Ancient Martial Arts families did not want to provoke these people nor did they wish to become entangled with these super reclusive sects, so they generally chose to keep a respectful distance. Coupled with weak border management, over time, a myriad of powerful and mysterious figures who gathered there actually formed their own set of rules to evade detection. This phenomenon was not unique to the Federation; every nation had such areas, and the more chaotic the region, the more common this phenomenon became.

Of course, it wasn't true that there was no way to track down the traces of these reclusive sects. It was rumored that every four years, they would hold a competition similar to one for the position of the chief disciple at some unknown location.

Although unknown to the public, this event was akin to a World Cup held every four years within the circles of the reclusive sects. It was said that Mansfield, the Mecha Battle Emperor, hailed from one of these reclusive sects.

But who could have imagined that at this very moment, 1,000 elite Blazing Flame soldiers would suddenly appear in Icebird, without any warning, and launch an assault on the major Ancient Martial Arts families! Right now, a torrent of mechas surged through Rock City like a tidal wave...

Rock City was a city near the border, only 60 kilometers from the outskirts, which, although orderly, also harbored some dark forces.

The city's residents were completely panicked. 1,000 mechas crossing the busy downtown area? Could this be the onset of war?

On the highways, as the cold mechas whisked past... Women clutched their children in panic, trying to shield them with their slender bodies. Magnetic levitating vehicles came to a standstill, while students, lovers, young and old walking through the streets looked on in disbelief...

Suddenly, the entire city was gripped by fear, and even the local reporters took to the streets in less than a minute, reporting in a disoriented flurry.

The Blazing Flame soldiers merely brushed past the passersby. They were the strongest elite of the Blazing Flame Legion and the most loyal defenders of the Federation. How could they possibly disregard the comfort of the citizens?

The local police swiftly declared martial law throughout the city. Although they had not received any prior intelligence, it was obvious that they had no authority to interfere with the Blazing Flame's actions, and even the local military was now reporting the situation to the Capital Military District.

At the same time, the head of the Sherman family received a Heavenly Communication from the curator of an Ancient Martial Arts family. These families had always stood together to resist incoming civilian organizations. But who could have expected the mecha torrent would so viciously head toward their own direction? Wasn't there a Sherman child who held an office in the Blazing Flame Legion, personally taken there by General Feng? They wanted to know what exactly was going on.

The head of the Sherman family was clearly baffled; however, when he tried to reach Apophis via Heavenly Communication, to his surprise, the call connected immediately. This could almost confirm that Apophis was on Icebird Planet, within this military unit.

Apophis answered his grandfather's Heavenly Communication, but his face did not betray any emotion beyond calmness, instead revealing something unexpected.

"Child, what's going on, isn't this unit..."

"Military secrets cannot be divulged, but... the skies of Icebird Planet should change soon, right?" Before the family head could finish his sentence, Apophis interrupted him and offered no explanation. Still, a grandfather remains a grandfather, and a knowing smile finally flashed across his face.

Seeing the smile on Apophis's face, the old family head froze, dumbfounded... How long had it been since he had seen such a composed smile on the young man's face?

The first time was when he was still a child. Apophis bet with his father for a Little Overlord game console, and back then, he had the same smile. He succeeded, successfully securing the first place in the city to inherit—In fact, Apophis had always been a genius, but compared to studying itself, he cared more about Mecha combat.

The second time, Apophis succeeded again, securing the special admission quota for Capital Planet's Golden Sword Academy, and eventually, he became the powerhouse of Golden Sword Academy, representing his alma mater in combat.

The third time was a few years after Apophis had rejected the invitation from the military to become a super soldier. He finally awaited the arrival of Feng Yi, and particularly remembered the same smile on Apophis's face as he left his homeland.

And now, the elder actually saw that same composed and unflappable smile on Apophis's face again; recalling his words about Icebird planet about to experience a shift in power, the chieftain felt an inexplicable anxiety gripping him—Yes, the child was smiling, which meant it must be good news.

However, everything happening before their eyes was definitely not good for the Federation; no one expected or would even conjecture that the Flaming Legion would mobilize their armed forces to Icebird without the upper echelons' approval. What were they trying to do?

In the moment of Star Domain Broadcast's intercommunication, Capital Planet quickly received feedback from Icebird. The first reaction of the Military Department's leadership upon receiving the report was that it was absolutely impossible, a definite mishearing, despite division leaders having the authority to deploy troops, it was only for military exercises and field combat in certain special circumstances, and they would never dare to appear lightly armed in a city's bustling areas without any warrant.

One must know the stature of this army—it was the Flaming Legion, the Federation's heroic-level troop, the ace division created by Special Envoy Mardis himself during the campaigns. Although Feng Yi had the power to deploy and independently command this unit, regrettably, Feng Yi was no longer around. The Military Department had visited the Flaming Legion, but it indeed seemed as if it had vanished from the world.

It could be said that aside from Feng Yi, and precisely because he was present at the time, no one would dare to interfere with the actions of the Flaming Legion.

The reason the Capital didn't issue further action directives to the Flaming Legion wasn't due to indifference. On the contrary, it demonstrated the Military Department's degree of importance towards this incident!

The hesitation to issue a command was laden with too many intricate factors, including strategic and political layers of significance. For the entire military, having the Flaming Legion stand by was actually a testament, for Feng Yi's role was too special, and his absence was indeed a severe blow for the Federation. Despite Amelia's continuous victories at the front lines, the mood of the military's high command was not at all uplifted.

Who knew that just at this critical moment, the Flaming Legion, armed to the teeth, would suddenly descend upon Icebird planet, bringing along their elite troops no less? This was something the local police couldn't handle; mere minutes later, the news suddenly sent shockwaves throughout the entire Federal Army! The Flaming Legion's elite troops, without upper-level permission, had already crossed through Rock City, Mardis City, ultimately reaching the lawless outer border, where several armed conflicts had erupted along the way. Although the scale of these armed conflicts was not large, they were enough to shock the world. Even if there were a coup, it shouldn't take place in this godforsaken location. Had they defected?

The issue had escalated significantly; John also received a warning from the Federation's Sky Network at the same time. Noah requested the Flaming Legion to immediately cease their actions and ordered John to relay a message to the elite troops on Icebird planet, instructing them to stop resisting.

But the warning was ineffective. As for the reason, the only response received was "No comment"—John chuckled bitterly, his heart a complex mix of emotions... If he had the choice, he certainly would have liked to reveal the truth, but who could flout the orders of the legion commander.

After several repeated warnings from the artificial intelligence Noah, she finally let out a soft sigh, her colorful, glass-like eyes flickering with a humanized sense of loss. In the blink of an eye, Noah's split consciousness entered the Star Domain Broadcast field, attempting to cut off the Flaming Fleet's communications with Apophis through the Heavenly Communication in the ocean of light waves, only to be thwarted by an impenetrable planar wall.

To breach this wall would be a mere trifle for Noah, but even she had failed.

Her discovery was an electronic interference with the codename yyh, which prevented command execution due to restricted access rights. The preliminary assessment suggested the interference might be from another artificial intelligence, colloquially known as Eggy.

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