Chapter 562 - 458: Mysterious Stratagem: The Strongest’s Descent Battle

A sliver of dawn was breaking across the northern sky.

That night, besides Gao Neng and Luna who had been up to their own devices and hadn’t slept a wink, Liang Qi and three other councillors had also spent a sleepless night in a military tent.

"No!"

"I’m completely against it!"

"Gao Neng can’t become the Speaker, but he can’t die either!"

...

"Councillor Liang, being merciful to your enemies is being cruel to yourself. Surely you understand this principle?" a big-faced councillor said, his eyes glinting coldly.

"Enemies? Yes, Gao Neng is indeed our enemy, but only a political one. If something were to happen to him, the future of the Human Alliance would be massively impacted. I, Liang Qi, will not become a villain condemned for millennia by humanity. No matter what, that’s a line I won’t cross!" Liang Qi shot to his feet.

"What villain? What political enemy? Aren’t you getting something wrong, Councillor Liang? Right now, it’s either he dies or we do!" the councillor spoke again.

"’Either he dies or we do,’ my ass..."

"Councillor Liang, there’s no need to be angry. Let’s talk this over calmly. There’s always a solution," another man, the Eagle-Eyed Councillor, stood up and gestured for Liang Qi to sit down.

Liang Qi’s fists tightened.

But in the end, he sat back down in his chair.

"Councillor Liang merely wants to ensure Gao Neng’s safety, while we want to prevent Gao Neng from taking the Speaker’s seat. These two goals don’t conflict," the Eagle-Eyed Councillor said.

"Nonsense! Gao Neng’s prestige is at its zenith right now. If we don’t cripple him, how can we stop him from becoming the Speaker?" the Big-Faced Councillor cursed.

"Prestige is something that can rise, but it can also fall," the Eagle-Eyed Councillor said, lifting the teacup before him and taking a small sip.

"What do you mean?"

"Councillor Lv, do you have a plan?"

The Big-Faced Councillor and the third councillor spoke at almost the same time.

"It’s simple. Doesn’t Gao Neng advocate for an offensive, for accumulating resources by fueling war with war? What if that strategy fails? Or what if, not only does it fail, but we also suffer heavy losses? At that point, do you think his prestige in the Supreme Council and the Military Department will still exist?" the Eagle-Eyed Councillor continued.

"The offensive fails? Is that even possible? Qin Jianfei is personally leading this attack. And from what I know, to ensure victory, Qin Jianfei even specifically requested two Tier Nine experts from his sect. Add the two Tier Nines from the Military Department, and that makes a total of five Tier Nines. How could they possibly fail?" the Big-Faced Councillor questioned.

"That’s right, Councillor Lv. The Alien Race Alliance Army just suffered a major defeat. This is a time of infighting among their races; there’s no way they could form another allied army. Plus, you saw those hundred-plus Tier Eight Late Stage gene weapons Gao Neng has. They’re incredibly powerful. It’s almost a certainty that we’ll seize three of their main cities," the Third Councillor added.

"What if a Strongest intervenes?" The Eagle-Eyed Councillor looked at the two councillors who had spoken, then glanced at Liang Qi, who had remained silent, before finally speaking.

"A Strongest?" Liang Qi’s brow tightened.

The Big-Faced Councillor and the Third Councillor also frowned deeply. They glanced at each other, then immediately shook their heads.

"That’s even more impossible. We have a tacit agreement with the alien races. Before the real war officially begins, neither side will ever use the power of a Strongest. The so-called Strongest are merely a deterrent. Even though Li Tiannan is here to oversee the battle, he definitely won’t make a move."

"Right. If a Strongest got involved, it would be a major incident. It’s just three North District main cities. Those old alien geezers who have lived for centuries won’t care that much."

After the Big-Faced Councillor and the Third Councillor finished speaking, they both looked at the Eagle-Eyed Councillor.

"Correct. Three North District main cities would certainly not be enough to make an alien Strongest take action. But what if the one who takes action is one of our own, a human Strongest?" the Eagle-Eyed Councillor asked again.

"You want Li Tiannan to attack the city? No, no, no... That’s absolutely impossible!"

"And the others are even more unlikely."

"Exactly, Councillor Lv. What are you getting at? Just spit it out."

The two councillors shook their heads without even thinking.

"Li Tiannan certainly wouldn’t attack a city, and neither would the other Strongest. But have you all forgotten? We have twenty-one Strongest now," the Eagle-Eyed Councillor said, his eyes narrowing.

"Twenty-one?"

"I haven’t heard of anyone about to break through recently."

"Could it be the one from the Emei Ancient Sect? That one is..."

"No, no, no. I’m not talking about someone who broke through, but someone who has always existed," the Eagle-Eyed Councillor interrupted the discussion between the Big-Faced Councillor and the Third Councillor.

"Always existed?!"

"Who? How could I not... Wait, are you talking about...?!" The Third Councillor’s expression suddenly changed as a figure flashed through his mind.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Third Councillor; Liang Qi’s expression changed as well.

"The one on the South District City Gate!"

Liang Qi and the Third Councillor spoke at almost the same time.

"Correct. That’s the one. The Strongest at the South District City Gate who let the Cat King escape!" The Eagle-Eyed Councillor lifted his teacup and took another sip.

"But even I don’t know that person’s identity. Councillor Lv, can you control her?" The Third Councillor looked astonished.

"Of course not. I don’t know much about her either. I’ve only heard that her identity is extremely special. Even among the Strongest, not everyone knows about her," the Eagle-Eyed Councillor said, shaking his head as a glint flashed in his eyes.

"Then how will you make her act?"

"No, I don’t need her to act at all. But I can make the alien races *think* she has acted," the Eagle-Eyed Councillor said, shaking his head again.

"Not acting, but making them think she acted... Councillor Lv, are you thinking of... using a recording!"

"Exactly. Footage of that Strongest from the battle in the South District was recorded. We just need to put in a little effort, and we can use holographic projection technology to make her appear over the North District Main City!" the Eagle-Eyed Councillor said with a cold laugh.

"As long as she appears over the North District Main City and causes a little destruction, the alien races will believe we’ve sent a Strongest to attack the city!"

"And if that happens, an alien Strongest will inevitably intervene!"

"Then, the battle in the North District will be a guaranteed defeat!"

"Once the North District front collapses, the Supreme Council will adopt Councillor Liang’s proposed defensive strategy. We’ll just need to stir things up a bit, and Gao Neng’s offensive strategy will be branded a reckless endeavor."

"With one victory and one defeat, Gao Neng’s prestige will plummet. No matter how capable he is, the public will think he can only be a ’general,’ not a ’commander-in-chief’!"

"The Speaker of the Supreme Council is not a position for a mere general. Without a calm mind and the judgment to control the overall situation, he would only lead humanity to its doom."

"If Gao Neng’s decision-making is proven flawed, even if we can’t kick him out of the Supreme Council entirely, his hopes for the Speaker’s seat will be finished."

"Councillor Liang, what do you think of this plan?"

The three councillors’ gazes fell on Liang Qi almost in unison.

"It’s a good plan, but... provoking a Strongest to participate... what if the alien races..." Liang Qi’s expression was pensive, and his fists subconsciously clenched again.

"Councillor Liang, you can rest assured. Li Tiannan will never abandon Gao Neng. And if I’m not mistaken, Li Tiannan will likely have invited the Sword Elder to accompany him for this battle."

"The moment an alien Strongest appears, the siege is as good as lost. No matter how foolish Qin Jianfei is, he’ll order a retreat. Li Tiannan and the Sword Elder will definitely protect Gao Neng."

"Or does Councillor Liang really want to be Gao Neng’s little nanny?" the Big-Faced Councillor asked, looking at Liang Qi with a hint of contempt.

"Say no more. Proceed with the plan," Liang Qi said, not wasting another word. He stood up and strode out of the military tent.

The three councillors glanced at each other, gave a slight nod, and then stood up in unison, following Liang Qi out.

...

An army marches on its stomach.

This has been a truth of warfare since ancient times.

But in the modern era, the "provisions" in question were actually "heavy thermal weapons." After all, with high-dimensional capsules, food had long since become something soldiers carried on their person.

But to besiege a city!

One needed heavy thermal weapons for the siege.

These were not matters that Gao Neng needed to worry about, because Qin Jianfei would arrange everything.

「Time: 9:00 AM sharp.」

Four hundred armored vehicles carrying heavy thermal weapons had already arrived outside the Northern District Battlefield. They were lined up in a single row, each vehicle mounted with a cannon.

Combined with the armored vehicles Shen Ning’Er had brought, their numbers were more than sufficient.

Furthermore, in addition to the heavy thermal weapons, reinforcements from the Military Department also arrived punctually at nine o’clock.

Repair, medical, and combat units.

This was a mixed reinforcement army from the Military Department, fifty thousand strong and well-equipped. In terms of overall combat capability, they far surpassed the North District garrison from yesterday.

Of course, the North District garrison’s morale was currently at its peak, so their combat effectiveness was not to be underestimated either.

Qin Jianfei didn’t bring in too many of the reinforcements. Instead, he drew fifty thousand troops from the North District’s one hundred thousand-strong garrison and integrated them with the fifty thousand new arrivals.

The integration process took a total of three hours. By twelve noon, the one-hundred-thousand-strong army was essentially integrated.

The hundreds of armored vehicles were also successfully incorporated into the snow-terrain combat vehicles’ Guard Team.

Next up was lunch.

The people of the North District had already prepared a hearty feast, because they knew the time for humanity’s counterattack had finally arrived.

"Eat up, young man! You need a full stomach to kill the enemy!"

"Here, son, have an egg! It’s nutritious!"

"Defeat the alien races! Avenge our fallen Warriors!"

"Avenge my father!"

...

Civilians, one after another, carried steaming pots as they weaved through the neatly arranged ranks of soldiers. Their steps were unsteady, for their hair was almost entirely snow-white.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

But their faces were overflowing with hope.

"The Human Race will be victorious!"