Forge a path to success.

Chapter 384: Enemies from both sides
"I am pleased to report the latest situation to all citizens. Five minutes ago, the terrorists crossed the boundary of the third sequence and fled to the fifth sequence. This hasty and foolish move undoubtedly proves their confusion and disarray!"

The female anchor, Landa, smiled sweetly: "Mr. Gangsaburo, you must have received the latest news, right? Our Divine Guard members must have already achieved their goal."

"That's right. Although it's not outwardly apparent, the two terrorists' bodies have suffered considerable damage. According to the on-site security personnel, they have even lost the ability to speak due to their severe injuries!"

"As expected of our well-trained First Guard of the Thorn Robe, it seems that even enthusiastic citizens have a chance to take down terrorists."

The male and female anchors simultaneously reached out to the screen: "The enemy is in the Fifth Pulse! Good citizens of the amusement park, please seize the opportunity! If you have any news about the third terrorist, Ji Huaisu, please call our 24-hour hotline at any time!"

The two people's faces turned into charred, hollow holes, and the firework shot through the screen into the sky, transforming into a gleaming middle finger pattern against the night sky.

Beneath the dazzling lights lay a scene of blood and severed limbs. The assassin, half-headed, screamed in agony, "Wasn't there an opening? Attack with your ghostly form!!"

"There's not a single flaw!" the team's second-in-command wailed, hanging from the pirate ship. "The wizard just unleashed his Psychic Pierce and his head exploded into a watermelon!"

Bullets flew among the balloons, and cannon fire roared under the fireworks, creating an exceptionally lively party atmosphere. The Flying Swallow Amusement Park, which had been quiet for a long time since the bill was announced, celebrated its grand opening tonight.

A heavily armored luxury car sped along the middle of the avenue, leaving everyone else in the dust, as numerous mascots and staff bowed and lined the road to welcome it. The pursuers were gently persuaded to leave by the staff, who greeted everyone with smiles: "This is Feiyan Amusement Park, please do not engage in any violent conflict!"

"Chasing terrorists, you bastards! Is the Fifth Team trying to rebel?!"

"Disputes in the amusement park can only be resolved with games. What would you like to play tonight?"

"I'll fucking fuck you—"

Several beams of light immediately descended, turning the rude assassins into terrified cards. Mr. Gray and Mr. Blue flew around in their little flying saucer, not forgetting to offer a considerate reminder: "If you don't want to play the game, then get lost!"

"I said that's really rude of you. At least use more polite language."

"Then, would you please leave the amusement park in an orderly manner if you haven't purchased tickets?"

"This is too much trouble, let's just say get lost."

"The result is still the same."

While arguing, Mr. Gray called out to the departing assassin, "Sorry, the enemy used strange methods, and our captain couldn't physically intervene. That's all the Fifth Team can do for you!"

"That's more than enough, thank you," Chu Hengkong said.

The Cadillac was converted into a convertible for easier combat. Chu Hengkong ate a bucket of popcorn he had stolen and said while driving, "How about we go on a few rides to make up for the fact that you've never been to an amusement park?"

Vilbert sighed, "No, thank you. My father took me there when I was a child."

"But I've never taken you there."

"You have no interest in amusement parks at all; you just want me to stand next to a life-size mascot for a photo and then laugh at me."

Chu Heng shrugged: "Although that's what I did think, you can definitely take a picture. Don't you think that 2-meter-tall Gubo tribe costume is very attractive?"

“No. Drive your car,” Vilbert said. “I’m more concerned about whether your partners will act in time.”

“He definitely will. He’s a beast who’ll do anything for an opportunity. We’ll get good news soon.” Chu Hengkong glanced at the rearview mirror. “Hopefully he’ll act quickly.”

A series of ferocious roars echoed as Chu Hengkong saw in the rearview mirror a horde of strange beasts, all with an aura of level 4 or higher. Each one of them was enough to be a formidable enemy to an ordinary member of the Divine Guard. They were now forming an army formation and launching an attack.

A blond, golden-bearded man sat atop a gigantic lion, his ferocious face even more terrifying than the beast itself. The fifth team hesitated, hovering above, too embarrassed to attack, for this man had adorned each of the creatures with a colorful clown hat!
"Long time no see, you shameless couple. Come see the circus performance!" the blond man roared arrogantly.

"Looks like someone's learned how to exploit loopholes." Chu Hengkong poked his head out and shouted, "Uh... sorry, I forgot your name again. Who are you again?"

The blond man's arrogant performance instantly transformed into a genuine roar of fury: "Remember this well, I am the No. 13 Golden Lion! I will crush your power, tear your mouth apart, and avenge my beloved son's death!!!"

Chu Hengkong nodded: "Boss, how did we become enemies with him?"

"Do you remember that time when our plane crashed and we made an emergency landing in the snow-capped mountains?"

"Some impression."

“You hunted a bear for lunch,” Wilbert said. “We later found out it was his pet.”

"Honestly, this isn't really my fault, is it? As soon as I got off the plane, a bear pounced on me, trying to eat me. Should I have let it bite me instead of cutting it down? Besides, you were the one who ended up taking care of that bear."

“I warned you that bear had a collar.”

"What's the point of this warning if you only noticed it when it was already ripe?"

The golden lion's eyes were bloodshot: "Shut up! You two wretches, I'll make you experience the pain it felt back then!!"

The golden lion leaped from the lion's back, its hands transforming into giant golden claws that unleashed a cross-shaped claw strike. Chu Hengkong jumped out of the carriage and kicked out, his powerful energy shattering the giant claws on the spot, the broken claws flying through the air.

He snatched the long claw and hurled it, piercing the golden lion's belly and pinning it to the roof of the circus tent. The golden lion stared wide-eyed at the fireworks in the sky, hearing the assassin's long laugh in the distance.

"I'll say it one last time, you should consider retiring and opening a pet shop!"

NO.17 and NO.18 arrived shortly after and grabbed him, ready to give chase. The Golden Lion trembled and waved his hands, saying, "I...I've decided to let go of my grudges. You can go..."

"Fuck you, aren't you supposed to be a golden lion? Can't you act like a real lion?!"

The golden lion, still shaken, said, "From today onwards, I'm going to call myself Kitty."

He had been preparing for this surprise attack since he arrived at Jing Sha, spending a full month honing his strongest strike. He thought he could break through its edge no matter what, but it was no match for the snake of life kicking a dog.

What's the point of fighting? These two bastards are tens of thousands of times stronger than they were on Earth. Apart from the top seven, no one in the entire Blood Alliance is qualified to be their opponent!

·
“Send out the assassins ranked No. 7 and above,” Parriman said. “The men you’ve sent out so far won’t even buy you time.”

Wang Quan chuckled slyly over the communication channel: "Sorry, Speaker, I've already emphasized this, but they're not too keen on it."

"What did you say?" "You can listen to the opinion of our most rational representative."

The speaker switched to Guo Yutu's listless voice: "I'm sorry, Speaker Parriman, but none of us have any interest in the Saviors of Life whose power has been suppressed."

Parriman felt a surge of emotion he hadn't experienced in a long time: "You are assassins."

"But we also have professional ethics."

“Without the suppression of the divine tree, none of you would be a match for Chu Hengkong.”

"Since you've said that, why bother having us do the work?" Guo Yutu said with a fake smile. "And by the way, I'd like to tell you, you idiot, that it's best if you're willing to cancel the order. I've been wanting to quit this damn job for a long time."

"Enough, let Wang Quan speak to me."

Wang Quan's fake laughter immediately followed: "Oh, Speaker, I'm so sorry, young Guo is just a bit rude! But what he said makes some sense. Since you've chosen the Blood Alliance, why don't you trust us?"

"I haven't held you accountable for contacting Chu Hengkong without authorization—"

“You have neither the right nor the power to do anything to me,” Wang Quan chuckled. “If you want assassins, follow the rules; otherwise, take care of it yourself.”

Communication was unilaterally cut off, and Parriman closed his eyes and leaned on the table.

This is different from politics, and it's also different from the previous meticulously planned attack. When the contest between the two sides returns to the purest level of power, most of his methods become meaningless. The Divine Guard obeys orders but not proclamations, and the weaker individuals he can manipulate are no match for those few. The Blood Alliance assassins are actually the henchmen of the monarchy.

His biggest asset is the Sacred Tree of Thorns, but now that sacred tree is precisely the problem...

Deep within Mansa Star Castle, at the Thorn Robe Sanatorium, all the flowers, plants, birds, and beasts covered their eyes, unable to bear the sight. Little Flower said with a pained expression, "Take it easy!"

"We want sanctions." "No sanctions allowed!" "Give us the authority." "You can forget about it!!"

Old Jingsha clutched his head, shouting and yelling, uttering contradictory words from the same mouth, behaving like a madman. He reached for the crown of thorns, a symbol of authority, with one hand, and smashed it down with the other.

The hand that had been knocked away immediately grabbed Jing Sha's own neck. The old man roared and punched himself in the face: "We will not tolerate such violence! Release your oppression!"

He punched Jing Sha in the cheek again: "The order has been given!"

Seeing the horrific state of her being beaten, Xiaohua quickly sent out a distress signal: "Captain, please come quickly, he's started again."

Captain Banningtik arrived within seconds, gripping Old Jing Sha's hand tightly: "Lord Jing Sha, please hold on! Fight yourself a little longer!"

Old Jing almost rolled his eyes: "We called you here to temporarily solve the problem..."

Banningtik said earnestly, "Lord Divine Tree, if I have nothing to do, I'm afraid I'll be sent to participate in the hunt."

Old Jing took a deep breath, mustered his renewed strength, and slammed his fist into his face: "Ah!"

·
"Speaker, the Captain-General reports that the Thorn Sacred Tree is in a critical condition, and he is currently involved in emergency treatment of the tree..."

“I understand, you may leave.” Parriman said methodically. “Inform the media to exaggerate the terrorists’ injuries, and have the Fourth Team deploy war plants in advance. Inform all members of the Divine Guard that anyone who obstructs the encirclement will be considered an accomplice of the terrorists and arrested and detained on the spot. The Divine Tree will support all our actions, because this is the will of the Divine Tree.”

The speaker's secretary nodded repeatedly, his face pale: "Speaker, could it be that we..."

“There is no civil war in the city-state of Jingsha.” He interrupted his secretary. “Some of the Divine Guard captains have been misled by terrorists, which is precisely why we cannot allow them to continue their operations. Now prepare yourselves; I will be giving my second speech to the entire nation in five minutes.”

"Yes, Speaker!"

The secretary hurried away, her smugness returning after their brief exchange. Parriman sat quietly at his desk, then suddenly covered his mouth and began to cough violently.

He coughed violently, as if he were about to vomit his insides. But there was no blood on his gloves; he was only coughing up a translucent, foul-smelling liquid.

He took off his gloves and threw them aside, revealing his hands. They were hands that were completely out of character for his age, withered and dry like those of a dying man.

“It’s alright. Trust me,” Parriman muttered to himself. “I will carry out your will, so you must trust me.”

As if some unseen force had been communicating with him, Parriman rallied. He carefully wiped his mouth, put on a new glove, and concealed the incongruous signs of decay. The suave politician was back in the blink of an eye.

As Parriman walked out of his office, all the members on the way bowed to him. Their thoughts, hearts, and wills were all tied to the position of Speaker, whose every move could literally affect the entire city-state.

It doesn't matter. Parriman thought to himself, the chaos within the city-state, the captain's opinion—none of that matters. All he wants is independence, and the Thorn Tree to leave the secret realm, and he'll pay any price for it.

Now that the independent process has begun, this is why Old Jing Sha was willing to harm himself to stop it. After the Great Lily Flower was activated, the Jing Sha city-state physically possessed the conditions for independence.

His remaining task was simply to wait for an opportunity and buy a little time, since the royal power intended to reap the benefits and to utilize the backup plan.

Parriman picked up the communicator again: "Freudan Tanna Marijvis."

Purple smoke billowed from the communicator, from which came the old demon's laughter: "Won't you reconsider? Have you really decided to join forces with this demon, Speaker?"

“Help me clear out the enemies in the city, and I will give you one-third of the Destiny Power I gain after the successful transformation,” Parriman said decisively. “A temporary contract, with the tide as our witness.”

The old demon's tone changed abruptly, and it said solemnly, "The contract is established."

The purple smoke dissipated from the Upper House and appeared within a sealed chamber. The wolf-headed, human-bodied man clapped his hands lightly, and all the demons within the City of Thorns raised their heads simultaneously. The will of the God of Chaos was directly transmitted to the depths of their ghostly bodies; even the weakest demons had to make a decision at this moment.

Join the wolf pack, or support the allies.

After issuing the command, Fridan stopped paying attention to the demons and nodded towards the center of the chamber. There sat a man tightly bound by countless bandage-like seals.

"The time for revenge has come, my contractor."

The bandages were stained dark black with filthy blood, and then a ferocious roar, unlike any human voice, rang out.

"Chu... Hengkong...!"

(End of this chapter)