Chapter 842: Chapter 712: The World Is About to Change
The gunshot fired by the man in the courtyard was detected by Qu Jianlei.
Although he hadn’t used Supreme Suppression, Former Imperial Capital wasn’t large, and with A-level Perception, he could sense it.
He didn’t praise the man, even though he knew he might ignite the anger of the Wasteland people.
However, it was useless because he would eventually leave, and without his support, what could the local inhabitants use to fight against Central City and the Gorge?
Not to mention, above the Gorge there is a base, which is essentially a quasi-military force.
If it truly drew the attention of the Imperial power, even if he was present, it wouldn’t stir up much trouble.
So for now, lighting a few sparks of resistance is enough, the rest can be dealt with slowly.
In summary, this gunshot made Qu Jianlei certain that his words weren’t entirely futile.
Success is good! The next moment, he flickered and rushed towards the City Guard’s base.
Hidden inside were two C-level Awakened ones and several Modified Warriors, likely hoping to use the camp’s defenses to hold their ground.
Yet it was truly futile, as there wasn’t even a Protective Shield here, they could only rely on firepower to fend off enemy attacks.
Qu Jianlei felt that Central City and the Gorge were courting their own doom by suppressing the Gathering Area to such inferior technology.
If there really was a Protective Shield, although it wouldn’t be impossible for him, at least the opposition could gain more support to complement their counter-fire.
Just as Qu Jianlei thought, the originally reluctant City Guard became even more defiant upon hearing his call.
The Awakened and Modified Warriors killed several people, finally managing to suppress the restless few.
But counting on the City Guard to lend a hand was unimaginable.
They hid in a corner, shooting desperately, but eventually couldn’t escape being killed.
In the Former Imperial Capital, there should be a few more Modified Warriors left, but Qu Jianlei didn’t bother searching anymore and went straight to the City Lord’s Mansion.
The City Lord’s Mansion covered a substantial area, likely half a square kilometer, and guards were stationed at the entrance.
Seeing the figure bolt towards them, the guards knew who he was and hesitated before speaking, "Sir, please..."
"Get lost!" Qu Jianlei barked, charging straight through the gate.
The guards were dazed by the shout, taking quite a while to recover.
One guard’s lips trembled, almost bursting into tears, "This guy... we’re done for, punished again."
Qu Jianlei stormed into the courtyard where the City Lord worked like a whirlwind.
Even in a place like the Gathering Area, the team working for the City Lord was sizable, no fewer than seventy or eighty people.
With just his Perception, Qu Jianlei targeted the City Lord, kicking open the tightly closed door, "Get out!"
A middle-aged fat man dashed out, weighing at least three hundred pounds, his body and face wobbling with fat.
Such weight on the Wasteland was a definite sin, yet the man didn’t run particularly slow.
He tried his best to squeeze out a smile, but it looked more like he was about to cry, "May I ask, sir, what would you like?"
Qu Jianlei spoke coolly, "Notify the City Guard, search each house, drag out those foreign bastards!"
"Ah?" The fat City Lord was terrified to hear that, he was one of the City Lords of the Four Capitals, his channels of information far more sensitive than most.
His very seat as City Lord was secured with the help of dignitaries from Central City.
But he dared not refute this man’s words, who could kill A-levels as easily as chickens.
Pausing for a moment, he still responded with a smile.
"Sir, theoretically speaking, the One Capital and Four Capitals are subsidiaries of Central City; even if I issue orders, the City Guard wouldn’t dare to enforce them."
Indeed, he himself wouldn’t dare, for if Central City came for revenge, he’d suffer the consequences in full force.
Is death frightening? Not particularly; there are things far scarier than death.
Qu Jianlei looked at him expressionlessly, "I’ll give you one more chance, reorganize your words."
The middle-aged fat man nodded and bowed, smiling with all the humility he could muster.
But he still didn’t agree, "Sir, I’m willing to offer you a substantial sum as an apology..."
A flash of a gray blade, and the fat City Lord’s head fell.
The wings of the Big Head Butterfly fluttered a moment, "Substantial sum..."
"Some money is unacceptable," Qu Jianlei replied to it, "Moreover, what kind of wealth could a place like this possibly offer?"
The top tycoons here could muster wealth of only two or three million; would he be tempted by such petty cash?
Then he looked around and spoke in a low tone, "Within five seconds, come out—all of you—or else... death!"
The people inside swiftly scrambled out, almost causing a stampede.
Qu Jianlei pointed at an old man with a sharp face, who looked like a schemer.
"Tell me, who is the second-in-command in Former Imperial Capital?"
However, the old man dared to reply off-topic, "Sir, the second-in-command can’t control the City Guard."
"Do you think I’m stupid?" Qu Jianlei shot him dead, first-in-command is dead, second-in-command can’t control the army?
This is impossible—if it were an independent country, it might be objectively possible.
But Former Imperial Capital was under Central City’s effective control, the death of the top leader wouldn’t prevent authority from shifting to the second tier?
Then he pointed to someone, "You tell me, who is the second-in-command?"
It was a middle-aged strong man, trembling as he replied, "You, you, you... sir, the one you just killed was the second-in-command."
Qu Jianlei frowned slightly, "What about the third-in-command?"
"I, I, I..." Sweat the size of peas appeared on the strong man’s forehead, "It’s me."
What a coincidence? Qu Jianlei was speechless, it’s really rare for the first, second, and third-in-command to work in the same courtyard.
"Did you hear what I asked very clearly just now?"
"I heard it clearly," the middle-aged strong man nodded incessantly, terrified that any hesitation would lead to more killings.
"I can meet your requests, but it will take some time."
"I’ll give you an hour," Qu Jianlei replied casually, "Of course, you can also try to slip away."
Slip away... Isn’t that madness? The middle-aged strong man smiled bitterly, "Rest assured, I don’t have that kind of courage."
The reason he took on this task was because he was single!
He had already decided that once he completed this task, he’d slip away, and when Central City came looking for him, he’d already be wherever else.
Compared to the situation where refusal meant instant death, he felt the chance of survival was slightly higher with the former.
He definitely dared not run, seeing as so many B-level Awakened couldn’t escape this person’s clutches, why would he think he could?
The middle-aged strong man really took this matter seriously.
Some City Guard leaders were worried about Central City’s retribution and refused to follow orders, so he killed them without hesitation.
Even the lower-level City Guard members had their own ideas, either taking sick leave or pretending to be ill.
The third-in-command killed a few more people, and only then did the search operation commence.
During the search, there were City Guard squads that tried to slack off, but unfortunately, they were discovered by Flower Scorpion mixed in with the city.
After today’s big event, Former Imperial Capital was already undefended, and people from outside could enter the city freely.
Flower Scorpion and Xiao Moshan slipped in quietly, thinking maybe they could help the boss a bit, and indeed, their presence proved useful.
Qu Jianlei was quite pleased upon hearing this; these comrades’ cultivation progress hadn’t been as quick as his, making it impossible to coordinate in individual combat.
Thus, having them help pick up the slack was very beneficial.
It’s something he could do himself, but it wouldn’t fit into his overall plan for the situation; it’s better to rely on the comrades for help.
All the members of the squads set to abuse their power were executed on the spot, as were the families hiding the Modified Warriors.
Despite so many problems arising, the enthusiasm of Former Imperial Capital’s citizens had actually increased somewhat.
The reason is simple: those who dared to cheat were resourceful, not just with familial backgrounds, but also scheming to climb higher.
They planned to sell favor to Central City through this approach.
And the general populace happens to despise these individuals the most, considering it unfair.
This search continued until dawn the next day, during which the middle-aged strong man reported to that lord via radio.
"Kill them all," Qu Jianlei replied offhandedly, "Each stab once, everyone becomes an accomplice."
"Accomplice? That’s good!" The middle-aged strong man’s eyes lit up, muttering softly, "Why didn’t I think of that?"
Can’t blame him for the lack of insight; in the entire Garbage Star, there’s no such thing as events inheritance.
By noon, he tried to contact that lord again via radio, yet got no response.
At this moment, Qu Jianlei had already used Space Mecha to fly over to Zuo Capital, one of the Four Capitals.
Members of the Divine Text Association in Zuo Capital had evidently received news from their companions, gathering all together in a large courtyard within the city.
Right next to the courtyard is the City Guard’s station, with powerful firepower positioned on the other side.
The situation screamed full-force and ready-to-fight at any time.
"They’re still choosing resistance, huh?" Qu Jianlei shook his head speechlessly.
The stubbornness of the Divine Text Association didn’t surprise him, but the folks in Zuo Capital... you really enjoy being lackeys, don’t you?
What was unexpected was that in the Divine Text Association’s team, there was only one A-level and four B-level.
Thinking back to Former Imperial Capital, where there were two A-levels and eight B-levels, it was obvious that the strength here was far from enough.
And during the capture of Bentley and the others, four A-levels were dispatched...
Zuo and You Capitals are slightly less prosperous than Qian and Hou Capitals, but it shouldn’t warrant halving the strength, right?
Wait, half the strength? Qu Jianlei suddenly gained some insight: Could it be that this batch of strength was sent out as support?
The possibility exists... No, it’s actually quite probable.
Since Former Imperial Capital was nearly obliterated yesterday, if the Divine Text Association isn’t reacting, how will they fare in the Imperial?
Realizing this, Qu Jianlei felt a bit of silent relief, grateful he didn’t wait at Former Imperial Capital indefinitely.
He initially planned to wait there until the Supreme appeared, to pull off a fierce play without having to go find the enemy.
And precisely because of this, he kept his cultivation level and attributes ambiguous, preventing the opponent from grasping precise information.
But at this moment, he felt thankful for having arrived at Zuo Capital.
