As Long as 33 Died, It Was Worth Celebrating

Chapter 823: As Long as 33 Died, It Was Worth Celebrating

Although Mingzhi had previously held supreme command authority, it had ultimately been only temporary authority granted by Hanako Arasaka while she was imprisoned.

At the time, he had been like a man in shackles—though he commanded the troops, he had been forced to deal with the Pheasant Faction's command personnel. Every decision had to be discussed with them under the watch of the Ninja Hundred, and he had even had to endure their questioning, open skepticism, and covert obstruction.

But now, everything was different.

The command authority personally bestowed by Hanako Arasaka was like an unsheathed demonic blade, Muramasa, radiating a chilling edge.

This power, personally granted by the mistress of the Pheasant Faction, had instantly transformed Mingzhi from a "temporary commander" into Hanako's true representative. Those Pheasant Faction personnel who had once been able to question and challenge him had now completely lost that right.

There would be no more opponents or doubters. Mingzhi now held the power of life and death—he could send these pawns to their deaths as he pleased.

Even if he ordered them to use their flesh and blood to confront Adam Smasher's steel body head-on, or to investigate Takemura Goro's whereabouts alone, they would not dare disobey. Refusing Mingzhi's orders meant openly betraying Hanako Arasaka's will.

And defying Hanako Arasaka's will? The Pheasant Faction had never possessed such a capability.

In the past, they had been tightly bound within the family's web of power, without even the slightest room to struggle. Now, even amid turmoil and factional infighting, they remained trapped beasts, locked beneath Hanako's shadow, with even breathing becoming a luxury.

From Arasaka Saburo's era to Hanako Arasaka's rise to power, the Pheasant Faction had always been like those domesticated birds—bright-feathered and