Chang Haojie increasingly felt useless, a feeling that hadn't just appeared but had been present for some time. Six months ago, at sea, he had felt like a complete burden, knocked unconscious by a giant wave from a killer whale. It was only with Gong Changfa's help that his blood clot was cleared and he woke up. During the battle with the sea beasts, he hadn't been able to help at all.
Later, during the transport of Shen Feng's body back to Yuzhou, they were attacked, resulting in Shen Feng's body being thrown into the Yangtze River and never recovered. This mission had also failed.
After these two incidents, Chang Haojie heard many people in Yuzhou commenting on him. Many believed Chang Haojie could not become an excellent successor, incapable of doing anything. When encountering danger, he would fly into the sky and then just stare helplessly, completely useless!
After hearing others' evaluations of himself, Chang Haojie resolved to become a strong person in the eyes of others, to receive positive feedback, and thus prove his worth. He began to train, even reducing his visits to the orphanage.
However, ideals are something everyone can have, but not everyone can achieve. When Chang Haojie went out of the city, he was ambushed and captured. He then watched as the attacker transformed into his likeness and swaggered away. At this moment, Chang Haojie finally understood that he had made a mistake again!
These three instances of doing nothing led to Chang Haojie's inferiority complex. The more inferior he felt, the more he wanted to prove himself, to prove he wasn't a burden and that he could complete many tasks. Thus, under these circumstances, Chang Haojie proposed the requirement for evolution.
"I want to prove I'm not useless, that I can help!" Chang Haojie thought frantically in his heart.
Soon, ten jellies were brought before Chang Haojie. Without hesitation, he consumed them and immediately entered a state of evolution. His broken bones rapidly healed, his wounds quickly scabbed over and fell off, and he fell into a deep sleep. In his dreams, Chang Haojie found himself dominating battles, becoming an existence others looked up to.
Chang Jianyi found a conference room and had everyone sit down to discuss how the battle should proceed tomorrow.
"The people from the Heavenly Dragon Bureau have given me too little time, leaving no opportunity to set up the battlefield. There are no suitable locations within the city for combat, and I'm unsure what tactics to employ even if we fight. Everyone, please share your thoughts on how we can win tomorrow's battle!" Chang Jianyi asked directly.
Upon hearing this question, Wang Ao Ye pointed to two ability users beside him, Shi Wei Tian and Hu Xue Li, saying, "I've brought the most combat-suitable ability users under my command. Don't worry. Hu Xue Li's ability is hypnosis, which can directly hypnotize a large group of ability users. She is now a fourth-tier ability user. All ability users below the fourth tier will be hypnotized. I don't believe the Heavenly Dragon Bureau has enough resources to cultivate all their ability users to above the fourth tier!"
"That's right, I think the Deputy City Lord is being too cautious. Not to mention anything else, I, Mu Ying, and Li Xian Kang, the three of us are fifth-tier ability users. How many fifth-tier ability users are there in the entire world? The Heavenly Dragon Bureau may have brought twenty-two people, but not many of them might be capable of fighting!" Li Xian Kang was also very optimistic at this moment, feeling that this battle would be without problems.
The status of ability users was indeed enviable and hateful, as everyone was one in ten thousand. Ordinary people could only dream of becoming ability users!
However, only ability users knew that there were distinctions between strong and weak among them. Powerful abilities inherently had an advantage over weaker abilities. Some weaker ability users couldn't even defeat evolved individuals, while some strange abilities might not be very effective in combat but could have miraculous effects in other aspects, such as scouting enemy intelligence or concealing oneself.
Chang Jianyi was not as optimistic as these people. The enemy was prepared. Judging by the number of ability users, they could not be underestimated. Underestimating them might bring about their own destruction. She insisted, "Then let's first discuss a battlefield. Battles between ability users have a vast impact! We must find a suitable battlefield, preferably an open area, and it's not easy to find such a place within Yuzhou City right now!"
Everyone thought about it and agreed. The choice of battlefield could not be hasty. If they fought in a residential area, once the fighting started, civilians would inevitably suffer heavy casualties, and Yuzhou might be severely damaged. If the enemy massacred civilians while retreating, that would not be a good option either.
The crowd fell into thought, looking at the map of Yuzhou, searching for a suitable combat location. It was certain that once the wedding began, the battle would also commence, so the chosen wedding venue must also be in line with the wedding atmosphere.
If the wedding were held in a park, the location would be open, but problems would also arise. Holding a wedding in a park seemed inappropriate, and it would be easier for the enemy to escape, making it difficult to guarantee capturing enough hostages.
While everyone was hesitant, Du Xinshi spoke up. She suggested, "Why not hold it in the Fengshen Palace? Here, surrounded by city walls, it's like a small city. Moreover, there is ample space here, and we can set up ambushes during the battle. Isn't that great?"
Upon hearing Du Xinshi's words, Chang Jianyi nodded quickly. She had also fallen into a misconception and couldn't think clearly for a moment, forgetting that the place beneath her feet was a suitable battleground.
"That's right, fighting here is good, but it's a pity for the architecture here. It would be too regrettable if it were easily destroyed!" Chu Chaoyan felt it was a pity. After all, she had lived here for a year and had some feelings for it. If they fought here, the beautiful buildings and the scenery in the garden would likely be temporarily lost!
"There's no need to regret it. If the buildings are damaged, they can be rebuilt. If Yuzhou is lost, then truly nothing will be left. Sister Du's suggestion is excellent. The battlefield will be set in Fengshen Palace. I'll have someone notify the Heavenly Dragon Bureau later to attend on time." Chang Jianyi was decisive. Compared to the vast Yuzhou City, a palace was a small matter. As long as Yuzhou was not lost, the palace could be rebuilt. But if Yuzhou City were taken, then truly nothing would be left.
Du Xinshi couldn't think of such a brilliant idea. In fact, it was something Shen Feng had told her after she sent him a message.
Chang Jianyi continued, "Furthermore, I suspect someone within the Heavenly Dragon Bureau can arbitrarily change others' appearances. To distinguish friend from foe, we must make markings. How about this: everyone wears a white flower on their chest and ties a red cloth strip on their wrist. With these two proofs, we can differentiate friend from foe!"
Chang Jianyi had already learned crucial information about the enemy from her brother. One piece of information was that among the enemy ability users, there were those who could shapeshift, and they could even change others' appearances. From the outside, there would be no discernible difference. Compared to disguise techniques, this was far more advanced. Moreover, this ability could change a person's height and weight. This person's ability was simply tailor-made for espionage!
"Wearing white flowers during the wedding is a bit inauspicious, isn't it?" Wang Ao Ye asked, half-jokingly.
Chang Jianyi calmly replied, "I don't care about auspiciousness anymore. I just want to kill. My wedding ended hastily one night two years ago!"
Even now, Chang Jianyi could recall the wedding scene. At that time, she sat uneasily on the bed, wearing casual clothes, with no grand decorations, no blessings from friends and family, and no lively banquets. All there was was an ordinary hotel bed and the red veil on her head.
Shen Feng lifted the veil, and the wedding ended. Thinking back now, the wedding was like a child's play, ending with just lifting the veil. There wasn't even an officiant, no witnesses. However, that was Chang Jianyi's most unforgettable night.
Du Xinshi spoke up again, quickly saying, "Right, Deputy City Lord, yesterday I had Lu Kaiyang lead troops to surround the manor where the Heavenly Dragon Bureau is staying, prohibiting their entry and exit. Please forgive my unauthorized actions!"
Hearing Du Xinshi say this, Chang Jianyi couldn't help but feel a little angry. Although she had told Du Xinshi to disguise her traces in Fengshen Palace before leaving Yuzhou, Du Xinshi's repeated false orders were too much. It was one thing to do it once or twice, but not three or four times.
However, Du Xinshi's cousin, Mu Ying, was sitting nearby. Mu Ying had come with her people because of her cousin. It was inappropriate to criticize her in front of Mu Ying, so she could only smile and reply, "It's fine, let them be surrounded. I have many opinions about them anyway!"
Chang Jianyi could already control her emotions, not showing her anger even when she was extremely furious. Du Xinshi also breathed a sigh of relief, as long as she was forgiven.
But in reality, these orders were given by Shen Feng to Du Xinshi, and Du Xinshi could not yet expose Shen Feng's whereabouts, so she could only admit that she did it herself. Fortunately, she was not punished.
Additionally, Du Xinshi had also learned from the information that her son had been rescued and was currently resting outside the city, with someone specifically taking care of him.
But upon learning of her son's news, Du Xinshi became even happier. As long as her son was safe, everything else was negotiable.
As night fell, Chang Jianyi quietly went to the prison. Two important individuals were still imprisoned there: Guo Pinming and Cao Fuli. Both were arrested for storming Fengshen Palace, but before their capture, they had consistently denied doing so.
"Mr. Guo, Cao Fuli, you have suffered!" Chang Jianyi brought the two to the interrogation room and then said.
Guo Pinming quickly pledged his loyalty, saying earnestly, "Deputy City Lord, I truly did not force my way into Fengshen Palace. I have never betrayed Yuzhou!"
"Me too!" Cao Fuli quickly added.
Chang Jianyi quickly said, "I know you two feel wronged. In fact, this matter has now been clarified. The Heavenly Dragon Bureau has ability users with the power to change appearances. So they impersonated you two to storm Fengshen Palace and frame you! I haven't troubled your families; they have been taken care of, and you will see them when you are released!"
Upon receiving Chang Jianyi's reply, Guo Pinming and Cao Fuli finally breathed a sigh of relief. When they were framed before, they thought their grievances could never be washed clean. But now, the Deputy City Lord was proactively explaining the matter, which meant she understood them clearly!
"Then when can we get out? I miss my daughter very much!" Guo Pinming said quickly.
Cao Fuli added, "I also miss my wife!"
"You will be released tomorrow. Please endure one more night. When tomorrow comes, the battle will truly begin. As long as we can capture a few hostages, we can exchange them for Xiao Long and Xiao Hu. At that time, I hope you two will fight hard!" Chang Jianyi said earnestly.
"Don't worry, against these despicable and shameless enemies, I will fight to the last moment!" Guo Pinming said seriously. He was straightforward and spoke his mind without any hesitation.
Cao Fuli also quickly said, "Me too!"
The conversation between the three took place in the prison, and almost no one could know its content. However, at this moment, a shadow flashed by, and then, at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, it moved away from the prison.
Shen Feng had intended to contact Guo Pinming and Cao Fuli, two combat forces, under the cover of night. However, when he arrived there, he discovered that Chang Jianyi had already thought of this. Therefore, he no longer needed to explain everything to the two in prison.