244: Disrupting the venue

Finally, it was the turn of Lu Qinian, the Commander of the Hongdu Military Region and current Division Commander of the Hongdu Independent Division, to take the stage and prepare to receive his designation.

Just then, a wild and arrogant voice abruptly shattered the solemn atmosphere of the auditorium, approaching from afar: "The Red Alert Legion is granting a designation to a subordinate unit of my Eastern Military Region, yet why was my military region not notified in advance?! This... is it not a bit too against the rules!"

Xiang Wentian was seen leading over a dozen officers in Eastern Military Region uniforms as they barged in. He swept his arrogant gaze across the room, unceremoniously found an empty seat, and sat down with a swaggering posture.

Jiang Xin's expression instantly turned cold, but he did not address him immediately. Instead, he continued the ceremony, solemnly handing the military flag representing the Hongdu Independent Division into Lu Qinian's hands.

However, Zhang Lei was not one to have a good temper! Since awakening his Superpower, he had looked down on everyone; when had he ever been so disregarded and provoked? Not to mention, he had even been received by Xiao Weihua, the highest official of the National Government, and Qin Guoqiang Qin Guoqiang, the wartime Commander-in-Chief of China!

"Where did this punk come from! How dare you run wild on the Red Alert Legion's territory!" Zhang Lei roared and stood up abruptly. His eyes were like lightning, piercing through Xiang Wentian, as the aura of ice and fire faintly circulated around him.

Xiang Wentian ignored Zhang Lei, directing his spearhead straight at General Lu on the stage. With eyes wide in anger, he looked ready to demand an explanation: "General Lu! Changing banners and joining someone else's command—don't you need the consent of Commander-in-Chief Wang of my Eastern Military Region? Are you looking down on us, your old unit and old comrades-in-arms?"

Hearing this, Zhang Lei's anger blazed even hotter, and he didn't bother wasting any more words! His body suddenly moved like a teleportation, leaving a trail of afterimages as a Fierce Flame Kick, containing terrifying power, struck straight at Xiang Wentian's face! The speed was extreme! Xiang Wentian was horrified; he couldn't see Zhang Lei's movements at all, and he didn't even sense any obvious Superpower fluctuations before the attack reached him! In his haste, he only had time to cross his arms in front of him to block!

"Bang—!!!"

A dull, thunderous sound! Zhang Lei's body, having undergone multiple refinements by Divine Fire, was stronger than a Tier 3 mutant beast. How terrifying was the power of this kick! Xiang Wentian only felt an irresistible force surge through him; his whole body was hit like a battering ram, flying backward and smashing through the heavy doors of the auditorium. He then crashed through several brick walls in succession before landing miserably in the corridor outside, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"You...!" The accompanying officers brought by Xiang Wentian were both shocked and enraged. They activated their Superpowers one after another, and energy lights of various colors lit up as they prepared to fight to the death.

"Humph! You dare to be so insolent!" Zhang Lei's eyes sharpened, and his Heavy Water Domain instantly expanded! An invisible force field, like the immense pressure of the deep sea, enveloped those dozen or so officers!

"Ugh!"

*Thud!*

How could these Evolvers, most of whom were only Tier 2, resist Zhang Lei's domain suppression? In an instant, their faces turned pale, sweat poured down like rain, and their legs gave way. One by one, they knelt on one knee under the unbearable burden, their hands pressing firmly against the ground just to keep from being completely flattened. Even lifting their heads became exceptionally difficult! In the blink of an eye, they were drenched in sweat!

"ice fire divine lord... indeed... quite the methods!" A moment later, Xiang Wentian climbed out of the ruins and walked back into the auditorium. The upper half of his military uniform had been burned to ashes by the fire Superpower attached to Zhang Lei's kick, revealing a lean chest covered in bruises. His hair was also blown straight up, forming a comical afro, and a trace of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly wretched.

"Who exactly are you?! I, Lu Qinian, am still a Major General of the Army personally commissioned by the National Government! Since when is it the turn of a Senior Colonel like you to interrogate me here?!" Lu Qinian was also thoroughly enraged and questioned Xiang Wentian sharply.

"Brother, you've made your scene and taken your beating. Now it's time to state your name, isn't it? I, Jiang, still do not know your esteemed name." Jiang Xin finally turned around slowly, his gaze calm yet carrying an invisible pressure as he looked at Xiang Wentian.

Xiang Wentian looked at Jiang Xin, a true high-ranking official and a super big-shot whom even the National Government relied upon. His momentum involuntarily weakened by thirty percent as he gritted his teeth and said, "So it is Commander-in-Chief Jiang... I am Xiang Wentian of the Eastern Military Region!"

"Oh? Brother Xiang, what exactly is the purpose of your visit?" Jiang Xin walked slowly toward Xiang Wentian. With every step he took, his invisible Kings Domain intensified, gradually enveloping Xiang Wentian. Xiang Wentian felt the energy around him become extremely sluggish, and the circulation of the Superpower in his body was like being stuck in a quagmire, incredibly difficult. His heart was even more turbulent! Everyone said the top expert of the Red Alert Legion was the ice fire divine lord Zhang Lei, so why was the pressure from this Commander Jiang Xin not the least bit inferior to Zhang Lei's?!

"The Xijiang Province Military Region is under the jurisdiction of my Eastern Military Region. I came here, naturally, on behalf of my military region to observe the ceremony..." Under the dual pressure of the two top experts, Jiang Xin and Zhang Lei, Xiang Wentian's arrogance was completely suppressed. His tone involuntarily softened quite a bit, even carrying a hint of justification.

"If you came to observe the ceremony, why did you speak so arrogantly, cause a scene, and disrupt the order?!" Zhang Lei, not letting him off easily, questioned him angrily again, his voice shaking the roof tiles.

"This..." Xiang Wentian was momentarily at a loss for words, his face flushing between red and green. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed he who had been making trouble without reason. After all, the high-level officials of the National Government had already agreed to the fact that the Xijiang Province/Hongdu Military Region would merge into the Red Alert Legion, and his Eastern Military Region had no right to interfere too much.

"Brother Xiang was so aggressive just now. Could it be that you think my Red Alert Legion has no one of talent and came here specifically to bully us?" Jiang Xin stopped in front of Xiang Wentian, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable authority.

Xiang Wentian was speechless once again. He remembered the repeated instructions from Commander-in-Chief Wang Dingbian and Political Commissar Chen Shutong before he left: do not come into conflict with the Red Alert Legion! The military region was still counting on sending biological experts to Longxing City to learn anti-virus serum technology! Now, he had completely offended the other party. However, as the possessor of the Heroic Spirit of the Hegemon-King Xiang Yu, the pride flowing in his bones made it impossible for him to bow his head and admit his mistake on the spot.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Lei snorted and gave him a way out—or rather, a more direct way to settle it: "Xiang Wentian, I see you didn't really come to observe the ceremony; you came here specifically to challenge my Red Alert Legion! Fine, I'll grant your wish! The two of us will have a fair and public fight! The loser will admit their mistake themselves! Do you dare?"

Xiang Wentian was worried about how to save face. Hearing this, he immediately took the opportunity and said with forced momentum, "Fine! Since the ice fire divine lord has invited me to battle, I shall accept! It's the perfect chance to experience your brilliant moves!"

A duel between top powerhouses was now inevitable. The atmosphere in the auditorium instantly became tense and volatile!