Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

There weren’t many Demon Fiends that crawled out from the sewer.

Perhaps close to a thousand? Arthur didn’t have time to count them all in detail. But, judging from the sounds, there wouldn’t be more than 2,000.

Although their numbers were few, the damage these Demon Fiends caused was enormous.

Because those who initiated the attack were all at least Level 4!

The moment Arthur’s giant sword slashed the first Level 4 Demon Fiend, chaos erupted.

There was no shortage of people at the market, but those who could actually put up a fight were scarce.

True experts didn’t come to low-end markets like these to shop.

Arthur’s combat skills gave him the absolute advantage when facing the Demon Fiends. But when the Demon Fiends faced others, did they not also hold the absolute upper hand?

The lively market, in no time, turned into a hell on earth.

Within Arthur’s line of sight, nearly ten Demon Fiends began a ferocious slaughter against any living being in the vicinity. Farther out, the only sounds were the roars of Demon Fiends killing and the terrified screams of humans.

”Break out!”

Although the situation was sudden, Arthur’s judgment wasn’t disrupted.

In this assault, his life was not in danger. With Arthur’s combat skills, and in the absence of any demon spawn, it was highly improbable that these mere thousands of Demon Fiends could penetrate his defensive power.

However, Qin Shiyuan didn’t possess his resilience.

The soldiers responsible for guarding the few ”noble ladies” were Elite personnel of the military. Even though their strength was inadequate, they weren’t overwhelmed by the vast difference in power and executed Arthur’s command without hesitation.

A dozen or so soldiers pulled out their battle sabers, loaded their weapons, and launched a surprise attack toward the outside.

For a time, the entire market was filled with the sounds of fighting and slaughter. The military responded promptly.

The moment the first Demon Fiend crawled out of the sewer, the troops stationed nearby sprang into action. On one hand, the defense forces armed themselves to enter the market to clear out the Demon Fiends inside; on the other hand, news of the market attack was swiftly relayed up the chain of command to Lin Haifeng.

Gazing at the urgent report on his desk, Lin Haifeng contemplated for a moment before decisively offering a solution.

”Gather All the experts in the vicinity. Dispatch three Sequence-class experts. Have them eliminate the entire Demon Group inside. Afterward, send people to inspect the sewer’s layout in detail to identify the cause of this incident.”

”Yes, Commander.”

The soldier, having received Lin Haifeng’s orders, left immediately to arrange for their execution.

After the soldier had gone, Fang Bai, who was seated nearby, spoke up.

”Aren’t we acting too hastily? These Demon Fiends can’t cause that much havoc. If the army reacts a bit quicker, everything will be over within half an hour.”

”So?” Lin Haifeng asked softly, while pouring himself a cup of tea.

”I think we can react a bit slower. Wait until we get news from Shadow, and then decide our next move.”

Hearing Fang Bai’s comment, Lin Haifeng smiled and shook his head. He then picked up his teacup, walked to the office window, pointed towards the market, and asked in a soft voice, ”Can you tell me, who planned this incident?”

”Isn’t this our plan...” Fang Bai said in a low voice, then, realizing something, he fell silent, sinking back onto the sofa without another word.

”This isn’t our plan. This market attack is purely an independent act of the Demon Fiends. Some Demon Fiends, to whom honor was more important than life, infiltrated the Yanjing Assembly Site’s sewer system after the war and launched a suicidal attack on the Yanjing Assembly Site. That’s the whole story behind this incident.”

Saying this, Lin Haifeng glanced at Fang Bai.

This kid...

He hasn’t experienced much of the dark side of politics. His handling of such matters is far inferior to Kuangliu’s. With my son gone, if nothing unexpected happens, Fang Bai will be the military’s second leader after my death. But looking at him now, Fang Bai’s ability is indeed a little lacking. Maybe, after this incident, Fang Bai will manage to grow a little, Lin Haifeng thought.

Without pausing, Lin Haifeng continued to explain the reasons for and possible outcomes of the whole event to Fang Bai.

”Who’s the target of this incident?”

”Qin Shiyuan.”

”And the deeper target?”

”Qin Tian…”

”Then who is standing behind them?”

”Wen Yu.”

”So, can you understand why I would go to such lengths, sacrificing the lives of an entire city block, just to achieve the ultimate goal of implanting the Seed of Destruction into Qin Shiyuan’s body?”

”To avoid conflict with Wen Yu.” Fang Bai gave his answer.

But Lin Haifeng laughed.

”It’s not about avoiding conflict with Wen Yu. Actually, I’m not afraid of Wen Yu. Recently, there’s been a certain view among the lower-ranked soldiers of the military—that Tang Haofei and Wen Yu are the suns of humankind in the apocalypse, the hope of all humankind…”

”This is truly the blather of the shortsighted and ignorant!”

”In this world, the most powerful experts of the Human Race are not Tang Haofei or Wen Yu, but me! If Wen Yu dares to clash with me, do you understand what will happen?”

”I am absolutely confident that I can ensure Wen Yu never leaves the Yanjing Assembly Site!!!”

”Strength is of two kinds: the power of a faction and individual combat strength.”

”At present, many people have fallen into a misconception: the stronger one’s individual power, the greater their overall strength. This is partly due to hero worship and partly due to the overwhelming combat power of high-level professionists.”

”If it were three months before the apocalypse began, I indeed wouldn’t wish to antagonize Wen Yu. But now…”

”Once a faction is formed, the power it can wield far surpasses that of someone fighting alone. So, do you understand? Tang Haofei, Wen Yu, and I walk different paths. They need an increase in individual strength, while I need to Strengthen my faction.”

”Now, let’s return to our original topic. I’ll ask you again.”

”Who planned this incident?”

Hearing the familiar question, Fang Bai hesitated for a moment before tentatively answering, ”The Demon Tribe?”

Lin Haifeng smiled and shook his head. ”It was me... Your political sensitivity is truly lacking. You have much to learn, child.”

”You know, there’s a saying: ’If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it yourself.’ When the plan reaches its final stages, Wen Yu will definitely realize I’m connected to this incident. In fact, as soon as the market attack occurred, Wen Yu might have become suspicious of me...”

”Although I’m not afraid of Wen Yu, it’s still better to have one less enemy at the Sequence Number 2 level. This matter, ultimately, is just me giving Wen Yu an explanation, a way for him to save face…”

”A face-saving measure, one that allows Wen Yu to openly and willingly extricate himself from this mess.”

Hearing this, Fang Bai reflected for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

”I still don’t quite understand...”

Lin Haifeng chuckled softly. ”During this time, stay by my side and closely observe how this entire matter unfolds. By tomorrow... yes, it should be tomorrow. When Wen Yu comes to see me tomorrow, you’ll understand the meaning behind all of this!”