The air itself could feel the gunpowder smell

Jiangnan City is divided into a main urban area and eight satellite cities.

Luo Zhe's home in Jiangdu District belongs to Yangzhou City, one of the eight satellite cities. The other three major districts within Yangzhou City are Guangling District, Hanjiang District, and Yi'an District, which borders Jiangdu District.

The primary mode of transportation between the main urban area and the eight satellite cities is the train.

However, for an average person to take the train, they must book tickets three days in advance, and the fares are extremely expensive. As for traveling from one base city to another... the ticket prices are astronomical, completely unaffordable for ordinary people. Thus, the two hundred million citizens of Jiangnan City rarely have the opportunity to leave the confines of the base city in their entire lives.

Jiangnan Base City, main urban area.

On the express lane reserved exclusively for martial artists, Luo Zhe peered left and right like a curious child.

At his age, this was his first time leaving the Jiangdu District. He hadn't even visited the neighboring Yi'an District, let alone the main urban area, a place that had only existed in legends for him.

Tong Yang strode forward, but suddenly noticing that Luo Zhe, who had been following beside him, had fallen behind, he stopped to wait.

Once Luo Zhe caught up, he resumed his pace and asked with a smile, "Well, Luo Zhe, can you feel the difference between the main urban area and our Yangzhou City?"

Luo Zhe turned his head to look around again and shook his head, saying, "I don't really feel anything. It's just that there are more people, more cars, and the roads are wider. Everything else is just average."

In terms of a small scene, there really wasn't anything special.

Especially in a place like a train station, where the crowd is dense, it's nothing but a sea of heads. If not for the privileges of martial artists allowing them to use the express lane, who knows how long they would have had to struggle to fight their way out of the crushing masses.

Stepping out of the express lane, a military off-road vehicle with "HR" printed on its body had been waiting by the roadside for quite some time.

"Let's go, that's the transport vehicle from our Extreme Martial Arts Hall." Tong Yang gestured with his chin, signaling Luo Zhe to move forward.

Standing beside the off-road vehicle was an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in a neat gray Zhongshan suit. Upon seeing the two, he immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Kid Tong." The gray-haired elder slapped Tong Yang's shoulder heavily and said excitedly, "It's been a long time since you've returned to the main urban area. If your old man knew, he'd certainly be overjoyed."

"Uncle Bai, you're joking again."

Tong Yang's reply was very flat, so flat that Luo Zhe could clearly sense the coldness he used to keep people at a distance.

Luo Zhe's curious gaze darted back and forth between the two, lingering on Tong Yang for a long time. From the subtle expressions just now, he vaguely sensed that Tong Yang felt some... dissatisfaction toward this Uncle Bai, or perhaps toward the "old man" the elder had mentioned.

The gray-haired elder also knew that Tong Yang disliked others bringing up that person in front of him, so he shifted his gaze to the curious boy beside him. "Oh? And who is this handsome young man?"

Luo Zhe's situation was of great importance, so Zhuge Tao hadn't leaked a single word. In the arrangements, he had only mentioned that the gray-haired elder should come to receive them.

"Hello, Uncle Bai, I'm Luo Zhe." Luo Zhe scratched his head in embarrassment.

No one had ever called him a handsome young man since he was a child; this was the first time, and it made him feel quite shy.

"Let's go, don't keep the supervisor waiting."

Tong Yang seemed to be in a hurry, or perhaps he didn't intend for Luo Zhe to have much contact with this Uncle Bai. He knew exactly how close this Uncle Bai was to that old fossil in his family.

If he didn't know that Zhuge Tao wouldn't easily leak Luo Zhe's information, and that the other party wouldn't dare to contact that old fossil behind Zhuge Tao's back, Tong Yang would likely have dragged Luo Zhe away the moment he saw the man.

The gray-haired elder's eyes flickered, as if he wanted to say something more, but Tong Yang didn't give him the chance.

He jerked his chin at Luo Zhe. "Get in!"

Facing the domineering Tong Yang, Luo Zhe had no thoughts of protesting and obediently opened the door to climb inside.

Just kidding—he could clearly see that these two were at odds. If he were to stir up trouble now, he would truly be courting death.

Tong Yang followed Luo Zhe into the car, and before the gray-haired elder could board, he slammed the door shut, clearly denying the man any chance to sit beside them and interact with Luo Zhe.

The gray-haired elder shrugged, spread his hands, and tilted his head—a triple gesture of speechlessness.

This brat Tong Yang was becoming increasingly rude!

Once the gray-haired elder was settled in the front passenger seat, the driver, without waiting for instructions, wisely started the off-road vehicle and headed toward the Extreme General Hall.

The journey was silent.

Luo Zhe watched the buildings receding in the rearview mirror. He clearly had many questions he wanted to ask, but sitting next to Tong Yang, he could feel the low pressure radiating from him. He didn't dare to make a peep, let alone strike up a conversation.

The gray-haired Uncle Bai in the front seemed like a talkative person, but Luo Zhe didn't dare to engage him either. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, and heaven knows if one wrong word would ignite the powder keg.

Therefore, throughout the journey, Luo Zhe wisely played the part of a transparent person.

With the dedicated vehicle from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, they had a green light all the way.

Before long, they could see a vast area in the distance. Beyond the silver-white perimeter walls stood a towering, deep-blue skyscraper. On the building were four large characters, clearly visible even from miles away—Extreme Martial Arts Hall!

The low-pressure Tong Yang had finally adjusted himself and turned to Luo Zhe:

"That up ahead is the Extreme General Hall! The headquarters of our Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan City. Well? Isn't it spectacular? Do you feel the difference between the main urban area and our Yangzhou City now?"

Luo Zhe nodded subconsciously.

Outside the walls of the Extreme General Hall, guards stood at every post with live ammunition. The entire complex felt like a monster armed to the teeth. The main gate of the Extreme General Hall was a full hundred meters wide, with rows of soldiers watching the surroundings.

So, this was the true strength of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall!

The Jiangdu District branch was nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to this!

How could the light of a firefly compete with the brilliance of the moon!

With this kind of grandeur, that martial arts hall starting with the character "Lei" nearby couldn't even compare! No wonder the Extreme Martial Arts Hall was the number one power in the world; it seemed that none of this was a coincidence!

Uncle Bai, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed Luo Zhe's gaze and stroked his gray beard, smiling:

"These are the guard forces within our Extreme Martial Arts Hall. We have the authority to establish our own security forces."

Luo Zhe looked around with great interest and asked, "Does the country allow such things? I remember the law prohibits the possession of private armed forces."

Tong Yang interjected from the side, "Normal private armed forces are naturally not allowed, but the situation with our Extreme Martial Arts Hall is different."

"Oh?"

Luo Zhe turned to look at Tong Yang, clearly very interested in these secrets, especially regarding the relationship between the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and the Five Great Nations.