Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 319 - 285: Behind-The-Scenes Collusion, Becoming a Deserter

Chapter 319: Chapter 285: Behind-The-Scenes Collusion, Becoming a Deserter

"A total of six team members were dispatched, and all six lost contact, with not a single message getting out."

"The person who got the message was an informant named Wang Zhi, who disguised himself as a wilderness hunter and hid inside a gopher’s burrow to evade the search. He saw a group of hooded armed forces with considerable strength..."

"Based on their modus operandi, Wang Zhi speculated that they might be operatives from the Hongguang Group."

Tang Tang said this and then paused for a moment.

In this era, although it seemed that every city had extremely strong police security forces, and there were also field armies outside.

In theory, the official government forces should be overwhelmingly powerful.

But the reality was not so.

The power of the official government was actually subject to constraints from all sides, with everyone having their own ulterior motives, forming factions.

Some corporates even brazenly reached their hands into the armed forces.

They had both money and influence, could maintain troops, and therefore also had a significant say.

The recent upheaval caused by Zhou Ping’an single-handedly toppling Taihe Pharmaceuticals was, in fact, the embryonic form of such a power.

From the official government to the common people, and even connections with the Sky Hawk Alliance abroad, Taihe Pharmaceuticals’ size was not very large and represented a local power in East River City.

But such a company was able to make many people helpless against it.

Not to mention the Hongguang Group, whose size was dozens of times larger than that of Taihe Pharmaceuticals.

Even if it was just a branch company, the armed forces they could mobilize in the Dongjiang region were far above Chen Guangyuan.

The most formidable thing wasn’t the power of Hongguang itself.

It was the network of relationships they had cultivated over many years.

Tang Tang suspected that not only some of the ruling authorities’ influential figures, but even the field army had many connections with them.

This situation was clearly detrimental to a central government model.

But there was no helping it.

With inconvenient travel in the wilderness and the Beast Tide attacking cities from time to time, the Capital City’s control over local areas had long become problematic.

The main problem still lay in supervision...

With complex local forces teaming up to create an image of prosperity, it could indeed deceive the public, leaving one to wonder whether that apparent calm and peace were real or fake.

Also, when the reach of the whip was too short, the general disobeyed the sovereign’s orders without fear, and it was easy for some secretive deals to happen, such as obeying commands without obeying proclamations, which also frequently occurred.

To make things worse, the central government couldn’t forcibly control local personnel; otherwise, it risked hostile reactions from the cities...

If they tore their faces, they might not only lose actual control but risk losing even nominal control.

There were precedents for this...

Several remote cities had problems with management due to the strong control of the military from the central government, leading to factional fighting and killings.

When the opportunity struck, the ferocious beasts outside the cities launched an onslaught, and not only was the army gone, but the cities fell too.

Since then, various cities became extremely wary of the Zhuxia central government, and some even deliberately allowed the ferocious beasts outside the cities to grow stronger, empowering themselves by nurturing a threat.

Of course, this situation was not unique to Zhuxia.

All three major alliances that currently exist show a tendency of an unwieldy tail wagging the dog.

Faced with the increasingly powerful threat of ferocious beast herds outside, everyone tacitly maintained a fragile alliance, not daring to initiate conflict lightly.

All fighting was done in the shadows, backstabbing, or through negotiation.

Once large armies were deployed, it could essentially be declared a ’lose-lose’ situation, akin to serving up a feast to the ferocious beasts outside the city.

"The Hongguang Group, huh?"

Zhou Ping’an thoughtfully listened to the news.

"So it’s them."

During the conflict with Taihe, he always felt that besides Taihe Pharmaceuticals, which was particularly interested in the matter of him obtaining Broken Mirror, there was another force that had made several attempts to vie for it.

He never clarified.

Who exactly was in charge on the official side, and who was most eager to get the treasure?

At the time, the Public Security team acted even more vigorously than Taihe Pharmaceuticals did, pushing Dong Qingshan Master to desperation.

After investigation, it turned out to be Wang Yulin and Councilor Chen behind the scenes.

After tracking it to this point, any higher-level information was completely cut off.

It was as if an invisible net covered everyone, working together to conceal the matter.

Even Councilman Sun Changzhi had not figured out which faction the other side was standing in.

Now it seems the Hongguang Group must be one of them.

As a behind-the-scenes manipulator and a financial backer, they finally showed their slip-up.

In the event of the General’s Tomb, they had not gained any benefits, but this time, they had already gone all out."

"What about the reaction from Colonel Chu of the Field Army?"

"According to the information passed by Wang Zhi, that armed group roamed around the perimeter, seemingly not encroaching on the Field Army’s territory with no conflict.

However, in the direction of the caves, there were occasional explosions..."

Tang Tang frowned.

The Field Army had always maintained a detached attitude and did not collude with the various forces within the city.

This time, the fact that Hongguang Group got involved with them was somewhat incomprehensible.

Could it be that wealth really can command the divine?"

Chu was running short of money.

Thinking of his junior fellow student, who had once extorted two billion Zhuxia currency from Colonel Chu, she couldn’t help but have a strange expression on her face.

It would be understandable if the extortion had led to a shortfall in military funds and an urgent need for support.

"An explosion? Hehe, don’t worry about them."

Zhou Ping’an recalled the sense of danger he had perceived that day, which sent chills down his spine, and he actually looked forward to it, regardless of whether that place was the actual Zhao Yue Ruins.

It was bound to be no simple matter.

He hoped that after this operation, they would be able to cover their bases.

"Those team members are probably in greater danger than fortune, try to provide more consolation benefits.

We will get our revenge slowly, they shouldn’t have died in vain."

"As for the possible relics, let’s not bother with them for now, just wait a bit longer."

Six special combat team members vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

Zhou Ping’an now knew that the Hongguang Group might also be coveting the Zhao Yue Ruins. Therefore, the Public Security Team Members, who were keen on gathering information and trying to bite off more than they could chew, would have a very slim chance of survival once they appeared in their sights, in order to keep the secret.

"The most urgent task now is to take control of the situation as soon as possible and solve this bounty issue so that we can free our hands for other matters."

Facing his senior fellow student, the two had already formed many tacit understandings, and Zhou Ping’an was not one to stand on ceremony.

Tang Tang didn’t find anything wrong with being directed by a Public Security Team Leader, despite being the Deputy Commander of the special combat team.

She nodded and left to arrange for personnel to deal with the aftermath of the hitmen’s attack.

Don’t be fooled by how Zhou Ping’an had previously slaughtered his adversaries with seemingly divine power.

But as long as there were still people lurking in the shadows, stealthily eyeing his head, he would never be able to truly relax.

There are countless ways to kill in this world.

No one can guarantee to be completely impervious to all of them.

Even if one could always guard tightly and be invulnerable,

this tense vigilance could easily lead to problems.

Therefore, even if one has to be aggressive and break the rules, it’s necessary to take the initiative.

...

"Run, we can’t stay in East River City anymore."

A young businessman in a striped suit, his face dark with worry, paced back and forth in the room, occasionally ripping open the hotel’s curtains to see if there were large groups of people approaching from outside.

"Hey, hey, bro, don’t be such a scaredy-cat. We didn’t make a move and we entered through official channels with the backing of the embassy. Even if someone searches us in person, they won’t find anything wrong."

Sitting on the couch, a middle-aged blond man swirled the red wine in his glass, looking somewhat displeased at his teammate.

"You don’t get it, I have a premonition. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to."

The young black man, visibly agitated, grabbed his hair and suddenly turned his piercing gaze on the blond middle-aged man, speaking earnestly, "Sam, you’re not still thinking about that bounty, are you? If you really want to keep going, then I’m backing out now."

"Don’t be like that, pal. Although that guy is indeed very strong, he has to sleep, he has to eat.

His people can’t always be on high alert. There’ll always be a chance. As hunters, we just need a little more patience."

"Patience my ass."

The young black man turned back and took a careful look at the blond middle-aged man, and then at the few teammates who had come over upon hearing the argument, before deciding not to say anything more...

He packed his luggage himself, and despite everyone’s entreaties, he pushed past several arms trying to stop him and walked straight out.

"John, are you going to desert?"

"Stop..."

"It’s not that bad yet."

Unable to stop him, the rest felt helpless; they surely couldn’t just use force, could they?

After walking a few steps, John turned back, "We’ve worked together for so long, so let me give you a piece of advice. In our line of work, the biggest fear isn’t misreading the situation, it’s being too greedy."

After this remark, he didn’t look back and took a taxi straight to the airport.

If he waited any longer, he wouldn’t be able to leave at all.

John had of course watched Zhou Ping’an’s live broadcast and was shocked by his strength, especially those domineering, bloodthirsty eyes that left a deep impression on him.

Back when he was in service, he had seen that kind of gaze for the first time.

That time, that person had blown up their headquarters.

"Lawless, no taboo, right, it was that kind of eyes."

The embassy can’t protect us.

"Dammit, why did I let myself be provoked into coming to this damned place? Ten billion bounty, was it ever meant for me to claim?"

John didn’t relax until he hurriedly reached the airport and exchanged silent glances with a few compatriots, and quickly boarded the plane.

In the moment the plane took off.

Looking out of the window, he saw a large contingent of smartly dressed Public Security forces rushing towards the entrance.

They took control of the airport staff.

"Goodbye, Sam, goodbye, Annie..."

John made the sign of the cross on his chest, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all he could see was the clouds in the sky.

............