Chapter 732: Sword Pointed at Tianhai

Facing Lan Xincheng’s concern, Zhu Zheng clasped his hands on the table and said firmly:

“The greatest threat right now is the foreign invasion!”

“We must win this war at any cost—and win it flawlessly!”

“Blizzard City’s defenses are strong enough. Even without Zhurong and his 500 elite Yan Yun Guards, it won’t make much of a difference.”

Lan Xincheng furrowed his brow slightly but didn’t say anything more.

Once the leadership had made a decision, continuing to question it would be inappropriate.

That wasn’t how a seasoned official conducted himself.

Zhu Zheng slapped the table. “Now—begin the operation! We must end this war before they unleash chaos. End it outside our national borders!”

“We absolutely cannot let them reach the Central Plains!”

Zhang Yi and the others all stood up together and answered loudly, “Yes!”

Their voices were clear and decisive.

Zhang Yi, Gao Changkong, and Tu Yunlie left the meeting room without hesitation.

There was no time to lose—by now, all three invading forces had likely reached the coastal cities’ harbors.

If they arrived even a moment too late, who knew how many lives would be lost?

Linhai City and Tianhai City were less at risk—

Both had suffered major disasters before, and survivors were few.

Tianhai City had even received prior warning from Zhang Yi and was on alert.

But Huazhou City, now facing an assault from 500 Yakuza Fiends, would likely see a bloodbath.

That was why Zhu Zheng had rarely—if ever—dispatched Tu Yunlie before now.

Huazhou City had to be protected. It was the face of the entire Jiangnan District!

As Zhang Yi and the others left the meeting room, they moved quickly downstairs.

Zhang Yi immediately called Zhou Ke’er, who was far away in Tianhai City.

It was midnight, and it took Zhou Ke’er a while to wake up.

When she saw Zhang Yi calling, her face lit up.

“Hey, Zhang Yi! Calling me this late—don’t tell me you’re…”

Zhang Yi spoke fast and clear: “Listen, Tianhai City is in danger! Moon of Corrosion is stirring up trouble again, and a pirate squad from the sea is about to arrive at Tianhai.”

“No one is allowed to go outside. Get everyone into the basement immediately. I’m on my way.”

Zhou Ke’er’s expression instantly turned serious.

She pulled up the strap of her nightgown, swung her smooth, slender legs off the bed, and slipped into her slippers.

“Got it. I’ll notify everyone now.”

“Don’t worry—they won’t breach the shelter. I’ll be there in less than thirty minutes.”

Zhang Yi finished giving instructions and hung up.

Then, he called Chen Jingguan at the Chaoyu Base.

Since the enemy was approaching from the sea, the harbor there would be the first to be hit.

Chen Jingguan was still awake—

With over a thousand people under his care at Chaoyu Base, he had daily affairs to manage and usually stayed up late.

As soon as the phone rang, he picked up quickly.

“Boss, you’re still up at this hour?”

Zhang Yi didn’t bother with small talk and got straight to the point.

“I told you to prepare for this—how did that go?”

Chen Jingguan’s face turned solemn. Though nervous, he answered seriously:

“Everything has been done exactly as you instructed! Everyone is resting in the shelter, and all strategic supplies have been relocated.

Aside from a few massive shipping containers, there’s nothing left at the port.”

Zhang Yi nodded. “Good. Stay hidden, and wait for my orders to act.”

After hanging up, Zhang Yi noticed that the elevator only had three people—himself, Tu Yunlie, and Gao Changkong.

He glanced at the other two, then paused.

He wasn’t especially familiar with Gao Changkong and had barely spoken to Tu Yunlie.

There wasn’t really anything to talk about now—better to focus on their respective missions.

Surprisingly, Tu Yunlie spoke first.

His deep, muffled voice rumbled:

“I’ll deal with those ronin at Huazhou City as fast as possible. Then I’ll come support you both.

If things get bad and you can’t handle it, take cover and wait for our backup!”

As the head of the Combat Division, Tu Yunlie was one of the top powerholders in Blizzard City.

In this battle, he wanted to rack up major merits too—securing a stronger position for his future.

Still, he had every right to say those words.

The 500 Yan Yun Guards under his command were the finest of the entire Yan Yun force.

Among them were:

Ten Delta-level elite Awakened

Thirty Awakened ranging from Beta to Gamma level

And the rest were well-trained, heavily armed elite soldiers.

Zhang Yi shrugged. He wasn’t too interested in merit or accolades.

He only cared about one thing: wiping out Moon of Corrosion and bringing peace to Jiangnan—especially his own home.

“Alright then. If needed, I’ll call for backup.”

Gao Changkong smiled but didn’t respond to Tu Yunlie.

Instead, he turned to Zhang Yi.

“I’m counting on you to join us in wiping out Moon of Corrosion, remember? They’re still our main target.”

Without Zhang Yi’s ability to block prophetic powers, dealing with Moon of Corrosion was no easy feat.

Even with his command over reincarnation, Gao Changkong would be taking major risks.

From their tone, Zhang Yi could sense something subtle.

Just as Deng Yuanbo had said—Blizzard City’s upper echelon was split into factions.

There were both overt and covert power struggles happening constantly.

Fortunately, Zhang Yi was an outsider.

Because he wasn’t involved in political games, people didn’t guard against him.

Still… it was troublesome.

That was all Zhang Yi could think.

He had no interest in power. To him, it was something that only invited danger.

Before he could reply, Gao Changkong added,

“I’ve heard of the Tianlong Pirate Crew from the Ironblood Squad. They’re strong, sure—but unless the Sea Dragon King himself is leading, their individual squadrons aren’t that impressive.”

“With your strength, you should have no problem taking them down.”

The Tianlong Pirate Crew was famous, and their numbers exceeded tens of thousands.

But in this era—where top-tier Awakened determined the outcome of battles—numbers alone didn’t equal dominance.

If they did, Blizzard City wouldn’t have needed the Celestial Squad to deal with Moon of Corrosion.

Their 300,000-strong Defense Force could’ve crushed them easily.

Based on Blizzard City’s analysis, two elite squads were all it would take to destroy the entire Tianlong Pirate Crew.

Now, with just one squadron showing up, Zhang Yi’s Celestial Hound Squad should be more than enough to handle them.

To most in the room, the western squadron of the Tianlong Pirate Crew was just a smokescreen—lured here by Moon of Corrosion to stir up chaos.

Zhang Yi nodded. “We’ll see how strong they really are once the fighting starts.”

He had never underestimated any opponent.

Arrogance was the original sin that led to death.

Author's Note