Besides these three, many people involved in the Northern Chefs' Feast also appeared.
As the crowd gathered, Old Man Jun asked, "With this kind of destructive power, who among you can do it?"
Everyone fell silent, their gazes turning to the host of the grand event.
The host cleared his throat, "Well... back in my day..."
"Stop bragging, tell us the truth!"
"When you get old, you do get a bit tired."
Judging by the reactions of the crowd, this mysterious host was no ordinary person.
At least in terms of combat power, he was someone the people of the North relied upon!
Old Man Jun rolled his eyes, "What do you mean 'a bit tired'? I think there's a lot of hot air in your words!"
The host's old face flushed, and he retorted, "Nonsense! My strong punches aren't good at charging up, you know that! But every blow I land is powerful, and I excel at endurance!"
"Regardless, having such combat strength lurking around the feast makes it impossible to sleep or eat peacefully!"
"That's right, if they harbor ill intentions towards us..."
"We mustn't alert them, giving them a reason to act!"
"We old fellows, who knows how long we can protect the North."
...
The two days of rest passed quickly.
The competition continued!
This round was the themed competition, with the venue divided into eight zones, each accommodating four teams.
This arrangement meant this stage of the competition could be completed in just four days. Da Feng Novel.
The Great Iceberg was on the first day. Since it was a themed competition, Tang Zhihun had to compete alone, leaving Zhang Wei with plenty of leisure.
"Zone one theme: Cold..."
"Zone two theme: Tears..."
"Zone three theme: Desert..."
"Zone four theme: Warrior..."
"Zone five theme: Loneliness..."
...
In the preparation area, Chu Xiang walked over with a file.
"Vice Chairman, all teams have been assigned, minimizing internal conflicts. The fifteen controlling teams are all in different zones."
"Your draw was quite favorable."
"You flatter me, Vice Chairman, it was just a small trick."
Opening the file, the Vice Chairman said, "Today, four zones are participating: two, four, five, and eight?"
"Yes, I've already checked. There are no top experts."
...
"Zone eight theme: Spicy!"
"Participating teams: Century Treasure Association... Kuerle Winery... Desert Horse Gang... Eiffel Vineyard..."
Tang Zhihun took a deep breath and put down his leather-bound cookbook.
He changed into his competition attire, gathered his tools, and prepared to go on stage.
"Do you have confidence?"
Tang Zhihun glanced at Zhang Wei, took a deep breath, and said, "Originally, with my strength, reaching the second round would have been considered lucky, so where would confidence come from?"
"However..."
"If I don't give my all, how can I live up to that senior's expectations!"
"Today, win or lose, I... no, I *must* win!"
Tang Zhihun's eyes reopened, his demeanor entirely different from before!
His entire being blazed with an inexhaustible fighting spirit, his energy and spirit as sharp as a youth's, showing none of the signs of a middle-aged man!
"Head Chef, I believe in you. That senior would also cheer you on if they knew."
Zhang Wei praised him sincerely.
Not arrogant, not servile...
The skills he'd learned during this time could be fully utilized.
Even if he didn't win the championship, achieving a high ranking wouldn't be an issue.
Leaving the competition area, Zhang Wei went to find Mo Du.
"Brother, you're here!"
"Why do you look so surprised every time we meet? Is it that exaggerated?"
Mo Du pouted, "I'm just very happy!"
"How are the interrogations of those assassins going?"
Mo Du grinned and pulled out a pile of portrait paintings from her embrace.
They were oil paintings, very realistic, with confessions written below.
"Why are there so many people?"
"Don't underestimate me. At level 22, I'm not what I used to be. I can catch a whole bunch of assassins and spies with ease!"
"Are you satisfied with just level 22?"
Mo Du was silent for a moment, then broke into a smile, "Originally, level 22 was a level I thought I'd never reach, and I was already very happy... But I know that this alone is not enough to help you!"
"So..."
"I'm not satisfied!"
Seeing Zhang Wei's smiling face, Mo Du looked embarrassed, "Am I being a bit too greedy?"
"A little."
Mo Du looked a bit flustered.
Zhang Wei chuckled, "Having desires is what gives you motivation. Greed is a good thing. How can people who have no needs possibly progress? Alright, tell me about the assassins."
"Assassins? Oh, right."
Mo Du held the file and began to explain each person.
Strictly speaking, these people were not assassins, but intelligence operatives.
They used methods like stealth, theft, surveillance, and eavesdropping to obtain what they wanted. Da Feng Novel Network.
The information about the employer was vague. According to Mo Du's deduction, it was likely various powers in the North trying to gather intelligence on their rivals.
However...
Mo Du had discovered colleagues from the Heavenly Thief Alliance.
"Colleagues?"
"Yes, he's in the intelligence department, and I'm in the enforcement department. We wouldn't have had a chance to know each other, but... we grew up together, both orphans adopted by the Heavenly Thief Alliance."
"The Heavenly Thief Alliance... Isn't that a force from the City of Progress, thousands of miles away from here?"
Mo Du said solemnly, "From what I know, the Heavenly Thief Alliance has a much larger dark force behind it, extremely mysterious. I have reason to suspect that this force is the one coveting the North."
"Coveting the North?"
Zhang Wei pondered for a moment. Could it be the United Government seats?
Unlikely, unless they wanted to legitimize themselves.
"Tell me about the next item."
"The next item concerns the Four Great Salt Merchants."
Since ancient times, tea, sugar, salt, and iron have been precious strategic resources. The Four Great Salt Merchants controlled the entire human world's salt supply, with daily incomes amounting to mountains of gold and seas of silver, their scale immeasurable!
With such a vast operation, they must have supported countless peerless experts, and Zhang Wei was by no means their match currently!
Mo Du said, "Our excessive sale of salt essence has already attracted the attention of the Four Great Salt Merchants. Coupled with Haru's previous interception, these four are already enraged... The entire North will tremble under the wrath of the Four Great Salt Merchants!"
"But Brother, you don't need to worry. I've already dealt with everyone who knew the inside story, so they won't have a chance to leak any information."
After saying this, Mo Du was also quite apprehensive.
She didn't know if Zhang Wei would be repulsed by such acts of silencing.
After all, these were too sinister.
However, Mo Du clearly underestimated Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei felt no discomfort whatsoever and instead praised, "Your meticulous thinking puts my mind at ease about doing business with you."
After all these years of hardship, how could Zhang Wei be a kind-hearted, soft-hearted, and easily manipulated saint?