Chapter 3 Shocking the Nation

• The night was deep and heavy.
• A sudden gust of cold wind swept through, adding a layer of chilling bleakness to the silent night!
• On the battlefield in Eastern Azura, a burly man crushed the phone in his hand, ignoring the still-warm bodies scattered across the ground.
• "Relay my order, prepare the troops and leave with me immediately!" he commanded.
• At that moment, several jeeps suddenly blocked their path. An Azurian man stood in front of them, cautiously eyeing him. "After killing so many of our Hellhound Mercenary Corps, do you really think you can just walk away?"
• Henry Drake gave him a cold glance. "Get out of my way."
• "You are being too much! Even if the Titan Mercenary Corps is the biggest one in the east of Azura, you can't be this arrogant! No one is leaving without giving us an explanation!"
• An overwhelming killing intent surged from Henry again. "Kill them!"
• A few minutes later, fresh corpses littered the ground once more. Three armed planes took off, heading directly toward Vexane.
• Henry Drake, the Ninth Disciple of Liam and the head of the Titan Mercenary Corps, is returning!
• In the capital of Dangorge, within a courtyard just not far away from the palace, an elderly man suddenly rushed out, ignoring the dignitaries and high-ranking officials still respectfully lined up outside the gate. He quickly got into a car and left at full speed.
• The Thirteenth Disciple of Liam, one of the nine greatest doctors of Dangorge, Robert Parker the Divine Healer, is returning!
• In Northern Elandra, inside a prestigious conference hall, a young man suddenly tossed aside the chess piece in his hand. Without a word, and under the stunned gaze of countless spectators, he abandoned the game. Despite being only one step away from the title of World Chess Champion, he didn’t care in the slightest!
• The Seventeenth Disciple of Liam, Max Brooks the Sage of Chess in Hooland, is returning!
• Back in Dangorge, countless top-level officials were jolted awake from their slumber. Phones rang non-stop as they all gathered in the council hall. Each of them stared intently at the faint figure captured on surveillance screens.
• "Sir, we have a situation! The Northern Border’s 50,000 soldiers have left their posts without orders and are surrounding Vexane!"
• "Three unidentified aircraft have appeared in our airspace. Upon investigation, they are confirmed to belong to the Titan Mercenary Corps. Do we intercept them?"
• "Sir, led by Daniel Elser the Jamel's elite, a massive financial offensive is targeting Vexane. Currently, the entire economy of the city is in turmoil!"
• "All networks in Vexane have collapsed. It seems unknown hackers are behind it!"
• One command after another came through, and an elderly man’s face was filled with shock. "Everything is happening in Vexane! Why is everyone targeting the city?"
• "Someone, get me answers! I need to know what is happening in Vexane as quickly as possible!"
• "There’s no need to investigate." At the front of the room, an old man wearing only a coat looked ahead with deep, penetrating eyes. "Haven’t you all realized it yet?"
• "The people heading to Vexane are from various industries, seemingly unrelated, but they all share one common trait. They are all disciples of the Imperial Master!"
• The entire room fell into an uproar.
• Simultaneously, the image of a young figure surfaced in everyone’s minds. He held no official power, no political position, yet none of these top decision-makers who controlled Dangorge dared to underestimate him.
• The disciples of the Imperial Master were spread across the world!
• Especially the 36 Holy Disciples. If they were to unite, even Dangorge itself would have to tread cautiously around them!
• "Damn it! Three years ago, wasn’t Liam secluded in his academy, shutting himself off from the world? Aside from teaching, hasn’t he ignored worldly matters?"
• "Why is he suddenly appearing in such a small city like Vexane?"
• "This is no time for speculation! His disciples are all gathering in Vexane. Something major must have happened there!"
• "Wait, isn’t General Carter Albie of the Northern Border also a disciple of Liam?"
• "That’s right! He’s ranked fifth among the 36 Holy Disciples!"
• "Get him on the phone now!"
• The call connected quickly, and even through the phone, the old man could feel the killing intent coming from the other end. Without wasting time, the old man got straight to the point. "General Albie, what’s happening with the Imperial Master?"
• There was no need for further questions. With so many of Liam's disciples mobilizing, something had undoubtedly happened to him!
• After a brief silence, Carter’s voice came slowly. "My master's daughter, just moments ago, was nearly drained of all her blood."
• "After saving her, he fell unconscious and hasn’t woken up. It’s been three hours now. Now, we have gathered to seek justice for our master and his family!"
• Hearing this, the old man trembled. A surge of overwhelming fury rose within him.
• Who was it that committed the unforgivable crime? For Liam's family to live in Vexane should have been the perfect opportunity to win him over!
• But now, because of some fools who didn’t know their place, this land was on the verge of turning into a living hell!
• The old man had no doubt that if even the slightest harm had come to Diana tonight, by tomorrow, Vexane would be littered with hanging corpses, with mourning banners draped over every door!
• After a pause, Carter continued saying, "Sir, I advise you not to interfere in tonight’s matters. Someone in Vexane must pay the price for my master's wrath tonight!"
• "Don’t try to dissuade me. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am. Even if it costs me my position as General of the Northern Border, tonight, I will not withdraw my troops, not by a single step!"
• With that, he hung up the phone.
• Everyone in the room had heard the conversation clearly. One person flew into a rage. "What does Carter mean by this?"
• " Is he rebelling? The Northern Border troops are Dangorge's military, not Liam’s private soldiers!"
• The old man shot him a cold look. "If you’re so capable, why don’t you go to Vexane yourself and try reasoning with Carter?"
• The man fell silent at once.
• Carter, the General of the Northern Border, was a man who had fought his way through a sea of blood and corpses, a general forged from a million soldiers! Who, other than Liam, would dare to reason with him?
• "What should we do?"
• "Give the order. All military forces in the surrounding areas are to stand down from their alert status! If necessary, fully cooperate with any deployment requested by Liam!"
• "He is a man worthy of me sacrificing an entire city for!"