While the battles in the western and northern fronts raged on, it was eerily calm on Zhang Yi’s side—so quiet it felt unsettling.
It was as if everyone had forgotten about them. Even the Operations Command Center didn’t know what orders to give him.
After seeing the overwhelming defeat of the Outer City superhumans at the other two fronts, Zhu Zheng was convinced that the Moon of Corrosion members were no weaker than the Celestial Squad.
If they sent Zhang Yi in any deeper, it’d be sending him to his death.
So, for now, Zhu Zheng abandoned the idea of letting Zhang Yi continue his mission.
After all, they needed to preserve at least some of the Outer City’s superhuman forces.
But this unnatural silence only made Zhang Yi more puzzled.
He couldn’t help but wonder—what was behind this strange peace?
That didn’t seem likely.
Although his strength was formidable, he was still just an investigation captain-level superhuman.
Judging by the enemy’s overall power, they had to have someone at least on par with him.
“Could it be... they haven’t detected me at all?”
Zhang Yi actually began to consider that possibility.
It sounded odd, but once all other possibilities were ruled out, the only explanation left was likely the correct one.
Occasionally, his comms device buzzed with battlefield updates from the other fronts.
When he learned that the Outer City teams on both sides had been annihilated, with over half of their forces lost, he realized he couldn’t afford to stay hidden any longer.
“The situation is worse than I imagined.”
“I didn’t want to reveal my full power... but if my hesitation ends up dooming this operation, that would be a loss no one could accept.”
“No one wants that outcome.”
“With my abilities, even if I do run into someone powerful, I can at least get Liang Yue and Hua Hua out safely.”
After sorting out his thoughts, Zhang Yi made a decision—no more waiting. Time to strike first!
But he wasn’t going in blind.
Thinking back to when Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li left earlier, Zhang Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.
Those two women had already entered the fog—just perfect for him to use them as scouts.
Zhang Yi stored his thunder-sparking rifle, Thunderstrike, into his Dimensional Space.
He turned to the demon cat, Hua Hua, and gently patted its head.
“Hua Hua, do you remember the scent of those two women from earlier? Can you find them?”
Hua Hua let out a crisp meow!
They hadn’t gone far, and she could definitely trace their scent trail.
Zhang Yi nodded with a smile. “Good. Let’s follow them.”
Liang Yue looked at Zhang Yi curiously and asked, “You changed your mind?”
Zhang Yi replied flatly, “The battlefield changes in the blink of an eye. The enemy shifts, and so must I.”
Liang Yue shrugged. “But why not just contact them directly?”
Zhang Yi laughed. “Simple. Because they don’t trust me.”
Elsewhere, a group of three led by Tsukamoto Nobunaga was also heading southeast.
Because Takeuchi Mayumi’s divination book hadn’t mentioned any enemies in that direction, Wagatsuma Nanako looked visibly uneasy.
“This is the first time we’ve run into something ... I hope it’s just a false alarm.”
But Tsukamoto Nobunaga spoke slowly, “I don’t think so.”
Wagatsuma Nanako and Takizawa Takashi both turned to look at him.
Nobunaga’s eyelids drooped like he was always half-asleep.
But in his eyes flickered a sharp gleam, just like the blade of his famous katana, Great Prajna Light.
He said calmly, “I’ve studied the ancient siege tactics of China. They often used a strategy called ‘surround three, leave one.’”
“They’d deliberately leave a gap to lure the enemy into a trap—make them think there’s a path to escape.”
“In other words, the enemy’s main force is likely in this direction.”
That hit hard—Nanako’s face turned serious.
“So... we’re in the most danger, aren’t we?”
Nobunaga nodded. “According to the Art of War, that would be correct.”
But instead of being worried, Takizawa Takashi burst out laughing.
“That just means we’ll get to kill more people, right?”
He didn’t seem concerned at all about dying.
Tilting his head up proudly, Takizawa said, “Takeuchi’s reading said I’ve got great fortune today!”
Nobunaga gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing.
Nanako, on the other hand, shot him a glare of exasperation.
“You—can you ever grow up a bit? Stop relying on Mayumi’s readings all the time, will you?”
Takizawa scratched his head. “But that’s how we’ve always done it, right? And she’s never been wrong.”
Nanako sighed helplessly.
“You’re not wrong about that…”
At that moment, the gray crow above them suddenly opened its eyes.
In their minds, they heard the voice of Nishijumu Satoru.
“Nobunaga, Takizawa, Wagatsuma—enemies just showed up in your direction!”
“There are two of them. Be careful!”
“They appeared out of nowhere. I suspect they’re special operatives from the Jiangnan District. Stay sharp!”
Hearing that, all three immediately tensed up.
Nobunaga’s right hand slowly rested on the slender hilt of his Great Prajna Light.
Meanwhile, the two people still unaware they’d been discovered continued cautiously deeper into the mist.
Who else could it be? Of course, it was Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li, the two sisters.
Frustrated by Zhang Yi’s passive attitude, they had decided to go it alone—hoping to earn as many points as possible from this mission!
If they succeeded, they wouldn’t just claim Blizzard City’s rewards; they could also seize territory in Linhai City.
For two ambitious women like Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li, eager to become powerhouses, that was a dream come true!
Even so, they moved forward very cautiously.
They had a plan—recon and probe only.
If they ran into a top-tier enemy, they’d retreat without hesitation.
The two had excellent coordination and abilities, making them top-tier at escaping.
Even without that coward Zhang Yi, they were confident they could pull off the mission.
This... was the Barbie Duo.
And in the midst of this total misunderstanding, the two sides finally crossed paths in the not-so-large Jiangning Plaza.
The moment they laid eyes on each other, tension filled the air.
Even Tsukamoto Nobunaga, a sword master and certified Two Heavens One Style instructor, instinctively reached for his blade.
“So... these are the special ops from Jiangnan District?”