Reborn as a tiger, he was chosen by the nation as its guardian beast.

Just as Wang Hu was pondering this, Qin Tieshan's calm voice rang out, directly interrupting Long Yi's attempt to continue his sermon.

"That sounds nice."

The old general leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him, his face expressionless.

"But we have absolutely no interest in joining your so-called paradise."

He didn't dwell on this vague topic, and his tone shifted to sharp and direct.

"I just want to know, can you, or rather, both of you, represent that mastermind and make a decision?"

Long Yi's gentle smile faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He nodded confidently.

"Of course. Since I'm sitting here, I naturally have the authority to represent the mastermind."

"very good."

Qin Tieshan nodded and gave a wink to one of his staff assistants.

The young assistant immediately understood, opened the military laptop that had been in front of him, turned it over so that it was facing Long Yi and Feng Yi.

On the screen, a dynamic three-dimensional image is slowly rotating.

The image clearly shows two world models that are constantly approaching and merging. One is a blue planet, and the other is a dark red planet representing another world.

The assistant pushed up his glasses and began to explain in a completely emotionless tone.

"According to the predictions of my country's top scientific research team, the two worlds will undergo deep integration within the next few years through the existing spatial rift as a node. At that time, a vast area of ​​otherworldly land will be permanently integrated into the territory of China, centered on the spatial rift outside Huacheng."

He stretched out his finger and drew a circle on the merged area of ​​the screen.

"We cannot yet accurately calculate the exact area of ​​this land, but based on the current rate of integration, its final area will be at least equivalent to a province in China."

At this point, the assistant paused, looked up, and stared directly at Long Yi.

"Our demand is that all mutants within this territory must be completely eradicated before this land is fully integrated. At the same time, the underground regional mastermind must also be completely removed. This is our bottom line, and there is no room for negotiation."

After he finished speaking, the reception room fell into a deathly silence.

Long Yi's mind went blank for a moment.

He even doubted whether he had misheard.

It took him several seconds to realize just how outrageous and domineering the other person's words were.

"Are you kidding me?"

The mask of composure on his face finally crumbled, and he questioned his assistant with utter disbelief.

"Even if the two worlds merge, this land will still belong to us! Why should we give it up unconditionally?"

The assistant responded expressionlessly.

"Because it will ultimately end up in the heart of China. We will never allow a 'state within a state' to exist."

Long Yi's chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said coldly, "Then you can cede land of the same size in exchange! Or, you can exchange people! We warmly welcome citizens of China to join the Mastermind's paradise!"

"And they also have the freedom to choose whether or not to join."

He practically squeezed out the last sentence through gritted teeth.

This time, before the assistant could speak, Qin Tieshan's voice rang out, cold and resolute.

"Every inch of our land is an inseparable part of the country and there is absolutely no possibility of it being ceded. As for the buying and selling of people, it is a serious crime under the law in China."

The old general leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes fixed on Long Yi.

"However, we can make a promise. If the mainframe agrees to our request, then in the future process of the integration of the two worlds, China will remain neutral and will never interfere in any conflicts that occur between the mainframe and other Blue Star regimes."

Upon hearing this, Long Yi felt as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, and couldn't help but sneer.

"Neutral? General Qin, forgive my bluntness, but your Huaguo thinks far too highly of itself."

He leaned back, his face displaying just the right amount of arrogance.

"Based on the intelligence we've gathered recently, the true hegemon on Earth is the Eagle Nation. And as far as I know, your country and the Eagle Nation seem to be enemies, right?"

Long Yi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, making a clicking sound.

"Unfortunately, while you are negotiating with me, another member of our team is also having friendly exchanges with high-ranking officials of the United States. If China insists on these arrogant conditions, then I think there's nothing more for us to discuss."

He stopped tapping his fingers, leaned forward, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I just don't know if your China can withstand an attack from two directions once our mutant army cooperates with the Eagle Nation's aircraft carrier fleet!"

The blatant threat froze the air in the reception room.

The two staff assistants' breathing became rapid involuntarily, and their hands unconsciously clenched slightly.

However, Qin Tieshan remained as steady as Mount Tai, without even the slightest extra emotion on his face.

Seeing his unyielding attitude, Long was about to press him again.

Suddenly, Qin Tieshan's cold voice rang out again.

"Are you... trying to see if China really has the capability?"

Long Yi was taken aback.

Before he could even understand the meaning of those words, Qin Tieshan had already slowly stood up from his seat.

The old general was not particularly tall, but when he stood up, he exuded a mountain-like sense of oppression.

He looked down at Long Yi, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Perfect timing. I'd also like to see whether you, a federal citizen who claims to retain human consciousness, are a genuine human individual or a... special mutant controlled by the mainframe."

"What do you mean by this?" A strong sense of unease suddenly rose in Long Yi's heart.

Qin Tieshan did not answer him, but only glanced at his assistant beside him.

The assistant understood and immediately started typing away on the computer.

Soon after, a tremendous roar, as loud as if splitting clouds and shattering rocks, suddenly rang out from the sky!

Wang Hu's mind stirred slightly. If he wasn't mistaken, it must have been the sonic boom of a fighter jet suddenly accelerating and breaking the sound barrier.

Long Yi and Feng Yi's bodies jolted violently.

Immediately afterwards, about two or three seconds later.

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the direction they had come from, in the town controlled by the android!

The terrifying shockwave even traveled a great distance, causing this sturdy building to shake violently!

Long Yi's pupils dilated instantly. He felt his consciousness spinning, as if something of vital importance had been forcibly pulled out of his body.

The next moment, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Feng Yi, who was beside him, had almost the same reaction.

But before her consciousness completely plunged into darkness, a cold, alarm-level warning suddenly exploded deep within her mind.

[Warning! The regional mastermind has suffered a devastating blow! They have located us!]

[The damage to the mainframe of Brain XVI has exceeded 60%... Data link interrupted...]