Killing the Donkey After It Has Ground the Grain

Shen City, Mayor's Office (City Hall)

"Ring ring, ring ring..."

"Hello, what? Okay, I'm coming right now! You guys take good care of them over there!"

Mayor Shen City hung up the phone, grabbed the clothes draped over the armrest of his seat, and rushed out of his office.

The city government clerks only saw a blur before a figure passed right through them.

"Is that the mayor? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I don't know, it's probably happened again."

"Ugh, when will this overtime ever end?!"

None of these discussions affected the mayor, who was currently heading towards the city gate.

When he arrived at the city gate, the entire army had already reached the open space in front of the city wall.

The city gates, which were once tightly closed, are now wide open, and the city defense team's superiors stand respectfully beside an officer.

Upon seeing this, the mayor immediately stepped forward, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"Good morning, sir. I am Xie Bin, the current mayor of Shen City."

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and the officer didn't try to intimidate him with words, so he nodded politely.

"Mayor Xie, I've long admired your name."

"You probably already know that our army is here for resupply, so let's get straight to the point."

The officer paused, his tone was gentle and his attitude was not bad, but the meaning behind his words made the mayor turn pale.

"Yinling Valley is less than 50 kilometers away from Shen City. If they launch an attack, Shen City will be the first to bear the brunt."

"But precisely because of this, Shen City will also be the best supply depot."

"Therefore, our army hopes that the Shen City government will bear the cost of supplies for this campaign against the rebellious Yinling Sect faction."

The mayor forced a smile.

He glanced discreetly outside the city; it was densely packed with cavalry.

According to the advance report from the city defense soldiers, this army was the Jade Swallow Continent Fifth Army.

If the entire army is mobilized, then based on his understanding of the Jade Swallow Continent army, there are at least 50,000 cavalrymen outside.

With 50,000 people, they would need approximately 50 tons of grain per day.

Warhorses consume almost six times the amount of food as soldiers; conservatively estimating one horse per person, that's three hundred tons.

Three hundred and fifty tons of grain a day is nothing for a city with developed agriculture.

But for a port city like Shen City, the pressure is immense.

But that's not what frightens the mayor.

What truly terrified him was that the Yinling Sect had been labeled a traitorous force.

As is widely known, one of the elders of the Yinling Sect is surnamed Xie, and he himself also has the surname Xie.

In a moment of panic, the mayor unexpectedly met the gaze of the military officer in front of him.

The instant their eyes met, Xie Bin knew that the military, or rather the Human Race high command, was forcing him to make a choice.

The sect's reputation, status, and life were forcibly placed at opposite ends of the spectrum.

He had a premonition long ago that this day would come.

He thought he would be conflicted and sad, but he wasn't.

Xie Bin's mood strangely calmed down.

The mayor and the military officer stared at each other, and then the mayor heard his own voice.

"Of course, contributing to the suppression of the rebel tribe is the duty of Human Race."

Shisui passed through the Wormhole constructed with Radiant Feathers Anchor. The faint moonlight dissipated, replaced by bright lights.

Because he was in Alternate Space, Shisui was able to float openly in the base and observe the situation there.

The area is covered with silver-gray metal walls, and each building is protected by a faintly glowing Psychic Energy Shield.

The sheer scale of this base, judging solely from the Psychic Energy it consumes, is already unimaginable.

Moreover, hollowing out a mountain to build a base requires considerable technological expertise.

With this in mind, Shisui became more cautious in his exploration of the base.

However, there was no fear in his eyes.

Just as Shisui was about to randomly enter a research room based on the magnitude of the Psychic Energy fluctuations...

"Why did the minister suddenly call us together?"

"Of course, we're discussing how to intervene in that punitive expedition outside!"

"What? Does the minister have relatives in the Yinling Sect?"

"No, no! I already told you I was going to read through 'The History of the Development of Protective Spirit Artifacts'!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go back to school. Now, tell me why the minister wants to get involved."

"Our latest type of protective shield is based on the prototype that the Yinling Sect first researched."

"Holy shit!"

These researchers' words immediately piqued Shisui's interest.

With a gentle flap of his wings, he appeared behind the two, and then followed them into the minister's research room of the Psychic Energy Shield Research Department.

Although it's called a research lab, it is indeed a two-story building.

There are full-time researchers here, and there's no need for rent or utilities; experimental materials are also readily available.

It's fair to say that the good compensation is the main reason these researchers are willing to stay here.

A moment later, the minister, who was sitting in the lobby on the first floor, looked around and, seeing that everyone had arrived, spoke.

"The reason we have gathered everyone here is because a war is currently underway to quell a rebellious force."

"And the target of their attack is none other than the Yinling Sect."

As soon as he finished speaking, the researchers present were all visibly excited.

"Wow, isn't this a golden opportunity for us to seize the other research findings of the Yinling Sect?!"

"Very good!"

"When we previously collaborated on projects with them, they always tried to hide things from us. Now we can openly access their database."

"Quiet! Quiet!"

The minister stopped the researchers from talking at once and continued.

"Don't be too happy yet. They're here to carry out an encirclement and suppression operation, which means many Yinling Sect researchers will also be killed."

"Now, I propose that we submit a joint petition to save these people's lives."

After the minister finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the hall.

Then, an older researcher spoke up.

"I understand the minister's considerations, but these people have committed treason, and neither morally nor logically should they be spared."

A hint of scrutiny flickered in the researcher's eyes.

The minister naturally understood the other party's meaning: traitors should be executed, a view almost universally accepted by the Human Race.

"Don't worry, I only said I'd spare their lives, not that I'd invite them here to enjoy life."

"Minister, what do you mean?"

Do you know Bound Captive?

The minister abruptly changed the subject, but the researchers present quickly understood why he had brought up Bound Captive.

"I see, Minister, you truly are worthy of the title!"

Shisui listened from the corner of the hall and understood what was going on.

What a convenient way to discard someone after they've served their purpose!

If he remembers correctly, the City Hall's archives contain a record of this old story.

At present, the Human Race's Psychic Energy Shields are basically derived from a certain template.

Add to that the memories of the mayor of Shen City —the inventor of this template was none other than a genius from the Yinling Sect's ancestors.

Shisui could easily deduce the deal between the Yinling Sect and the Human Race high command.

It was that genius who sold this template to the Human Race high command at a low price, which led to the Psychic Energy Shields that covered the base.