Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies-Chapter 684: An Unstable Situation

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Chapter 684 – An Unstable Situation

In Blizzard City, the rumors surrounding the recent battle spread wider and grew more exaggerated.

Because deep down, no one could have imagined that Blizzard City would actually lose a fight against the Moon of Corrosion!

And the emotions swirling around weren’t just anger — but also fear.

If they couldn’t even suppress a small ronin organization, how could they guarantee the safety of the people?

At this time, another voice began to emerge:

"It’s not that our warriors weren’t strong enough — it’s the commanders’ poor decisions that caused our soldiers’ lives to be wasted!"

"The Celestial Squad’s combat power was absolutely trustworthy, but the higher-ups forced them to launch prematurely without sufficient intel, pushing them onto the battlefield in haste!"

"Our warriors lost because of the information gap. It’s all the command level’s fault!"

Deng Shentong and the Celestial Squad had a huge following inside Blizzard City.

Once this kind of opinion appeared, it quickly gained a lot of support.

People shifted their anger toward the commanders.

They believed that no matter what, the ones giving orders should be held responsible.

Although this criticism couldn’t be spread openly, in private, almost everyone was discussing it.

Even some people inside official agencies whispered about it behind closed doors.

The reason was simple — this matter directly affected their survival and dignity.

Naturally, this unrest reached Zhu Zheng’s ears.

Already frustrated, hearing these rumors made him even more irritable.

He hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice for several days.

Whenever he thought about the near-total annihilation of the Celestial Squad — including Captain Deng Shentong — it felt like his heart was bleeding.

Building an investigation team took an enormous amount of effort and resources.

Losing the Celestial Squad’s combat strength was likely a loss that couldn’t be replaced.

And now, Zhu Zheng’s prestige in Blizzard City had taken a massive hit.

He had to find a way to stabilize public morale.

Thus, exterminating the Moon of Corrosion became an absolute necessity!

But right now, who could he even use?

The Black Robe Squad had no captain-level superhuman holding the fort, and the Celestial Squad was nearly wiped out.

Other investigation teams across the districts were all tied up with important missions and couldn’t return.

Even if he wanted to fight again, he had to learn from last time’s lesson — he had to bring out his strongest hidden forces and never underestimate the enemy again.

In other words, it would take at least two investigation teams' worth of firepower to ensure success.

At this critical juncture, a key figure arrived to help Zhu Zheng:

The head of the Deng Family, Chairman of the Deng Group — Deng Yuanbo.

On a gloomy morning, under heavy snowfall, Deng Yuanbo’s motorcade arrived at the Operations Command Center.

This pillar of the Deng Family, now over fifty years old, made his first public appearance since the disastrous battle.

Many were secretly watching his movements.

Was Deng Yuanbo here to confront Zhu Zheng? Or to support him?

His attitude was crucial.

At this moment, Deng Yuanbo’s stance could sway the entire city’s public opinion.

Moreover, as someone who had just lost his heir, he was also one of the biggest victims of the operation’s failure.

Thus, his words carried even more weight.

When Zhu Zheng learned that Deng Yuanbo had arrived, his expression grew stern.

He had Lan Xincheng personally invite Deng Yuanbo into his office, and the two of them spoke behind closed doors for a long time.

No one knew exactly what was said.

But afterward, Lan Xincheng noticed that the gloomy look on Zhu Zheng’s face had lightened significantly.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing Zhu Zheng pull himself together was the outcome he most wanted —

because if Zhu Zheng, his direct superior, collapsed, Lan Xincheng’s own future in Blizzard City would be jeopardized.

After sending Deng Yuanbo off, Zhu Zheng thought for a moment and calmly told Lan Xincheng,

"Lift the confinement order on Zhang Yi and the others. Bring Zhang Yi and Baili Changqing to me — I need to speak with them."

Lan Xincheng nodded and answered, "Yes, sir."

He hurried off to pass along the order.

Soon after, Zhang Yi and Baili Changqing, having received the summons, arrived at the Operations Center.

The two bumped into each other in the lobby on the first floor.

Baili Changqing gave Zhang Yi a bitter smile.

Zhang Yi instantly understood.

Back then, the two of them had worked together to deceive the Jiangnan District leadership, hiding Zhang Yi’s true strength.

But in the recent operation against the Moon of Corrosion, Zhang Yi had clearly shown power far beyond what the District had anticipated.

Given that, the District would definitely hold Baili Changqing accountable.

And during this time, they hadn’t been able to communicate — they couldn’t even coordinate their stories.

Now that Zhu Zheng was calling them both in, it was obvious what was coming.

For Zhang Yi, it didn’t matter much.

He wasn’t originally part of Blizzard City anyway.

Even if Zhu Zheng wanted to blame him, at most he could scold him — he couldn’t impose real punishment.

After all, hiding one’s strength wasn’t a crime.

But for Baili Changqing, a captain within the investigation teams, it wasn’t so simple.

Depending on Zhu Zheng’s mood, the charges could be made big or small.

Lan Xincheng personally came downstairs to meet them.

He was handsome, but had a slightly effeminate air about him — perhaps because he was a civilian official.

Zhang Yi didn’t particularly like him.

Lan Xincheng had the look of a sharp, cunning man — the type who was always scheming.

Dealing with such people usually meant trouble.

Still, Zhang Yi wasn’t worried about that.

He actually found Lan Xincheng’s pretentious cleverness rather funny.

True intelligence was often hidden deep, not flaunted openly.

"Gentlemen, please come upstairs. Commander Zhu has been waiting for you," Lan Xincheng said.

Zhang Yi smiled calmly and nodded, following him upstairs.

Baili Changqing, face stiff and forehead damp with sweat, had no choice but to follow.

Soon, the two of them entered Zhu Zheng’s office.

Lan Xincheng stayed outside and quietly closed the door behind them.

Inside the room were only Zhu Zheng and his personal guard, Sun Luxuan.

Zhu Zheng sat behind a mahogany desk, hands clasped under his chin.

The late afternoon light cast a shadow across half his face — as well as over Sun Luxuan, who stood silently in the background.

The atmosphere was strange.

Zhang Yi thought to himself:

They probably want me to continue fighting against the Moon of Corrosion.

Well, I don’t mind taking down the Neon ronin — but if they want me to risk my life recklessly, heh, no way.

Let’s see how he puts it.

Baili Changqing stood beside Zhang Yi, looking stiff and nervous, cold sweat forming at his brow.

Zhu Zheng raised his head and gave them a slight smile, saying in a deep voice,

"You’re here. Sit down."

"Yes, sir!"

Baili Changqing responded loudly, clearly tense.

Zhang Yi, still smiling, nodded and said,

"Thank you, Commander."

The two of them sat down at the mahogany desk.

Zhu Zheng’s gaze immediately settled on Zhang Yi.

"Zhang Yi, your performance during the Moon of Corrosion operation was remarkable.

You really surprised me.

I never thought there would be such a powerful superhuman hiding in the Outer City."

He smiled and pointed at Zhang Yi:

"You little rascal, you sure know how to keep a low profile!"

As he spoke, he cast a glance at Baili Changqing.

"Even our District’s investigation teams didn’t discover you."

Baili Changqing felt his throat tighten.

He wanted to explain something, but didn’t know how to start.

Zhang Yi, seeing this, opened his mouth to help relieve the pressure:

"Even a crafty rabbit has three burrows.

Keeping a few hidden cards was just my way of surviving in the apocalypse.

I hope Commander Zhu can understand."

Zhu Zheng nodded.

"Quite right. You’re cautious enough — and good at concealing yourself.

That’s a very admirable quality.

On the battlefield, soldiers like you are the ones most likely to survive till the end."

Hearing this, Baili Changqing couldn't help but grumble inwardly:

Wasn’t it you who always said Zhang Yi was too defensive, too focused on self-preservation, and not a real soldier?

Wow, you sure flip sides faster than turning a page!

Author's Note

This chapt𝙚r is updated by fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com