"

Wu Zhan: "Have you all lost your minds? You're so brazenly trying to shift the blame?"

Yelena: "Just because you acted without authorization and ruined our secret plan..."

Wu Zhan: "Shut up! Have you no shame? Do I need to report to you guys for what I do? Who the hell do you think you are? A 'secret plan'? Don't act so high and mighty. Go out and ask around the whole city, who doesn't know? They know everything about the ratmen! Don't blame others for your own incompetence!"

Yelena took a few deep breaths, looking at the grim faces of everyone in the conference room, and said, "In short, the council has voted to pass it. The incident has had a very bad impact, coupled with your long-term lack of cooperation, and most importantly—the Speaker has sacrificed himself! Azure Town no longer welcomes Dragon Kingdom players!"

Wu Zhan rolled his eyes: "How shameless! Using such an excuse? Has Charles forgotten how I died? I can die, but he can't? Ask yourselves what that idiot has been doing for the past six months? He wants to expel Chinese players? Does he deserve it? Believe me, I'll lead the perpetually afflicted Chinese players to war with you right now, and I'll still wipe you out!"

Yelena: "Your new recruits only have a few people, it's impossible..."

Wu Zhan sneered, "Little Ye, you guys seem to have missed one thing: I built Azure City! If I didn't agree, who gave you the right to tell me what to do? You think you can mess with me? With your kind of trash? I was just too lazy to bother with you before! Hmph, do you know what I buried under the city? It was originally meant for the pigmen when the city fell. Since you're going to tear off the mask of civility, then nobody's going to have an easy time—I'll just blow up this city! Let's see how arrogant you'll be without your main city!"

Yelena: "Wait a minute! I'll discuss this with the council again."