The more he thought about it, the more he felt this combination was absurdly overpowered; the smile at the corner of his mouth couldn't be suppressed no matter what.

His communicator vibrated, and a message from Zhou Guosheng popped up: "See you on the last encrypted channel in ten minutes."

Lin Feng closed the files and leaned against the headboard, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

The three fallen counties of the Annan Country—Huian County, My Tho County, and Phu Quoc County—plus the not-yet-fallen Nha Trang County, made a total of four.

Four counties meant a recruitment quota for two thousand Great Qin Elite Soldiers.

If he could take them all, his number of Elite Soldiers would approach eight thousand.

Eight thousand black-armored soldiers, eight thousand halberds, and eight thousand Qin Crossbows; such military strength would be a formidable force throughout the entire South Pole Region.

Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes and clicked the link to the encrypted channel.

The walls of the room vanished in an instant, replaced by a spacious conference room.

A dark brown round table sat before him. Lin Feng looked down and saw that he was already seated in one of the chairs, just like last time. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Across the round table, Zhou Guosheng was already seated.

He wore a dark gray Zhongshan suit, his hair meticulously combed. His expression was serious, and the dark circles under his eyes were even deeper than their last meeting, looking as if he had stayed up for several nights.

The two didn't exchange pleasantries. Zhou Guosheng leaned against the back of his chair, hands folded on the table, looking at Lin Feng with a steady gaze as he got straight to the point: "Lord Lin, you said you had important matters to discuss. Speak."

Lin Feng sat up straight and didn't beat around the bush either: "Director Zhou, there are two matters I'd like the General Bureau to help coordinate.

First, the advanced special barracks of Fenghuo County, the Great Qin Elite Camp, has a trait called 'Sweep the Six Harmonies'.

For every county-level subordinate territory added, the recruitment quota for Great Qin Elite Soldiers increases by five hundred."

Zhou Guosheng's fingers paused on the tabletop.

His expression didn't change, but the light in his eyes brightened significantly.

Lin Feng continued: "I'd like the General Bureau to negotiate with the Annan Country to place the four counties south of Thang Long City—Nha Trang County, Huian County, My Tho County, and Phu Quoc County—under the jurisdiction of Beacon Fire Territory.

Nha Trang County has not yet fallen and would require the Annan Country to voluntarily submit.

The other three counties are currently occupied by the Undead Army. Beacon Fire Territory will retake them on its own, without requiring troops from the Annan Country.

In exchange, Beacon Fire Territory will provide the final sanctuary for the Annan Country; Great Wall can ensure their safety."

He paused and held up two fingers. "The second matter: the Annan Country needs to provide three pieces of purple equipment: two purple belts and one piece of purple leather armor. One belt should favor warrior attributes, while the other two should favor assassins."

Zhou Guosheng was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, his voice lower than usual, carrying an indefinable tone of either lament or gravity: "The Great Qin Elite Camp... appeared too late."

He looked up, gazing directly at Lin Feng. "Do you know how much military strength other advanced special barracks have?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "I don't know."

Zhou Guosheng held up three fingers: "For a city-level territory, the limit is two thousand Level 19 Elite Soldiers, plus five thousand Level 15 Weakened Elite Soldiers, and another eight thousand Level 13 Ordinary Soldiers.

After upgrading to a main city, the limit doubles, but it's still only thirty thousand men."

He withdrew his fingers, his voice deepening further. "Now you see how terrifying your trait is? If you upgrade to city-level and unlock the recruitment of Level 19 Elite Soldiers, combined with the Ten-Thousand Man Army Array, the Great Qin Elite Soldiers under your command won't be in the thousands, but in the tens of thousands.

Tens of thousands of black-armored Elite Soldiers, arrayed like a forest, firing Qin Crossbows in unison—whether it's the Orc Army or the Undead Army, you could crush them all head-on."

Zhou Guosheng's voice paused, his gaze landing on Lin Feng's face, a light in his eyes: "You've truly given me hope—not just the hope of defending the South Pole Region, but the hope of completely eradicating the alien races."

Lin Feng nodded and said nothing.

He thought to himself that he hadn't even mentioned the effect of the Terracotta Army, which directly added ten thousand to the troop limit. If he added that, he wondered what Director Zhou's reaction would be.

He didn't rush to mention the Terracotta Army, instead changing the subject: "Director Zhou, does the General Bureau's warehouse have a 'Heroic Soul Core'? It should be of gold quality. Or are there any clues?"

Zhou Guosheng frowned and tapped his fingers on the table twice. "Heroic Soul Core? This is the first time I've heard that name. I'm familiar with all the gold materials in the General Bureau's warehouse; we definitely don't have that."

Lin Feng sighed inwardly, though it didn't show on his face.

Zhou Guosheng continued: "However, the General Bureau will do its best to gather clues and will also inquire with other nations. Just because Great Xia doesn't have it doesn't mean other countries don't. I'll notify you immediately if there's any news."

Lin Feng's mood improved slightly. "Thank you, General Bureau."

Zhou Guosheng waved his hand, bringing the topic back. "I've noted your requests; there shouldn't be much of a problem. Go back and wait for news. When you receive the application from Nha Trang County requesting to submit..."

...it will prove that the deal is done. The equipment will be delivered as well. At that time, you can go directly to Zhenyue City to receive those three pieces of purple equipment."

After speaking, Zhou Guosheng picked up his teacup and took a sip, looking at Lin Feng through the hazy steam.

There was appreciation in that gaze, but also an indefinable weight, like someone who had walked a long night path and finally saw a flicker of light ahead.

Lin Feng stood up and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Director Zhou."

Zhou Guosheng nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly—his version of a smile.

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Then that's it." After Zhou Guosheng finished speaking, his figure on the chair began to glow with a faint golden light.

Lin Feng nodded slightly in the direction opposite him. The holographic projection ended, the conference room dissipated before his eyes, and the room returned to its original state.

Lin Feng lay on the bed, eyes closed, his consciousness sinking back into that dark red sky.

A feeling of weightlessness hit him, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back by the bed on the second floor of the Hangu Pass Council Hall.

He stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds and suddenly grinned. If Director Zhou knew about the Terracotta Army and that Beacon Fire Territory had two advanced wonders, he'd probably jump out of his chair.

...

Early the next morning, before the sky was fully bright.

After burning all night, the torches on the walls of Hangu Pass had grown dim, their orange-red light fading. The sounds of the garrison's password exchange during shift changes drifted faintly from the distance.

The Council Hall was empty, but the candelabra were still lit, illuminating the long table and chairs brightly.

Lin Feng came down from ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the second floor and sat in the main seat.

He leaned the Wildfire Spear against the chair and began processing the stacks of documents on the table.