In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 146 Great Retreat
With the battlefield shifting to the sea, subtle changes become even more difficult for outsiders to observe.

All that could be seen were four faint, island-like ripples beneath the surface of the water, with two beams of light, one gold and one red, moving through the abyss.

Huang Fu transformed into a certain immortal deity of Dong'ou Dao, roaming freely in the sea like a fish in water.

Chen Yunming was in a much worse state because his fire-based supernatural powers were greatly reduced in the sea.

Finally, he found an opportunity, broke free from his restraints, left the water, and began to retreat.

They ran all the way to Liu Hanwen's location.

Chen Yunming landed, nodded to Cao Shichang, and said, "This year's giant beasts are strange. They've been lingering for so long and still don't want to leave. We might have to kill one or two of them."

Different ancient god realms give birth to different giant beasts, some possessing intelligence similar to humans, while others resemble wild beasts.

The Water Beast Cave is home to five elemental beasts, which are wild animals.

They come to harass us every year, but if you just hurt them a little and let them know they can't log in, they'll leave on their own.

Just like hyenas, a couple of blows and they'll behave.

This year is very strange; four giant beasts appeared all at once, and they are unusually persistent.

Fortunately, their intelligence remained that of wild beasts; they would fly into a rage and give chase if provoked even slightly. Otherwise, if these four behemoths had forced their way onto the land, they could have suffered considerable casualties.

It could even break through the defenses and affect cities in the rear.

Historically, when powerful members of the Federation confront behemoths, the difficulty lies not in the battle itself, but in the need to protect the city behind them; there are simply too many things to consider.

For example, Liu Hanwen doesn't even dare to let the waves pass by, fearing that a sudden tsunami of hundreds of meters might crash into Cangwu behind him.

This has become a major argument for the reformists.

By building massive cities, the area that needs to be defended can be reduced, thus avoiding meaningless losses.

Cao Shichang said, "The Wude Hall's orders are primarily defensive; attempting to kill the giant beast would be too reckless."

As long as the Ancient God Circle doesn't disappear, the behemoths will never perish. One was killed today, but more will reappear in time.

The difficulty of Zhou Xuan and attempting to kill are not on the same level. The former only requires attracting attention, while the latter requires a head-on confrontation.

They may not necessarily lose, but they are afraid of getting injured and losing the fight in a short period of time.

The Federation's enemies are not only the Ancient God Circle, but also many within its own ranks who intend to overthrow the Federation's rule.

Liu Hanwen also objected, saying, "I can only provide protection for you; I can't directly join the battle. It's too difficult to avoid getting injured in a three-on-four fight."

"Killing them won't do any good; they'll just come back next year. Let's wait a few more days and see."

The two objected, one of whom came with orders from the Wude Hall.

Chen Yunming had no choice but to give up and said, "I'll rest for a while."

A communications soldier ran up quickly, stood at attention, and saluted, saying, "Report! Urgent military intelligence from the Daozheng Bureau: the Chief Supervisor has discovered a giant aquatic beast landing in the Indochina Peninsula while on a mission."

Upon hearing this, all three people present looked surprised.

This is the first time in recorded history that a giant beast has landed, especially from the Indochina Peninsula.

Moreover, it also revealed extraordinary information: the Five Elements Giant Beasts of the Water Beast Cave, which had always resembled wild beasts, seemed to be different this time.

There was actually a giant beast that knew how to land by taking a roundabout route.

Liu Hanwen made a quick decision and said, "Comrade Chen, Comrade Cao, I'm asking you to make this trip. There are no natural barriers to defend the western route of the South China Sea, and we absolutely cannot let the giant beast get close to the border."

Cao Shichang objected, saying, "If we leave, what will happen to the four water beasts here? If they also insist on landing, the two of you won't be able to stop them. We should report to the Martial Virtue Hall and ask them to send another Martial Marquis."

His mission was to defend Cangwu; the Western Route of the South China Sea was not within his purview.

Chen Yunming nodded in agreement: "Cangwu cannot be lost."

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Liu Hanwen had no choice but to send someone to report to the Wude Hall.

About ten minutes later, there was a response.

The Martial Virtue Hall agreed to send another Martial Marquis, but requested that one person be assigned to assist him. This is because the Martial Marquises currently available are mostly retired veterans, many of whom are approaching 100 years old.

Normally they're lively and energetic, but high-intensity battles don't last long.

Every battle consumes their lifespan, so the Federation will not allow them to fight unless absolutely necessary.

After discussing it, the three decided to send Chen Yunming.

Because of his powerful supernatural abilities, he can deal with giant beasts much faster.

The next moment, before they could even make a detailed plan, even worse news arrived.

The aquatic behemoth is only a little over 100 kilometers from the border and is expected to enter the Federation within an hour. However, the Martial Marquis dispatched by the Martial Virtue Hall will take at least two hours to fly over.

Moreover, the old Marquis Wu always travels by plane, so he cannot use his already precious strength to travel.

If we want to defend the city, distant solutions won't quench our immediate thirst; the four warriors present must take action. One person can't defend the city, but it's better than letting the giant beasts sweep in unimpeded.

Cao Shichang said, "I'll go."

“You can’t stop it by yourself,” Liu Hanwen said. “The waters of the three rivers are connected to the Water Beast’s lair, and the outside world is its home ground.”

Chen Yunming shook his head and said, "The South China Sea West Road is at least 300 kilometers away from Cangwu, so there is no need to guard it strictly."

Liu Hanwen understood the implication in the other party's words, and immediately frowned, his eyes flashing coldly: "Comrade Chen, the farmers of the South China Sea West Circuit contribute tens of millions of tons of grain to the Federation every year. We cannot fail to guarantee even the basic safety of their persons and property."

"If you're not confident, then I'll go."

Upon hearing this, both of them objected.

The fact that the front line can be held now is entirely due to Liu Hanwen.

Cao Shichang, quick-witted, said, "At this point, we have no choice but to use nuclear weapons. Immediately order the Wude Hall to launch a high-yield nuclear bomb at the Indochina Peninsula. As long as it can severely damage the behemoth, one person can handle it."

Chen Yunming agreed, saying, "This method is feasible." Having settled on a feasible plan, Liu Hanwen contacted the Martial Virtue Hall, and his plan was approved.

But there is still some bad news.

Due to the Great Cataclysm and the frequent activity of the Ancient God Circle, the Federation's satellites were completely paralyzed eight years ago, and communications mainly rely on large base stations and lines.

This also means that missiles can only rely on inertial guidance and map matching. Since the behemoth is constantly moving, once there is a deviation of more than one thousand meters, it is difficult to cause damage to the behemoth.

Nuclear bombs are very powerful, but the shockwave with the largest damage radius is ineffective against behemoths, but we have to give it a try.

Ultimately, the Federation decided to send a strategic bomber to conduct a high-altitude drop to ensure a high hit rate.

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Federal Martial Virtue Hall, government office.

As soon as Wang Shouzhen signed all the procedures regarding the use of nuclear weapons, a strategic bomber immediately took off from Zhongnan Province.

Ring ring ring!
The landline on the table rang.

Wang Shouzhen picked up the phone, and the operator respectfully said, "Chief, there is a call from the West Coast of the South China Sea, using a special internal channel."

The so-called insider special channel means that he granted a certain group of people the right to directly reach the emperor's ears.

"Take it over."

beep...

The call was answered, and a clear, pleasant female voice came through.

"Uncle Wang, I am Xiao Yan."

"Xiao Yan, what made you decide to call me today?"

Wang Shouzhen was dealing with a mountain of official business.

The Federation has many matters to attend to, and the situation in Nankaido is only one of the three most urgent matters at present.

Currently, the top priority is the Baldong Province battlefield, followed by the South China Sea Province, and then the overseas exploration force.

There are still many problems to be solved, such as local divisions, corruption in the distillery, bureaucracy, and the leadership transition after one year.

Wang Shouzhen wasn't actually very familiar with this orphan of his old friend; they only kept in touch by phone during holidays.

He had a good impression of Lin Zhiyan. The boy was very sensible and had not caused any trouble like many children of high-ranking officials, nor had he ever troubled him.

Lin Zhiyan said, "I am currently in the western border area of ​​the South China Sea. I have received news that this area will soon be attacked by giant beasts, and the people have not yet received any evacuation notices."

She naturally wouldn't say that she wanted to transfer the border station chief, because he was the person she had her eye on.

This constitutes abusing power for personal gain.

When dealing with an elder of Wang Shouzhen's stature, one should not focus on what one wants the other person to do, but rather on what one can do to help them.

Lin Zhiyan was also holding his breath.

The more Lu Zhao resisted, the more she wanted him to understand that he couldn't resist her.

Since you insist on fulfilling your obligations, she'll flip the table and make everyone evacuate.

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen frowned slightly.

He could roughly understand the reasons behind the Nankaido government's order; it was simply a fear of being held responsible for an overly hasty evacuation. As long as a detailed and proper plan was in place, even if it ultimately failed to be implemented, there would be no accountability.

The situation is now too late to do anything, but it's better than letting people wait to die. If the situation is concealed, it will not only be a natural disaster, but also a man-made one.

He said, "I understand. You should leave now."

"Okay, Uncle Wang."

The phone hangs up.

Minutes later, the government office issued an evacuation order to the entire city of Phong, requiring all cities behind it to cooperate.

This was an order from the Chief of the Martial Virtue Hall, and no one could refuse it.

Lu Zhao also received the order to retreat, and the death calamity hanging over his head disappeared.

Within the Primordial Chaos.

The old Taoist priest calculated with his fingers and couldn't help but sigh, "It is constantly changing, flowing through the six directions, with no fixed position, and the interplay of strength and gentleness."

"Though facing nine deaths, there is also great fortune."

He wants to obtain the Five Elements Elixir Embryo, and this process will inevitably lead to Lu Zhao's death.

This wasn't the old Taoist priest targeting Lu Zhao; he disdained such low-level tricks. It was simply the inevitable result of Lu Zhao's personality and destiny, a combination of various circumstances.

The only one to blame is Lu Zhao himself for being too rebellious and ignoring his master's teachings.

The old Taoist priest wasn't a pushover; he always wanted to give his disobedient disciples a good talking-to.

However, just as Lu Zhao was about to die, a powerful force of fortune lifted him up and helped him survive the ordeal.

My disciple is not without luck.

Perhaps the path he chose wasn't as difficult as he imagined.

This is the thought.

The old Taoist priest was focused on fishing, which was a good thing because it could discipline his stubborn disciple. It was also a good thing that his disciple survived a life-threatening ordeal, just in different ways.

All of these are good things; there are no bad things.

(End of this chapter)