Chapter 197: Contradictory Intelligence

"Okay, I understand."

After learning the whole story, Song Bingyuan, worried, hung up the phone and returned to the conference room.

Watching the person in charge still discussing the action plan, he hesitated many times and didn't dare to speak.

However, he took that call in full view of everyone, all eyes on him, and now his hesitant demeanor draws great attention.

"Xiao Song, is something happening?" a senior figure of Iron Blood Great Wall asked proactively.

"This."

Song Bingyuan hesitated a bit, after all, the matter Chen Shicheng mentioned was too far‑reaching.

If it were just a private rumor, it would be fine, but now the intelligence has been formally delivered into our hands, so regardless of its truth we must report it to avoid future trouble being blamed on him. Though his former position was only a police squad leader, he still possesses some political acumen.

So, Song Bingyuan concisely recounted the phone conversation once more.

"The altar is fake?"

Everyone in the conference room was startled by the news, and then each side reacted differently.

Some people took the intelligence as absolute truth; after all, cultivators in the Earth Immortal Realm aren't AI—though they value strength above all, they can occasionally indulge in scheming.

Moreover, they'd rather believe it exists than not, because they dare not gamble.

Of course, not everyone believes this intelligence.

After a brief surprise, someone quickly raised doubts.

"Who delivered this intelligence? What level are they? What status? How did they investigate it?"

The most vocal doubter was the reinforcement sent from the Russian side, Tugnev, president of the Dinamo Guild, level 25, one of the top masters in the Russian territory.

Because of the Icefield incident, that side deliberately expended massive resources to send twenty players into the Great Yu realm, both to mend bilateral relations and to learn from the experience, since no one can guarantee their own country won't face such a situation.

Thus before arriving, they received orders to lead by example, so that the Huaxia side would see their sincerity.

But now this intelligence makes things somewhat complicated; if the Huaxia side, to ensure the Task's success, tries to have it both ways, they may have to split forces.

However, at present the person in charge is only Tugnev; if forces are divided, the other team would have to obey Iron Blood Great Wall's command, and what if they become cannon fodder? Concerned for his comrades' safety, Tugnev's face was understandably grim, and he ranted into the translator, his words full of distrust toward the intelligence and Chen Shicheng.

The people on the Iron Blood Great Wall side were also helpless, and could only give Song Bingyuan a look, urging him to elaborate.

"The caller was Chen Shicheng, a consultant from C City, who voluntarily took part in the Icefield Task, previously level 13, current level unknown. As for the source of the intelligence, according to him, he alone infiltrated the altar and obtained the information from familiar natives."

Song Bingyuan didn't dare embellish and truthfully explained the situation.

"What kind of joke is this? A level‑13 ordinary player, and the intel came from the natives—how reliable can that be?"

Not only did Tugnev scoff at this claim, even some senior figures of Iron Blood Great Wall were dismissive.

They could now be said to be waging a war against the natives, and the other side actually took the natives' leaked intel seriously—truly a ridiculous farce.

To know, for this formation‑breaking Task, Iron Blood Great Wall specifically recruited players possessing special Relics for verification, comparing both sides' identities and abilities; naturally, their own people were deemed more trustworthy. The meeting's person in charge pondered briefly, then looked at Song Bingyuan seriously and asked, "How's Chen Shicheng's background check? Can we trust him? How much do you know about him?"

"His background is perfectly normal; I've only known him a short time, but he's absolutely trustworthy!" Song Bingyuan declared resolutely.

"This."

The person in charge at that moment didn't know what to say; this baseless trust left him somewhat baffled.

"We can just follow the agreed‑upon plan; this whole Chen Shicheng thing can be ignored. We can't change the negotiated plan because of an unverifiable piece of intelligence, can we?"

Tugnev tugged at his collar, looking impatient; in his view, just go straight in and act—why overthink?

Unfortunately, his words don't count here; the operation will ultimately be led by the Huaxia side.

"President Tugnev, don't rush; this Task is of great importance, so regardless of whether the intelligence is true, since someone raised it, we must pay attention."

The domestic force's representative participating in the Task also stepped forward, trying to smooth things over.

As for the others, they all stared at each other, unable to decide for the moment, and could only look toward the chief in charge.

"Are the Task participants all assigned? Should we first send out a few people to probe and investigate the situation?" the chief in charge asked the senior of Iron Blood Great Wall.

"No!"

The Iron Blood Great Wall members refused without hesitation, "To verify the intel's truth, we must launch a full‑scale assault on the altar to see the response, but such a move will inevitably alert the righteous cultivators and create huge resistance to the actual operation; we cannot take that risk."

The others understood his point; given Huaxia's national condition, they seek stability in everything!

"If I'm being honest about it being impossible, we should just follow the original plan and strike a wave; if we later find it's wrong, we can then turn and strike the other," Tugnev patted the table and said.

"Turn and strike the other? That's not that easy!"

"Exactly, if that altar is fake, the righteous cultivators will surely have set a heavenly net; even if we win, it'll be a pyrrhic victory, leaving no strength for a second attempt."

"Then what do we do? We can't really split forces; as you said, the other side has surely set a heavenly net, a full‑scale push could fail, and splitting forces would be suicide!"

Everyone began talking over each other, and the conference room instantly turned into a chaotic mess.

Now, all the pressure falls on the chief in charge and Song Bingyuan.

Song Bingyuan hadn't expected that an uncertain piece of intelligence could cause such a huge uproar; he felt uneasy for a moment.

"Xiao Song!"

The chief in charge suddenly spoke, and the conference room fell silent; everyone's gaze fixed on Song Bingyuan, "Since you delivered the intelligence, what are you thinking now?"

Song Bingyuan took a deep breath, strode to the screen, thought inwardly, "Chen Shicheng, you ruined me," and then said.

"Map!" (End of chapter)