468: Chapter 466 Questioning

"I remember Chu Xuan saying that all captains nationwide must not be absent from this offline conference without cause and must come to see him! Now that most of the captains have arrived, where is he?"

This was a middle-aged man with an aquiline nose sitting in the third tier of the audience. He wasn't wearing the Night Watcher uniform, but a smile hung on his face while his tone was extremely unfriendly: "You should be able to contact him, right?"

Zhang Qiang sneered, "How would I know where he is? I can't contact him either."

The smile on the aquiline-nosed man's face suddenly vanished. He stared intently at Zhang Qiang and barked, "Chu Xuan used to be part of your Haicheng Squad and was close to you. How could you not know?"

Being shouted at publicly like this, Zhang Qiang didn't panic. He reached into his coat.

The aquiline-nosed man was startled and said coldly, "What? You won't even let me speak? Do you want to start a fight?"

"Heh..." Zhang Qiang gave a contemptuous laugh. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his trench coat's inner pocket, lit one as if no one else were there, and exhaled a long Smoke ring.

He ignored the man with the aquiline nose entirely, tilted his head toward Minister Liu Fumin nearby, and asked with a frown, "Minister Liu, this is our official meeting. Why did you let in all these random nobodies?"

Before Minister Liu Fumin could speak, the aquiline-nosed man cut in, "We are Public Representatives. Why wouldn't we be qualified to attend?"

He looked around at everyone present, especially the non-official personnel on the third tier, and asked loudly, "The public can judge if my words are right. What do you all think?"

"Well said!"

Another person stood up. He was heavily built with a tiger-like face. He shouted, "It's not just you official Transcendents fighting the Specters. Which of us Guardian, who were chosen long ago, didn't fight our way through mission after mission? Who are you looking down on?!"

As his voice fell, more people stood up one after another, totaling over forty. Just by standing there, they emitted an impressive Aura.

All of them stared grimly at Zhang Qiang on the rostrum.

Seeing this, some official personnel on the first floor who had been in contact with these people before the meeting couldn't help but frown secretly.

Behind Minister Liu Fumin, four guards with star marks on their brows had slight smirks on their faces as they communicated via secret transmissions.

"Senior Brother, these people who supposedly come from the Path of Salvation really do seem to have some skill. They're all above Rank 7, and eight of them are even Rank 10."

Junior Brother Shen Guyun curled his lip. "They're just a bunch of deluded fools. They have the System but don't know how to use it, wasting resources on the useless Charm attribute. Their combat power doesn't match their Rank at all."

Another person laughed, "It's not just these fools; even the smart ones reached their limits long ago. It's true they have the System, but similarly, everyone in this world is bound by rules. Except for a few special cases, unless someone possesses Heaven-Defying Luck and Opportunity, achieving life transformation is as difficult as reaching the heavens."

Someone else added, "These people naturally cannot be compared to us, but it's a good show nonetheless."

"Don't just watch the show. The Great Event has begun. Whether we can complete our most important mission in this world depends on today!" Junior Brother Shen Guyun glanced indifferently at the three.

"Senior Brother, you give these people too much credit! We have all broken through our realms. Without you even needing to step in, the three of us working together would be invincible in this world."

"Do not be careless!" Junior Brother Shen Guyun's gaze turned slightly cold. "I received a message from the Sect. Some of those Transcendents who went to our Cangyun World will be returning soon, and some have even broken through the world barrier and returned early."

"The strength of those who survived has advanced by leaps and bounds. Although they are all part of the plan, we must still be cautious."

"Keep in mind that one wrong move can lose the whole game. We only have one chance!"

Junior Brother Shen Guyun's gaze was deep. "Next, whether we soar to the heavens in one step or perish and are erased by the rules of this world—success or failure depends entirely on this move!"

The other three were invigorated. "Don't worry, Senior Brother, we are all prepared!"

While the four from the Cangyun World, led by Junior Brother Shen Guyun, were communicating secretly, the forty-plus people who had stood up were all talking at once.

They all questioned Zhang Qiang about where Chu Xuan was.

Some even stated publicly: Could Chu Xuan be exactly what the Revelation said—a Specter in disguise, hiding away because he didn't dare to show himself?

Under the guidance of these forty-plus people, the other Transcendents from the public could no longer sit still. Although their Ranks were not high and their strength was weak—mostly not exceeding Rank 5—"

—they came from all over the country and were numerous, totaling over three thousand people, almost filling the audience seats on the third tier.

Flashbulbs from all directions flashed incessantly, broadcasting this scene live nationwide. Major TV stations and internet streams were all relaying the event.

Under the gaze of countless people, Zhang Qiang continued to puff on his cigarette. The swirling Smoke obscured his weathered face, making his expression unreadable. Only his calm voice echoed softly in all directions:

"As public Transcendents, it's fine for you to attend the meeting. Just listen quietly. You aren't City Captains; what right do you have to question anything here?"

"Then... I should have the right to question, shouldn't I?"

As an aged voice suddenly rang out, everyone looked over. They saw an old man standing up from the front rows of the first tier.

Looking at his epaulettes, he was indeed a City Captain.

Many recognized him. Someone nearby even frowned and whispered, "Old Guo, what are you doing? Sit down quickly..."

But before that person could finish, more than thirty others stood up one after another in the first row. Among them, ten were actually captain-level.

"This old man really can't sit still anymore."

Old Guo shook his head and looked at Zhang Qiang on the rostrum, slowly saying, "Lately, Specter incidents have been breaking out every day in the city I'm responsible for. I didn't want to come to this meeting, but Chu Xuan spoke harshly, and this old man didn't dare not to come. Now that I'm here, Chu Xuan doesn't show up. What kind of logic is that?"

"And who knows? Just today, two of my team members died while dealing with a Specter incident! If I hadn't come to this offline meeting, they definitely wouldn't have died!"

Old Guo's tone was heavy and filled with grief. After speaking, he looked around at the thirty-plus Night Watchers from various cities who had stood up and said deeply, "You all should be in a similar situation as me, right?"

The crowd responded in unison.

Facing the cold glares of thousands on the third tier, Zhang Qiang had remained composed. But seeing these thirty-plus fellow Night Watcher Transcendents also turning against him, he finally lost his cool, and a look of anger appeared on his face.

He exhaled a long breath. The Smoke covering his face was blown aside but didn't dissipate, still swirling around. With a grim face, he said:

"What pretty words. I see you must have all been foolish enough to dump points into the Charm attribute. Finding you've chosen the wrong path, you've gone light-headed and want to keep walking down that dead end?"

Zhang Qiang suddenly slammed the table and barked at the crowd, "Are you here to attend the meeting, or do you have ill intentions?"