Virtual Idol in the Beast World: Five Clans Fight Over Me

Chapter 335: Chapter 297: Shouldn’t You Be More Anxious Than Me?

「Two hours earlier, in the Military Department conference room of Zone 19.」

Everyone in attendance sat upright, their attention fixed on the projection before them.

All attendees had surrendered their terminals and could only take notes on the meeting’s key points with a pen.

The video feed was split into several screens, each centered on the highest-ranking officer from their respective military district. If a leader was unable to attend, their second-in-command took their place.

In the center of the screen was the supreme marshal of the Military Department, Menela, dressed in a black military uniform with a stern expression.

This was the Military Department headquarters’ first online meeting since the beginning of winter. No one dared to be disrespectful or let their minds wander in Menela’s presence.

Except for the two admirals from the First and Third Military Districts.

One of them sat in a relaxed posture, no different from any other meeting. The other kept his eyes down, spinning a pen in his hand as if his mind was elsewhere. A closer look, however, would reveal a subtle anxiety in his expression.

Of course, few people were paying him any mind. Everyone was focused intently on what Menela was saying.

Before the meeting began, the attendees had speculated that Menela’s sudden emergency online conference was about cleaning up the Mutant Species. But contrary to their expectations, Menela only asked a few simple questions before shifting the focus to another matter.

"We’ve recently received intelligence that the Heavenly Beast Clan has been appearing frequently near several of the Lower Districts. In the Sea Area, members of the Heavenly Beast Clan have been spotted trying to cross the sea and make landfall. Prior to this, Sky Watch Point sent no signal of any intention to negotiate with the Beast Alliance or the Sea Area."

As soon as Menela finished speaking, a low uproar filled the room.

"Are they trying to cross illegally?"

"What are those guys from Sky Watch Point trying to pull?"

"What else? They’re probably thinking about stealing our females again."

"Haven’t they always had that idea? They’ve only behaved themselves for the past few years because they couldn’t beat us."

"..."

SMACK! SMACK! Menela rapped the table, and everyone immediately fell silent.

"Their motives are still unclear. According to our sources, they are only lingering in the area for now and have not initiated an attack," Menela said.

"Could they be testing us?" a Beastman asked.

"I heard that a few months ago, men from the First Military District got into a fight with them," Biyou Si said, stopping his pen and looking up.

"Could it be that the First Military District crossed the line first, and now they’re looking for a chance to retaliate?" another voice immediately followed.

All eyes turned to Andrew.

Cyril stopped taking notes and turned his head to look at Andrew. ’This is aimed at the Admiral,’ he thought.

Amidst countless scrutinizing and suspicious gazes, Andrew calmly stated, "After the meeting, I will release all recent mission logs involving contact with the Heavenly Beast Clan."

Menela nodded.

A mocking smile touched the corners of Biyou Si’s lips. "Some things can’t be explained away by mission logs."

Andrew: "Such as?"

The meeting fell silent for a moment. "Such as you interfering with the Beast Alliance’s missions," Biyou Si said. "And also..."

He trailed off, as if debating whether or not to continue.

Cyril, however, knew what he was about to say. His expression tightened, and he whispered, "Admiral..."

Andrew raised a hand from his lap, signaling for him to remain calm.

"I heard an unidentified female appeared in Zone 19," someone whispered.

Everyone, who had been straining their ears for Biyou Si to continue his accusations: "?!"

This was far more explosive than the news about the Heavenly Beast Clan.

Those able to attend this meeting were all high-ranking and influential figures. To have reached their positions, they all possessed a degree of intellect and cunning. From that single sentence, they could already piece together the general picture.

Either someone from Zone 19 had secretly brought a female there.

Or, this unidentified female was related to the Heavenly Beast Clan incident—after all, Zone 19 was the closest land-based city to Sky Watch Point.

Either way, Andrew couldn’t be uninvolved.

Everyone waited for Andrew to give an explanation, the discussions growing more and more heated.

Not until someone said, "He must have hidden a female from Sky Watch Point," did Menela suddenly roar, "Silence!"

Hearing the fury in her voice, everyone was startled and obediently shut their mouths.

Menela was strict, but she rarely lost her temper during meetings. Clearly, this matter was not to be taken lightly.

’Looks like Andrew is in for some real trouble this time.’

If what he did was true, it was enough to have him stripped of his admiral rank and sent to a military tribunal.

Biyou Si, however, sensed that something was off. He stared at Andrew on the screen and frowned.

He glanced at the time on the wall.

’It’s getting late. If I don’t make a move soon, it’ll be too late.’

But the meeting was far from over.

Biyou Si took a deep breath and started spinning his pen again.

"In a hurry, Admiral Biyou Si?" Andrew asked.

"A little," Biyou Si said with a smile. "But shouldn’t you be in more of a hurry than me?"

The two spoke calmly, but everyone could sense the undercurrent of a confrontation.

"This applies to all military districts," Menela cut in. "Before spring, send personnel to reinforce the defenses of the Lower Districts. Also, select an elite team to investigate the situation at Sky Watch Point."

Here, she paused. "As for these baseless accusations, if you bring them before me again, you can forget about your post. Resign on your own. This is your only warning."

"Anything else to report?"

The attendees from the various districts looked at each other. This meeting had been called on short notice, and none of them had prepared anything.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Biyou Si was about to stand up when Andrew slowly produced a thick stack of documents. "There’s a problem with Zone 19’s finances."

Biyou Si: "..."

"Do you have to bring this up in front of the Marshal?" asked the admiral of the Fifth Military District.

Menela: "Speak. The development of Zone 19 is very important."

Everyone complained inwardly. ’How could a place like Zone 19 possibly be developed... unless the Mutant Species were completely eradicated?’

But no one dared to object.

「Two hours later—」

"Meeting adjourned."

Menela ended the online meeting, stood up, and quickly left the conference room.

"Marshal," her adjutant called out, catching up to her from behind and handing her a terminal. "You have an incoming communication."

Menela took the terminal, glanced at it, and continued walking straight ahead. "Stay here. No one is to approach without my command."

The adjutant stopped, clicked his heels together, and stood at attention. "Yes, Marshal!"

Menela returned to her private lounge, accepted the call, and immediately launched into a tirade:

"Mother, you’re getting more and more willful!"

"How could you bring a female from Sky Watch Point with you?"

"Can she even survive, living rough and exposed to the elements with you?"

"CHIRP... CHIRP..."

"You be quiet, let Windsor speak!" Menela tore off her jacket, tossed it onto the sofa, and began pacing around the lounge. "Why didn’t you give me a heads-up? I had no time to prepare! Do you have any idea how difficult those bastards are to deal with?"

On the other end of the terminal, Ah Mo didn’t dare to speak again, afraid of being scolded.

After the terminal went quiet for a moment, Menela said:

"Are you still in Zone 15? How is she doing? I’ll send people to pick her up."