They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 377 Nathan's End
Just a fraction of a second before Ron's finger was about to pull the trigger, an immense force, far beyond what ordinary people could imagine, gripped his wrist like an iron clamp.

The power was so steady and unshakeable that no matter how Ron struggled, the hand holding the gun remained completely still.

"Click."

A soft cracking sound of bones dislocating rang out, and Ron let out a muffled groan as his pistol slipped from its grip and fell to the ground, where it was caught by another outstretched hand.

The change happened in the blink of an eye.

Ron turned his head in surprise to look at his side.

The two unremarkable Behemoth soldiers who had been escorting King Nathan had completely changed their demeanor.

One of them was the one gripping his wrist, while the other was toying with the silver pistol, his movements as practiced as if he were fiddling with his toy.

Under the astonished and uncertain gazes of Ron and all the remaining Behemoth members, the two slowly raised their hands and removed the tactical hoods that covered their faces.

One was a face with a gentle smile.

The other face was expressionless and silent as iron.

It was Xiao Zizai and the clarinet.

"Tsk."

Xiao Zizai released Ron's deformed wrist and uttered a meaningful exclamation.

"Brother Zhuge is truly a genius; he even figured out your last madness as a loser."

Arrogant people always like to drag others down with them when they're on a dead end.

There was no sarcasm in his tone, but rather a pleasure like that of appreciating a work of art, a pleasure that made the hairs on Ron's back stand on end.

"Tell your men to cease all operations."

The clarinet's sound was deep and flat. He turned the gun around and pressed it against Ron's back.
"Otherwise, I will kill you before you give any orders to die together with me."

However, unexpectedly, Ron, who was on the verge of collapse, suddenly showed a twisted kind of toughness.

"Heh...kill me?"

Ron's laughter was dry and hoarse.
“All-Knowing…you guys have been hiding really well. That cyber ghost, this armored unit…your research in the field of superhumans has probably already surpassed that of Behemoth.”

His chest heaved violently, a morbid excitement replacing his fear.

"If... if Zhuge Qing were to obtain the divine tree and the core secrets of this island... what would the future world order be like?"

The East will hold absolute power, and we... all of us will live in your shadow!

"I lost, that's right! I, Ron, am a piece of trash, a fool! But I will never... I will never betray the company, betray the country!"

He practically roared these words, his face bearing the resolute determination of a martyr.

"Ah……"

A soft laugh interrupted Ron's impassioned speech.

Xiao Zizai's smile grew even brighter, a cruel smile that seemed to indicate he had spotted a perfect prey and was about to enjoy his meal.

"I like your tough spirit..."

He slowly and methodically moved his fingers, making a crisp "click-clack" sound.

"It's only satisfying to start gnawing on it."

Before he finished speaking, an invisible yet incredibly real aura of terror emanated from Xiao Zizai.

Ron felt as if he were being watched by a prehistoric beast. Every glance and every breath of the beast was assessing where to bite him to make him experience the most extreme pain.

That resolute expression, that martyr-like aura, crumbled instantly before Xiao Zizai's outstretched hand, which seemed to carry the scent of blood.

The excitement and determination in Ron's eyes faded, replaced by the most primal and pure fear.

He had witnessed murder and even ordered killings, but he was never directly involved...

Only when he faced death directly did he realize how terrifying it was...

“Stop… stop!”

Ron's voice became shrill and piercing with extreme fear.
"All units! Surrender! Lay down your weapons!"

The order was transmitted to every corner of the royal city via the individual soldier communication system.

The "heroes" who were still fighting the Xingtian Armor paused their movements, and the fearless genetically modified soldiers also stopped firing.

They looked toward the center of the hall and saw the commander-in-chief, who was being held captive by the enemy.

To ensure absolute control over these powerful individuals, Behemoth implanted miniature neural bombs in their brains, requiring them to obey the commander's orders.

Moreover, they had no reason to risk their lives for a commander who had already failed.

Amidst the clanging and clattering sounds, weapons were scattered all over the ground.

The crimson armor, imposing like a demon god, stood silently in the center of the hall, surveying the devastation and the surrendered enemies. The broadsword in its hand pointed diagonally at the ground, its dark red blade no longer drinking blood.

From the moment Xingtian Armor burst through the gate to Ron's order to surrender, the entire battle within the royal city lasted less than thirty minutes.

This long-planned lightning invasion, launched by Behemoth, came to an end in an even faster and more thorough manner.

In other corners of the island, spies from various factions who had been observing the battle were all horrified when they saw Behemoth's troops surrender en masse.

They dared not linger any longer and fled desperately toward the sea.

We must... we must spread the word about everything that happened here immediately!

The Eastern organization "Na Du Tong" has revealed to the world their terrifying fangs, hidden beneath the surface of the water, enough to crush Behemoth!
Zhuge Qing did not order his men to stop these fleeing "spectators." Or rather, this was part of his plan.

Once the situation within the royal city was completely under control, Zhuge Qing, escorted by a group of armored soldiers, slowly walked into the ancient hall.

He saw Ron, who was being held like a chicken by Xiao Zizai, lying limp on the ground with empty eyes. The once spirited Commander Behemoth, who looked down on everything on the aircraft carrier, was now like a lump of mud, devoid of all his energy.

Zhuge Qing merely glanced at him indifferently, then shook his head and looked away.

That's why he never really took this man seriously from beginning to end.

A person's strength lies not in how arrogant they are in good times, but in how much backbone they retain when they are in dire straits.

His gaze passed over Ron and landed on King Nathan, whose expression was complicated.

He stepped over.

"Now... everything here is yours."

Nathan's voice carried a hint of weariness and confusion.

"Ah."

“We have no intention of taking everything on this island for ourselves.”

Zhuge Qing chuckled softly and shook his head.

He walked to the edge of the hall, where Behemoth's engineering corps had breached a huge gap, revealing the sacred tree outside, which was illuminated by searchlights.

"The United States has only existed for a few hundred years, and the country has not yet developed a culture that is deep enough and unique to itself."

Therefore, Behemoth simply cannot comprehend your true value.

Zhuge Qing's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable assertion.

“Nathan Island and the Divine Tree are one. Only the Divine Tree that grows on this land and is nourished by your civilization is worth studying…”

His gaze fell upon the giant tree that had been mostly excavated. Under the intense light, one could see specks of light floating like stars within the translucent trunk—the very souls of countless Nathan ancestors.

At the very center of all the points of light, a huge and dazzling sphere of light beats slowly, just like a heart.

"Ok?"

Nathan frowned; she couldn't understand Zhuge Qing's words at all.

Why go to such great lengths, even risking a full-scale war with Behemoth, if not to seize the Tree of God?

"Primordial Qi is a type of energy that is highly susceptible to the influence of human subjective consciousness."

Zhuge Qing didn't turn around, as if a teacher was lecturing a student.

"That is why, although the cultivation of Qi in the East and the abilities of Western supernatural beings are essentially the same kind of energy, they have gone in two completely different directions."

"People in our region can easily undergo profound changes to their physical and mental well-being through spiritual practice."

However, it is difficult to construct or transform matter out of thin air as easily as alchemy.

"The root cause of all this is culture."

It's a difference in how we see and understand the world, rooted in our blood and history.

"Therefore, maintaining cultural diversity can provide richer materials for our research."

Behemoth's brutal methods were tantamount to draining the pond to catch all the fish.

Zhuge Qing explained.

"So... what exactly do you want?"

King Nathan was completely bewildered.

She roughly understood Zhuge Qing's theory.

This is most typically seen in Nathan's Guard:
Garcia can transform himself into inorganic metal, while Mochizuki Satoru from the East possesses the ability to control the limits of his own physical body.

According to Joachim Wakina, practitioners of Qi in the East generally place more emphasis on the tempering of their body and mind.

This is indeed a result of cultural differences.

However, if the purpose of All-Knowing is merely "research" or even "protection," then they are fully capable of intervening before Behemoth launches its all-out attack, preventing the war from taking place and avoiding unnecessary sacrifices by the Nathans.

"Times have changed, Your Majesty."

Zhuge Qing finally turned around, a meaningful smile on his face.

"With the development of human society and the advancement of technology, more organizations similar to Behemoth will emerge in the future. As long as the secret of the Divine Tree remains, everything that happened on Nathan Island today will only repeat itself in the future, and the ending will not be any different."

He looked at King Nathan, who was deep in thought, and slowly said:

"And compared to verbal promises and warnings, firsthand experience is far more convincing, isn't it?"

"..."

King Nathan remained silent.

She was powerless to refute him, because every word Zhuge Qing spoke was a stark reality.

If she hadn't witnessed the defeat of Nathan's Island and personally experienced the despair under that torrent of steel, she might never have truly understood how vulnerable Nathan's Island's millennia-old pride was in the face of modern power.

After a long while, she raised her head, her emerald eyes fixed on Zhuge Qing, and asked her last question.

"So, you want Nathan... to submit to your country?"

"Surrender?"

"No, we are not like Behemoth."

"Have you heard of the 'Belt and Road Initiative'?"

(End of this chapter)