I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

"Old Wang, have you really met that big shot?"

"I really didn't lie to you."

Wang Mingjun showed a helpless expression.

"She's really young, and her face shape is very pleasing to the eye..."

At this point, Wang Mingjun suddenly noticed Ivan, who was curiously looking this way from the table next to the window. On a whim, he pointed at Ivan and said, "Look, he looks almost exactly like that guy over there."

"More or less... um?"

After saying this, Wang Mingjun suddenly felt something was wrong, so he glanced at Ivan again. This glance startled him so much that he jumped up from his seat.

"Commander... Commander... Commander-in-Chief?!"

"what?"

Ivan paused for a moment, then pointed at himself with some confusion and said, "Um, are you talking about me?"

At that moment, everyone present was stunned...

Chapter 466: Is the World War Rekindled?

"Um, are you talking about me?"

Everyone present was stunned by Ivan's question.

Ivan touched his nose somewhat awkwardly.

He had overheard the conversation at the next table and recognized them as members of the China Civil Business Exchange Delegation. He listened to a few sentences of their conversation, and it seemed that he heard something about himself. To his surprise, one of them suddenly jumped up while looking at him.

Seeing the reactions of the other group, Ivan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Did I mishear? Was the other person not talking about me?

"Did I hear that right? Um, I'm sorry to have disturbed you, please continue."

Ivan smiled sheepishly and was about to turn away when Wang Mingjun, who had just jumped up in surprise, immediately explained, "No, no, we were indeed talking about you, Commander-in-Chief... Your Excellency, what brings you here?"

"Commander-in-chief?"

Upon hearing Wang Mingjun's words, the colleagues around him were once again taken aback.

When they saw Wang Mingjun suddenly jump up and stammer as he called out "Commander-in-Chief" to the guy at the next table, they thought they had misheard. Now, hearing Wang Mingjun's affirmative words again, they realized they hadn't misheard.

Is the guy at the next table really the legendary, incredibly mysterious commander-in-chief of the Chinese exploration fleet?

Ivan smiled at everyone and replied to Wang Mingjun, "It's nothing. I'm here to eat, just like you."

Wang Mingjun said excitedly, "It is truly an honor for us to meet you here."

"Hey, there's no honor in it. I'm a regular here. I eat here occasionally, and most of the customers who come here regularly will probably run into me."

Li Yina pointed at Ivan and stammered, "You...you...you are really the commander-in-chief of our Chinese Teyvat Exploration Fleet?"

Ivan nodded: "Yes, I am Ivan, the commander-in-chief of the exploration fleet. It is a pleasure to see fellow Chinese here."

There was a moment of silence, followed by excited screams.

Wang Mingjun and his colleagues were all young people. Faced with this legendary figure, they couldn't help but develop a star-struck mentality and excitedly surrounded him, which made Ivan feel a little flattered.

"Commander Yi, how old are you...?"

"Um, I'm in my early twenties..."

"You're really similar to us, Commander Yi. Are you usually very busy with work?"

"Work is alright, I guess. I use my free time occasionally."

"Commander Yi, did you really withstand the self-destruction attack of the strongest demon god with your own body back in Liyue?"

"Um...it's not actually as outrageous as the rumors say..."

Faced with a barrage of questions from the crowd, Ivan answered like a teacher answering questions from elementary school students, patiently yet with a touch of helpless amusement.

How come there are even rumors that he could withstand a self-destruction with his bare body? I'm human, not a demon god, dude! How could I withstand an explosion that's comparable to a miniature nuclear bomb without some special means?!

After a series of questions, the dishes ordered by both sides were served. At everyone's insistence, Ivan finally brought Paimon to sit with the others. Wang Mingjun and the others were also quite interested in the "little elf" floating next to Ivan. Several girls at the table surrounded Paimon and exclaimed how cute he was.

As they got to know each other better, they discovered that apart from being the commander-in-chief of the Chinese exploration fleet, Ivan was almost no different from them, his peers. This gave them an indescribable sense of kinship with Ivan, and they gradually relaxed and chatted with him like friends.

Ivan was happy to chat with everyone. As a member of the civilian business exchange group that came to Teyvat as part of the "Cross-Border Project," Ivan was able to learn a lot from their conversations about things that he was usually too busy with official duties to go down to the grassroots level to learn, such as the business exchange group's exchanges in Mondstadt, everyone's views on the Teyvat market, and their feelings about coming to the continent of Teyvat.

"Although Teyvat's population is not large compared to Earth, this land is rich in resources and has huge development potential. Its future market demand is no less than that of many countries on Earth. I think this is the spring for our foreign trade industry."

At the dinner table, everyone talked about their old profession of foreign trade and shared their opinions.

They all expressed that the future prosperity of the Teyvat continent was foreseeable, and the demand was huge, not inferior to the combined demand of many countries on Earth. They were also optimistic about the prospects for foreign trade. Ivan nodded slightly in agreement.

As the commander-in-chief of the exploration fleet, he deals with strategic matters for a long time, and inevitably neglects some grassroots issues in his daily life. Hearing the insights of Wang Mingjun and other people who work at the grassroots level is a brand new perspective for him, and he feels that he has benefited from it.

Besides some basic matters, Wang Mingjun and others also expressed to Ivan some problems they encountered when handling daily affairs in Teyvat. Ivan answered some of their questions, helping them better understand the procedures for handling affairs and some policies and systems of the Mondstadt local government.

This unexpected encounter brought joy to both parties, and it also greatly relieved Ivan's frustration.

However, just as the conversation was reaching its most heated moment, Ivan's cell phone suddenly rang.

Ivan was slightly taken aback.

Since assuming the position of commander-in-chief of the exploration fleet, he has only had one cell phone, which is the special cell phone prepared for him by the China Security Bureau. Under normal circumstances, very few people will call his cell phone.

Upon hearing Ivan's phone ring, the others at the table, knowing that Ivan, as the commander-in-chief, likely had official business to attend to, promptly ceased their conversation.

Ivan took out his phone and glanced at it; it was a call coming directly from the Senate.

Looking at the caller ID, Ivan's brows furrowed.

The Grand Elder doesn't usually call Ivan to inquire about his well-being. If he cares about Ivan, he'll only send a message through someone else. Generally, if the Senate sends a message, it means something has happened.

At the same time, the irritation that Ivan had just suppressed resurfaced and became even more intense.

"Excuse me, everyone, I need to take this call."

If there is a possibility that classified information is involved, it is not appropriate to answer the Senate's phone call in the presence of outsiders.

Ivan got up and walked to a secluded corner of the restaurant, then answered the phone. The Grand Elder's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Ivan."

"Elder, what has happened?"

"In an emergency, Country M has dispatched seven naval fleets—the Third, Seventh, Eighth, Tenth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth—to cross the first line of defense across the ocean and head straight for our southeastern waters."

"what?"

Ivan was startled.

In an instant, Ivan saw in his mind the scene described in Paimon's prophecy: the destruction of the blue planet by endless explosions.

"Is the United States preparing to start another world war?"

Chapter 467 State of Combat Readiness

At 6:08 PM China time, a black armored Chiqi sedan sped into Beijing from the Jingshan Expressway at top speed.

At 6:38 p.m., the black Red Flag sedan drove into the heavily guarded Senate.

The vehicle stopped in the Senate compound, and Ivan got out of the car with a solemn expression after opening the back door.

After getting off the car, Ivan surveyed the Senate building and could clearly see that there were several times more security personnel than usual.

To avoid any unnecessary problems or troubles, Ivan had Paimon return to the bracelet before they arrived.

The incident was sudden. After receiving a call from the Senate at noon, Ivan urgently returned to Earth from Teyvat.

At this moment, besides the Red Flag sedan that Ivan was riding in, there were many other vehicles in the compound, clearly indicating that the sudden actions of the United States had alarmed many people.

Without lingering, Ivan strode into the back hall of the Senate, where an emergency meeting was being held in the "Council Chamber."

Upon arriving at the entrance of the "Council Hall" meeting room, the security personnel who had been informed in advance immediately opened the meeting room door for Ivan. As Ivan stepped inside, he immediately attracted the attention of many pairs of eyes in the meeting room.

The conference room had a long square table, with Ivan's familiar and unfamiliar faces sitting on both sides. Among them were many big shots in military uniforms with medals hanging all over their chests.

Judging from the scene, the meeting appears to be in progress.

At the end of the long table, the Grand Elder beckoned to Ivan: "Ivan, find a place to sit down."

"it is good."

Ivan nodded, found an empty seat on one side of the conference table, sat down, and then quietly pricked up his ears.

It's best not to speak out of turn at meetings of this level. Just listen quietly and speak when you're needed.

Ivan's arrival did not interrupt the discussion, and the meeting quickly resumed.

The elder statesman said in a deep voice, "Continuing with the previous question, where are the Americans now?"

"News just received from the front lines: the US Third and Seventh Fleets are temporarily stationed in the waters near the US military base in Japan; the Eighth and Tenth Fleets are approaching our southeastern waters from the southeast; and the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Fleets are lingering near the South China Sea boundary. All seven US fleets show signs of being ready to move."

The one who answered the Grand Elder was a man in his fifties, dressed in military uniform, with sharp, piercing eyes. Ivan recognized him; he was Admiral Shen Jitao, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Fleet of China.

The Grand Elder frowned slightly and asked, "What is the US Presidential Palace trying to do?"

On the other side, Zhang Changyun, the head of the defense department, asked, "Have you spoken with the Presidential Palace of Country M?"

There is an emergency communication channel between China and the United States to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings that could lead to conflict. After all, as one of the most powerful countries on the planet, a conflict between the two countries would have a devastating impact on the entire world.

The Grand Elder shook his head.

"We called them when the US fleet made a move, but they didn't answer."

"No answer..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present frowned.

The fact that emergency communication channels are not being used implies that there is no need for the US to disclose its current actions to China. In other words, the US fleet is approaching Chinese waters to exert military pressure on China... This is not a misunderstanding.

Is the United States really going to start another world war?

At this moment, Ms. Liu Yunfang, the head of the Ministry of Commerce, pushed up her glasses and said softly, "It seems that there is only one explanation for the sudden actions of the United States against us—seeing that the sanctions policy against us has not been effective, so they have brought out their last trump card."

On the other side, another general with stars on his shoulders said, "It seems we underestimated the allure of Teyvat for the United States."

It has been some time since China exposed the existence of the other world. As time goes by, more and more evidence shows that the other world is not a lie fabricated by China but a real existence. More and more people around the world have begun to believe in China. People have also gradually realized the problems with Western media. As the bubble of lies blown up by Western media bursts, the intentions of the United States have gradually become known to all.