Chapter 359: This Kid Has Two Faces

Meanwhile.

Above the east city wall of Jiangning City.

Hou Changfeng patted his wrinkled belly and suddenly said to Li Gang beside him.

"Let's go down and take a look too."

Li Gang's expression froze.

"Governor, why are we going down?"

Hou Changfeng glanced at him and retorted unhappily.

"What do you mean why?"

"Naturally, to go over and have a proper chat with that fellow Gandalf to understand the situation."

He narrowed his eyes, which were squeezed into mere slits by his fat.

"Don't you want to know how he suddenly appeared in our Jiangning City as if by magic?"

Hearing this, Li Gang's expression became somewhat hesitant.

He rubbed his hands together, as if organizing his words.

"Well… Governor, when you go to talk to Gandalf later, you'd better… you'd better mentally prepare yourself."

Hou Changfeng's chubby eyebrows twitched upward.

"What psychological preparation?"

Li Gang took a deep breath, seemingly having made up his mind.

"Gandalf went to the Imperial Capital these past few months, and I don't know what he went through."

"Why do I feel like he's now… now a bit full of himself…"

When he had just received the news that Jiangning City's defense line was in critical danger, Li Gang had wanted to rely on the little bit of sentiment established during the National Examination to ask Gandalf to come over and provide reinforcement.

And the result?

Gandalf didn't show any courtesy at all.

It was as if he didn't know him at all.

He didn't even deign to give him a straight look.

That attitude was simply arrogant to the core.

Li Gang had originally thought Gandalf was dead set against reinforcing Jiangning City.

Yet never had he expected that he actually came.

This point truly surprised Li Gang somewhat, and made him feel increasingly that this young man was unfathomable.

"Full of himself?"

Hou Changfeng repeated half-incredulously.

His impression of Gandalf still remained with the young man during the National Examination who, although powerful, was still relatively modest.

"How long has it even been? How full of himself could he get?"

"Alright, stop dawdling and come down with me."

With that, this corporeal-sized governor unexpectedly displayed an agility completely unbefitting his body shape.

He bent his legs slightly, his entire body acting like a meat bullet, leaping down from the hundreds-of-meters-high city wall.

With a muffled boom, he smashed a shallow pit under the city wall, yet landed steadily.

Li Gang's eye twitched at the sight, feeling helpless in his heart, and he could only follow closely behind.

Soon, the two arrived before Gandalf.

Regarding the arrival of these two, Zhou Huai did not show the slightest surprise.

He controlled Gandalf, bowing slightly toward the two and politely greeting them.

"Greetings, Governor, Lord Li Gang."

The attitude was humble and courteous, without a single flaw to pick on.

This title of "Lord Li Gang" directly left Li Gang dumbfounded.

A surge of indescribable awkwardness and annoyance instantly welled up in his heart.

Good grief.

You kid really have two faces.

Now you know to call me Lord Li Gang?

Back in Donghai City, that high-and-mighty look of yours, what you said clearly was "Stupid humans"!

Hou Changfeng responded just as politely, his face beaming with a warm smile.

"Gandalf, thank you for reinforcing Jiangning City in time. On behalf of the millions of people in Jiangning City, I, Hou Changfeng, am endlessly grateful!"

Zhou Huai controlled Gandalf, responding courteously.

He stated that since he was originally a person from Dongning Province, reinforcing his hometown was naturally his bounden duty.

The two exchanged pleasantries back and forth.

Only then did Hou Changfeng seem to suddenly recall something, asking half-jokingly and half-seriously:

"Gandalf, weren't you studying in the Imperial Capital all this time?"

"How is it that this time you suddenly appeared in our Dongning Province and happened to catch the beast tide in Donghai City?"

He patted his big belly and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"As the governor of Dongning Province, I didn't know a single piece of news about your whereabouts. Speaking of which, I really am somewhat derelict in my duties."

Although his words were polite, those narrowed eyes revealed a sharp scrutiny.

Zhou Huai naturally understood that the other party's words carried hidden meanings.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this long ago and had prepared his rhetoric in advance.

His expression unchanged, he said half-truthfully and half-falsely: "To be honest with you, Governor, my appearance in Donghai City this time was purely a coincidence."

"As for why I appeared in Donghai City, it pertains to a secret mission personally entrusted to me by Marshal Zhao."

"Forgive me, I cannot comment."

Zhou Huai bowed slightly, his tone still humble.

"If the Governor really wants to know, you can personally submit an application to the Central Military Department and report it to Marshal Zhao."

"I believe the old gentleman can give you an answer."

As soon as these words were spoken, the air instantly fell silent.

The smile on Hou Changfeng's face stiffened slightly.

He hadn't expected that the other party would so cleanly and neatly bring out Marshal Zhao Qingcang as a towering mountain.

This instantly blocked the massive amount of probing rhetoric he had prepared beforehand right in his throat.

Are you kidding me?

Verify it with Marshal Zhao?

He, Hou Changfeng, didn't have that kind of courage.

Leaving aside the fact that he didn't even have a direct channel to contact Marshal Zhao.

Even if he had, he wouldn't dare to ask.

What if this truly was a secret mission personally issued by Marshal Zhao, and he went poking around so rashly? Wouldn't that be blatantly questioning the Marshal's decision?

By then, let alone finding anything out,

he feared his official cap would shake three times first.

Hou Changfeng cursed Gandalf to high heaven in his heart.

This kid, looking young, was as slippery as an eel.

A single sentence completely blocked all paths.

No matter how unhappy Hou Changfeng felt inside, he could only swallow this breath back hard.

The muscles on his face twitched twice, and finally, he squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"So it was Marshal Zhao's order, then… then it's nothing."

He gave two dry laughs, attempting to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"Since it's the Marshal's secret mission, it naturally has the highest level of confidentiality. I won't ask, I won't ask anymore."

Zhou Huai controlled Gandalf and bowed slightly once more.

"Thank you for your understanding, Governor."

Hou Changfeng waved his hand, the smile on his face turning warm again.

"Gandalf, Jiangning City being able to hold out this time is thanks to your contribution!"

"After the battle ends, I will definitely personally report your merits to the Military Department!"

Zhou Huai maintained that unyielding yet polite demeanor, declining courteously.

"You flatter me, Governor. Defending our homeland is everyone's responsibility."

After the three exchanged a few more pleasantries,

Hou Changfeng no longer lingered.

After all, the beast tide outside the city had not completely ended, and it was still waiting for him to return and preside over the overall situation.

Ye Xi had also calmed her mood by now.

She walked up to Gandalf, looked at the face that bore a few similarities to Brother Zhou Huai, and asked worriedly.

"I heard that Donghai City is the core of the beast tide. Is everything okay there now?"

Zhou Huai smiled and said softly: "Rest assured, Donghai City has successfully held out. Everything is fine."

Only then did Ye Xi let out a long sigh of relief.

On that pretty face stained with a bit of dust, a bright smile finally appeared.

"Brother Zhou Huai, wait for me in Donghai City, I'll go busy myself first. When the beast tide is over, I'll come back to see you right away!"

In Ye Xi's eyes,

although Gandalf was very handsome, and the Soul and consciousness inside were those of Brother Zhou Huai,

he was ultimately not Brother Zhou Huai himself, and a gap was inevitably present in her heart.

Therefore, no matter how excited she was, she did not make any intimate gestures like stepping forward to hug him.

Zhou Huai nodded,

saying nothing more.

The two parted ways reluctantly.

Ye Xi turned around and continued to throw herself into the work of treating wounded soldiers.

Meanwhile, Zhou Huai had to control Caesar to quell this damn beast tide as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Capital Command Center.

A huge holographic sand table occupied the center of the command center, and the red light spots representing exotic beasts upon it, like prairie wildfire, almost covered the entire territory of Dongning Province.

Around it, over a hundred staff officers in various military uniforms hurried about. The sound of typing keyboards intertwined with shouts of various commands, and the air was filled with tension and solemnity.

"What do you mean by high pressure? I don't want to hear explanations!"

A chief commander with three stars on his shoulders and graying temples was gripping an encrypted communicator and roaring frantically at the person inside.

"The Sichuan Capital Military Region advanced more than thirty miles in a day and a night, and you haven't advanced even three miles?"

"Tell the frontline, at all costs, you must carve out a bloody path through the beast tide to reinforce Jiangning City!"

"Two Hell-tier beasts have appeared in Jiangning City now! Any later, and Jiangning City won't fucking hold out!"

Just at this moment, a communicator turned pale with fright and quickly ran over holding another communicator.

He said with a trembling voice: "Report, General! It's… news from Jiangning City!"

The chief commander's heart skipped a beat.

News coming from Jiangning City at this time was most likely not good news.

Could it be… the city had fallen?

He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the unease in his heart, and snatched the communicator.

A moment later,

this battle-hardened Old General involuntarily widened his eyes, his bloodshot eyeballs filled with incredulity.

"What did you say?"

His voice suddenly rose by an octave, instantly overpowering all the hustle and bustle inside the command center.

"The Abyssal Insect Mother at the west gate suddenly turned on them and killed a large number of exotic beasts?"

"And killed the Nether Tyrant Tiger?!"

"Wait… say that again, you fucking bastard?!"

"Who appeared in Jiangning City???"