The thought sent a cold sweat breaking out across Li Xiao’s back.

He knew that what he had painstakingly uncovered was likely just the tip of the iceberg.

But it was already more than shocking enough.

Besides, things were different now.

He didn’t know if the Spirit Seed that Gu Xi had planted in his brain could sense what was happening here.

And if she found out, following the trail of clues to the truth, the consequences would be unthinkable.

It wasn’t that Li Xiao was a coward. Rather, the abilities Gu Xi had displayed were simply unfathomable, far beyond his comprehension.

Li Xiao was worried. What if Gu Xi found out about the core of Project G? What if she learned that her old teammates—her current friends—were all part of a meticulous, long-standing plot, planted as a trump card to be used against her?

If he were in her shoes, Li Xiao couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t lose his composure upon learning such a truth.

And if Gu Xi lost control, Li Xiao couldn’t care less what happened to anyone else. But what if, in a fit of rage, she detonated the Spirit Seed in his brain?

Not wanting to be blown to smithereens on the spot, Li Xiao quickly changed the subject. "Right, then. Let’s get back to business."

To everyone’s surprise, the first person to agree with him was Liu Bo.

For reasons unknown, Liu Bo took the initiative to carry the conversation forward. "Exactly. Mr. Li is right. Time is of the essence, so let’s get down to business."

As all eyes turned to him, Liu Bo raised his hand to activate his personal terminal, projecting an enlarged Light Screen into the center of the conference room.

"Everyone," he said, rising to his feet. He braced his hands on the conference table, his back ramrod straight as his gaze slowly swept across the room. "Please, take a look. This is the latest satellite imagery of the Land of Death."

Everyone’s eyes fell on the Light Screen, their expressions focused. Only Ye Xin lifted her eyelids for a glance. Seeing nothing of interest, she gave a lazy yawn and leaned back again.

’So sleepy.’

’So loud.’

’And so boring.’

Liu Bo frowned slightly. "As you can all see, although the miasma that once enveloped the Land of Death has more or less dissipated, the terrain here is extremely unique..."

As he spoke, he tapped a spot on the Light Screen, zooming in on it. "According to the satellite images, over ninety-five percent of this region is a mire just like this. The depth of these swamps is unknown, and they’re filled with the root systems of countless mutant plants..."

He looked up at everyone. "An environment like this is completely unsuitable for mechanized military operations."

"As for dispatching a team of superpower users..." Liu Bo’s gaze swept slowly over the room as he added meaningfully, "The most powerful team in the entire base is already there, isn’t it?"

The implication was clear: was there any need to send anyone else?

So the military—or to be precise, the Liu Family, which was in charge of the City A region—was unwilling to send any more people.

That was the logic, of course, but everyone understood the real intention behind Liu Bo’s words.

...It was simply a case of everyone wanting to reap the rewards, but no one wanting to be the one to stick their neck out.

An eerie silence fell over the vast conference room.

Ye Xin gave a lazy yawn and was just about to get up when she heard someone suddenly cough twice.

Ye Xin paused. She lifted her gaze toward the sound and only then did she realize... someone in a black robe was sitting next to Li Xiao.

Ye Xin narrowed her eyes slightly.

She hadn’t even realized before that such a person was sitting beside Li Xiao!

It wasn’t just Ye Xin; no one else had noticed him either.

It was as if the man had some kind of cloaking aura. If he hadn’t made a sound, everyone would have subconsciously overlooked him.

It was genuinely unsettling.

Ye Xin narrowed her eyes, studying the man for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle and leaning back lazily into her chair again.

’This man’s power is interesting. I can’t even seem to remember his face. Well then... let’s just watch. Let’s see what new tricks these ghouls and demons have come up with to deal with Xiaoxi this time!’

Nearby, Li Xiao rubbed his temples in frustration when he heard the black-robed man speak. ’We agreed before we came that he was just here to observe. Why did he suddenly go back on his word?’

But now that the man had drawn everyone’s attention, there was nothing Li Xiao could do.

Seeing all eyes on him, the man in the black robe spoke. "Everyone, would you mind if I said a few words?"

But they clearly weren’t interested in humoring him. Instead, all heads turned to Li Xiao.

Tang You, the chief of A City Base and the local authority here, frowned. "Mr. Li, aren’t you going to make an introduction? This is...?"

His tone might have sounded like a request, but everyone could hear the clear dissatisfaction. He was unhappy that Li Xiao had brought a stranger into a meeting of this nature.

Li Xiao didn’t want to make the introduction, but the man was sitting right beside him. With several empty seats on either side of them, their proximity was too obvious. Li Xiao couldn’t even pretend they weren’t together.

"This is Mr. Wang." Li Xiao paused before adding with a tight smile, "He’s the personal assistant to our Base Chief Gu."

’Gu Yumin’s man?’

The representatives from the various factions present all frowned slightly, a look of surprise on their faces.

Just then, the Mr. Wang in question spoke up. "Everyone, I’m here today on a personal matter. It has nothing to do with Base Chief Gu."

His words left everyone completely baffled. They couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation.

’This Mr. Wang... is he deliberately trying to distance himself from Gu Yumin?’ 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

’So what is he playing at?’

’Things this unusual are never a good sign.’

At this, even Ye Xin shot the man a surprised glance.

But Mr. Wang seemed completely oblivious to their stares and scrutiny, continuing on with a placid expression.

"What I want to say is this: the reason the base’s high command pushed past all objections and had the military use nuclear weapons to blanket the Land of Death was that we had received a credible tip..."

He looked slowly around the room, dropping a bombshell. "Rumor has it that there is a Superpower Seed within the Land of Death!"

Many of those present were confused. For most, it was the first time they had ever heard the term "Superpower Seed."

The attendees exchanged bewildered glances before their eyes all landed back on Mr. Wang.

Ye Xin, sitting in the corner, also wore a look of confusion, but inwardly, her mind was reeling.

Others might not know what a Superpower Seed was, but Ye Xin knew.

But according to Mr. Fang, the old superpower instructor for their Doomsday Squad, there was supposed to be only one Superpower Seed in the entire world.

After she and Li Ming had learned of this, they had privately speculated that the one and only Superpower Seed was the one Gu Xi possessed...

’But now... another one has appeared?’

Mr. Wang continued, "I know that the term ’Superpower Seed’ may be unfamiliar to most of you. To be honest, I don’t know much about what they are or where they come from either. But someone once said..."

His gaze swept slowly across the room, pausing for a fraction of a second on Ye Xin before he continued. "The reason the Blood-colored Asura was able to become who she was—a god of the apocalypse—was because she possessed a Superpower Seed."

His words were like a bolt from the blue, stunning the vast conference room into absolute silence.

Someone’s face flushed as their breathing quickened. Another gasped in shock. A third’s eyes glinted as they swallowed hard...