Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!-Chapter 825 - 594 check_2

None of them knew what kind of actions the mother organism would plan upon obtaining this information?

Would it command other covert infestations within the city to encircle and annihilate their Vanguard Squad?

Or would it use its cunning to incite other humans in the city to kill these outsiders who had restricted the freedom of Eternal Night City's officials?

Or perhaps, upon realizing its conspiracy had been exposed, would it launch a devastating full-scale attack on Eternal Night City using the Bug Race hive outside the walls?

Even though Bai E and the others had employed every isolating measure they could think of to prevent the monitoring mother organism—potentially lurking in the shadows—from discovering the events here, they could not guarantee secrecy in their actions.

No one knew the ultimate outcome.

Which is why they had to act quickly.

"Clap, clap, clap~" Ares clapped his hands. This War God from the capital swept his sharp gaze across the Eternal Night City officials, who still hesitated, torn as they faced their former colleagues. "Time is up. The mother organism of these bugs already knows of our arrival. You must make your decision now! Trust us. Begin organizing the entirety of the city's population for Bai E's inspection, and assist us in subduing the identified targets. Or… refuse to believe. In that case, we will act on our own terms, but the consequences… cannot be guaranteed. The choice is yours."

The capital desired alliance, craved a unified league of cities working toward a common goal.

An unruly ally and an ally heavily weakened by losses held the same value to them.

"Understood… Lord Bai E." The city lord of Eternal Night City ultimately accepted the heavy burden placed upon him.

He begrudgingly raised the high-tech combat blade handed to him by a Vanguard Squad soldier, resting it hesitantly against the neck of a fellow high-ranking official with whom he had once held amicable relations.

"Long Qilu Si, my apologies. If it turns out we have misplaced our faith and judged wrongly, they will risk their lives without hesitation to retaliate! And I… Would follow close behind. I would trade my life for yours, one life for another!" With that declaration, the city lord of Eternal Night City lifted the blade high and, closing his eyes tightly, swung it down with unrelenting force.

"Slice!"

The sharp blade easily severed the head.

A gory spray of crimson blood erupted in an instant.

Yet, after the decapitated head rolled twice across the ground, the city lord—unwilling to open his eyes to observe—suddenly widened them in horror. "This…"

"It's true…"

"Long Qilu Si was infected too!"

"They were right…"

If one case was by chance, a second could no longer be dismissed as coincidence!

These figures from the capital had spoken the truth; indeed, some personnel of his city had already become vessels for the Bug Race, and those individuals from the capital possessed legitimate detection methods.

"Let me take over!"

A rugged, one-eyed military officer suddenly stood up and snatched the combat blade from the city lord's hands.

"They hesitate to dirty their own hands, but I do not! I'll see for myself whether these people—all of them—have truly been replaced by bugs!"

"Slice!"

"Slice!"

The covert agents of the Bug Race, restrained by the Vanguard Squad, put up no resistance under the onslaught of the combat blade. One head after another fell, revealing their true, grotesque forms as parasites.

The smell of blood quickly permeated the room where the secret meeting was taking place.

"It's the bugs!"

"They really are bugs!"

"Have they been lurking in our city for this long?"

"We are fortunate the capital officials uncovered the bugs' plot; otherwise, the fate that would have befallen our city… is unimaginable!"

"But how… How did the capital officials detect them?"

Seeing the lingering doubts in their hearts, Ares patiently explained every conceivable point of skepticism. "What we've said earlier is not a lie. The five warriors who represented your Eternal Night City in the recent Supreme Council selections did indeed secure one of the five seats for your city. But… they achieved this victory using the methods of the Bug Race. That is how we locked onto them. So, regarding the seat on the Supreme Council, once this matter is resolved, we will discuss its reassignment in the presence of witnesses from other cities."

"Naturally, naturally!"

"So, Lord Ares, what should we do next?" The city lord of Eternal Night City was not one to procrastinate. Recognizing the severity of the situation, he looked directly at the War God Ares. "You have my command. Our full cooperation is yours!"

"As mentioned before, organize everyone into orderly lines to undergo inspection, assist us in subduing any individuals causing disturbances, and execute those who have been identified as targets. If we mistakenly identify anyone, you may terminate the operation at any time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear!" The city lord of Eternal Night City nodded vigorously. "We'll proceed immediately!"

When a city resolves to accomplish something, the efficiency is astounding.

And in the case of Eternal Night City—a place perpetually under the shadow of imminent demise—the governing body's near-total influence over its population was one of the cornerstones of its continued survival.

Following the city lord's order, a line of residents formed in front of Bai E for inspection, stretching farther than the eye could see.

To accelerate the process, Bai E instructed the residents to group themselves into teams of ten.

If none of the ten displayed the aura of the Bug Race, then all were cleared. Should even the faintest trace manifest, further individual inspections would be conducted within the group without delaying the city-wide operation.

Observing Bai E standing alone without any equipment, the officials managing Eternal Night City's order couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

"Could the lord determine who is human or bug with just a glance?"

"What else did you expect?" A soldier from the capital's Vanguard Squad cast a sidelong glance his way. "Conventional detection methods are slow, resource-intensive, and exorbitantly costly—even for our capital city. Within the entire Human Alliance, only Bai E possesses this unique ability. For him to personally come here is a testament to how much our capital values your Eternal Night City."

Listening attentively, the Eternal Night City officials filtered out the idle remarks, focusing on the crucial details with incredulous expressions. "This Bai E… is a city lord?"

A city lord… There couldn't possibly be more than one, could there?

The thought of a city lord from the capital traveling all this way for their safety filled them with awe!

One of the Vanguard Squad soldiers glanced at them again, unimpressed. "What are you thinking? Our capital's city lord is a figure of supreme status. Even if they possessed such ability, they wouldn't have the time to visit your city. Bai E is the city lord of Blackwater City, one of the five members of our Supreme Council!"

"Ah… It turns out he's the city lord of Blackwater City." Several Eternal Night City officials nodded in understanding, exchanging glances and silently recording this favor in their hearts.

Bai E's inspection required no technological assistance; his eyes were his scale.

It resembled a seamless flow of the entire city's residents passing through a metaphorical "gate," ensuring remarkable efficiency.

Occasionally, groups of ten would need to separate for detailed individual evaluation.

And with each new target identified, the person would be privately escorted away for further treatment.

No one knew where these individuals were taken.

Fortunately, the instances of private intervention were not frequent, and even as rumors spread among the residents awaiting inspection, the high-pressure environment maintained perfect order.

However, hidden amidst the dense lines of people toward the back stood figures beginning to take advantage of the chaotic scene.

When they realized the lack of watchful eyes in their surroundings, they slinked into the dark shadows and fled.

The sheer number of city residents made it impossible to deploy sufficient personnel to maintain order, let alone illuminate many parts of Eternal Night City. Such opportunities for stealth and evasion were only too easy to exploit.

'Hurry, hurry, hurry!'

Bai E glanced over the crowd before him, an unexplained sense of urgency gripping his heart as though something ominous was brewing in secret.