The Professional Rankings, in twelve volumes, each bearing the name of my lord.

There are actually still 30,000 bandits on Earth.

This was sent back by Song Gua before he went into seclusion, in order to break him out of prison.

Raiding the underwater prison.

The prison break went very smoothly.

Because when the rebel alliance broke into the prison, Shenzhuan and the Twelve Ancestors were in a period of disappearance.

After 200,000 people were rescued, they were divided up among the various rebel organizations that participated in the operation.

Apart from bandits.

Although 198,000 of these 200,000 people strongly requested to join the bandits, even if it was just to be a lowly soldier making hoods by sewing.

Unfortunately, bandits don't recruit from outside, so they can only reluctantly join rebel organizations such as the Resistance Army, the Avengers, and the Xuanwu Pavilion.

They can no longer be called traitors.

It should be called an uprising organization.

The moment the Federation’s plan to ascend to godhood through the Heavenly Pillar was launched, it instantly provoked divine wrath and widespread public resentment.

However, the Federation is determined this time.

Anyone who dares to take to the streets to protest will be arrested and forced into labor.

Anyone who dares to openly resist will be destroyed on the spot.

The entire Earth was plunged into unprecedented chaos.

The level of chaos this time was comparable to the Great Chaos between the Golden Age and the New Calendar in less than a week.

The only difference is that the Great Chaos was caused by rampant anarchism around the world, while the current chaos originates from the federal government.

Under the military pressure from the Federation and the personal suppression by Shenzhuan and the Twelve Ancestors, the Heavenly Pillar Ascension to Godhood Plan was successfully launched.

The city was built on twelve celestial pillars, each assembling a hundred million laborers.

A massive construction project, which forbids the use of professional laborers or modern machinery, has begun.

On the construction site.

Batch after batch of laborers, dressed in filthy clothes and covered in grime, carried huge stones and heavy logs on their backs, walking step by step toward the abyss of death from exhaustion, amidst painful cries of agony.

The sound of the overseers' whips, like the death knell of demons from hell, added to the darkness of humanity in this tragedy.

People don't understand any of this.

Even some mid-level officials in the Federation couldn't understand why a civilized world would do something so outrageous and resented by both heaven and man.

Unfortunately, driven by the lure of huge profits, the federal government's middle and lower-level managers were still willing to act as accomplices to evil.

—You know, at times like this, not having to do hard labor is already a huge advantage.

Although there were some clear-headed individuals among them, they put down the whips that had been used to punish their compatriots and joined the ranks of the rebels.

There are also those who, unafraid of power, boldly speak out, telling the world that all of this is a conspiracy by the gods, and that the twelve pillars of heaven must not be built in this way. Once it is accomplished, the conspiracy of the gods will be fulfilled, and the world will be doomed.

Those who spoke the truth were all executed along with their entire families.

……

Nanshui City.

As the first city to be included in the plan, Lanshui City naturally refused to comply with the plan to ascend to godhood from the Heavenly Pillar.

The allied forces pressed in, and naval battle groups surrounded the isolated island.

"Lanshui City! This is a final ultimatum! The entire city must surrender and contribute half its population to the Jinghai Tianzhu construction base! Any further resistance will result in this island being flattened and sunk into the sea!"

At this time, Lanshui City had already been bombarded by ship-borne missiles several times.

In the city, vast stretches of bombed ruins remain.

People covered their heads and crouched low as they walked on the ruins to avoid being bombed again.

Inside an underground air-raid shelter.

Nan Shui's councilor, Chang Yu-chieh, is directing the island's evacuation, combat, and supply operations.

After the incident, the acting councilor for Nanshui was initially the former mayor, Qi Xuan.

But he is too old after all.

Qi Xuan was already overwhelmed by the task of governing a country, or even just surviving under the behemoth that is the federation.

So soon, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project organized and convened its first national assembly, and elected a formal speaker.

This former deputy mayor, who was in his fifties and had extensive political experience, was the first one.

"General Ye!"

Young General Ye Chen, clutching his bleeding arm, stumbled into the air-raid shelter.

"Speaker, the three regiments' breakout attempt failed; they were all killed..."

"Sigh... I don't actually agree with breaking out underwater. Although we Lanshui people are all good swimmers, the Federation is very determined to subdue us and has submarine squads."

"However, the Third Regiment also completed their mission and sent out the distress signal."

"Really? But I don't know if we can hold out until the bandits arrive."

The people of Lanshui Kingdom were unaware of this.

In fact, they didn't need to ask the bandits for help; the bandits already knew about the dire situation.

However, Song Gua is currently in seclusion and cannot help his clones move quickly and in large numbers.

The bandits who remained in Lanshui could only ask their buddies in other places for help through the regional network.

There are also ordinary citizens, not military personnel, living in the air-raid shelters.

They were mostly elderly, weak, women, and children.

The young and middle-aged people in Lanshui City are now out there working hard, either rescuing people or fighting the epidemic.

An old man stood up.

"Speaker! If all my sons are sacrificed, then let this old man take their place! We, the Southern Waters, will never bow to the brutal, unreasonable, and treacherous Federation!"

Ye Chen clenched his fist.

"Indeed! The Kingdom of Lanshui only has citizens who died in battle, not cowards who went to serve as slaves to the Federation!"

Ye Chen's words made everyone in the air-raid shelter firm their gazes.

When these people are needed on the battlefield, it also signifies that the Kingdom of Lanshui has reached its final moment.

"Well said."

A familiar, aged voice came from behind.

Qi Xuan arrived via the underground elevator, leaning on his cane.

Upon seeing this, Yu Jie quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Mayor Qi, why did you come up here? Please go back to the lower-level shelter; it's safer there."

Qi Xuan remains the mayor.

Although she's pregnant, the position of "Nanshui City" still exists.

"They want to sink this entire island. Where will there be a safe place? The people of Lanshui are united as one, and I also want to do my part."

The Lan Shui Kingdom refused to surrender even unto death, causing great trouble for Tu Keqing, the general of the allied forces surrounding them.

Although the Twelfth Patriarch said that any means are acceptable as long as people can be captured and forced to serve.

But as I've said before, we can't let people die from exhaustion.

The entire city of Lanshui has a population of only 200,000.

The battle resulted in heavy casualties, yet they resolutely refused to surrender.

It's easy to flatten this island, but if we can't catch anyone, wouldn't we just be wasting our ammunition reserves?

"No wonder there are so many tough cities in China. How do the district governments in China manage to keep them under control?"

Just then, the captain of a reconnaissance ship gave a report.

"General! A large number of swordfish have been spotted fifty nautical miles behind the fleet!"

Tu Keqing was already annoyed when he heard this message from below, and said impatiently.

"Of course! This is the fucking Pacific Ocean, isn't it normal to have fish here?"

"Should we launch torpedoes to clear it?"

"Stop wasting any more ammunition! Think of a good way to get the people of Lanshui City to comply and obediently come back with us to build the Sky Pillar, or you can all go up there and be used as human sacrifices!"

"Ah...yes, yes, yes..."

At this point, Tu Keqing was still unaware of the seriousness of the problem.