As more awakened ones gathered in the independent space opened by Zhu Yan, they became restless, demanding answers from him.
"Where is Mr. Luo Yun? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Such a large gathering will soon be noticed by the higher-ups. I suggest we end this meeting as soon as possible."
"Zhu Yan, you summoned everyone. Now that they're all here, why is Mr. Luo Yun so late in appearing?"
The awakened ones in the hidden space focused their attention on Zhu Yan. Many immediately realized something was amiss. Mr. Luo Yun wouldn't be absent for so long!
Zhu Yan, naturally, dared not admit to deceiving everyone. He could only find a flimsy excuse to placate them and buy time.
Seeing that he was about to be exposed, Zhu Yan turned to Ye Ling and asked, "Big... Big Brother... everyone's here. What should I do next?"
Ye Ling expanded his Ink Domain to cover the entire hidden space, then smiled at Zhu Yan and said, "I see your charisma. You can let them go now."
"W-We're letting them go already?"
Zhu Yan looked at Ye Ling in shock, thinking he had misheard. He quickly said, "Big Brother! Don't joke with me!"
"There are over a hundred thousand awakened ones here! If they find out I used Mr. Luo Yun's name to trick them, they'll kill me! You must have a plan for gathering so many people, right?"
Ye Ling smiled at Zhu Yan and replied, "Didn't you say that no matter what you asked them to do, they would do it?"
"I... I..."
Zhu Yan was stunned. He opened his mouth, then fell to his knees before Ye Ling with a thud, crying, "Big Brother, I was truly wrong... If you can spare my life, I'll be your loyal servant, doing anything you say! I really can't bear the wrath of a hundred thousand awakened ones!"
"You said that, didn't you? That no matter what I say, you'll do it?" Ye Ling asked with a smile.
"No matter what! As long as you say it, Big Brother, I will obey your command!"
"Then alright, let them go..." Ye Ling said again.
"B-Big Brother?"
Zhu Yan was bewildered. Wasn't this sending him to his death?
Zhu Yan wanted to say more, but upon seeing Ye Ling's subtle smile, he understood Ye Ling's intention, and all his words were choked back. This was Ye Ling's test of his obedience... Realizing this, Zhu Yan knew he couldn't escape this ordeal. He took a deep breath, resigned himself to his fate, and shouted to the awakened ones in the hidden space, "Mr. Luo Yun has left. Everyone can go home. Don't gather here to avoid being discovered."
As soon as Zhu Yan finished speaking, he closed his eyes, nervously awaiting the furious backlash from the awakened ones. However, after waiting for a while with his eyes closed, the thunderous rage he expected didn't materialize. The entire hidden space was deathly quiet.
Sensing that something was unusual, Zhu Yan mustered the courage to open his eyes. He found that the awakened ones in the hidden space were leaving in an orderly fashion, as if they found Zhu Yan's words perfectly normal! The scene in the hidden space was extremely bizarre.
"This..."
Zhu Yan's eyes nearly popped out as he saw the state of the awakened ones in the hidden space! Why was this happening?
"Big Brother, what's wrong with them?" Zhu Yan looked at Ye Ling incredulously, as if he had seen a ghost.
"It's nothing. I just used a little trick on them. You did very well."
Ye Ling chuckled. After the awakened ones' souls entered the hidden space, Ye Ling had subtly altered their thoughts with his Ink Domain. Now, the object of their loyalty had shifted from Luo Yun to Ye Ling. Since Zhu Yan was conveying Ye Ling's command, the awakened ones naturally followed without hesitation.
"It was just a little trick?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Zhu Yan felt his mouth go dry, utterly shocked. Mr. Luo Yun had spent countless years developing over a hundred thousand awakened ones under the nose of "The Brain," yet Ye Ling had claimed this army as his own in the blink of an eye... Zhu Yan couldn't even imagine how powerful Ye Ling truly was.
"Zhu Yan."
Just as Zhu Yan was lost in shock, Ye Ling's call brought him back to reality.
"L-Little Brother is here!"
Zhu Yan immediately knelt before Ye Ling, his tone extremely respectful. Zhu Yan's admiration for Ye Ling now surpassed that for Luo Yun, and his last lingering doubts vanished. In his eyes, following Ye Ling promised a much brighter future than continuing to work in logistics for the Overseers.
Seeing the change he desired in Zhu Yan's eyes, Ye Ling deemed the time ripe. He praised Zhu Yan, "Zhu Yan, actually, the first time I saw you, I felt you were a good person, worthy of cultivation."
"Therefore, I plan to entrust you with the command of those hundred thousand awakened ones. Go and do some things for me."
"Big Brother... You want me to command a hundred thousand awakened ones?"
Zhu Yan thought he had misheard and looked at Ye Ling incredulously, a strange emotion welling up within him. After extreme suppression, he suddenly felt like a swift steed encountering a discerning master.
"Yes, I believe your abilities are sufficient to accomplish what I entrust you with."
Ye Ling smiled slightly at Zhu Yan and beckoned him closer, "Come here, whisper."
"Yes!"
Seeing Ye Ling's gesture, Zhu Yan excitedly scurried towards Ye Ling, tilting his head to listen. Ye Ling smiled and whispered a few words in Zhu Yan's ear. Zhu Yan's expression shifted from excitement to shock, and then back to excitement!
"Big Brother, don't worry. Little Brother will definitely handle this for you perfectly!" Zhu Yan's eyes gleamed as he patted his chest, assuring Ye Ling.
"I believe that with your abilities, you will surely succeed."
After conveying his instructions to Zhu Yan, Ye Ling handed him a jade token. "This jade token will allow you to mobilize all the awakened ones under my control. Go ahead and do it."
"Yes!"
Zhu Yan solemnly accepted the jade token and then rushed out of the room without hesitation.
Bai Lan watched Zhu Yan leave and asked Ye Ling, "Master... you didn't use your Ink Domain to control Zhu Yan. Is it reliable to let him lead the awakened ones to disrupt the Overseers' headquarters?"
"It's not that I doubt Master's judgment, but Zhu Yan easily betrayed 'The Brain' and then 'Luo Yun.' I feel it wouldn't be strange for him to betray us later."
"He doesn't need to be reliable. The awakened ones are all controlled by my Ink Domain. They only need to cause destruction, and everything will be within my grasp."
"Then why did Master have Zhu Yan command them?" Bai Lan still didn't understand. "Isn't that redundant?"
"Lan'er, have you forgotten? Although 'The Brain' has left the Primordial Chaos, another 'Hand' has arrived. We still don't know the opponent's strength. Rushing to expose ourselves will only put us in a passive position."
"Then Master, you mean..." Bai Lan seemed to understand something.
"Let Zhu Yan and Luo Yun take the blame for us. I've altered Zhu Yan's memories with my Ink Domain. Even if the awakened ones' rebellion is suppressed in the end, and Zhu Yan is captured, if he chooses to betray us... he will only believe we are Luo Yun."
At this point, Ye Ling smiled again. "Of course, if the plan goes smoothly, they won't need to take the blame. The Overseers will be completely driven out of the Primordial Chaos by us this time!"