Chapter 639: Set for the Early Hours

Wu Shifang proposed a much more cautious action plan.

He believed that the individual members of the Moon of Corrosion were all extremely powerful. If they tried to fight them head-on, even if they won, it would likely be a pyrrhic victory.

So, the best approach was to first wear them down using superior numbers.

Wu Shifang’s suggestion was: “Deploy ten thousand soldiers to lock down Jiangning Plaza! Each one should be equipped with Origin Bullets. Then we use heavy firepower to bomb them out!”

“That way, they’ll either have to endure the bombardment or come out and face ten thousand soldiers armed with Origin Bullets!”

“I don’t believe even the strongest superhuman can hold up against that kind of formation!”

After Wu Shifang finished speaking, the room fell into silence.

The people from Headquarters looked at him with strange expressions.

Even Zhang Yi couldn’t help shaking his head.

It wasn’t a bad idea, but unfortunately...

Lan Xincheng voiced what everyone else was thinking.

“That’s not even remotely feasible.”

He pushed his glasses up and looked at Wu Shifang.

“You think Origin Bullets are that easy to manufacture?”

“Even here in the Jiangnan District Headquarters, only a few elite units can be equipped with them. And the supply is strictly limited.”

“Forget ten thousand, even arming a thousand soldiers with Origin Bullets is unrealistic.”

“So your proposal simply won’t work!”

Wu Shifang’s face darkened. He clenched his fists and said in a low voice, “But with just a few dozen of us, we might not be able to completely wipe out the Moon of Corrosion! Having more people would be better.”

A sharp glint flickered in Zhu Zheng’s eyes.

How could he not understand everything Wu Shifang had just said?

But Wu Shifang didn’t get it—there just weren’t that many resources in the Jiangnan District right now.

Even the Six Investigation Teams had their western divisions deployed elsewhere on missions.

Jiangning City was Wu Shifang’s turf, so his anxiety was understandable.

But Jiangnan District couldn’t afford to throw all its strength at the Moon of Corrosion.

Zhu Zheng slowly spoke. “Our goal this time is to destroy the Moon of Corrosion organization!”

Then he shifted gears. “But we don’t have to wipe them out all in one go.”

“These people are cunning. They’ve been playing cat and mouse with us from the start. If they can escape from Linhai City to Jiangning City, then they could just as easily run off again.”

“To surround and eliminate them completely, we’d need to mobilize at least ten times their numbers! That would mean gathering top-tier superhumans from every city in the Jiangnan District.”

“If we did that, we’d risk leaving ourselves vulnerable to attacks from other external organizations.”

As The Art of War says: “When outnumbering the enemy ten to one, encircle them; five to one, attack; two to one, divide; equal in strength, prepare to fight; fewer, prepare to flee; much weaker, avoid battle altogether. Know your enemy and yourself, and you will never be defeated.”

Wu Shifang became a little agitated. “Then what are you suggesting?”

Zhu Zheng replied, “We strike hard and fast! Engage them directly and break their organization! Find out what they’re hiding!”

“That way, even if we can’t finish them all at once, we’ll crush their arrogance.”

“Don’t forget, we’re fighting on home turf. A prolonged war of attrition favors us.”

“Our manpower and supplies can be continuously replenished, while they only have thirteen members. The longer it drags on, the easier it gets for us.”

Zhu Zheng was a strategist at heart, and he was thinking strategically from the very beginning.

He never intended to wipe out every last member of Moon of Corrosion in one shot.

Of course, that would be ideal, but it was far too difficult to pull off.

And the Moon of Corrosion wouldn’t be dumb enough to throw their lives away knowing they couldn’t win.

Down below, Deng Shentong’s expression turned a little impatient as he listened to Zhu Zheng.

Arms crossed, he said lazily, “Maybe there’s a simpler way!”

“And that’s to just take out their leader right from the start!”

“Once the wolf king falls, the pack will scatter.”

The moment Deng Shentong spoke, he drew everyone’s attention.

Understandably so—Celestial Squad was clearly the main force in this operation.

And as their team captain, Deng Shentong was openly recognized as the top combat strength on this mission.

Zhu Shuai chuckled.

He was very familiar with Deng Shentong’s personality—bold and flamboyant.

But time and again, Deng Shentong had delivered results.

Zhu Shuai appreciated young people like that—ones with fight and fire.

Lan Xincheng, the secretary beside Zhu Zheng, spoke up. “We don’t have much intel on Moon of Corrosion’s leader, Phoenixin Ren.”

“Even back in Kanto, his personal file was sealed. Based on preliminary assessments, his combat power should be at least on par with a captain of one of the Six Investigation Teams.”

“So attempting a decapitation strike would be extremely difficult.”

“Of course, if Captain Deng can pull it off, it would drastically speed up our campaign.”

Deng Shentong tilted his head, and his long silver hair cascaded like a waterfall.

“That part’s mine, then,” he said casually.

His eyes were filled with confidence—not arrogance or ego, just a clear understanding of his own strength.

“Any target I’ve marked... not a single one escapes.”

“As of now, he’s already a dead man.”

Deng Shentong spoke in a soft, almost offhand tone.

That level of confidence only deepened the smile on Zhu Zheng’s face.

Across from Deng Shentong, Baili Changqing, a member of the operations command team, looked a little conflicted.

As someone newly promoted to captain, he didn’t have the same confidence as Deng Shentong to say things like that.

And that’s the gap in strength.

Once Deng Shentong had spoken, the rest really didn’t have much to add.

The picture was clear. Everyone basically understood—they were just discussing the details of the operation.

“Well, if no one else has any issues, let’s get to the main point—tomorrow’s battle plan,” Zhu Zheng said as he swept his gaze around the room.

No one had anything to say.

The thirteen superhumans from the Outer City all knew their role—they were backup. The Celestial Squad was the real main force.

Their job was to draw out the Moon of Corrosion’s main forces and create an opening for the Celestial Squad.

Zhu Zheng gestured for Lan Xincheng to explain the plan to everyone.

Lan Xincheng cleared his throat and began outlining the plan they had already drafted.

Today’s discussion added a few extra details to it.

And the time for the operation was confirmed: tomorrow at 2:00 a.m.

That’s the time when most people are in deep sleep—at their most tired, and most likely to slip up.

Author's Note