Qin Shilei glanced at Wen Zhiyuan and turned to walk towards the City Lord's Mansion.
Faint voices of Zhenwu Association members continuously persuading their president could still be heard from behind.
That evening, Wen Zhiyuan came to the City Lord's Mansion alone.
Qin Shilei slowly sipped his tea, casually asking, "President Wen, coming to the City Lord's Mansion so late, what is it about?"
Wen Zhiyuan replied with some hesitation, "Actually, I'm here to discuss the bet with City Lord An."
"What?" Qin Shilei asked with a half-smile, "You think you've won and have come to demand we hand over the position of City Lord?"
"I dare not," Wen Zhiyuan quickly replied. "The City Lord is wise and mighty, leading an army of two hundred thousand to conquer hundreds of thousands of bugs without a single casualty. This is a complete victory! I have lost this bet wholeheartedly. I've come tonight to fulfill my promise."
Qin Shilei smiled, "President Wen, you are the esteemed President of the Zhenwu Association, the leader of over a hundred thousand people. Are you truly willing to become a mere soldier under my wife?"
Wen Zhiyuan stated righteously, "A true man keeps his word. Since I lost, I will naturally become a soldier under City Lord An."
Jin Qiaoqiao, who was nearby, suddenly interjected, "Mr. Qin, are you saying President Wen will become a soldier under Sister An, not that he will bring the entire Zhenwu Association to join our City Lord's Mansion? Is that the meaning?"
"Heh heh," Qin Shilei laughed heartily. "Qiaoqiao, you are absolutely right. When we made the bet, we only gambled with President Wen personally. How could we possibly expect to take in the entire Zhenwu Association?"
Wen Zhiyuan's expression changed again upon hearing this. Becoming a soldier under An Qian personally was entirely different from bringing the entire Zhenwu Association to join the City Lord's Mansion.
Because the City Guard had so easily eliminated a massive number of bugs today, most members of the Zhenwu Association felt they should use the bet as an excuse to join the City Lord's Mansion. Following the sentiments expressed by the members, even if Wen Zhiyuan strongly opposed it, they would likely disband the association and find another way to join the City Lord's Mansion.
To prevent the Zhenwu Association from disintegrating, Wen Zhiyuan bowed his head and came to concede, hoping to bring the entire Zhenwu Association to join the City Lord's Mansion. By having the Zhenwu Association join as a whole, Wen Zhiyuan would still be second only to one person. If he joined the City Lord's Mansion alone, his standing would be too low, and he would likely only be a minor soldier.
An Qian rolled her eyes at Qin Shilei and then said to Wen Zhiyuan, "If President Wen is truly willing to join the City Lord's Mansion, you can naturally bring your entire Zhenwu Association. However, I will then select the elites to form various legions, and you will temporarily lead one of them."
Wen Zhiyuan had anticipated that An Qian might reorganize the Zhenwu Association, so he did not raise any objections at this moment. He said sincerely, "It shall be so. I will certainly help City Lord lead this legion well."
An Qian smiled and said, "Zhiyuan, you may not be the City Lord of Bei'an City, but perhaps in the near future, you will become the lord of another city. Keep up the good work!"
Wen Zhiyuan's eyes lit up. After reaffirming his loyalty, he took his leave.
After Wen Zhiyuan left, Qin Shilei sent for Zhang Qiang and Xie Haimei. He took out the Elven Bow and handed it over. "Xie Haimei, this is for you. It's a reward for all your efforts for Hope City during this period."
Xie Haimei's gaze was instantly captured by the exquisite Elven Bow. She joyfully accepted it, "Thank you, City Lord, for this generous gift!"
An Qian added, "Brother Zhang, Sister Haimei, the Zhenwu Association will also join our City Lord's Mansion entirely. I plan to send you two to select elites from them to form the new City Guard, the First and Second Legions, and the Reserve Legion."
Zhang Qiang and Xie Haimei responded in unison, "We will strictly follow City Lord's Consort's orders and will not fail to live up to your expectations."
The group then gathered to discuss the specific matters of forming the new legions before each departed to their rooms to rest.
The next day.
Qin Shilei rode Xiao Qiang early in the morning towards the spatial rift west of Bei'an City.
"Master, there's a bug at the Golden realm over there."
Xiao Qiang suddenly turned and flew towards the upper right. Ahead and to their right, a Worm King was leading a group of its subordinates around.
Qin Shilei summoned Chi Huo and pointed downwards, "Let's test out your 'Mountain Crushing' skill."
"Understood, Master."
Chi Huo immediately transformed into a golden beam of light and rapidly descended towards the Golden realm Worm below.
*Boom!*
Like a passenger jet crashing, it produced a thunderous roar. A massive wave of energy spread outwards from where Chi Huo landed, scattering and tearing apart the surrounding bugs like a hurricane.
After a while, the dust slowly settled. Qin Shilei looked down. A pit thirty to forty meters wide and nearly ten meters deep appeared before them. Chi Huo stood in the center of the pit, looking around as if searching for something.
"Master, where did that delicious-looking bug go? I don't see it."
Qin Shilei landed next to Chi Huo and looked closely. A silver treasure chest lay quietly beside it. Beneath Chi Huo's feet, the soil was a reddish-brown, likely due to the mixed remains of the Worm King's body. This 'Mountain Crushing' skill was quite powerful. It not only created such a large pit but also obliterated a Golden Six-star Worm into a pulp.
"Chi Huo, let's go."
Qin Shilei flickered and returned to Xiao Qiang's back, continuing to search for another suitable bug king.
However, after searching for two hours, he couldn't find another Golden realm bug. Helpless, he had to pass through the spatial rift and enter the Bug Realm.
As soon as he entered the Bug Realm, he spotted a Golden Seven-star Claw Beast King leading its subordinates, preparing to pass through the spatial rift into Blue Star.
"Chi Huo, control this Claw Beast King and have it guard this spatial rift, preventing more bugs from invading Blue Star." Qin Shilei immediately ordered Chi Huo, who was beside him.
"Roar!"
With a roar from Chi Huo, the Claw Beast King immediately ran to Chi Huo's front and prostrated itself, assuming a posture of reverence to its master. Chi Huo proudly conveyed its master's commands, and the Claw Beast King continuously nodded in agreement.
"Master, it's done. Can I eat now?" After a while, Chi Huo turned and asked.
"Ask it again, are there any other Bug Emperors nearby?" Qin Shilei instructed again.
Chi Huo communicated with the Claw Beast King once more and then replied, "It says there used to be a Claw Beast Emperor here, but it mysteriously disappeared later. It's because they are searching for their Emperor that they are all heading towards Blue Star."
"Tell it that the spatial rift is too small, and their Emperor cannot go to Blue Star. It should still be in the Bug Realm. Make it guard here and absolutely prevent a single bug from invading Blue Star."
Qin Shilei finally understood why, after killing the Claw Beast Emperor, the number of invading bugs not only didn't decrease but increased. With this Seven-star Claw Beast King guarding this spatial rift, the bugs outside Bei'an City finally had a complete solution.