Chapter 547: Chapter 520: Public Opinion (Three more for subscription)
Lin Rui’s probing negotiation with the President’s Chief of Staff, James Blight, had dragged on for four hours.
By the time Lin Rui emerged from the post station, it was already the dead of night.
Lin Rui boarded his flying car and sprawled out gracelessly on the seat, massaging his temples with a headache: “That old dog is truly a seasoned politician, not a leak to be found.”
The four hours of verbal fencing with James Blight had been a battle of wits, full of insinuations and careful probing for vulnerabilities, so exhausting that it was worse than an actual fight.
At this moment, Xue Lingxue’s video call came through, and when her image appeared in the flying car, her face was full of admiration: “Worthy of being the BOSS, those few words you spoke earlier have turned the internal public opinion of the Federation around, something I believe the Chief of Staff also wanted to see.”
“Oh? Public opinion?”
...
Lin Rui opened several news websites with high traffic and browsed through the current affairs forums, finding that, as Xue Lingxue had said, there had been a reversal in public sentiment within the Federation.
Previously on these forums, those who sympathized with the Longevity Association and Zang Shaochen, thinking the President’s actions were treasonous and humiliating to the country’s dignity, were evenly matched with those in favor of peace talks, but now it was overwhelmingly one-sided.
This could be seen from several popular posts and comments on the forums.
— I think Lin Hao’s words make sense, if we condone the actions of the Longevity Association, how can we call ourselves civilized?
— Hearing them put it that way, it does feel like we are in the wrong, people of Tianji Star also have laws, they too are intelligent life forms.
— I’ve always found the Federation’s actions disgusting, what they’re doing to Tianji Star, how is it any different from Western colonialism in Asia, Africa, and Latin America over two thousand years ago?
— I know about the Longevity Association, they don’t just disregard Tianji Star people as humans, they treat citizens of the Federation the same way.
— The so-called core interests of Tianji Star people must be Longevity and the Abyss, that’s the basis for them not to be invaded and colonized by the Earth Federation.
— The case occurred in Great Song, in accordance with the internal international norms of the Federation, extradition is also required.
Lin Rui casually browsed through and chuckled, “So that’s why this old fox is cunning, not only did he want to probe the bottom line of Great Song, but he also wanted to persuade the citizens of Earth Federation through my words, to lessen the pressure of public opinion on them.”
Of course, this was also good for Lin Rui and Great Song. This way, the President would have a more flexible stance, allowing for more concessions in the negotiations.
“However, the President wanting to quickly get East Abyss to loosen up, that may not be easy, I actually don’t know the bottom line of this Divine, I can only probe bit by bit.”
Lin Rui closed the forums and continued to ask, “Xue Ying, are you contacting me because there’s a discovery in the northern part of Jingzhou? How’s the investigation going?”
It had only been a little over four hours since he assigned the task to Xue Lingxue.
But Lin Rui knew that the Security Bureau had a very dense intelligence network within Great Song, with at least 12 intelligence teams in the northern part of Jingzhou. Xue Lingxue only had to inquire about the recent state of these groups and then do a little bit of summary, and perhaps there would be some findings.
His female assistant was very efficient and wouldn’t have contacted him just to sing his praises.
Xue Lingxue indeed became serious: “I have already dispatched three veteran Alien Agents there to investigate. They are still en route, but I just looked into the situation of the many intelligence groups there, and after synthesizing the information they reported, we already have some findings. BOSS, your guess was right, there is indeed external intervention at play.
Many high-ranking members of Bright Holy Sect there have likely died unnatural deaths, or are being controlled. The Tian Xiang Divine Envoy has probably been sidelined, unable to master the local situation.”
“Oh?” Lin Rui’s eyes narrowed: “Then, what is their purpose—”
Lin Rui had only just started speaking when he suddenly sensed an alarm from outside the flying car, coming from Luo Wangshu’s Dragon Guard Captain, Jing Yuefang.
“Lord Lin, be careful, there are assassins! They are very strong.”
At this time, Gong Hengdao sent a message.
Gong Hengdao: BOSS, we’ve observed a large number of Martial Cultivators appearing nearby, the imperial guard protecting the periphery of your motorcade couldn’t stop them, they have infiltrated it.
Gong Hengdao: BOSS, be careful! I’ve spotted at least twelve ‘Red Gold Shadow Dragons’ and ‘Dark Gold Shadow Dragons’ infiltrating the area; they’re likely the Federation’s infamous assassin group ‘Shadow Killing Team’.
Lin Rui’s eyes narrowed with resolve, feeling a helpless frustration in his heart. The position of Commander of the Spy Detection Bureau really was a high-risk career—how many assassination attempts had he survived since taking the job? It was an endless battle!
And this time, it’s the Federation’s notorious ‘Shadow Killing Team’?
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Without hesitation, he raised his hand to summon the ‘Heavenly Decree’, the Heavenly Demon Armor, in front of him.
This set of Heavenly Demon Armor was easier to don than other sets of armor, immediately disassembling and reassembling itself, transforming into individual pieces that covered his body.
At the same time, the silhouette of the ‘Spiritual Sky Dragon’ began to project and materialize outside the Flying Car.
Inside the car, Ji Xueying and Shangguan Tianyi both had stern expressions as they drew their swords and stood ready by Lin Rui’s side, while also each operating a Battle Dragon, releasing them from the Dragon Box into the sky.
They had sensed the enemy at the same time as Dragon Guard Captain Jing Yuefang had issued a warning, hence their reaction times were only a little slower than Jing Yuefang and Deputy Captain Su Xinmei.
After Lin Rui had donned the Dragon Armor, he looked out the window and immediately realized that the situation was dire.
Since the second Divine Envoy had already returned to Luojing early after seeing off the Federation President, and Minister of the Ministry of Rites Cao Xi was required to stay at the Divine Palace, Lin Rui was returning alone.
However, Lin Rui’s defense force was still incredibly strong. In addition to Luo Wangshu’s loan of the Dragon Guard Captain and Deputy Captain, Lin Rui also had three 7th Realm Super King Dragon Guards under his command, along with a hundred-man Divine Guard army—all members of the Divine Guard are Sixth Realm Dragon Transformation experts, including one Eighth Realm Emperor Rank and six Seventh Realm Emperor Rank and Super King Rank Divine Guards!
Moreover, the convoy was also flanked by two thousand elite Feather Forest Guards.
Nevertheless, the strength of the ‘Shadow Killing Team’ was even more formidable. Despite Jing Yuefang and her team’s timely realization and full resistance, they were still at a disadvantage.
The surrounding Feather Forest Guards were suffering heavy casualties, and the rest of the Divine Guards were struggling to hold on; in a very short time, six of the hundred Divine Guards had been slain by the Shadow Killing Team.
These assassins moved unpredictably through the shadows, employing peculiar Martial Arts techniques, with a large number of snipers providing cover and reinforcements—making them nearly impossible to defend against.
Both Jing Yuefang and Deputy Captain Su Xinmei were embroiled in a bitter fight, facing two Ninth Realm Super Martial Cultivators, causing them extreme difficulty.
Information about the ‘Shadow Killing Team’ flashed through Lin Rui’s mind—a group formed by a Ninth Realm Emperor Rank mage, known for its formidable strength.
With the team’s exact size and capabilities still unclear, it was only known that the ‘Shadow Killing Team’ included at least two Ninth Realm experts, along with five to six Eighth Realm masters—their overall strength surpassing many Congressional Honorary Members.
Although their leader wasn’t a Congressional Honorary Member, two Honorary Members had already fallen to their hands.
The ‘Shadow Killing Team’ rarely took action, but when they did, it would be for contracts worth at least two to three hundred billion.
The troubling part was that they were nearly 200 li away from Luojing and about the same distance from the Divine Palace.
Xue Lingxue: BOSS, our sniper team is in position. Please hold your ground and wait for support!
However, after a brief consideration, Lin Rui took his twin swords and leaped out.
Ji Xueying and Shangguan Tianyi were both taken aback, puzzled. The Flying Car they were riding in was an Eighth Realm large-scale Magic Artifact with extremely strong defense capabilities! Yet Lin Rui had chosen to leave the Flying Car and take the offensive.
The two women quickly understood Lin Rui’s intentions and leaped out of the car without hesitation.
No matter how good the Flying Car was, it was an inanimate object. Once the Shadow Killing Team fully seized the advantage, breaking through the Flying Car would be a piece of cake for them!
So rather than sitting ducks, it was better to strike first.
They also received a three-dimensional map through Quantum Communication sent by Lin Rui.
Their lord had already marked the positions of those snipers hiding in the darkness with complete clarity.