Top-Tier Superpower Student

"Who goes there, halt." A highly discordant voice carried over.

Everyone followed the voice and saw a middle-aged man in military uniform. The man had the quintessential square face of his nation, with eyebrows like swords and eyes staring at Lin Tian, expressionless, yet oppressive, conveying authority without anger.

His attire and military rank indicated that he was a high-ranking officer, certainly higher than a regimental commander.

Commander Hedan hurried over and saluted impeccably, responding, "Chief of Staff, we encountered five individuals along the way. They are all from Huaxia, each with superior martial arts skills and outstanding strength. Thankfully, they were with us; otherwise, we would have been encircled and captured by the American forces."

"Huaxia people?"

The Chief of Staff spoke, then slowly approached Lin Tian, examining him and his companions from all angles before concluding, "Guards, they might be spies for the American army. Arrest them and interrogate them rigorously. I don't believe they won't reveal the truth."

Upon hearing this, Lin Tian was stunned. What was going on? How could he deduce that he was a spy just by looking at him? Did he really look like a spy?

A few soldiers quickly approached, but Commander Hedan promptly stopped them. He explained, "Chief of Staff, there must be some misunderstanding. I stake my life on their innocence. They are not spies. We were ambushed by the American forces, and they saved us. They also assisted us greatly when we broke through. The American soldiers that died by their hands number at least four to five hundred. They couldn't possibly be spies, absolutely not."

The Chief of Staff glared with a fierce glow, terrifying Commander Hedan, who shuddered as he was questioned, "These five people have unclear identities, and just based on what you've said, you brought them to meet the King. Don't you know from the Thirty-Six Stratagems of Huaxia there is the stratagem of the Self-Torture Ruse?"

"This...!" Commander Hedan was left speechless, unable to defend Lin Tian and the others any further due to the Chief of Staff's intimidating pressure.

Being accused, Lin Tian naturally stood up to defend himself, challenging, "You have just met us and haven't even exchanged a word with us. What basis do you have to label us as spies?"

The Chief of Staff scoffed disdainfully, "Hmph, with the American soldiers pressing our borders, Hade Town is but an isolated city. We have neither reinforcements nor competent generals. Staying here is nothing more than a stubborn resistance at best. We are already in a hopeless situation. If you guys made such great efforts to break in here without ulterior motives, why would you want to join us in a certain death?"

If his words were overheard by the soldiers outside, it would cause an uproar. The Chief of Staff of the entire army, on the eve of a great battle, was not thinking about how to mobilize the troops and stop the American advance, but was instead speaking words of certain defeat in front of everyone, effectively demoralizing the troops. If an ordinary soldier were to speak thus, he would be executed by firing squad.

Lin Tian retorted, "Since you already admit that your situation is hopeless, if we really were spies, why would we bother infiltrating here? Attacking directly and killing you all would have been the most straightforward method."

"Don't bother with your slick words. The severe punishment awaits; then we'll see if you still speak the truth." The Chief of Staff, feeling somewhat guilty, ceased to argue, and a few soldiers quickly approached.

"Just with you few cats and dogs, you dare to accuse me? Attack." Lin Tian commanded, and Xiahou Qingyi and the others swiftly moved, easily subduing the soldiers who came running.

Lin Tian always felt there was something odd about this Chief of Staff, so he activated his superpower to peer into his memories.

Five seconds later, Lin Tian sneered coldly. This Chief of Staff definitely had a problem.

"Nobody move, anyone who dares make a move will be executed on the spot!" A stern shout came as the King of Hedan, accompanied by dozens of personal soldiers armed to the teeth, hurried over and quickly surrounded Lin Tian and his group, their guns aimed squarely at the five.

"What is going on here?" the King asked.

Commander Hedan stepped forward and explained, "Today, we were attacked by the American forces outside, facing near certain annihilation. These five people saved us and defeated the American forces. We owe it to them that we were able to break through. I was about to introduce them to you when the Chief of Staff intervened, claiming they were spies."

"You don't know anything," the Chief of Staff cursed, "King, they must be spies. This place has become a fortress of danger. If they aren't spies, then what are they doing here, coming to die with us?"

"Nonsense." The King's face turned steely, and he commanded, "Chief of Staff, watch your words. Hade Town is our defensive line; we will hold Hade Town and annihilate all of the American forces. We will prevail."

Realizing his slip of the tongue, the Chief of Staff felt apologetic, "I was momentarily agitated, and misspoke."

Subsequently, the King turned to Lin Tian and asked, "Are you spies? What is your purpose here in Hade Town?"

"We are obviously not spies. Have you ever seen spies who are caught as unprofessionally as us? To speak of our purpose, we came to help you defeat the American forces. That is our purpose."

Lin Tian felt that the King was a sensible man who should be able to discern their true identities.

"Hahaha..., what a joke," the Chief of Staff scoffed contemptuously, "Who do you think you are? With just the five of you, you want to repel the tens of thousands of American soldiers outside? One against twenty thousand? Do you think you are gods?"

"If you insist on understanding it that way, there's nothing I can do. You can consider me a god, a god who is all-knowing and all-powerful," Lin Tian half-jokingly said.

"You, posing as a deity, audaciously claiming that you know everything, that you can do anything? What do you know, and what can you do?" the Chief of Staff taunted.

"I know a lot of things. For instance, I know you are a spy, you have already sided with the American forces. Today, you plan to poison the King. At precisely three in the afternoon, you will lead your men out of the city to surrender, and incidentally, you will open the city gates wide for the American forces to enter. After it's done, you will be appointed as an army division commander. Am I right?" Lin Tian said, revealing the information he had just gleaned from the Chief of Staff's memories.

The Chief of Staff, upon hearing this, was utterly dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "How does he know these things? This is top secret. I haven't told anyone except my closest confidants. Could one of them have betrayed me? No, that's absolutely impossible."

He became somewhat panicked and quickly called out to his subordinates, "Quick, capture him! He's a spy sent by the American army to spread rumors and sow discord among us. Here we come."

Dozens of soldiers, following his command, quickly charged towards Lin Tian.

Lin Tian quickly stepped forward to defend himself, "King, every word I speak is true. If you don't believe me, you can test your breakfast. It contains a deadly poison—it was him, trying to poison you."

"King, this is a false accusation; he's framing me," the Chief of Staff urgently cried out.

"Hold on," the King intervened, stopping the soldiers about to apprehend Lin Tian. He ordered one of his subordinates, "Go to the kitchen and bring my breakfast here. Tell them I want to eat early, and don't say anything else."

"Yes," the man hurriedly did as instructed.

The breakfast was soon brought over, very simple: a bowl of porridge, two buns, and an egg.

A king only having such a meal for breakfast, he really was plain and simple.

He ripped a bun in half and threw it to a military dog nearby.

The dog, seeing the bun, barked happily and gobbled it down.

Within a minute, the dog was dead, foaming at the mouth.

The bun was clearly poisoned.

The King, with a fierce look, said in an icy tone, "Chief of Staff, how do you explain this?"

The Chief of Staff initially looked scared, but his expression quickly turned to one of cunning.

He sinisterly admitted, "Yes, I am the spy. I poisoned it, aiming to kill you. But what can you do to me now?"

"Arrest him!" the King shouted. The group of soldiers swiftly moved, but instead of pointing their guns at the Chief of Staff, they all aimed at the King's head.

"Hahaha…!" the Chief of Staff laughed triumphantly. "Now with the American army pressing in, those who know better are surrendering to save their lives. But you, you gamble everything without regard for your soldiers' lives, always brandishing the flag of 'never surrender,' determined to resist to the death."

"You're not afraid to die, but we are. You're at your end, yet your people are shrewd—they've all chosen to follow me."

The King roared, "Being a person from Hedan, yet you betray and turn against your own country—you are a criminal, and you will surely have a wretched death."

The Chief of Staff coldly said, "Whether I will die miserably, you won't see. But I will see whether you will die miserably."

"Fire."

"Bang!"

The moment the Chief of Staff ordered to fire, Lin Tian used the Flight Technique and grabbed the King by the shoulder. The bullet grazed past the King's mouth, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

"Over there, shoot them dead!" the Chief of Staff pointed at Lin Tian and the King and bellowed loudly.

The soldiers quickly raised their guns, but at that moment, Xiahou Qingyi and the other three each sprung into action, unleashing their superpowers and causing a massacre. The dozens of personal soldiers were thrown into chaos, no longer daring to shoot at Lin Tian and the King. Instead, they aimed to kill Xiahou Qingyi and the others.

Armed with guns, Xiahou Qingyi and her allies dared not linger. Each carried a personal soldier, frantically dashing outside.

"Bang, bang, bang…!"

A series of gunshots rocked the skies, dozens of bullets shooting towards them.

The four, stooping low with the personal soldiers on their backs and running recklessly forward, used the soldiers as human shields. Each personal soldier was hit by no fewer than ten bullets, yet Xiahou Qingyi and her companions remained unscathed.