Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 276 - 269: New Variables

Chapter 276: Chapter 269: New Variables

"Moumou, what’s wrong with you?" Noticing Tangmo’s actions, Luo’er turned her head to look at her, frowning, she asked.

"Because I like Luo’er!" Tangmo tilted her head, revealing an innocent smile.

"You..." Luo’er was speechless for a moment. Although she usually expressed her feelings this way, this was the first time it was shown through action.

"Have you started to hate me?" Tangmo’s face suddenly wrinkled, showing a pitiful expression that left Luo’er at a loss.

"No, it’s just that you seem a bit different than usual." After a moment, Luo’er hesitantly voiced her thoughts.

"Aren’t I still liking you as always?" Tangmo tilted her head, revealing a cheerful smile.

"Alright, as long as you’re okay, let’s go back!" Luo’er always felt that she was a bit weird, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She gently pushed Tangmo away, cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"Sister Moumou, I’m so glad you’re okay!" Hu Daoke ran over, panting heavily. Seeing that Luo’er and Tangmo were unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Little Ke!" Tangmo looked at Hu Daoke, her charming smile gave no hint of her recent tears, it was as if she had never been upset at all.

"I’m glad you’re okay," Hu Daoke sighed with relief, then looked around and muttered to himself, "Where did that grandson Old Cheng run off to? He ran so fast I couldn’t catch up!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cheng Ziang’s cold voice came from behind him, "Don’t badmouth people behind their backs!"

"You’re here!" Hu Daoke turned around and patted his shoulder. Whether it was in response to his jest or not, Cheng Ziang wore a grim expression, looking completely unapproachable.

"I’m not talking behind your back. I’m insulting you to your face!" Hu Daoke cheerfully slung an arm around his shoulder and declared confidently.

Cheng Ziang gave him a fierce glare, didn’t say anything or react to his antics. His attention was all on Tangmo.

Perhaps it was merely an illusion, but he felt that the Tangmo in front of him was incredibly foreign, not at all the crying and laughing girl - next - door he knew. They have been traveling around the Otherworld for so long and have never heard of any face-changing technique, otherwise, he would have suspected that Tangmo was replaced.

Cheng Ziang coldly stared at Tangmo. Seemingly disliking his gaze, Tangmo hugged Luo’er’s arm and hid behind her, avoiding Cheng Ziang’s line of sight.

"You sure know how to stir up trouble late at night!" Cheng Ziang said coldly.

"I’m sorry..." Tangmo apologized in a guilty whisper. Her voice was so faint that only Luo’er could hear it. Clearly, she was not apologizing to Cheng Ziang, but rather seeking support from Luo’er.

"Forget it, just say less!" Hearing her apology, Luo’er turned his head to comfort her.

Cheng Ziang shook his head and sighed. He tried to probe Tangmo, hoping to find her flaw. But this girl was notoriously cunning, using Luo’er to alleviate the crisis.

Although Cheng Ziang could technically take over Luo’er’s captaincy, he had no such intention, so he gave Luo’er face and didn’t further the issue.

Everyone had a lot on their minds that night. Tangmo had returned safely, but she also seemed to have become strange. Except for Hu Daoke, everyone began to question her identity.

The focus shifts back to Yazhi City, where the tripartite talks have been underway for five days. Conflicts hitting specific parties have kept flaring up both within and outside Yazhi City, but luckily have been resolved by the tripartite talks.

With the ongoing conflicts, the situation seems to be evolving in a direction unanticipated by all. The assailants have changed their targets, no longer limiting themselves to the three major factions, instead they started targeting a wider range of individuals, including merchants, farmers, and even slaves.

For a moment, the public security of Yazhi City suffered a severe disruption, with everyone living in constant fear that they would be the next target of these indiscriminate attacks. The commercial activities in Yazhi city were seriously affected and merchants from Earth withdrew one after another. Traders from the Otherworld also dared not conduct business with humans in Yazhi City, which had a significant impact on the trade exchange between the two worlds.

The first to express impatience was Australia. This country, which had profited greatly from the tariffs between Yazhi City and Ulysses City, was naturally the first to protest due to the worsening security situation in Yazhi City.

Australia strongly urged the United Nations General Assembly that Earth’s military should be stationed in Yazhi City to maintain its stability, ensuring regular bilateral trade exchange. This resolution received the support of most countries, which factored into the ongoing tri-party negotiations.

"As you can all see," a representative said, "This anonymous armed force is carrying out indiscriminate attacks and their targets are no longer confined to any of our three parties, but everyone. These attacks are having a profound effect on bilateral trade. Therefore, I implore the Church, representing the Otherworld, to put forward practical and effective measures to maintain the security of Yazhi City. Otherwise, we will exclude the ground forces of Earth from entering Yazhi City, responsible for protecting the safety of Earth’s merchants."

During the ongoing trifecta conference, Mike, the representative of Earth, made this demand to the Church, representatives of the Otherworld. He urged them to protect the interests of Earth’s merchants in Yazhi City and to maintain smooth bilateral trade.

The position of Yazhi City is unique, located at the junction of three kingdoms. Hence, its jurisdiction has always been chaotic. After the outbreak of the Second Otherworld War, most of the power around here fell to Otland, but the other two nations were not conceding, and precisely because of the chaotic sovereignty, the city’s highest authorities could not come up with an effective plan to handle the attacks.

"There is no need for you to worry about the crisis in Yazhi City. The Pope himself has commanded the stationed knights of the nearby region to assemble in Yazhi City in order to maintain public order. In regards to your proposal of stationing troops, I am here to formally reiterate the Pope’s decree,"

The one to respond was Hillna. Because it was a long-term meeting, they had adopted a rotation system. Representing the Judgement Legion in speaking was the Great Mage Hillna.

"Any appearance of Earth’s military forces or even non-state military forces in Yazhi City will be seen as a provocation to the sovereignty of the Church of Light. Should any military personnel from Earth appear in Yazhi City, it will be seen as a declaration of war against the Church. In this case, we will use all necessary armed means to expel those Earth military forces attempting to interfere in Yazhi City."

Hillna’s righteous and decisive response rendered the entire meeting room silent. The Church’s stance was absolute: they did not allow the appearance of Earth’s military forces in the Otherworld, not even one, you will not find any room for negotiation.

Li Si sat in a grand chair, his head lowered as he twiddled a pen and did not participate in the dispute between Mike and Hillna. In the five-day wait trifecta conference, he had been working continuously for two days and two nights, and even his buttocks had become numb from sitting. Without the strong impacts of coffee, he would have probably collapsed by now.

Initially, they intended to target the unknown forces’ instigations to find a channel of communication, but now it had evolved into a negotiation table over the powers of Earth and the Otherworld. Even though the Earth side had both them and the CIA, they were not on the same side, so he would not help Mike speak.

According to the Church’s description of the relationship between their headquarters and the CIA, it was always more detestable to have a heretic internally than an infidel externally.

Li Si began to wonder at that moment if these unknown forces merely wanted to provoke relations between the three parties, why had it evolved into indiscriminate attacks now?

Moreover, why hadn’t even a single prisoner been captured after all this commotion by this group of people? It was known that even in a meticulously planned attack, errors were inevitable. In the past five days, there had been no less than twenty large and small attack incidents, yet not a single person had been arrested, which left Li Si perplexed.

In his traditional perception, the fact that the attackers could retreat unharmed explained that they knew the conditions of the other side, including equipment and counterattack plans.

This meant that these attackers were not simple attackers, or rather, there were moles among these three representatives. Who could it be?

If it was the Church, what would be their motive? To attack the Earth forces, incite retaliation from the Earth, and then completely suppress the opposition, so that the Earth people would never dare to interfere with the Otherworld again?

It seemed unlikely, for the Church wouldn’t dare to go to war with the Earth nations again. Because they knew that to initiate war with Earth again would result in a severe and brutal fallout. Neither the Earthlings nor the Otherworlders would benefit. The Pope, currently using some common sense, would not agree to such a harmful yet unprofitable proposal.

If it was not the Church, could it be the CIA? But what would be the advantage for them to provoke the contradiction between Earth and the Church? According to the previously established operation plan, the Earth’s military should take advantage of the Church’s inability to take care of Yazhi City in time and seize the Otherworld gate and surrounding areas first, consolidate the defense, and prepare for possible attacks from the Church.

In this plan, what the Earth’s military had to do was to delay time, stand firm against the attacks from the Otherworld’s military led by the Church, until the Church acknowledged the legitimacy of the Earth’s military occupying Yazhi City.

But if the CIA were to continuously stir up the conflict between Earth and the Otherworld, could it be that they wanted to start the war in advance?

It seemed unlikely, since due to the current turmoil, the Church had already dispatched elite forces to station in Yazhi City. The Earth’s military had just entered the Otherworld, and its stability would be attacked by the Church’s elite forces. In this case, let alone occupying Yazhi City, they might be driven back to Ulysses City before they got a chance to settle in.

Such a combat plan was ridiculous, and only a foolish commander would agree to such a plan.

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