Chapter 733: Rushing to the Battlefield

Zhang Yi came downstairs. The members of the Celestial Hound Squad were already suited up and ready to go, just waiting for his command.

Zhang Yi didn’t waste a single word.

“Move!”

Everyone quickly left the operations command center. Outside, armored vehicles were waiting to take them to the airport.

To Zhang Yi’s left sat Yang Xinxin, and to his right was Liang Yue. Hua Hua was nestled in Yang Xinxin’s arms.

Zhang Yi began by giving everyone a brief overview of their mission.

“We’re heading to Tianhai City first to wipe out the Tianlong Pirate Crew that landed there. Tianhai City is my turf—I know the terrain well and have informants stationed there.”

“That gives us a clear advantage in the fight. Just stick to what you’ve trained for.”

After laying that out, he gave specific instructions to Liang Yue and Hua Hua.

“During the battle, stay close to Xinxin. It’s her first time on the battlefield. Make sure she’s protected.”

Liang Yue nodded. “Of course.”

Hua Hua opened its mouth wide. “Meow!”

Yang Xinxin didn’t object to Zhang Yi’s special attention.

Although she had awakened her ability, she still needed to learn how to use it in real combat.

Besides, her power was unusual—and came with high risks.

Having Liang Yue and Hua Hua by her side would at least ensure her safety.

“As for the tactical planning, Baili, I’m handing it over to you.”

Zhang Yi looked at Baili Changqing. “Until I give orders, all operational plans are in your hands.”

Leave professional tasks to the professionals.

When it came to combat, Baili Changqing was clearly the more experienced one.

Zhang Yi wasn’t foolish enough to meddle in something he wasn’t good at.

Baili Changqing was visibly moved. He hadn’t expected Zhang Yi to trust him this much.

A leader delegating authority was the greatest form of recognition for a subordinate!

“Yes, sir!”

Baili Changqing didn’t say another word and accepted the order.

This decision brought a wave of relief to everyone else.

If someone like Zhang Yi—who was a total outsider to tactics—had insisted on taking command, they’d have all been on edge.

No one denied Zhang Yi’s individual strength.

But leadership and personal combat prowess were two entirely different things.

The Celestial Hound Squad, the Samsara Squad, and the Yan Yun Troop all headed swiftly toward the airport.

Searchlights tore through the night sky. Blizzard City was steeped in a solemn, murderous atmosphere—yet another sleepless night.

As the fighter jets took off one after another, the three squads flew toward their respective battlefields.

Meanwhile, in Tianhai City, thanks to Zhang Yi’s early warning, the shelters and the three local factions had already secured their people and resources in safe zones.

Once the Tianlong Pirates reached the nearby seas, they immediately switched to snow vehicles and stormed across the frozen surface to the shore.

“Boys, loot to your heart’s content! Kill all the men and take every scrap of food and resources!”

Kanute roared with laughter, echoed by the crazed howls of over a thousand pirates, all geared up for a full-blown raid.

As long as they pulled this off today, they wouldn’t need to go out to sea for the rest of the year.

Everyone had heard about the wealth of Tianhai City.

And after today, they’d finally earn themselves a big name in the pirate world!

So what if it was Huaxu Nation?

They were still ripe for the plundering!

But as the excited pirates stormed ashore, something quickly felt off.

Despite scouring the massive city for a long time, they didn’t see a single person!

The entire city was like a ghost town. It was hard to find any trace of human activity at all.

The major bases had already relocated their people and supplies half a month ago. The buildings left behind were buried under thick layers of snow.

From the looks of it, it was as if no one had ever lived here.

Only near the port area of the Chaoyu Base did they find some large containers with supplies inside.

But it was all vehicles, heavy machinery, and scattered materials—not very useful, and hard to transport.

Kanute immediately sensed something was wrong.

He turned to ask the people from Moon of Corrosion what was going on.

Phoenixin Ren gave his answer.

“According to our intel, there are only a few factions left in the city. Their resources have all been centralized. Take them out, and you’ll easily snatch most of Tianhai City’s supplies.”

Kanute thought it over and concluded that Phoenixin Ren wasn’t lying.

Tianhai City had vast resources, and it was unrealistic to move all of it out in such a short time.

There could only be one explanation: the important supplies had been hidden.

As long as they found where the local forces were hiding—in other words, where the stash was—they could take it all!

Kanute immediately ordered his men to dig deep, no matter what, and find where the major factions were holed up.

Little did they know, right beneath their feet, over a thousand people from Chaoyu Base were hiding.

Blizzard City

Zhu Zheng had already sent out the three squads under Zhang Yi’s lead.

Now, he was thinking about how to handle what came next.

The Extremist Demons and Moon of Corrosion both belonged to the Ronin organization, and their numbers were no more than a few hundred at most.

But the Tianlong Pirate Crew, which dominated the southern seas, had enough firepower to threaten an entire nation.

Oddly enough, larger organizations were often easier to negotiate or manage.

“The Tianlong Pirates actually dared to attack the Jiangnan Region? Their ambition knows no bounds!”

“We have to teach them a lesson—otherwise, the southeastern coast will never have peace!”

Zhu Zheng said grimly.

Lan Xincheng bowed slightly and replied, “The East Sea Region’s patrol ships guard the waters. They must’ve been guided by a Foresight user from Moon of Corrosion to slip past the patrols.”

“Besides, the southeastern sea is full of islands. We still don’t know where their main base is. It’ll be tough to launch a campaign.”

Zhu Zheng’s eyes turned sharp.

“That’s not a big deal. Once we confirm the location of their HQ, just one blast from the Death Reaper of Love will wipe them out completely!”

All it took was dispatching some scouts. Eventually, they’d find something.

But the issue was that the Death Reaper of Love couldn’t be used recklessly.

The Tianlong Pirates might be easy to destroy, but using a weapon like that could open Pandora’s box.

In the future, everyone on the planet might resort to such devastating weapons.

Lan Xincheng, however, smiled faintly.

“There are other ways we can deal with them.”

Zhu Zheng glanced over. “Oh? What do you have in mind?”

Lan Xincheng grinned. “The Starsea Archipelago is all islands. They rely on imports for both food and energy.”

“After the apocalypse, maritime shipping has become more difficult, and their supply chains have become even more limited. All we need to do is mess with those two areas, and we can starve them out completely!”

“Without diesel, their massive fleet becomes nothing but scrap metal.”

Zhu Zheng’s expression lit up with interest, and he smiled. “You always manage to come up with something new!”

Author's Note