Chapter Twenty-One: Betrayal

This was an absolute dead end, with no hope of survival whatsoever.

This was the Free Zone, a gathering place for countless powerful beings. Yet Xia Yan was a wanted man; with his identity exposed, he had nowhere to turn—no path in the heavens, no refuge beneath the earth. Any strong individual could crush him as easily as an ant.

In the office of Wen Zhe, the current leader of the Free Zone.

Wen Zhe was a man in his forties, wearing glasses and bearing a refined, scholarly appearance. He looked no older than his early thirties. As the head of the Free Zone, his duties kept him quite occupied. At this moment, he sat at his desk, busy handling affairs.

Wen Zhe was rumored to be a human who might have achieved Absolute Development, though such rumors had never been confirmed. Outsiders firmly believed he had not reached this pinnacle, and Wen Zhe himself never questioned it. However, some fanatical followers within the Free Zone insisted their leader had indeed attained Absolute Development.

Wen Zhe received a communication and immediately furrowed his brow. "What? You say a wanted fugitive has appeared within the Free Zone?"

"This man is named Xia Yan. He once killed a newly evolved humanoid Shadow Leopard, leading to a manhunt by the mutated species. Our Free Zone issued a wanted order accordingly. Yet, to our surprise, Xia Yan dared to brazenly enter our territory—reckless to the point of madness."

"Where did this intelligence come from?" Wen Zhe inquired.

"A woman who wished to remain anonymous reported it. We suspect she might be Xia Yan’s female companion."

"Any outsider entering the Free Zone would never exceed a five-star ability level—merely an insignificant ant," Wen Zhe said irritably. "Such trivial matters don’t warrant my attention. Handle them according to Free Zone regulations: anyone wanted by the Free Zone who dares show their face within its boundaries must be executed without exception."

Wen Zhe was displeased; his workload was heavy, and minor issues like this should be resolved by subordinates without bothering him. If every insignificant creature below five stars had to be reported to him repeatedly, he would never have a moment’s rest.

Yet the intelligence officer on the other end did not end the communication but continued speaking. At the first word, Wen Zhe’s face darkened.

A mere waste of time to focus on this trash; even a single second devoted to such nonsense was unjustifiable. But when he heard the next sentence, his expression changed drastically.

"Leader, according to our latest intelligence, this young man Xia Yan not only participated in the auction for the Chain of Purity but also placed a high bid of 150 diamond coins. He has already won the auction and is about to attend the handover ceremony."

Wen Zhe’s face turned grave. He could not comprehend the coincidence. At this moment, he had no choice but to focus on this pawn and spend considerable time on the Xia Yan matter.

"Why now, of all times?" Wen Zhe was deeply perplexed. Such a coincidence was impossible in this world. Could it be that this was no coincidence at all?

This incident, seemingly trivial, was in fact monumental—not about Xia Yan the insignificant ant, but about the reputation of the Free Zone.

For example, if the Free Zone killed a human to reclaim a Chain of Purity recently won through an auction for 150 diamond coins, what would that suggest?

Or, if the Free Zone was accused of theft from within its own ranks, would such a despicable force still command belief? Would those who joined the Free Zone be deceived by this? Would future auctions be safe from covert sabotage?

Such rumors would gravely damage the Free Zone’s standing. Should such disputes arise, the consequences could be severe—possibly prompting rival forces to seize the opportunity to attack and destroy the Free Zone.

After all, the Free Zone was not yet on par with the six great powers.

This matter had to be handled with utmost care. Under no circumstances could mutated species run rampant within the Free Zone, or its hard-earned credibility would be utterly destroyed.

Now Wen Zhe had two tasks: first, to kill Xia Yan. Allowing a wanted criminal to swagger into the Free Zone and leave unharmed would utterly disgrace their reputation.

Second, to manage this affair so that no external controversy arose.

"Contact the intelligence source. I want to speak with her personally," Wen Zhe ordered immediately.

"Understood. Although the connection is encrypted, we can still communicate. Please hold, Leader."

One minute later, Qi Hao was in a women’s restroom, conversing with Wen Zhe, the leader of the Free Zone.

"I am Wen Zhe, current leader of the Free Zone. Miss, may I ask your identity?" he inquired.

"No comment," Qi Hao replied.

"Very well," Wen Zhe nodded. "You want to kill Xia Yan, correct?"

"Yes. I absolutely must kill him," Qi Hao said with a hint of madness. "He is a wanted criminal in the Free Zone and must not be allowed to live. You must kill him swiftly."

"The Chain of Purity must not fall into Xia Yan’s hands. Once we secure it, we can execute him immediately," Wen Zhe said quickly. "You are Xia Yan’s companion, yes? Obtain his diamond coins and conduct the handover ceremony with our people. Place the Chain of Purity in your pocket. Our agents will then arrest Xia Yan and conduct a public execution."

"But..." Qi Hao hesitated. "The diamond coins are not in my possession."

"Then find a way to get them," Wen Zhe commanded. "No matter what, the Chain of Purity must be secured. If you accomplish this, Xia Yan will surely die."

"I understand," Qi Hao nodded.

"I will send someone to assist you. She will cooperate with you to lure Xia Yan into surrendering the diamond coins."

The conversation ended there. Wen Zhe terminated the communication. He could not just sit back and watch; he had to act to prevent this chaos.

The best possible outcome was for Xia Yan’s companion to obtain the Chain of Purity while Xia Yan’s identity was exposed. The Free Zone would then eliminate Xia Yan, and the Chain of Purity would be safely taken away by the woman, thus avoiding scandal.

To achieve this, Wen Zhe would stop at nothing. Despite his high rank and authority, he would exert every effort, even appearing in person to pressure Yi Ling.

As the leader of the Free Zone, strength alone was insufficient; intelligence was equally vital.

Undoubtedly, Wen Zhe was highly intelligent, fully worthy of the title of leader.