I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

"Before that, wasn't there the best candidate in front of you?"

A fighting spirit surged in Mu Mu's eyes; her meaning was clear—

You want to fight a strong opponent? There's one right in front of you. Why don't you get used to fighting a Void Realm expert first?

"There will be opportunities, but not now," Yan Ziming said with a calm smile.

At this moment, Ye Qianxue suddenly seemed to remember something and asked anxiously:

"Does your question about when Qianxue will break through to the ninth rank have anything to do with this, sister...? Do you want to fight Qianxue?!"

Yan Ziming said with a smile, "If you can manage not to make me cry, then I will do it."

"Hmm..." Ye Qianxue puffed out her cheeks, feeling that she was being looked down upon.

"Alright, alright, how could my little sister cry so easily? I asked you about this so you could experience fighting a ninth-tier expert. You don't think I'll be the only one going up there to fight, do you?"

"Hey, do you want some, Chiyuki too?"

"Nonsense, it's me, Mu Mu, and you, that's why we said we're going to cause trouble."

Yan Ziming had already foreseen the expressions of those ninth-tier powerhouses when the Civilization Cup was held in grand style; they would definitely be a colorful array of emotions.

You're going to steal the spotlight from all the other contestants in the Civilization Cup!

What? Do you want to host another Tier 9 competition on the Civilization Cup stage?

To everyone's surprise, Mu Mu just waved her hand dismissively and said, "I'm not interested. Oh no, I mean I'm not interested in people below the Void Spirit Realm, but you're an exception, Little Mo Mo."

"Well, this is a bit tricky... We can only see if there are any people at the Void Realm there."

The Void Spirit Realm are generally the strongest individuals in a country, and they don't venture out casually, preferring to remain within their own territory. Those sent out are typically at the Divine Gathering Realm or Qi Evolution Realm.

“However, one of those four guys from Odyssey has to be there, right?” Yan Zimo suddenly said.

"Definitely, it's about saving face for them, but I don't think any country will let them steal the limelight."

Mu Mu nodded. The strength of the people sent out represented the face of the country. A Void Spirit Realm expert was enough to overpower the other ninth-tier experts.

The most awkward thing is that Odyssey can't send anyone below the Void Realm, which is what makes all countries most wary.

As for that half-crippled old man, he was completely forgotten by Yan Ziming and the others, left to gather dust in some obscure corner.

Behind this "Civilization Cup," deep undercurrents still lurk.

The clash of civilizations continues...

32. A show of force

2030, April 1.

The second Civilization Cup is about to be held.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Community of Shared Future for Mankind announced that the Civilization Cup would be held in early February, a month later.

The key point is that this Civilization Cup is not hosted by any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, but by a newly emerging international organization – the Community of Shared Future for Mankind.

This is an organization that brings together the elite forces of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Many high-end technologies that a single country cannot develop are being researched and tackled in this organization, resulting in many remarkable achievements.

Moreover, there's also the Odyssey, which already has several cutting-edge technologies that have been successfully applied through the collaboration of the five countries; it's just a matter of getting them into civilian use.

The organization has branches in all four remaining permanent members of the UN Security Council, but...

From the very beginning of the establishment of the community of shared future for mankind, one point was made clear—this is an independent urban organization.

This also indicates that its headquarters is a place similar to a military administrative area, but no one knows where its headquarters is.

For several years, people only knew that the headquarters existed, but could no longer obtain any related information.

According to information disclosed by the Community of Shared Future for Mankind, this Civilization Cup will be held at the headquarters.

"So, where exactly is the headquarters? Mu Mu, do you know?"

Yan Ziming was very curious about this place. In any case, there was no such place in China. How could a city organization not know about it when it was located in its own country?

"Of course I know. I am, after all, one of the high-ranking officials in the country, even if it's just a nominal position."

Mu Mu blew on her fingernails, refusing to reveal the exact location, and declared that she would give her a surprise later.

"Enough with the talk. Now that you've come to the Sichuan Military and Administrative Region, don't forget to get down to business."

"How could I forget?" Yan Ziming rolled her eyes. Her main purpose this time was to fight the ninth-ranked expert who was stationed here.

However, the Ninth Rank guarding the Sichuan Military and Administrative Region has changed, since Yan Shan has disappeared and Mo Sheng has temporarily taken over the area.

This conclusion was reached only as a last resort.

The passing and disappearance of Yanshan had far-reaching impacts.

In the past, when he was around, even if he was the only ninth-level player in several cities in Sichuan, he could defend them as solid as a rock, and no matter how many enemies came, he could drive them back.

But he has now disappeared. A military administrative region cannot be without a ninth-level garrison, so another ninth-level garrison must be transferred from elsewhere.

Everyone thought this would be no difficult task for China, a country with a wealth of powerful figures, but that was not the case.

Battles are ongoing in the Southern Guangdong Military Administrative Region, and the fighting is fierce. Even with four level-nine warriors guarding the region together, the pressure remains immense.

Li Haoyi is the only ninth-rank official in the Bei'an Military Administrative Region. Are they going to transfer him here as well?

What? You're saying that super-powerful fighters like Yan Ziming, Mu Mu, Si Mo, and Liu Mengxian aren't included?

Those are all lone wolves!

To put it nicely, they're called lone wolves; to put it bluntly... well, they're just a few idle people who don't care about anything.

Although Mu Mu was a high-ranking official, as she said, she was only in name. She didn't even look at the daily military affairs and simply washed her hands of them.

Yan Ziming also made it clear that she would not join any government agency, and she stated that she would continue to live in the Beian Military Administrative District. She has no plans to relocate.

As for Liu Mengxian and Si Mo... they can be eliminated without even thinking about it.

After much deliberation, Mo Sheng had no choice but to be transferred from the southern Guangdong region, which was designated as a high-intensity war zone, to this area.

However, she felt powerless when faced with an entire military and administrative region in Sichuan.

This is an administrative region composed of several cities. Moreover, she is not Yan Shan; she is just a ninth-level cultivator. If a large-scale battle were to occur, she would not be able to take care of all the areas.

"I think... before I go to spar with Sister Mo Sheng, I should help her resolve this trouble first. If she finds out that I came here and did nothing, she will definitely not give me a good look."

Looking down at the fiercely contested Panzhihua City, Yan Ziming realized that since he was already there, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing, so he decisively stepped in.

Rumbling--

Without warning, a layer of dark thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and just by looking at it, everyone knew who was coming.

"Whoa—Miss Knight is here!"

"Ah~ she's my Prince Charming..."

"Hey, you're a girl too, right? What are you doing, swooning over someone?"

"Huh? (Pinching bones) You have a problem with that? Lord Zimo is so handsome, what's wrong with me wanting to marry him?"

As soon as this extraordinary celestial phenomenon occurred, the morale of the entire city's inhabitants and soldiers soared, and they began to sing praises of Yan Ziming's name, with all sorts of bizarre expressions emerging.

However, Yan Ziming heard none of this. He raised his hand and summoned hundreds of bolts of lightning, unleashing them all. Columns of light, symbols of death, rained down from the sky...

The battle ended a dozen minutes later.

This battle was originally just a minor skirmish, requiring no intervention from Yan Ziming or even a ninth-rank official. The garrison could easily suppress it.

Even in the simplest battles, there will still be casualties. Yan Zimo can't just stand by and watch; he should take action if he can!

Moreover, since she came here to spar with Mo Sheng, she absolutely couldn't leave out a gift.

"Hmph, I'll leave after I've accomplished my task, concealing my merits and fame—that's me!"

Yan Ziming clapped his hands and left without any intention of lingering, taking Mu Mu with him to Mo Sheng to curry favor... uh, no, to issue a challenge.

They traveled all the way to Xiyue City and arrived at the Strategic Command without any obstacles, where Mo Sheng was stationed.

"Waaah... such intense resentment..."

Even through the door, one could sense what the scene inside was like; Mo Sheng's mood certainly wouldn't be good.

dong dong——

"Come in."

Yan Ziming walked in guiltily, and the first thing he saw was not Mo Sheng, but a mountain of documents piled up on the table, with Mo Sheng behind them.

Wow... so those scenes in anime aren't fake after all...

After silently complaining to himself, Yan Ziming put on a smile and said, "Hello... Sister Mo Sheng... Hehe, it's been a while, did you miss me?"

"Oh, Zimo, and Mumu... I just received word that you've arrived. Please make yourself at home, I'll take care of you when I'm done with my work."

Mo Sheng didn't even pop her head out, which shows how busy she was; she had several important military meetings to chair later!

"Okay, you can take your time with your work. We'll wait."

Yan Ziming wiped his sweat and waited patiently, but little did he know that this wait would stretch from day to night.

Mo Sheng went in and out of the room many times during this period, but only had time to chat with Yan Ziming and Mu Mu for a few words before having to go out to attend to other matters.

It was well past midnight when Mo Sheng finally had a rare moment of peace.