Chapter 397: The Nature of Man

"You fool! Weren't the sura all lured to Qi because of this fellow? If Zhang Lie weren't around, would the sura attack Qi multiple times?" the naysayer argued. "Is Zhang Lie truly a champion of mankind? No, he's more like a scourge!"

"Don't you remember who saved us and the entirety of Qi two times in a row?"

"Wasn't Zhang Lie the reason the sura came to Qi in the first place? The sura king came to seek revenge on Musi Yu, and Zhang Lie was the one who killed him! And if the sura hadn't invaded us, neither would the enemy races nearby—and if Zhang Lie hadn't gone and seized a sura kingdom's capital as well, the enemy races wouldn't have invaded a second time.

"Use your brain, folks! What if Zhang Lie had planned all this? How do you know he's not taking advantage of all of you to build his reputation?"

Li Feng rolled up his sleeves. "Repeat that one more time, I dare you."

Upon noticing the unkind gazes from the members of Team Zenith sent his way, the man shut up and scurried off.

Xiao Zhengyang shook his head. "I think we had better return to the governor's manor and talk there instead."

As they walked toward the governor's manor, Zhang Lie said, "It looks like there are quite a few people who don't welcome me around."

"Well, that's how things are. You stand out, and that immediately makes you polarizing. The stronger you grow, the higher your reputation, the more jealousy you'll cause. Don't worry too much about what they say."

Zhang Lie nodded. "I don't mind—I don't think I have anything to be ashamed about. Right, did you manage to get what I wanted?"

Xiao Zhengyang nodded. "I've made a request to the world federation, but it seems to have been stalled."

Zhang Lie frowned. He wanted to get a teleportation array between the dimensional world and the real world, and this technology was heavily regulated by the world federation.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Seeing his frown, however, Xiao Zhengyang only grinned even more widely. "There's no need to worry. China's government was willing to provide one for you, and it's been installed in the warehouse."

"Thank you!"

Xiao Zhengyang shook his head. "Given your contributions to Qi, this is nothing. Do you really intend on leaving Qi?"

"I'm not certain yet, but I do intend to build a new human city in what used to be the capital of the sura king I captured."

There were quite a lot of rules and regulations restricting him in Qi, so Zhang Lie wanted a city of his own.

"Very well, it looks like you've already made up your mind. When do you intend to leave?"

"I'll return to Earth and deal with some matters there first. When I heard about the invasion of Qi, I had to rush over, so I had better check on how matters have been developing without my presence."

Ever since the attack on Qi, neither Zhang Lie nor the members of Team Zenith had had a good night's sleep. They had rushed over to one of the sura kingdoms' capital, destroyed it, then ran around Qi repelling the alien races, before finally having another battle against the sura. It was well past time for them to take a break.

Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith returned to Earth, unaware of a scheme unfolding all around him. In a dark alley in Qi, a black-robed man completed a transaction with several hunters.

If Zhang Lie were present, he would have noticed that one of the men taking part in the transaction was the one who had been vilifying him in front of the public.

The man grinned with malice. "Don't worry, boss, leave this to me! I've never liked Zhang Lie, so you can be assured I'll do my best. Champion of mankind? Feh!"

The others agreed fervently. "Right, he might be a capable hunter, but nothing more! I hardly understand what everyone finds so wonderful about him!"

In front of the largest plaza in Qi, which was being restored after the damage from two successive invasions, a man stood by the cusp of the fountain in the center of the plaza. He yelled out, "Friends, comrades, hunters of Qi, gather around! I'm here today to reveal the truth behind a man whom we've all thought of as a hero."

A few hunters walking by stared at the man before averting their gazes.

The man pulled out a sheaf of papers from his robes with Zhang Lie's face on them.

"I'm talking about the scourge of mankind, Zhang Lie!"

"Isn't that the champion of mankind, Zhang Lie?"

The man glared at the onlooker who had spoken. "Champion of mankind? He doesn't deserve such a title—he's a duplicitous, two-faced scumbag! Perhaps you might not know this, but he was the one who caused the two invasions that almost destroyed Qi. He's the true culprit!"

Zhang Lie's believers rushed to defend him. "What are you talking about? If not for Zhang Lie, Qi would long have fallen."

"But have you considered what would have happened if Zhang Lie weren't around?

Why did the sura king attack Qi? It was because he was seeking revenge for Musi Yu, whom Zhang Lie killed! And why did the enemy races attack Qi? It was because Zhang Lie left Qi defenseless when he dragged everyone in fighting condition off with him to invade the sura!"

Someone else yelled, "You're absolutely right! If not for Zhang Lie's actions, Qi would have been perfectly safe!

Think about how much we've all suffered since he came to Qi! We've never had any sura attacks, but the moment this fellow arrived, Qi was struck by calamity after calamity!"

"You're exactly right. Look all around you, everyone—how many of your friends or acquaintances perished to those attacks? Wake up: Zhang Lie isn't our savior, he's our downfall! If we remain silent any longer, Qi will fall because of him!"

The hunters that the black-robed man had paid off yesterday were having a noticeable effect on the audience.

"Everyone thinks highly of him, but I suspect he's making use of his strength and ability to lure enemies over before killing them in a grand display of strength right by the city walls. By repeating these feats, he'll easily raise his reputation and renown—but at the cost of your lives!"

"But he did save Qi, didn't he?" someone called out.

"Nonsense! You've already been brainwashed by Zhang Lie's antics!"