Who said this card is outrageous?

Many other fourth-tier marine superhumans could only be defeated by their relentless fighting style.

Not to mention that the Megalodon also possesses a certain degree of immortality, allowing it to engage in battle an unlimited number of times as long as the controller's mental strength can withstand it.

This characteristic, combined with their value in deep-sea warfare, makes them far more formidable than they are on land. They are ideal for developing the sea area connected to another entrance to the Echoing Rift.

“And most importantly,” Mo Yuncheng clasped his hands together in front of his chest, “the Megalodon itself can be mass-produced. As long as we have enough materials, we may have a fourth, a fifth, or even a tenth Megalodon.”

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the meeting room completely changed. The expressions on the faces of the people who had just been worrying about the visitors from the provincial capital turned from gloomy to cheerful in a flash.

Although the problem of material shortage still exists, without the time constraint, they have many more ways to exchange for fourth-order dark crystal cores elsewhere.

Chapter 134 Cuckoo in the Nest?

The initial purpose of establishing the Federation was to allow everyone to exchange goods and services with peace of mind. It is true that Binhai City lacks dark crystal cores, but for many places, water crystal cores are just as precious.

As long as they are willing to pay a sufficient price, they can always exchange for the resources they need.

At worst, they can go hunting themselves, right? A bunch of grown men can't be killed by holding their pee!

……

However, since the Megalodon was mentioned, the conversation naturally turned to Zhang Che.

“Speaking of Zhang Che,” Xue Yan pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with emotion, “If I remember correctly, it was him yesterday who, with two purple cards and a fourth-tier superhuman of the demi-human race, made a timely move. He not only captured three fourth-tier superhumans, including Ke Yuanzhou, but also killed three fourth-tier superhumans who were causing trouble in the city.”

Upon hearing Zhang Che's name, Luo Tongzheng also spoke up: "That's right. Thanks to that kid for helping to free up Lu Chen, an important combat force, I had the opportunity to drive away that fifth-tier superhuman."

As he spoke, he leaned back in his chair, his tone tinged with relief: otherwise, even if he were stronger than his opponent, the sudden attack and his injuries not yet fully healed might have led to his unexpected defeat.

Following this topic, the people present went through Zhang Che's actions one by one yesterday, and then they were shocked to discover that without his mobile combat force, the losses in Binhai City yesterday would have been at least several times greater.

The situation could even spiral completely out of control!

The main reason was that the attackers attacked directly from within the city; nearly ten mid-level superhumans were fighting inside, rendering the city's external defenses virtually useless. Otherwise, even if the enemy numbers had been greater, Binhai City wouldn't have been reduced to this state.

As for why they were able to pass through the checkpoint and enter the city so smoothly, the answer is simple: the city guards are usually responsible for checking people entering and leaving the city, and as the most favored person in the city guards to succeed the Grand Commander, Ke Yuanzhou's power is self-evident.

Letting a few people in quietly was a piece of cake for him; as long as he was a little careful, no one would notice anything unusual in a short time.

Not to mention that the coastal city was overwhelmed by the fishman calamity during this period, and its attention was almost entirely focused on the outside of the city, so it was inevitable that some oversights would be made in the internal inspection.

Thinking of this, Zhong Huaiyuan really wanted to tear that traitor Ke Yuanzhou to pieces, and at the same time slap himself a few times for misjudging people.

He had lived most of his life and thought he was very good at judging people, but he misjudged the most important matter of succession.

If Zhang Che hadn't accidentally stumbled upon Ke Yuanzhou's deal with Shuoshu, he would still be in the dark. When Ke Yuanzhou has grown powerful enough and the time is right, he will have uprooted the entire city guard.

However, the others also knew that this matter could not be entirely blamed on Zhong Huaiyuan. After all, Ke Yuanzhou was a veteran in the city guard, and his performance over the years had been excellent. Many people present also recognized him and had a good relationship with him.

It can be said that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, in a few years, after Zhong Huaiyuan retires to the second line, or after he advances to the fifth rank, the position of the commander-in-chief of the Binhai City Guard will be his.

Who would have thought that such a person would turn against the regime?

etc…!

“No, something’s wrong,” Xu Jing suddenly said, holding up her phone, which displayed a video recording.

That was a clip taken from the evidence provided by Zhang Che. In the footage, Ke Yuanzhou was sitting on the sofa talking to Shuoshu.

She made a bold guess.

"Ke Yuanzhou's exposure wasn't actually his will, but rather something he was forced to do after Zhang Che accidentally revealed it." She placed her phone on the table so everyone around could see the screen, and pointed at Ke Yuanzhou on the screen. "As everyone knows, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ke Yuanzhou will eventually succeed as the Commander-in-Chief of the City Guard. Once he has complete control, won't many things be much easier to handle?"

These words immediately put many people into deep thought.

Xu Jing ignored all of that and continued, "According to the information provided by Mr. Lu Chen, Ke Yuanzhou did not reveal his identity directly at first. Instead, he wanted to pin the crime of colluding with foreign enemies and attempting to kidnap the female sheriff on Zhang Che in order to clear his own name."

This shows that Ke Yuanzhou did not want to be exposed until the very last moment. If Zhang Che had not recorded his conversation with Shuoshu, he would most likely be sitting in this room now, discussing with everyone present how to handle the case of 'Zhang Che colluding with foreign enemies'.

At this point, Xu Jing said that even if she and Mo Yuncheng were present, they would at most think that the other party had misunderstood Zhang Che, but they would never suspect that Ke Yuanzhou was a traitor.

Only when irrefutable video evidence appeared and the escaped giant rat was captured by that powerful demi-human, did Ke Yuanzhou realize that further denial was useless. He had no choice but to reveal his identity and notify his accomplices to launch an attack.

With Xu Jing taking the lead, everyone followed this line of thought and suddenly found it to make a lot of sense.

Some people even went further, based on the premise that "Ke Yuanzhou does not actively reveal his identity"—that if his accomplices cooperated well enough, he could completely replace Zhang Che and become the great hero who saves the city.

Furthermore, if they were ruthless enough, they could sacrifice a few accomplices to "gild" Ke Yuanzhou's reputation, making his "hero" label even more secure. Riding on this prestige, Zhong Huaiyuan might even relinquish the position of Commander-in-Chief of the City Guard to him ahead of schedule.

“An attack of this scale could not possibly have been planned in a short period of time,” Lin Ruoxi continued, her voice soft but her tone firm. “It must have started at least three months, or even longer, ago. That was around the time when Binhai City was fighting the fishmen the most intensely.”

Zhong Huaiyuan's expression turned even uglier.

If this speculation is true, it means that when Binhai City was at its weakest and most in need of unity, Ke Yuanzhou and the forces behind him were already sharpening their knives.

If Zhang Che hadn't emerged out of nowhere and created the Megalodon, which was extremely effective against the Heart-Eating Demon, Zhong Huaiyuan and Xue Yan's surprise attack yesterday, even if successful, would have resulted in heavy losses and severe damage to their strength.

If the remaining forces in the city are disrupted by the enemy, the entire coastal city will be in an extremely weak state.

By then, Ke Yuanzhou, who will have already seized high-level power, could recruit some mid-level extraordinary experts under the guise of "recruiting" or "hiring" to strengthen the city's defenses, and it's highly likely that no one would object.

As for what kind of people he will recruit in the end, it will definitely be up to him, the "Grand Commander," so that he can smoothly place more of his backers into the city guard.

Chapter 135 Major Issues Met in Minor Meetings

"They're trying to take over the place!"

Zhong Huaiyuan suddenly stood up, his whole body radiating suppressed anger.

Then, he threw a punch with such force that he smashed a network of cracks into the table. The solid wood tabletop was as fragile as tofu under his fist; the cracks spread outwards from his fist, extending from the center of the table to the edge. A cup and some documents bounced on the table.

Binhai University and the Adventurers' Guild are, in the end, outsiders. If Binhai City were to disappear one day, they could simply pack up and leave.

But the city guards wouldn't work, nor would the hundreds of thousands of people living in the city.

They couldn't leave, and they didn't want to leave. This city was where they had protected for most of their lives; it was their home. If Binhai City were taken over by outsiders, the soldiers of the city guard would be homeless.

Even if the Federation eventually arranges for them to be resettled in other cities, they will still be living under someone else's roof and have to depend on others for their livelihood.

How could Zhong Huaiyuan not be angry?

“I suspect that Binhai City is not the only place experiencing this situation,” Luo Tongzheng suddenly spoke up. His voice was not loud, but every word was substantial. “If I remember correctly, the ‘Eye of Truth’ that Ke Yuanzhou shouted back then should be a large organization affiliated with the Advent Faction.”

The so-called Adventists are actually the Surrenderists. In order to gain greater power, they are willing to submit to invaders from outside the world and constantly plan and guide them to descend upon Earth.

He picked up his water glass and took a sip to moisten his slightly dry throat: "It is said that there are many high-level extraordinary beings in that organization. It is impossible that they would go to so much trouble to only make such a small commotion."

"I understand." Zhong Huaiyuan sat down again, took his hand off the table, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and slowly wiped the wood shavings off his hands. "I will visit my old friends in the nearby cities again in the next few days to see if I can find any clues."

His tone returned to calm, but the turmoil in his eyes was even deeper than his previous anger.

At the end of the meeting, the group discussed Zhang Che's case again, since he had made such a great contribution and they felt they had to show their appreciation.

However, from the Megalodon incident until now, it seems they have accumulated quite a few rewards that Zhang Che deserves.

But precisely because of this, with so many merits accumulated, they suddenly didn't know what reward to give Zhang Che.

Don't forget that Zhang Che is only nineteen years old, yet he's already capable of creating third-tier purple cards; his future is absolutely limitless. Therefore, this time they not only need to give him ample rewards, but also use these rewards to strengthen their relationship.

With people from the provincial capital arriving soon, Zhang Che's presence could no longer be kept secret.

Those people have noses that are sharper than dogs; they can find people with just a little inquiry. They will definitely offer much more favorable conditions than Binhai City to poach people, since the resources, connections, and platforms of the provincial capital are incomparable to those of Binhai City.

Therefore, they had to secure Zhang Che firmly on the ship of Binhai City before the people from the provincial capital arrived, and they couldn't let their precious treasure be easily kidnapped.

At the very least, we must make sure Zhang Che remembers the good things his family has done for him, so that when he becomes successful after leaving home, he can help them out.

Zhong Huaiyuan leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice.

The discussion in the conference room continued. Some suggested giving Zhang Che a powerful advisory title in the city guard, others suggested setting up a laboratory for him at Binhai University, and still others proposed allocating a portion of the revenue from the development of the Kongming Rift to Zhang Che as a long-term share.

Various proposals were put forward, and everyone engaged in lively discussions, creating a much more enthusiastic atmosphere than when the attack was being discussed earlier.

Clearly, everyone has their own ulterior motives. After all, who can guarantee that such a young and talented card maker won't create other types of purple cards?

They had already seen the information, which clearly recorded that besides the [Giant Shark], Zhang Che had another card with him yesterday that appeared to be in the form of a fishman, which was likely also a Tier 3 purple card.

If I can improve my relationship with Zhang Che, I'll have another trump card that I can use to fight against mid-level extraordinary beings!

……

After the meeting, everyone else left the meeting room one after another, leaving only three fifth-tier superhumans in the room, who were also the leaders of the three major forces in Binhai City.

Xue Yan tapped the table, drawing the attention of the other two: "Alright, now it's just the three of us."

As the saying goes, important matters are discussed in small meetings, and minor matters in large meetings. The fact that the topics are discussed in such a setting speaks volumes about their importance.

As for what they are going to talk about now, it is the other two variables that appeared in the city yesterday - the [Greymon] and Fu Xing who showed great power yesterday, and [Eevee] and Zhu Yingqi.

Zhong Huaiyuan spoke first: "I have taken control of all the video and audio recordings from the city guard camp. I have also temporarily isolated those who know the relevant information under the pretext of secrecy, and there will be no news leaking out in the short term."

Xue Yan nodded and pushed up his glasses: "I have also sent out all the students who know about the existence of the Tyrannosaurus Beast, led by the dean of the Warrior Academy, to clean up the fishmen left behind in the coastal area."

Of course, these were all nominal tasks; their real purpose was to avoid attracting the attention of people coming from the provincial capital.

After all, compared to the purple cards that have already been accepted by the public, both Fu Xing and his [Agumon] and Zhu Yingqi's [Eevee] are quite challenging to the existing knowledge system.

The latter, in particular, is a second-tier blue card that can evolve into a completely new card without any external force, and the increase in strength is ridiculously large.

From a second-tier blue card to a third-tier purple card, the difference in combat power is a full two minor tiers and one major tier, something most people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

“I know Yingqi quite well.” Zhong Huaiyuan sighed and smiled wryly, “At first, I thought she had just gotten a new card.”

Sometimes, too much good fortune falling from the sky isn't a good thing; it can be overwhelming.

“Who can argue with that?” Xue Yan couldn’t help but sigh. “How could such a tiny thing as Agumon turn into such a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex? I feel that even if I were to take action myself, I probably wouldn’t be able to defeat it easily.”

These two fifth-tier extraordinary individuals, either of whom could easily shake the entire coastal city with a stomp of their foot, were now acting like two naive children, exclaiming and commenting amongst themselves.

Luo Tongzheng couldn't stand it anymore. He rolled his eyes and impatiently slammed his hand on the table: "You two old fogies are still putting on an act in front of me? Our Adventurers' Guild hasn't even achieved anything yet!"

"How about this, Lao Zhong, you formally join our Adventurers' Guild with that girl named Zhu Yingqi. I'll submit a report and send her to a higher-level institution for further training. I guarantee it won't involve your city guards."

Zhong Huaiyuan waved his hand repeatedly, indicating that he was in dire need of manpower and that Zhong Huaiyuan need not worry about it.

Luo Tongzheng then looked at Xue Yan, who immediately lowered his head and focused intently on studying the staff that had been with him for over a decade, stroking the patterns on the staff with his fingers as if it were some kind of priceless treasure.

His expression was focused and serious, completely ignoring Luo Tongzheng's gaze.

"Hmph, you two bastards!"

Luo Tongzheng stood up, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. He angrily straightened his collar and strode towards the door.