Meanwhile, inside the Jincheng military headquarters fortress.
Zhou Zhenbei sat in the dim shadows, making half of his face appear particularly deep and unfathomable.
He lightly tapped the newspaper that had just been delivered, his gaze lingering on the headline for a few seconds, his expression pausing almost imperceptibly.
He slowly leaned back in his chair, his face expressionless, as if he had only seen an insignificant news story.
"Ao Cangbai... what a vicious old dog, even in his dying moments he wanted to drag Jincheng down with him." Zhou Zhenbei muttered to himself, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Unfortunately, in front of that old monster Jin Qiong, it was ultimately just an ant trying to shake a tree."
Zhou Zhenbei knew perfectly well that Ao Cangbai had not, and dared not, reveal his identity before his death.
Their cooperation was already secretive, and the Ao family had borne all the public anger. If Ao Cangbai wanted to preserve even a trace of the Ao family's bloodline, he would never have implicated him, the General of Zhongzhou, at the last moment.
Doing so would not only be pointless, but would only lead to a more complete extinction.
He and Ao Cangbai both understood this unspokenly.
Unfortunately, Tianlong personally seized irrefutable evidence against the Ao family, which allowed Zhongzhou and the Thunder Bureau to act so swiftly and decisively, leaving him no room to maneuver.
Otherwise, if the Au family delays and postpones the matter for a while, they might be able to secretly manipulate things and suppress the whole incident.
The downfall of the Ao family was equivalent to losing an important ally and a secret helper for him, and many secret affairs that were originally carried out through the Ao family's channels needed to be reorganized.
However, at the same time, it also severed the most important lead that the Star Rail Cannon was using to track him down.
It's a mixed bag, with both advantages and disadvantages, but still within an acceptable range.
In the long run, it may not be all bad.
However, this does not mean the whole thing is over.
A cold glint slowly gathered deep within Zhou Zhenbei's eyes.
The direct trigger for the Ao family's complete demise was the incompetent young master Ao, who, in his arrogance and domineering nature, provoked the damned refugee Li Yu. Afterwards, in their quest for revenge, the Ao family made a series of foolish and impulsive decisions, ultimately bringing disaster upon themselves!
Li Yu!
The mere thought of that name sent a surge of murderous intent through Zhou Zhenbei's body.
His son, Zhou Xiaopeng, also died because of Li Yu. How could he possibly swallow this insult?!
Li Yu must die!
And he must die in excruciating pain! Only then can his hatred be somewhat appeased!
However, he cannot do it himself yet.
The other generals of Zhongzhou had been eyeing him covetously, waiting for an opportunity to swarm him and 'devour' him.
Meanwhile, rival factions are secretly targeting him, trying to kill him.
Everyone wanted to find something to do with him and get rid of him, this thorn in their side.
He was at the center of the vortex; one wrong step would plunge him into an abyss of no return! Naturally, he couldn't afford to reveal even the slightest flaw to his enemy.
If he were to personally kill Li Yu, no matter how meticulous his plan or how secretive his methods, those old guys who knew him inside and out and were familiar with the energy fluctuations of his 'Suppressing Mountains and Rivers' technique would definitely be able to detect any clues in the first instance.
They would never let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by, and might even intervene to stop him when he kills Li Yu.
At that time, he may face direct trial by the Central State authorities and lose everything.
Zhou Zhenbei remained motionless, his face as still as water, like a stone sculpture.
Don't rush! Impatience can ruin a big plan!
It is precisely in times like these that we must remain calm.
He needs to use someone else to do his dirty work.
The once-sharp knife belonging to the Ao family has now broken.
But the Ou family had already delivered their final blow before their demise.
The expert from the Fengyun Ranking that the Ao family has already sent to intercept Li Yu might still be of some use.
However, relying solely on the remaining strength of the Ao family might not be enough to successfully subdue that increasingly wicked young man.
After a moment of contemplation, a resolute glint flashed in Zhou Zhenbei's eyes.
His body shimmered slightly with energy. The trusted adjutant outside the door, wearing a token with the character "Zhou" on it, immediately sensed the energy resonance of the token at his waist, pushed open the door, and stood at the entrance awaiting orders.
"Send 'Steel Casting' to the target area in secret, in accordance with the plan previously agreed upon with the Ao family, to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
"Yes, General." The trusted adjutant acknowledged the order and left, closing the door behind him.
Zhou Zhenbei's face showed no extra emotion, only the calm and indifference of someone placing a chess piece on the board, as he muttered to himself:
"After training for so long and expending so many resources, it's time to take it out and test its effectiveness."
He also wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly examine whether these Awakened Ones, which combined the latest biotechnology with metal modification, were worth the continued huge investment in mass production.
Time is running out. If the actual combat results are ideal, then he must use all means as soon as possible to take over the underground mineral veins containing special minerals in various parts of Zhongzhou!
Then immediately launch a large-scale mass production plan! Regardless of cost, race against time!
All available manpower, material resources, and financial resources should be invested in this project to scale up the Awakened Legion as quickly as possible!
At that time, with such an absolutely loyal, fearless, and powerful reformed army at his disposal, who in the entire Central Plains Military Command could possibly be Zhou Zhenbei's match?!
A glimmer of almost insane ambition flashed in the depths of Zhou Zhenbei's eyes.
......
On the other side.
Located in the eastern part of Zhongzhou.
A military jeep drove slowly ahead, followed by a well-organized procession of over a thousand refugees.
Although the refugees were not moving fast, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than in the wilderness beyond the borders. After entering the Central Plains defense line, they felt the meaning of safety for the first time, and their hearts were filled with a long-lost sense of peace and anticipation.
Xiao Zhan, sitting in the back seat, glanced back at the crowd following behind the car, wondering if Li Yu really needed these refugees, there was no need to be so serious and personally escort them all the way back to Kangcheng.
He glanced at Bai Ya, who was driving. With the strength of this Deep Sea Watcher, he could safely deliver this group of refugees to Kangcheng by himself. There was no need for him to do it personally.
Xiao Zhan had a vague idea that there was something he hadn't noticed, and it must be related to the subtle changes in Li Yu.
"Squeak—!"
Bai Ya, who was driving, suddenly sharpened his eyes and brought the car to a steady stop.
Xiao Zhan, sitting in the back seat, was also on high alert. He jumped out of the car, and the ice spear was already in his hand.
Li Yu, who was half-reclined in the passenger seat, also opened his slightly closed eyes. A golden light flashed in his left eye, and his sharp gaze fell on the figure that had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Even Li Yu was somewhat surprised, as this person's appearance did not affect any of the threads in Jin Tong's eyes beforehand, without any warning.
Only when the other person was truly standing there did the golden pupil threads reconnect with him and detect his presence.
It felt as if the other person hadn't been in this space at all.
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