I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Just then, the camp's loudspeaker suddenly came on.

It wasn't an air raid siren, but an electronic voice reporting a battle situation, with the calm tone characteristic of official announcements.

"Attention, officers and soldiers."

"Now broadcasting an emergency battle situation report."

"According to the verification and confirmation of the Supreme Command, Xu Huan, a Kendo superhuman in the Nordic Theater, has been out of contact since the Battle of the Fifth Line."

"There is evidence that Xu was not in any combat position during the enemy's surprise attack on the fifth line of defense."

"Some private letters and personal belongings were found in his cabin, but his sword and military communication equipment are missing."

"The highest command has listed him as a high-risk missing person."

"All defense zones are requested to be on high alert."

"If this person is found, report it immediately and do not make contact with him without authorization."

"Repeat."

"If this person is found, report it immediately and do not make contact with him without authorization."

The broadcast was repeated twice, then silence returned.

The tents in the entire camp fell silent, with only the sea breeze still blowing.

Gu Yan sat on the folding chair, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air.

Xu has disappeared.

Moreover, no one saw him make a move when the Black Tide attacked the fifth line of defense.

Lin Jinyu put down her chopsticks, her golden pupils appearing exceptionally sharp under the light.

"Disappeared."

"Oh."

"Why did they disappear on the very day the defenses were breached? Of all times, why did they have to disappear?"

"Did he go to escape for his life, or did he go to do something else?"

Pei Yuran closed the lunchbox and placed it on the bedside table.

Her voice remained calm, but her fingers paused briefly on the edge of the lunchbox.

"He was once trapped in a secret realm by calamity for three days and three nights, surviving by eating tree bark and drinking dew."

"He's more fearless than anyone else when it comes to death."

"So he couldn't have been running for his life."

Lin Jinyu turned to look at her.

"You mean he defected to the enemy?"

Pei Yuran did not answer.

She merely fixed her gaze on the curtain at the tent entrance, which was swaying gently in the sea breeze, a faint hint of coldness flashing in her icy blue pupils.

Gu Yan put down her chopsticks.

He remembered the sound of Xu Huan's footsteps on broken glass when he left that night.

And then there's the image of him standing alone in the equipment aisle.

That was what the orderly reported later, saying that Mr. Xu stood alone at the end of the dark passage for a long time, and looked very unwell when he came out.

Now he's vanished, disappeared without a trace, as if he'd evaporated from the entire aircraft carrier.

Over the next few days, battle reports came one after another.

The Global Superpowers Association held an emergency meeting, where representatives from various war zones argued for an entire day.

The East Asia Theater Command requested that other theater commands send reinforcements.

The fifth line of defense was completely wiped out, and the sixth line of defense was severely understaffed.

But the North American theater said that the rifts on its own soil were widening and it couldn't spare any manpower.

The South American theater of operations says that Priestess Ikana's tribe is holding a funeral for her, and all the voodoo warriors have returned home.

The Nordic theater suffered heavy losses, and the death of Marshal Andreyevich plunged the morale of Aurora Fortress to rock bottom.

The Central African theater of operations goes without saying.

Envanko brought all his last remaining fighting force, and they all died in the East China Sea.

"The East Asian theater is under the greatest pressure."

The news anchor's voice came from the camp's only public television.

"But there are no more troops available to be deployed globally."

"Humanity is facing its most severe moment since the Kuroshio War."

Then the scene switched to Jinghai City.

That was the most prosperous coastal city in the Great Xia Dynasty, one of the places Gu Yan was most familiar with in this world.

On the television screen, the high-rise buildings in Jinghai were still lit up, and traffic moved slowly on the overpass.

But when the camera zooms in, viewers can see something different.

In the old villas along the Bund, lights suddenly came on in several windows.

Deep within the City God Temple, in an old house, the vermilion gate moved automatically without wind, and a few very faint golden rays shone through the cracks in the door.

Divers reported unusual vibrations in the Huangpu River, with a focal depth of over 300 meters, but no signs of geological activity.

The reclusive families of the Great Xia Dynasty are awakening.

These families have histories that predate the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Zhuge family, according to legend, their ancestor was the Crouching Dragon Master from the Three Kingdoms period. They have passed down the art of Qimen Dunjia and astrological divination for generations, and one-third of the rune array blueprints in the Great Xia war zone were made by their family.

The Xuanyuan family is one of the oldest ancient martial arts families in the Great Xia Dynasty. It is said that the bloodline of the clansmen carries a wisp of the true essence of the ancient Xuanyuan clan, and each generation will produce a Qilin child who can draw upon the power of heaven and earth.

The Ao family lives by the sea and has guarded the eye of the East China Sea for generations. Their clan's secret arts are related to the sea.

Tsunamis, tides, and whirlpools are all in their domain.

Besides these, there are many more families whose names are unknown, who open their eyes in the deepest night.

Beneath the Great Xia, at the source of the great rivers, and in the scripture pavilions of those ancient temples, they sensed the atmosphere of the war in the East China Sea in a way that only they themselves knew.

Gu Yan leaned against the tent frame, watching the images on the television screen.

Having lived in this world for so many years, this was the first time he felt something slowly turning beneath the ground beneath his feet.

"Stop looking."

Lin Jinyu's voice came from the side.

She had sat up at some point, leaned against the headboard, and patted the empty space next to her with the hand that wasn't in a splint.

"come over."

"I can't sleep."

"Sit next to me."

Pei Yuran was also awake.

She turned her head to the side, her icy blue pupils shining like two pieces of ice in the dim light.

She didn't speak, but her hand emerged from under the blanket, and her fingers tapped lightly twice on the edge of the bed.

Gu Yan glanced at Lin Jinyu, then at Pei Yuran.

He stood up and sat down between the two men.

There were no chairs, so he sat down on the floor.

Leaning against the shaky support in the center of the tent, his legs stretched out.

As soon as he sat down, Lin Jinyu hooked one of his feet from the left, and then Pei Yuran gently held his right hand from the right.

He tried to move, but neither of them let go.

"You two..."

He sighed.

"Go to sleep."

"I'm here."

Lin Jinyu snorted and closed her eyes.

Pei Yuran's fingers traced a very light line across his palm, and then she fell silent.

The sea breeze blew in from outside the curtains, carrying a slightly salty and fishy smell, along with the acrid smell of burning debris on the distant sea.

Gu Yan looked at the top of the tent and thought that tomorrow she would have to go to collect the food rations for them, change Yu Ran's dressing, and remove the gauze from Jin Yu.

He also needed to find out Xu Huan's whereabouts.

He still has so much to do.

But at this moment, all he wanted to do was sit here and listen to their breathing as they slept.

It was very light and very calm, like the two safest sounds in the world.

The next day, after changing the bandages for the two girls and calming them down from their latest bickering, Gu Yan stepped out of the tent.

He wanted to sit on the rocks by the sea for a while to get some fresh air.

The sea breeze blew in my face, carrying mist and salt.

He squinted and saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the reefs ahead.