"Wait, what did you just say?" Sage asked in perplexed disbelief.
"I said I'm worried that the Immortals killed her troops," Jake replied coldly. "I'm going to see if we can salvage this situation. Now sit at that table and don't do a goddamn thing until I get back—nothing. Veronica has everything handled."
"Salvage!?" She snapped in exasperation, "That woman just triggered an attack. If you don't fight the enemy, I'll take matters into—"
"Shut the fuck up and do what I say!" He ordered chillingly, his eyes lethal and unremitting, "You think you're right, but you're not. No one agrees with you—not Veronica, not Crux, nor General Michaels. You're alone."
Sage's eyes widened when she heard the lineup of people against her. It had just occurred to her that Veronica had been playing into it the whole time without question, and General Michaels was nowhere to be seen. "Why is Crux against my viewpoint?"
"Roxy Alexander Grace commands a force of fifty with nine Heaven Realm cultivators around Captain Taylor's level—these people aren't her soldiers," Jake explained coldly. "They're a diversion.
If you had things your way, we would've attacked, and the strike force with four times the firepower would have ambushed us during the confusion. That's not speculation; it's a hard fact."
Sage's jaw slowly lowered in bafflement, and her confusion grew when she heard hundreds of footsteps from the top floor. She turned and saw two hundred Immortals in tactical gear descending the dual staircase encircling the dining area. "What's going on…?"
The soldiers immediately panicked at the sight, feeling dread washing over them.
"Hey, what is this?"
"I knew this was a setup!"
"Calm down; let's hear what's going on first!"
"Shut the fuck up, everyone. If you can't tell, we're in no position to talk back."
However, their panic didn't last long. A green glow washed over the room, calming them down as Veronica walked to the front with a wine glass.
Ding!
After Jake's example, she tapped a spoon against a glass, creating a beautiful musical note that permeated the room, drawing everyone in.
"We've gotten reports that another group of cultivators has invaded our base." Veronica announced calmly, "While we trust Major Grace is not responsible, we need you to stay put until we sort this out.
We recommend that you comply silently. While we seek a peaceful solution, if even one of you says or does something to indicate this was a trap, we must act accordingly."
A sudden rush of anxiety gripped the cultivators' hearts, strangling them. While only Gabriel and the Heaven Realm cultivators knew what was happening, everyone knew they were guilty.
However, they didn't make a move. After the black-haired pixie warned them that a single person speaking could lead to hostilities, people chose to think and act carefully.
"Please let me explain your situation." Veronica requested, "In addition to four Heaven Realm cultivators, two hundred Sky Realm cultivators with peak techniques are in this room, and another 3,400 are outside it.
If you attack us, you have no hope of survival, so I recommend you stay put."
Those gritting their teeth looked around for the first time and saw their situation. It left everyone shocked in silence.
"However, you can rest easy." Veronica smiled, "We have a benevolent leader, so in the event that you're here to attack us, you'll have to join us as compensation. And if you look around, you'll realize that people are practically rewarded for attacking this place.
Even our useless soldiers get peak sky-grade techniques, eat soul meat daily, and live in houses like this. They have daily cultivation classes, guaranteed employment, and access to hookers and gigolos. Doesn't that sound like a reward to you?"
After a cheeky smirk, a few drunken people chuckled, and it spread.
"I'm guilty! I confess to everything! It was all my fault, 100%." One of the men laughed, "Fuck these guys—they're good people."
The sudden shift from oppressive silence to joking was like a thunderclap, jolting everyone out of their daze and into a state of boisterous laughter.
"Hey, don't take credit for my nefarious deeds!" A blonde snapped indignantly.
More laughter surged through the room like lightning, building momentum like a steam engine.
"If we don't make the cut, can we invade later?" A redhead smirked, "We can even set a date and time."
Cheers and whistles spread through the crowd, overtaking everyone's emotions. Even Gabriel, who was worried about his major, felt a sudden spark of victory.
"Wow, we should make applications," Veronica smiled. "There are a lot of qualified people here who would be powerful assets if they simply got access to techniques and a shot. I mean, I can already see changes in a lot of you after one round of soul meat."
The small seed of triumph in Gabriel's heart took root and bloomed after being reminded of his power upgrade, resulting in euphoria. Any doubt, fear, or anxiety he had a moment prior disappeared, replaced by feelings of rapture and accomplishment.
Those already in the emotional vice roared ecstatically, sweeping away the few remaining people holding onto their sanity, rationality, and fear. Within minutes, the scene became an orgy of self-gratifying emotions, with everyone complimenting each other and themselves.
While it was unsettling from an outside perspective, no one questioned if it was unnatural. They didn't want to consider that they weren't actually triumphant, so they latched onto one of the dozens of plausible excuses Veronica had set up. Soon, everyone had an excuse: they were still drunk, high on life, buzzing from the food, and offered power and techniques.
More importantly, it was easy to believe. After all, they spent the whole night drowning in high energy, laughter, and cheering, so it was just a continuation of the festive environment. The next morning, it would blend together.
Therefore, while it was alarming from an outside perspective, an unshakable desire to join Immortal Skye abruptly turned them into converts—and not a single cultivator questioned it.
Checkmate.
Sage turned to Jake in shock and found his eyes cool and collected. Despite the dozen explosions outside, it looked like things had gone to his plan. From the beginning, he lured the cultivators into a trap and planned to force them into submission.
The explosions also ceased within a minute, proving that whatever was happening outside was also under control. It was all a facade.
At some point, Jacob Remock Hays flipped his people-pleaser habits into a mask of nativity and played her and Roxy Alexander Grace for fools.
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