Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

"Master, it's too late! The provincial leader's helicopter is almost here..."

At the same time, the buzzing sound of spinning wings began to penetrate the thin mist in the mountains and reach everyone's ears. The sound grew closer and closer, like someone sawing overhead.

Seeing Zhang Zhiwei somewhat disheveled as he went about his reception duties, Tian Jinzhong finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Zhao Huanjin moved closer to him, lowered his voice, and whispered in his ear: "Uncle-Master, you really understand Master. If we had carried those things that Master gave us with us before, or had simply shown them off, we probably wouldn't have even been able to get into the mountain gate before Master 'coordinated' us."

Tian Jinzhong snorted proudly: "Don't I know your master's temperament? If the private gifts that Uncle Jiang gave to us fall into his hands, how many of them will actually end up in our mouths?"

"Alright, enough nonsense." Tian Jinzhong's expression turned serious as he gave orders. "While our senior brother is currently tied up with those leaders, you all quickly take people to that hidden cave at the foot of the mountain and move all the things that were previously hidden there up here."

"Remember, hide our own copy first. Then put the rest into the treasury according to the roster."

"Understood!" Zhao Huanjin chuckled and led a few people, tiptoeing down the mountain.

Chapter 129 World-Class Panic (4000 words)

Deep in the Pacific Ocean, the New World fleet, which had been dormant for decades, emerged in full force, forming a vast floating city on the sea.

When news of the Emperor of the Sea's expedition reached the military intelligence departments of various countries, everyone's first reaction was not shock, but fear—a fear that shot up from the bottom of their spine and instantly chilled their fingertips.

The United States, the United Kingdom, the United States of France, the United States of the United States... almost all countries involved with the ocean were like cats whose tails had been stepped on at the same time, instantly switching to the highest alert level.

"He's gone mad! Has Jiang Zhen gone mad?" In a secret meeting room at the Pentagon, a general stared intently at the densely packed red dots on the screen, resembling a moving continent. "He's brought out the New World Grand Fleet! What is he trying to do? Does he want to start World War III?"

The world's nerves were stretched to the limit at the same moment. The first reaction in various countries was not protest or condemnation, but frantic self-examination.

From encrypted telegrams in foreign affairs departments to the emergency dispatch room of the Navy Headquarters, from the special audit window of the Department of Finance and Statistics to the secret reporting channels of overseas agencies, everyone was flipping through all the records of exchanges related to the "New World" in recent quarters as quickly as possible.

The island nations were terrified.

"Quick! Check—have we paid a single penny less in maritime security tax to the New World Bank this year? Even if the transfer was delayed by a few hours, find out!"

"And recently, has any foolish merchant ship rammed a vessel flying the New World flag on the high seas? Or has any dimwitted department head said something they shouldn't have?"

"Even if it's just spitting on another crew member, we must find out! Now! Immediately! Right now!"

Suddenly, all the countries were busy.

In the logic of these countries, a powerful figure like Jiang Zhen, who had lived peacefully in the New World for so many years, suddenly launching a full-scale attack with enough force to crush multiple countries simultaneously within hours, was definitely not for sunbathing, enjoying the sea view, or fishing. Someone must have offended him; something must have touched a nerve with this maritime emperor.

That's right, someone must have offended him; hopefully it wasn't one of his own people.

With the departure of the New World fleet, various countries were on tenterhooks. They had even prepared for the worst: if Jiang Zhen's fleet approached them, they would immediately go to the shore to sincerely apologize, regardless of the circumstances, and then slowly figure out what the problem was.

However, what happened next surprised everyone.

Jiang Zhen's fleet, like an unstoppable torrent of steel, smoothly swept over all the islands along the way without stopping, maintaining a constant speed, and without even a single unnecessary turn.

Those countries that had been so terrified that they had already prepared written apologies and were waiting in the port for orders to bow down all slumped into their command chairs and breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they weren't being targeted for trouble, it was a blessing from their ancestors.

But after the initial relief, even greater confusion and anxiety followed – since they weren't there to cause trouble, they couldn't just leave without any indication of their presence, could they?

“Listen, although he didn’t cause us any trouble, he did pass by our house.”

The head of state of a certain country slammed his fist on the table and roared, "We have to make a gesture! The Sea Emperor may not remember who made a gesture, but if he does remember who didn't, that's very important. How are we supposed to survive? Load all of Curry's top-of-the-line stuff onto the ships and get them there before the fleet leaves the waters we can reach!"

"But—we have no reason to deliver it. They didn't stop, didn't say hello, and didn't give us any hint—"

"Idiot! Just say it's to celebrate the Sea King's first trip in many years and to serve some afternoon tea to the adults on board!"

Thus, an extremely comical scene unfolded on the sea: what was originally a reserved and solemn voyage home turned into a series of inexplicable "gifts" along the way. Supply ships from various countries, like a swarm of moths that dared not get too close yet dared not leave, desperately hauled supplies onto the ships of the New World.

Gold, jewelry, top-tier treasures—all sorts of things… until the fleet's cargo holds were completely overflowing, the New World was forced to issue a very brief public response to the world:

"The New World Fleet's voyage is as follows: The Sea Emperor is returning to his ancestral home to attend the Luotian Grand Ritual and visit relatives at the sincere invitation of Zhang Zhiwei, the contemporary Celestial Master of the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion. The fleet declines all gifts and requests no stops along the way. We request that countries along the route restore normal order and refrain from escorting the fleet."

The world fell silent after the statement was released.

The leaders of various countries wiped away cold sweat, their minds filled with the same thought: So it was just a family visit! Why didn't they say so earlier? It scared the crap out of them.

But at this moment, the atmosphere at the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain had dropped to freezing point.

The main hall of Longhu Mountain was filled with solemn-faced men dressed in Zhongshan suits or white shirts. These were the kinds of faces one could only occasionally glimpse in various announcements and news footage, but now they filled the entire room.

An old man slammed a satellite report and a notice from the New World onto the table with a thud.

"Zhang Zhiwei! Look what you've done!"

Zhang Zhiwei's old face, which was usually enough to make everyone in the world of supernatural beings bow their heads, was now full of cautious smiles. He personally carried the teapot to refill the tea for each leader, while walking back and forth between chairs and tables.

"Disorganized and undisciplined!"

"Do you know what sending that invitation means? Did you apply for it? Did you report it to the authorities? Did you discuss it with the headquarters of All-in-One? Did you coordinate with the relevant departments?"

"Zhang Zhiwei, are you still the Celestial Master who always puts the big picture first? You're turning Longhu Mountain into the center of an international diplomatic storm!"

The leader in charge of related matters grew increasingly agitated, pointing out the window and shouting, "Is this some trivial matter from the world of supernatural beings? This is a major diplomatic event! This is a super event involving geopolitical balance, maritime security, and the global financial system! Who is that person? If he makes a move, the entire international community will tremble! And you, with just one letter, have managed to lure back their entire fleet!"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded repeatedly, placing the teapot on the altar beside him, and kept explaining, "Please calm down, everyone. I'm innocent too! I really just wanted to invite my uncle back for a visit—after all, we're family, and we haven't seen each other for decades… but I really didn't know he would make such a big fuss!"

"Uncle-Master?" A leader in the front row keenly grasped this key phrase.

“Yes, yes, yes! Uncle-Master!” Zhang Zhiwei immediately followed up on this, calling him “Uncle-Master” smoothly and affectionately.

“He’s my senior in terms of seniority! He’s a disciple of the Quanzhen School of Taoism, his roots are here. When I sent out the invitations, I was thinking, ‘This junior disciple invites his senior to his home for a meal’—who would have thought that he would think so highly of me as his junior disciple, bringing so many attendants…”

"Hundreds of thousands of followers?" Another middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the long table suddenly spoke up: "Master Zhang, you certainly have quite the face."

Zhang Zhiwei looked aggrieved: "This... I just found out too, really. But now... their fleet is already on its way, and it should arrive in a few days. Leaders, what do you think of this..." As he spoke, he glanced around the room to see if anyone was ready to continue their outburst.

Just as everyone in the room was taking turns questioning Zhang Zhiwei, the elder sitting in the main seat, who had been silently flipping through the files, finally slowly raised his hand, and the hall instantly fell silent.

The elder took off his reading glasses and flipped through an extremely thick file in his hand, which was a record of the exchanges between the "New World" and the Dragon Kingdom over the past few decades.

“Master Zhang is right.” The elder spoke slowly, his voice not loud but very weighty. “In the end, this man is also one of our own. Although he has been overseas all these years, he has never lost contact with his motherland.”

He looked at everyone, his eyes becoming profound: "During those most difficult years, our country suffered a severe famine... It was this man who used his ship to send us grain free of charge, batch after batch."

The leaders in the room fell silent. This history was something all the high-ranking officials present were aware of.

Ship after ship of food and supplies arrived at the shore without any conditions or additional statements; it was pure aid.

"Because of that food and supplies, we survived the hardship; otherwise, we don't know how many people would have starved to death. We deserve this gratitude. We must express our thanks."

The leaders, who had been furious just moments before, now had softened their expressions. They were mainly angry at Zhang Zhiwei for daring to act on his own in such an important matter, playing the game of acting first and informing later, which completely caught them off guard.

The elder closed the file and placed it beside him, setting the final tone: "Since it's a homecoming, it has to look like a homecoming. No matter how many people he brought, or how many ships he brought, we should do our best to receive him, with the highest standards."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief and quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The elder turned his head, his gaze passing over the shoulders of the others, and looked at a fat man sitting at the end of the table—Zhao Fangxu, the current head of Nadutong Corporation.

"Little Zhao."

Zhao Fangxu immediately straightened his back, tightening the buttons on his suit jacket: "Here."

The elder spoke slowly and deliberately: "I've heard that you have a close relationship with that person?"

All eyes turned to Zhao Fangxu. Zhao Fangxu rubbed his hands nervously and carefully took out a small wooden box from his pocket.

The box was opened, and inside lay a token carved with strange ripples. The front of the token was engraved with a powerful "Cao" character, and the back had Jiang Zhen's personal mark from back then. It was the token that Jiang Zhen personally handed to Zhao Fangxu when he left Shanghai.

"Reporting to the leader, when Jiang Haihuang set sail from Shanghai back then, my father led me to see him off. Jiang Haihuang did see me once, and he... should have had a decent impression of me."

“Before my father passed away, he kept telling me that this token must not be thrown away, sold, or lost; it must be protected as if it were my life.”

“Alright.” The elder nodded. “Since we have such a connection, you will take the lead in this reception. All relevant departments should cooperate fully to ensure the absolute safety of the fleet’s entry into port, the resettlement of personnel, and all aspects of the journey to Longhu Mountain.”

"Understood!" Zhao Fangxu replied with utmost respect.

"Furthermore," the elder added, "this person's return will definitely cause unrest in the domestic community of supernatural beings. Many people are probably getting restless. Xiao Zhao, have those sects and families submit a list to participate. At the same time, tell them that anyone who dares to cause trouble at this critical juncture, or tries to have any ulterior motives... hehe."

Zhao Fangxu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I will definitely take care of it. The list and the reception and accommodation plan will be delivered to your office as soon as possible."

After the meeting.

The leaders departed one after another amidst the roar of the helicopters. Zhang Zhiwei stood outside the main hall, watching the fleet of helicopters disappear into the distance. He then glanced at Zhao Fangxu, who was carefully placing his token back close to his body, his face full of worry.

"Chairman Zhao, I'm sorry." Zhang Zhiwei, unusually, didn't crack any jokes; his tone was genuinely apologetic.

Zhao Fangxu gave a wry smile, touching the hard edge of the token in his pocket with one hand: "Old Celestial Master, this is really a big mess for me."

Zhang Zhiwei chuckled: "What's there to be afraid of? I'm here to protect you, my nephew."

But despite his words, he was inwardly apprehensive.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhiwei thought of someone: "By the way, Chairman Zhao, there is someone you must invite. He can handle my master."

"Who?" Zhao Fangxu asked hurriedly. He had no idea that there was such an awesome person in the Dragon Kingdom.

"Fang Dongtian, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect."

At this moment, Zhang Lingyu walked over quickly and handed over a tablet computer.

"Master, Chairman Zhao, we have received the latest news that the advisor made a special request to Wang Weiguo, the richest man in China."

Zhang Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, and Zhao Fangxu hurriedly asked, "What are the requirements?"

"He asked Wang, the richest man in China, to help him find a netizen with the ID 'The Most Affectionate Person in Shanghai'."

Zhang Zhiwei was stunned: "'The most affectionate man in Shanghai'? Who is that? His lover? Does Dr. Lin know about this?"

At the same time, the flagship "Zhenhai".

Jiang Zhen stood on the terrace, while behind him, the strategists of the New World were processing the list of gifts sent from various countries.

"Sir, another large shipment has arrived from Southeast Asia—supposedly as a reward for the brothers. Our cargo hold is completely full now; should we turn back?"

"Keep them. Find a few more empty boxes to pack some loose cargo. If all else fails, just pile them up on the deck for a while. Why not take them? When we get back to our hometown, we can give our old brothers there some generous red envelopes."

Jiang Zhen looked at the scenery faintly emerging on the horizon and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

"It's been decades."

"Brothers, we're almost home!"

With Jiang Zhen's words.

The second and third generations who grew up in the new world flocked from the cabins to the deck, leaned against the bulwark, and looked at the old home that their fathers had been talking about.

The elderly men, with their white hair, stood at the very front of the ship's railing, supported by their children and grandchildren.

Dragon Kingdom, Shanghai, are getting closer.