The soul-guidance flying car, officially registered on the Federation Military's internal website, now traveled unhindered through Shrek Outer City. Most of this district, once jointly governed by Shrek, the Tang Sect, and the Spirit Pagoda, had now fallen under the Federation Military's control.
Military boots struck the ground, and checkpoints stood everywhere.
Xu Qingjia drove slowly onward, his gaze sweeping past the windows. The familiar patrols wearing the three organizations' uniforms had vanished, replaced by solemn Federation soldiers in the uniforms of various legions. Heavy soul tools had been deployed at key intersections, their cold metallic gleam silently proclaiming sovereignty.
"Shrek Academy..." An icy curve lifted the corner of Xu Qingjia's mouth.
He could almost picture Yun Ming's expression: utter frustration and barely suppressed fury. Openly surrounding them with troops and even deploying immensely powerful fixed soul cannon shells nearby was no mere pressure tactic. It was a resounding, humiliating slap delivered before the entire continent, striking Shrek's ten thousand years of glory squarely across the face.
The flying car circled briefly. He could clearly see several tightly guarded Federation checkpoints at one exit from Shrek's inner city. A few young students in Shrek uniforms had been stopped and were undergoing painstaking, even harsh questioning and inspections by noncommissioned officers, their faces filled with indignation and humiliation.
Shrek was now caught between a cliff and a chasm: it had no grounds to argue and no strength to resist. It could neither win with words nor prevail with fists.
The Federation's official justification was high-sounding and unassailable-"ensuring public safety." Shrek City had suffered a devastating attack, losing several of its own Titled Douluos, yet it could not even catch a glimpse of the culprit's tail. What was that if not incompetence? As for whether the Federation Military could handle that mysterious