Chapter 715: Reinforcements
"Xinxin, take a guess—what do you think the people from Eclipse Moon are doing right now?"
Since the battle in Jiangning City, Eclipse Moon had disappeared for almost a week.
Back then, they used the Death God of Love, which caused most of the electromagnetic systems in the Jiangnan Region to stop working.
As a result, Eclipse Moon's whereabouts were also impossible to track.
But everyone knew that Eclipse Moon would definitely return.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have risked so much just to cross the sea.
Zhang Ye believed that only by figuring out their behavioral logic could they be ready in advance.
"...if we look at both sides' strength, it's not a guaranteed win for them."
"The Jiangnan Region has deep resources. Even though the Celestial Squad was wiped out, there are still other forces they can call upon. But Eclipse Moon doesn’t have much backup."
"So," she looked at Zhang Ye, her eyes glinting like dark stars, "I think the next time they show up, they’ll definitely bring reinforcements!"
Zhang Ye crossed his arms in front of him. "Reinforcements? You mean their allies in Nihon?"
According to the intel, Eclipse Moon was structured as an elite squad and didn't have other teammates.
But as a faction that landed ashore, there must be other ronin who share their ideals.
With Eclipse Moon stirring up such a huge commotion in the Jiangnan Region, there might be others tempted to follow, trying to get a slice of the pie.
But Yang Xinxin said, "The opponents we’ll face next might come from any force."
"Since the arrival of the Ice Age, the world has completely changed."
"Hua Xu Nation is still holding on—we have top-tier global power, so we can maintain our core territory. But in the southeastern direction, where there are lots of small countries, they couldn't resist the overwhelming power of nature, and they fell apart."
"If I’m right, the southeastern areas, including the southern seas, are already in complete chaos. Private military groups are popping up like weeds."
"Those violent types could raid the borders at any time. It’s not impossible that Eclipse Moon might win them over."
Zhang Ye sighed. "That’s exactly why I hate those snake-rat types. They might not be that deadly individually, but when there are too many, they get on your nerves."
The only bit of good news was that those regions were fragmented. First, their population wasn't large—some small countries combined didn’t even have as many people as Tianhai City.
Second, their technology was more backward.
So in regions like that, the chances of high-level Awakened emerging were relatively low.
While Zhang Ye was contemplating the next plan to wipe out Eclipse Moon, undercurrents were stirring in Blizzard City—no one was idle.
Everyone had their eyes on Eclipse Moon.
To ordinary people, Eclipse Moon’s existence was a shame that had to be washed away with blood.
But to the various factions within Blizzard City, this was a struggle for power.
Everyone knew that as long as they could defeat Eclipse Moon, they would gain massive prestige in Blizzard City, and with that, grow their faction’s power.
Because of this, Zhu Zheng summoned the top brass of Blizzard City.
The meeting was about the next operation to encircle and annihilate Eclipse Moon.
The next day, the combat command center was unusually lively.
A ton of people were attending. Everyone of status in Blizzard City was there.
Not just Zhu Zheng and Tu Yunlie—even some mid- and upper-level managers showed up.
The main meeting room at the combat command center was packed with hundreds of people.
Such a large-scale gathering was extremely rare in Blizzard City’s history.
Zhang Ye arrived at the venue with Yang Xinxin.
He wasn’t very well-known—it was only after killing Nishina from Eclipse Moon during the last operation that he got some attention.
But when he showed up at the meeting, barely anyone came up to greet him enthusiastically.
At most, someone would make a polite comment and give him a courteous nod and smile.
After all, Zhang Ye was an Outer City Awakened.
That identity alone meant he’d probably never get into the real inner circle of Blizzard City.
Zhang Ye didn’t care about these people’s attitudes.
He had never liked dealing with these kinds of people—he preferred being left alone.
But Zhang Ye did notice that there were two clearly distinct social circles in the venue.
One was centered around Tu Yunlie, the Minister of Operations.
He was always dressed in that military uniform, with half his face forever hidden behind his collar, giving off an unfathomable air.
The other was centered around Gao Changkong and his Reincarnation Squad.
Both circles had a bunch of people gathered around them, and they weren’t even bothering to lower their voices as they discussed how to get a piece of Eclipse Moon’s action.
"Minister Tu, we’ll fully support you in this operation against Eclipse Moon!"
"Your skills are clearly better than those so-called investigation captains. Why else would they entrust you with the key mission of defending Blizzard City?"
"Those investigation squads are only more famous, that’s all. No one actually thinks you're weaker than them, right?"
"This mission against Eclipse Moon is crucial to the Jiangnan Region. As a top-tier combatant, you must join to ensure success!"
"I’ll talk to Commander Zhu myself."
Several high-ranking Blizzard City figures surrounded Tu Yunlie.
Among them were heads of the Administration and Finance Departments, all dressed in sharp suits.
Tu Yunlie didn’t say much—his expression was as cold as ever, but he politely bowed his head to thank them.
Over on Gao Changkong’s side, he brought along Vice Captain Ji Yushen and Gu Man.
Compared to Tu Yunlie, his circle had even more people.
Gao Changkong had always been well-liked—friendly, never putting on airs.
And among Blizzard City’s middle and lower levels, he had overwhelming popularity.
Except in the eyes of some women who favored the super-rich second-gen Deng Shentong, few could match Gao Changkong’s public appeal.
"Captain Gao, this time the responsibility definitely falls on you. We hope you won’t let us down and complete the mission successfully!"
"If you pull this off, even with your humble background, you can ride this merit to the top."
"With our endorsement, you might even break into the power core of Blizzard City in the future."
Gao Changkong looked a bit embarrassed. "You’re all too kind. I, Gao Changkong, have no other ambition. As a soldier, it’s my duty to protect the safety of the Jiangnan Region and uphold its honor!"
"For that, I will wipe out any invading enemy without mercy!"
When he mentioned Eclipse Moon, his eyes turned sharp like blades.
The faction reps supporting him were quite satisfied with his attitude and nodded with smiles.