It had taken a full three days of planning.
A Jin and his four companions were finally ready. By now, the entire guard force, summoned by A Jin, numbered a full three thousand.
Today was a rare blizzard, severely reducing visibility and making the temperature even more frigid.
Before a warm bonfire, A Jin stood with his hands behind his back. "Everyone, I have some unfortunate news to announce!"
The guards stood at attention, their formation neat.
They couldn't help but feel curious about the impending announcement.
The Great Glacier was isolated, and life was incredibly dull every day. What significant event could possibly occur?
However, with the current scale of this gathering, it seemed... something big was about to happen!
A Jin's expression was one of deep sorrow. "Our great leader, the founder of the Great Glacier, the King of Northern Chefs, Mr. Zhang Wei, has unfortunately passed away!"
Exclamations erupted in unison!
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief!
They knew the news would be explosive, but they hadn't expected it to be this explosive!
Could a divine being like Zhang Wei actually die? A Jin continued, "As you all know, Zhang Wei was exploring the Gourmet World with Kurama, right? According to reliable intelligence, Kurama returned alone from the Gourmet World, and Zhang Wei has remained there forever!"
"Mr. Kurama announced this news a month ago and traveled to the Great Glacier to deliver the message. He has now returned to the Gourmet Journal headquarters with his assistants."
What?
Mr. Kurama had been here?
And he personally delivered the news of Zhang Wei's death?
A Jin vividly described the Gourmet World, the hundreds of terrifying beasts there, and the sheer danger, which he implied would make even deities tremble!
Every year, countless exceptionally talented individuals perished in the Gourmet World. Zhang Wei's fate was not unusual.
A Jin continued, "However, the insidious and arrogant Xi Feng chose to conceal the news of Mr. Zhang Wei's death and imprisoned all those who knew, intending to use his position of leadership to usurp Mr. Zhang Wei's legacy!"
What followed was a lengthy list of accusations.
These primarily included Xi Feng's lack of talent, his incompetent commands, his deliberate concealment of Zhang Wei's death, his malicious intentions, his tyranny over the Great Glacier, and the fact that the entire land had suffered under Xi Feng for too long...
A Jin spoke with spittle flying, feeling he was making a passionate and righteous speech.
But the people standing below were not fools. Besides the common folk elevated by Zhang Wei's First Taste, there were also those with more substantial wealth who could afford to cultivate Gourmet Cells and possessed basic education.
A Jin's display was clearly an attempt to incite these people to rebellion!
Or, in other words, a power grab!
Pre-arranged stooges immediately knelt, loudly swearing their allegiance.
They then began to indoctrinate those around them, saying, "Mr. A Jin is peerlessly strong; he can push back all the armed forces of the Gourmet Bank with one hand. This is our chance; we must seize it!"
Indeed.
Siding with A Jin at this moment was akin to betraying one's country in 1938—it was a surefire way to gain temporary prominence.
However, there were still many with a strong sense of loyalty, such as...
A child, nearly three meters tall, stepped out of the formation and loudly rebuked his companions, then said to A Jin with righteous indignation, "Mr. Zhang Wei took you in not for this purpose!"
"Xi Feng is Zhang Wei's appointed successor. No matter how much you say, you cannot change the fact that you are a traitor!"
A Jin frowned and asked those around him, "Who is he?"
"A strange country boy, remarkably talented, and highly valued by Zhang Wei. His name is Acacia, and he is the deputy captain of the Eighth Security Detail."
"Acacia..."
A Jin announced loudly, "Excellent! I commend your courage and integrity. I also believe such matters should be decided by the will of the people. Since that is the case, let us hold a vote!"
"Those who support Acacia and wish to remain under Xi Feng, stay where you are. Those who support my actions, stand behind me!"
This...
The vast crowd surged behind A Jin.
Among them, only a small fraction were A Jin and his close associates. The rest...
Were those who did not wish to die, or who feared retribution.
Some truly did not wish for internal conflict, but the situation was as it was: participate, or become an enemy.
Those who remained behind Acacia were not fools who failed to understand what was happening; they were romantics willing to sacrifice for their ideals. And finally, there were the staunch supporters of Xi Feng.
And all three types were people A Jin had no use for.
A Jin lost interest and casually instructed, "Xiao Yuan, he's all yours."
"Got it!"
Xiao Yuan, the weakest and youngest among the five, was also the one who handled the team's menial and dirty tasks.
"Five Elements Escape Technique: Mountain and Marsh Reversion!"
He clapped his hands on the ground, and invisible ripples melted the surface, turning it into a marsh. All the objectors were enveloped, and the meticulously built floor of the warm storage was instantly breached by mud and water!
"Second Stage: Stone Spikes Eruption!"
Within the mud, countless solid stone spikes suddenly appeared. Blood splattered throughout the warm storage, and the smell of gore made even those standing behind A Jin shudder!
However, many managed to dodge this attack. With such a wide area of effect, precise targeting was impossible!
But this single move eliminated over seventy percent of the objectors. The remaining ones wouldn't last long.
Xiao Yuan, expressionless, continued, "Reversion Secret Art: Stone Scatter Formation!"
A special technique for aerial targets!
It could launch a massive number of stone spikes, attacking airborne targets with incredible density!
This move wiped out another ninety percent of the remaining individuals!
Only a dozen or so survived these two attacks!
"Stone Armor: Assault Mode!"
Mud and sand attached themselves to Xiao Yuan, solidifying into a super cool combat suit, complete with pauldrons, chest plate, and an eagle-beak helmet...
With a flick of his hand, his cape billowed high!
Xiao Yuan leaped up and punched through two bodies with a single blow!
"Run!"
"Hurry and warn them!"
The remaining few desperately tried to resist.
Acacia lunged towards a corner of the warm storage, not daring to hesitate for a second.
Every second was bought with the lives of his comrades...
Xiao Yuan sneered, "Trying... futile!"
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen corpses fell.
Xiao Yuan appeared at the wall of the warm storage, smiling mockingly at the fleeing Acacia.
"Kid, you think you can go and tip them off?"
"Too bad, you'll never have the chance again!"
Saying this,
His fist, encased in its attached gauntlet, smashed violently into Acacia's face!
With Acacia's current strength, below level twenty-five, it was estimated he wouldn't even leave a millimeter-deep scratch.
*Splat!!!*
A scene that shocked everyone happened. Xiao Yuan howled and retreated violently, clutching his bleeding left arm as he backed away frantically.
Xiao Yuan's left arm was bare at the wrist, bone fragments and blood spurting out. The Stone Armor shattered like tofu...
*Boom!*
While everyone was stunned, Acacia punched through the wall of the warm storage and fled for his life!
"What... what just happened!"