Central Province, former Alliance Chief's residence.
The white mansion, built in a Western style, was surrounded by squads of patrolling guards.
Inside the central hall.
"Still no news from Xilin?"
A bald, mustachioed middle-aged man in a marshal's uniform sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, reading through document after document in his hands.
The adjutant standing beside him was handsome, with sharp eyes.
"Not yet. However, Seracla's army groups have already begun withdrawing from the front lines in large numbers. That indicates Xilin is putting pressure on them," the adjutant said gravely.
"Troubled times indeed." The bald man sighed. "Have Logistics Minister Zhang Xuanyi come see me. There is also a provincial representatives' meeting at four this afternoon. The military funding shortage must be resolved as soon as possible."
"Yes." The adjutant nodded.
With the official business settled, the bald man leaned back, half reclining on the sofa in a more comfortable position as he narrowed his eyes.
"By the way, has there been any movement from the demons lately?"
"According to our infiltrators, an expert suspected to be a high-ranking Shapeshifting Demon has appeared near Chen Youguang in Ning Province. It is hunting down other demons everywhere. The Demon Alliance has already sent people to deal with it," the adjutant answered in a low voice. "Marshal, these demons move in mysterious ways and have unpredictable tempers. Why must we cooperate with them?"
"Lin Xuan." The bald man shook his head and looked at his adjutant. "Demons may fear firearms and artillery just the same, but when it comes to assassination, they are the finest hands there are.
We do not employ assassination methods ourselves, but we must possess ways to guard against them. Having a blade and choosing not to use it is not