NOVEL NEXT Chapter 120: Human meat
Within the Central Council Chambers, a group of key political figures whispered over tea.
"This could spark factional shifts. The Fourth Military Region will not take this humiliation lying down."
"Who cares about the Fourth? What's more concerning is who protected him."
"General Riki alone would be scary. But all four? Together? That's not a rescue mission. That's a freaking general announcement - touch this boy again, anyone, and die."
Even within the capital's elite academy circles, the rumors buzzed like hornets.
They didn't know they were talking about the same guy, of course.
"They said Grand Marshal Li Qingshan stopped a critical international meeting halfway just to watch the semi-finals of the Beijing BGA Tournament."
"No way. The Grand Marshal? Watching a BGA tournament?"
"I'm serious! He kicked out half the diplomats, locked the chamber, and rewound the footage three times."
"Who was the pilot? Some big-name prodigy?"
"No idea. Just some guy listed under a fake account. Black mech, no enhancements."
"Then why would he care?"
"That's what's scary, isn't it? If Grand Marshal Li Qingshan is watching someone that closely… maybe the whole country should be too."
Which brought things to the man himself.
In a fortified command chamber nestled high above Beijing, Grand Marshal Li Qingshan stood silent, staring at a paused holographic frame of Hungry Monster during the beast wave challenge with one foot pressed against a beast's skull, blade dripping with simulated mana.
"Send this image to my private archive," he said quietly.
The aide beside him nodded. "Yes, sir. The military is waiting on your stance."
The Grand Marshal didn't respond immediately.
He simply turned and walked to a private alcove overlooking the capital, gaze sharp beneath the weight of decades of war.
China's true power structure had always been layered and complex.
At the top sat President Jiang Meilin, a careful, calculating woman known more for her diplomacy than direct intervention. She ruled through consensus and cunning.
Letting the military keep peace, the economic bloc handle trade, and the cultivation clans keep their pride.
But beneath her throne was a foundation built on one man's shadow.
Grand Marshal Li Qingshan.
Ranked 2nd on the world's Golden Ranking.
The Iron Strategist. The Silent Executioner. The man who ended the latest Beast Wave with a six-word radio call and a single redirected satellite cannon.
Where the President governed, the Grand Marshal commanded.
He answered to no faction. No clan. Only the future of the nation.
On the screen, the details were finally assembled. Neat. Clinical. Undeniable.
Gold Account: Hungry Monster
Original Owner: Fan Jinhai (Status: Incarcerated)
Transfer Buyer: Verified—Authorization Code matched
Purchaser: General Maru (Retired)
Transferred to: Unregistered Pilot ID – Damien Bloodbane
There was a long silence.
Then the next file loaded.
REAL IDENTITY:
Name: Damien Bloodbane
Mana Tier: E
Affiliation: Pearl Military Academy, First Year
Family Status: Scion of the Bloodbane Clan (Disavowed)
Mentor Affiliation: None
Background: Entered academy through the Blackthorn route. Marked as "Exceptional" Evaluated as possessing weak mana signature but top grade combat aptitude. No flagged affiliations. No known mecha training prior to enrollment.
Another line, more recently added, in flashing blue:
Note: Status manually adjusted by General Riki. Internal clearance granted for "Classified Guardian Protocol." All inquiries to be rerouted to Central Command Oversight Division.
The aide stared at the final line of the report.
Then he looked back at the Grand Marshal.
"He's not just some hidden prodigy," the aide whispered. "He's... practically invisible. All of it was buried. Deliberately."
Grand Marshal Li Qingshan folded his hands slowly, his expression unreadable. His voice, when it came, was low and grim.
"An E-rank who can slaughter like that. Whose presence warps the battlefield. Who walks through S-rank pressure like it's mist."
He stared at the name on the screen.
Damien Bloodbane.
Grand Marshal Li Qingshan said the name slowly, as if weighing each syllable like a trigger.
"That boy is a future nuclear weapon."
He rose from his chair, the weight of the declaration hanging heavy in the silence.
"Prepare a team," he said, voice cold and composed. "One for contact. One for containment, if it comes to that. And one to stand back, observe, and pray we never end up on the wrong side of him."
There was a long pause.
Then, hesitantly, one of the aides spoke. "Sir… should we bring him in?"
Grand Marshal Li Qingshan allowed himself a faint smile. It wasn't warm.
"No. Let him run. Let him fight. Let him grow."
His hands folded behind his back, and his eyes locked on the screen displaying Damien's file.
"And if the day ever comes when China must bet its future on a single blade… we may not have to look far."
Everyone in the room shivered.
Because Grand Marshal Li Qingshan, the man known across the military world as the Iron Hand of the Republic, had just issued a classification so rare it hadn't been spoken aloud in over a decade.
Nuclear Weapon.
And he had applied it not to a missile, nor a fleet, nor a system.
But to one quiet, black-clad boy.
A boy named Damien Bloodbane.
… …
And yet, even with such a sky-high classification, they all had no idea that it was still a woeful underestimation of his true strength.
Because Damien Bloodbane was no mere weapon.
He was a Super Soldier.
And the true Sovereign of Death!
Xxxxxxxx
The duck bun shop wasn't grand. It was a little place tucked into the corner of an old street, with red lanterns swaying gently in the breeze and a weathered sign that simply read: Brother Xu's Midnight Duck Buns.
Inside, it was packed with aroma. Roasted duck, crisp skin, sweet sauces, and steam curling from bamboo baskets stacked high. And right in the middle of it all sat Damien, Fatty, and four generals who were arguably the most dangerous old men in China.
General Maru took a big bite of his bun, chewed once, then leaned in with a wide grin.
"How's the duck meat? It's great, right? Much better than, uh… say… human meat, right?"