Chapter 637: Let Me Say a Few Words

Phoenixin Ren listened to Shinguuji’s grumbling, but the corners of his mouth curled into a lighthearted smile.

Shinguuji Seiichiro, a former stock trader, was a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist.

From the day they met, Shinguuji had never stopped filling Phoenixin’s ears with all kinds of gloomy forecasts.

But truth be told, it was thanks to him that the Moon of Corrosion had grown to what it was today—

and managed to repeatedly escape 【Izumo】’s crackdowns across the Kanto region.

Shinguuji, the eternal pessimist, was also one of the staunchest advocates for invading the mainland.

Ever since the apocalypse began, he was convinced that the Neon Archipelago would be swallowed whole

by the great flood that was bound to come.

If not for that belief, someone as cautious and meticulous as him

would’ve never agreed to Phoenixin Ren’s insane plan to land on the continent.

Phoenixin smiled and said,

"Shinguuji, don’t be so gloomy all the time. Everything’s playing out exactly how we planned!"

He spread his arms wide and turned his back to the group.

"At most, there’ll be one more punitive expedition.

Then the Jiangnan District will fully grasp the extent of our strength.

After that, they’ll back off and stop trying to wipe us out."

"I’m sure there are plenty of smart folks over there who’ll realize the truth.

Especially since, let’s be real—they’ve got more than just us to worry about now."

As he spoke, Phoenixin narrowed his eyes.

"Just like back in Kanto."

When the Moon of Corrosion ran rampant through Kanto,

they clashed repeatedly with the local superpower: 【Izumo】.

But those sitting at the top of Neon’s power structure—

most of them were former members of official government agencies.

And those types always thought of their own interests first.

Wiping out the Moon of Corrosion would’ve come at an enormous cost.

It might have severely weakened their own faction,

which would’ve made it easy for other powers to swoop in and take their place.

That’s exactly why Izumo ultimately chose to let them be.

Shinguuji scowled. "Tch. But this isn’t Neon.

How do you know the people in Jiangnan are anything like Izumo’s top brass?"

Phoenixin raised a brow and said with a sly grin,

"Aren’t all those elites around the world the same? Sitting in their high towers, pretending they’re untouchable?"

The others chuckled as they watched the two bicker.

Clearly, they were already used to this kind of back-and-forth.

Stepping over the corpses of Jiangning’s former factions,

they strolled into what was once a bustling street.

Shinguuji adjusted his glasses.

"In that case, to prevent Jiangnan District from launching an assault,

we should carry out a full sweep of this area."

He looked up, eyes glinting with the cold gleam of a snake.

"Within a five-kilometer radius of Jiangning Square—

don’t leave a single survivor!"

A day passed quickly.

Everyone regrouped in the Operations Center’s meeting room.

After some quick preparations, they would soon head to the front lines to battle the Moon of Corrosion.

Zhang Yi and his team arrived, while Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li sat not far off.

Zhang Yi’s gaze swept across the other outer zone superhumans—

clearly, they’d done some talking yesterday too.

But the atmosphere between them was… delicate.

They were a temporary team, after all.

Expecting real coordination was unrealistic.

As long as no one screwed up mid-battle, that’d be good enough.

After all, they weren’t the main combat force for this mission.

Not long after, Zhu Zheng and Deng Shentong entered the room as well.

But today, Zhu Zheng’s expression was far more grim than yesterday’s—

a look that instantly gave Zhang Yi’s group a bad feeling.

Sure enough, when Zhu Zheng stepped up, he didn’t ask how they were prepping.

Instead, he addressed everyone solemnly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some very bad news to deliver."

"This morning, the Moon of Corrosion left Linhai City…

and arrived in neighboring Jiangning City."

The moment he said that, someone slammed the table and shot to their feet.

"What!!"

Zhang Yi recognized him—Wu Shifang, leader of Jiangning City’s superhuman faction.

"What’s the situation in Jiangning now?!"

Wu Shifang was visibly shaken. His family and friends were all in Jiangning.

And judging by what happened in Linhai City,

once the Moon of Corrosion reached a new location,

they’d wipe out every force there without mercy.

Zhu Zheng addressed him directly.

"Wu Shifang, don’t panic.

We’ve already warned the people in Jiangning to hide and avoid any conflict with the Moon of Corrosion."

"At the moment, they’ve taken over Jiangning Square.

All the groups in that area… have likely been eliminated."

Wu Shifang took a deep breath, calming down a little.

Sure, if his forces had been attacked, someone would’ve contacted him.

Still, he couldn’t fully relax.

As long as those butchers stayed in Jiangning,

his faction was at constant risk.

Wu Shifang stared at Zhu Zheng and said seriously,

"Commander Zhu, I want to go back and handle affairs within my faction."

Zhu Zheng didn’t answer right away.

His secretary, Lan Xincheng, stepped forward instead, face stern.

"Wu Shifang, do you think this is the time to just do as you please?"

"Right now, your top priority is cooperating with headquarters

to eliminate the Moon of Corrosion!"

Wu Shifang looked conflicted. "But I’m worried about them…"

"Worrying won’t help!" Lan Xincheng snapped.

"You really think you alone can take out the Moon of Corrosion?"

Wu Shifang had no retort.

Charging in solo would be pointless.

Then Zhu Zheng’s gentler voice cut in.

"Enough, Xincheng.

He’s just concerned about his family and comrades.

It’s understandable."

Wu Shifang felt a warmth rise in his chest.

He turned to Zhu Zheng with grateful eyes.

"Commander Zhu…"

Zhu Zheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back,

his face stern.

"Rushing won’t help.

They’ve only just arrived in Jiangning.

Their numbers are limited.

They can’t destroy all of Jiangning’s factions overnight."

"We’ll finalize our operation plan in today’s meeting,

and set out at dawn tomorrow!"

"As for the city’s various groups—

we’ve already contacted them.

They’ve been instructed to go into hiding

and avoid engaging with the Moon of Corrosion."

"You can rest assured they’ll be safe for now."

Wu Shifang nodded and finally sat down.

Zhu Zheng looked around the room.

"Their objective is clear—they’re aiming for the Central Plains.

We need to act fast and take them out before they move inland!"

"We absolutely cannot let these damned Ronin take one more step forward!"

"Now then, let’s begin our final strategy meeting.

Each of the three squads, have your captain share your team’s conclusions."

He turned his gaze toward Zhang Yi.

"Zhang Yi, you go first."

All eyes shifted to Zhang Yi’s side.

Zhang Yi gave a short cough and stood up, steady and calm.

"Well, since you’re asking—

I’ve got a few things to say."

Author's Note