Chapter 40: Finding a Breach to Break the Impasse, Earnestly Persuading to Seek an Alliance

Mao Yu did not sleep a wink all night, his mind entirely consumed by ways to break the deadlock.

The worried gazes of Feng Yao and Mao Ling only strengthened his resolve to take action as soon as possible.

The morning sunlight fell upon him, yet it failed to dispel the gloom lingering in his heart.

"System, have you found any flaws in the Shadow's stronghold?" Mao Yu murmured inwardly.

"Ding! Host, the general location of the Shadow base has been locked, but the defense system is extremely tight. It is suggested that you..."

"Enough, enough, I know it's difficult, but we have to try anyway! When soldiers come, we block; when water comes, we earth-fill!" Mao Yu interrupted the system and got up to head to the government building.

He had to try persuading Minister Li once more. Even though the old man was as cowardly as a mouse, he represented the official authorities after all, and an extra force meant an extra glimmer of hope.

However, when Mao Yu arrived at Minister Li's office, he discovered the minister in deep, clandestine discussion with several mysterious figures.

These individuals wore black clothes and hats, keeping themselves concealed—a glance was enough to tell they were no good.

"Infiltrators of the dark forces?" Alarm bells rang loudly in Mao Yu's mind. He hid in the shadows to observe, yet was plagued by a lack of evidence. This sense of helplessness weighed heavily on him.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the eerie atmosphere was suffocating.

He had to find evidence as quickly as possible to expose the true faces of these people, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

Mao Yu held his breath and crept closer, attempting to make out the content of their conversation...

"This operation must succeed; failure is not an option!" A low voice rang out, carrying a trace of chill that sent shudders through Mao Yu.

"Minister Li, we have already carried out your instructions..." Another voice was kept very low, but Mao Yu still caught the crucial keyword: "Energy Center..."

Mao Yu's heart skipped a beat. It seemed his guesswork was correct; these people were indeed targeting the Energy Center!

He had to stop them!

Just at that moment, Minister Li seemed to sense something, abruptly turning his head to look in the direction where Mao Yu was hiding...

"Who is there?!"

Minister Li's sharp shout shattered the frozen air.

Mao Yu cursed inwardly. He had been exposed!

Before he could blink, several men in black materialized like ghosts, surrounding Mao Yu tightly.

"Well, well, if it isn't our tournament champion. What's this? Coming to eavesdrop on state secrets?" A black-clad lackey said with a sarcastic sneer, toying with a dagger that gleamed coldly in his hand.

"A bunch of shrimps like you are worthy of discussing state secrets?" Mao Yu sneered, pulling Mao Ling and Feng Yao behind him as he prepared for battle.

"Oh, still acting arrogant! Brothers, show him what we're made of!" At the lackey leader's command, several men lunged at Mao Yu simultaneously.

"Young Master Mao, watch out!" Feng Yao cried out in alarm.

Mao Yu, however, remained entirely unruffled. With a swift movement, he evaded the attack, grabbed a nearby steel pipe, and swung it directly at the lackey leader.

With a dull thud, the lackey leader was struck seeing stars, stumbling backward in a daze.

"Is that it? And here I thought you guys were actually formidable!" Mao Yu curled his lips in disdain, whirling the steel pipe with fierce momentum.

The underlings had not expected Mao Yu to be such a formidable fighter and were caught completely off guard.

They scrambled around like headless flies, letting out miserable cries of pain from time to time.

Mao Ling and Feng Yao watched in wide-eyed astonishment from the sidelines, occasionally letting out gasps of "Wow" and "So cool," practically transforming into Mao Yu's devoted little fan girls.

Growing more valiant with every clash, Mao Yu used the surrounding environment to his advantage—leaping onto tables at times, ducking behind pillars at others. Every strike he delivered was clean and decisive, rendering the lackey leaders defenseless.

"Young Master Mao, you're too handsome!" Feng Yao cheered excitedly, worshipful light sparkling in her eyes.

Hearing Feng Yao's praise filled Mao Yu's heart with boundless heroism. With one final push, he laid out all the remaining underlings onto the ground.

Once the battle ended, Feng Yao gently pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Mao Yu's forehead.

Every single gesture of hers was brimming with allure, and her gaze was overflowing with affection.

Looking at Feng Yao standing so close, Mao Yu felt a stir in his heart, and an ambiguous atmosphere began to spread between them.

Mao Ling, standing nearby, covered her mouth and giggled secretly. The scene was simply too sweet!

Mao Yu gently grasped Feng Yao's hand, feeling her soft skin, and lowered his voice: "Feng Yao..."

A faint blush crept across Feng Yao's cheeks. She lowered her head shyly and responded softly, "Mm..."

"We..."

"Let's deal with the trouble right in front of us first." Mao Yu smiled gently, pulling Feng Yao behind him, and shifted his gaze to the sprawled figures on the floor.

He had no time for romance; urgent business came first.

Although these underlings were insignificant, the "Energy Center" they mentioned made Mao Yu smell a conspiracy in the air.

It seemed that a direct frontal assault would not work; he had to carve out a new path.

Abandoning his attempts to persuade the stubborn Alliance Leader Zhang, Mao Yu instead instructed the system to filter for supernatural beings who held grudges against the Shadow organization.

The system efficiently spat out a list of names, which included several ruthless heavy hitters.

"Debts and grievances are better resolved than prolonged." Mao Yu decided to exploit these "ready-made" conflicts.

He contacted these individuals one by one, reasoning with them using logic and emotion, and promised generous rewards upon success.

Some remained suspicious, others scoffed, but there were also those who were moved by Mao Yu's sincerity and determination.

In the end, several formidable supernatural beings decided to join Mao Yu's faction.

"Brother, let's smash those bastards! I've had it in for that Shadow bunch for a long time!" a burly, heavily bearded supernatural being declared heartily, patting his chest.

"Pleasure doing business!" Mao Yu smiled with satisfaction. This move was sheer genius.

Meanwhile, Mao Yu did not idle away his time; he continuously used the system to analyze information regarding the Shadow base, attempting to find a breakthrough.

Through relentless effort, he finally uncovered a potential flaw—there was a vulnerability in the base's power supply system!

Mao Yu shared this discovery with his newly joined allies, and everyone expressed profound shock.

"Awesome, Young Master Mao! Even that didn't escape your notice!" The bearded brute gave a thumbs-up, and the others voiced their admiration for Mao Yu's capabilities.

Armed with newfound support and crucial intelligence, Mao Yu decided to visit the government building and the Supernatural Alliance headquarters once more.

Could he succeed this time in persuading Minister Li and Alliance Leader Zhang to cooperate?

Leading the group, Mao Yu stood before the government building and took a deep breath.

"Let's go. It's time to lay our cards on the table."