Chapter 474 6: You Are Not Qualified to Question Me

"Special Commissioner Chen..."

Lu Chao snapped back to reality and looked ahead. The warlord commander leading the convoy seemed to have stopped. He looked back at them with a teasing smile, as if mocking their nervousness.

"Keep going," Lu Chao instructed, ordering the convoy to continue forward.

Only then did the group muster their courage and continue following the warlord's vehicles.

"HOO HOO HOO!"

Along the way, the warlord soldiers in the pickup trucks aimed their guns at the sky, letting out bizarre, howling cheers.

The residents living in the stone buildings lining the streets were mostly dressed in ragged, heavily patched clothes. Their skin was a sickly yellowish-brown, and their hair was greasy and matted—bearing the unmistakable marks of grueling physical labor and prolonged exposure to the elements.

Most of them wore numb, vacant expressions upon seeing the convoy. Only a handful pointed with curious faces.

"Many of these residents came from wilderness settlements. Some were abducted by the Wilderness Warlords, while others voluntarily migrated here because they couldn't endure the constant threat of Mutant Beasts," Yan Zhengfeng explained proactively, noticing a shift in Lu Chao's expression. He kept a vigilant eye on both sides of the road to guard against any sudden attacks. "There are also some outlaws wanted by the Alliance Country who deliberately fled here. However, the majority are the families of the warlord soldiers and the original inhabitants of this fortress from the old era. In total, there are hundreds of thousands of people here.

"Now, they all live under Lu Weilong's rule. They are required to regularly work in places like the mines, or participate in farming, growing crops, weaving clothes, and serving in the military.

"Under normal circumstances, their wages are paid in currency issued by the Red River Army, which is only circulated within Mountain City and the wilderness... The Alliance Country actually has a few merchants who have opened shops here, but the goods traded are nowhere near as abundant as those in the Alliance City Circles."

His expression was complicated. He knew exactly what this meant.

To put it bluntly, this place was simply a large-scale, slightly more lenient prison—especially for the natives. Furthermore, it was an entirely lawless land independent of the Alliance Country, belonging exclusively to the Wilderness Warlords.

Lu Chao fell silent upon hearing this, a similar sentiment rising in his heart. This place was remarkably similar to the buffer zone of the Red Maple City Circle, only much more isolated.

Thinking of this, he suddenly understood why the Alliance Country had decided to come for negotiations rather than directly launching a war to subjugate the area.

This, too, was a city.

SCREECH!

As he pondered, the moving convoy suddenly came to a halt.

Ghost Element, who was sitting in the backseat, abruptly opened his eyes, a flash of eerie crimson darting across his pupils.

Lu Chao also sensed a powerful Life Magnetic Field entering his Life Sensing range, its strength approaching the peak of the Exploration Level.

"What's going on?" Yan Zhengfeng asked.

However, the Superpower Bureau security personnel in the lead vehicle sounded conflicted and struggled to explain. "Leader Yan, you should probably see this for yourself."

Their tone carried a trace of anger.

Hearing this, Yan Zhengfeng froze for a moment before immediately stepping out of the car to look ahead.

The warlord's armored convoy leading the way had come to a sudden stop. One by one, the warlord soldiers hopped off the pickup trucks and gathered by the roadside.

On both sides of the street, dozens of civilians were kneeling outside the stone buildings, held at gunpoint by the soldiers.

"Welcome, Special Commissioner of the Alliance Country!"

"Welcome, Special Commissioner, to negotiate cooperation!"

"Welcome! Welcome!"

CRACK!

Agonized cries rang out, intermittently accompanied by the sharp sound of cracking whips.

Most of the Mountain City residents had been beaten until their flesh was torn open. They repeatedly slammed their heads against the ground as they shouted, their voices echoing down the entire street.

This sight caused Yan Zhengfeng's face to darken, and he instinctively clenched his fists.

He finally understood why the escorting security team was so furious. At the same time, he spotted a group of figures standing in the middle of the road ahead, blocking their path.

The middle-aged man leading them wore a dark brown general's overcoat. His physique was as robust as a boulder. Donning black military boots and holding a leather whip, he stood at the center, surrounded by numerous warlord soldiers.

"Hahaha!

"Leader Yan, what do you think of my welcoming ceremony?"

He laughed raucously, spreading his arms wide to gesture at the kneeling crowds on both sides, his face brimming with smug satisfaction.

His subordinates immediately understood his cue and continued cracking their whips, making the civilians' cries even more agonizing and intense.

"Yan Xiong."

Yan Zhengfeng's expression was ugly. It was glaringly obvious that the other party was provoking him.

Amidst a soft rustling sound, the car door opened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Chao, dressed in a black trench coat, stepping out and walking up behind him.

"Special Commissioner Chen..." Yan Zhengfeng opened his mouth, unsure of how to proceed.

Lu Chao didn't say a word, merely observing the Mountain City residents on both sides.

Among them were young children, gray-haired elders, and women clutching toddlers. But regardless of their age or identity, they were all beaten bloody, their flesh torn and mangled.

A family of three suffered a similar fate. The man, the pillar of his family, had tried to protect them, only to be smashed in the head with a rifle butt until he bled profusely. His wife and daughter were then coerced into continuing their welcome shouts.

Tears, weeping, and numbness filled the air. Everyone was forced to kneel like slaves. None dared to resist, only able to swallow their tears and repeat the humiliating motions.

"Special Commissioner Chen, my welcoming ceremony isn't half bad, right?"

Yan Xiong laughed arrogantly, acting incredibly domineering as he led a group of soldiers closer.

With undisguised mockery in his eyes, he deliberately stared at Lu Chao and said, "This was prepared especially for you all.

"After all, this is a 'specialty' of our Mountain City. Hahahaha."

He laughed wantonly again. Hearing this, the warlord commanders and the rest of the soldiers behind him joined in the laughter, their voices filled with ridicule and cruel amusement.

The implication was clear: this was Fortress Mountain City, not the wilderness or any other part of the Alliance Country.

"You..."

Yan Zhengfeng flared with anger. But before he could speak, Lu Chao stepped forward, standing in front of him. "Let them go."

"Oh?"

Yan Xiong dug a pinky into his ear and flicked it casually, feigning confusion. "What do you mean, Special Commissioner Chen?

"Are you giving me an order?"

"Let them go," Lu Chao repeated, his tone calm as he met the man's gaze with profound, unwavering eyes.

Yan Xiong paused upon hearing this, a hint of successful scheming flashing across his eyes.

"The negotiations haven't even started, yet you're already ordering me around." He said with a playful smirk, "Special Commissioner Chen, are you using the laws of the Alliance Country to make demands of me?"

CLICK CLACK!

As soon as his voice fell, all the warlord soldiers cocked their weapons and aimed them forward, no longer bothering to conceal their malice. The warlord commander behind him shot a provocative glare, and Qi Flame rapidly surged around his body.

Seeing this, a chill ran down Yan Zhengfeng and his team's spines. They immediately braced themselves for battle.

Lu Chao, however, maintained his usual calm expression, staring at the provocative leader of the Rock Mountain Army in front of him.

"Special Commissioner Chen..."

Yan Xiong swaggered to a stop just half a meter in front of him. With a mocking expression, he tilted his head from side to side, staring at Lu Chao. He even dragged a civilian over and pinned them under his military boot. "I'm a bit curious. These slaves are the property of our Mountain City.

"Does the law of the Alliance Country actually count for anything in Mountain City?"

CRUNCH CRUNCH.

Stepping on the civilian's head, he ground his boot down as if crushing a cigarette butt. He stared intently at Lu Chao and laughed contemptuously. "Or perhaps, your goal for this negotiation is to threaten me?

"To force us to surrender? To force me to—"

BANG!!

A muffled explosion erupted. A ring of white vapor rapidly blasted outward.

Yan Xiong was sent flying off the ground, crashing into the warlord commander and the armored vehicles behind him with devastating force.

The sudden commotion left everyone stunned. Then, they saw Lu Chao casually flicking a speck of dust off his shoulder, stating in a detached tone: "A mere Fourth Leader.

"You have no right to question me."