No air of mystery, cold cruelty, or venomous gaze—just an ordinary, slightly dull-looking middle-aged man.
On appearance alone, no one would connect him to the atrocities of Soul Merchant.
“Latest report: Ye Zhongming’s followers have vanished. Only he remains within our tracking range.”
The Great Chairman spoke cheerfully, as if discussing the weather.
“Given his strength, he could have defeated Vice-Chairman Yang, yet he chose not to. Instead, he’s been leading my men on a chase. It’s clearly a trap—though using himself as bait is quite the gamble.”
“So… do we take the bait?”
The question came from the Pin Palace’s steward, one of their two eight-star evolved besides Wen Yan himself.
The Pin Palace had fallen behind in overall strength compared to the other two factions. Without their veteran-level-eight battle beast, Thousand Year, they’d likely drop out of the national top ten rankings soon.
It wasn’t that they’d weakened—others had simply grown stronger faster.
The Director’s voice was measured, unhurried.
“We can confirm Ye Zhongming has set a trap, using himself as bait to lure us in for a devastating strike—perhaps even annihilation.”
He stood and walked to the pavilion’s center, his restrained aura revealing his own peak combat prowess since shifting focus from research.
“So what is the trap? I’ll propose a theory, then everyone can contribute. Together, we’ll deduce his plan!”
The Director raised a finger.
“A dungeon.”
Everyone knew he didn’t mean the apocalyptic zones from the sky, but natural death traps—treacherous terrain, hordes of zombies, etc.—that could devastate an army.
“Large-scale traps. Magic crystal traps, landmines, that sort of thing,” Bo Jie offered, sounding more coherent than usual—perhaps because of the Great Chairman’s presence.
Nods all around. That was plausible.
“Gene lifeforms. Lots of them.”
If crystal weapons were possible, Cloud Peak’s other specialty—gene lifeforms—had to be considered.
“Teleportation gates,” Wen Yan said. “Multiple intelligence reports suggest Cloud Peak possesses long-range teleportation devices, much like the Great Chairman’s U-shaped Wormholes. They could flood the area with troops at a moment’s notice.”
More agreement.
“Weapons of mass destruction. Years ago, Cloud Peak used a bomb to wipe out tens of thousands of zombies in one strike,” said the lone woman among the God Hall’s three men and one woman.
“Could it involve secret realms? Does Ye Zhongming have a way to dump us all into one?”
“Might native secret realm forces be lying in ambush, coordinating with Cloud Peak’s army?”
“Ye Zhongming is close to Deacon Water. Could the Five Ring Money have secretly allied with Cloud Peak? Or has Thousand Beast Villa made a breakthrough, giving him the confidence to face us head-on?”
“By that logic, the Resistance Zone might have joined, too. The Freedom Army was originally part of the S Zone!”
……………………
Ideas flew thick and fast as they brainstormed every possibility.
Ye Zhongming’s plan, though carefully laid, had one rough spot: how to lure the enemy in.
But with no better option than using himself as bait, he’d gambled on their willingness to take the risk.
Now, the leadership of Pin Palace, Soul Merchant, and God Hall had easily discerned his intent. The only question was: what form would the trap take, and could they withstand it?
“Look here—this is a map of the area.”
The Director had prepared in advance. A large map was spread on the central table, and everyone crowded around to study it.
“After learning of Ye Zhongming’s appearance, the Great Chairman, Wen Yan, and I contacted all nearby outposts and conducted aerial reconnaissance. We found no dungeons capable of threatening our million-strong army, nor any sign of Cloud Peak or allied forces lying in wait. In short, Ye Zhongming truly came alone.”
Though they’d suspected as much, the leaders couldn’t help but admire Ye Zhongming’s audacity.
The Great Chairman chuckled, drawing all eyes.
“The Five Rings wouldn’t ally with Cloud Peak. I know them and Cannibal Chain too well—they’d never abandon the entire forest for one tree. As for Beast Villa’s so-called breakthrough? Impossible. Their entire foundation is the Beast Pool equipment, which is notoriously hard to upgrade. Even if they profited from the level-nine hunt, one upgrade wouldn’t let them produce a battle beast army capable of threatening us anytime soon. And the Resistance Zone allying with Cloud Peak? More likely, they’d ally with us. Their grudge against Cloud Peak is no smaller than ours. Our scouts confirm no major troop movements from their side either.”
Wen Yan nodded. “Ye Zhongming’s secret realm access is no different from ours—via secret realm keys. He can open a portal for himself, but dumping us all inside is impossible. That possibility is eliminated. As for WMDs, it is unlikely. If he had those, he wouldn’t need to fake a retreat. He’d just wait for us and bomb us to oblivion.”
With the three leaders’ analysis, only one possibility remained: Ye Zhongming planned to teleport Cloud Peak’s main force in.
Having deduced his scheme, the leaders’ faces lit with excitement. A golden opportunity had fallen into their laps!