Chapter 471 - 5: Fortress Mountain City

Two black off-road vehicles led and trailed as escorts. Sitting in the back seat, Ghost Element slightly poked its head out, watching the scenery recede outside the window. It stared at the approaching wilderness, its beastly eyes flashing with a hint of human-like joy.

"MROW~~"

A soft, low purr echoed in their ears.

Both the suited Elite Level Peak driver and Yan Zhengfeng in the passenger seat glanced at it through the rearview mirror.

Was it happy?

"Special Commissioner Chen, this Cat Beast of yours should be a Mutant Beast from the wilderness, right?"

Yan Zhengfeng took the initiative to strike up a conversation, vaguely sensing Ghost Element’s extraordinary nature.

Sitting in the back seat, Lu Chao paused at those words, but didn’t look up, continuing to flip through the data on his tablet.

"How could you tell, Leader Yan?" He didn’t deny it, casually stroking Ghost Element’s black fur.

"Just some intuition." Yan Zhengfeng looked back with a smile and answered truthfully, "It seems quite sensitive to the aura of the wilderness and has become much more active since we left the city circle. Generally speaking, only Mutant Beasts native to the wilderness behave this way."

"Is that so." Lu Chao chuckled, unsurprised by the other man’s keen observation skills. However, exchanging a glance with Ghost Element, he knew its strength as a Beast King wouldn’t be exposed so easily.

"You’re right." Simply acknowledging a portion of the speculation, Lu Chao set down his tablet and nodded. "Leader Yan truly lives up to his background in the investigation team. Your observations are detailed, rigorous, and precise. I tamed this Cat Beast in the wilderness by chance. However, its temperament is somewhat violent, and it has picked up quite a few wild habits. You all should be careful around it in private," he said in a half-teasing manner, as if making a joke.

Ghost Element let out a dissatisfied low growl and lay back down in its spot.

Seeing this, Yan Zhengfeng and the suited driver both smiled. They verbally agreed, but didn’t pay it much mind inwardly.

After all, no matter how they looked at it, this black cat didn’t seem violent at all. Its life aura was also very ordinary, at most at the Professional Level.

With this in mind, Yan Zhengfeng used the topic to chat casually with Lu Chao for a few more sentences.

By the time the convoy entered the wilderness, the two naturally shifted the conversation to Fortress Mountain City.

"Looking at it this way, Fortress Mountain City truly has a unique location. To the south, it borders the upstream shipping route of the Red River, while its eastern and northern sides control the crucial mountain passes of the northwestern wilderness... If a decisive battle is launched later, this place could likely influence the course of the war across the entire northwest region."

Lu Chao looked at the data on his tablet, which contained an introduction to Fortress Mountain City.

This wilderness city on the upper reaches of the Red River covered a vast area. Built against the mountains, it was both a military stronghold and a massive mountain city capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of people, home to many wilderness residents.

There were quite a few mines and specialty resources nearby. Because it occupied a strategic route, many medium and large Wilderness Warlords near the Red River coveted this land.

"Exactly." Nodding, Yan Zhengfeng agreed with Lu Chao’s words and offered an explanation. "Fortress Mountain City has a unique location, which is why wars have frequently broken out there throughout history. It wasn’t until Lu Shan grew powerful and monopolized the area that the rules gradually changed, and no one dared to compete with him."

His tone turned serious as he mentioned the past. "But a year and a half ago, due to the war in the Rhombus Ring City Circle, Lu Shan suffered heavy losses, and he himself was severely injured by Mr. Ji. Consequently, the wilderness became restless, and the situation in Fortress Mountain City has changed once again... Warlords from the entire northwest region have moved in. In private, the warlord leaders even became sworn brothers, agreeing to stand united against outsiders and jointly govern the Mountain City. Their combined power is even significantly stronger than it was back then..."

He recounted the events in detail, most of which had occurred after Lu Chao left Ring City.

According to what he said, today’s Fortress Mountain City was filled with numerous warlords who, on the surface, had united into a single entity. Privately, however, they were divided into many factions, with the Four Great Warlords being the strongest.

Yan Zhengfeng tapped the holographic screen, looking at the data as he analyzed it carefully. "The Red River Army is formed by Lu Shan’s former subordinates. After Lu Shan succumbed to his severe injuries, it was taken over by his adopted son, Lu Weilong. They have the greatest power and the deepest foundation.

"Lu Weilong is a man of erratic temperament and unpredictable moods. He inherited most of Lu Shan’s legacy and has broken through to the Transcendence Level. Today, the major warlords of Fortress Mountain City all follow his lead, openly addressing him as the Grand Chief. Therefore, I believe that for the upcoming negotiations, we must primarily take his attitude into consideration."

Lu Chao nodded, having some thoughts on the matter himself.

Negotiations weren’t simply about fighting and killing. Instead, the goal was to get these warlords to cooperate honestly, or ideally, to bring them under the banner of the Alliance Country.

In reality, a single Fortress Mountain City wasn’t enough to leave the Alliance Country helpless. If they truly amassed their armies, they could certainly crush it.

However, the Alliance Country was currently facing a much larger threat—the Rebels. With full-scale war already underway, the major city circles had no spare energy or attention to deal with these peripheral issues.

This was why higher-ups had issued negotiation missions. It wasn’t just him; other wilderness regions also had corresponding special commissioners dispatched to handle the situations.

"What if he refuses to cooperate?" Lu Chao suddenly asked.

These warlords had always pursued their own interests and wouldn’t easily agree to cooperation demands. Not to mention, with war imminent, they held a certain degree of leverage and would surely negotiate for terms.

As for killing him, that was indeed an option, but they had to consider the subsequent repercussions, lest they push the other Wilderness Warlords into the Rebel camp.

"In that case, I believe we can consider backing a new cooperative candidate." Yan Zhengfeng wasn’t surprised by this probing question. Instead, he took the opportunity to introduce the others. "Although the other three warlord factions are somewhat weaker, they still hold considerable influence. They are the White Bone Army, the Red Flame Army, and the Rock Mountain Army. Most of their leaders are experts at the Exploration Level.

"Among them, the leader of the White Bone Army, Xiao Chen, is one of the only two Transcendence Level experts. He is known as the Second Chief of Fortress Mountain City. He was once Lu Shan’s subordinate but chose to become independent after his fall. He has always been at odds with Lu Weilong, so we could try to win him over.

"As for the Rock Mountain Army, I do not recommend interacting with them too much. The leader of the Rock Mountain Army, Yan Xiong, was personally elevated by Lu Weilong. He acts arrogantly and domineeringly. Although he is called the Fourth Chief, he has always only obeyed Lu Weilong’s commands."

Yan Zhengfeng revealed these hidden details, analyzing the pros and cons exhaustively.

Finally, he smiled and said, "As for the Red Flame Army... Speaking of which, this Third Chief of Fortress Mountain City actually has some history with our Ring City."

"Oh?" Feigning surprise, Lu Chao looked at him.

"Red Flame Fist, Chen Junhao." Yan Zhengfeng sighed with emotion. "He was once a Hall Master of the Hongyi Society, one of the gangs in Ring City’s Iron Ring District. Later, after slaughtering the upper echelon of the gang, he fled to the wilderness. There, he awakened an extremely dangerous Flame Superpower, vaulting straight into the Superpower Level... Two months ago, he even single-handedly killed an Exploration Level Beast King. He’s truly quite capable... I feel that if the opportunity arises later, we could focus on trying to win him over."

He offered this analysis and suggestion while his tone carried a trace of envy.

That was just how superpower awakenings were.

Sometimes, they were enough to completely transform an ordinary person, allowing them to undergo a life metamorphosis and step directly into the Superpower Level.

It was even possible to elevate one’s potential and sublimate their talent. It was like gaining a new lease on life, becoming a completely different person and progressing at a god-like speed in Life Energy development.

This leader was once weaker than him, but later relied on the sheer luck of a superpower awakening to skyrocket overnight.

In contrast, he himself was still stuck at the Limit-Breaking Level to this day.

"A Flame Superpower, huh..." Lu Chao nodded slightly upon hearing this, his expression seemingly unchanged.

However, ripples of emotion surged in his heart, and his eyes flickered faintly. As expected. Brother Hao truly had awakened a Flame Superpower. He wasn’t surprised that the other man had progressed so rapidly, because according to his intuitive senses, that high-risk Flame Factor was rated far higher than most of the superpower users he had encountered later on.

At this thought, Lu Chao’s eyes brightened. He looked out the window at the desolate land and the endless, rolling mountains situated deep in the wilderness. It had been nearly two years since they parted ways. This loyal and righteous older brother had ultimately succeeded in fulfilling some of his past bold claims.

With this in mind, he suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for their upcoming meeting.