Weakness

The Central Atrium of the City of Penance had fallen to the Huhuhu Beasts, forcing the Violet-Bloods to the outer fringes. Unbeknownst to anyone, a mighty Huhuhu Beast King had emerged from within the countless hordes! The only one who might have known, Du Chen, had already departed in high spirits, having secured Duding and a path back home.

Du Chen found himself burdened with an overwhelming number of tasks. Setting aside the matter of cultivating the tree seed for a moment, the sheer reversal of the Food Chain in the City of Penance alone, and how to delay the ferocious Huhuhu Beast hordes until the tree seed matured, was enough to keep him occupied for quite some time.

At the Brockman Bunker, after Du Chen knocked, Chek flung open the door and immediately seized his arm, his eyes red-rimmed with urgency. "M-Mr. Alex, my mother still hasn't woken up! What... what are we going to do!?"

Du Chen secretly chuckled. The old lady's condition was merely a side-effect of her longevity-extending methods; it would be strange if anything truly serious were amiss! However, Du Chen was certainly not foolish enough to reveal anything about the tree seed at this juncture. He offered Chek a few words of comfort, then asked, "All the Huhuhu Beasts have converged on the Central Atrium, so how are things looking for your family and the others now?"

Leading Du Chen forward, Chek explained, "After the Huhuhu Beasts retreated, everyone tallied their lost food supplies and tried to regain control of those that hadn't mutated... The outcome, sir, has left everyone seeing red!"

He let out a deep sigh, then meticulously detailed the figures for Du Chen. "Just for our family, our base originally had eight thousand Huhuhu Beasts, over four thousand of which mutated. The annexed Kursk Base, which had eighteen thousand, now only has a little over ten thousand remaining. So, currently, we have approximately fifteen thousand Huhuhu Beasts in total. Furthermore, thanks to your timely warning, I managed to collect over three thousand Huhuhu Beast corpses. All combined, this should be enough to sustain the family. The only concern is the potential for further Huhuhu Beast mutations..."

Du Chen rubbed his nose, stating coldly, "It seems your family is heading for serious trouble."

Chek offered a bitter smile. "Tell me about it! While our family suffered significant losses, thanks to annexing the Kursk Base and your assistance in retrieving the corpses, we're not yet worried about starvation! But the other families... Sigh, Mr. Alex, those scoundrels will surely try to seize our food. At that time, we'll desperately need your mighty assistance!"

*A common man is innocent, yet his wealth can bring him ruin*, Du Chen mused. Now, apart from the Brockman family, no one in the City of Penance had sufficient food. The other families faced only two paths: either wage war against the mutated Huhuhu Beasts and consume them, or 'borrow' provisions from the well-stocked major households!

Although Chek recognized the problem, he was at a loss for ideas, his frantic gaze fixed on Du Chen.

Du Chen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Considering the Huhuhu Beast breeding cycle, what's the minimum number your family needs to maintain to supply all its members?"

Chek calculated, "If we include the surrendered Kursk people, we'd need at least ten thousand heads. That's the absolute minimum after implementing a food rationing system!"

"Very well then," Du Chen commanded with thunderous resolve, "Retain ten thousand Huhuhu Beasts and station heavily armed guards. Anyone who dares covet these ten thousand beasts shall be slain without quarter! Second, store away the surplus five thousand Huhuhu Beasts and the three thousand-plus corpses. No one is to touch them – it's likely some will unite to seize our food, and at that point, these eight thousand 'rations' will be our leverage to divide enemy alliances and forge new ones! Third, you must immediately ascertain the movements of both the Huhuhu Beasts and the various other families, monitor them closely, and simultaneously reinforce the bunker in preparation for war!"

Chek noted everything down, then added, "Also, what about the allied forces who originally came to seize the Ninth-rank sacred artifact? After the mutation crisis subsided, they resumed their march towards us."

"This matter requires the old lady's personal intervention. I'll go check on her first. You, meanwhile, see to the tasks I just outlined!" Diplomatic affairs of this magnitude naturally required the family matriarch to step forward; Du Chen was not yet in a position to overstep his bounds, and thus he demurred.

"Understood! I'll go right away!"

Chek turned to carry out Du Chen's instructions, while Du Chen himself went to visit the old lady. However, the individuals who had accompanied Chek dispersed, several of them casting resentful glances.

These individuals, taking a roundabout route, arrived at a basement room. "Elder brothers and sisters, open up!" Inside sat Heidi, along with several Young Masters and Young Ladies who had spearheaded the recent troubles for Du Chen; the Third Young Lady, Angie, was conspicuously among them.

The newcomers relayed the recent events. Third Young Lady Angie indignantly exclaimed, "Listen, did you all hear that? My father has become utterly subservient to that Alex!"

"Indeed! If this continues, what will become of us?! The Brockman family might as well change its surname to Alex!"

Angie fumed, "Grandma always said the sole rule in the City of Penance is survival. And to survive, to live better, one must possess The Prerogative! We absolutely cannot stand by and watch that dog-slave Alex seize what rightfully belongs to us. We are the true heirs to the Brockman family's Prerogative!"

The others echoed their sentiments, "Eldest Sister, Third Sister, tell us what we should do!"

Heidi remained silent. Angie continued, "What else can we do? As long as this Alex doesn't clear out, we won't have a moment's peace. He must be eliminated immediately!"

But some questioned, "Alex is too powerful. To deal with him, we would likely need to activate the Seven Luminaries Divine Battle Array left by our ancestors, but will the elders permit us to do so? The Seven Luminaries Divine Battle Array comes with an ancestral decree that forbids its use unless the family faces a life-or-death crisis — its consumption is simply too immense!"

Angie sneered, "Who told you to fight him fair and square? There are countless ways to kill a man!"

At this moment, Heidi slowly stated, "I don't object to eliminating him, but I do not endorse doing so right now!"

"Why!?"

Heidi replied, "Everything must be considered in context. With the Huhuhu Beasts mutated and all other families eyeing us, the only ones with surplus provisions, we currently require Alex's martial prowess. My proposal is to wait until this crisis passes and tranquility returns, then eliminate him."

Angie retorted impatiently, "But the longer we delay, the more dangerous Alex becomes! Just a few days ago, he was still consulting with my father on matters, yet today he dares to threaten me and order my father around. What about tomorrow?!"

"That's right, Eldest Sister! What if Alex moves against us first tomorrow, clearing away his obstacles to seize power? Besides, Grandma is still around; must we really rely on Alex? Can't our Brockman family overcome this difficult period on our own? Don't forget, our ancestors were a lineage of Seven God-Generals; we are a Fallen Gods family that possesses the Seven-Star Divine Radiance Array!"

Her siblings continued to press her, but Heidi remained silent for a long time before shaking her head. "No, now is not the opportune moment!"

Angie shot a sidelong glance at Heidi, scoffing, "Oh my, since when did Eldest Sister become so adept at discerning 'opportunities,' and comprehending such profound 'truths'?" Her gaze turned cold as she stared at Heidi.

Heidi snorted, "Mr. Bell Glynn, when he performed my cosmetic surgery, and again recently after saving me, spoke many words to me that made profound sense! You people now..."

Before she could finish, Angie angrily interrupted, "I understand now! You've fallen for that scoundrel Bell Glynn! Can we trust someone who wants to seize our Prerogative? He's spouting nonsense!" She waved her hand dismissively. "Since Eldest Sister is so wise about 'situations,' then we simpletons are unworthy of speaking with you. My bedroom doesn't welcome 'clever' people!"

This was nothing short of a blatant — "Get the hell out!"

Heidi rose indignantly. "Hmph! Indulge in your foolish antics, then!"

"Wait!" Angie called out, threatening her viciously, "You should know what to say and what not to say in front of Grandma and Father!" The others also fixed their cold stares on Heidi.

*Bang!* Heidi slammed the door shut as she left. Yet, a cold smirk played on her lips. Bell Glynn's reasoning was indeed correct. These fools wanted to deal with Alex... In that case, she, Heidi, would simply enjoy the show. Hmph, once these scoundrels were all dead, she would be the only one left among the third generation with any influence and the qualifications to inherit the family!

Although Heidi was not infatuated with Steve as Angie claimed, her constant proximity to Steve had, to some extent, influenced, or perhaps even subtly beguiled, her.

Inside the room, Angie smugly glanced at the door, then continued, "We certainly can't deplete our family's military strength just to deal with Alex. But he *does* have a weakness... Alex may be powerful, but his wife, Xue Ji, is just an ordinary mortal, you know!" She smiled triumphantly.

The Young Masters and Young Ladies watched Angie with dawning comprehension, then chuckled, "Third Sister, Eldest Sister clearly lacks judgment and sides with outsiders. From now on, we'll follow your lead!"

In the guest consultant's chamber of the bunker, Du Chen examined the old lady. Elizabeth had indeed suffered side-effects after absorbing the essence of life, but she would awaken after a few days of peaceful slumber; there was nothing to truly worry about. He borrowed a few engineering texts and returned to his bedroom, waking his slumbering Eldest Brother. He then recounted what he had witnessed, simultaneously tossing Duding to Steve.

Steve, grinning, patted the tree seed. "Duding? A fine name! Stick with us from now on; you won't regret it!" His expression then turned serious. "Though I've heard you were once quite ruthless, slaughtering many Fiendkind civilians, which is why the Life Tree imprisoned you..." His gaze, reminiscent of a Flaying master, lingered on the tree seed.

Duding erupted in a furious rage. "Was it easy for me?! If you were given to a Grandmaster Alchemist, and that Grandmaster spent every day poking your eyes, mouth, ears, and *rear end* with strange needles... wouldn't you be furious?!"

Steve paused, taken aback. "Philip likes to poke your rear end?" His eyes lit up, as if he had stumbled upon a rare treasure!

Du Chen quickly explained the function of Duding's "eye." Steve nodded in disappointment. "So you couldn't stand Philip's experiments, went berserk, killed many guards and civilians, and then escaped?"

Duding snorted, "Who told them to block my escape route? Was it easy for me?"

Steve chuckled, "Alright, no one here wants to poke your rear end. Once we're out, just say what you want, and my brother... he's rich!"

The tree seed's 'eye' shone brightly as it eagerly declared, "I want a grand garden! And a stream, and bird nests! Oh, and plant ten beautiful cherry trees around me besides..."

"Easily done, all easily done, as long as we can get out!" Du Chen said, chuckling as he weighed the Precious Lotus Scripture in his hand.

With one brother pressuring from the front and the other enticing from behind, Duding was finally convinced to fully join Du Chen's faction.

As the group conversed, Chek burst in frantically, not even bothering to knock. "Gentlemen, something terrible has happened!"

"What is it?" Du Chen hastily put away the tree seed and sprang to his feet.

"The allied forces of the Nine Great Families have quelled their internal mutated Huhuhu Beasts and sent a letter, demanding that we attend a meeting!"

Du Chen looked at Chek's agitated expression and offered a wry smile. "Negotiate then, what's there to be so flustered about?"

Chek waved the letter in his hand. "But they demand that we bring the newly unearthed Ninth-rank sacred artifact to their military camp for negotiations, to discuss jointly resisting the Huhuhu Beasts, and to 'observe' the artifact! Isn't this clearly an excuse to seize our sacred artifact?!"

Du Chen didn't take the letter. Everything was proceeding as expected; even without reading it, he could guess eighty to ninety percent of its content. Moreover, he saw deeper than Chek did – the Nine-Family Alliance likely also intended to use the Huhuhu Beasts to 'reward' their troops!

Seeing Du Chen unwilling to look at the letter, Chek anxiously said, "Our mother hasn't woken up yet, and we brothers have discussed it... we were thinking, thinking..."

"You want me to represent you in negotiations?" Du Chen raised an eyebrow and smiled, making Chek blush with awkwardness. Indeed, involving Alex in previous trivial matters was one thing, but diplomatic decisions concerned the very lifeblood of the family. How could they allow a mere guest consultant to handle such affairs? If word got out, wouldn't the entire City of Penance mock the Brockman family for having no capable members?

But Chek truly had no other options!

Steve stood up and cleared his throat. "Oh, my! I almost forgot, Miss Heidi wanted to discuss cosmetic procedures with me. You two talk; I'll go find the beautiful Miss Heidi first!"

Du Chen shared a knowing smile with his Eldest Brother!

After a moment's thought, Du Chen asked, "What's the status of that Ninth-rank sacred artifact now?"

Chek replied, "Ever since its discovery, the sacred artifact has remained untouched in its original location – it might be a 'mastered' sacred artifact, which ordinary people cannot handle! However, after annexing Kursk, I dispatched men to guard it."

Du Chen chuckled. He wasn't particularly concerned about that Ninth-rank sacred artifact. If it were the Vanishing Snow Sword, it would eventually return to his hands. If not... a mere Ninth-rank sacred artifact from the Pouch of Wonders held little appeal for Du Chen now! He stated with feigned difficulty, "It's truly not appropriate for me to lead the negotiations. After all, my surname isn't Brockman..."

As he spoke, he subtly cast a 'thievish' glance at Chek's anxious expression. "I know it's not appropriate, but... but I truly have no other choice!" Chek, as expected, pleaded desperately...