206: Chapter 207 Showdown

Wang Zhuojun stood in the center of the conference room, disguised as Lin Muyang, looking composed and speaking in a relaxed tone: "If I go, I can pass as the real thing. I can perfectly imitate not only his appearance, voice, and aura, but even some subtle habits and small gestures. Unless those foreigners have a mythic grade existence personally use special methods to probe inch by inch, there is absolutely no way they can see through my Disguise. Moreover, I am proficient in stealth, reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, poisons, traps, lock-picking, and even some simple magic Disguise. My methods are varied, my ability to adapt is stronger, and I am better suited to deal with the various complex and sudden situations that may arise on the island. Let me go test the waters first to see if I can find an opportunity to quietly retrieve the skill book, or at least figure out their background and defenses."

His words revealed a powerful self-confidence, a confidence born from the rich experience of dancing on the edge of a blade countless times and completing missions in desperate situations. As the top Disguise master and infiltrator in Xia Kingdom, Wang Zhuojun certainly had the confidence to back it up.

However, the Iron-Blooded Judge, Fierce Wolf, frowned, staring at Wang Zhuojun, and slowly shook his head, his tone serious: "Old Wang, I know your abilities. But this time is different. The other side has clearly set a trap, and the island is bound to be a dragnet waiting for us. Gatling is a top thief with extremely strong anti-reconnaissance and anti-infiltration capabilities. Then there is Amir from India, who has amazing mental perception. Carlos of the Western Federation can manipulate elements and is extremely sensitive to environmental changes. Lilith of Australia is even more of an illusion master, with an instinctive insight into Disguise and illusions. If you go alone, the target is too singular; once you are exposed or fall into an encirclement, it will be too dangerous. We cannot afford to lose a national treasure like you."

Wang Zhuojun smiled, a smile almost identical to Lin Muyang's usual calm and confident one: "That's why I don't plan on going it alone. If I let Shadow take people with me, wouldn't that work?"

"Shadow" was the code name for Xiao Chenguang within the Xia Kingdom Security Department. As soon as this name was mentioned, many people in the conference room who knew the inside story had their eyes flicker slightly.

Lin Muyang also had an impression of the name Xiao Chenguang. He had heard of this legendary figure. Xiao Chenguang's talent was the extremely rare SSS-grade [Infiltrator], with an effect that was simple, brutal, yet terrifyingly effective—permanently increasing his own ability judgment level related to concealment, stealth, and trace elimination by three major tiers! This meant that even if he was only level 100+, in terms of concealment and stealth, his actual effect was comparable to a specialized infiltrator of level 400 or even higher! This talent made him the sharpest and most hidden "Dark Blade" of the Xia Kingdom.

His frontal combat power might not have reached the "Nation-Guarding Level" standard, but when it came to infiltration, reconnaissance, assassination, and intelligence gathering, he was absolutely the top in the Xia Kingdom, and even ranked among the best on the international intelligence community's dark list.

The previous successful assassination of that veteran powerhouse, the "revenge heavenly god" in Kimchi Country who was in an abnormal state, was a classic collaboration between Xiao Chenguang and the Thousand-Faced Monkey King Wang Zhuojun—Xiao Chenguang, relying on his heaven-defying stealth ability, infiltrated Kimchi Country months in advance, lurking near the target for a long time, collecting massive amounts of intelligence, and accurately determining that the "revenge heavenly god"'s strength had plummeted and he was at his weakest moment. Only then did Wang Zhuojun, who was skilled in Disguise and one-hit kills, personally take action, delivering a thunderous blow and retreating successfully. That battle shocked the surrounding countries, but to this day, no one outside knows of Xiao Chenguang's existence; they only know that the Xia Kingdom took action, but specifically who and how it was done remains completely unknown.

"One in the open, attracting attention and probing for the truth; one in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike, pulling the rug out from under them." Wang Zhuojun continued to explain his plan, his logic clear: "I will Disguise myself as Lin Muyang and, according to their requirements, board the island alone. The opponent's main attention will inevitably be focused on me; they will try every method to test and confirm my identity, and will even set up various traps to counter the abilities Lin Muyang might display. Meanwhile, Shadow will use his talent to sneak onto the island without anyone noticing. No matter how vigilant the opponent is, it is impossible for them to place the entire island, every inch of land, every minute and every second, under surveillance without blind spots. As long as Shadow successfully infiltrates, with his skills, finding the hiding place of the skill book and retrieving it is not impossible. Even if he can't find it for a while, he can provide me with intelligence support or create chaos to assist my escape. We have cooperated many times and have great tacit understanding; the success rate of this plan is not low."

It had to be admitted that Wang Zhuojun's plan sounded quite comprehensive, fully utilizing the respective specialties of himself and Xiao Chenguang. One in the light and one in the dark, cooperating with each other, there was indeed a great chance of retrieving the skill book while avoiding a direct confrontation.

However, just as everyone began to ponder the feasibility and details of this plan, Lin Muyang, who had been sitting quietly in his seat, slowly shook his head and stood up.

His movement was not large, but it instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the conference room. Even the three young girls who had been standing quietly behind him focused their gazes on his back.

Lin Muyang walked to the center of the conference room and stood side-by-side with Wang Zhuojun, who was disguised as him. The two "Lin Muyangs" stood together, a scene that made many feel somewhat dazed. But soon, the restrained yet impossible-to-ignore calm temperament of the real Lin Muyang, along with the subtle sense of connection naturally emanating from the three girls behind him—directed solely at him—allowed everyone to instantly distinguish the real from the fake.

Lin Muyang's gaze calmly swept over Sword Saint, Xu Ruohan, Fierce Wolf, and Wang Zhuojun, who was disguised as him, finally landing on the huge circular screen in front, on the Pacific island marked in red.

"I think it's better not to trouble Senior Wang Zhuojun and Senior Xiao Chenguang to take risks." Lin Muyang's voice was clear and steady, echoing in the quiet conference room. "In the end, this matter is about my things being stolen, and the other side is coming for me. It is more appropriate for me to go myself, get the things back, and by the way... meet these guests who have come from afar."

He paused, his tone still indifferent, yet carrying an unquestionable certainty: "Not to mention anything else, just in terms of stealth and concealment, I think I should not be worse than Senior Xiao Chenguang."

As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room fell silent for a moment.

Lin Muyang's stealth ability? Many people present immediately thought of the rumors about the "solo clearing genius" and the mysterious attacker at the border of India who was elusive and left the Indian military and the Sanctuary in a state of chaos. Although there was no direct evidence that it was Lin Muyang, various clues had long connected the two. Now that Lin Muyang had personally said "my stealth is not inferior to anyone," it was almost equivalent to indirectly admitting that those matters were related to him.

More importantly, Lin Muyang said it so nonchalantly, as if he were just stating a simple fact. Thinking of the terrifying strength he displayed on the arena today, which completely exceeded common sense, no one would doubt the truth of his words. Xiao Chenguang's concealment ability was heaven-defying, the result of talent and countless practical battles. But Lin Muyang... who knew how many incredible abilities this young man still hid? Perhaps his stealth methods were truly superior to Xiao Chenguang's, it was not impossible.

Furthermore, as Lin Muyang said, this was his own business to begin with. What the opponent stole was his reward, and the one they named was him. Reasonably and rightfully, it seemed appropriate for him to come forward and solve it himself. As for the threat of the opponent "using the skill book"... if it really came to that step, Lin Muyang already had a backup plan—that was the "Six-Eyed Witches" tribe he had mentioned before. At worst, he would just ask them for a favor then. With Lin Muyang's current methods and potential, he believed he had the ability to persuade that mysterious tribe to cooperate with him, or even... go further.

When Lin Muyang clearly stated that he wanted to take action himself, the atmosphere in the conference room became somewhat subtle. Everyone looked at each other, their faces showing complex expressions of surprise, worry, and contemplation. They did not expect that Lin Muyang would so decisively reject the apparently safer plan proposed by the authorities and choose to bear the risk alone.

"Lin Muyang..." Sword Saint stood up, walked to Lin Muyang's side, and patted his shoulder heavily with his calloused hand, his expression exceptionally solemn, as he said in a deep voice: "This matter, in the end, is our official negligence! On our territory, right under our noses, someone stole your championship reward! This is a disgrace to our Xia Kingdom Security Department and the Summoner Association! It should be solved by us to make amends! How can we let you, the victim, take risks again? This is against the rules, and it makes us look too incompetent!"

Sword Saint's words were sonorous and powerful, carrying deep self-reproach and an irrefutable persistence. Protecting the geniuses within the territory, especially a treasure like Lin Muyang who appeared once in a thousand years, was their responsibility. If they couldn't even do this well and had to let Lin Muyang face danger himself, where would they, these old guys, put their faces? Where would the dignity of the Xia Kingdom be?

"Yes, Lin Muyang, trust us, okay?" Xu Ruohan also stood up, walked from behind Lin Muyang to his side, and reached out her slender hand, gently gripping his arm. Her hand was a bit cool, but she gripped firmly. She tilted up that beautiful face capable of making all flowers lose their color, looking at Lin Muyang, her eyes filled with concern and an unquestionable persistence. She pursed her lips, revealing a reassuring smile: "We will definitely find the item back for you, intact. You just went through a big battle and rushed back without stopping; you must be tired. Go back and rest well, and just wait for our good news."

Xu Ruohan and Sword Saint's attitude represented the general consensus of the high-level officials of the Xia Kingdom. This matter must absolutely not be left for Lin Muyang to solve himself. There were three reasons: First, as Sword Saint said, this was their negligence, and they should be the ones to make up for it. If they let Lin Muyang go himself, the official face of the Xia Kingdom would be completely lost, and they would become a laughingstock internationally. Second, and more importantly, they wanted to use this opportunity to show Lin Muyang, as well as all forces at home and abroad, the determination and ability of the Xia Kingdom to protect its own geniuses! They wanted to tell Lin Muyang that the Xia Kingdom was his strongest backing, and anyone or any force that dared to target him would face the most severe blow from the Xia Kingdom! They wanted to deepen Lin Muyang's sense of belonging and identification with the country. Third, they knew well that the opponent had set this trap, and the primary goal was likely not to kill Lin Muyang, but... to defect him! Using the mythical grade skill book as bait to lure Lin Muyang out of the Xia Kingdom's protection circle, and then using various means of coercion and bribery to try to win him over to their camp. Only when there was no hope of defection would they consider killing him. The Xia Kingdom authorities would absolutely not allow this to happen; they had to nip all risks in the cradle and firmly bind Lin Muyang to the big ship of the Xia Kingdom. Historically, there had been examples of geniuses successfully defected by foreign forces, and the loss caused to the Xia Kingdom was immeasurable. With Lin Muyang, they would not allow any accidents to occur.

However, Lin Muyang did not seem to fully grasp, or perhaps, did not care much about these deep considerations of the authorities. Facing Xu Ruohan's sincere dissuasion and Sword Saint's solemn promise, Lin Muyang just turned to the side and smiled at this beautiful senior who had always cared for him.

His smile was still gentle, but his eyes were like a deep, cold pool, containing an unshakable will beneath the calm.

"Senior Xu, I appreciate your kindness." Lin Muyang's voice was not loud, but it carried a peculiar Penetration, clearly reaching everyone's ears. "You and Senior Sword Saint, as well as everyone present, are willing to think for me and take risks for me; Lin Muyang is deeply grateful. However..."

He changed the subject, his tone still calm, but faintly carrying a hint of sharpness: "Speaking of stealth and infiltration, perhaps everyone has heard of it. I consider myself not inferior to anyone in this regard."

He did not point it out, but everyone present was shrewd and naturally understood his subtext—the elusive actions at the Indian border, the mysterious action at the Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand auction, and even the earlier legend of the "solo clearing genius" were all closely related to stealth and infiltration abilities. And the source of all this was standing right in front of them at this moment.

"Therefore, it is most appropriate for me to solve this matter myself." Lin Muyang said this last sentence decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

For a moment, the conference room fell silent again. Everyone was staring blankly at the young man in front of them, whose face still carried a hint of youthful immaturity. His tone was not impassioned, and his posture was not aggressive, but the absolute self-confidence and unquestionability revealed in these calm words made these seasoned and powerful figures present feel an invisible pressure.

In a daze, it was as if they did not see a junior genius who needed their protection, but a top powerhouse who could already stand alone, and was even capable of sitting on equal footing with them, making decisions from thousands of miles away! This temperament, this posture, was by no means a Disguise, but was born from the confidence brought by absolute control over one's own strength!

And when Lin Muyang, with such an attitude, almost "showed his cards" to indicate that he would handle this matter personally, it also meant that he no longer intended to deliberately hide those previous identities.

"The solo clearing genius" was him.

The mysterious person who swept across the Indian border and left the Sanctuary in disgrace was him.

The person behind the scenes who participated in the auction in the Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand region and stirred up trouble was also him!

When these identities overlapped and finally converged on the name "Lin Muyang," the high-level officials of the Xia Kingdom present felt extremely complex and shocked. Although they had guessed before, it was only a guess after all. Now that it was almost confirmed, the impact was still huge.

They had to re-evaluate Lin Muyang's true strength and threat level. This was no longer just a genius with infinite potential, but a strategic-level existence who already possessed the power to influence regional situations, making top forces of other countries fear him and even go to the extent of joining forces to set traps against him! If such an existence had been born in a hostile country... just thinking about it made one shudder.

Fortunate! Extremely fortunate! Fortunately, Lin Muyang was a citizen of the Xia Kingdom! He was a favored son of heaven with the blood of the Xia Kingdom flowing in his veins!