The Great Iron Bear had merely passed near Shen Cong — its apparent destination was Pizhou City, though whether it was heading there or simply passing through remained unknown.

That single piece of information was enough to shake every senior figure in the Eastern Theater Command awake, including Commander Zheng Shubian, who contacted Shen Cong personally by radio.

A Super-Heavyweight iron beast in free movement.

This was the Command's highest-priority threat category.

A Super-Heavyweight that kept to its own Oasis territory — like the Green-Skin Frog or Great Lynx in the Luoma Lake Oasis — could be managed without major mobilization. But a Super-Heavyweight moving freely, respecting no territorial boundaries — that was the Command's most pressing security concern. A direct threat to everything they'd built.

Within fifteen minutes, the standing committee had convened an emergency session.

After the session, no one could sleep. They waited for word from Pizhou.

Shen Cong used the time to meet with Zhao Weiliang.

He laid out the Xinyi City Trade Association situation in brief. "Commander Zhao — what's Li Xicheng's background? Who inside the Command is supporting him? Who buried the management office's complaint?"

"A Trade Association? His own private revenue stream? Li Xicheng has some nerve." Zhao Weiliang made a sound of cold contempt. "Zhang Kehao has to be involved too. He's the only one inside the Command with the reach to bury a complaint like that. Those two have been operating hand-in-glove."

As a standing committee member, Zhao Weiliang saw the full picture: the coordination between Li Xicheng and Zhang Kehao crossed serious lines.

Zhang Kehao was one of the Command's three deputy commanders, ranked Senior Colonel. Since Gu Taishan's arrest and subsequent death from necrosis sickness following C1 withdrawal, Zhang Kehao had absorbed a portion of Gu Taishan's former authority, and his influence inside the Command had grown considerably. He'd even begun positioning himself for promotion to Major General.

Zhang Kehao and Li Xicheng had served in the same unit before the Apocalypse. The personal relationship ran deep.

"The Command's leadership quality is uneven right now." Zhao Weiliang shook his…