"Lin Yong, you should go back first. The regimental commander and I have important matters to attend to."

Lin Yong didn't notice anything unusual about these words, because no one expected that they, a group of lowly vagrants, would become so powerful under Li Yu's leadership!

He nodded to Ma Yuanbai, and before leaving, he did not forget to express his loyalty to Li Yu.

A snap of the salute, followed by a deafening roar:

"Commander! Don't worry, I will definitely lead the brothers well and await your mission!"

"The Third Battalion is ready to be deployed at any time!"

After saying that, Lin Yong turned and ran a few steps, then remembered something, turned back and winked at Zhao Xiong, and shouted loudly:

"Zhao Xiong, you should go back and check on things. Quite a few people in your camp have broken through to the third-tier awakening stage."

Zhao Xiong, who had been following behind Li Yu and Ma Yuanbai, suddenly realized that even though he was slow to notice, he could sense the oppressive atmosphere between Li Yu and Ma Yuanbai and that something was definitely wrong.

With Lin Yong gone, Zhao Xiong hurriedly found an excuse:

"Yes, yes, yes! Commander, deputy commander, I... I also need to hurry back and check on things."

After saying that, Zhao Xiong randomly chose the opposite direction, immediately turned around and hurried away, not daring to look back.

Only Li Yu and Ma Yuanbai remained on the wide street.

The rain fell silently.

The two walked calmly, looking at the vast, empty city.

Li Yu thought to herself, Kangcheng is indeed very big.

Everything in Kangcheng was designed to the standards of a megacity. If it weren't for the interference of a large amount of eerie white fog, this new city of Zhongzhou would be perfect!

Ultimately, Li Yu didn't really blame Ma Yuanbai.

He completely lacked the pursuit of power and ruthlessness towards his subordinates that other leaders possessed; he was even accustomed to being a hands-off manager.

What Li Yu was dissatisfied with was that Ma Yuanbai hadn't told him about such a major operation as taking over Kangcheng.

Ma Yuanbai could have just told him directly; even if he couldn't convince him, there was absolutely no need to keep it from him.

If he wanted to, he could take down Kangcheng in no time.

However, it was precisely because of Li Yu's personality that Ma Yuanbai dared to do this.

Not long after, the two silent men arrived outside the Thunder Bureau, and Li Yu suddenly stopped.

He didn't turn around; his calm voice clearly reached Ma Yuanbai's ears:

"Go ahead and speak, you must have a lot to say to me."

Ma Yuanbai behind him paused slightly, and a trace of helplessness and weariness finally cracked the usual composure on his face.

He took two quick steps forward, maintaining a subtle distance from Li Yu that was neither side-by-side nor following, and began his "statement" in a low voice:

"Li Yu, I know it was wrong of me to act without authorization this time."

Ma Yuanbai admitted it readily, but then immediately changed the subject, revealing a pragmatic, results-oriented attitude:

"But the plan went very well. Kangcheng is now in the hands of our Seventh Regiment, the situation has been completely stabilized, and everyone is in good spirits."

He paused, recalling Lin Yong's report, and his tone even carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement:

"You've seen it too, the morale of the entire Seventh Regiment is soaring!"

"In just half a day, more than fifty people broke through to the third level, and fifteen of them even touched the threshold of the fourth level!"

"What does this prove? It proves that everyone needs Kangcheng, needs this 'home'! It proves that we've taken the right step! The will of the people is there, and the trend is set!"

"Kangcheng, that's home!"

Ma Yuanbai quickly dismissed his own unauthorized actions, instead looking at the Thunder Bureau before him, his tone becoming serious:

"Now that things have come to this, the real problem is those people detained in the Thunder Bureau."

"Chen Hai and his men are government officials in Zhongzhou, a hot potato. They can't be killed, they can't be let go easily, and keeping them around is a potential threat."

"If we don't handle this well, it could cause us a lot of trouble."

Recalling the words of Yangcheng City Lord Li Yang, Ma Yuanbai's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he deliberately spoke slowly as he looked at Li Yu's back:

"If we can gain official recognition from the Central Plains, then Kangcheng can truly be considered secure!"

"I was wrong before; I overstepped my bounds."

Li Yu spoke calmly, her voice icy: "So you do realize you've overstepped your bounds."

Ma Yuanbai's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, and his posture lowered considerably, but he still kept his back straight.

“I overstepped your orders, but I did not overstep the Seventh Regiment’s path to survival.”

A chilling, all-knowing glint suddenly appeared in Li Yu's eyes:

"Is there any way to survive by doing this?"

"You're gambling! Gambling on Chen Hai's compromise, gambling on the success of your plan, gambling that Zhongzhou will turn a blind eye and not pursue the matter, you're gambling with the lives of everyone in the Seventh Regiment!"

“No…” Ma Yuanbai, who had been very serious, suddenly shook his head with a smile, but his smile was filled with a desperate burning passion and an almost obsessive trust.

His firm gaze met Li Yu's, and his voice suddenly rose:

I'm betting on you!

"I bet you can suppress the accountability from Zhongzhou, I bet you can resolve all of this, I bet you can lead this group of rootless refugees and the Seventh Regiment to carve out a path to survival in this fog-shrouded Kangcheng, and establish a firm foothold thereafter!"

"You are our savior!"

The air seemed to freeze, with only the patter of rain.

Li Yu slowly turned around, her gaze as calm as a frozen lake, devoid of anger or ripples.

He looked at Ma Yuanbai, who was usually serious, and saw that he was no longer suppressing his emotions. He saw the extreme trust in Ma Yuanbai's eyes and his face flushed with excitement.

After a moment of silence, Li Yu suddenly raised her hand and gently patted Ma Yuanbai's shoulder.

There is no savior in the world.

Li Yu's voice was soft, but it struck Ma Yuanbai's heart like a heavy hammer, instantly shattering his forced fervor.

Ma Yuanbai's Adam's apple bobbed, and he involuntarily lowered his head. All the prepared arguments seemed pale and powerless under the gaze of Li Yu's clear, icy eyes.

Li Yu continued speaking calmly:

"Wang Tiedan broke through because he wanted to defend the city gate he had previously defended."

"Old Zhou advanced in rank because he wanted to protect his young son."

"They don't believe in a savior, nor in me, but in their own beliefs."

Ma Yuanbai felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His failure to persuade Li Yu might lead to the surrender of Kangcheng, which he had just seized, and everything would be back to square one.

Ma Yuanbai's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to try again.

Just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Li Yu's hand was still on his shoulder.

Li Yu gently pried open Ma Yuanbai's hand, causing his entire body to tense up due to nervousness.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the Kangcheng city before him, shrouded in rain, vast yet brimming with endless possibilities.

The undisguised smiles of everyone in the Seventh Regiment in Kangcheng flashed through my mind.

And... the inexplicable connection he sensed within Fu Xiyao's body.

Li Yu suddenly smiled, a very faint smile that seemed to crack open on the surface of ice, revealing the warmth beneath:

But people always need a goal or direction...

Ma Yuanbai looked up abruptly, his eyes almost overflowing with shock.