Chapter 497: The Child of the Plane

(To thank the authors Mu Xingzhicai, Hen Taiyige, Wo_Baopitai, Mingyue Hebu Zhaowoxin, Suyuwanwan, Juzi Li, and Zongtian for their support and love, an extra chapter is added today!)
***
This is no small matter!
This is a cataclysmic event!
No matter what, the evidence at headquarters must be destroyed!
What's stored there is a powder keg capable of igniting the entire Fanghuan Empire!
“If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have personally stayed in Turkey!
Contact headquarters immediately! Tell them we must destroy the evidence first!”
“But… headquarters’ latest order is that no one is allowed to touch any Turkish data.”
“Wh…what?”
“Headquarters said that any attempt to destroy the evidence would only make things worse and arouse greater suspicion…
The order is, let them take it, let them take whatever they want…”
“Fuck you!!” Anthony kicked over the tactical sand table in front of him.
He completely couldn't understand this order from headquarters.
What's the difference between this and loosening your belt and willingly offering your life to someone's knife?
Fang Huan's magnificent empire is about to complete its final piece, about to reign supreme!
Is it really going to crumble at the last moment before dawn because of this foolish decision, resulting in utter defeat?!
"...No, no."
Anthony's anger flared quickly, but subsided just as fast.
He forced himself to calm down.
This isn't just any company; this is Fang Huan!
That man is a monster who uses the logic of a madman to navigate a game of divine strategy!
On the surface, it often seems absurd, even suicidal.
But in retrospect, every step contains a profound meaning beyond the comprehension of ordinary people; every step is on the pulse of fate!
This time will certainly be no exception.
No, it has to be this way!
"...Leave only a few men, the rest evacuate?"
Anthony muttered to himself, pondering the strange order.
"Yes, boss."
"..."
Those words, like a thorn, pierced his mind.
Only a few men remained…
The rest were to evacuate…
“Pass on my orders!” Anthony’s eyes flashed with a sharp light.
“Those who stay will be chosen from the most loyal and resourceful brothers.
As for the others who evacuated, tell them not to go far, but to remain nearby on standby!
Tell them that in the event of ‘any’ unexpected situation, they should act accordingly!”
“Boss, what kind of situation requires us to act accordingly?”
“That will depend on their own judgment!” Anthony said in a deep voice.
“Headquarters’ decision to leave its doors so wide open is definitely suspicious!
Tell the brothers to keep their eyes peeled!
If they see a ‘signal,’ they should use their own judgment and abilities to do what needs to be done!
No one who can enter ‘Wildfire’ is a fool; they have that much insight and ability!”
“Yes! I will relay it immediately!”
Even so, Anthony was still completely baffled.
He had personally handed Pandora’s box over to his greatest enemy—the United States.
What exactly is Fang Huan, or rather, that man, thinking?
***
Lina had already prepared a hundred different solutions.
When the M country government issued the joint document with the Turkish government regarding the investigation of the "wildfire" headquarters, she anticipated that Fang Huan would be furious, fiercely resist, and use every means to obstruct it.
Then, she could legitimately initiate enforcement procedures and seize the documents using the strongest possible methods.
"This is too strange, it's eerie at every turn, like a trap."
Fang Huan's response, however, rendered all her contingency plans useless.
Not only did they not resist, but they sent a warm reply!
They expressed their willingness to "cooperate without reservation" and asked the action team to "act swiftly," as they were eager to go home and relax!
What exactly were they up to?
"Could it be... that they had already destroyed all the evidence beforehand?"
Otherwise, how could they be so fearless?
But the intelligence from her informant was unequivocal:
Nothing unusual was amiss at the "Wildfire" headquarters. The mountains of paper documents remained intact in the underground archives, showing no signs of being moved or destroyed.
"Hmph, trying to play a ruse here, huh? No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, everything will be clear once we get there."
Lina, well-versed in Xia Kingdom's history, sneered.
She believed that whatever schemes Fang Huan might employ, it was futile.
The action team she had dispatched was the elite of the elite; they would thoroughly search every inch of the Wildfire headquarters like a comb!
Moreover, the moles she had already turned would remain within the company, ensuring the action team could find all the hidden secrets—it was foolproof.
Whatever conspiracies Fang Huan might be plotting, it was a dead end.
Like a turtle in a jar, there was no escape.
No matter what schemes or tricks you have, before this absolute power, they are all futile struggles!
Finally, Lina's long-cherished wish—to personally bury Fang Huan's business empire—is about to be fulfilled today!
"Director!"
Just then, the secretary rushed in, looking flustered.
Lina's heart leaped with joy. Could it be that the action team had succeeded?
Found that treasure trove of evil?
She raised the corners of her mouth and asked casually:
"How is it? Is everything going smoothly in Turkey? Have you found everything?"
"No...no..."
However, the secretary didn't answer. Instead, with trembling hands, she turned on the television in the office.
"...?"
On the television screen, the red emergency headline on CNN news channel struck Lina's pupils like a heavy hammer!
[Breaking News! Turkey Hit by a Devastating 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake!]
"Wh...what?"
Lina thought she was hallucinating.
An earthquake?
In Turkey?
And, of all days, today?!
"Breaking news: Following the 7.8 magnitude main shock, a strong aftershock of 7.7 magnitude has occurred…
Preliminary estimates indicate the death toll has exceeded 70,000…"
"Wildfire! What happened to Wildfire headquarters?!" Lina screamed, her voice completely distorted.
"Reporting, Chief…
Shortly after our team entered Wildfire headquarters, the powerful earthquake struck…
The Wildfire headquarters building collapsed instantly!"
"All the underground facilities were buried!
We...we and everyone in the action team...we've all lost contact!"
"!?!"
At that moment, Lina felt as if struck by lightning, her whole body turning ice-cold.
She finally understood!
She finally understood why Fang Huan had been so "cooperative," why they had emptied the building, opened the doors, and welcomed them in!
They weren't cooperating with the investigation.
They were setting a death trap, preparing a collective grave for her carefully selected elite action team!
This was a meticulously planned sacrifice, an offering made to heaven and earth!
They already knew the intelligence!
That's why they set this trap, to bury all the enemies, along with that so-called "evidence," beneath this torn earth!
"But...but how is this possible? They...how could they..."
Lina slumped into her chair, her voice trembling as she murmured to herself.
Predicting earthquakes?
No one, no technology, in this world has ever been able to accurately predict earthquakes.
That's a realm that humanity has never been able to reach!
That should be...the authority belonging only to the gods!
She suddenly remembered a legend recorded in the official history of the Xia Kingdom: an ancient Xia king who could summon meteorites during wartime—a weapon of mass destruction, later known as the Chosen One!
Could it be that Fang Huan...
They, too, have stepped into that forbidden zone that mortals cannot cross.
That realm, known as the "Absolute Ruler"...
The Realm of Gods?!