Chapter 312: Chapter 239: Clashing Again, I Won’t Fail This Time

Yi Beidou withdrew his gaze from the top of the building.

The Pioneer Group had been sheltered by the Alchemist, allowing them to hide within Japan’s borders, undetectable even to his Celestial Demon Sensing.

But things were different now.

After he killed the Alchemist, he had used the tribulation of their life and death to form a Tribulation Star. This karmic connection was incredibly profound; nothing associated with the Alchemist could escape his senses.

It was by using this connection that he was able to pinpoint their location, even with the cover provided by the Grand Array Mr. Ju had set up with the Three Divine Artifacts.

Now, he was going to find key figures of the Pioneer Group, like Yao Lingfeng, who were hidden under the Alchemist’s protection. He would capture them and hand them over to forces connected to Donghua or organizations like Cheng Zhihong’s to obtain crucial intelligence on the Pioneer Group.

His gaze shifted toward a certain part of the city.

He could already sense it. The target was within the Tokyo City District.

「On the other side.」 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Inside the press reception room.

Reporters from every nation were abuzz over the departure of Japan’s top official when suddenly, a commotion seemed to erupt outside, accompanied by a sound and vibration like an explosion.

For a moment, everyone fell silent, only to erupt into an even greater clamor.

"What in the world happened?! Are we under a terrorist attack?!"

"Are we being attacked? What’s going on?"

"..."

The crowd tried to leave the reception room, but a team of fully armed personnel quickly secured the main door. No matter how much they protested, not a single reporter was allowed to leave.

Some people took out their phones to contact the outside world, only to find that all their communication devices had lost signal.

The entire conference hall had been placed under a signal jam.

Sakagawa Satoshi and the faction he represented swiftly used their power to control the entire conference hall, ordering a temporary, strict lockdown on all information.

They needed more time to prepare to take over the corresponding authority to the greatest extent possible.

This was why the news did not spread immediately.

But secrets don’t stay secret for long. Major moves among Japan’s upper echelons were hard to conceal.

With the eyes of the world currently focused on Japan, even the slightest whisper would attract immense attention.

「At the Special Security Bureau.」

Zhao Ping sat in his office, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Although Yi Beidou was now technically a man without a country, his every move—his very life and death—still had a major impact on Donghua and even the global situation. It was an unbreakable karmic bond.

In the days since Yi Beidou’s disappearance, public opinion had been spiraling. As one of the iconic figures of the domestic Martial Arts Realm, the possibility of his death was undoubtedly a huge blow to morale.

It wasn’t just public opinion; even some high-level figures had been frequently asking him for any concrete news about Yi Beidou.

After all, a man who could stir up such a storm and shake the entirety of Japan could no longer be measured as a mere Martial Artist.

His existence undoubtedly had a world-class impact.

But in the face of these inquiries, Zhao Ping had no optimistic intelligence to offer. In fact, as the investigation deepened, things were heading in a direction he dreaded.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just as he was about to take a short break, there was a heavy knock on his office door.

He was already exhausted, and the sudden sound made his heart skip a beat.

"Come in."

Zhao Ping shook his head helplessly. Seeing the young man who pushed the door open, he said, "Xiaowang, what is it? You can’t always be so reckless."

"Director-General! Important news! Important news from Japan!"

The young man named Xiaowang spoke, his face flushed with excitement.

"Oh? What news?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ping’s interest was piqued.

"Our colleagues in Japan sent back intel. They’ve observed a major shake-up within Japan’s official power structures. Various forces in Tokyo City are being mobilized. It’s like the precursor to a coup."

"Our colleagues over there are speculating that the one behind all of this is very likely Mr. Yi!"

The young man’s expression was ecstatic, his face flushed red.

’He couldn’t even imagine it... could this actually be true?’

"What did you say?!"

The news instantly banished Zhao Ping’s exhaustion. With a WHOOSH, he shot up from his chair. Using a Martial Arts technique he hadn’t employed in years, he vaulted over his desk with a touch of his palm, landing in front of Xiaowang and snatching the file from his hand.

After rapidly scanning the contents of the file, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath. "At all costs, dig deeper and confirm the authenticity of this intel!"

"Yes, sir!"

Xiaowang nodded and immediately turned to leave the office.

Zhao Ping paced back and forth in his office. After a long moment of contemplation, he returned to his seat and picked up the receiver of the landline phone on his desk.

This matter, even if it was just speculation at this point, was already beyond his and the Special Security Bureau’s authority to make a decision on.

It wasn’t just Donghua. Other nations had also received pieces of intelligence, and their networks in Tokyo had all begun to move on a large scale.

And certain organizations had even obtained the most accurate intelligence, one step ahead of the national agencies.

「Within an important Pioneer Group research institute.」

Inside a top-secret laboratory, countless pieces of equipment were arranged around a single object at the center of the room.

There, a pedestal stood tall. A smooth, transparent glass container encased something within.