Getting Stronger By Fighting

"I think you all just took dirty money; that's why you're smearing Wang Zhan! As a fan of the Federation's young hero and a citizen of the Federation, I have reason to suspect you are members of the original organization, and I demand the Federation intervene to investigate the truth..."

"Right, they must have taken dirty money!..."

"Everyone, everyone! I'm right outside their newspaper office! If you want to uphold justice for our young hero, please come and give me all the support you can! So... gather 'round, rally to me! For Wang Zhan, for the Federation's youth..."

It was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

In just half a day since this news emerged, the small newspaper office in a certain district of Jing State was completely besieged by an angered crowd. No one could get in or out; they were tightly surrounded on all sides. Even the journalists and editors still inside the office at that moment all profoundly and genuinely experienced a practical lesson in what could be called the Federation's linguistic arts! Thousands of words, with scarcely a single repetition. Even the most comprehensive dictionaries from ancient times might not contain such a vast lexicon.

Undoubtedly, these were the sentiments of those who doubted the rumors, yearned for the truth, and sought justice for their young hero.

In an instant, the will of the people could topple cities!

Thus, the ripple effect grew larger.

Even at the true power center of the Federation, the head of the Federation United Front Department, despite standing at the pinnacle of the Federation and brimming with success, was completely overwhelmed. Looking at the stacks of complaints and inquiry reports before him, already bald, he felt like tearing at his scalp, once again lamenting his lack of hair. There was simply no way to relieve the pressure! It felt like there was no escape, neither to the heavens nor into the earth. He could only constantly listen to his employees' increasingly fervent discussions and anxious speculations, resignedly taking it all in.

"This situation has escalated too much. How are we going to explain this to the Federation..."

"Hmph! Explaining to the Federation isn't the main concern. The problem is that public sentiment in the Federation is at a boiling point, with massive crowds swarming everywhere. How is this going to end..."

A woman with delicate features couldn't hold back any longer. With a defiant arch of her eyebrow, she jumped into the discussion, her commanding presence almost palpable as she declared, "That's utter nonsense! What explanation to the Federation? They should explain to us first! I'm asking you, can you give me an answer so I can understand? Why would a fine, handsome young boy turn into a murderer in the blink of an eye after falling into their hands? Is he a criminal? This is slander!"

Unexpectedly, though she was over thirty this year, middle-aged, and had spent her life in mundane roles within Federation departments, she, too, admired Wang Zhan!

Privately, the bald man felt as if his eyebrows would fall off from worry! He could only sigh and fret in secret, his mind filled with accusations against Chen Yi and that other old fellow, Ye Xiu. What a terrible mess! Such a fine young lad! You should have either killed him or let him go. Why on earth did you have to arrest him? This is just stirring up trouble for no reason!

Clearly, at this moment, because Wang Zhan came from the lower levels of the Federation, the vast majority of people from the lower levels were deeply affected. They would undoubtedly wonder why a rare genius emerging from the lower levels would meet such an end. This suspicion even directly spawned various conspiracy theories. So much so that even though the Military Department entering the Underground City was an incredibly significant event, Federation officials could only choose to compromise and prioritize calming the emotions of the Federation's people first!

But, not to mention those who were unaware, even this United Front Department minister, who knew the inside story, was helpless. He could only curse inwardly. Can this damn thing even be smoothed over?

Moreover, which normal Martial Artist doesn't kill? If it weren't for the Federal Constitution, all hell would have broken loose long ago! Besides, Wang Zhan was the one who did it, wasn't he?! And even compared to Wang Zhan's case, wasn't the unusual event on the day of the arrest a much bigger deal? Shouldn't that be getting more attention?

Of course, nobody knew that Wang Zhan was originally due to be released from prison unharmed. It was just that the events in the Ming State Underground City that day were too unusual, and their impact extremely detrimental. As a result, Wang Zhan, who initially faced little suspicion despite having killed someone, was forcibly detained by the Military Department. The order for this came from the hardliners within the Federal Military Department!

This led to the subsequent report and the ensuing chain reaction.

In fact, even in the minds of ministers from the United Front Department, Martial Management Department, and others, they also felt that Wang Zhan had no suspicion at all; he was purely implicated. After all, Wang Zhan's background was immense; there was no need for him to do such a thing. If the Military Department hadn't intervened, Wang Zhan could have gone home the next day.

Furthermore, in today's Federation, which normal Martial Artist doesn't have a life or two on their hands? Any Martial Artist would kill, let alone a genius Martial Artist! This wasn't something Martial Artists themselves could decide; it was determined by their inherent nature. Everyone is human, after all. Therefore, even if they didn't kill their own kind, they would inevitably kill members of the Beast Clan. Not to mention that over the years, the aggressive infiltration by the Beast Clan has led to an unknown number of spies within the Federation. Additionally, with the original organization and others eyeing them covetously, how could Martial Artists not kill?

But, to everyone's surprise, despite knowing that Wang Zhan might be innocent and that he also belonged to one of the Federation's Four Greats, no representative from the Four Greats had stepped forward to publicly affirm Wang Zhan's innocence to this day! It was as if they were cooperating with the Federation's investigation, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Therefore, despite the ongoing heated discussions about Wang Zhan among the public, and the increasingly rampant conspiracy theories about the Federation's upper echelons harming talented individuals from the lower levels, Wang Zhan himself seemed to have been temporarily forgotten during this time, locked away in that grim, chilling prison, unable to see even a sliver of sunlight!

While the Federation United Front Department, the Martial Management Bureau, and the Internal Affairs Department were all in turmoil over Wang Zhan's situation, the sudden incident in the Ming State Underground City had also quietly landed on the desks of both the President and the Vice President, becoming another urgent case requiring immediate attention.

「At this time, if anyone still remembered that Wang Zhan once had a classmate named Cheng Shu, then they would surely remember that the chubby boy named Cheng Shu had a grandfather who, though not a high-ranking official, was the Vice President of the Federation.」

And now, this grandfather had become the primary person in charge of this case.

So, at this moment, in Vice President Cheng Deming's office, the surroundings were silent. No one spoke much, merely staring intently at the images on the screen.

It was clear that this group of important officials was reviewing the records of the incident displayed on the screen, preparing to analyze and deduce what exactly had happened in the Ming State Underground City. The key figures appearing in the footage were central to the entire event.

After the recording began to play, time quietly rewound to three days prior in the Ming State Underground City!

According to the original logic, following the Federal Military Department's entry into the Ming State Underground City and their suppression of the chaos with overwhelming force, it was expected that the minions of the great noble families, facing the Federation's momentum, would no longer dare to incite any resistance. If the Federation employed slightly gentler means and the process remained calm, the entire Ming State Underground City would fall under the temporary control of the Military Department until its original order was restored.

However, no one had expected that the five Martial Kings of the Ming State Underground City, who had been missing for a full three or four days from the beginning, would suddenly appear without any warning, just as the Federal Military Department was preparing to take in the remaining disparate group of surviving Martial Artists!

Thus, on the screen, on that dim and gloomy street, five Martial Kings suddenly appeared, standing shoulder to shoulder in a line. Even facing the soldiers from the Military Department, they stood their ground confidently. Someone even began to shout without inhibition, "The Underground City does not belong to the Federation! Have you all come to our Ming State Underground City merely to flaunt the Federation's might before us?"

These words immediately caused an uproar!

Everyone knew the Underground City wasn't under Federation rule. But with the Federation's overwhelming power, they hadn't dared to resist initially.

However, upon the appearance of these five Martial Kings, the eyes of nearly thirty percent of the remaining two to three hundred Martial Artists suddenly lit up. They saw hope! The hope of escaping the Military Department's grasp! And now, that hope rested in the hands of the five Martial Kings before them, though no one knew their names.

Consequently, they could no longer suppress their burgeoning eagerness and began to communicate with each other via voice transmissions.

"That's right! The Underground City isn't under Federation jurisdiction. So, what right do these soldiers have to arrest us?..."

"Hahahaha, I never would have thought! The leaders of the Ming State Underground City are actually still alive! Even though they hadn't appeared for so long, their timing now is perfect..."

"Why worry so much? Everyone, you don't really want to fall into the Federation's hands, do you? I could believe it when we were forced earlier, but now that an escape route is right in front of us, don't you have any ideas at all?..."

Meanwhile, as they negotiated, Xu Hua and An Xi, being generals after all, could hardly fail to discern the immense change brought to the situation by the appearance of these five Martial Kings.