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Chapter 440 That Person Made a Move
Dead silence.

Absolute silence.

Around the circular conference table, the expressions on the faces of the hundreds of powerful fifth-tier experts, whose auras were so profound that a stomp of their feet could shake the Federation, all froze.

Stunned, incredulous, a sense of absurdity.
A variety of emotions instantly filled every face.

Has Shangjing City fallen?
How can this be? !
That's the capital of the Federation.

Not only are there several resident fifth-tier powerhouses stationed there, but there is also the strongest city force field shield, which was built with all the resources of the Federation and has undergone countless enhancements!
Its defensive strength.

Theoretically, it is strong enough to withstand the combined onslaught of several top-tier gods without breaking through.

Moreover, the capital city itself was a war fortress.

With such a sophisticated early warning system, how could it possibly work overnight without any warning?
Fallen?!

This is simply a fantasy.

Fang Qingyu's dark eyes suddenly narrowed, and his brows furrowed tightly.

This news was too sudden and too unbelievable.

His first reaction was not to doubt the veracity of the news; Hong Qitian would never joke in such a situation.

So, what's the reason?

What kind of power is this?

How could one do this so silently and without making a sound?
In an instant, a name flashed through his mind.

On New Year's Eve.

At the Great Wall in the Arctic, Zhulong came to see him and gave him a second invincible manual, the Myriad Manifestations of the Heavenly Cycle.

And Zhulong disappeared that night.

Fang Qingyu initially asked Jiang Wei where Zhulong had gone, and Jiang Wei said he was busy.

This matter was brought up again later.

Jiang Wei once said that Zhulong went to the capital.
After that, Fang Qingyu never heard from Zhulong again.

If there is anything that can transcend common sense, disregard the seemingly impregnable defenses of the capital, and accomplish such an astonishing feat...
Zhulong is definitely one of them.

However, Fang Qingyu did not suspect that it was Zhulong who did it. After spending those few months together, he knew a little about Zhulong's personality.

So I subconsciously turned my head to the side.

His gaze fell on Jiang Wei beside him.

A clear look of surprise flashed across Jiang Wei's ruby-like eyes.

She felt Fang Qingyu's gaze and immediately shook her head slightly.

She indicated that she was completely unaware of this as well.

Just then, an elderly man sitting to Hong Qitian's right, dressed in an old-fashioned general's uniform with worn epaulets but still standing straight as a pine tree, suddenly took a deep breath, his voice hoarse and low:
"Old Hong, explain yourself! Which deity was behind this?! What is the current casualty count?!"

He practically forced out the last few words through gritted teeth.

Clearly, what he was most concerned about was the safety of his tens of millions of compatriots.

This question revealed the fear in everyone's hearts.

In an instant, all eyes were once again fixed on Hong Qitian.

Hong Qitian faced hundreds of scorching and heavy gazes.

A strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

He was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke:
"The current casualties are zero."

"zero?!"

"This"

"Zero casualties?! What kind of fall is this?!"

After a brief moment of surprise, low gasps and murmurs of doubt rose up throughout the conference room.

Several impatient and powerful individuals almost stood up.

Zero casualties?
A city fell, yet there were zero casualties?

This is even more absurd than hearing that the capital city has fallen.

If it weren't for Hong Qitian speaking, they would almost have thought it was some kind of malicious joke.

Hong Qitian raised his hand and pressed it down lightly, silencing the crowd's commotion.

His expression remained grave, showing no sign of relief despite the zero casualties.

He continued in a deep voice, "The reason there are no casualties in Shangjing City now is because Lord Zhulong is helping us hold off that one, but at the moment, Shangjing City is completely inaccessible. All means and all channels have been completely blocked and isolated, so death and injury are only a matter of time."

After saying this, he paused briefly, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire room, especially lingering on the few powerful figures who looked puzzled, and emphasized his words:
"As for the god who caused all of this..."

"It's the one you're thinking of."

……

That one.

These three words seem to possess a certain magic.

It instantly silenced all the voices and doubts in the conference room.

Everyone's face instantly turned extremely solemn, even pale.

That one!
No one even dared to easily utter that title or name in their mind.

If it was "that person" who personally took action.
Then everything that seems illogical seems to have the cruelest explanation.

Given the defensive capabilities of the capital, they might truly be no different from paper in the face of that one.

but
An even greater wave of doubt surged into everyone's minds.

If it really is that person, why would they choose this particular time to intervene so directly?

This is completely inconsistent with His usual style of remaining behind the scenes and making strategic moves.

Moreover, since they've already made a move...

Why were there zero casualties?

This doesn't seem like that person's style.

It was in this extreme repression and confusion that...

Li Bai, who had previously been in charge of monitoring Bo Xun and whose sword aura was almost completely concealed, suddenly raised his head.

His clear yet deep eyes stared directly at Hong Qitian:
"Elder Hong, do you mean that Lord Zhulong has chosen to stand on our side?"

The words "Candle Dragon" were uttered.

Everyone's mind jolted, and their gazes immediately focused again.

If anyone can, to some extent, restrain or even influence "that person's" behavior...
Zhulong is definitely one of the very few possible beings!

Is it
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hong Qitian slowly nodded.

"This is the only good news in this whole affair."

He confirmed Li Bai's guess.

"Based on the extremely limited and vague pieces of information we have intercepted so far, it is inferred that it was Lord Zhulong who took the initiative to approach that person."

"It was precisely because of Lord Zhulong's intervention and restraint that he was unable or temporarily unable to directly attack the ordinary people in the capital city."

"The current state of zero casualties and lockdown is more like a delicate and dangerous balance formed by two supreme beings."

"But this balance can never last."

Hong Qitian's voice was extremely heavy.

"Lord Zhulong can hold out for a while, but not forever. Once the balance is broken, the thirty million people in the capital will be wiped out in an instant."

"Therefore, we cannot sit idly by and wait for death. We must take the initiative to intervene and break this deadlock, but the goal is not a decisive battle, but to save lives."

……

The meeting room fell silent for a long time once again.

But this silence, unlike the previous shock and despair, contained a subtle but real hope and a more complex weighing of options.

Zhulong sided with the human race.

This is undoubtedly great news.

But what followed was an imminent crisis concerning the lives of 30 million people in the capital.

Soon, the old man spoke again, his eyes fixed intently on Hong Qitian: "So, you've gathered all of us old guys together because you intend to deal with that one?"

This question had everyone on edge.

Which one should we deal with?
This is almost equivalent to directly starting the final battle.

With the human race's forces not yet fully prepared, hastily launching a decisive battle makes their chances of victory so slim as to be despairing.

Immediately, someone spoke up in a dry voice, their tone heavy with apprehension: "If we confront that person now, it means we're starting the final battle prematurely. Are we... ready?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head.

This instantly calmed down many powerful individuals who were initially agitated by Zhulong's stance, leaving them silent.

The atmosphere in the conference room became extremely heavy again. Hong Qitian looked at everyone, first shaking his head, then nodding.

This contradictory action left everyone somewhat puzzled.

"No, but also yes."

Hong Qitian gave a seemingly vague answer.

He didn't keep them in suspense and turned his gaze directly to Jiang Wei, who had been sitting quietly next to Fang Qingyu since entering the conference room.

"My plan is not to go and fight that person to the death right now."

"That would be courting disaster."

"What I'm thinking is, could we first ask Lady Nuba, based on your connection with Lord Zhulong, to try to enter that sealed-off area of ​​Shangjing, find Lord Zhulong, explain the advantages and disadvantages, and persuade Him to retreat for the time being?"

Persuade Zhulong to retreat?

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback at first, and then showed thoughtful expressions.

Hong Qitian continued to explain his plan: "As long as Lord Zhulong is willing to withdraw first and break that delicate balance, that person's attention may be diverted."

"At that time, by gathering the strength of everyone here, we may have a chance to take advantage of the moment when that person's attention is diverted, forcibly break the blockade, force back the power that is shrouding Shangjing, or rather, send it back to where it should be, such as the Bone Continent."

"Our goal is not to kill, or even wound, but simply to drive them away and rescue them."

This plan was extremely bold, yet it cleverly kept the risks at a relatively low level.

If all goes well.

But doubts immediately arose.

An elderly man with a flame pattern between his brows frowned and said, "Elder Hong, what's the essential difference between this and directly confronting that one? Even if it's just driving her away, it's still a direct provocation. Once we force her back to the Bone Continent, wouldn't she immediately launch a full-scale war in her rage? What we need is time; we must calm her frivolous mindset!"

These words immediately resonated with most people.

Indeed, the consequences of angering that person would be unimaginable.

What the human race needs most right now is to buy time and gain more room to grow.

Hong Qitian seemed to have anticipated this question.

He remained silent for a moment, a complex and unreadable expression on his face, and slowly said, "I have my own way of stabilizing Him."

Do you have your own way?

What method can be used to appease a supreme being who has been directly challenged?

The group exchanged glances, their doubts not completely dispelled.

But looking at Hong Qitian's expression, which brooked no further questions,...

Given the current urgent situation, no one dared to voice their doubts anymore.

After all, Hong Qitian is the highest decision-maker in the Federation.

They possess a great deal of top-secret information that they were unaware of.

Perhaps he really does have some special trump card or plan.

Now is not the time to dig deeper.

And so, everyone's eyes once again turned to a certain spot on the conference table.

It was directed at the woman in the red dress and barefoot.

She remained as quiet as a goddess stepping out of a painting from beginning to end.

Jiang Wei.

The most crucial, initial, and extremely risky part of the entire plan fell to her.

Will she be able to successfully infiltrate the capital city, which is shrouded in the power of two supreme beings?
Will we be able to find Zhulong successfully?

Can we persuade that ancient and powerful being to choose to retreat at this moment?

Facing hundreds of gazes.

Jiang Wei slowly raised her head.

Her beautiful face remained calm and expressionless.

Her red eyes first glanced at Fang Qingyu beside her.

Fang Qingyu was also looking at her.

Jiang Wei nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to Hong Qitian, who was at the head of the table.

The cool voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying a reassuring power.

"can."

Just two simple words.

This gave the plan a strong boost.

The last trace of hesitation in Hong Qitian's eyes vanished completely.

He slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud, making the cups and saucers on the table jump slightly.

"Then let's go!"

Hong Qitian stood up, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over every fifth-tier expert present.

"Gentlemen, remember this!"

"No one is allowed to make a move before I give the signal!"

……

Just as the hundred fifth-tier powerhouses in the core conference room of the Great Wall at Sea were making their final preparations.

The city of Shangjing, thousands of miles away.

From the outside...

The federal capital seemed no different from usual.

The towering skyscrapers still stand tall, the familiar streets are bustling with traffic, and people hurry along the sidewalks.

A massive, pale blue force field shield, like an inverted bowl, enveloped the entire city, shielding it from external winds, rain, and threats.

The city's internal network, electricity, water supply and other systems are all operating normally.

People are still going to work, school, shopping, scrolling through their phones, discussing the news of the great victory that just came from the Great Wall at Sea, and the air still seems to be filled with the jubilation brought by the victory.

Only at defensive outposts on the outskirts of the city.

And inside the headquarters building of the Sanctuary, the atmosphere was as heavy as if it were frozen.

The director of the Kamijing City Divine Administration Bureau, a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor and resolute face, was standing next to the force field on the outermost edge of the city.

His face was ashen as he reached out and slowly pressed his hand against the almost transparent, invisible energy shield in front of him.

In the past, this protective barrier was only for external use, not internal.

His hand could pass through it without any hindrance and feel the real air outside.

But this time...
His hand was stopped the moment it touched the surface of the shield.

It could no longer move forward even an inch.

The bureau chief's heart sank into an abyss.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He slowly withdrew his hand and turned to look at the group of high-ranking military officers and senior officials of the Bureau of Justice behind him, whose faces were also as pale as paper.

He shook his head silently.

blockade
it is true.

In fact, they had confirmed it countless times.

Last night, when an incoming shuttle was preparing to enter the city, it almost crashed directly onto this force field.

Since then.

They had already discovered that Beijing was under lockdown.

So they immediately sent a message to the fifth-tier powerhouses in the city.

However, when the fifth-tier experts came to inspect, they found that even they could not shake the suddenly changed force field in the slightest.

In an instant, everyone panicked.

They quickly contacted Hong Qitian.

But there is no news yet.

"What should we do, Chief? If this continues, it will cause great panic when the public finds out that this place has been sealed off."

Seeing this, the assistant beside the director slowly turned around and walked away with him, asking the director a question in his ear.

"Don't panic. If even we panic, what will the others think?"

The bureau chief looked at his assistant's expression and said in a low voice without any emotion.

After saying that, he didn't give his assistant any feedback.

He continued, "Go and inform everyone at the third rank and above to attend a meeting at the Divine Administration Bureau."

(End of this chapter)