240: Revealing the traces

Han Hongyu grabbed Regiment Commander Xu by the collar and fiercely demanded, “Tell me clearly, who told you to frame City Lord Qin?”

Regiment Commander Xu, however, seemed to have gone mad, his face blank and idiotic.

Qin Shilei looked at Han Hongyu with a half-smile. “Brother Han, come with me. I’ll take you to see the person behind this.”

Then he snapped his fingers, and Regiment Commander Xu, as if receiving a command, suddenly broke free from Han Hongyu and walked out the door.

After exiting the door, Regiment Commander Xu climbed three more flights of stairs and pointed to room 1021.

At Qin Shilei’s signal, Duan Tianhe immediately stepped forward and kicked the door.

Bang!

The entire door flew inward, almost hitting Hou Chengzong and the other person sitting in the hall.

Looking up, Hou Chengzong’s face immediately changed drastically, and he turned to run towards the window.

However, before he could run two steps, he suddenly felt a huge force from his back.

Bang!

Hou Chengzong slowly fell down from the wall.

As soon as he hit the ground, he immediately pulled out a scroll from his ring, attempting to tear it open.

Crack.

Unbeknownst to him, Qin Shilei had already arrived beside him and stomped on his right hand, breaking it.

Eye of Illusion Breaking Purple!

A purple light flashed in Qin Shilei’s eyes, instantly bringing Hou Chengzong, who was still in the Bronze Realm, under his control.

“Tell me, who exactly are you, and why did you come looking for me?”

With hazy eyes, Hou Chengzong obediently replied, “My name is Hou Chengzong, and I am Hou Chengzhu’s younger brother. During the escape, I was separated from my brother due to the insects and went to Longhua City. I came to find City Lord Qin specifically for revenge.”

“So that’s it.” Qin Shilei said with sudden understanding, “So the zombie murders in the city were also your doing, right?”

Hou Chengzong shook his head, “No, I don’t know who did it either. It was just a coincidence that I used this incident to frame you, City Lord.”

“Could there really be a Zombie King in the city?”

Qin Shilei murmured softly.

He continued, “How many people do you still have in the city? Find them all for me.”

Turning to Zhang Cheng, he said, “Uncle, take your men and kill all these remnants of the Huanglong Sect.”

Zhang Cheng said with hesitation, “This Hou Chengzong is from Longhua City, and the remnants of the Huanglong Sect are also hiding within Longhua City’s City Guard Army. If we go to kill people, it might provoke resistance from the people of Longhua City. How should we handle this?”

Qin Shilei turned to Han Hongyu and said coldly, “Do you dare to stop me?”

Han Hongyu’s face changed, and he quickly apologized, “Brother Qin, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t let these people in, this wouldn’t have happened, and your reputation, Brother Qin, wouldn’t have been damaged.”

“Hmph.” Qin Shilei snorted coldly and said indifferently, “It’s good that you understand. We kindly saved all the people in your Longhua City. I didn’t expect that you would almost bring a hungry wolf to our Hope City.”

Han Hongyu, full of embarrassment, apologized again, “It’s all due to my inadequate management, I hope Brother Qin can be more understanding.”

Zhang Cheng, standing by, casually added, “Shi Lei, Commander Kong’s suggestion is very good. We have already done our utmost by rescuing them from Longhua City. Why should we continue to let these unrelated people stay in Hope City? They will only bring various hidden dangers to our Hope City and offer no benefits. Why not let them leave Hope City as soon as possible?”

Upon hearing this, Han Hongyu’s expression changed several times.

They hadn’t found a good place to go yet. If they really had to leave Hope City, where would they go?

Furthermore, after experiencing the sense of security in Hope City, probably fewer than three thousand people from Longhua City would be willing to leave with him again.

Did he really have to lead one or two thousand people to establish another city outside?

Even if he could indeed conquer another city, without the protection of city walls, it would probably be breached again by zombies or mutated beasts in the future.

Various thoughts flashed through Han Hongyu’s mind like lightning. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, looked up, and spoke.

“Our entire Longhua City will merge into Hope City. I wonder if Brother Qin welcomes this?”

“Oh!” Qin Shilei looked at Han Hongyu with a half-smile, “Are you really willing to give up your former power and be subordinate to Hope City?”

Han Hongyu said with firm eyes, “Power that cannot be held is just fleeting. Perhaps by following Brother Qin, I can gain even more.”

Qin Shilei pondered for a moment and then said, “Since you are truly willing to join Hope City, I can give you two choices.”

“First, I will allow you to select five thousand people from Longhua City to form a mercenary group. You can continue to stay in Hope City and also have your own relative independence.”

“Second, fully join Hope City. I will grant you the position of a Deputy Legion Commander or a Hall Master of the Panshi Battle Group. However, your people will be dispersed and integrated into my various teams.”

Han Hongyu chose without hesitation, “I choose the second option.”

The moment he decided to join Hope City, he made up his mind to fully join Qin Shilei’s team.

Hope City not only had city wall protection, but its strength was also extraordinary.

The top three on the cultivation ranking were Qin Shilei and his Madam An Qian. Even Qin Shilei’s subordinates included several individuals who were no weaker than himself.

Whether it was to repay a debt of gratitude or to find a powerful backer, following Qin Shilei did not diminish his standing in the slightest.

“Very well, from now on you will be the Hall Master of the Thick Earth Hall within my Panshi Battle Group.” Qin Shilei immediately decided to let the other party temporarily take charge of the Thick Earth Hall.

“Everything will be according to City Lord’s arrangements.”

Han Hongyu clasped his hands and accepted the order.

His mood at this moment was like a mix of five flavors.

He had once been a city lord, commanding two to three hundred thousand people, but now he had to be subordinate to others, becoming a small hall master.

However, in the near future, Han Hongyu would be endlessly grateful for today’s choice. At that time, he not only gained powerful strength but also held even greater power than a city lord.

That afternoon, Qin Shilei convened a high-level meeting for Hope City.

He not only introduced Han Hongyu to everyone but also finalized the specific arrangements for the two to three hundred thousand people from Longhua City.

Most of the nearly fifty thousand City Guard Army members from Longhua City would be split up and integrated into Hope City’s various legions.

Some elites were also selected to be incorporated into the Panshi Battle Group.

As for the remaining residents, they would either form mercenary groups in Hope City or participate in Hope City’s infrastructure construction.

Hope City’s strength increased to a certain extent as a result.

The rumor issue had been resolved, but the zombies hidden within the city did not seem to have been restrained by Qin Shilei’s search; they continued to commit crimes in the city.

Qin Shilei instructed Duan Tianhe, “Tianhe, please work hard and continue searching the city to see if you can find the culprit.”

“Okay, Boss.” Duan Tianhe nodded in agreement.

After seeing him leave, Qin Shilei returned to his small world to continue experiencing the power of lightning.

Unfortunately, he had no breakthroughs for most of the day, and feeling a bit frustrated, he had no choice but to leave the small world.

As soon as he came out, he heard a report from Zhang Cheng.

“Duan Tianhe once discovered traces of zombies near the Research Institute, but after he pursued them into the Research Institute, he lost their scent.”